rayzoredge

Played it for the PC, and for what it is, it's damn cool and mad genius.It's a very simple puzzle game and you've got the basis of the game right. It's not like any other puzzle game though... it incorporates a good mix of epic and circus-like music, coupled with the satire on business and consumerism, plus the appealing artwork that bring out a sort of "fun" touch to the game itself, AND the cute sound effects, making you want to play more and figure out the puzzles because it's FUN. Even now, I've got the music stuck in my head as I type this. It's very easy to pick up and understand, and I believe it's available for Wii and PC. I would think either version would be great, with the difference of controls being the mouse and the Wiimote. I would highly recommend anyone to pick up this game, as it is worth every penny... and guess what? Independently-developed! (No EA, no RockStar... just two guys with some time and imagination on their hands!)

Since no one else wanted to do any critique... The bee and the dandelion photo were okay macro shots... what makes them not so great in my eyes would have to be the contrast of color. I know that nature is very uncooperative with fore and backgrounds, staying still, etc., but I figured I would point those out... because I'm a jerk like that. :XD: I think that your sampling here is pretty darn good and I like it. (Personally, my picks would have been the sun/tree/dusk light, the B&W tractor, the leaf, and the radio pics.) Keep up the perspective!

There is a feature in Vista called SxS (Side by Side) that allows for redundant DLLs and probably other types of files to retain usability of programs. (This prevents new DLLs and system files from replacing older ones and thus possibly breaking support.) This could be another possibility as to why Vista is eating up GBs.Also, I would think that the prefetch may be another culprit, although I would not touch the prefetch as it contributes to faster performance on your machine using Vista. (The OS essentially "learns" what you use and preloads data from a prefetch file so that opening up Firefox from the first time you loaded Vista will be much faster the second, third, and future times around.)It looks like you should be all set with the amount of space you already have available anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it if it is the prefetch, the index, or SxS, as it would affect the performance of Vista.

You could utilize an external solid-state drive and have it connected via eSATA, I would think. Why would you need to have a secondary storage device that's FASTER than the primary?USB 3.0 may be faster than SATA in the future with its 5.0Gbps speeds with the SuperSpeed bus, but with overhead and actual transfer speeds, that might not be true. It wouldn't be viable to connect an SSD using a USB 2.0 cable because the method of transfer then becomes the bottleneck.

I figured that keeping cool was a given, but I suppose that some tips should be in order. Things are a bit better now, and I'm hearing of generous donations and the possibility of having air conditioning units downrange. However, obviously you're not going to be blessed enough to enjoy them all the time, so plan on beating the heat. Cooling Vests ? Artic Heat makes cooling vests that apparently are being issued now to the Australian army to help keep core temperatures down. They are rather pricey, but if you've got the money to burn, you could try them out, especially if you are very prone to being a heat casualty. Kevlar Cooling Packs ? I've seen ice packs that you freeze and put into your Kevlar to help deal with heat, but I'm not sure how effective they are. Coolers ? If you have a vehicle or are going to be on one, or if you're going to be assigned to sitting in one spot for a while, ensure that you have a cooler made in the USA and fill it up with water and ice packs (or clean ice, if available). The coolers that are available in the desert are usually made from cheap Iraqi plastic or some crap and do not insulate well, so hauling that humongous container from stateside will be worth doing. See if the cooks will bring some with them; otherwise, plan on bringing it yourself. Water ? Bring a few bottles of water with you on your person for personal consumption. Also, it MUST be noted NOT to drink water from the economy or from tap while in country. You WILL get sick. Instead, plan on drinking the bottled stuff for the entire time you're there. I don't know if the water for the water buffaloes will be clean or not? that's something that we will be briefed on. Trust the bottle; be wary of everything else. Keep this in mind for ice in-country too? if you really want to use it, put it in a couple of zip-loc bags before using it to cool water or something to that effect. Fans ? I guarantee nothing, but maybe you can get decent oscillating fans at the PX/BX while in-country. Otherwise, I would bring a small personal fan for some slight relief. Common sense will also save your butt. You will be drinking at least 3L of water per day, even if you're not a big water person because you will be sweating everything out. Don't eat while doing strenuous activity, as it takes energy to digest food and you will create body heat as a result. Anyone else have any tips on staying cool?

I will attest to CCleaner, and I'm sure most of us will agree with that sentiment. CCleaner will clean out your temporary folders, recycle bin, histories, and a ton of other stuff. (I don't think it compresses old files though.) You can also have it clean out invalid or unnecessary entries in your registry, which will contribute to the slowing down of XP over time due to all the crap that accumulates. Startup programs and bloatware will help ease the loading times and the available memory being eaten up by unnecessary programs. With experience and time, you'll be able to determine what you don't need and what is essential to keeping your computer as you want it.

I've been working on deployment preparation for the past couple of weeks (years if you count my focus on deployment while I was on active duty) in advance for the possibility of our unit to deploy overseas to the Middle East, and I was wondering if there were any veterans here that could chime in a useful tidbit or two. My main focus is all of the gear and the things you can do, bring, or think of to make life in Iraq or Afghanistan just a bit more tolerable. Along with accepting contributions, I will list out all of the things that I could think of to take into consideration when going to Iraq as well as offer ideas and advice on what you should take care of prior to deployment: - Things to Bring and Gear to Have: Assault Pack ? Especially if you are an infantry soldier, I would think that this would be great to bring during a patrol or even haul any essentials around, like an S&E bag. I'm looking at the ATS RAID pack, because the MOLLE webbing all around the bag would make for a plethora of customization opportunities to make the bag work for you? not to mention the recommendations on the Lightfighter forums about this pack. J RFI should issue you one, but as far as what it is, I don't know. Grimloc Carabiners ? These 'biners break off with a 100 lb force, preventing you from being snagged into life-threatening situations if you were to be hauled by, let's say, a retention lanyard because you closed a HMMWV door on it and it decided to drive off. Climbing Carabiners ? You can use 'biners to hold onto anything? use your imagination. Get the ones rated for climbing? you won't want to use those cheap $5 keychain carabiners to hold onto your precious gear and then see them snap on you with a ridiculous amount of weight. Oregon Aero BLSS ACH/PASGT Kit ? Apparently these kits are heaven for the ACH or the PASGT, in contrast to the stock suspension harness that love to give us headaches when we forget to change the "Kevlar donut" in them. Combat Earplugs ? They definitely are easier to put in and wear than the stock ones you receive in BCT or the foam ones you have to bear with when you forget your personal pair at the range. Somehow, these work well with making you able to hear softer sounds and quelling the louder ones. RFI should issue you these. Eye Protection ? I think that just about any eye protection brand out there is great to use, to the extent that they will protect your eyes. However, I believe in live demonstrations, and so far, Oakley, ESS, and whoever makes the Sawfly have my vote. I personally hate Wiley X's because the pair of XL-1's that I have fog up like CRAZY and are very annoying to deal with. My Oakleys have stood up to training so far, but only time will tell if they are as good as they seem for the real deal. Goggles ? Along with ballistic glasses, goggles will help deal with the dust and sand, especially with those infamous sandstorms. I believe RFI will issue soldiers a pair of ESS goggles which are good to begin with, so going out of your way to purchase them may be unnecessary? but an extra lens or even an extra pair wouldn't hurt. Nomex Gloves ? These will be a necessity with the fact that you will be in 100+ degree-Fahrenheit weather? and holding a hot weapon won't be fun. I suggest Nomex over Kevlar because although both provide flame-resistance, Nomex offers it for a longer duration and I believe that it is chemically-superior to Kevlar for flame protection. (I cannot remember where I read that little tidbit from.) Kevlar does provide cut-resistance though. Wicking Shirts ? Speaking of flame-retardation, DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING WITH POLYESTER IN IT. Polyester, when exposed to flame, will melt and consequently meld to your skin in case of an explosion or other such thing involving fire. Sadly, this includes my favorite brand: UnderArmour. The Army is looking to issue ACU wicking uniforms that will work well with the IOTV, but I don't trust them to actually issue them to us. Look for wicking shirts that are made of nylon and other fabrics. I'm still doing my own research on this. Blackhawk! Serpa Holster ? In my opinion, this is the best holster for your M9 that money can buy. Once you get use to the retention system, you can literally draw your 9mm in less than a second. Try to get the platform only so that you can mount it any-which-way onto a MOLLE leg rig. Tactical Sling ? This would have to be chalked to personal preference, but I think that you can survive with a sling that's able to convert from 1-point operation to 3-point. If you don't want to shell the cash out for that, you can easily go with a Mamba or anything designed like it? or even settle with a wolf hook and a carabiner. 5/50 Cord ? The Army staple for tying anything and everything. Aside from obvious uses and not-so-obvious uses, you can use it to tie your gear to yourself to retain and prevent from losing priceless gear (and avoiding that dreaded statement of charges). Make sure to gut it before you use it as a lanyard to prevent it from "unknotting" itself. 100 MPH Tape ? Army duct tape. An alternative way of carrying some on your person is to tape up your canteens with a few revolutions so that you always have some without carrying that huge, cumbersome roll. Knee Pads ? A necessity? and a hard lesson to learn after taking a knee on a ruck march for 20 minutes or so without one. Get a pair that fastens with buckles? I can only imagine what the sand is going to do to Velcro. (Don't get me started with the Velcro on the ACUs?) I think RFI issues knee pads, but I'm not sure. Hydration System ? Get yourself a Camelbak or a Hydrastorm. I can't say much about Blackhawk!'s version, but Camelbaks are much more convenient than the GI canteen. Get at least a 3L bladder. You'll be drinking a hell of a lot of water there, methinks. A note on water: Only drink from bottled sources. You'll be glad you did. Poncho Liner ? The beloved woobie still serves many purposes, mainly to keep you nice and comfy at night. I would snag one of the new ACU ones because they have RipStop. MOLLE Gear ? I would try to get as many pouches as you think you'll need? no one gets it right on the first try. I'm planning on wearing most of what I need on my person, so I'm customizing everything to hang off of my IBA/IOTV. Depending on your MOS, you would be getting stuff for your personal needs, whether it be more mag pouches or more utility pouches. RFI should issue you what you need, but then again, I have no idea what RFI is going to issue or if they even know what we need. (Think about getting a dump pouch, mag pouches, utility pouches of various sizes, web dominators, and/or anything else that may apply to you. Remember to leave room on your setup for an IFAK.) Watch ? A digital one will do. I'm hearing recommendations for a Casio G-Shock, which are cheap. I personally snagged one with a digital compass off of eBay for $80, but hey, that's just me. Knives ? Avoid the SEAL Pups, the Rambo knives, or anything larger than 5". I was lucky enough to be issued a Benchmade automatic, which make for great folders, by the way. I'm hearing mixed reviews about bringing a huge knife for intimidation, although you can always use an M9 bayonet to intimidate as well as pry and cut things. Multi-tool ? I don't think anyone in the military that actually did work could survive without these things. I would aim to get a Leatherman, as I don't like how my Gerber literally flexes with some jobs that require the pliers, but I do like how you can open most Gerbers with one hand and a quick flick of the wrist. SOG seems to make some cool stuff too (with the Paratool). Magazines ? And I mean for your weapons. The ones that they issue to you hopefully will be new or at least in decent shape, but if your magazines can't even feed rounds into your weapon, what good will your M4 or M9 do? (A pimped-out, high-speed weapon is just a fancy paperweight without ammunition.) I intend to use my own magazines that I've "acquired," but if you have extra cash to shell out, go for mags with an all-steel design, or with Teflon-treated followers. And if you're too cheap for MagPuls or Ranger Plates (like me), use some 5/50 cord and make a loop yourself. TAKE CARE OF YOUR MAGAZINES. They need CLP and TLC too! Don't do the movie kick and rap your Kevlar with them to settle the rounds to one side? use your hand. Strike-Hold Lube ? Sounds too good to be true, but I'm trying it. Apparently it's awesome because it cleans very well and it leaves a Teflon-like finish so that dirt and dust can't adhere to your weapon's internals. Otis Cleaning Kit ? Great all-in-one, but if you can't afford one, a simpler cleaning kit will do. Flashlights ? The OD angled flashlight will work wonders, yet everyone seems to forget them in favor of SureFire. I love SureFire's myself, but they eat up batteries like crazy. I just found a bunch of Krill lamps (the "battery-operated chem.-light") that look like they will be adequate for area illumination. Bring chem. lights too, and if you're expecting to use NODs/NVGs, aim to snag IR filters for your lights as well. Don't forget headmount lamps? Petzl makes some good ones, but the Wally World alternatives aren't ba Rigger's Belt ? I was going to skip this, but figured, hey, why not? Apparently the issued tan belt isn't good enough for the rest of the Army, but it's good to know that your belt won't break or sag with all of the gear you might be putting on it. Scarf/Gaiterneck/Shemagh ? For all the sand you're not going to want to eat on patrols and convoys. Shower Shoes ? Don't go out and buy the cheap-o flip flops because you're going to hate yourself when they break. Then again, I'm assuming that things are much better now to actually believe that there are showers on most bases nowadays. (And if there aren't any showers, brings lots of wipes!) Thermal Underwear ? Yes, it gets cold in Iraq, with snow occurring in Afghanistan. (50-70 degrees might not seem cold, but I'm sure that once you're acclimated to 100-140 degree weather, it will seem cold then.) On recommendations alone, I hear that the Artkis Stowaway Shirt is an awesome, fist-size solution to cold nights, but I also have a light poly-pro top that I know works rather well. (I'm on a toss-up with heavyweight poly-pros, though?) Entertainment ? I'm looking to snag a laptop to keep myself entertained if things die down and get a bit boring, and after doing a lot of research, I'm personally planning on getting an HP Elitebook 8530w thanks to a decent GPU (Nvidia 770M) that will be able to actually play games AND survive the heat, sand, dust, and shock of the desert. I know that most other laptops have survived without the additional ruggedness, but I don't want to risk it or even think about purchasing a "throwaway" laptop. (The sand is very unforgiving on electronics.) If anyone else can give me any other reasonable recommendations for a laptop in the desert, I would really like to know. I'm also planning on getting an iPod Touch for portable music, video, Skype, and everything else that little doo-dad does (because you can't bring your laptop everywhere) and getting a neoprene case for it so that the screen doesn't look like a white sheet of scratches by the time I'm done with my tour. Don't forget the power of a good book! Surge Protectors / Transformers ? Because your electronics are that important to you. A thing to note: while I would expect most bases to have 110W-120W outlets, one must note that the Middle East natively has 220W power. So watch out when you plug your devices in? it could be the most expensive, quick demonstration of electricity not working out for you that you will ever have. I would think that you would be able to snag transformers in-theatre, and I would do it that way because transformers are HEAVY. Digital Camera ? I would get one that's mil-spec like Olympus's new line of shock-, crush-, and water-proof cameras to ensure that your expensive new gadget doesn't get killed by the sand and heat. I'm still doing my own research on this one, since I would like to have a viewfinder, and Olympus's rugged line doesn't have a viewfinder? only an LCD screen, which will be great to look at with the intense glare of the sun? :XD: Insect Repellent ? Ensure that it has DEET in it, and never have any exposed skin in the desert. Apparently sand flies/fleas are bad and can give you rashes with their bites, and there are a ton of flies to annoy the hell out of you. Bring a fly swatter too. Medications ? Bring allergy meds, anti-diarrheal meds, cold meds, nasal sprays, ibuprofen, Pepto-Bismol, Preparation H, Visine, and anything else you can think of. If you don't know if you have allergies or not, bring allergy meds anyway? you might find out the hard way when the ragweed in the sandbox tickles your nostrils the wrong way. - Financial and Legal Things to Take Care Of: Bills ? The best way to deal with them while you're away would have to be direct debit so that you never forget to pay a bill. The only thing you have to worry about will have to be to keep that particular account(s) funded so that funds can be withdrawn without any NSF complications. Also, talk to the utility companies to see if you can get a reduction or any special benefits regarding deployment, especially with car insurance since you're not physically going to be around to drive the car. Every little bit helps. Vehicle Storage ? See about having a friend or a family member take care of a car for you, or plan on storing it somewhere. Make sure to ask your car insurance about a possible discount on rates due to deployment. Power of Attorney ? It's a good idea to give legal powers over your financial and legal matters to someone you know and trust to deal with such issues, such as your spouse, parents, or even a very good friend. That way you don't have to be physically there to have to sign anything, as that person can sign off on anything you would originally be required to yourself. (Be careful of who you give Power of Attorney to.) Will ? It's best if you can get with your JAG officer or a legal specialist to carve up a legal document to determine where your assets, belongings, and other goods would go to in the case of your death. It's a morbid subject, but it's something that you will have to plan for in the case you don't make it back. Life Insurance ? Make sure that you have something in the case the worst happens. Being stuck with the bill with burying your butt is like rubbing salt into the existing wound that your loved ones have already lost you. Beneficiaries ? Make sure you've appointed primary, secondary, and contingent beneficiaries for your life insurance, IRAs, and any other applicable assets that can be inherited by someone else on the event of your death. Remember that the beneficiaries that you appoint for those accounts override your wishes written in your will, and if you don't appoint any beneficiaries, I believe your assets go to the state of your residence. Credit Cards ? Make sure that before you are deployed that you talk to representatives of credit card companies to see about any deployment benefits and/or if you can freeze interest accruements on those particular accounts, since you won't physically be around to pay off a balance that can potentially accrue a ton of interest in the year or so that you're gone. USAA has such a program if you have one of their credit cards. Don't forget that you should talk to your friends and family about the effects of deployment. It is hard on everyone, not just the soldier going overseas. You will not be just a phone call or text away. You will have to get used to alternative forms of communication, like e-mails, Skype, IMs, and even the traditional method of snail mail. You can even discuss care packages that you can instruct your family to send to you to keep your morale up and to obtain items that you can't normally get at the PX/BX on-post. There will be things that your spouse may not be used to taking care of in your absence. You may have to deal with things remotely, so patience is a great virtue to have. Plan ahead or plan to fail.... remember that your failure to plan and to entrust your partner or your family to do the things you need to take care of will cause stress on you whilst on the battlefield, which consequently risks your performance and your life along with the lives of the people next to you. USAA has a ton of resources and I think that they are the best civilian-side, but you can always utilize your ACS or even your COC to get more resources and information. And of course, there's a wealth of it out there on the Internet. - Is there anything I'm missing? Please throw in your thoughts. I've done a hell of a lot of research on my own, but I'm simply a guy preparing to go for the very first time? and making moreso of a Rambo wishlist than a realistic one, I would think. Also, if you have any questions that may pertain to deployment, ask them and maybe I or someone else can answer them... like how to deal with the camel spiders there. (Really, they're not even spiders, and for the most part, they come out when it's cooler, don't actually try to attack people unless they're cornered, and are very, very fast. Most of them are rather small, but they do get rather large, and I think they survive on a diet of bugs and don't actually eat camels as their name suggests. They're called that because they hang around dead camels.)

@freeflashclocks: Sorry about the late response. Don't ever worry or think that I would ever think of a discussion on Trap as a personal attack, considering the fact that we can't flame each other anyway and that I simply wouldn't care. Discussion is a great thing, and chances are if you got someone heated up about something, you either proved a very good arguing point or cleverly inserted a personal verbal attack... or even made your statements interpretable as being a personal attack. As far as I'm concerned on this topic, my responses were to point out that although all of these issues are prevalent and important to any sane human being, for the reasons above and probably more that I've overlooked, we can't or refuse to acknowledge and/or actually absolve the problems that we have that do seem very mcuh more important than safeguarding cyber material. (Who would choose a computer's contents over life essentials like food and water?) The real problems that you've listed are no more real than all of the other things that our governments are tackling and attempting to rectify, and I'm sure that the priorities of tackling all of them are rather out of whack. However, global warming has always been a controversial issue as to how much of an issue it actually is. (Do human beings really make this much of an impact on the Earth, or are we blowing out of proportion something that's been set in stone as the Earth's course of natural events?) Nuclear weapons are a double-edged sword: dismantle all of your nuclear weapons and leave yourself defenseless, or keep a few up your sleeve just in case, not to mention harness the volatile but beneficial power of nuclear reactors and clean energy? (Hell... we joke a lot about how Russia can't even find a lot of its own bombs.) Famine on a government level is always a touchy situation, because if you send money for food, governments don't always use money meant for food FOR food, and if you send food, how do you ensure that the food actually makes it to the less fortunate and not into the hands of overlords who then turn around and sell the food to the poor who can't afford it in the first place? (Watch the first bit of Black Hawk Down for a prime example of what I mean.) There's always a piss-poor excuse or a counter-argument as to why we don't actually give as much attention to certain issues as we should be doing. With that statement you just said, it's very much like how the rich MUST help the poor. It really isn't a matter of having to or making it mandatory, but moreso a matter of moral code. No one has to help anyone, and when you throw in factors like helping a flood victim numerously with financial aid instead of recommending that he or she actually MOVE OUT OF FLOOD TERRITORY... factors like that make people who are in the position to help not want to help. Some "victims" can help being in the state they're in, some can't, but who's to judge if their problems are legitimately assistable and that they are helpless without assistance? Keep in mind that I am not advocating against your arguments in assisting humanity as opposed to diverting our attention to lesser things... I'm just simply putting out another perspective, which is why we discuss things in the first place. :XD:

They do bog your machine down, some more than others. I actually hate using my antivirus's auto-protect feature and opt in manually scanning anything that I deem suspicious, and leaving the Internet security up so that I prevent most crap from happening. However, browsing for porn isn't the only way to pick up a virus. Not one program will catch them all. That's why you have multiple scanners, but if you're like me and just have one, and if that one fails to catch something or human error lets something through (like approving a svchost service), you have your tools to fix the havoc you allowed onto your machine. And most of these tools listed will do the trick if you're not too keen on the whole wipe-and-reinstall. Linux need not apply.

Just another case-in-point as to how this "lesser" issue should get as much focus as other issues. I'm personally not so much worried about the identity theft portion... but the fact that an air traffic control system was broken into for data. What's next... actually relaying orders so that planes are directed in ways where they would crash into each other? Maybe try to land on a runway that's not exactly clear? I'll let you think about that one for a bit... Anything can be broken into regardless of security measures implemented, but those measures should deter and slow down potential cyber attacks if not prevent them.

Kim: For just getting back into it, I'm very impressed by your showcase project... and it's not even done yet! GJ! I suppose you kind of quelled my concerns that I PM'd you earlier... but I'm not sure if it was really covered. So I'll reiterate it here: What about jack-of-all-trades people like me? I know a bit about everything but I can't consider myself to be an expert in anything. How would tasking go about for people like me? If you had the choice of assigning work to someone who was a subject matter expert or to someone with intermediate knowledge, obviously I would see that the work would go to the person more proficient with that particular tool set or software required for the work. - I suppose I'll go with my introduction here as a possible freelancer... My name is Ray and I'm more of an enthusiast as to my skill set. I suppose the way I can explain it best is that if I have a personal need for it, I will look it up, learn it, use/practice it, and then put it away only to forget how I did things in the first place years later. I think that if I actually was able to use my skills more, I would be better honed and ready to take on whatever project that might come up in the future. As I've denoted before, I'm a jack-of-all-trades due to the way I learn things. I am familiar and have what I consider intermediate to great knowledge of being able to: code HTML/XHTML (pretty good knowledge) code JavaScript (very familiar with the structure, intermediate knowledge) code CSS (very familiar with the structure, intermediate knowledge) code ActionScript (very familiar with the structure, basic knowledge) use Adobe Flash (very familiar, intermediately proficient) use Adobe Photoshop (very familiar, intermediately proficient but no 3D experience) use AutoDesk AutoCAD (very familiar, intermediately proficient with both 2D and 3D) I don't really have much to showcase which stinks except for my pathetically-simple MySpace Flash profile (which I like anyway), and I learn everything through tutorials, using the programs, getting used to the environments, and then hacking up what I know to create my own stuff. If anyone wants to have a head start on anything that I know, I'll be more than willing to help you out to get you in the right direction. Also, I know that "intermediate" can really mean anything, so if you're curious as to what I really know, just ask me. I'm currently employed with a telecommunications company in which I apply none of these skills that I know (except for very limited 2D work in AutoCAD)... which is why I'll be getting back into things like Kim is, although I can't guarantee that I'll immediately pick up where I left off. I would like to do some freelancing to help bring some extra revenue in, but it seems very hard to go out and offer your services when a million other people can do the same things you can, which is why it sucks to be a jack-of-all-trades.

Buxgoddess has some interesting articles that you should read through to see if you can actually tweak things on the end-user side (a.k.a. your brother's computer) to prevent his computer from being able to receive as much data, therefore choking his computer's ability to utilize your current bandwidth. In conjunction with editing the registry, I would also look into seeing if there is a way to actually edit the TCPIP.sys file on your brother's computer to allow less incoming/outgoing packets from his PC... and I believe LvlLord's TCPIP Event 4226 patch is really a tool that works both ways. (I may be wrong though.)Webishqutar also brings up a great point with the scheduler, but it doesn't really apply if your router has a crappy interface or doesn't have the feature of a scheduler.

I've worked with a handful of the listed softwares, and I can vouch for some of them.Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware is probably the best out of the bunch and is relatively easy to use. (Just opt for a Full Scan and let the computer sit for a long time.) Same goes for SuperAntiSpyware, although MBAM did catch a few things that SAS missed. (Then again, I think this is the case for just about every anti-malware software, because not one catches them all.) Spybot Search and Destroy would be another dummy-friendly app, but as far as its effectiveness... I'm not sure about it, since it reminds me of Norton AV 2007, where it would repeatedly catch the "threats" the real threat generates and doesn't fully eliminate the problem. (It does house a lot of useful tools and versatility, though.)ComboFix and HijackThis would be two tools that I would leave to the more tech-savvy. I haven't used either of them, personally, but from what I'm seeing, HT produces a log that would seem like gibberish to the average user (but useful to geeks) and ComboFix seems like a last resort... fix, short of wiping everything out and starting all over again with a fresh [Windows] OS reinstallation.In summary, I would recommend MBAM and SAS in conjunction, installed and run from safe mode to catch most if not all threats, and to follow any guidance found on the Internet in removing specific threats that seem to recur. (I use Norton's database for a step-by-step instruction on how to kill even the most stubborn of Trojans.) I would leave CF and HT to people who actually are very comfortable with computers and how to work them.

Shameless self-promoting link to one of my threads relative to this topic The above link is to one of my threads introducing a blog that signs up for all of these PTC sites and reviews them to see if they actually pay or not, how frequently they pay, how well they work, etc.

1. I suppose that works, but the point still stands with when you want to play that you can play the game you purchased. I know it's logistically impossible to keep things going smoothly all the time, so it's really just a moot point right now. Heck, if you want to put it in this perspective too, I would run into those same troubles if my PC went down the tubes due to malware, or a component failing, or whatever... and one really crappy thing about my situation is that I run most of my PC games on a 4-year-old laptop with a decent, but not great, graphics chipset, so now the argument against me would have to include not being able to play my games at good framerates or even being able to enjoy them as they were designed. But then again, these factors also affect WoW. 2. Right, and this also makes sense, but I see Blizzard as a lazy company when it still offers its trial at version 1.0 (pre-patched) instead of updating the trial to its newest version, post-patched. What's the difference between downloading 7GB worth of game files and then 7GB worth of patches afterward as opposed to a 14GB total download? The streamline process is very, very convenient as you're not duped into thinking that your trial download is done and that you can play then and there, as I've outlined previously how I wasted a couple of trial days in just downloading patches for the d*mn game. And really, how hard is it for Blizzard to offer a post-patched version of its trial software? It just doesn't make any sense to me, but maybe I'm just different. As for server load: I didn't mean to open up a ton of new realms to support the player base, but to add processing power to existing realms so that you wouldn't have to have characters on multiple servers just so you can play your game with less lag. Maybe I have my understanding of how things work here, but can't you just take down a server (which, of course, goes against my first argument above), then add more servers in-tandem to share server load? Am I not understanding how gaming servers work?

It might be dead. I started this thread to give a bit of guidance as to how to follow up with a spill on your laptop, in which you were correct in disconnecting the battery, but I don't understand why you introduced heat when heat is the #1 killing factor when it comes to computer hardware. With laptops, the keyboard acts as a shield that covers most of the other components inside the laptop so that when you do spill something onto your laptop that this shield prevents most of the liquid from getting onto these components... but that doesn't mean that it won't be able to get in. That's why it's important that you actually follow up by opening up your laptop, drying ALL of the liquid, and if need be, even wash your components in deionized water and making sure that all components are completely dry before reassembly and booting it up. I'm not sure what sugared water (your cider) will do to your computer, but I reckon that it's not all that great... Try opening up your laptop and cleaning it up a bit to see if you can resurrect it. What do you have to lose? Your laptop seems dead already.

Lame. I think, for the most part, I could fit in as a forum jerk because I do a lot of these things or have been tempted to do so. I'm guilty of being the self-promoter, Mr. Credentials, the moderator, the peacekeeper, the smarty pants, the fanboy, and whatever else I'm guilty of to variable extents. But for the most part, I claim to be someone who knows a little bit of everything, who Wikis and Googles everything else I don't know, and who tries to bring perspective or somewhat of a contribution (at least) to every forum I participate in I am a participant of I can't end with a preposition that I am a member. Source

This is where I step in and throw a bit of politics into this matter... as much as I'd hate to. A lot of people take one look at something and make an on-the-spot judgment, and for the most part, they don't stop to think about the grand scheme of things. You and I understand the importance of cyber security and why the government would make such a step. You also bring up outstanding points that we should all heed, and in all reality, pay more attention and effort in rectifying issues that affect our daily lives, to include the less fortunate. But that's why I pointed out that the security increase would benefit most if not everyone in the United States by providing the example of the possibility of a hacked smart power grid and the complications it would cause to just about everyone with a home and access to electricity. But some people don't even have homes, and there are the hungry, the poor, the bit of the populace that we need to extend a hand to help keep them afloat. But there lies the political part of this argument. The United States flourishes on the idea of capitalism: basically, you are what you become. If you start out poor, you have the opportunity to make your riches IF you are proactive and make your own fortunes. If you're born into a rich family, you could possibly be spoiled and make wrong choices in the long run to put you into the poor house. Of course, there's the concept of welfare, social security, and government assistance to help those in need, but not everyone gets it because of the stringent regulations, rules, and eligibility requirements, not to mention that the ones who abuse the privilege bring down the system and thus tack on more debt that our government can't realistically afford. And that's just trying to take care of our own, but then the United States has to venture forth and play the good guy and try to spread democracy all over the place (because it's apparently the way to go), feed the hungry in other countries, and basically police the world. When the US gives money that it doesn't have to other countries to try to help with famine and civil projects to make that country a "better" place, the governments there take it and spend that money on whatever else... with a residual amount actually going to what the funds were meant for in the first place. Do governments really deal with economic resources as efficiently as they should, distribute resources downward as they should, and do the end-users even see the resources at all? Are people that honest? With all that being said, and with your stance on trying to help everyone out, it's kind of hard to be able to do that and still retain the principle that everyone should carve his or her own path. Yes, some people are born with a handicap on life when they start out in the lower classes, but that doesn't stop them from trying. And then there are people who do try, but the government regulations for assistance screw them out of those opportunities (not intentionally, but indirectly with the same eligibility requirements that make it hard to receive government assistance in the first place). (Take a look at the "middle" class.)Everyone gets mad when others receive help and you're left wondering why you had to hurdle all this way when people on welfare earn as much as you doing absolutely nothing while you're chugging away at bills with your job as a cashier at the grocery store, actually working and being proactive. It stinks when everyone else seems to get the easy breaks while you get screwed by the system because you, being a capitalist, ground at the gears to get where you are now only to realize that Joe Schmoe got a break on something the government could give him because he "needed" assistance. Do I dare mention that people are starving and homeless here in the United States, yet we're pouring money into assisting other countries in a state of "goodwill" to increase global reputability?Sure, we should be helping others out. Our administration now is being scrutinized and criticized as being socialistic because Obama is doing the good thing: taking care of our own. We already have stories of our presidents making it possible that homeless people ARE getting homes. I've even heard that there is assistance where you can default your mortgage payments on your existing home and the government will pick up the tab if you "can't" pay for it. And I would love it if the government could provide everyone a shelter, food, and the basic essentials. But who pays for it?The government pays for it. But how does the government get that money. Us. All of us through taxes. And I think it's funny when Shawn Hannity does his gig on the streets, asking people who voted to see if they even have a d*mn clue as to what's going on in the world and how things work. Some of the college folk he asks are for socialistic ideals, but once confronted with being a socialist, they are quick to deny because socialism is considered bad to Americans. The simple truth is that we can't afford to take care of our own, and it sucks. On a political point of view, it's nice to be able to do everything, but it's not economically viable. And that's why our country seems (IMO) to be at a standstill, because liberal views are countered by conservative points.

My bad on the source rule... I don't think it's a rule, but it's a courtesy and rule of thumb to let people know where you're getting your information from. It definitely prevents the asking of "Who told you the world was flat?" before you make the announcement. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I don't believe everything I read, and you can even bring up the fact that even if there were multiple sources, who's to say that they are credible or even correct? Anyway, to get back on topic... The law enforcement analogy is very nicely applied here, but it's very much like saying that if I have XYZ anti-malware software, does that mean that I won't have any malware anymore? Will the threat disappear? Or will there be a deterrent, which is what most things exist to be nowadays? With the invention of locks, do we have absolute security or just a deterrent towards burglars who could have just walked right in? With a cyber task force, will there be increased security to monitor and/or decrease the chances of a successful cyber attack on the United States? You may say that this seems rather unnecessary, but with the status quo on electronics and how everything is becoming "smart," along with the fact that the U.S. smart power grid was just infiltrated, I think that we really should invest some time and effort into creating some sort of security measure to, at the very least, discourage others from delving into our cyber world and wreaking havoc. Think of the fact that if you didn't have any electronic security measures for any of your equipment, you would be vulnerable to cyber attack. Hackers would be able to get into your power grid and shut everything off that you own just by tweaking the feed, which would then leave us rather helpless as we are so dependent on our electronics. (Think about how a power outage feels and what tolls it may take on your lifestyle, temporarily or even permanently.) Hackers could get into a government database and steal identity data, to include social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and everything else. And of course, whatever you would have access to, you would be able to change... Yes, we have a ton of issues that may warrant more or less attention... but I'm sure that cyber security can be a viable priority in terms of establishment. Look at how dependent the world, let alone the United States, is with technology.

Just talking to you in the Shoutbox reveals that you have a wealth of talent that seems to sit idly, waiting to be exploited. I think that you can go far in offering your services for monetary gain, but the obstacle that I see is being able to present yourself as you are to an applicable audience, which is probably the hardest thing for anyone to do with the vast amounts of like-minded people who are also trying to make a buck.I don't have information regarding any commercial ventures or the fine print or any business practices that you have to be aware of, but I may later in the future when I myself will go out and try something to bring some extra revenue. I think that at the very beginning of a business venture, you have to establish a foundation, to include but not limit to what you can offer the world and who you are willing to offer it to. This also means that you need to establish a reputation, which I can safely say that the word-of-mouth methodology works wonders. If you've been doing this for a while in exchange for favors and whatnot, I would ask your previous clientele to see if they can spread the word about your talents and your abilities after you explain to them that you would like to start a business and to keep you in mind for their multimedia needs and for the needs of anyone else they may know that would require such things. With that, you can let word-of-mouth work by itself for you, while you advertise in other ways, like making the proactive venture of introducing yourself to people that are looking for something they need done for their small company, their private projects, etc.Once you have an establishment and start to receive "orders" and demand for what you can offer, then I would look more closely into the commercial aspect of things, like licensing, copyrights, and whatever else you can think of. I'm sure there is a wealth of knowledge out on the Internet, and for guidance, ask your friends or fellow entrepreneurs, or even request guidance from anyone that you might think could give you a valuable response. Things like allowing others to use your work while retaining the rights to those works, royalties, etc. will become very important once you start becoming more of an entity in the business world. I think the best way to really do this is to start a "small business" and to keep it small, offering your stuff with a focus on who you know, network with, and who they know that they can refer to you. From there, you can do whatever you want.The most despairing part about all of this will be the initial lack of requests, or the turn-downs, or the negative outcomes... but it takes a lot of work and effort to establish a foothold to prove that your work is really worth something and that you are a shining star in the masses that people can actually utilize. You need to put yourself out there and make yourself seem exploitable with competitive pricing, aggression as well as compassion, and all that jazz. I know it's a hard road going uphill, but once you start making those steps upward, I think you'll be satisfied with where you're going.

You forgot your quotes and, FYI for others, this article is from the BBC (amongst other sources). You also answered your own question with the article. Why would it be a waste of money to invest in cyber security and a possible cyber attack force when we're wasting money cleaning up the mess that we could have prevented in the first place, not to mention that if it damages us in this way, why does it seem like a waste of an investment when we can cause the same grief to others?

I'd love to hop aboard but I'm more of a jack-of-all-trades guy. But maybe this can use someone who's familiar with HTML, JavaScript, ActionScript, and CSS?If you have multiple subject matter experts, who gets the task? Will this be organized as far as everyone constantly getting work? Or queued so that everyone has a chance? If there is enough of a demand, how do you determine who works on what?Basically, how would this work out? Could you elaborate on the concept so maybe whoever would be interested will be more informed as to what they're jumping into?

In all reality, being married is a symbol and bonding of two people via legalese and the whole concept of "till death do us part." Just because you're married doesn't mean that either of you love each other more or less... or at least, in my eyes, it shouldn't be. I think that the most important part of marriage is to show in this way that you really do love her and would love to spend the rest of your life with her. But in all reality, you don't need to be married to do that.Yes, there are certain benefits and caveats to being a married individual on paper, but that shouldn't be a factor in swaying your decision to get married. You HAVE to love someone before you even consider the idea of marriage... it's not just something that you should do if you've been in a relationship for a long time or what-have-you. Having a kid doesn't mandate marriage either... but I'm thinking that you're in that boat where you do love her with every bit of your being, but scared in not knowing what to expect from marriage and the stuff that comes along with it.

I JUST troubleshot this a month ago so this might help you out.One of your components may have died for one reason or another. The motherboard may be shot somehow, or your processor may have died. Use a test bed to check if your processor still works. If not, I would suspect that the mobo just bit it, which means that you can put that warranty to good use. :PIf you want to be thorough, and you should be, try to power on your system with basic essential hardware to see if there's a bad component (like a dead stick of RAM) to see if it's preventing your computer from POSTing. If all else fails, like I said, the mobo might be toast. If you have a test bed, test all of your components individually with working hardware on the test bed to check if that component is bad. You can also try another power supply with the system in question, just in case your current power supply, for some reason, is dying or whatever the case may be.

Gmail user here. Loving the Lab stuff, the ease of use, the effective spam blocking, the speed, integration with other Google tools (like Docs and Calendar), and all that jazz. However, I noticed that no one pointed out LasloMail. Or at least it used to be called LasloMail... I stumbled onto it looking for an alternative to creating Flash apps for MySpace, opting to use Laslo instead to get around the whole ActionScript block. Haven't used it in ages, but logging back into it shows that it hasn't changed much from what I remember it being back in the day aside from changing its name. It's still free and sports a desktop application look, and it seems pretty awesome and a decent if not on par to Gmail. I haven't really used it so I can't comment on how well it works out, but if for some reason you don't like Gmail, I would recommend you check it out and let us know what you think of it. LasloMail / GoWebTop The interface is created with the Laslo engine, which is similar to Flash, IMO. Apparently it's very easy to work with so that developers can create like-Flash applications without as much difficulty when it comes to scripting. I can't remember much else about the engine itself... when I looked at it in-depth last, it was a few years ago.