How to Manage Geeks

Happy geeks are effective geeks. The main reason IT people are unhappy at work is bad relations with management, often because geeks and managers have fundamentally different personalities, professional backgrounds and ambitions. Some people conclude that geeks hate managers and are impossible to lead. The expression “managing geeks is like herding cats” is sometimes used, but that’s just plain wrong. The fact is that IT people hate bad management and have even less tolerance for it than most other kinds of employees.

So where does it go wrong? Here are some top ways that managers can lead geeks effectively and respectfully.

Value training. If a boss thinks that training is a waste of money and expects you to teach yourself, you feel pretty de-motivated in any job. Training matters, especially in IT, and managers must realize that and budget for it. Sometimes you get the argument that “if I give them training a competitor will hire them away.” That may be true, but the alternative is to only have employees who are too unskilled to work anywhere else. Also, if you pay them well and have good benefits, they won't go somewhere else.

Give recognition. Since managers may not understand the work geeks do very well, it’s hard for them to recognize and reward a job well done, which hurts motivation. The solution is to work together to define a set of goals that both parties agree on. When these goals are met the geeks are doing a great job.Keep overtime down. Avoid taking the approach of wringing as much as possible out of IT employees just because you figure they don't lead a normal life. Wrong! That’s a huge mistake and overworked geeks burn out or simply quit. It's a complete myth that long work hours are good for business.

Avoid using management-speak. Geeks hate management-speak and see it as superficial and dishonest. Managers shouldn’t learn to speak tech, but they should drop the biz-buzzwords. A manager can say “We need to proactively impact our time-to-market” or simply use plain English and stick to “We gotta be on time with this project”. The latter makes total sense to everyone involved.

Don't try to be smarter than the geeks. When managers don’t know anything about a technical question, they should simply admit it. Geeks respect them for that, but not for pretending to know. And they will catch it - geeks are smart.

Act consistently. Geeks have an ingrained sense of fairness, probably related to the fact that in IT, structure and consistency is critical. The documentation can’t say one thing while the code does something else, and similarly, managers can’t say one thing and then do something else.

Don't make the mistake of ignoring the geeks. Because managers and geeks are different types of people, managers may end up leaving the geeks alone. This makes leading them difficult, and geeks need good leadership - the same as all other personnel groups.

Include them in decisions. Never make decisions without consulting geeks. Geeks usually know the technical side of the business better than the manager, so making a technical decision without consulting them is one of the biggest mistakes a leader can make.

Give them the tools needed. A fast computer may cost more money than an older one and it may not be corporate standard, but geeks use computers differently. A slow computer lowers productivity and is a daily annoyance. So is outdated software. Give them the tools they need.

Remember that geeks are creative workers. Programming is a creative process, not an industrial one. Geeks must constantly come up with solutions to new problems and rarely ever solve the same problem twice. Therefore they need leeway and flexibility. Strict dress codes and too much red tape kill all innovation. They also need creative surroundings to avoid “death by cubicle”.

Recognize the outcomes of not treating geeks with respect as outlined above. Happy geeks are productive geeks, and the most important factor is good management, tailored to their situation. Doing the opposite to what has been outlined in this article has serious consequences for your organization, including:

- Low motivation
- High employee turnover
- Increased absenteeism
- Lower productivity
- Lower quality
- Bad service

Advice

- Caveat: not all geeks are the same; geeks are wildly different people and this article does generalize dangerously. And this article is not saying that all IT-people are geeks. Some are, some aren’t.

- This advice would work well with most employees, not just geeks.

- The word 'geek' in this article is not used in a derogatory manner.

World stock markets open 2009 on high note

World stock markets opened 2009 on a high note, with Hong Kong's index up more than 4 percent, as investors shrugged off more dreary economic news to focus on government moves to ease the global slump.

With most investors away for the holidays and more than half of Asia's markets still closed, trading volumes were extremely light, which exaggerates price moves. Chinese telecom firms surged after Beijing approved next-generation mobile licenses, and commodity companies were lifted by stronger prices for raw materials. European benchmarks followed Asia higher in early trade.

But many analysts found little reason to be optimistic about the world economy as a whole. After one of the worst years ever for global equities, many expect more volatility in the first half as the effects of falling exports and higher capital costs start showing up on company balance sheets.
Read More Here

Top 10 Dating Tips

• Get prepared for dating. If you really want to succeed in the dating game, decide who you are looking for, do your research and be ready to commit to dating. Half heartedness won't work. Also prepare for some let downs along the way but don't take dating too seriously either.
• Get your act together. Begin a regime of looking your best. Join a gym, read health magazines, get fit and start a diet. Get your hair cut or styled and begin a new regime of good grooming or beauty treatment. Though it will not find you a date in itself, you will feel a million times more confident about yourself.
• Go shopping and treat yourself to new clothes and even a whole new look. Get your image right, one that you can manage and live with, but one that flatters you. Don't go overboard and look like someone you are not but maybe its time to throw out those tired jeans, old sweaters or cardigans and spruce yourself up. People appreciate appearance.
• Have a good think about what your dating goals are and timescales. Do you see yourself married within 2 years? If you do then approach dating accordingly. If you are more laid back and don't take dating too seriously then ask yourself some honest questions about why you are dating and what you hope to achieve. If it is purely sex then ask yourself if you are about to be honest with those you hope to date.
• Sort out your confidence levels in advance. By following the first four tips you will feel better and be more focused. Do all the things that will boost your confidence from avoiding negative friends (often the married ones) to attending the right kind of social functions. Couples at dinner parties in suburbia is not necessarily where you need to be right now.
• Choose those you have a good chance of dating, don't aim low but do aim realistically. In other words, your dating is based on the whole package you present as well as just your personality. If you are looking for a glamour girl or boy and want to date someone trendy and gorgeous then good for you, but be prepared and be realistic about your chances.
• Work out in advance where in your neighborhood you are likely to meet people and join clubs, societies, sports events, drama groups, anything where you are likely to meet potential partners. The kind of partners you are looking for. I know its a cliché but you will not meet people by staying indoors.
• Take time off from dating occasionally if its not going well or causing dating fatigue. Dating is an ongoing process and so recharging the batteries and keeping the confidence and optimism levels high is an absolute must. So date in phases if necessary.
• Enjoy dating for what it is, dating. It is meeting people and socializing and spending time in the company of stimulating individuals who may or may not bring you a sparkle. The fact is, most people are interesting and whilst you may not be out there looking for new friends, you may well find one or two fabulous people along the way.
• Never ever make yourself too available. People like mystery and enigma and the thrill of the chase when dating. In keeping with this do not sleep with your dates early on if you want them to progress, so keep sex until later. The longer a person is made to chase and fall for you within reason, the more likely that love may blossom. Peak too early and you have little left to offer and emotions may never have had the time to develop.

To all My Friends And Visitors

First I would like to take this moment to thank all my friends and visitors who have been visiting this blog. I would like to say I am sorry for the lack of posts and visits on my part. Between my business booming and I have been sick for the past few weeks. I have not had much chance to keep up with the blog. I hope this will change and I will be able to devote sometime each day. Thank you in advance for understanding. And I hope all my friends in the cyber world will continue to visit.

Have a Great Day...

Pacquiao to Fight Again

Manny Pacquiao is giving away $550,000 worth of tickets for the “Dream Match” and 500 turkeys for Thanksgiving.

Yes, the Filipino superstar has admitted to philboxing.com that he has spent around $550,000 or roughly P27.5 million on tickets to be given away to his friends coming over to watch him fight Oscar dela Hoya on Dec. 6.

Pacquiao normally spends a fortune in fight tickets and even plane tickets given away to friends. Only this time, the amount has gone twice or thrice as much simply because the prices have gone up.

Tickets to previous Pacquiao fights were highest at $600 per ringside seat, but this time the same seat costs $1,500. The problem is they’re all gone, and the only way to get them is through the black market.
Read More Here

How to Understand Your Digital SLR

When they were first introduced, digital SLR cameras were enormously expensive and a tool for professionals only. Since then, they have come down in price into the consumer price range. Because of this, many people buy digital SLRs without understanding how they work -- and, consequently, not making the most of them. To find out how you can get the most from your camera through the most common functions that they have, and to show you how to learn to use one by experiment. The principles are the same for any camera; but you will probably not be able to set your shutter and aperture manually on most non-SLR cameras. Read More Here

Early struggles of President-elect Obama

It’s all history now. Barack Obama Jr. becomes the 44th president of the USA.
* * *
But did you know the new US president was a “Cinderella man” who struggled against great odds from early boyhood before he reached the peak of his career?
Barack came from a broken family. He was only two years old when his parents Barack Hussein Obama Sr. from Kenya, and mother Ann Dunham, a white American from Kansas, separated and later divorced.
* * *
He saw his father only once after the divorce and before he died in a car accident in 1982 at age 46.
His mother got married to Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian. When his mother moved to Indonesia, Barack went along and for four years studied in grade school there: two years in a Muslim school and two in a Catholic school.
Ann Dunham, his mother, decided to send him back to Hawaii to be raised by his maternal grandparents.
* * *
His mother’s marriage to Soetoro didn’t last long although they sired a girl name Maya. It ended in divorce and shortly afterwards Lolo died in 1987 of complications from a liver ailment because as Todd Pordum wrote in his article “The Making of Obama” in the June 2008 “Reader’s Digest,” “he became more and more like a Westerner” whose “big thing were Johnny Walker Black and Andy Williams records.”
* * *
Looking back, Barack Jr. said that while his “mother was the most positive influence in my life,” the men in his life were a disappointment. “They made an awful lot of mistakes,” he once said. Barack admitted to using alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his teenage years.
* * *
Later, however, as he decided to make something of his life, he gave up those counter productive traits and focus on his studies and career as a lawyer and eventually as a politician.
* * *
So it was an uphill climb for the young Barack from the very beginning. Another blow struck when his mother died of ovarian cancer in 1995 three years after she saw him marry Michelle Robinson, a lawyer. This left him a complete orphan.
* * *
What we can learn from Barack Obama Jr. now President-elect of the USA was his relentless determination to pursue his goal but to do that he resisted to wallow in self-pity over his broken family and bitter past. Above all, he had to get rid of his negative traits and destructive use of alcohol and drugs.
* * *
This required a lot of self-discipline. As one writer put it, “If you don’t have discipline, you don’t even deserve to dream.” For instance, if you aspire for a high position, say, in politics, but persist in being a gambler, drinker, womanizer, don’t ever bother to dream because your negative lifestyle will drag you down to the sea like a millstone tied around your neck.
I guess this is what the Lord meant when He said: “Unless you reform, you will come to perdition.”
* * *
TODAY’S HUMOR. CLASSMATES? Have you been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, “Surely I can’t look that old”?
I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name.
* * *
Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 40-odd years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?
* * *
Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. Hmmm ... or could he?
After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Ilocos Norte High School. “Yes, yes, I did. I was in the A Section,” he gleamed with pride.
* * *
“When did you graduate?” I asked. He answered, “In 1963. Why do you ask?” “You were in my class!” I exclaimed. He looked at me closely and asked, “Were you one of our teachers?”
* * *
GOD BLESS--the following latest donors to our poor seminarians scholarship program: Ms. Josephine Olano, West Covina, USA; Florencia Myers; Rodolfo Sudaria, San Jose, CA; Rebecca O. Aluyen, CA; Ed Matias, Arizona, USA; Anonymous.

Story from http://www.philippinenews.com

About the Sinulog Festival

The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines. The main festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.

The festival features some the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry: participants garbed in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. The streets are usually lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a Sinulog sa Kabataan, which is performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the Grand Parade.

Recently, the cultural event has been commercialized as a tourist attraction and instead of traditional street-dancing from locals, Sinulog also came to mean a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is traditionally held in the Cebu City Sports Complex, where most of Cebu’s major provincial events are held.

How To Get Closure

There may be times in our lives when relationships - whether they are romances, friendships, or family ties - hit a bump in the road and seem to fade away, leaving us wondering what happened and why? If it's been a long time and it's clear to you that the relationship is over, but there was no final talk or last goodbye, you might be in need of some closure so that you can move on, and put that relationship behind you.

Steps

1. Define your loose ends. What is it that lingers in you that prevents you from moving on? What residual emotions are still tying you to this person? Usually it's some form of anger or guilt - anger over what a person did to you, and you don't feel they were held accountable to it, or guilt over what you did (or didn't do) to (or for) someone else, and your resulting sense of regret.
   
2. Forgive. The fastest way to free yourself from an enemy and all associated negativity is to forgive. Untie the bindings and loose yourself from that person's ugliness. Your hatred has tied you to the person responsible for your pain. Your forgiveness enables you to start walking away from him or her and the pain. When your enemy and his or her evil actions come to mind, send him or her a blessing. Hope the best for him or her. The first 15 - or 150 - times you try this, the "blessing" may feel contrived, empty, and even hypocritical but keep trying. Eventually, it will become a new habit and soon thereafter, the anger and pain that has burned in your heart will evaporate, like dew before the morning sun.
   
3. Apologize. If you feel guilt or shame, if you are the one who needs forgiveness, then apologize. But it's not as simple as saying or thinking "I'm sorry." Grab a pen and paper and write a full-blown apology, keeping the following in mind:
   
• There is no excuse. Do not try to think of or offer one. An apology with an excuse is not an apology. Take full responsibility for what you did.
  
• Make it a point to avoid using the word "but". ("I am sorry, but..." means "I am not sorry.")
  
• Do not say "I'm sorry you feel that way" or "I'm sorry if you were offended" --it makes it seem like you are blaming the other person for feeling a certain way, and is not a real apology.
  
• Think about what caused you to make the offense. Find the underlying problem, describe it to the person (as an explanation, not an excuse), and tell them what you intend to do to rectify that problem so that you can avoid this mistake in the future.
  
  
4. Have a symbolic ceremony. People still hold funerals for the deceased whose bodies were never found, and you can still have a formal way to say goodbye to relationships that were never resolved. Gather all of the things that remind you of this person and burn them, or donate them to charity. Give a eulogy to the relationship, and say it out loud.
   
5. Write a story. Think back to when your relationship with this person began, and document it from beginning to end. This may be very painful, but it will give you a broader perspective. When you get to the final chapter, finish off on a positive note and write "The End". If you're writing in a notebook, close it forcefully, take a deep breath, and put it on a bookshelf. If you wrote on looseleaf papers, fold them, put them in an envelope, and seal it. You may choose to keep the story, or you may choose to shred it or burn it. The very act of documenting your relationship and closing the book, however, will help you find closure emotionally.
   
6. Begin a new chapter. You'll never be able to erase your memory of this person, but you can use the experience to better yourself and to help others. If you wronged someone, resolve never to make the same mistake again, and take it a step further: help others avoid making the same mistake you did. If you were a victim, reach out to other victims, and teach others how to avoid the wrongdoing that you faced. Make the end of your relationship with that person a turning point in your life. Start moving in a new direction.
   

Tips

• Give yourself time to heal. It won't happen overnight.
  

Whenever you think of the person, visualize him or her in front of you, then imagine yourself blowing him or her away. Whether they fly away like a dry leaf or scatter like dust in the wind, let them go. Do this every time you find yourself dwelling on the past.

Warnings

• Avoid distractions or any kind of escapism. Don't submerge yourself in substance abuse, television, or a new relationship. It will only delay your feeling of closure.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Overcome Serious Regrets
  
• How to Apologize
  
• How to Forgive
  
• How to Bury Your Burdens
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Closure. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Find.com - The Search Engine To Use

FIND.COM!! The easiest thing to remember when searching online for your favorite items, just use there newly designed keyword search tool and you will be directed to the results. It’s that simple, what more could you ask for.

With some of the other search engines on the world wide web you get so many results. It can take hours to go thru the links to find what you are looking for. Not with FIND.COM! With there technology you will only get the best results that match your keywords.

They also have a growing number of interesting articles for you to read. Currently at 500 and should be in the thousands by the end of the year. These articles are all unique and expert-written. Find.com Search Engine site is very clear, simple and not a lot of overpowering ads, plus easy to remember. You can Find People, Find Friends, and even Find Jobs. I compared there keyword search to a few other search engines while timing the amount of time it took to find the link to the website of my choice. And by far FIND.COM was the fastest. In comparison it took an average of 15 minutes less time to find the link of my choice. I will surely be using and going to FIND.COM first the next time I am searching for something online.

Think Firefox 3 is fast? Try Firefox Minefield

A colleague today showed me a cool, new browser that he's been using to browse the web at blisteringly fast speeds. The browser? Minefield. The author of the code? Mozilla. Yes, that same Mozilla that makes the Firefox browser. Minefield is, in fact, a way to glimpse into the future of Firefox, as it's a pre-release/alpha version of the Firefox browser. After spending some time with Minefield, one thing is clear: the future of Firefox is fast. Lightning fast.How fast? Some claim that it has the fastest javascript engine on the planet, which means it leaves Google's Chrome browser in the dust. In my own unscientific tests, I'd say that this assertion is correct. Ars Technica pegs Minefield as 10 percent faster than Chrome. You can download the latest nightly build for Mac OS X, Linux, or Windows, but be warned: it's alpha code. Feeling brave? Or simply feeling like your browser is too slow? Give Minefield a try. It's a separate install so it won't affect an existing Firefox install. You have nothing to lose but your chains. Review by CNET

Travel to New Zealand

Have you ever considered traveling internationally? Are you afraid you cannot afford the airfare or traveling expenses? Well, I to was in your shoes for many years. I never traveled anywhere for the first half of my life and regret every minute of it. Now I have traveled all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines. The Philippines is where I meet my loving wife and we still travel there almost every year for a visit.

We have dreams of traveling to a few other places in the world. One of these places is The Land of The Long White Cloud. This is in New Zealand and has scenic mountain ranges, coastlines, beautiful wildlife and geysers. These are big tourist destinations that draw visitors from all over the world.

One of the countries largest and most popular air carriers is Air New Zealand. They have teamed up with the tourist industry to provide great air travel at an affordable rate. Please check them out at www.airnewzealand.com for great rates as well as complete tour package deals.

Also Air New Zealand has a promotion going that can assist you in the cost of your fare. Air New Zealand is holding a casting call in late October to select 30 adults to be shaved and tattooed to serve as cranial billboards in Los Angeles as part of the airline’s marketing campaign promoting life-changing journeys to New Zealand. Each selected applicant will be eligible for a cash prize of $777 or an economy roundtrip ticket to New Zealand. The cash prize will be paid in two installments. The first half will be given after the selection and tattoo application and the second half will be given at the October 30 reapplication. For those who select a ticket in Pacific Economy class to New Zealand instead, the ticket will be given at the second application on October 30.

49 Reasons to Live in the Philippines

The Philippines, why some people consider it to be the most beuatiful place on earth.
Yet parts of it is the only place on earth where...

1. Every street has a basketball court.

2. Even doctors, lawyers and engineers are unemployed.

3. Doctors study to become nurses for employment abroad.

4. Students pay more money than they will earn afterwards.

5. School is considered the second home and the mall considered the third.

6. Call-center employees earn more money than teachers and nurses.

7. Everyone has his personal ghost story and superstition.

8. Mountains like Makiling and Banahaw are considered holy places.

9. Everything can be forged.

10. All kinds of animals are edible.

11. Starbucks coffee is more expensive than gas.

12. Driving 4 kms can take as much as four hours.

13. Flyovers bring you from the freeway to the side streets.

14. Crossing the street involves running for your dear life.

15. The personal computer is mainly used for games and Friendster.

16. Where colonial mentality is dishonestly denied!

17. Where 4 a.m. is not even considered bedtime yet.

18. People can pay to defy the law.

19. Everything and everyone is spoofed.

20. Where even the poverty-stricken get to wear Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger (peke)!

21. The honking of car horns is a way of life.

22. Being called a bum is never offensive.

23. Floodwaters take up more than 90 percent of the streets during the rainy season.

24. Where everyone has a relative abroad who keeps them alive.

25. Where wearing your national colors make you baduy.

26. Where even the poverty-stricken have the latest cell phones. (GSM-galing sa magnanakaw)

27. Where insurance does not work.

28. Where water can only be classified as tap and dirty.

29. Clean water is for sale (35 pesos per gallon).

30. Where the government makes the people pray for miracles. (Amen to that!)

31. Where University of the Philippines where all the weird people go.

32. Ateneo is where all the nerds go.

33. La Salle is where all the Chinese go.

34. College of Saint Benilde is where all the ********** go and;

35. University of Asia and the Pacific is where all the irrelevantly rich people go.

36. Fast food is a diet meal.

37. Traffic signs are merely suggestions, not regulations.

38. Where being mugged is normal and It happens to everyone.

39. Rodents are normal house pets.

40. The definition of traffic is the 'non-movement' of vehicles.

41. Where the fighter planes of the 1940s are used for military engagements and;

42. The new fighter planes are displayed in museums.

43. Where cigarettes and alcohol are a necessity, and where the lottery is a commodity.

44. Where soap operas tell the realities of life and where the news provides the drama.

45. Where actors make the rules and where politicians provide the entertainment.

46. People can get away with stealing trillions of pesos but not a thousand.

47. Where being an hour late is still considered punctual (Grabe talaga 'to!)

48. Where the squatters have more to complain (even if they do not pay their tax) - than those employed and have their tax automatically deducted from their salaries.

49. And where everyone wants to leave the country!s are normal house pets.

Beautiful Blog Award

This award was presented to me by a blogger friend. Her name is reanaclaire and I would like to pass it along to all my friends who visit me. Please take the time to visit her and feel free to pass this on to your friends.

Click Here To Get The Code

Vinyl Records to CD's or MP3's

For Boomers and Beyond

This unique USB turntable allows you to convert your old vinyl collection directly to CD or MP3 quickly and easily. It plugs directly into your computer using the included USB cable. In addition, it comes complete with dustcover, and all cables are included.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 Reviews by CNET

With the public release of its second beta, Microsoft said it intends for the Internet Explorer 8 browser to be more customer-oriented than previous versions of its browser. Our initial impression of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 is positive: we think Microsoft has not only caught up with Opera, Safari, and Firefox, but in some cases even surpasses these other browsers with its innovative new features. IE8 offers people several enhancements like color-coded tabs, increased privacy options, and greater security features baked right in. Most of the new features require systems to be running Windows Vista SP1 or Windows XP SP3. The final version of Internet Explorer 8 is expected in November 2008.

The user interface hasn't changed much since Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1, except to add a Security pull-down menu between Page and Tools on the main toolbar. In addition to blocking phishing sites, IE8 now highlights the main domain of any Web site you visit. Thus, if something other than eBay.com is highlighted, chances are you are on the wrong Web site. Perhaps the most anticipated addition is Internet Explorer's new antimalware protection. Opera 9.5 and Firefox 3 both recently added antimalware protection. Safari has so far not announced plans for similar protection. Using mostly its own antimalware technology, Microsoft will block emerging threats by masking the entire IE 8 browser screen with a warning to users. The addition of malware protection to the existing antiphishing protection will be rebranded as the Microsoft SmartScreen filter.

In another feature, known as InPrivate, Microsoft allows the browser to suspend caching functions while you surf. Some scenarios for using InPrivate might be when you're using someone else's computer, when you need to buy a gift for a loved one without ruining the surprise, or when you're at an Internet kiosk and don't want the next person to know which Web site you visited. While you can currently clear the browser cache with a mouse click, it's an all-or-nothing action. InPrivate temporarily suspends the automatic caching functions, allowing you to keep the rest of your browsing history intact.

IE8 also contains a cross-site scripting filter, one of the first in a mainstream browser. Cross-site scripting allows an attacker to execute script on a user's browser without them knowing. When the IE8 filter finds a Web page with a cross-site scripting request, it changes the content on the page with a notice. Users are not presented with an option; IE simply blocks the malicious script from executing and displays the rest of the page.

This is just a few of the new features added to Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2. Are you ready to try this version? What are your thoughts about Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2?

It is available at Microsoft's Internet Explorer Home Page for downloading if interested.

Traveling Thru Security Check Points

There's no particular style or type of clothing that you should wear from a security point of view. You are permitted to wear head coverings and religious garments during the screening process.You may be directed to additional screening if your clothing (religious or otherwise) is loose fitting or large enough to hide prohibited items. For more information, click here.

In addition, certain clothing and accessories can set off an alarm on the metal detector and slow you down. Avoid wearing clothing, jewelry or other accessories that contain metal when traveling through the security checkpoints:

1. Heavy jewelry (including pins, necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches, earrings, body piercings, cuff links, lanyards or bolo ties)
2. Clothing with metal buttons, snaps or studs
3. Metal hair barrettes or other hair decoration
4. Belt buckles
5. Under-wire bras
6. Hidden items such as body piercings may result in your being directed to additional screening for a pat-down inspection. If selected for additional screening, you may ask to remove your body piercing in private as an alternative to the pat-down search.
7. Take metal items such as keys, loose change, mobile phones, pagers, and personal data assistants (PDA's) out of your pockets.
8. Place heavy jewelry and other metal items in your carry-on baggage or in plastic bags if they are offered, until you clear security.
9. Pack all your coats and jackets in your baggage when possible. All coats and jackets must go through the X-ray machine for inspection. These include, but are not limited to, trench coats, heavy winter coats, suit jackets, sport coats and blazers. If you choose to wear an outer coat or jacket to the checkpoint, you will need to either place it in your carry-on or put it in the bin that is provided for you.

Disposable booties or slippers may be worn through the checkpoint to help protect your feet, but they must be disposed of prior to leaving the screening area.

Gel-filled bras are permitted through security screening and aboard aircraft.

Security Officers have to identify any metal that is detected at the checkpoint. If you set off the alarm, you will undergo additional screening. This includes a hand-wand and pat-down inspection.

You can remove metal items at the security checkpoint and place them in the plastic bags offered at several airports or in the bins provided. The bins will be sent through the X-ray machine. You can save time by not wearing metal items or by placing them in your carry-on baggage before getting in line.

Computer Sales

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Internet Access

Hello to all the followers and friends of this blog. Sorry I have not posted in a while or I have not had time to visit your blogs. My internet access has been down and my provider took 6 days befor they could find the problems with there system. I never realized how much I missed having the internet until it was gone. But I am backup and running and time permitting I will be visiting all your blogs to catch up on my reading. Thank you in advance for all my friends and followers.