Neymar vs Messi

Neymar Junior versus Lionel Messi

Messi (Argentina) - Neymar (Brazil)

Neymar (Santos FC) - Messi (Barcelona FC)

Neymar - Messi Goal Celebration

Body Arts, the Trends of Google

Google Trends result shows that people still prefer to get their body inked and appears more and more are becoming addicted to it rather than getting pierced. That is, piercing of the navel or bellybutton. It is so rare to meet someone without any of these two forms of body arts, almost everyone (especially young adults)

Tattoos and Body Piercing have been present since the ancient time and today the most common forms of body arts among other types include scarification, branding, scalpelling, shaping (i.e. tight-lacing of corsets), full body tattoo and body painting.

Tattoos back to over 4,000 B.C. have big differences compared with today’s though. Most tattoos long time ago were only made up of simple dots and lines and no real symbolism could be made out of those designs but were just part of medical or spiritual healing process. Tribal tattooing is believed to be the second form of tattooing, some tribes use it on their warriors to show bravery and strength but others use the tattoo as a form of recognition for becoming a man. 

Different piercings have different heritages and backgrounds. Ear lobe piercing is the most common and the oldest type of piercing, while tongue piercing was first practiced as part of rituals of the ancient Aztecs, Mayas, Kwakiutul, and Tlinglit tribes and nose piercing were first discovered in the Middle East about 4,000 years ago. Roman soldiers and warriors would pierce their nipples for mainly two reasons. One was to show strength, courage, and bravery, and the second was for the use of hanging their capes off of their leather breastplates while in battle.

Tattooing today has changed since it first began. It is believed that a lot of people use it as their way of expressing themselves, or rebellion. So as body piercings, and surprisingly, there is a piercing that does not date back to ancient culture. That is, piercing of the navel or bellybutton. It is so rare to meet someone without any of these two forms of body arts, almost everyone (especially young adults).

Google Trends result shows that people still prefer to get their body inked and appears more and more are becoming addicted to it rather than getting pierced.

I have nothing against these body decorations or body arts, I even argued once which is better between the two. Not everyone has to get a tattoo or may want to add more holes to their body and it is every individual’s choice to make I believe, but, if you do, please learn the health risks of it (I’m sure we all know what those are) before doing so. 

Body Arts, the Trends of Google

GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System

GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System. Over the years, cell phone tracking has become much more easier, owing to various cell phone tracking devices, but the privacy issues regarding the technology are also mushrooming. It has become the biggest disadvantage of the system, wherein people oppose the technique, claiming that it hampers their privacy.

Global System for Mobile communications, popularly abbreviated as GSM, is a popular standard for mobile phones, used vastly across the world. According to the estimates made by the GSM Association, the promoter of GSM, 80% of the global market uses the GSM standard mobile phones. In GSM enabled mobile phones, the signaling and speech channels are digital and thus it is regarded as a Second Generation or 2G mobile phone system.

The GSM mobile phone tracking system, more often referred to as GSM localization, is a cell phone tracking system which uses the hyperbolic positioning process to determine the exact location of a GSM enabled cell phone, thus indirectly tracking its user. In hyperbolic positioning, a particular object is accurately located by computing the time difference in arrival of the signals that are emitted from the object to three or more receivers. There are three methods of GSM mobile phone tracking, viz. network based mobile phone tracking system, handset based mobile phone tracking system and hybrid mobile phone tracking system.

• Network Based GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System

In network based mobile phone tracking, the service providers network infrastructure is used to determine the exact location of the GSM enabled handset. The levels of accuracy in the network based techniques vary, with cell identification method being the least accurate and the triangulation method being the most accurate. Network based techniques can be implemented without intruding the private space of the person who is being tracked, which is its biggest advantage. This technique requires one to work closely with the service provider, as the process includes installation of various software and hardware in the network infrastructure. The cooperation needed from the service provider sometimes acts as the biggest challenge faced in this technique, which may require the help of legislation.

• Handset Based GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System

In the handset based technique, the location of the GSM enabled handset is determined by cell identification, strength of the signals and latitudinal and longitudinal demarcation, if the handset is equipped with GPS. The calculations are sent to the location server for precise information about the user's location. This technology requires the installation of a client software on the mobile phone, which acts as its biggest drawback, since it's difficult to install a software on a mobile phone without the user's consent. More importantly, the software has to be compatible with various operating systems. The technique works only on smart phones, which is again a major drawback in this cell phone tracking system.

• Hybrid GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System

A combination of various techniques used in network-based and handset-based methods is used for phone tracking in the hybrid GSM mobile phone tracking method. For instance, Assisted GPS uses both GPS as well as network data to determine the exact location of the user. Though this method gives the most accurate information, its advantages are sometimes overshadowed by the limitations and challenges faced by network-based and handset-based techniques, which together form the hybrid method.

Over the years, cell phone tracking has become much more easier, owing to various cell phone tracking devices, but the privacy issues regarding the technology are also mushrooming. It has become the biggest disadvantage of the system, wherein people oppose the technique, claiming that it hampers their privacy. In order to tackle these problems, to make it safe and suitable, the extent to which this technology can be used, has been demarcated by a legal framework. 

 

GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System

Tips for Buying Mobile Phone Insurance

Tips for Buying Mobile Phone Insurance. Mobile phone insurance can cost you anywhere from £25 to £150 annually, depending on the insurance carrier that you choose. If you can reasonably replace your mobile phone for less than that, then mobile phone insurance is probably not a worthwhile expense for you.

 

Do you really need mobile phone insurance? The answer depends, of course, on a number of different factors including which mobile you have and how likely you are to lose or damage your mobile - not to mention how many mobiles you're talking about.

If you favor top of the line trendy models, or have children who do, mobile phone insurance could be a worthwhile investment. That doesn't mean, however, that you need to pay over the odds for it. There are many reasonably priced options for mobile phone insurance cover.

• Why insure my mobile phone?

"I'm always careful", you might be thinking. "I won't leave it behind anywhere." According to last year's crime statistics, there are over 10,000 mobile phones stolen in the UK each month. Another 3,500 or so get left behind on busses and trains or in cafes, and an astounding 1,200 are dropped down toilets or knocked into sinks. In all, about 15,000 mobile phones are reported lost, stolen or damaged each and every month.

And the cost can put quite a dent in your budget. While you may have got your mobile free with your phone plan, the phone companies won't replace your mobile for free or for £29.95. If you want to continue using your contract minutes - and you will be responsible for paying out the remainder of your contract - you'll need to fork out the full price for a replacement phone. In addition, you could be liable for any call charges if your mobile was used before it's loss is discovered. The cost of losing your mobile phone can easily top £500. Have you got a spare £500 sitting around?

• Do I really need mobile phone insurance?

Perhaps not. Mobile phone insurance can cost you anywhere from £25 to £150 annually, depending on the insurance carrier that you choose. If you can reasonably replace your mobile phone for less than that, then mobile phone insurance is probably not a worthwhile expense for you. If you hae a replacement phone - perhaps left since your last upgrade - and your mobile provider still supports it, you may be fine without mobile insurance. In most cases, though, you'll find that it can be worth the expense - especially if you shop around for competitively priced mobile phone insurance.

Tips for getting the best value mobile phone insurance

1. Don't automatically accept mobile phone insurance when you buy your mobile. Those tend to be the priciest premiums of all.

2. If the salesperson or web site promises "Free Mobile Insurance" with all phones or with selected phones, be sure to check the details. In many cases, the cover is free for the first month. After the first month of cover, the regular premium will be tacked onto your mobile account charges, where you may not even realise you're paying it.

3. Speaking of not realising - are you already covered? If you've had the phone a bit and are just now thinking of insuring it, check the itemised details for your last account statement to be sure you're not already paying for insurance.

4. Shop around the independent insurers. You can get economy cover for a mobile worth up to £150 for as little as £2.49 per month - less than half what most of the major insurers are charging.

5. Consider an increase to your home and contents cover if you have many electronic and mobile devices that you carry with you. You can extend your contents insurance to cover your mobile devices, including your phone, PDA, PSP and other electronics when you take them out of your home.

6. Got a family of mobiles? Nearly 80% of the phones reported stolen or lost belong to teens. If you're insuring more than one phone, look for a company that will cover multiple mobiles on one policy.

To find out more ways to save time and money buying mobile phone insurance online visit http://www.uk-insurance-index.co.uk. You can search a directory of UK mobile phone insurance companies and read policy reviews by real customers.

Facebook Announces Skype Video Chat Feature

Facebook Announces Skype Video Chat Feature... This is the world's easiest one-click way to chat over video, Facebook engineer Philip Su said at the news conference here. The Seattle programmer was Facebook's only full-time engineer working on its development along with Skype, a Facebook spokeswoman said

Facebook is encouraging its members to talk face to face -- over the computer.

The social networking giant introduced a video-calling feature on Wednesday in partnership with Skype, the popular Internet video-chat provider.

The product comes a week after Google launched a competing social network, called Google+, which also includes a video-chatting program.

Facebook's version will show up on the site as a "call" button at the top of users' profile pages. By clicking that or finding someone in a new "buddy list" bar on the right-hand side, Facebook users can talk to each other as long as they have webcams. The company began turning that service on for millions of users on Wednesday and will add it to more accounts over time, spokespeople said.

This is "the world's easiest one-click way" to chat over video, Facebook engineer Philip Su said at the news conference here. The Seattle programmer was Facebook's only full-time engineer working on its development along with Skype, a Facebook spokeswoman said.

Facebook on Wednesday also introduced a change to its instant-messaging service, which now allows people to create on-the-fly group conversations.

"This is their response to Google+ right now," said Ray Valdes, an Internet analyst at Gartner Research. "I think it's a little bit of catchup in terms of features."

Google bills its new network as a better way to communicate certain messages to subsections of friends. Google+ also has drawn praise for its ability, with a service called Hangouts, to let users video chat with several friends at a time.

Facebook's new video feature does not allow for group chats. However, Skype CEO Tony Bates noted that the union with Facebook leaves an opening to add new features later, such as group calling or paid features like calling to landlines.

What Facebook does have, however, is 750 million people actively using its service, said Mark Zuckerberg, the company's CEO. Google+ is nary a week old and only available to people who managed to procure an invite from a member of the media or a tech-savvy friend.

Zuckerberg took subtle jabs Wednesday at the new Google network, saying Facebook provides the best way for people to organize their friends into groups -- with minimal effort.

"If you think about it, it makes it so that your networking community can do the work of organizing your communities for you," Zuckerberg said of Facebook's grouping features. "You don't have to curate."

Facebook Announces Skype Video Chat Feature

Forex Trading Tips

Forex Trading Tips. As in every other niche of life Forex needs some knowledge. Surely, one can start forex trading and get quite successful in it. However sooner or later the losses will come. It is precisely when one might think “Why didn’t I start with a nice forex book

Of course, you have heard both sides of the argument when it comes to the Forex trading strategies. In fact, there are those who claim you go short term or Forex scalping, get in and get out and then move on the next deal while there are those who will preach long term. 

You have to know that it is possible to make money doing Forex scalping, however it is quite difficult and will finally take its toll on you.

In fact, successful Forex traders are great analyzers. Here everything is quite simple – you get data, you crunch it and you spot a trend. The main problem when trying to do short term trading is that by the time you get the numbers crunched. The trend could go away. Even if not worse – you are analyzing one trend and several minutes charts and you think that you spot something great, but it is nothing more than just a random movement. Your chances of being whipsawed are high, bit unless you have a great Forex trading system that is able to filter out the whipsaws in the market.

Once you take those hits, they are hurt as a rule. And thus, you will find yourself going to your stop margin more often than not and it will wipe away all your profits that you have made with all of your small hits. For sure, there is nothing more discouraging than winning 9 out of 10 times and still lose the game.

If you are going to opt for short term Forex trading, then you have to learn how to deal with the stress. The nature of short term trading means that you do not have even a second to relax. 

As has been said, you could take one hit that will kill all your precious gains. And now just add to this all up and you will have a lot of sleepless nights. 

While the majority of people fall in love with the action of the short term win, they have to realize the name of the game is to win overall, but not just on one trade. If you realize that you are able to make more by developing a long term Forex trading strategy that will allow you to spot on great deal that will make you more than a bunch of scalpers. You can learn the Forex the proper way by viewing it as a long term business and you will certainly be on your way to success and financial freedom.

And thus, you want to opt for Forex scalping you have to think once again whether it is suitable Forex trading strategy for you and whether you are able to reach success in that case.

As in every other niche of life Forex needs some knowledge.

Surely, one can start forex trading and get quite successful in it. However sooner or later the losses will come. It is precisely when one might think “Why didn’t I start with a nice forex book?”

This does not imply that after reading even the greatest materials you will start closing trading positions with huge income, but this info will save you from many traps. And even if you make up your mind to get the assistance of a managed forex account service, still you will be able to make a much wiser decision.

And some general tips – today the Internet technologies give you a truly unique chance to choose what you need at the best terms which are available on the market. Funny, but most of the people don’t use this opportunity. In real practice it means that you should use all the tools of today to get the information that you need.

Search Google and other search engines. Visit social networks and check the accounts that are relevant to your topic. Go to the niche forums and participate in the discussion. All this will help you to build up a true vision of this market. Thus, giving you a real opportunity to make a wise and nicely balanced decision.

Forex Trading Tips

Google+ Social Network

Google+ Social Network.

Google has finally launched its long-awaited social network, the Google+ project.

The Google+ network is designed around users' social circles (called +Circles) and lets users selectively share with specific groups within their personal network, rather than sharing with all their social connections at once.

The search giant emphasizes Google+'s privacy customizations and hopes that users will choose to use the new service over more established networks like Facebook and Twitter.

"In real life, we have walls and windows and I can speak to you knowing who's in the room, but in the online world, you get to a ‘Share' box and you share with the whole world," Bradley Horowitz, a VP of product management at Google, told the New York Times. By granting the user more control over what is shared, how and with whom, Google+ attempts to make the online sharing experience more secure and more personal. 

In addition to +Circles, Google's network will also let users add interests, video chat in groups, share content via mobile and many more features that should be familiar to social network users.

The search giant will integrate its new network directly into its massive web presence to allow users to socialize as they use various Google proucts. Mashable explains how Google will accomplish this:

 

The search giant's new social project will be omnipresent on every Google product, thanks to a complete redesign of the Google navigation bar. The familiar gray bar at the top of every Google page will turn black, and come with several new options for accessing your Google+ profile, viewing notifications and instantly sharing content at any time. The notification system is similar to how Facebook handles notifications, complete with a red number that increases with each additional notice.

 

Google is completing its field trial of the network, which is currently open only to a select few. However, you can visit Google+ to sign up, and Google will send you a notification when the service is ready. You can also explore the social network's landing page and to see what new features are in store.

Google+ Social Network

Vedic Medical Astrology

Vedic Medical Astrology. Many body constitutions are defined in Ayurveda. The Phlegmatic ( predominance of Kapha), the Bilious ( preponderance of Pitta ) & the Windy ( predominance of Vata ). There are 4 types of Body Constitution in Western Holistic Medicine - Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric and Melancholic

Medical Astrology is that branch of Astrology dealing with Health. The 12 Signs of the Zodiac are linked to the Twelve Limbs of the body. The Ascendant rules the Head and the 12th House, the Feet. The Law of Correspondences of Classical Philosophy has another term " The Doctrine of Signatures". This doctrine states that objects - animate and inanimate - are governed by planets and Classical Astrology has taken this concept beyond " The Law of Cause and Effect " and has defined it as Archetypal or Psychological.

Reflections of the intrinsic qualities of the planets can be seen in people, plants, animals & minerals. All that we see, touch, consume & harvest has a correspondence. By knowing our own planetary signature, we can consume those materials which correspond to our planetary signature and thus a healthy balance can be maintained. ( In my horoscope, Jupiter is posited in Cancer and hence powerful in positional as well as directional strength. If I am afflicted by any sort of disease, the escape route is the Jupiterian Way - viz consuming more vegetables and fruits, as he rules fruits and vegetables. If I do that, I will be implementing what the Great Seers said long ago " Naturopathic food is medicine and medicine is food " )!

Since the Zodiacal Signs represent the Five Elements ( Ether , Fire, Air, Earth & Water ), the ancient astrological savants assigned everything in the Universe to a planetary ruler, and considered all as the manifestation of the Elemental Five and their respective qualities - hot and dry, cold and dry, hot and humid , cold and humid. Jupiter rules "Kapha" and the Sun "Pitta' ( the three humors of Ayurveda ). These elements were understood in a physical & metaphysical sense, as per the principle " As Above, So Below ". Many body constitutions are defined in Ayurveda. The Phlegmatic ( predominance of Kapha), the Bilious ( preponderance of Pitta ) & the Windy ( predominance of Vata ). There are 4 types of Body Constitution in Western Holistic Medicine - Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric and Melancholic.

Ayurvedic Therapy

The Seven Planets correspond to the Three humours ( Doshas ) in Ayurveda. In the Ayurvedic Model, the Seven Revolving Heavens are classified thus ( Vatam Pittayutha Karothi Dinakrith)

Jupiter Kapha
Sun Pitta
Moon Vata & Kapha
Mars Pitta
Mercury Pitta, Vata & Kapha
Venus Vata & Kapha
Saturn Vata

The seven planets correspond to the Seven Gross Tissue- elements ( dhatus) thus

Jupiter Fat
Saturn Veins
Mars Bone Marrow
Sun Bones
Moon Blood
Mercury Skin
Venus Seminal Energy

By analysing the horoscope, the astrologer can discern the badly placed planet and the corresponding Dhatu which has caused the problem and can prescribe Ayurvedic remedial measures ( " Dushthithasyadi Dhatustho Rogeenam Roga Eeryatham " ) Medical Astrology's perspective about the 12 Houses of the Zodiac

House Organ
Ist House Head
2nd House Face
Third House Throat
Fourth House Heart
Fifth House Place beneath the heart
Sixth House Stomach
Seventh House Generative Organ
Eighth House Upper Thigh
Ninth House Thigh
Tenth House Knee
Eleventh House Calf
Twelfth House Feet

If the 6 H is afflicted, there can be digestive tract disorders. Natural malefics in the 6 H may create hyperacidity and gas trouble. Affliction either to the 7th house means disorders of the digestive tract, hyperacidity and gas trouble ( Papa Saptamagah Tadodara Ruja ). The same holds good for the 6 H ( Papa Shashtagatha Tadodararuja ). If the 6 H or the 7 H is afflicted, one should be very careful about the body's acidity level. The body's PH value should be kept at 7. Anything less than 7 is dangerous. The 80% alkaline nature of the body should be kept up & acidity should not be above 20%. The best foods to be taken are Vedic Foods, which are low acidity, low cholesterol diet.The Acidity- Alkalinity ratio should be kept at 80% -20%. That ratio can be maintained if you consume 100 grams fruits and 300 grams vegetables daily and avoid non-natural food. Natural foods are alkaline and non-veg basically acidic. From experience, it can be discerned that not only malefic planets bring in problems from enemies, but also problems to the stomach ( Pape Shashtopagathe Vrina Bhayaschora Satru Peeda Cha ).
If the 12 H is afflicted by malefic planets, there can be affliction to the feet. We have seen many a patient suffering from 12 H affliction and which manifests as problems on the feet.

Similarly, 4 H affliction means trouble to the Heart. I knew one patient with heart problem who had the North Node in the Fourth. He had a heart surgery. The North Node in the Heart region in the horoscope had effectuated this problem.

There are some astrologers who take this from the Horoscope of the Cosmic Man, that is from His Ascendant Aries. This method also yields results but from our experience, we follow the dictum of Natal Astrology that it is the Ascendant of the native which is the head and the Descendant the stomach region. I know many an astrologer who follow this from Aries Asc & if a malefic is posited in Virgo, in the 6 H of the Kalapurusha ( Cosmic Man ), he predicts stomach problems for the native. ( Kalanarasya Avayavath Purushanam Kalpayeth ). Or if a malefic is posited in Taurus, he predicts wounds on the face for the native.

Affliction to any house indicates affliction to the corresponding part of the body. North Node - or any other malefic - in the Sixth is indicative of stomach trouble & ulceration. Fourth house affliction means that the heart is afflicted and first house affliction means that the head is afflicted. ( Pape Lagnagathe Parajaya Bhaya Siroruja )

The planets correspond to the different systems of Man thus

Sun The Bone System
Moon The Circulatory System
Mars The Muscular System
Mercury The Veins
Venus The Reproductive System
Jupiter The Digestive System
Saturn The Excretory System

From experience, Vedic Medical Astrology is found to be very accurate. In my father's horoscope, he had a specific yoga for Arthritis with Jupiter in Libra Asc and Saturn in Aries. My mother has Saturn in the 12 H; she has a problem in the leg. My co-brother has Mars in the 12 H; he is suffering from some nerve problem on the feet. I personally have the North Node in the 6 H and I have hyperacidity and gas trouble ( Papa Shashtagatha Tadodararuja ) !

Ayurvedic Gem Therapy

The following stones are prescribed in Ayurveda for specific disorders

Cancer Emerald
Allergy Hessonite
Skin Diseases Cat’s Eye, Lapis Lazuli
Insomnia Pearl
Paralysis Amethyst
Nervous Blue Sapphire
Rheumatism Blue Sapphire, Ruby
Arthritis Blue Sapphire
Impotence Topaz Coral
Diabetes White Coral, Diamond, Emerald, Topaz
Liver problems Coral
Jaundice Coral, Emerald, Topaz
Hyperacidity Hessonite
Gastric Ulcer Blue Sapphire
Flatulence Jade, Lapis Lazuli
Dyspepsia Jade
Dysentry Emerald
Colic Cat’s Eye
Cholera Cat’s Eye, Topaz
Abdominal Complaints Emerald
Heart Troubles Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, Lapis Lazuli
Penumonia Diamond
Palpitation Topaz
Tuberculosis Blue Sapphire
Chest Pain Emerald, Ruby

Article by G Kumar

Vedic Medical Astrology

PayPal and eBay Sue Google over Mobile Payments Trade Secrets

PayPal and eBay Sue Google over Mobile Payments Trade Secrets. PayPal and Google had been working together to establish a deal in which PayPal would be the payment processing system for Google's Android operating system for mobile phones

As the world moves from paper currency, credit cards and debit cards to a virtual payment system based on mobile phones and handheld devices, the major companies driving the revolution are going to clash. In the latest example of this, eBay and its wholly-owned payment processing system, PayPal, have filed suit against Google, claiming that two of its new executives brought and illegally shared trade secrets that were obtained during and after their previous employment with PayPal.

The fine details of the suit have yet to emerge, but the primary complaint is based on the fact that two of PayPal's former high-level employees are now working for Google and helped the company develop and launch its new Google Wallet service, which was unveiled today. eBay claims that there was information transferred to Google while one of the executives still worked for PayPal and that the same former employee attempted to recruit other staffers at PayPal to join Google, which is a violation of the original employment contract.

Until very recently, PayPal and Google had been working together to establish a deal in which PayPal would be the payment processing system for Google's Android operating system for mobile phones. Now that Google Wallet has been officially unveiled, its clear that Google and PayPal will probably not be working together - now or in the future. As we move more toward a world where currency is no longer something that you hold in your hands, significant changes will come to the way in which we live, work and consume. Wealth and financial worth may become even more abstract notions than they are today. 

PayPal and eBay Sue Google over Mobile Payments Trade Secrets

Is Email Killing the Post Office?

Is Email Killing the Post Office?  The rise of mobile, and smartphones in particular, must also play a role, as it caters to increased use in email and social media, not to mention text messaging, and even….the phone call!

Is email killing the post office? It’s not a new question. In fact, it’s been around nearly as long as the mainstream use of email itself, but it’s also not gone away, and the USPS has seen better days. I’m not normally one to buy too much into the typical x is killing y kind of hype, but the Postal Service is clearly severely injured.

BusinessWeek.com has put out a lengthy report looking at the decline of the USPS and its contributing factors. While the seven-page pice just briefly touches upon the subject of email, comparing the performance of the USPS to that of FedEx, UPS, and DHL, as well as counterparts in other countries, there’s no question that email and online communication in general have done their fair share of damage. 

People have been using email for years now, and despite some predicting the death of email (at the hands of social media), it’s clear that it’s hear to stay for quite some time. Even if email were to die, it wouldn’t do much to help the postal service. 

As we’ve seen just in the past week alone, email is an incredibly important part of business for companies like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Twitter. Even Facebook has its own email now, and social networks all still rely on email to keep users engaged – that goes for the professionals too (ie: the newly public LinkedIn). 

In a recent study, 45% said that their use of email at work will most likely increase in the next five years. 51% said that it would likely stay the same. Only 4% thought it would decrease. At home, 36% of those surveyed thought their email use will increase, 55% said it will stand pat and 6% said it will likely decrease.

The majority of important online communication still takes place through email, whether that be B2B or B2C. C2C online communication may be trending more toward social media, but again, email still plays a role here, in terms of notifications, and there is still plenty of C2C communication through email. Even from heavy users of social media. Not everyone is on the same social network. That even goes for Facebook. Email is universal. You pretty much need an email address to have any kind of account online. 

The rise of mobile, and smartphones in particular, must also play a role, as it caters to increased use in email and social media, not to mention text messaging, and even….the phone call! The point is, communication is always as close as your pocket. It’s a lot easier and cheaper (at least on an individual interaction basis) than writing letters. And it’s in real time. 

“With the rise of e-mail and the decline of letters, mail volume is falling at a staggering rate, and the postal service’s survival plan isn’t reassuring,” Devin Leonard says in the Bloomberg BusinessWeek report, noting that the USPS is the country’s second-largest civilian employer after Walmart (with more post offices than the retail outlets of Walmart, Starbucks and McDonald’s combined). Last year its revenues were $67 billion, with even greater expenses, he says. 

According to the report, first-class mail, which the USPS gets the majority of its money from, has been steadily declining, and in 2005 fell below junk mail for the first time. Total mail volume has decreased 20% just from 2006 to 2010. The USPS hasn’t been able to cover its annual budget in three years. 

Well, there’s still packages right? Sure, but there’s also stiff competition from companies like FedEx, UPS, and DHL, along with an increase in digital goods replacing physical goods. Think movies, music, and books. Amazon, the largest retailer on the web, announced last week that Kindle books are outselling print books. Never mind that there are a bunch of free ones too. 

Plus, everybody’s going paperless these days. The Director of Physical Infrastructure at the U.S. Government Accountability Office is quoted as saying, “What happens when Bank of America or Citigroup says you are going to have to pay to get your statement on paper? That’s going to change a lot of behavior. It’s going to affect the postal service. That’s how they make most of their money.”

The Bloomberg BusinessWeek report includes some interesting ideas on how the Postal Service could get back on track, at least to some extent, but the outlook is looking pretty bleak. You have to wonder what this will mean for the future of digital communication like email.

Is Email Killing the Post Office?

Facebook Places and Check-In Deals

Facebook Places and Check-In Deals Come to Pages. Facebook is certainly not new to business pages, but the increased functionality, stacked up to new and forthcoming features for Google’s Place Pages, means more direct competition as the go-to place for consumers

Facebook is making changes that make it easier for businesses to manage their Facebook presence and get customers to engage. 

InsideFacebook reports that Facebook has confirmed with them that it has started bringing Facebook Places functionality (including Check-In Deals) to Facebook Pages that have street addresses. Local businesses, pay attention. 

Josh Constine says: “Facebook tells us this automatic merge of Pages and Places ‘makes things easier for Page administrators’. We agree that it is a better solution than the now removed option to manually merge Places with Pages. By expanding the number of Pages that can run Checkin Deals, Facebook may be looking to drive user awareness and engagement with the product and earn money off of it through ads promoting the incentives.”

Local is an increasingly competitive space right now, and businesses have more and more ways to reach consumers online and through mobile devices than ever before. What will be particularly interesting to me is to see how this plays out with regards to competition with Google, which has essentially taken the place of yellow pages for many consumers. 

Facebook is certainly not new to business pages, but the increased functionality, stacked up to new and forthcoming features for Google’s Place Pages, means more direct competition as the go-to place for consumers to look up local business info, find deals, and even check in. Add to that, the fact that Bing continues to expand on its own Facebook integration and has made some big deals to greatly expand its mobile presence (via Microsoft partnerships with Nokia and RIM), and Google may end up feeling the heat from that angle as well. 

Facebook also recently rolled out Page tagging in Photos. Google is actually sending photographers out to businesses to take professional shots of interiors for inclusion on Place Pages. 

Facebook Places and Check-In Deals Come to Pages

Bing Teams Up With Facebook for Personalized Results

Bing Teams Up With Facebook for Personalized Results. Will you log into Facebook and use Bing’s new social search? Here is a detailed description of what the Facebook integration will look like on Bing, courtesy of the official Bing blog

Today, Microsoft’s search engine has announced that its “decision engine” will now be influenced by what they are calling the “friend effect,” basically what is popular with one’s Facebook friends. If you log into Facebook through Bing, you will now receive information on what your friends “like” when viewing search results. 

 

Not only will the new Bing with Facebook simply show you that your friends like a certain result, but the search engine will use the information is gleans from Facebook to actually modify your search results. 

Here is a detailed description of what the Facebook integration will look like on Bing, courtesy of the official Bing blog:

• “Liked” Results, Answers & Sites

Instantly see which stories, content and sites your Facebook friends have “liked,” from news stories, celebrities, movies, bands, brands and more. With the “thumbs up” from your friends you can jump right to the stuff that matters the most to you. Bing shows the faces of up to three of your friends that like a search result, offering a visual and virtual seal of approval from your trusted social network. 

• Personalized Results

Bing delivers a more personalized search experience by using the interests shown by your friends. Now you won’t miss potentially interesting information that may have been buried deep within the search results. Bing will surface results, which may typically have been on page three or four, higher in its results based on stuff your friends have liked. And, how often do you go beyond page one of the results?

• Popular Sites

Bing shows well-liked content, including trending topics, articles and Facebook fan pages, from sites across the web, to help you dig in and quickly find exactly what you’re looking for. Looking for a great recipe? Now when you search for a recipe site, you’ll see what recipes people have liked on that site, allowing you to cut through the clutter and find the perfect recipe for dinner. 

• Integration of Social Messages

Bing not only shows you what your friends like and share online, but also what major brands and companies are saying. For example, when you search for Avis, the answer on Bing will integrate any recent Facebook posts alerting you to a new deal. 

Bing is also integrating Facebook profile search into the engine, so that when you search for a person, Bing will provide a detailed “bio snapshot” of the person based one their Facebook profile. 

Bing is basing this partnership on the idea that recommendations from friends and family are what people want when making decisions. This shift towards social search might even be a bigger deal than it initially looks like on the surface. Bing says that “search remains largely driven by facts and links” and that this Facebook integration means that “it’s time to change that.” This may in fact be the first step in search becoming a truly social experience. 

As they say above, they are surfacing results, possibly from page three or four, to page one based on their popularity with friends. Is this indeed an algorithm change?

Will you log into Facebook and use Bing’s new social search? 

Bing Teams Up With Facebook for Personalized Results

Microsoft Buy Skype

Microsoft  Buy Skype. The team also discuss an apparent schism within Anonymous, and examine the group's denial of an attack in which credit card details were stolen from Sony's PlayStation Network

This week Aleks Krotoski and Charles Arthur are joined by Tom Loosemore to analyse this week's biggest tech stories.

We begin with Microsoft's purchase of Skype for $8.5bn. At the time of recording, the deal was only expected, and so the team look back at Skype's 7 year life, and how it has changed hands in that time. Charles finds it hard to see why Microsoft needs the VoIP service - and predicts a hard time for it within their Redmond HQ.

Charles also takes a look at the latest sales figures of mobile phones in western Europe, and finds Nokia has been pushed into second place by Samsung and Apple in the handset and smartphone markets respectively. It's more bad news for Nokia, and neither Tom nor Charles can foresee a rosy future for Nokia - with Tom predicting fatal consequences for the company.

The team also discuss an apparent schism within Anonymous, and examine the group's denial of an attack in which credit card details were stolen from Sony's PlayStation Network. Aleks, Charles and Tom talk through the group's aims, ponder the ramifications of a split, and attempt to describe the structure and motivation of Anonymous - with mixed success.

And finally, Tom talks to us about his attempts to build a single, central government website which will deliver information and services from recommendations made by the UK's digital champion Martha Lane Fox. Tom explains what his aims are for Alphagov and what it has been like working on such a large project, and within a huge government bureaucracy.

Microsoft  Buy Skype

Google Releases Site Speed Report

the Site Speed Report feature will automatically use a small sample of pageviews to measure the page load time. If the site speed set up procedure is done correctly, users will be able to see report data in a few hours

Google has announced the inclusion of a new feature the Site Speed Report, in the latest Google Analytics. This feature will allow you to measure the page load time on pages of your website. According to the company, Google Analytics users can now understand how load times impact their ranking at Google, user experience and eventually the conversion rates.

Google says, “To improve the performance of your pages, you first need to measure and diagnose the speed of a page, which can be a difficult task. Furthermore, even with page speed measurements, it’s critical to look at page speed in context of other web analytics data.”

The company cites four different functions Google Analytics users can perform using the Site Speed Report. Users can apply the Site Speed Report to:

• Content: To find out which landing pages are slowest?
• Traffic sources: Measure which campaigns correspond to faster page loads overall?
• Visitor: How does page load time differ, with visitor to visitor or from place to place?
• Technology: Does the site load time differ from browser to browser or one OS to another?

Once the cause of the issue is diagnosed, users can take perform the necessary improvements or changes to speed up the loading of those pages that has been taking more time to load.

How to set up and use the Site Speed Report?

The Site Speed Report feature comes turned-off by default, denoting only 0s in the report. To start using the feature and measure your website’s load speed, you need to turn it on and make a little change to the Analytics tracking code. The required tracking code changes are explained on the Site Speed page at the Analytics Help Center. When this tracking code change is made, the Site Speed Report feature will automatically use a small sample of pageviews to measure the page load time. If the site speed set up procedure is done correctly, users will be able to see report data in a few hours.

It seems that the Google Analytics team and the Make the Web Faster team are working really hard to speed the web up and provide a better search experience.

Google Releases Site Speed Report

Sony Online Entertainment taken offline

 The SOE network is responsible for hosting games like DC Universe Online, EverQuest, and Free Realms – so you can imagine the magnitude of such a crime

Somebody needs to give Sony a break. After being attacked over a week ago, and only just starting to recover, Sony has a bout of bad news again. This time it isn’t the Sony PlayStation Network, but the Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) servers. The SOE servers were taken down earlier this morning, with Sony citing it was due to an intrusion.

Now, it has been reported that personal details and about 12,700 credit card numbers were stolen have been stolen from the SOE servers. The SOE network is responsible for hosting games like DC Universe Online, EverQuest, and Free Realms – so you can imagine the magnitude of such a crime. However a silver lining surrounds this dark cloud; the stolen details are claimed to be from the year 2007, which means most of the credit card info stolen should have been expired by now.

There’s no telling when SOE will be back up, so for folks looking forward to their MMO fixes will have to find an alternate hobby in the meantime. Stay tuned for more updates.

Sony Online Entertainment taken offline

Android Video Chat Via Google Talk

 

Android Video Chat Via Google Talk ... Google says Google Talk with video/voice chat will roll out to Nexus S devices gradually over the coming weeks, as part of the Android 2.3.4 update. It will come to 2.3+ devices later

Google announced the launch of Google Talk with video and voice chat for Android phones. Apple’s FaceTime is becoming less of a unique draw to the iOS. 

“You can now video or voice chat with your friends, family and colleagues right from your Android phone, whether they’re on their compatible Android tablet or phone, or using Gmail with Google Talk on their computer,” Google explains. “You can make calls over a 3G or 4G data network (if your carrier supports it) or over Wi-Fi.”

“In your Google Talk friends list, a video or voice chat button will appear next to your contacts and you can simply touch the button to connect with them,” the company adds. “Any text chats from the person you’re talking with will be overlaid on your phone’s screen so you can read them without having to leave the video.”

That’s a nice feature that should leave the conversation in tact, particularly if you’re the type that often forgets what you were saying in the middle of conversations (especially if that conversation is spaced out over time).

“And, if you need to check something else, the video pauses automatically so you can go back to your phone’s home screen or another app,” Google adds. “The audio will keep going even though the video has paused.”

Google says Google Talk with video/voice chat will roll out to Nexus S devices gradually over the coming weeks, as part of the Android 2.3.4 update. It will come to 2.3+ devices later. 

Android Video Chat Via Google Talk

William and Kate Middleton Photo Gallery

William and Kate Middleton Photo Gallery

William and Kate Photo Gallery

Why We Still Need Smallpox

Why We Still Need Smallpox ... Once they are ready, we intend to share the fruits of this research with the world. Destroying the virus now is merely a symbolic act that would slow our progress and could even stop it completely, leaving the world vulnerable

In a few weeks, member states of the World Health Organization will consider the destruction of the last known samples of smallpox virus, currently held in secure labs by the United States and Russia. Some have sought to publicly frame this issue as a contentious disagreement between our two countries and the rest of the world over whether the virus should be destroyed. This is misleading.

We fully agree that these samples should — and eventually will — be destroyed.

However, we also recognize that the timing of this destruction will determine whether we continue to live with the risk of the disease re-emerging through deliberate misuse of the virus by others.

Those who advocate immediate destruction would have us believe that another smallpox outbreak is unthinkable. They want us to believe that there is no need to ensure the global community is adequately prepared to deal with an outbreak and that the only risk comes from maintaining the highly secured samples. For these reasons, they argue that the World Health Assembly should set an immediate date for destruction.

It should not. Although keeping the samples may carry a miniscule risk, both the United States and Russia believe the dangers of destroying them now are far greater.

Smallpox was one of the most devastating diseases humanity has ever faced, killing more than 300 million people in the 20th century alone. The victims it didn’t kill were often left scarred and blind. But thanks to the most successful global vaccination campaign in history, the disease was completely eradicated by 1980.

At that time, the WHO called on all nations to destroy their collections of smallpox virus or transfer them to the WHO-sanctioned collections at one of two labs in Russia or the United States. The global public health community assumes that all nations acted in good faith; however, no one has ever attempted to verify or validate compliance with the WHO request.

It is quite possible that undisclosed or forgotten stocks exist. Also, 30 years after the disease was eradicated, the virus’ genomic information is available online and the technology now exists for someone with the right tools and the wrong intentions to create a new smallpox virus in a laboratory. Furthermore, there are additional pox viruses that infect humans, and while they are not likely to produce the same degree of suffering that smallpox historically inflicted, they could still be dangerous.

In other words, we’ve beaten smallpox once, but we must be ready and prepared to beat it again, if necessary.

Today, most of the world’s population has no immunity to the disease. Once it was eradicated, we stopped routine civilian vaccination for smallpox. In fact, people under the age of 30 have little or no immunity to smallpox. Should an outbreak occur, we do have effective vaccines that could be deployed to protect most Americans. But global supplies are limited and some people cannot safely use the current vaccine for medical reasons.

Fortunately, in the three decades since eradication, science has come a long way. The vaccine used until the 1970s was little different from the crude vaccine developed by Edward Jenner more than 200 years ago. Today, new technologies and advances in vaccine development exist that could allow us to produce a vaccine without the rare but dangerous side effects of the original. Globally, work is under way to develop and test these vaccines. We should not stop now.

Even with an improved vaccine, vaccination alone will not save those who have already been infected once an outbreak has begun. That is why we are also working on developing, testing and licensing effective new drugs to treat smallpox for those patients with the disease. Scientists in laboratories in a number of countries are making progress on these new antiviral drugs and alternative therapeutic agents that, in the event of a new smallpox outbreak, could control the disease’s progression and greatly reduce the risk of death.

We have more work to do before these safe and highly effective vaccines and antiviral treatments are fully developed and approved for use. Once they are ready, we intend to share the fruits of this research with the world. Destroying the virus now is merely a symbolic act that would slow our progress and could even stop it completely, leaving the world vulnerable.

Destruction of the last securely stored viruses is an irrevocable action that should occur only when the global community has eliminated the threat of smallpox once and for all. To do any less keeps future generations at risk from the re-emergence of one of the deadliest diseases humanity has ever known. Until this research is complete, we cannot afford to take that risk.

By Kathleen Sebelius U.S. secretary of health and human services. 

Why We Still Need Smallpox

Justin Bieber Photo Gallery

Justin Bieber Photo Gallery

Justin Bieber now in Indonesia to make his inaugural concert.

 

 

Justin Bieber Photo Gallery

 

It's Good Friday Photo Gallery

" HAPPY EASTER "

A Good Friday Photo Gallery

Good Friday is the only day in the entire year when the Church does not offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Indeed, in the early Church, today was an aliturgical day when no services were held at all. But by the 8th century, the Roman Church gathered on this day for a synaxis, a service of Scripture readings and prayers that was derived from the Sabbath services of the synagogue. To this was added the Veneration of the Cross, which came from the 4th-century liturgy of Jerusalem, in which pilgrims kissed a relic of the True Cross. And finally, monastic communities in medieval Europe added the reception of Holy Communion - a 'Mass of the Pre-Sanctified' - to the liturgy of Good Friday. Nevertheless, this remains a day on which the Holy Mass is not offered. 

 

It's Good Friday Photo Gallery