The Latest Must Have Electronics Equipment For the Home

Electronics equipment can be purchased very cheaply these days and can help with security, communications, automation, labour saving and many other tasks around the home.
Home Networks
Up until a few years ago you needed to have wires trailing around for your communications and internet connection. Now you can connect wirelessly through WI-FI functionality.
Most routers offer wireless connections and it is as simple as plugging in a wireless card (most PCs ship with this card) and configuring a security pass key to access your network and the internet. This makes for a much more enjoyable surfing experience and it can be shared with other users around the home. There are some issues with security with this method over wired connections but correctly configured electronics equipment using the highest level of encryption should prove relatively risk free.
Home Security
Home security can be made easier with the utilisation of the right electronics. Equipment such as CCTV, Digital Recorders and Sensors are inexpensive and they can greatly improve the security of your property.
A simple wi-fi cctv camera setup can be integrated with your home or small business network for less than £100 and this can be monitored through your PC and even remotely if you are away. You could then place sensors around your property to automatically switch the camera on and digitally record footage to a hard disk, which could be invaluable in the event of a break-in.
Home Automation
Home automation products can then be connected to the network to automatically open curtains, switch on lights, unlock doors with a simple command from your PC or mobile phone or automatically to make your property look like it is being used, deterring any potential intruder.
With the focus on reduce carbon footprints, this type of electronics equipment can be invaluable. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems can be controlled to minimise wastage. Lighting can be controlled to take advantage of natural light or to automatically 'turn up' in the evening.
Home entertainment systems can be controlled automatically to be available in whichever room you are in using sensors to 'follow you around the house'.
You can even use this technology to switch on the oven when you are just setting off home after work so you have a hot meal ready when you walk through the door. The possibilities of electronics equipment are endless when you consider the development of domestic robots, you may never have to do housework again!
The Next Era Of Home Automation
With the advent of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) we can benefit from 'smart' electronics equipment. Tags have electronic data stored that identifies them with RFID compatible hardware. This technology has been adopted by companies involved in supply chain management who are using it to track products through their systems. An RFID tag could contain information like product type, destination address, size, weight etc, this information is read by machines (within a certain radius - no line of sight needed) which can then redirect the parcel in the relevant direction. This is now moving into shops (to remove the need for checkouts) and then homes so an example of this could be:

• RFID refrigerator monitors which products are used.
• It then creates a electronic 'shopping list', then once a week it will connect to the internet and transmit the weekly food order.
• The food is delivered and the new delivery is automatically 'checked in' to the fridge's stock list.
• A RFID enabled oven could automatically select the correct temperature and cooking time for your meal.

There are many uses for automated electronics equipment this is just the beginning of an automated home.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1884849

Designer Bracelets, Anyone?

Are you fond of designer clothes? Designer shoes? Designer bags? How about designer bracelets?

If you are, then you are probably spending a considerable amount of time surfing the net or browsing shops in the malls to get that perfect one-of-a-kind wrist accompaniment. May this be for your own consumption or as a gift for a special someone or a dear friend, you'd certainly be awed by the magnificent designs.
Here are few of the jewelry powerhouses that you can visit:
The renowned New York-based Tiffany and Co. would probably be on top of your list of stores to shop for that perfect bracelet. True enough, they can offer you multitudes of designs. If you are overflowing with cash, then you may want to get their piece that has a touch of the Tiffany blue.
Louis Vuitton is not just about luxury bags as the high-end provider also offers a wide range of wrist candy. If you're feeling picky, you can get a designer bracelet that features their trademark LV monogram. Now, this will surely send a strong message that you are for authenticity. Or you may opt to get a silver LV bracelet to keep a low profile. 
How could anyone not think about Chanel when you are referring to designer stuff? Yes, this Parisian fashion house known for luxury and haute couture fashion also has a lot to offer when it comes to bracelets. You can choose from a number of their charm bracelets available for sale. If you want to be more informal and spontaneous, you may even want to try Chanel bangles for a change.
Juicy Couture, now owned by the Liz Claiborne Company, also offers many a custom bracelet. From a simplistic snakeskin band to a wide chain model or to a fashionable charms piece, designs from Juicy Couture are indeed juicy!
Of course, make no exemption of Charriol. Although founded as a Swiss watch manufacturer, Charriol has long ago diversified into making timeless and amazing bracelets. From the overly popular cable bracelets to the white gold and silver arm beauties, Charriol will never fail to surprise you.
These are just few of the known designers for authentic and luxurious jewelry. There are still a lot. However, always remember to choose a brand that you can trust. This way, you will always get value for your hard-earned pennies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2134869

Troubleshooting & Checklist

The most common problem with any new PC build is partially made or improper connections. Most of the troubleshooting procedures in this blog require that the cover be removed form the PC and that some components be removed or reconnected. For this reason, it's best to plug in the PC through a switched power strip, so you can use the power strip switch to isolate the system from the electrical supply before every repair attempt.

Most people, even professional technicians, tend to get a little sloppy when troubleshooting, often accidentally introducing a new problem to replace the old. The main key to any type of troubleshooting is to go one step at a time. That way, when the original problem is corrected, you'll know exactly what did the trick, and if you create a new problem, you'll know what went wrong.

We will address five basic scenarios in this blog, ranging from a stone dead system to a lack of functionality, such as a modem that won't connect. Although these procedures will uncover most assembly errors, there is often no way to isolate a dead component without having other known good parts to swap out. In the world of professional PC troubleshooting and repair, the "swap' till you drop" strategy is still the most common troubleshooting technique employed. Swapping components requires no expensive diagnostics software or hardware and is usually the quickest way to isolate a problem. Another reason to steer clear of specialized diagnostics tools is that they are geared to identifying problems with subcomponents that can't be fixed anyway. Finding out exactly which address is bad in the system RAM or in the cache memory of a drive or motherboard is of little use when you'll have to replace the whole assembly anyway.

These troubleshooting procedures are for a newly built PC. If you have been using the PC for some time for any new problem that arises you have to consider the possibility of a computer virus. One way to check whether you have a hardware problem or a virus problem at boot time is to boot from your original operating system CD. If you do contract a virus, there are many virus doctor programs you can buy with a reasonable certainty they will fix the problem, but you may need Internet access to download the latest virus inoculations form the manufacturer's Web site.

In general, if you computer a serious recurring software problem with your PC, and you has good backups of any important data, the most reliable fix is to wipe clean the hard drive by deleting the primary partition with the FDISK program and reinstall the software form scratch. Just be really sure you have the original CDs and serial numbers for all the software you use, in addition to good data backups, because once you FDISK, it's all gone. Before running FDISK, confirm that your operating system CD will boot!

Caution: We cannot reiterate enough times that you should disconnect power from the system before making any change inside the case; then reconnect after each change to check the result. If you smell a burnt electronics odor at any time, you have a blown component and should not attempt powering up again until it is found and replaced and the cause of the failure is determined.

Stone DeadYou switch on your new system and there are no signs of life. The power supply fan doesn't turn; there are no sounds, no lights.

· Make sure the power cord is fully inserted into the power supply, the override switch on the back of the supply (if so equipped) is turned on, and the voltage switch is set correctly. Don't neglect to make sure the wall socket you are plugged into is live by unplugging the computer and plugging a radio or lamp to check.
· Recheck the motherboard documentation for the proper connection of the leads from the front panel power switch. Don't settle for just looking at the switch connection to the motherboard; remove the lead, check that the terminal block matches the documentation, and then reconnect it. Undo the main power supply connection to the motherboard (this requires pressing in the clasp as you pull gently on the connector), inspect the connector for damage, and reconnect. On Pentium 4 systems make sure you have connected the additional 12V header.
· Search for shorted components by disconnecting the power cables and ribbon cables from the drives; one drive at a time, retrying power up after each drive is disconnected. Without reconnecting the drives, remove each adapter card (leave video for last) one at a time, retrying power up after each removal.
· Remove and reinstall memory DIMMs or RIMMs, inspecting for physical damage. Remove and reinstall the heatsink and CPU, double checking the CPU fan is connected to the proper terminal on the motherboard. Never attempt to power up the system without the heatsink installed.
· In extremely rare cases, the power switch on the front panel may be faulty. You can use a continuity else that could cause a short circuit to the motherboard circuitry. Reinstall the motherboard in the case and reinstall the video adapter, then try powering up.

If you still have no power, the problem is most likely a defective power supply or motherboard.

Power Comes On; Screen Is DeadYou hear the power come on and the drives spinning up, but the screen remains blank.

· Make sure the monitor is plugged into a good power outlet by switching wall sockets with the power supply cord. If the power cord is not permanently attached to the monitor, make sure it is fully inserted in the socket on the back of the monitor. If your monitor is equipped with manual dials for brightness and contrast, make sure they are in the middle of their range.
· Remove the monitor connector form the video card and check that none of the pins in the shell are bent over. Note that some missing pins in the three-row high-density connector are normal.
· Remove and reseat the video adapter, making sure the hold down screw doesn't cause the back end of the adapter to lift partially out of the bus slot.
· Check for a defective or conflicting adapter on the bus. Remove any other adapters installed, one by one, rechecking power after each. Don’t forget to unplug the power supply, or turn off the power strip or override switch before each removal.
· Double-check the motherboard documentation for overlooked CPU selection switches or jumpers settings. Depending on the motherboard used, CPU selection might be automatic. Don’t take the manual at its word that default settings are set; check the actual switch and jumper positions on the motherboard.
· Double-check that CPU and memory modules are seated properly, particularly slot-type CPUs, which can take a good deal of pressure to mate correctly with the motherboard.

If you still have no live screen, the problem is likely defective hardware. Make sure the case speaker is properly connected to the motherboard as per the motherboard documentation. If you hear a series of beeps, note the number and sequence, s they will pinpoint the defective component. The motherboard documentation or manufacturer Web site should give the codes, although the most likely candidate for beeps on a dead screen is the video adapter. If no beeps sound, the most likely candidates are a dead monitor (easily checked by connecting it to another system), a defective motherboard, or a defective power supply. In some instances, you may have bad RAM or a bad video adapter but still not hear any beep codes.

Screen Comes On; No BootYou get text appearing onscreen, but the PC either won’t try to boot or locks up in the process.

No onscreen messages indicating boot failure.
Enter CMOS Setup by following onscreen instructions (usually by pressing the DEL or F1 key) after power up. Select the CMOS option to Restore Default Settings or similarly phrased option, save and reboot. Note: If you cannot access Setup, double-check that the keyboard and mouse connectors aren’t interchanged. If you still can’t access Setup, disconnect power and remover all adapters except the video and disconnect the drives. If you still can’t access Setup, you have some defective hardware, most likely the motherboard, although it could still be the RAM or CPU. These core components should always be bought from the same source to simplify return issues.
If there are still no messages indicating boot failure, enter CMOS Setup again and make sure the CPU speed setting, bus clock frequency, and IDE interface speed don’t exceed your component ratings.
If the system hangs at Verifying DMI Data Pool, it is usually a motherboard or IDE device problem. If you have an option to enable Reset Configuration Data, use it. Disconnect your IDE cables from the motherboard and see if you can get as far as a Drive Failure or No Boot Device message. If not, the motherboard will probably need replacing, although you can try discharging the onboard battery first by using the jumper setting in the motherboard manual for disabling a forgotten password.
Missing operating system or no boot device message.· Check that the IDE cables are connected to the drives and motherboard properly by removing and reinstalling them. Make sure the power connectors to all the drives are properly installed. Make sure the master / slave jumpers for the drives are installed properly.
· If the system tries to boot a CD and fails, it may just be bad timing. Strangely enough, some high-speed CD drives take so long to get up to speed that the BIOS (motherboard logic) gives up on them before they get there. If the screen displays a message such as “Insert CD and hit any key when ready,” eject the CD tray; then push it back in, but wait until you hear the drive spin up before pressing a key to continue. It might take a few efforts to get this right if it’s going to work.
· Check that the operating system CD is readable in another system, and don’t try using pirated operating system software on home recorded CDs.
· Enter CMOS Setup and rearrange the boot sequence so that the CD-ROM or the IDE channel to which it is connected is selected as the first boot device. This shouldn’t be necessary, but it will help if a previous attempt to install the operating system failed, leaving the hard drive appearing bootable to the motherboard.
· Simplify the system by removing any additional drives so all you have left are a “master” hard drive on the primary IDE channel. If it doesn’t work, as a final check try both drives on the primary controller with the CD as the “slave.”

Boots; Locks Up During Or After OS InstallEverything appears to be working fine, right up through formatting the hard drive. But, at some point during the operating system installation or immediately after, the PC locks up.

First check with your parts vendor or operating system manufacturer for known compatibility issues. Also be aware that some CDRs and combination drives have problems with operating system install, which usually manifests itself as a “read error”.
Unplug the power and remove all adapters except the video adapter. Install the operating system. Next install the motherboard drivers from the CD that shipped with the motherboard and the video adapter driver from its own CD. Install any other adapters one at a time, reconnect power and reboot, allowing the operating system to deal with them individually.
Make sure you are using the approved cabling for any high-performance parts such as 80-conductor ribbon cables with Ultra 66 or Ultra 100 hard drives, because communication breakdowns at high speeds are likely to show up under the load of operating system installation.
In some rare cases, operating system installation can fail repeatedly because a borderline component is suffering a heat-related failure as the system warms up. This is extremely difficult to troubleshoot without parts to swap out, and if you bring the parts back to the point of purchase, it might be hard to convince the vendor that the problem isn’t in your imagination. Make sure the CPU heatsink is properly installed, the heatsink fan is working, and you aren’t building the system in a hot attic in the summer. Go through the steps related to CMOS Setup in scenario 3 and document all the troubleshooting steps you go through for the vendor. Try reinstalling the operating system several times with no adapter other than video before concluding that you have a hardware failure.

Boots and Runs
If you operating system installation goes smoothly but you have trouble accessing a particular device, the problem is as likely to be software as hardware. Extensive software troubleshooting is outside the scope of this website, but we will mention some of the key points you can check in Windows operating systems.

Hard Drive
· Any message indicating a hard drive read or write failure is a hardware error. Try replacing the ribbon cable, making sure you use the newer 80-conductor type.
· Isolate the hard drive on its own IDE channel, moving any other drives to the secondary channel on their own cable or temporarily disconnecting them.
· If the hard drive is excessively noisy or makes a continual clunking sound, it has suffered internal damage and odds are even an expensive data recovery outfit won’t be able to help

CD or DVD Drive
If the drive has trouble reading a particular disc, try wiping off any fingerprints with a clean flannel shirt. Note rewriteable discs written in CDRs and DVDRs are often unreadable in other drives.
For continual read errors, try all the steps for hard drive troubleshooting new IDE cable, isolation, and swapping IDE hard drives, so isolating them on their own controller will often fix the problem.
If you can’t play music CDs even though your speakers work with other computer sounds, the thin audio cable from the sound card (or motherboard with integrated sound) to the four-pin connector on the back of the drive is improperly installed or missing.
If you record music CDs on our PC and they won’t in your stereo, make sure you are using CDR blanks, not CDRW.
If you have a CDR or DVDR and your write sessions often fail, try recording at a lower speed and make sure you are using media certified for at least the speed at which you are recording.

Intel Core 2 Duo and Extreme Processors

For a company like Intel to stumble and that too, badly, for the two years prior to the launch of the now runaway hit, the Core 2 Duo has been quite an experience (not to be confused with the P4, Core Duo - whereas the P4 Core Duo could complete three instructions per cycle, the Core 2 Duo can complete 4 – and that is without talking about processing power and efficiency). Especially when the underdogs, AMD had almost overtaken it.

But then, all that has changed with the introduction of the Core 2 Duo and the rest. It was when Intel decided to scrap the Netburst micro-architecture that never reached the potential that Intel believed was possible, and focused on the Pentium M architecture designed by their Israeli team that things started brightening up.





The architecture of the chip is simply known as Core, of which the products include Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme. Both run on an 1066 MHz FSB bus and are built using 65nm transistors. Again, both are dual core chips, with the Core 2 Extreme coming with a higher cache and a higher clock speed. (There is also a workstation version of the Core architecture – Woodcrest Xeon.)

These processors are built on a 143 sq mm die and are made up of 291 million transistors, regardless of their L2 cache size. While rivals AMD use 90nm tranistors on their chips, Intel uses the 65nm ones.

Code named ‘Conroe’, Intel’s Core 2 Duo will have a mobile counterpart, named ‘Merom’.
Following are the various versions of the Core 2 Duo that are available.



Testing by PC World and others show that the Core 2 Duo processors are the fastest amongst the range considered for the desktop PCs. (Of course, we haven’t talked about the Quad Core ‘Kentsfield’ series from Intel – consisting of two Conroe chips.)

Apart from that, the Core 2 Duo series boasts of lower power consumption, resulting in lesser heat and higher performance.

Of course, the disadvantage is that you cannot use the processors on your existing motherboards as these processors - though they sit on the same Socket 775 interface as with the earlier Pentium 4 sockets – require different chipsets. Major manufacturers are ready with their motherboards which can use these Intel powerhouses, e.g. Gigabyte, ATI, nVIdia.

While it is difficult to say that whether investing in a Core 2 Duo motherboard makes sense in terms of longevity and it is known that the processor is incompatible with a lot of Pentium-compatible chipsets, it depends on the customer to make the call.

Holiday Cottages - Freedom To Enjoy Yourself

More and more UK holiday makers are turning to holiday cottages for their accommodation on their next stay away. There are many attractions to staying in a holiday cottage over other traditional forms of accommodation such as hotels and B&Bs, not least because of flexibility and freedom that self-catering accommodation is able to offer. Whatever your priorities when booking a holiday, the adaptability of a holiday cottage means that there is usually one to be found that fits the bill, regardless of the size, type or age of the party, their budget, chosen destination or facilities or activities required to make their holiday perfect! Whether you are looking for a fun packed family holiday, a peaceful romantic getaway or short activity break, holiday cottages are a great way to take a family holiday.

Holiday cottages have perhaps the largest range of locations available of any type of accommodation. The flexible nature of the holiday cottage means that they can literally be anywhere, from the centre of a large city, to the most remote farm, from the wildest stretch of coast to the busiest of seaside resorts. This means there is bound to be a holiday cottage in the right location for you - whatever your priority for a holiday, be that family entertainment, scenery, history and heritage, food, shopping or simply a nice beach to relax on!

The real joy of staying in a holiday cottage if the flexibility and freedom that it offers: You are free to come and go as you please, you can set your own timetable and agenda. There is no need to worry about regulated meal times, interruptions from cleaners or restrictions to entry to your rooms or the property. If food is a particular priority for you on holiday, then self-catering is the perfect choice. Foodies will delight at being able not only sample the delights of local restaurants and cafes, but also be able to make their own dishes back at their holiday cottage. Frequently, holiday cottages are in rural or coastal locations, many of which will be able to offer excellent opportunities to try and buy fresh local fish, meat and produce from independent shops and delis, farm shops, markets and farmers markets - so no need to worry about food miles! So you can cook up a feast or pack a picnic from the privacy of your own kitchen.

If a well equipped, high specification kitchen is important to your holiday experience, then you may want to look toward the four and five star holiday cottage market. Based on the Quality in Tourism assessments for Visit Britain, self catering accommodation has to meet very high standards and strict set of criteria; not only in kitchen equipment, but in the fittings, fixtures and standards throughout the property. Of course all standards and styles of property are available, but due to a buoyant and competitive market, standards are being raised across the board even at the budget end. and the bad old days of swirly carpets and damp musty rooms are being rapidly phased out. Things are looking very exciting at the top end of the market, where you can now find luxury holiday cottages with designer kitchens and bathrooms, furniture and fittings that are akin to a modern boutique hotel.

Staying in a holiday cottage can often be a very cost effective option for accommodation, especially outside of the peak summer months. Often, prices can fall to half their summer rates in the cooler months, so if your holiday is not solely dependent on the whims of the weather, you may find yourself able to afford far more than you thought. But even during those popular months in the summer, a holiday cottage will often still be a very economical choice. Holiday cottage rates are rarely charged per person or per night, so once the overall cost has split between guests, you may find that the nightly rate per person is very favourable indeed, especially when compared to other types of accommodation of a similar standard.

A holiday cottage can be the perfect setting for a family holiday. By literally providing a 'home from home', families are able to enjoy the range of rooms and areas in a holiday cottage, that is often not on option in other types of accommodations, where you may have a private bedroom and bathroom, but communal areas are shared with other guests, and facilities like kitchens are not available at all. The ability for families to be able to relax, cook and eat together or separately as they chose, without fear of interruption or disturbance from other guests can be a great bonus.

Whatever you are looking for from your next stay away, the chances are that you will be able to find what you are looking for from a holiday cottage, your biggest problem may be choosing which one to go for first!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1179046

Latest Motherboard

ASUS RAMPAGE EXTREME :

SOCKET : 775
PRICE : $400 (RM1320)

SPECIFICATION :

CPU - INTEL SOCKET 775 (INTEL CORE 2 EXTREME, CORE 2 QUAD, CORE 2 DUO, DUAL CORE, CELERON DUAL CORE, CELERON, PLEASE REFER TO WWW.ASUS.COM )
CHIPSET - INTEL X48/ICH9R, INTEL FAST MEMORY ACCESS TECHNOLOGY

FRONT SIDE BUS (FSB) - 1600/1333/1066/800 Mhz

MEMORY (RAM) - 4 X DIMM, MAX 8GB, DDR3 2000(O.C)/1800(O.C)/1600/1333/1066/800
- DUAL CHANNEL MEMORY ACHITECTURE
- SUPPORT INTEL EXTREME MEMORY PROFILE (XMP)
REFER TO WWW.ASUS.COM

EXPANSION SLOT - 2 X PCIe 2.0 X 16
- 3 X PCIe X1
- 2 X PCIe 2.2

CROSSFIRE - SUPPORT ATI CROSSFIRE X TECHNOLOGY GRAPHIC CARDS

12 USB

SOUND + LAN + IEE 1394 (2 PORTS)

FOR MORE PLEASE VISIT WWW.ASUS.COM

Constilation Printed Pen Set

 

Just come across this Constilation Printed Pen Set and think it’s a great idea to give to our very best clients this Christmas. It is nice to see that real fountain pens are making a come back at last, reminds me of my school days…..