Computers and Technology

If you’re collecting mini spy cameras, you should never fail to get a snake camera. A snake camera lets you see under doors, around shafts, and other hard-to-reach places. Aside from the usual stealth work that most spy cameras are associated with, the snake camera can also be used to clean your drain! Read on to know how.

Get Your Own Snake Camera

You can either buy your own snake camera from a local plumbing or electronics store, or through a website which sells mini spy cameras. Like buying any electronic device, look for the best snake camera that you can afford. You do not need to get a snake camera that is top of the line to clean your drain. All you need is a decent enough camera that can transmit images well. It would be wise to get a snake camera with the longest elastic body to maximize its effectiveness.

Get An Assistant

In everything you do, two heads are always better than one. This is very true when operating snake cameras, be it for undercover work, or for drain cleaning. Someone has to watch over the monitor while you operate the snake camera as it makes its way inside your drain. These mini spy cameras are very delicate pieces of equipment, so you need to use them properly. However, you can always work alone if you have the dexterity to hold the camera and watch the monitor at the same time.

Handle With Care When Freeing The Drain

To keep the snake camera from slipping and sliding, use a glove to have a firm grip on it. Keep in mind that there is so much moisture in drains, so you really have to put gloves on to make sure that you are handling the camera right. When you insert the snake camera into the drain, gently rotate its handle, and tell your assistant to watch for obstructions. When the camera sees what is blocking your drain, slowly pull the camera out and do what you have to do to remove the obstruction.

If the drain is still clogged, put the snake camera back in and check for more objects that are keeping water from flowing freely down the drain. If the clogs are in areas beyond the snake camera’s reach, you can always use its transmitter to compute the location of the clog in terms of how deep the drain goes. However, this feature is often found in more expensive snake cameras. It is quite true that, to make up for the lack of some features, garden-variety mini spy cameras are usually sold in very affordable prices.

Mini spy cameras like the snake camera are very versatile devices. They are not only used in espionage and surveillance, but in ordinary tasks like clearing the drain or rain pipes at home. This goes to show that with a little creativity, we can still be productive with spy cameras without having to violate the sensitive privacy of other people.

You don’t have to use advanced gadgets to have your own hidden spy cam at home or at work. It may come as a surprise that an ordinary webcam can be a very potent tool to monitor your family, friends, or colleagues.

Get A Decent Webcam

The first thing to do is to get a webcam. Depending on the price, webcams are bundled with various features. Since you would be using it as a hidden spy cam, get the smallest webcam that you can afford. This way, it would easier to hide them in objects, or inside the walls and corners of your home or office. Also, check if it is able to work with your computer or laptop. Camera specs are usually printed on the box. It is a good habit to read these specifications before purchasing the device.

Use The Latest Drivers

Drivers are software that your computer uses to recognize and operate the hardware that you connect to it. That is why you have to be sure that your camera has the latest set of drivers. These drivers are updated regularly, so it is good practice to download the latest set every 6 months, or whenever they’re available. Up-to-date drivers include bug fixes and added functionalities to make your webcam work better.

Connect To The Web

An Internet connection is needed for your security system at home or work. Although each channel is an independent hidden spy cam by itself, you may need to view simultaneous channels to monitor other areas. Use an encoding software to convert images so that your browser or software can display them on your central computer. You may have to ask help from an expert in this case. However, most software are already embedded with codecs that automatically convert the video for you.

Plug And Play

If you want to use a webcam as a hidden spy cam, get ones with USB connectivity. Still, most electronic devices today have USB, so this is not really a major concern. Gone are the days of hooking up devices via parallel ports. Whether your webcams are wireless or not, they will always connect through USB.

Hide Your Webcams Well

Concealing your cameras in the most obvious places results in a very ineffective monitoring system. If your webcams are really small, hide them behind pinholes on the cubicles of your employees. At home, you can even hide your spy cam in plants! Maximize the field of vision by putting your cameras in high places. It is good to put your webcams in the corners or edges of rooms. This way, you would know for sure if an employee is really dozing off at work or not.

A spy cam can really work wonders for your monitoring system. However, you should not violate the privacy of others. Never spy on places that call for privacy. This means that cameras should not be found in restrooms or bathrooms. If you plan to put a hidden spy cam in the rooms of your children, respect their privacy and get their consent first.

You do not have to look far and wide for the best digital spy cameras to add to your arsenal. As a matter of fact, there are many spy gadgets that are sold on websites. Read on to know more about three very popular spy cameras, their features, and prices.

Digital Spy Camera

The Digital Spy Camera at $19.95, is a small digital camera connected to a small remote device that is hidden on a pair of ordinary sunglasses. The surveillance pictures, with resolutions up to 640 x 480, can be uploaded to your computer or laptop via a USB cable. However, there are major limitations. The device can only take 20 pictures. Also, the device does not record video. Pictures are fine, but videos are more incriminating pieces of evidence. This sunglass spy camera runs on both MAC and Windows. However, the Digital Spy Camera is not compatible with Windows Vista as of this moment. This would be a very neat gift for kids or to adults who are fond of taking random pictures of people.

Mini Pen Camcorder 1GB

Of all digital spy cameras, spy pen cameras are one of the most effective. Because of its very inconspicuous form and small size, no one would suspect that some spying is going on. The Mini Pen Camcorder weighs 30 grams and is just 15mm thick. It records video in AVI format, with a 640 x 480 resolution. The cool thing is that the pen is powered by an internal Lithium-Ion battery which lasts for 3 hours. The device also has an internal flash 1GB memory. With this, up to 5 hours of surveillance video can be saved! Like other digital spy cameras, the Mini Pen Camcorder will continue to capture video, as long as the memory is not full, or the power has not run out. Also, you can store and play footage on your computer through USB. With a mid-range price of $84.97, this device is a keeper.

ZRAD Sunglasses Spy Cam

Of all the digital spy cameras out there, the ZRAD Sunglasses Spy Cam is the coolest and the most advanced. With an enormous 2GB memory, you can record hours and hours of surveillance video, while looking very casual and stylish at the same time. This device comes with a load of features. For starters, surveillance footage are saved in 3GP format. You can also expand memory using a Micro SD card. The device uses a 1.3 mega pixel pinhole camera and records at 25 frames per second (fps)! The ZRAD runs with a 550mAh Li battery. An application CD with programs such as Quick Time and Real Player is included. However, the $178.67 price is very expensive, and is only recommended for professionals who use stealth in their work.

Suffice to say, get a spy camera that suits you. If you do it for a living, use digital spy cameras like the Mini Pen Camcorder or the ZRAD Sunglasses Spy Cam. Use the Digital Spy Camera if you’re just spying on your friends for fun.

If you watch television, and particularly if you have cable television, you probably see ads on a regular basis touting the “faster Internet” services from your cable provider. While cable Internet is certainly an improvement on other Internet access options, Verizon FiOS now offers faster connections than cable, for less money, with better quality and service. Not a hard choice for most people.

Verizon FiOS service offers the only Internet connections that travels over fiber-optic lines all the way to your computer. Cable providers boast fiber-optic networks, but don’t advertise the fact that these networks extend only to the curb, not into your home. Verizon FiOS is the first Internet provider to take advantage of new technology which takes fiber-optic connections right into your home, all the way to your computer.

How fast is fast? For the technical-minded, Verizon FiOS speeds are up to 50 Mbps or 30 Mbps downstream and 20 or 5 Mbps upstream. For the non-technical-minded: very, very fast.

You might expect that a faster Internet connection would be much more expensive than cable Internet, but in fact, Verizon FiOS is cheaper than cable. With rates starting at $42.99, you’ll pay less for Verizon’s faster service than you currently pay for cable Internet.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter how fast your Internet connection is if you can’t connect. You pay for access, not outages, and you expect your Internet access to work when you need it. With Verizon FiOS, you get reliable access and friendly customer service from one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world. If asked, most people would not give their cable company high marks for reliability or service; Verizon FiOS gives you the quality and customer support you need and deserve.

Installing a new Internet connection is probably the last way you want to spend your free time, right? With your one-year Verizon FiOS contract, you receive free installation. A professional Verizon installation technician will come to your home, install Verizon FiOS on your primary computer, connect you to the Internet, connect any voice services that are moving over to FiOS, and provide a welcome kit with all the information you need to make the most of your service. You’ll keep your free time free, and know that your Verizon connection has been set up correctly.

Most people would willingly pay more for the enhanced speed and quality of Verizon FiOS, coupled with the excellent customer service of Verizon and the exclusive members-only content, including games, movie trailers and reviews, and music reviews and mixes. You no doubt agree that all of this is worth at least as much as you’re currently paying for cable. After all, this is much more than you get from your current provider.

The good news is, you do not need to pay more for Verizon FiOS; in fact, you’ll pay less. With packages starting at $42.99, Verizon FiOS is faster, better, and cheaper than cable or DSL. Now is the time to switch to Verizon FiOS and start getting more for less.

Many longtime computer users recognize the fact that Gateway has been a major contender in the computer world for much of the personal computer’s existence. Gateway was long heralded as one of the highest quality products on the market and was also highly praised for their attention to customer needs and support. In recent years, Gateway’s focus has changed a little from being a custom computer builder to offering mass marketed and mass manufactured machines that in turn appeal to a greater portion of the general public. This doesn’t mean, however, that they aren’t worth a good looking. Gateway laptops still hold a reasonable share of the portable market. This being said, they shouldn’t be discounted by people in the market for a new machine.

Gateway laptops are well designed and full featured computers that have the extra visual appeal that many look for. Designed with a sleek housing, bright colors and patterns, Gateway laptops have a satisfyingly modern feel. A generous number of USB ports on all models allow you to connect what you need without carrying additional hubs around, and the addition of a built in webcam in all but the most budget oriented models offers the ease of instant video communication wherever you are.

Gateway laptops really shine with the P series, which is their top performer, and is well equipped for whatever you want to throw at it as far as entertainment goes. Taking a step further is the P-FX series, which has all the extras that a gamer is sure to love. A 17” high definition wide screen, standard HDMI output for hookup straight to your HD screen, 5-in-1 media card reader, high performance graphics card and extra fast Intel Core 2 Duo processor make this series perfect for anything you have in mind. Starting at $900 and moving all the way up to the high end at $2000, this series is very competitively priced.

With mobility being stressed more and more these days, Gateway offers their solution in the form of a convertible that offers all of the features of a laptop, as well as the pen-and-paper ease of a tablet PC. The C series is really just a laptop that can operate as a tablet PC, with the addition of a rotate and flip style screen. For those searching for compact and sub-compact type PCs, you will have to look to other manufacturers, however, if you want the additional functionality of a point, click and draw surface, the C series does this quite nicely.

Equipped with a 14” screen and weighing in at just over 6 lbs, this one is really just a full laptop in disguise. Offered in multiple configurations from $1000 to $1200.

For money conscious buyers, you will find that Gateway laptops fall comfortably in the middle to middle high ranges as far as pricing goes. You might be surprised though to find that Gateway laptops only offer Intel processors and, being that Intel chips run a good chunk of change higher than their AMD counterparts, you will not be able to compare Gateway to other manufacturers that offer the option of the less expensive AMD chip. The bang for your buck factor works out pretty well though, as what you get for your money should satisfy most everyday computer users.

Gateway laptops offer these different series:

M series – S - Intel Core 2 Duo T5550, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 15.4” WXGA Screen $900
M series – X - Intel Core 2 Duo T5450, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, 15.4” WXGA Screen $1100
M series – XL - Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 3GB RAM, 160GB HD, 15.4” WXGA Screen $1300
P-172x – Intel Core 2 Duo T5550, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 17” WXGA+ Screen $1000
P-172s FX – Intel Core 2 Duo T5750, 3GB RAM, 160GB HD, 17” WXGA+ Screen $1400
P-172x FX – Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD, 17” WUXGA Screen $2000
C-141x – Intel Dual-Core T2330, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 14” Widescreen $1000
C-142xl – Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 3GB RAM, 250GB HD, 14” Widescreen $1300

All computer users encounter slow performance or a sudden computer breakdown at one time or another. Quite often, registry problems are behind this gradual deterioration in your computer’s performance.

When you install or uninstall applications, your system is infected by a virus, the system crashes, or many such activities occur on your system, several unwanted, invalid, and malicious entries get added to the registry that unnecessarily cause it to grow to a very large size. A large registry slows down, and as a result slows down your computer. In more severe conditions, registry problems may also cause various computer-related errors, which can eventually crash your system.

This can be completely avoided if you perform certain actions on regular basis to speed up the performance of your computer.

1) Perform Regular Virus Checks

If you are a regular net surfer, and don’t care to systematically scan your system for viruses or malware, you are actually inviting trouble. Do you know that you can unintentionally download viruses and malware in your system just by visiting a website? The chances of infecting your system rise if you continue downloading software programs, music, and video clips on your system. Therefore, you must scan your PC for virus infections by using effective anti-virus software.

2) Use Your System Tools

Before you invest too heavily on various types of Windows repair software, you should use the System Tools, which are offered for free with your operating system. For example, you can use the Windows Disk Defragmenter tool to reorganize your files and check the hard drive for errors. The Disk Cleanup tool, on the other hand, helps you remove unnecessary files from your system.

3) Think Twice About Free Downloads

Though you may find it an attractive option to download ‘free stuff’ from the Internet, but there exist many websites that actually install spyware onto your computer and trace every activity on your computer and display unwanted popup ads. Many other programs secretly add programs to your browser or registry, which can affect system performance and crash your PC sooner or later. So, practice cautions before you click the ‘Free Download’ button next time.

4) Troubleshooting Errors When They Appear

Do you know that more than 90 percent of computers contain corrupt and significantly harmful files with more than 200 errors? If you ever witness an error message on your screen, you should immediately take action to resolve it. This is because it may gradually start affecting the performance of your system and causing you to reboot, among other things. For example, if you notice a Regsvr32.exe error on your system, you should log on to the Microsoft technical support page and enter the name of the error. This would display a step-by-step process, which you can follow to resolve your problem.

5) Using Computer Repair Software

Using effective computer repair software is probably one of the most simple and non-technical methods to tackle the slow performance of your computer. You can opt for an advanced registry scanner or scan your system’s registry. This would also allow you to deal with multiple errors at the same time while enhancing the speed of your PC.

MySpace recently now announced an exciting project: its own digital music portal competing with current market leaders iTunes and http://Amazon.com’s MP3 store. They are currently negotiating with major record companies such as Warner Music, Sony, and Universal. According to reports, the pricing is “going to be very competitive.” Also, many of the music downloads will come without any digital rights management technology, so that the users will be free to copy and use the music on any device.

This venture is almost certain to succeed since MySpace is the most popular social networking site among the huge and important demographic of North American teens, and has over 110 million registered users, 30 million of which regularly use the site’s built-in music features.

Due to increasing bandwidth speeds, internet users enjoy video streaming and quick transfer of huge files. However, AT&T claims that the internet’s structure will reach full capacity by 2010 unless large investments are made for its expansion. They project that the cost of this expansion will be 55 billion USD for the US network and 130 billion USD worldwide.

This seems like a huge exaggeration, but there is no doubt that there will come a point in the future when network expansion has to be done if current trends continue. Right now, most analysts concur that this will occur sometime between 2016 and 2018.

Since free web-based emails put some of my important emails in my bulk/spam folder, I regularly and faithfully check it to see if I have urgent mails redirected there (to think I receive hundreds in just 30 minutes).

I see all the time emails from “Google Business”, so, thinking that this might be something important, I opened the mail. However, upon hollering my cursor over the link, I saw in my status bar that the URL is way too far from “www.google.com”. In fact, it was from a social networking website called “Perfspot”. Yes, the hackers have done it again. They used Google to retain the “legitimacy” of their email and redirect the link to their desired website (that sometimes automatically installs malware and Trojans).

With the different economic crises happening all over the world, epitomized by the recent recession in the United States, who would ever thought that the market for company servers won’t get affected? It’s true that companies did a little cost cutting on the side, but they never dared to cut of their server costs—in fact, server sales grew in the first quarter! Companies saw the need of technological integration to further their business success, thus, investing more on web content and other web-based mobile devices. HP was the leader in server sales, making $4.01 billion (10.3% increase compared to last year).

I am sure most of you are familiar with Bluetooth technology. Most of your devices do have this since it’s the fastest way to connect and transfer files from one device to the other. But have you ever thought of how “Bluetooth” got its name? Just a little tidbit of history, Bluetooth is the English name of Danish King Harald Blatand (King Harold Bluetooth in English). He is said to have united all the division in ancient Norway, Denmark and Sweden in the 10th century. Just like what the techie Bluetooth does, it integrates (unites or connect) a wide range of different devices for a faster, more stable connectivity. On May 22, 2008, Bluetooth (technology) will also celebrate its 100th year anniversary.

Widgets have taken the Internet world by storm. Not only are they advanced means of allowing people to have an easier time to pointing and interacting with sites, their design and programming overall is what really counts. We can see them all around and rather than searching for particular sites on your browser, you can get feeds and customize widgets as you please.

For sites, it makes it easier to design. No longer would they need to type anything to get the right format. With widgets, you can simply drag and drop and get the output you really want.

Facts and Questions (FAQ) portions are always a necessity in most sites. Especially if you are using a site for commercial use. It would be best to make sure you have this up so that in times of doubt and questioning, there is something that visitors can refer to.

There are tools for easily creating a fast FAQ portion. Remember that FAQ’s don’t have to be classy. The content is the important thing in them and making sure that you provide a comprehensive overview on it is surely something your site visitors will truly appreciate.

Photos and images are always the mainstream attention getter in most sites. One thing you will note that outside information and topics in demand, pictures are likewise sought after by most. They are used for personal use or even as supporting enhancers to sites or blogs.

The great way to share photos is to make sure that people can see them and even spread them. But while you are open to spreading your photos, be sure that you get the necessary credits for it. It is really unfair to upload a photo and not give due recognition to the people behind it.

Ever since the Internet was on the rise, a new way of sending greetings through interactive cards with images, graphics and now videos was a great way to communicate and express feelings to a loved one. These days, they are still around and surely you would really love the concepts and originality that most of these sites offer.

They are meant to show-off what design and ideas that people have today. For sure, they are still being used as big sites such as Yahoo still have them as an option for people who send greetings for their loved ones. They will really make your day and the recipient to which they will be sent.

Blogging is something that many people are taking up and surely they can count on Wordpress for good exposure. It is not really hard to understand. There will be new commands but if you walk through it, you will find the site software quite easy to understand and navigate in.

Besides, you have the visual editor to help you out. It is the simpler way of blogging and formatting as you want to see it. If you feel that you can master it, then you can always switch to the HTML editor where advanced features and commands can be used.

One major difference of web application use from traditional application use is the inherent delays in navigating from one web application page to another. These delays are typically caused by network traffic and computation. It takes more time to serve the pages to the browser if the web server is on a distant network and computing data (calculations, data-sorting, etc.) also prolongs the waiting time for web application users. Fortunately, there are some ways through which users can lessen the delays which specifically result from working on a public network:

• Control the infrastructure by making an intranet rather than using the public internet.
• Using smaller graphics and lesser pages can minimize page loading time.
• Reduces errors and overall task time by making navigation easier and clearer.

Staying connected with people is one distinctive characteristic of this generation. With mobile phones and computers everywhere, there’s no reason for someone to not get involved in other people’s lives. And this is where instant messaging comes in, people wanting to be constantly connected with each other. Hence, it’s no wonder that Meebo became such a huge hit by offering instant messaging service to users through multiple instant messaging platforms. Whether you’re using a public computer or your mobile phone, you can now access AOL’s AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger through http://Meebo.com. The good thing with Meebo is that it automatically saves your message history so that you can still check your previous conversations. Overall, Meebo is an easy way to keep updated with the latest news on your buddies.

Knowing the difference between the application and the browser can greatly aid users in easy Web navigation. Always remember that the browser is the one which displays the data on each page and that a back button is normally found in it. This button, when clicked, re-displays the pages, but it does not mean that the current state of the application is being reversed. Likewise, clicking the Forward button is also not the same with having to do a Redo command on the application. Hence, users must be provided with links or toolbars and menus within the application to allow them to easily navigate according to the task they need to perform.

Nothing beats a customized home page uniquely arranged to include everything that one wants to immediately see once they log in. A customized home page makes you feel like everything you need to see right away is easily accessible with just one click. Using Netvibes as your startpage, you can now customize your homepage to include Atom/RSS feeds, multiple search engines, to-do notes, email, local weather forecasts, a calendar, a word processor and many more. You can also choose the way your Netvibes page looks like by uploading your own design or by choosing from available themes. Since its launch on September 15, 2005, Netvibes has become one of the most popular personalized homepage, being translated in different languages.

Web applications are normally more complicated than desktop applications and users can easily get lost in the huge amount of information displayed to them. Luckily, there are ways in which web applications can be structured to help easy navigation:

• Arrange information - Try linking all pages on the site to each other and provide links to important information on your site.

• Use navigational aids - A clear and consistent page design can help users track where they are and where they can go from their current location.

• Create a unique URL for each page - A unique URL for each page lessens the hassle of losing unsaved data caused by reloading pages.

• Use hypertext indexes and help systems - This can help users manage tasks by giving them quick access to information and help guides.

When the XP prompt gives you the options to Standby, Turn Off or Restart, holding down the Shift key gives you another option instead of Standby: Hibernate. Should you Standby or Hibernate? It depends on how long you will be away from your computer. Standby is good if you won’t be gone for hours. It conserves energy by running your computer on low power. Hibernate is better if you will be away for a while but do not want to wait for a total restart. It writes the contents of the memory onto a file. Now that you know, you have no excuse to keep your screensaver running.

These DOS commands are very useful for Windows XP users when they cannot be bothered to manually shutdown the computer after downloading or after certain system scans or commands. To set automatic shutdown, go the the Run icon on the Start menu of Windows. Type in ‘cmd’ and press enter to open the window. Type ’shutdown’ to display all the commands if you are not familiar with them. The most useful commands are ’shutdown’ followed by -l to logoff, -r for restart, -t xx to set a time (xx standing for number of seconds) and -a to abort the shutdown.

Undeleteunerase.com presents their award-winning freeware Recover Files. As you could guess, it undeletes erased files. Be it a file lost through an emptied Recycle Bin, a file deleted from a portable drive or an image erased from a memory card, Recover Files can get it back soon after deletion. The simple interface tells you what files can be detected, file information and the chances of recovering it. “Very Good” status means that you can still recover a file; “Overwritten” means the file is corrupted or unrecoverable. You can filter file types or enter keywords instead of scanning the entire hard drive to make searching quicker.

Just because a file is deleted and removed from your Recycle Bin doesn’t mean it’s gone. Windows does not destroy deleted files, but keeps them until they are overwritten. Here are three freeware to help you get rid of your sensitive data such as classified documents and make them unrecoverable.

Sami Tolvanen’s Eraser 5.87 Beta 1 overwrites data several times with multiple passes of pseudorandom data along with several data pattern writes. Kevin Solway’s Delete Doctor 2.2 is much simpler, aiming to remove files that resist deletion, such as corrupted file names and leftovers of viruses and Trojans. At just 148 KB, you’ll barely notice it’s there. Simple File Shredder 3.2 is the core product of Scar5 Software. Its main feature is the System Shredderwhich locates browser cache, cookie, and history files for shredding.

If file duplication is bugging you, there’s a solution for your woes. Easy Duplicate File Finder makes finding and removing duplicate files on your computer fast and trouble-free. It is free software designed to efficiently compare files and find exact contents. It searches your hard drive and scans files byte-by-bytes, flags duplicates for removal to the Recycle Bin or permanent deletion. It also renames duplicates to test which ones can be deleted and lists them in an HTML or TXT file. Look no further for a user-friendly interface and full unicode support. Easy Duplicate File Finder works in all Windows OS, including XP and Vista.