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How to Test Your DSL and cable Internet Connection Speed

There are two measured elements that determine your internet connection speed. They are: The download rate, and the upload rate of data measured in bits per seconds. Usually, it is expressed in Kilobits per second.

A bit is the smallest piece of data that can be stored in a computer. The bit can be either "0" or "1". The byte is eight bits. Example of a byte and bits are the following:

bit= 0 or 1

byte=8 bits

1 byte=10011101 (eight bits)

A single charcter needs one byte or eight bits to be stored in a computer. So, when the data rate is 1 byte/sec, that means one character per second is the rate at which data is transferred through your connection.

This is very slow, and only intended for an example. In order to browse the internet, you must have at least a dial up access with a 56kb/s modem, in order to get a meaningful and practical result.

There are different types of internet connection. First they introduced the dialup connection using your phone line, then the broadband was introduced.

The broadband internet connections are DSL, cable, or Satellite internet services. They are widely used and expanding due to the high bandwith.

When you get an internet service, your provider states that your speed will be a certain numbers. They usually give you a good idea, but not an exact one. The common asked questions among internet users is:

How do I know what is my connection speed, and if I am getting what I was promised?.

If there anyway I can test my connection, and do I need to buy expensive software to test it?.

The answer is simple. There are two ways to test your internet connection speed:

1- The manual simple calculation test that you can do yourself without any software or third party services.

2- You can find a service that lets you run a test through their servers, and get your numbers displayed at their webpage.

1-The manual method:

Since I mentioned that the connection speed consist of two numbers, the download and upload speed. So, what you do is download from the internet any free software, and watch the result box with the result that show the size of the file and how many seconds it tool to download.

When you are done recording the download speed, upload a file of a specific size (1 Mb, 2 Mb), and time your watch when you start. When the file is uploaded, check your watch and record the time it took for the task. Then divide your file size by the seconds it took.

If you file was 2 Mb. that took 5 minutes to upload, then your upload speed is 2 Mb./300 sec. or 6.826 Kbits/sec.You can run the above test couple times, and then take the average for a better result.

2-The automated test at a third party service:

This is my preferred one, where you get to a website where the test is done for you. It is done using a script installed on their server, and letting you download and upload to their server a test file (invisible to you). Then, the result is displayed on their webpage. You just have to register for free using your email. It is free. This is a website address where they offer you a free internet connection test:

http://www.visualware.com.

In summary, don't settle for numbers given to you by your services, do the tests whenever you can. You enjoy it, and feel that you are getting your money worth. This is because some servcies charges you 35 dollars or more for a high speed internet service.

Thanks,
George Chamoun

I have created an Ebook about troubleshooting procedures for DSL, or cable connection problems. You can get it for free by right clicking the link and saving to your computer:

http://www.ebookfreestore.com/software/ComputerEbook.pdf

posted by toeiiikd @ 12:57 AM 0 comments

Photography Jobs: Do You Have a Future in Photography?

There is a wide world of photography. It touches each of us in our lives on a daily basis in some form or another. Photography is so much a part of our culture now that we hardly even notice all the places that it exists. When you watch television, look at a magazine or even view a billboard on the highway, this is all because of photography. There are so many ways that photography crosses our lives each day. There are a lot of opportunities for someone looking for photography jobs.

What Photography Jobs are Available?

If you enjoy photography and are thinking of it as a career, there are actually many different directions you can choose from. Obviously, there is professional photography but even in that choice there are many other smaller options that you have as well.

You can become a photographer in a special field such as wedding or family photographer. You can choose to make money taking pictures of things you love such as animals, nature or ships. If you enjoy scuba diving, you can become an underwater photographer. Pretty much anything you can think of, there is room to take and sell pictures of it.

If you love taking pictures and the idea of a career in photography sounds good to you, just how do you begin finding photography jobs?

How Do You Find Photography Jobs?

There are different ways of finding photography jobs, depending on the type of job you are looking for and your experience. You can begin by creating a resume and portfolio of your work. Then you can search on the internet at freelance photography job boards or photography websites and message boards. Get specific into types of photographing you have done and look on the internet for those.

You can go locally and look for internships or local firms or companies that may need photographers. You can get the word out by doing small events such as birthday parties and such. Get your name out as someone who will work these functions. Show friends and family samples of your work and ask them to spread the word. You may even want to participate in a charitable or non-profit event to boost your portfolio.

You can also begin submitting your work to contests and magazines to get yourself known and build your portfolio. Placing or winning in contests and getting published in magazines can help you build clips that you can use for getting bigger and better jobs.

Lastly, you can actually apply to jobs directly. It is best to do this only if you have the proper qualifications for the job. You dont want to set your goals so high that you get let down but there is nothing wrong with going for what you want. Most importantly, get as involved with what you love as possible. Learn as much as you can about photography and what makes good photography. Subscribe to magazines, read books, look at winners of photography contests.

Looking for information about Photography? Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive

posted by toeiiikd @ 11:44 PM 0 comments

The Thespian's Guide to acting Schools in New York

These are the facts and myths that most know or believe of the city:
- New York is the city that never sleeps.
- New York is one of the costliest places to live in.
- New York is the center of the whole world.
- New York is inhabited by people who love to love, hate, argue and haggle.

Now being a peace loving writer, I certainly wouldnt argue about which one of those is true and which one isnt. But if youre a thespian in search for good acting schools, then you certainly wont care about that. But youd naturally care about the list that Im about to provide below.

New York is a cosmopolitan city where a lot of good acting schools abound. In fact, if you truly are in search for excellent thespian education, New York isnt a bad place to start. Naturally, the tuition fees of these acting schools are comparatively more expensive than the acting schools in your local state but theyre worth it. And if youre looking for more proof, all you need is to do a little research work and I assure you that a lot of Hollywood big stars owe their talents to the very acting schools Im about to enumerate.

Assuming that finances are not a problem for you, theres just only other thing then to tackle: admissions. Several acting schools in New York are quite choosy when it comes to the students theyd let in their hallowed halls so to improve your chances of getting accepted, make sure that your school or the proper figures of authority furnish you with glowing recommendations. Neither does it hurt to have high GPAs to back you up.

With those two warnings then, here are some New York acting schools that you can try applying to.

ACTeen - acting For Teen: Operating for almost three decades already, the ACTeen is the pioneering on-camera acting academy for teens, particularly those aged between thirteen to nineteen years old. If you or your child is serious about pursuing acting for a profession then you should consider contacting this particular acting school and view their curriculum. Besides learning everything about film and theater, students are also provided with a choice of over fifteen electives.

Ted Bardy Studio Inc: To echo their tagline, this acting school provides their students with intense and personalized acting instruction. Everyones welcome to be a part of their workshop (limited to a small number to ensure personalized instruction), may it be amateurs, intermediate actors or professionals out to seek to improve their craft. The Ted Bardy Studio Inc. uses the Stanislavski / Meisner approach in guiding their students through their uniquely designed 3 phase program. Ted Bardy Studio Inc. is located in the Union Square section of New York City.

Actor Theater Workshop: ATW is a professional, non-profit theater company and under it, the Scott acting Conservatory operates to train professional actors and have them realize original creative techniques to further improve their craft.

Lee Strasberg Theater Institute: this acting school hopes that the techniques of the acting legend, Lee Strasberg, continue to live on through their students.

East End Ensemble: A school that started two years ago as a local acting workshop set up in a private home and meant to improve the communication skills of their adult students. If you want to have fun while learning, this funky acting school may be what youre looking for. East End Ensemble can be found in Brooklyn, New York.

Amy Hughes writes for http://www.modeling-agencies.org A comprehensive directory of Modeling and Talent Agencies all across the United States. If you are someone who is on the lookout for an outstanding modeling agency close to home, then please visit our website.

posted by toeiiikd @ 9:17 PM 0 comments

What Terabyte?

The terabyte can be easily explained as a unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,024 gigabytes (240 bytes) OR One trillion bytes

History stands testimony that no other technology can boast of being as eagerly anticipated as 1 Terabyte hard drives. These long awaited and much deserved drives have altered the digital landscape forever. Mega bytes to Giga Bytes and Giga Bytes to TeraBytes. The evolution hasnt been as steadfast as imagined. Yet, thanks to the perpendicular magnetic recording technology, 1 TB has finally hit the floors.

Everybody knows that data is recorded on hard drives platters by a write head through magnetization and demagnetization. Usually the bits thus recorded are placed in a linear fashion. PMR records data by perpendicular arrangement of magnetic bits on the surface of the platter. The north south poles of the magnetic bits on the platters of the disk are not aligned linearly but perpendicularly which enables high density storage due to greater number of bits on the same platter. This technology offers information densities of up to 1 Tbit/sq. inch (1000 Gbit/sq. inch) as opposed to100 to 200 gigabit per square inch offered by linear recording technology.

WHY TERABYTE?

New breakthroughs in the field of digital media and recording of videos through internet and television have increased the appetite for storage. In spite of this, the need for Tera bytes was fiercely debated time and again. But with their arrival, this question seems to be out of place. Massive storage needs have forced the leading hardware companies to come out with their own 1 TB drives. Hitachi was first in this category followed by Seagate and Samsung. The features of these drives are given below:

Hitachi

Model:Deskstar7k1000, Cinema Star
Seek time:8.7 ms (read)
Cache memory: 32 mb
Rpm:7,200 rpm
Platters:5
Acoustics:2.9 bels
Density:140 mn bits/q inch
Interface: SATA
Advantages
High cache memory
Massive capacity; great performance

Disadvantages: More capacity means more data to lose;

Seagate

Model: Barracuda 7200.11 Barracuda ES.2,
Seek time:8.5 ms
Cache memory:32 mb
Rpm:7,200 rpm
Platters:4
Acoustics:2.7 bels
Interface:SAS / SATA
Advantages:
Unrecoverable error rate 10 times better.
1.2 million hour Mean Time Between Failure at full 24 x 7 data availability.
Leading 105MB/s sustained transfer rate the highest ever

Disadvantages: it's the most expensive desktop drive to date.

Besides these Samsungs Spin Point F11 TB uses just three 334GB platters, a record in both areal density as well as platter capacity. By contrast, 1TB drives from Hitachi and Seagate use five 200GB and four 250GB platters, respectively. 7200rpm motors, 16MB or 32MB cache (depending on the model) and are designed for Serial ATA-300 interface with native command queuing. The manufacturer declares 8.9ms average read seek time and 4.17ms average latency.

WHERE TERABYTE?

Another popular application of terabytes is for NAS .ie, Network Attached storage is the name given to network storage which facilitates centralized access to data and centralized data storage facilities for heterogeneous clients. Simply put, this means NAS is an array of hard disks including multi disk RAID systems along with softwares to map file locations on the network attached device. Within the storage network, it is possible to set user priorities using a web browser. The NAS is set up with its own network and not attached to the main server. This system of storage reduces the burden on the main network server and provides access and storage facilities to NAS network users.

1 TB drives means more space for network attached storage. This means facility for storage of about 250,000 songs, 350 movies, 1000 hrs of video, 333,300 photos, or more than 500 full version games. With the introduction of such advanced storage systems, it is possible to erase data storage limits.

TERABYTE Hard Drives A Challenge Data Recovery Software companies?

No Doubt, terabyte hard drives is a revolution in the scenario of hard drive capacity. However, with every revolution there is a darker side of it. These high capacity hard drives would be practically storing tons of valuable data in it, and the hard failure or any software malfunction can make the hard drive data inaccessible. Leading to data Loss

So we would be needing data recovery, and we know that nearly all the data recovery company in the market are recovering data through scanning the hard drive sector & block wise. So with this large hard drive space, Data Recovery Software would be needing a large amount of time to scan the hard drives and recover the files. So scanning high capacity hard drives is a challenge for Data Recovery companies. They have to come up with some new technology to face the challenge. This would be going to more tougher as there are many more companies who are coming up with more high capacity hard drives.

Stellar Information, A data recovery company, having an experience of around 15 years in the field of data recovery have came in front with his new updated software which uses very advance algorithm to perform high speed scanning. The scanning speed of Stellar Phoenix Windows Data recovery Software A Window Partition Recovery utility is more than 100% faster than any other data recovery software available in the market.

WHAT NEXT after 1 TB?

While we are yet to come to terms with the terabyte, computer scientists are doing massive research and development to enable larger storage platforms. Efforts are underway to create new data storage platforms having capacities upwards of 1000 TB. One Indian scientist is working on making DVD's which can be coated with a light -sensitive protein and can store up to 50 terabytes (about 50,000 gigabytes) of data.

Going by these estimates, it is imaginable that data densities are soon set to reach unthinkable proportions and data recovery services will definitely become more complex by the day. Data backups and recovery services need an overhaul for this. But one thing is sure.no matter what.the terabyte drives have definitely given us what we desperately needed-- a peek into future of data storage technology. It is time we prepare ourselves for larger data storage and efficient data recovery methods.

Andrew Watson is student of mass communication doing research on data recovery software.

posted by toeiiikd @ 7:00 PM 0 comments

data recovery Services Explained

data recovery is essentially a specialized service supplied by qualified technical companies to recover lost data that is stored on media. Data loss can occur in a number of different environments, the most common being human error. Human error is simply accidental deletion of important files or documents. Other factors such as software/hardware problems or virus attacks are also common causes of data loss. However, with the expertise and experience of data recovery Companies, this lost data can, very often, be recovered.

Data is stored on storage devices such as hard drives, CDs, DVDs, memory cards, memory sticks and more. Unfortunately, not all these are infallible; this means that sometimes, unforeseen data loss can happen, through damaged data, corrupt files or hardware/software failures. A data recovery company employs a team of skilled technicians who can use a number of techniques, software and tools to recover your lost data. In some cases, the operator or system user can retrieve lost data by performing a number of tasks or using software, however they run the risk of permanently erasing and overwriting your important lost data.

There are a number of serious data recovery occurrences which require the professional expertise of skilled data recovery companies, such as hard disk failures, which could be mechanical. In addition, data recovery companies should be called in if you experience data loss due to RAID errors. The reassuring factor about any type of data loss is that most up to 99% - of lost data files are retrievable.

The most valuable advice you can get when using any form of modern technology which requires a memory storage device, is that the user should back up important files and data onto CDs or DVDs. By ensuring your important data is backed up, you can rest assured that for any unforeseen data loss disaster, you would have a copy. Therefore, if you deal with important files for your business or company, or perhaps your files are important to you personally, it may save you time, money, stress in the unfortunate event of data loss.

data recovery Companies are skilled and have the technical resources to successfully recover your lost data. Therefore, in any unfortunate event of data loss, you can be reassured that your files have a good chance of being recovered. In some cases, data loss can cost companies and businesses a large amount of money and in personal terms, individuals can lose important data, such as family photos and more. So, if you think your lost data is vital to your business or personal life, consider using the expert services of a professional, experienced data recovery company.

Phil Smulian writes for Data Detect Australia, an expert in disk recovery, who will help you with raid data recovery

posted by toeiiikd @ 6:38 PM 1 comments

Feisty Piranhas Take a Big Bite into the musicIndustry with New CD

Southern California rock band, the Feisty Piranhas, who had taken a big bite into the musicindustry within the last several years, seemingly converging out of nowhere, making quite a splash with fans, and musicindustry execs alike with their sophomore CD, "Shocked", (which received 3 Grammy nominations in 2006 and 2007), is due to release their next CD, "The End", on August 14th, 2007.

No doubt the reason the Feisty Piranhas took the musicindustry by storm, rose to the top with the swiftness of well, ...a feisty piranha attack, (their name suits them well), is because this is no ordinary rock band, not by any means, and their musicreflects that.

The exceedingly unique sound of the Feisty Piranhas, combines the youthful, very hip, vocal talent of Peter Alex Lust III; who contributes an amazingly broad and extreme vocal range, yet executes it with the great finesse and vast amounts of dynamics and nuances, liked a longtime seasoned musical veteran; sounding much like he's 18 years old, with 20 years experience as a seasoned professional musician! Peter Alex Lust III also brings to the musical table, blistering guitar works, with a signature sound distinctly his own, (and bass work as well), on their last CD, "Shocked." His songwriting skills are way beyond his years, and writes about such topics as political corruption with a firm grasp on reality far beyond that of many in our nation, about events in our world and in his own; with his own very skillful and intelligent technique of songwriting.

To reach the caliber of musicianship in both accomplishment and status within the musicindustry, is an immense challenge and huge feat for any musician, but Peter Alex Lust III has done so to spite being born 95% deaf in his right ear, and 50% deaf in his left! He has adapted and overcame those obstacles and pursued his obvious passion for music, (quite successfully at that), by 'feeling the music' which Peter Alex Lust III, delivers that experience to fans as well. It is literally like he delivers an extra 'dimension' of their musicto their fans.

As if that were not impressive enough to set this absolutely dynamic band apart from all the other rock bands on the planet, is the fact that the Feisty Piranhas instead of using a second guitarist, have incorporated the absolute mind blowing capabilities of Jens Schnabel on clarinet. Through Jens' unbelievable mastery on clarinet, he is able to work this instrument and produce sounds in which the likes of, has never even been imagined before in rock & roll, at times sounding a second screaming electric guitarist burning up a fret board, sometimes sounding like a sax, an electric violin, and more! Without a doubt the most original and masterful use of clarinet in a rock music(or any genre for that matter), that one has ever heard!

And as with any truly outstanding band, the mark of a great band is defined by their drummer. (As it is the prowess and skill of every band's drummer that makes or breaks a band, and of course, is the heartbeat of the music). The Feisty Piranhas, in my professional opinion as a musicindustry executive and as a lover of great music, has one of the most impressive drummer's in the musicindustry! Peter Lust Jr., (the father of guitarist and vocalist Peter Alex Lust III), delivers amazing mastery on drums to the sound of The Feisty Piranhas, comparable to class and skills of legendary drummers, Terry Bozzio, (Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa, Korn, Brecker Brothers) or Neil Peart (Rush), though Peter Lust exhibits a very trademark style of his own, which not only adds to the distinct and unique sound of the Feisty Piranhas, but adds that more seasoned and matured element to their music, which creates an even broader audience and marketing appeal for the band's music.

Present on their new CD, "The End", the Feisty Piranhas have added an additional member within the last year, Will MacGregor on Bass, famed for his work with The Pretenders, Fear, John Foggarty, Terrence Trent D'Arby, Tori Amos, and also is currently performing with the legendary Chuck Berry when he's not performing with the Feisty Piranhas.

If one had to compare the sound of the Feisty Piranhas to other bands to describe their sound, I would have to say their sound had the mind-blowing blend comparable to, Cheap Trick meets Pink Floyd meets Dead Kennedys meets Rush with a little bit of Gary Richrath (of REO Speadwagon), on guitar.

Combining together the individual talents and elements that each member of the Feisty Piranhas contribute, and made huge waves within the musicindustry with their last release, no wonder their upcoming new CD, "The End" is so widely anticipated by fans. "The End", (on Piranha music/Records), will not only to deliver to fans worldwide, 10 brand new originals of that hard driving Feisty Piranha signature sound, (one song over 12 minutes in length, the others remaining the normal standard length for radio airplay,) but delivers so much more. "The End" is a concept CD about the end of the world, and features a bonus DVD, a 28 page booklet, which the artwork for this booklet illustrates and shares the immense talent of Jen Schnabel's talent as an oil painter, as he has painted a portrait for every theme and/or song on this outstanding CD, plus the CD contains a large poster, and an embossed "Feisty Piranha" sticker bearing the band's logo.

The Feisty Piranhas' credits are as impressive as their music! According to the band's manager and drummer, Peter Lust Jr., The Feisty Piranhas received 3 Grammy nominations in 2006 and 2007, for "Best Rock Album", "Best New Artists" and "Best musicVideo", and has also won 2 All Access Magazine Awards, one for "Best New Group/Artist" and one also for "Best musicVideo of the Year."

The Feisty Piranhas have steadily received regular rotation on mainstream, satellite, college, AAA and internet radio stations worldwide, and made the top 100 charts, where they remained for over 20 weeks in a row in 2006, and moved into the top 40 nationally, taking the #38 position in July, 2006, and was one of the featured bands in the esteemed Warp Tour in 2006.

The Feisty Piranhas are in process of putting together a tour at select venues to promote this outstanding new CD.

The Feisty Piranhas' brand new CD, "The End", (with all the great extras), can be purchased at www.Piranhas.tv new store, itunes, most musicdownload locations, CD Baby, Amazon.com and at Best Buy and more as they come on board.

For more information on this dynamic band, one can visit their official website at www.thefeistypiranhas.com, www.Piranhas.tv, or at their My Space site at www.myspace.com/piranhastudio.

A larger than life band of Feisty Piranhas has officially been discovered swimming steadily upstream in the swift moving waters of Southern California's musicscene, and to spite the strong current, have made their way everywhere; are taking frenzied bites into the musicindustry worldwide.

We at Mindsweep Entertainment & Promotions extend our respect to this amazing band, recommend their new CD as one of the best new CD's of 2007, and congratulate them on their brand new CD, "The End", and wish them much success on their upcoming tour.

The End.

World renown musicindustry writer, Laura Jenney is the Executive Vice President of Mindsweep Entertainment & Promotions, which provides quality press and media relations services for THE BEST of top named headlining artists; as well as THE BEST up and coming acts in the musicindustry. Laura Jenney is also a Booking Agent for the esteemed T&T Management & Booking Agency, which books top named headlining artists both nationally, (US), and worldwide.

posted by toeiiikd @ 6:35 PM 0 comments

Bypass your School and Work Filters with an Anonymous Proxy Server

With the proliferation of the Internet, many websites promote themselves by sending you spam junk mails, advertisings and even embed spyware that is difficult to remove onto your computer. These things not only keep track of your personal information, but also enable hackers and crackers to infiltrate your system. Anonymous proxy servers act as a wall between your data and the Internet, whereby providing security to your system and data. There are however, other reasons to use an anonymous proxy server.

If your work or school has any type of filtering in place to prevent people from visiting certain websites, an anonymous proxy server is a great way to get around such restrictions. Anonymous proxy servers work by acting as a "middle man"; they download the requested pages to their proxy server and in turn you download the page, all images and other such objects from the proxy server to your browser, thus bypassing any filters or annoying firewalls. Not only is this a viable alternative for students to bypass their school's filter to access such popular student sites such as Myspace or Xanga but can be used if your workplace has strict limitations on which websites you can access. Most anonymous proxy bypass servers use one of two program, PHProxy or CGIProxy, both of which are excellent proxy software packages.

After you have discovered the benefits of using anonymous proxy servers, you will probably want to try it out. There are numerous free proxy services out there, one of the most popular is SpySurfing ( http://www.spysurfing.com/ ) and is a really fast proxy server that is popular among both students look to bypass their school filters and adults looking to bypass their work place firewalls.

Steve Avery, http://www.spysurfing.com

posted by toeiiikd @ 4:39 PM 0 comments