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25 June 2008

Malware: The Difference Between Quarantine and Delete

Just wanted to share a nifty information I found while trying to decide whether I should quarantine or delete malwares from my computer today. Apparently, the idea of having the "quarantine" option when an antivirus detects an infected file is to avoid false positives. If by chance the antivirus software wrongly flags a file as "bad" when the file is actually something you need, like a critical program (for example Explorer.exe in Windows) such that deleting it might cause the computer to stop working, quarantine allows it to simply restore it back.

Anything in quarantine is safely segregated from the rest of your computer, it cannot run from there, so it can do no harm. So the general advice is to put the infected files in quarantine for a while you go about your normal computer activities. If everything continues to run properly after a reasonable period of time (say, about a week or two), then delete the files in quarantine permanently.

Be safe and always quarantine first!

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21 June 2008

Indomitable Turks Stun Euro 2008

"Expect Emotions" goes the slogan to Euro 2008. People certainly experienced some. What no one expected was that Turkey would deliver the biggest emotional wallop. Go up a goal against "The Comeback Kings" and you will lose. Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and now Croatia. The scoreline yesterday said 4-2 but something much more was achieved as Turkey reached the semi-finals for the first time. Just six years ago they accomplished a similar feat at the World Cup in 2002.



Now they're up against Germany. Depleted and without most of its squad, Turkey looks to shake the soccer gods. Germany better watch out. Their reputation as a team that can never be counted out is seriously being challenged.


Support for the Turkish team in Turkey is as incredible as it is in Europe's stadiums. Almost all the commercials on TV show some form of red and white glory. There is one that really stands out in every aspect. It depicts the Turkish players as powerful robots with real hearts and gives them a collective brand name called "Turko." Apparently it is the biggest Turkish CGI (Computer Gaphics Interface) project made to date. Take a look at this epicness:



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09 June 2008

Guitar Hero Clones: Play Online (Flash) or Download for Free

Guitar Hero. The legendary game series that sold over 14 million units, earning over US$1 billion, since it was first released on PlayStation 2 in 2005. The franchise has made a significant cultural impact, such that it became a cultural phenomenon, making regular appearances in parties and locales. Several bars in the United States are offering "Guitar Hero nights" as an alternative to karaoke. Even an entire South Park episode was dedicated to the game!

Such a popular game is bound to have some clones. Well, in fact we found 14 of them! Surely there must be more, and if you know please comment, but we found Frets On Fire to be the best. It's simply the most advanced; It has a built-in song editor that allows editing and creating songs, it works on Windows, Mac, and Linux - last but not least - it's open source. Please indulge:


UPDATE: Jam Legend







Shred Master [Play]






Tenacious D [Play]






Flash Hero [Play]







Super Crazy Gitar Maniac Deluxe [Play]







Super Crazy Gitar Maniac Deluxe 2 [Play]







Super Crazy Gitar Maniac Deluxe 3 [Play]






Coolio Beat [Play]






Coolio Beat 2 [Play]






Another Guitar Hero Clone [Info | Download]






Rock Star [Info | Download]






Unsigned [Info | Download]






Guitar Zero [Info (link currently down) | Download]






Frets On Fire [Info | Download]






BONUS:
Accordion Hero [Play]




Are you ready to accept the Wii challenge? Play nintendo wii competitions for real money now!


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30 May 2008

The Dual Mind: Which Part of Your Mind Dominates Your Brain?

Observing or own minds would not truly be objective. Standing in front of a mirror is essentially subjective in nature. The pursuit of understanding our minds is much like looking at a mirror. It is essential to analyze the human mind with our own minds’. It seems apparent that this aspect poses as a negative variable to such a study, but don’t we know best as to what using the human mind is like? We most apt for carrying out self-examination, hence we are most suited to analyzing the dual nature of our own minds.

In his book called 'Human Mind', Professor Robert Winston added his thoughts on the tests in question and delivered his interpretation as such:

When a patient was asked orally ‘What job would you like to do?’, his reply was 'I want to be a technical artist' because he would be using the left side of his brain where his language centre would be located. When the patient was asked the same question in writing and asked to reply through Scrabble letters, he would form the words ‘car racer.’

Basically it was observed that the patient's right-brain had developed its own pleasures and desires. This then brings the question: "Do we all have dual-personalities in our brain? Does one of these sides survive without a language because it does not have a language center?"

Logic or Reason and Intuition or Emotion

As the word "dual" implies there are two components of the human mind, as there are also two hemispheres of the human brain. Many individuals have summed up a collaboration between these dualities. We have realized that our mental divisions consist of {logic or reason}, and {intuition or emotion}. Moreover our brain is divided into the left and right hemispheres. Studies conclude that when specific mental tests were carried out people who were more engaged in rational logical thought had more activity or domination in the left hemisphere of their brain.

Nevertheless, when experiencing strong emotions the right brain sparks more rapidly. There a many resources for study on this subject and results appear to be quite consistent. Indeed there seems to be a connection between mental/emotional states and the hemispheric dominance of brain wave activities. So it seems as though our brains' twofold structure relates directly to the dual nature of the human mind.

It's All About Hemispheric Dominance

Each one of these components appears to integrate into the minds of almost all human beings with variation on the possibility of combinations. This leads to an excess in human personalities, in part depending on the extent of hemispheric dominance. These combinations are separated into three distinct types of mixtures based on which part of the hemispheres dominates.

Most of us are dominated by either the left brain or the right brain, and only a minority are dual brained. Dual brained (Dual minded) people’s thought processes are dominated by neither hemisphere, but are evenly balanced between both hemispheres. We must take into consideration that we use both hemispheres commonly, thus the designation of dominance only measures where someone's brain activity occurs most successively, not exclusively.

This is very important because being left brain dominant, for example, does not mean someone uses only their left brain because it only means that left brain usage is higher than right brain usage.

The Types of Brain Dominance

The 3 types of brain dominance can be labelled as L-dominant, R-dominant, and D-dominant.

- L-dominant represents the Left-brain dominant individuals: Someone who is L-dominant has the personality type of someone who spends most of their mental energy on logic focused rational thought. The essence of their brain activity occurs in the left side of their brain and logic is their primary filter. Those on the far end of this type can sometimes seem cold or even emotionless.

- R-dominant represents Right-brain dominant individuals: On the other hand R-dominant personalities show more brain activities in the right hemisphere and mean that these type of people are more emotional. They usually look at life through the filter of their passions. Those at the extreme end of this personality type might sometimes seem too emotional or even irrational, most especially to the L-dominant.

- D-dominant represents Dual-brain dominant individuals: D-dominant individuals are people whose personality is made up of a balanced blend of both mental components. Their minds are dominated neither by logic, nor by emotions. Tests conclude these types of people use their brain hemispheres equally, and they view life through both logical and intuitive filters. D-dominants are hemispherically balanced.


Which Filter Do You Use to Approach Life?

Those who have left brain dominance take a much more scientific clinical approach towards life, whereas right brained individuals tend to see life through the filter of their "heart". What if brain dominance is in the middle?

When I took tests that measure hemispheric dominance, I've always found myself in the middle. Neither my left, nor my right hemisphere dominates; instead I use both equally. I fall into the group that scientist’s call dual brained. That doesn't mean I use more of my brain than anyone else, but when my synapses spark they are more spread out than most, with neither hemisphere dominating. This means I’ am a scientist and a poet, both an analyzer and an artist. I’ am someone who uses both logic and intuition equally and without any difficulty. As an advocate of balance, I believe that we should aim at perfecting our minds into a dual brained state. A polarized brain means a polarized person. Likewise, a balanced mind means a balanced person.


Should we desire this balance more than polarization?

With this question we are forced to reckon with objectivity; which seems improbable for me. As I have persistently tested as D-dominant, no doubt, this influences my perspective in favour of seeing "hemispherical balance" as a positive, hence a desirable mind set. However, here is a simple that will show a major issue in favour of this stance.

Imagine a large ball on display in a special showroom. The left half the ball is blue and the right half of the ball is red. The ball has been designed with the blue half facing west and the red half facing east. Indeed this sounds very much like the beginning of word math quiz, but believe me its not.

Now imagine your self standing south of this "Big Blue Red Ball" and looking at it northwards. To your left you see the blue half and to your right you see the red half. Then to the left of the ball you notice a man facing eastwards and who is looking directly at the blue side only.

Meanwhile on the right of the ball there stands a woman who can only see the red side.

The man says: "I don't understand why there is a big blue sphere here?"

Then, the woman says: "Wow that is a really huge red ball!"


In the Middle you will find the Wider Perspective

These extremists limit their vision by going either all the way left or the right even though in the middle you can gain a wider perspective. From unique perspective of the middle the ball is much more visible overall and acknowledged as being blue and red not just one or the other. Therefore the wider perspective from the middle becomes a much more desirable place from which one can view and even experience life. Consequently this is why the "hemispherical balance" is such a significant concept.

If we polarize ourselves to either left or the right, we restrict our perceptions with limits. Thus we fail to see all that life can offer to us. With dual minds we broaden our perspective and achieve a desirable balance which can undoubtedly enhance our livelihood. If you find yourself observing life only through the filter of logic or if you only depend on intuition without logic, it is apparent that you must reach out towards being balanced.

Work the tendency you now neglect; expose yourself to a broad outlook from the middle. Pace towards a hemispherical balance and your life will be enriched. You will find heightened rationality and pleasure in life as a result.

So, which part of your mind dominates your brain?

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14 May 2008

Creative, Captivating, Crazy: MUTO Graffiti Animation


By BLU

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07 May 2008

Pictures Worth A Thousand Words - Post 17

Photography by Margaret Bourke-White - Bread Line during the Louisville flood, Kentucky - 1937
via
"Pictures Worth A Thousand Words" series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

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28 April 2008

Extinct Human Species Smarter Than Us?

Over a hundred centuries ago in a dusty corner of Mother Africa, human evolution may have leaped instead of crawled. Do the remains of Boskop Man foreshadow the future of humanity? And if so, why aren't these ultimate humans here now, instead of us?

The path of human evolution has been anything but a straight line from past to present. Much like a growing tree or a flowing river, branches and tributaries appear off the main trunk and either thrive, or taper off and peter out. When the game is survival of the species, evolutionary adaptations are mercilessly judged by nature, red in tooth and claw.

Evolution is also punctual in character. Change is often sudden, provoked by a beneficial mutation or a rapid change in the environment. When we look at the human family tree, all of the aforementioned trends can be seen. Neanderthal Man appears, thrives for a time in the glaciated terrain of prehistoric Europe, then fades out just as modern man appears on the scene. Further back in time, a plant-eating hominid called Australopithecus Boisei branched out from the main Australopithecine line. Robust in frame with huge teeth and mighty jaws, A. Boisei was perfectly adapted for lush, tropical conditions with abundant flora... until the climate changed and the flora died off. The gentle giants did likewise.

Specialized adaptations like the Neanderthal's ruggedness and A.Boisei's plant-eating were exceptions to the general trend of human evolution - that being an increase in brain size and a corresponding reduction in jaw size. This trend is coded in our genes, but is still subject to the influences of environment and mutation. This brings us to a group of skulls and skeletal remains found in the early years of the 20th century, in a part of South Africa known as Boskop. Could it be that in this isolated African backwater, a genetic mutation appeared that jumped human evolution ahead... not just by a page or two, but by several chapters?






One might think that a brainier, presumably smarter human population would make mincemeat out the local carnivores while out-competing any "normal" Homo Sapiens who ventured into their territory. Not necessarily. A sudden shift towards a futuristic physiognomy - without the accompanying societal, mechanical and technological framework needed to support it - would have left the Boskopoids much like babes in the woods. Balancing oversized heads on slim, gracile bodies, they would be at a pronounced disadvantage when running down prey - or running away from predators.

A scientific analysis of the Boskop fossils, "Big Brain: The Origins and Future of Human Intelligence," was recently published by Gary Lynch and Richard Granger, neuroscientists from the Dartmouth Brain Engineering Laboratory. A more poetic reflection on Boskop Man entitled "Man of the Future" was written in 1958 by science writer Loren Eiseley as a chapter of his larger volume, "The Immense Journey". It makes for intriguing reading, as the following excerpt indicates:

"The man of the future came, and looked out among us once with wistful, if unsophisticated eyes. He left his bones in the rubble of an alien land. If we read evolution aright, he may come again in another million years."


Was Boskop Man, a man out of time... stranded in a rough, predatory world without the tools needed to master it. Or is there another possibility, one which demands you open your mind to things that fly in the face of what we've so far taken for granted.

What if the Boskopoids not only survived, but thrived? What if they used their advanced intelligence to "leave the cradle", as it were. Where would they go? Well, the universe is a big place. If they left Earth for bigger and better things, one might assume they would leave as little trace of themselves as possible out of respect for their more primitive yet upcoming cousins - us.

All right, if you've taken this leap of faith, consider what it means and where it leads. Boskop Man suddenly appeared, used his big brain and superior intelligence to create a technology so advanced that it allowed them to leave the Earth entirely, but... would they forget the place of their birth so easily? Consider what a Boskopoid would look like: huge, rounded heads, big wide eyes set into small, child-like faces - sound familiar? To paraphrase FDR, "we have met the aliens, and they are us!"

I will admit, the curious combination of facts and speculation in this article read like something out of a sci-fi fantasy. It's much more likely that the remains of Boskop Man represent only a few members of prehistoric modern Homo Sapiens whose cranial capacities are at the far upward limits of the average. However - stranger things have happened and the current level of our archeological knowledge is by no means the be all and end all. The recent discovery of tiny "hobbit" humans on the Indonesian island of Flores is a perfect example. So keep an open mind, and remember... nothing is impossible, only improbable.

Article by Steve Levenstein from Inventor Spot. Submit your thoughts - click here!

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19 April 2008

Polyandry: Marriage with More Than One Man

This type of marriage is, not surprisingly, very rarely found around the Globe. It occurs among populations where there are fewer women than men. Female tendencies to find husbands out of a sack first appeared among traditional matriarchal societies. In such primitive groups there was a tradition to kill baby girls in order to reduce the occurrence of births. As a result the female population gradually decreased in comparison to the male population -- and thus the term, "It's a Man's World"?

Polygamy, on the other hand, is when a woman or man is married to more than one spouse. Polygamy is a term which is most often used when describing how a man is married to more than one woman. This description is incorrect because the concept of polygamy means a situation where either a man or woman is married to more than one spouse. The situation where the man or woman is married to more than one spouse can be sorted into different sociological categories and concepts. These include how a man can be married to more than one woman (polygyny) and how a woman can be married to more than one man (polyandry).

Polyandry in human relationships occurs or has occurred in Tibet, the Canadian Arctic, Zanskar, Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh, the Nymba, and Sri Lanka, and is known to have been present in some pre-contact Polynesian societies, though probably only among higher caste women. It is also encountered in some regions of Mongolia, among the Mosuo people in China, and in some Sub-Saharan African and American indigenous communities. In other societies, there are people who live in de facto polyandrous arrangements that are not recognized by the law .

Sociologist Hilmi Ziya Ülken made the following statements about the prevalence of polygamy and monogamy;

"Male dominance since the evolution of primitive societies and his first class distinction being his gender distinction have meant that the single husband framework has proved its sovereignty. However in some places, distinctive economic circumstances and in other places, certain historical periods, have all brought about a framework of marrying many husbands. This is apparent in the Fratri region of Australia."


Although historically many societies witness single husband marriages, many women have married more than one man due to the geographical conditions and economic problems. For example; When there was limited land for usage in Tibet, a group of brothers all married the same woman. By marrying the same woman they were able to produce fewer children and avoid a split in their future inheritance. Consequently they were able to establish financial security to a certain degree.

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07 April 2008

Global Child Prostitution Crisis Surges: Demand Up, Ages Down

With a life increasingly built upon seeking the approval and status of the upper class, we seem to have forgotten the fundamental meaning of existence. Be it negligence, self-indulgence, excessive spending or ambivalence, we are all faulty for losing touch of reality and for failing to answer the cries of our future generation. Over 2 million children are forced in child prostitution every year. Despite this shocking amount there has been no real counter-effective action from governments and the numbers still show a cumulative curve.

Aneta was 17 when her ordeal began. She was promised a job as an au pair to an affluent family when she decided to leave her Czech village and cross borders. She was recruited by Petr, a handsome man who promised that she would travel with them to London or even America. "You'll get to practice your English," he joked. The next day Aneta joined ten other local girls who handed over their passports and followed Petr into a life of ruins and defilement. Hours later instead of being welcomed by smiling families, they were greeted by a group of burly men who possessed guns and savage dogs. The girls, some of them as young as 14, were then forced into a room, stripped naked and pushed into a line. The men moved up and down, along the line and handled the girls roughly. They inspected their teeth, breasts and the areas between their legs. “We were just horseflesh” Aneta recalled. Each girl was flung across the room and gang raped. Within the next few days all of them were smuggled across Europe to work in brothels.

In May 2005 the gendarme in Yaounde scattered a prostitution ring that had recruited young boys who were claimed to be there for soccer training. The boys were promised the opportunity to play in prestigious clubs across Europe but ended up sported into child prostitution. From the five members of the organization (composing of five members), three were caught and the other two went into hiding.

In Singapore an increasing number of girls offer sexual intercourse upon Internet chat-rooms. Although the situation is less dire than in Japan, social workers cite cases of girls as young as 13 having no qualms over substituting paid sex for household pocket money.

In generic terms child prostitution means the use of a child in sexual activities for remuneration or any other form of consideration, including food, housing, drugs or other commodities or intangibles such as approval or care. It is an ancient and global problem. Child prostitution can be found in both developed and developing countries. Be it voluntary or coercive, the rise of child prostitution shows a reflection of how society’s morals have degenerated and how the possession of money, authority or power can be abused to cause destruction.

It is almost impossible to stem out this societal problem because of an overlap of certain factors and other discrepancies. Voluntary willingness from children to exchange sex for tangible benefits, reflect a society where the sanctity of the physical intimacy has been torn apart by our very own assets. On the other hand menacing behavior on part of the perpetrators, expose the degradation of society’s morality.

We can only hope that stricter governmental protection can be implemented for children, so that they are educated and hence protected from devious individuals. In a world increasingly being defined by power, authority and money, any excesses will just spark the beginnings of a collapse in morals.

So, what was the most awful experience you had when you were 10 years old?




By Jacob Toh. Submit your thoughts - click here!

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03 April 2008

Add Persistent Highlights and Sticky Notes on Any Webpage

Diigo, the Web's premier annotation, bookmarking and research tool, just released their latest version of this resourceful tool. Unfortunately, the top tier of tech bloggers were not overly enthusiastic in their coverage. Such useful and appropriate innovation deserves a similar degree of acknowledgment in my view, but somehow writers seem to have fallen into what we might call a "sound byte" methodology especially in describing complex startups. Don't you want to know about things that help you?

Diigo is fairly well accepted as the best research tool on the Internet. Classified (incorrectly I might add) as uniquely a bookmarking tool, the feature filled platform is actually more of a people driven data gathering tool. With refined aspects allowing for marking, annotating, saving, sharing, organizing and manipulating Web data – Diigo essentially emulates most aspects of human powered research and study organization. Diigo helps users "grab" knowledge from all over the Web and stores it in a platform where it can be assimilated. Version 3 is all about accentuating and integrating these and more online research tools with socially interactive community aspects.

Version 3 Refinements

A great new UI, a new Diigo toolbar and especially an added fully functional sidebar have added great form and function to Diigo. Version 3 has over 100 new features; here are some of the new features.

Diigo as a research tool: Diigo's entire browser extension has been re-designed for improved usability, with a sidebar where a user can easily search and access their bookmarks, annotations and notes. This sidebar adds great flexibility and simplicity to viewing annotations and in using other Diigo functions. Users can view, search, tag and perform other functions in the sidebar while still using the classic view and/or surfing for resources.

Team research platform - Another powerful Version 3 addition is the enhanced ability for users to vote or approve bookmarks in a rather "suggestive" matrix. Group tagging, allows entire groups to suggest the "best of the best" and in this fashion good content (voted on by a collective) tends to rise to the top. Suggestive excellence may be the best feature of any social network and Diigo's content is superb.

Social Browser Discovery - The Diigo toolbar has been a great innovation of Web 2.0. Now with Version 3 users have added utility; users can see what others have tagged or marked as well as similar pages. This toolbar is the heart of the Diigo gathering machine and the new version rocks with features.

Personalization - Diigo as a source of collective social content makes finding, selecting, evaluating and effectively using interesting content much simpler. Users can see much more clearly the tags of individuals and groups, while browsing content of friends, group members or the Diigo community as a whole. From recommended news to top rated bookmarks, Diigo has added a compelling new way to gather and use data.

Networking – Diigo's strength as a social network has not yet been realized as the startup has not been overly promoted until now. An increased user base will only add to the great content and essentially empower the content and suggestive elements to "connect" users with more and more refined content. A network acting on such a storehouse of great data will truly make for a worthwhile series of valuable connections. Diigo is no Facebook beer sending messenger, but a serious knowledge matrix where people can derive real value.

Here is a video explaining it all in under 4 minutes:



Conclusion

As I mentioned from the start, refined and useful innovations like Diigo deserves better scrutiny from the top media outlets. There is no shortage of articles on TechCrunch or other about what I would call "entertainment" startups and sites. Perhaps our fascination with fast and hyped news has outgrown our desire for information about serious applications, but I don't think so. I think in many cases we are being fed what someone else wants us to utilize in much the same way fast food is presented to the consumer. This is a shame, as we thought the advent of Web 2.0 was going to be about value and the user experience. Personally, I would like to experience a little more Diigo type utility and a little less Twitter.

Article by Phil Buttler from Phil Butler Unplugged. Submit your thoughts - click here!

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