Top 15 Ways to Extend Your Laptop’s Battery Life

1. Defrag regularly - The faster your hard drive does its work - less demand you are going to put on the hard drive and your battery. Make your hard drive as efficient as possible by defragging it regularly. (but not while it’s on battery of course!) Mac OSX is better built to handle fragmentation so it may not be very applicable for Apple systems.

2. Dim your screen - Most laptops come with the ability to dim your laptop screen. Some even come with ways to modify CPU and cooling performance. Cut them down to the lowest level you can tolerate to squeeze out some extra battery juice.

3. Cut down on programs running in the background. Itunes, Desktop Search, etc. All these add to the CPU load and cut down battery life. Shut down everything that isn’t crucial when you’re on battery.

4. Cut down external devices - USB devices (including your mouse) & WiFi drain down your laptop battery. Remove or shut them down when not in use. It goes without saying that charging other devices (like your iPod) with your laptop when on battery is a surefire way of quickly wiping out the charge on your laptop battery.

5. Add more RAM - This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory. Virtual memory results in hard drive use, and is much less power efficient. Note that adding more RAM will consume more energy, so this is most applicable if you do need to run memory intensive programs which actually require heavy usage of virtual memory.

6. Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD - As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse. Even having one in the drive can be power consuming. They spin, taking power, even when they?re not actively being used. Wherever possible, try to run on virtual drives using programs like Alcohol 120% rather than optical ones.

7. Keep the battery contacts clean: Clean your battery’s metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient.

8. Take care of your battery - Exercise the Battery. Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time. Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects)

9. Hibernate not standby - Although placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn’t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does. Hibernating a PC will actually save your PC’s state as it is, and completely shut itself down.

10. Keep operating temperature down - Your laptop operates more efficiently when it’s cooler. Clean out your air vents with a cloth or keyboard cleaner, or refer to some extra tips by LapTopMag.com.

11. Set up and optimize your power options - Go to ‘Power Options’ in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the ‘max battery’ for maximum effect).

12. Don’t multitask - Do one thing at a time when you’re on battery. Rather than working on a spreadsheet, letting your email client run in the background and listening to your latest set of MP3’s, set your mind to one thing only. If you don’t you’ll only drain out your batteries before anything gets completed!

13. Go easy on the PC demands - The more you demand from your PC. Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD. If you’ve got a single battery charge - pick your priorities wisely.

14. Get yourself a more efficient laptop - Laptops are getting more and more efficient in nature to the point where some manufacturers are talking about all day long batteries. Picking up a newer more efficient laptop to replace an aging one is usually a quick fix.

15. Prevent the Memory Effect - If you’re using a very old laptop, you’ll want to prevent the ‘memory effect’ - Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries (which most laptops have) which do not suffer from the memory effect.

Reference to friedbreef.com

10 Grammar Mistakes That Make You Look Stupid

1. Loose for lose
No: I always loose the product key.
Yes: I always lose the product key.

2. It's for its (or god forbid, its')
No: Download the HTA, along with it's readme file.
Yes: Download the HTA, along with its readme file.

No: The laptop is overheating and its making that funny noise again.
Yes: The laptop is overheating and it's making that funny noise again.

3. They're for their for there
No: The managers are in they're weekly planning meeting.
Yes: The managers are in their weekly planning meeting.
No: The techs have to check there cell phones at the door, and their not happy about it.
Yes: The techs have to check their cell phones at the door, and they're not happy about it.

4. i.e. for e.g.
No: Use an anti-spyware program (i.e., AdAware).
Yes: Use an anti-spyware program (e.g., AdAware).
Note: The term i.e. means "that is"; e.g. means "for example." And a comma follows both of them.

5. Effect for affect
No: The outage shouldn't effect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn't affect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn't have any effect on users.
Yes: We will effect several changes during the downtime.
Note: Impact is not a verb. Purists, at least, beg you to use affect instead:
No: The outage shouldn't impact any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn't affect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage should have no impact on users during work hours.

6. You're for your
No: Remember to defrag you're machine on a regular basis.
Yes: Remember to defrag your machine on a regular basis.
No: Your right about the changes.
Yes: You're right about the changes.

7. Different than for different from
No: This setup is different than the one at the main office.
Yes: This setup is different from the one at the main office.
Yes: This setup is better than the one at the main office.

8. Lay for lie
No: I got dizzy and had to lay down.
Yes: I got dizzy and had to lie down.
Yes: Just lay those books over there.

9. Then for than
No: The accounting department had more problems then we did.
Yes: The accounting department had more problems than we did.
Note: Here's a sub-peeve. When a sentence construction begins with If, you don't need a then. Then is implicit, so it's superfluous and wordy:
No: If you can't get Windows to boot, then you'll need to call Ted.
Yes: If you can't get Windows to boot, you'll need to call Ted.

10. Could of, would of for could have, would have
No: I could of installed that app by mistake.
Yes: I could have installed that app by mistake.
No: I would of sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.
Yes: I would have sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.

Reference from TechRepublic

Memory Markers..

Written by Jeff Earlywine

If you are like most people, you will eventually forget an important engagement, a special meeting or a to-do that you thought of while you were in the shower. The question is, How can you keep from forgetting those necessary items without drastically changing your lifestyle?

I really feel foolish when I leave my house of a morning, get to the office and realize that I have forgotten something at home. Once, when I was a kid, I almost went to school without my shoes on. As humorous as that sounds, it taught me something about remembering things and memory markers.

Below are three memory markers that everyone can apply to their life. Whatever your personality and lifestyle, you can successfully apply at least one, if not all three, of these markers to your life.

Marker #1: Picture It

The once great Boston Celtics basketball player, Jerry Lucas, has made a living educating people on how to remember names and other important information. He does this with the use of picture association. In fact, he states that he has memorized most, if not all, of the Bible. His secret works like this. When you have to remember something, just picture it in your mind. For example, picture yourself driving home today and your spouse calls and asks you to pick up a few things from the grocery store: milk, cheese, green beans and orange juice. Since you are driving in your car and dont have anything to write with, you try to log the list in your short-term memory bank. One way to remember the list is through picture association. Here is how it works. Develop the following pictures in your mind: Milk: a LARGE cow standing on a very large gallon of milk. Cheese: that same cow has a very large piece of cheese in its mouth. Green beans: the grass around the cow is not really grass but green beans growing like grass. Orange juice: the final item can be remembered by making the cow totally orange. Try it. It works.

Marker #2: Position It

One of the best ways not to forget something tangible is to leave it beside something that you will not, or cannot, forget. For instance, if you want to make sure you take a special piece of chocolate pie to the office, place it beside something that you will definitely take with you; your keys, purse, etc . . . This simple little marker will keep you from looking foolish and frustrated.

Marker #3: Put It Down

Always remember, the faintest ink is better than the best memory. I have gotten up many times in the middle of the night to write something down. Even if God speaks to you during the night, or during your prayer time, there is no guarantee that you will remember it unless you write it down. Now, where do you write it? Having one central place to write all of your important information is best. However, when an inspirational thought or a simple to-do hits your mind, write it down anywhere. You can transfer it to that central place later.

I know these are very simple and basic ideas, but I bet you will see a difference if you commit to trying them for one week. Prove me wrong if you can.

Reference:

12 FREE Places To Watch ‘Music Videos’

Here you go, one more not to be missed MakeUseOf list, now it’s about ‘Music Videos’. In particular, about web services letting you freely stream full-length music videos, create video playlists, share them with friends and so on. From basic music video link aggregators and search engines to feature-filled online music channels. Enjoy!

(1) Seeqpod
About: A+ service that aggregates music videos from Youtube and similar biggies and presents them, in an intuitive, fast loading, well-designed and easy-to-navigate interface. (Special thanks to Jen, for tipping us about it.)
Extra Features: 1. create/share/playback playlists, 2. in-built Audio/Video player, 3. embed playlists to your web profile, 4. submit videos, 5. view live searches performed by other users.

(2) Middio
About: simpler, less pimped and feature-handicapped alternative to Seeqpod. Although, availability of ‘Top 100′ section makes it worth a check.

Extra Features: 1. ‘Top 100′ section, 2. share (via Facebook), 3. also shows related videos.

(3) Alluc
About: rather popular user-contributed link aggregator/directory for popular entertainment content including ‘music videos’. It won’t play videos on-site, instead it’ll provide you with links (Youtube, DailyMotion, Metacage, etc.) pointing to desired videos.

Extra Features: 1. features ‘Top 20′ and ‘Newly added’ sections, 2. browse videos by alphabet, 3. submit new links, 5. report broken links, 6. shows nr. of comments and views for each video, 7. also features Sport, Anime, Movies, TV shows and Cartoons categories.

(4) TV Links
About: yet another link directory for popular entertainment content, but with a couple of handy extras, i.e ‘full-screen’ mode and ‘on-site’ video streaming.

Extra Features: 1. browse artists by alphabet, 2. full screen mode, 3. also features TV shows, Cartoons, Anime, Movies and Sport categories, 4.report broken videos.

(5) Aggrega
About: here is something quite unique, Aggrega lets you instantly create custom music video plaslists by simply providing it with the name of your favorite actor and/or music genre (Reggae, Pop, HipHop, etc. ). It’s like Pandora but for music videos.

Extra Features: 1. create/manage/save/share channels (sort of like dynamic playlists), 2. submit videos, 3. love/hate playing videos to make your playlists better 4. comment on videos, 5. report broken links

(6) Yahoo!Music
About: well-known, massive and nicely-presented music entertainment service from Yahoo.

Extra Features: 1. ‘Top 100′, ‘Recently Played’ and ‘Recommended Videos’ sections, 2. browse videos by artist and genre, 3. feature ‘25-videos’ editable playlists, 4. different video quality options for each video, 5. rate videos/artists, 6. view lyrics, 7. ‘email to friend’ option.

(7) AOL Music
About: AOL Music Network (US only)

Extra Features: 1. browse videos by tags and genre, 2. features ‘Most recent’, ‘Most viewed’, Highets rated’ sections (for today, this month, this week, all time), 3. embed videos to your web profile, 4. cool daily ‘Top 11′ show, 5. tag videos. [Note: music videos currently available only to US users]

(8) iFilm
About: iFilm is a popular, Youtube-like video sharing network. However unlike many other video sharing biggies, it classifies video content into mainstream categories (incl. music videos) and let its users tag videos within the particular category. Hence, you get a nicely-organized, user-contributed, and easily-navigable directory of popular music videos.

Extra Features: 1. create/save/share playlists, 2. browse videos by tags, genre, and alphabet 3. features ‘Most Popular’ (now, yesterday, this week, this year) sections, 4. lists predefined music playlists (best of 2006, classics, old school rap, etc.), 5. shows related videos (from artist, from all), 6.upload and comment on videos, 7. ‘email to friend’ option.

(9) MusicBrigade
About: “Musicbrigade is the leading independent European social networking site based on the interest in and consumption of music.” (UK and EU only)

Extra Features: 1. create/save/share playlists, 2. features ‘Top rated’, ‘Most popular’, and ‘Newly Added’ video sections, 3. browse videos by artist (top rated, by alphabet, top 100 chart), 4. rate/comment on videos.

(10) VidZone
About: In a way similar to the above mentioned ‘Yahoo!Music’ and ‘AOL Music’ networks. Although, provides rather non-obvious navigation features and will play upto 10 sec. promo videos at the beginning of each music clip.

Extra Features: 1. create/save playlists, 2. browse videos by artist and genre, 3. predefined music video channels (by Genre), 4. full screen mode, 5. features ‘Artist of the week’, ‘Top 3′ and ‘Breathtaking’ sections.

(11) HotGet
Extra Features: 1. create/save playlists, 2. Browse videos by artist, 3. share/embed videos, 4. browse lyrics (partially), 5. view recently updated playlists from other users, 6. shows number of times video was played, 7. comment on videos, 8. also lists Audio tracks.

(12) SingingFool
Extra Features: 1. create/save/share playlists 2. full screen mode, 3. embed playlists to your web profile, 4. features genre based auto-playlists (Rap, Rock, Pop, R&B, etc.), 5. submit videos, 6. Most popular section (today, yesterday, week, this month), 7. comprehensive video browsing features.

What search engines store about you

Many users are in the dark as to how much of their personal information is retained by search engines, how long the data is kept, and what security measures they can take

What if there were a giant database that contained your hidden insecurities, embarrassing medical questions, and the fact that you still think from time to time about your high-school girlfriend? Well, such a data store does exist -- if you've ever plugged such private topics into a search engine.

The fact is, search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Live Search all record and retain in their vast data banks any term that you query in addition to the date and time your query was processed, the IP address of your computer, and a cookie-based unique ID that -- unless you delete it -- enables the search engine to continue to know if requests are coming from that particular computer, even if the connection changes.

Microsoft Live Search also records the type of search you conducted (image, Web, local, etc.), while Google additionally stores your browser type and language. And when you click on a link displayed on Google, that may also be recorded and associated with your computer's IP address.

While Google recently announced that it would make its search logs anonymous after 18 months' time by deleting part of the IP address and obfuscating cookies associated with search queries, Microsoft and Yahoo haven't yet made their retention policies public. AOL stores this data for just one month.

The upshot: If someone were to ask one of these search engine companies to produce a list of IP addresses or cookie values that searched on a particular search term, they conceivably could. Or, conversely, given an IP address or cookie value, the search engine firm could produce a list of terms searched by the user of that address or cookie value.

Don't worry; be happy

Some people say there's not much to worry about because the server logs don't associate these search terms with personally identifiable information, such as your name or e-mail address. However, if you have an account with or have registered for any of the additional services on a search engine site -- e-mail, social networks, calendars, shopping lists -- it's feasible that that connection could be made, says Brad Templeton, chairman of the board at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that protects liberties and privacy in cyberspace. In the case of Microsoft and Yahoo, that information can be extensive because of how much personal information these search engine firms ask for on their account registration forms, including your occupation, job title and marital status, and the number of children in your household.

According to Whitney Burk, public relations manager at Microsoft, "There is no systematic way of identifying, isolating, or cross-referencing search data with personally identifiable information." Google also says it stores the two types of information separately. However, according to Templeton, "it would be very difficult to make it impossible for someone to make that correlation."

Templeton emphasizes that he doesn't know exactly how any of the search engine systems are designed, but -- given typical designs -- there are many different ways that someone with the right access and knowledge could make a retroactive correlation between search terms and personally identifiable information. Considering that search terms can reveal personal information that ranges from medical prescriptions to religious beliefs and political preferences, that's not an association many of us would be happy to see.

Google's Earth from above: A 3D look

"Google Maps is changing the way we see the world," journalist Evan Ratliff declares in a June article for Wired magazine. I couldn't agree more. Google's universal mapping project isn't just changing the portals for viewing the world online, it's also changing offline understandings of how the world is best viewed--from Google's services, of course. Google has gained influence fast, by ambitiously developing innovative, interactive mapping software; integrating multiple online services into the majority of desktop and online apps; and familiarizing users with a particular Google-branded aesthetic.

In creating a suite of map apps to encourage users to contribute to Google's greater project and personalize locally-stored versions of a map, Google is not just bringing cartography to the masses, Ratliff points out, but is getting users to help build out its universe. This, of course, makes complete sense. With Google Earth, Google SketchUp, and MyMaps (watch the CNET News.com "how-to" video,) Google's mapping software has surpassed competitors like NASA in digitizing the world. In so doing, Google has captivated the imagination of loyal users who will return to the company's Earth and maps programs to find business listings, explore culturally significant architecture, and plant personal photos and videos.

Google Maps got the ball rolling, having expanded beyond its function as a directions tool. It now provides 360-degree street-level views of map points, and lets users customize personal versions of the public maps by affixing their photos and tracking favorite restaurants and traveling routes. Google Earth expanded the borders by digitizing the globe, overlaying satellite imagery with 3D models of famous architecture.

Google SketchUp, a simplified CAD drafting program, has allowed modeling enthusiasts to submit representations of edifices and common objects, like lamps and cars, for inclusion into Google's official Earth. (Learn to use a Google SketchUp tool.) Users who download the program can surf Google Earth, submit a model for official inclusion, or save models of garden plots, dream homes, or futuristic dreamscapes on their private, locally-saved globe. (See: How to place 3D models into Google Earth 4.)

The theme here deserves repeating. In Google's earthly pursuits, geographical spaces aren't just spots on a map; they teem with traffic reports, business listings, satellite imagery, and YouTube videos. Locations become opportunities to place advertising, promote products, and show off the cultural integration that Google's gaggle of engineers has become famous for.

That's not all. Each free app that Google virally markets--products that have enjoyed huge popularity on CNET Download.com--is also a careful exercise in brand-building that reinforces Google's deliberately minimalist look. It's noteworthy that within the beating heart of a cybercommunity fixated with bubbly, shaded Web 2.0 graphics, Google's design is decidedly flat across its product set.

That hasn't dimmed Google's glow one bit. We can think of Google's gargantuan success in waves: first was Google's classic search engine, a project that founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page began as graduate students at Stanford University. Once completed, it soon dominated front-running competitors like Netscape and AltaVista and became so popular that corporations now hire departments dedicated to boosting their company's relevance on Google's search engine. Google then implemented a profitable advertising scheme that serves ads that are relevant to the user's search terms, and has itself branched out as an income opportunity for affiliate Web site hosts.

Google documents appears to engender the third wave of prominence, with programs like Google Docs & Spreadsheets, a free Microsoft Office alternative, and Google Checkout, a PayPal competitor. Neither product relates to Google's core search business or even to its advertising enterprise; however, the apps are sought after, and, indeed, used. Google is clearly stretching its presence to all Internet frontiers.

If we accept Google products as desirable tools to organize personal payment and data, it's a short jump to accepting a Googlized world in which we imagine and experience the globe thanks to Google's design. In my local version of Google Earth I can forever associate a trip to South Africa with a Google-acquired YouTube video I made of myself feeding an elephant, and hiking photos I uploaded directly from Google's Picasa.

Using Google Earth, activists raised awareness about genocides in Darfur

(Credit: CNET Networks)

In fact, Google's geography products--Google Earth, Google SketchUp, and MyMaps--have already become important beyond the geo-hobbyist, Ratliff reports in Wired. The topography is used as an intelligence source for government agencies tracking disasters like Hurricane Katrina and genocide in Darfur. Britain says Google Maps has also been used by insurgents to plot and attack British soldiers.

The official and organizational usage of Google's mapping shouldn't surprise anyone, UC Santa Barbara geographer Michael Goodchild told Ratliff. Mapping has always been political. "There is no such thing as an objective map," Goodchild says. We should cease seeing maps as simply a way to understand the world the world in its "objective reality," he suggests, and begin realizing that the mapping process reveals "the advantages that may be derived from our territorial acquisitions."

Or digital representations of territories, as the case may be.

Removes unused files from your system

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)

Click here for a Quick Tour...
Download CCleaner now...

Cleans the following

Internet Explorer Temporary files, URL history, cookies, Autocomplete form history, index.dat.

Firefox
Temporary files, URL history, cookies, download history.

Opera
Temporary files, URL history, cookies.

Windows Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files and Log files.

Registry cleaner Advanced features to remove unused and old entries, including File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more... also comes with a comprehensive backup feature.

Third-party applications Removes temp files and recent file lists (MRUs) from many apps including Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, MS Office, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and many more...

100% Spyware FREE This software does NOT contain any Spyware, Adware or Viruses.

Atomic Clock Service 3.0

Atomic Clock Service is an Internet PC Clock synchronizing application with some useful options (time offset, synchronize periods, time sources choosing, etc). This application uses the list of 19 presetting synchronizing URLs all over the world. The list can be easy enhanced. The application consists of the windows service program and the console program. You can use the consol for options settings, log file viewing and synchronization control.

Software License: Shareware
Operating Systems Support: Microsoft Windows
Download Link: Atomic Clock Service 3.0
Homepage: Atomic Clock Service

10 Interesting Things You Can Do with YouTube or Google Videos

Unless you are staying in an underground cave for more than a year without an internet connection, there's a healthy chance that you have atleast watched, if not downloaded, an online video on Youtube or Google Videos. The online video sharing space has exploded in the recent months with the entry of new players like Metacafe, Blip.tv, Revver, Yahoo Videos and so on. Millions of video clips, technology shows, music albums, movie trailers are available on these video sites for online viewing or they can also be downloaded to your hard drive for offline viewing. The downloaded video files are generally in FLV format (Flash Video) which is an Adobe standard for video compression. It has fast becoming the web standard for delivering online video (replacing Apple QuickTime, AVI, Windows Media and Real rm formats) because Flash Video can be viewed inside Macromedia Flash Players which is shipped by default with most web browsers. [Flash Video Learning Guide] A lot of us know how to download Google Videos or Youtube videos from the internet but what do we do next ? Can we make the FLV video files searchable ? How do you edit FLV files ? All your questions and concerns are answered here: How do I download videos from Youtube or Google Videos or Metacafe ? It's strange that none of the video sharing sites provide a simple one-click button to download videos. So we will have to take the help of easy workarounds to download the videos. Here are three different ways to download any video from the internet though internally, they employ the same hack (Right-click -> "Save Target As" OR copy the link into your download manager. but change the file extension to .flv) Approach 1: The easiest way is to copy your video URL and paste it on KeepVid Lite. When you click submit, you will be provided with a link to save the video as an FLV file. Approach 2: Bookmark this Link or drag it your browser links toolbar. When you want to download a certain video, open the link in your browser and click the KeepVid button. Approach 3: For Firefox Users - Install the VideoDownloader Extension from Mozilla Addons website - It downloads all embedded objects on a webpage including the video clips. What naming convention do I adopt for saving video files on my hard disk ? With time, as the collection of FLV files on your computer grows in size, it may get impossible to keep a track of the video files. The drawback of flv files is that they are neither searchable nor indexed by media gallery software like Picasa or Apple iTunes. Hence, an intelligent approach would be save the files in such a manner that it becomes obvious even for a layman to understand what the video is all about. Try to include a short context and duration of the video in the name. For instance, the Google Factory Tour video is 5hours, 39minutes and 41seconds long. You can save it as Google_Factory_Tour_053941.flv or GoogleFactoryTour_053941.flv. Such files are easy to find later using desktop search programs. Alternatively, if you have the time and energy, the FLV Meta Data Injector can insert additional meta data into FLV files. It's a free command line utility. [Watch Video Tutorial] How can I play FLV files on my computer - They don't open with Windows Media Player or Winamp or iTunes ? You can download free FLV players to watch FLV files locally. My favorite FLV player has a simple and easy-to-remember name - FLV Player. Another nice alternative is the Riva FLV player. I download a large 30 minute video from Youtube but I am only interested in the last 10 minutes of the clip. How do I split a large FLV file into smaller playable video clips? This is the most common question among video enthusiasts - they want to split a large FLV video file into smaller chunks for editing or resharing only the interesting tidbits on the internet. To break an FLV file, get the free FLV Parser - a tiny command-line tool to split FLVs into pieces. Its intended use is to convert a large FLV into a series of shorter FLVs based on a series of millisecond-based timecodes. Using the -s switch will split the audio and video of the outputted files; the audio track will be extracted as a series of MP3 files, and the short FLVs produced will have no audio track at all. How do I convert FLV videos to Flash SWF or Windows AVI or Apple Quicktime mov formats ? The free Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer software from Super can convert FLV files to practically any other video format including MP4, MOV H.264, AVI, ASF or Flash SWF animations. Download here. How do I convert my AVI MPEG MOV 3GP movie clips back to FLV format ? Say you complete editing your movie in Windows Movie Maker or Avid and now left with an MOV file that you want to convert to FLV. Just get the free Riva FLV encoder and relax. The Riva encoder even lets you select parts of the video that you want to convert to FLV and crop the rest. I have three small video clips that I download from Google Videos and now want to join them into one single video - How do I merge FLV files ? I am not aware of any free software that let you join FLV files other than the expensive Macromedia Flash Professional. However, here's a simple workaround to join several flv video file - convert individual flv files to avi using Super [as mentioned above], then join the multiple Avi files into a single avi file using free VirtualDub and finally convert this avi back to FLV using Riya FLV encoder. How do I watch Youtube Video on my iPod, PSP or Television ? Again we'll make use of the Super Video Encoder mentioned above. Just convert the FLV file into a corresponding format (like Apple iPod or Sony PSP or MPG) and transfer it to your gadget. I want to add my own music and photos to a Youtube video clip but don't have the budget to buy Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro or Macromedia Flash. Can I still create my custom video for free ? Chances are that your computer already has a full fledged video editing application installed by default - it's called Windows Movie Maker and should satisfy the needs of most hobbyist film makers. You can add titles, transitions and even certain video effects. Here's how to edit a Youtube video inside WIndows Movie Maker - First convert the FLV to AVI format using Super Encoding software, then add your own pictures, music or video clips and finally export the completed file into any video format of your choice. It's that simple. I don't like the FLV Video Player provided by Google Video. Can I create my custom skin for embedding the video clip ? The problem with official video players, like the ones provided by YouTube or Metacafe, is that they cannot be customized and the embedded video content is completely contolled by the video hosting site. You cannot personalize the layout of the FLV players like the color settings, logos, etc. Hence the best solution is to get your creative juices flowing and design the skin of the FLV player yourself. Instructions are available at Adobe Website. You may have to have to download trial version of Macromedia Dreamweaver and Flash Professional software for this trick to work. Google Videos are not available in my country yet - Can I set download them or view them online ? Absolutely, you can still watch and download Google Video - read workaround.

. iPhone Coughs Up First Bugs

Even as the iPhone drew its first breath, security researchers were squeezing it to make it cough up its first bugs.

In a nutshell, the security quibbles, theoretical or otherwise, are that at least one Safari browser bug that was known prior to device launch is still on the phone, and that anyone can listen to users' voice mail because spoofing Caller ID is so easy with AT&T/Cingular service.

Errata Security's Robert Graham said on July 1 that, after waiting a day to get an iPhone activated, the security firm found a bug within a few minutes—although it was familiar from being one of a group of bugs the company had found earlier in the Safari browser. Errata's Dave Maynor found multiple bugs in the beta of Safari for Windows within hours of the beta's June 11 release—at least one of which, he found, could be weaponized.

Errata also found that its Bluetooth fuzzer locked up the iPhone—a promising sign of further bugs to come after the firm has had time to dissect the reason for the crashes. Errata isn't handing over any of these vulnerability details to Apple until the company publishes "acceptable vulnerability handling guidelines," Graham said—an Errata vulnerability policy of fairly long standing, given the bad blood between the two companies.

Back in February, after Maynor claimed that Windows Vista is more secure than OS X 10.4.8, he described Errata's disclosure policy, saying in part, "If a vendor answers a vulnerability disclosure with marketing and spin attempts, we no longer report vulnerabilities to that vendor but the information goes into our Hacker Eye View program for customers and will be used in pen testing."

Errata on its blog gave a list of questions it still wants answered about iPhone security:

What ports are listening on the device

What services will it automatically connect to (looks like it automatically connects to known access points)

What processor are they are running? Samsung? XScale?

Are they running with an MMU?

Is everything running as root?

How hard is it going to be to get a jtag interface running on that thing?

Can we get a hack going that gives us good access without much knowledge (e.g. a Java for QuickTime bug that would allow us to dump memory contents to the screen)?

And then there's the ability to spoof Caller ID and thus exploit a voice mail vulnerability in Cingular service. Security expert Nitesh Dhanjani first wrote about the issue in February 2006. Dhanjani says the iPhone is still vulnerable.

"The AT&T/Cingular voice mail system is configured by default not to ask for a password when you check your voice mail from the handset (it asks for your voice mail password if you call your number from another cell phone and press * when your voice mail answers). Unfortunately, the AT&T/Cingular voice mail system trusts Caller ID to determine if the handset is calling it. Because Caller ID can be spoofed easily … anyone can gain access into your voice mail by calling you and spoofing your phone number (it will appear as if you are calling yourself when your phone rings)—should you not answer the call, your voice mail will answer and allow the intruder full access to your messages," Dhanjani wrote in a recent blog post.

Spoofing a caller ID is as simple as buying a calling card from Spoof Card, a service that allows callers to change what the recipients of the call see in the caller ID display. Dhanjani said an attacker could carry out an exploit by calling the victim's phone and using Spoof Card. When Spoof Card asks what number the attacker wants to spoof, the attacker would then enter the victim's number again.

You are vulnerable, he said, if you're able to listen to iPhone (or other Cingular phone) voice mail without being prompted for a password. Check out Dhanjani's blog for his recommendations on protecting yourself from the vulnerability. AT&T/Cingular hadn't returned a request to comment on the issue by the time this story was posted.

It's still early. Security researchers are promising that more iPhone bugs will surface after they've had a chance to apply fuzzing to the devices and pore over the results.

But are these security bugs serious enough to make them stay away from the iPhone? No. They love it.

In spite of bad blood between Errata and Apple, and in spite of Safari carrying at least one known vulnerability with it onto the device, Graham said Errata still considers the iPhone "inherently more secure than competing smart phones, such as those based on Windows Mobile or Symbian.

"While Apple is slightly behind Windows on the desktop/server (that Samba bug still appears to be unfixed), it's still light years ahead of the mobile vendors. The mobile market is completely screwed up right now: While carriers know about the widespread vulnerabilities in their phones, the carriers are unwilling to patch them," he said.

Still, Graham said that even with better (theoretical) security than Windows, the iPhone is going to be a bigger target, given that the security profile of Mac OS X is better known than competing mobile platforms such as Windows Mobile or Symbian.

"They'll also have more bugs to patch because of increased hacker interest," he said.

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