How To Drink More Water Every Day

Water is the most needed chemical compound of our body. Without the daily necessary amount of water our body functions would be forced to shut down. The human body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water depending on body size. To function properly, the body requires between one and seven liters of water per day to avoid dehydration; the precise amount depends on the level of activity, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Most of this is ingested through foods or beverages other than drinking straight water. It is not clear how much water intake is needed by healthy people, though most advocates agree that 6–7 glasses of water (approximately 2 litres) daily is the minimum to maintain proper hydration. Medical literature favors a lower consumption, typically 1 liter of water for an average male, excluding extra requirements due to fluid loss from exercise or warm weather. For those who have healthy kidneys, it is rather difficult to drink too much water, but (especially in warm humid weather and while exercising) it is dangerous to drink too little. People can drink far more water than necessary while exercising, however, putting them at risk of water intoxication (hyperhydration), which can be fatal. The "fact" that a person should consume eight glasses of water per day cannot be traced back to a scientific source. There are other myths such as the effect of water on weight loss and constipation that have been dispelled.
Determine how much water you need. You've probably heard the "8 by 8" rule - drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (2 quarts, 1.8 liters) - but the amount of water a person needs varies depending on his or her weight and activity level. Another way to determine your specific recommended water intake is to divide your weight (in pounds) by two. The resulting number is the number of ounces of water you need each day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., strive to drink 75 ounces of water daily. For those who use the Metric system, divide your weight (in kilograms) by 30 (ex. somebody weighing 70 kg is going to need 2.3 liters per day). Keep in mind that these recommended intake numbers are controversial and some experts believe they are a gross exaggeration. See "warnings" below for more information.
Signs of Dehydration. You lose water through urination, respiration, and by sweating. If you are very active, you lose more water than if you are sedentary. Diuretics such as caffeine pills and alcohol result in the need to drink more water because they trick your body into thinking you have more water than we need. Symptoms of mild dehydration include chronic pains in joints and muscles,lower back pain, headaches and constipation. A strong odor to your urine, along with a yellow or amber color indicates that you may not be getting enough water. Note that riboflavin, a B Vitamin, will make your urine bright yellow. Thirst is an obvious sign of dehydration and in fact, you need water long before you feel thirsty.
Dangers of Too Much Water. Don't start drinking an extra gallon of water a day - that can kill you, especially if you are fasting or eating very little. Water taken in must be in balance with body salt - electrolytes. The body needs to maintain salt balance or risk hyponatremia with heart attack and even death. Drinking too much water dilutes the salt in your blood and tissues - and can kill you. Healthy athletes have died from drinking too much plain water and not replacing salt. Dieters should not plunge into drinking gallons of water a day in hopes of burning a few more calories. Drink an extra few glasses, yes. But a gallon is too much.

8 Technology etiquette tips for job-seekers

If there's any small solace when starting a job search in this recession, it's the proliferation of digital technology to help you re-enter the working world. Web sites like Indeed.com and LinkedIn.com have multiplied the number of job openings you can track and the professional contacts you can make. E-mail and smart phones make it easier to pitch yourself and set up appointments.But think twice before picking up that BlackBerry and thumb-typing a message to the hiring manager whose e-mail address you so slyly uncovered online. In the end, landing the right job hinges on old-world skills."The electronic piece usually just gets your foot in the door," said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology, a tech industry recruiting division of Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing consultant Robert Half International. "But you still have to present yourself well face-to-face in an interview, and you have to have good references," he said. "I think some job candidates lose sight of that because of all the technology options and capabilities that get your name out there."Here are eight technology etiquette tips to help job seekers.
1 .Avoid email blasts

Resist the temptation to respond to each online job listing in your field, and focus on those that fit the best. Only about 6 percent of jobs are filled by candidates recruited through advertisements, said Wendleton, whose firm also conducts career research. If you can use personal contacts to learn about an opening that's not widely publicized, your chances of landing the job increase because you've got fewer rivals. Instead of blast e-mailing, use the Web to research potential employers and put yourself in position to recite key facts about that company should you land an interview. "Too many people are sitting there all day hitting that send button on their computer, answering ads, answering ads," Wendleton said.
02.Embrace snail mail

In your first contact with a prospective employer, you're unlikely to stand out if you join the legions of job seekers sending 'hire me' pitches via e-mail with resumes attached. E-mails also are too easy for a hiring manager to delete. With snail mail, you control the appearance of your carefully crafted cover letter and resume.With e-mail, the user's machine can control settings for fonts and spacing. And managers can be wary of opening attached resumes for fear of unleashing a computer virus.
03.Avoid follow-up foibles

If you land an interview, pay close attention if the hiring manager specifies how to make any follow-up contacts. Email can be a good option because of its speed; if you send a follow-up note via snail mail, it may arrive too late in the hiring process to make a difference.If the hiring manager is OK with email, send a message that addresses any unanswered questions from the interview and state that you're also mailing a hardcopy. In the snail mail message, do refer that you have also sent an email.Whatever you do, don't follow up on an interview with an email sent via a handheld gadget - there's too great a chance you'll thumb-type a typo-ridden message. Only use handhelds to send brief, timely emails confirming an appointment or advising you're running late for a meeting. Don't type without regard to grammar and capitalization, and resist including smiley faces or other emoticons in electronic messages. "There is no circumstance where that is appropriate," Wendleton said.
04.Observe boundaries

Even if you managed to track down a hiring manager's cell phone number, don't call it unless given permission. "Cell phones are considered private," Wendleton said.Willmer and Kate Wendleton, president of The Five O'Clock Club, a New York-based career counseling company, advise that job seekers - especially the young and tech-savvy - frequently misuse electronic gadgets and the Web and run roughshod over professional etiquette.
05.Stick to landlines

For any phone contact with a prospective employer, try to use a land line. With cell phones, there's too great a risk that you'll get a spotty connection, lose it altogether, or end up with excessive background noise if you're in a public place.If you lack a land line, call from a quiet place like a hotel lobby. Have a pen and pad ready so you can jot down information.
06.Network the smart way

If you identify a hiring manager or other professional you'd like to connect with on an online networking site, don't merely send an electronic invitation without explaining why you want to get in touch. An out-of-the-blue request will likely be ignored."Write something like, "I was intrigued by your LinkedIn posting. I see you have 10 years of international experience. I too have 10 years of international experience,'" Wendleton said.
07.Manage your digital footprint

Hiring managers can be expected to go beyond your resume and references, and perform a background check online. So be judicious about what you post on social networking sites such as Facebook, and limit access to friends and family if it's something you wouldn't want an employer to see.Likewise, think before posting political opinions or personal information in blogs or other online forums. Consider posting under a pseudonym rather than your name. "As a job candidate, I would encourage people to be conservative," said Willmer. "Assume that anybody has access to anything."
08.Get personalIf you resort to e-mail pitches, make them personal. If you're introducing yourself to a hiring manager you've identified via a professional colleague, type that colleague's name in the e-mail's subject line and succinctly explain the link (example "John Doe referred me") so the manager is less likely to hit delete.

Via : Link
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Hard drive destruction 'crucial'

HARD DRIVES: GRAB AND SMASH Safety: Unplug the computer from the mains Opening: Latches or screws should provide easy access Earthing: Touch the metal chassis inside the computer case Locating: Hard drives are typically under CD or floppy drives on desktops Removing: Disconnect the wires at the back of the hard drive Remove any screws that fix the hard drive to the chassis and slide it out Smashing: The more thoroughly the better The only way to stop fraudsters stealing information from old computer hard drives is by destroying them completely, a study has found. Computing magazine Which? recovered 22,000 "deleted" files from eight computers purchased on eBay. Criminals source old computers from internet auction sites or in rubbish tips, to find users' valuable details. Freely available software can be used to recover files that users think they have permanently deleted. The only solution, according to Which?, is complete destruction - and it recommends using a hammer. A number of recent cases have shown the dangers in disposing of second-hand equipment, from which details as well as other personal files can be retrieved. "PCs contain more valuable personal information than ever as people increasingly shop online, use social networking sites and take digital photos," said Sarah Kidner, editor of Which?. "Such information could bring identity thieves a hefty payday." "It sounds extreme, but the only way to be 100% safe is to smash your hard drive into smithereens."

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Samsung Pixon the 8.0 megapixel camera phone

Samsung Pixon the 8.0 megapixel camera phone
Alright that day was just pre-announced in Russia, today Samsung has officially announced its Samsung Pixon 8 megapixel camera phone. The pixon has been claimed as the slimmest full-touch 8.0-megapixel camera phone. Measuring 13.8mm slim, and the 8.0-megapixel camera boasts 16x digital zoom, auto-focus, fast-shutter, face detection and geo-tagging. It will be available first in France in the mid-October and soon to most of European countries and Asian countries. Check out the specs after the break and more pictures.

Specifications:

• Network: GSM/GPRS/ EDGE Quad Band (850/ 900/1800/1900 MHz)
• HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (2100 MHz)
• Display: 3.2″ 240×400 262K WQVGA TFT LCD
• Camera: 8-megapixel camera with Auto focus
• Dual Power LED Flasho ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction) WDR (Wide Dynamic Range)
• Face Detection, Smile Shot, Face Link (face tagging), Geo-tagging, Auto Panorama Shot, Photo memo
• Photo Browser (Accelerometer Sensor, Tilt and flip, Sorting by Face/Time/Color/Folder)
• Online Widget (News, weather, stock, etc)
• Video recording & playing (MPEG4, WMV, DivX, XviD)
• 30 fps D1 (720 x 480) & 120 fps(QGVA) high quality video recording
• SRS (Surround Sound System) Virtual 5.1CH
• Music Player (MP3, AAC, e-AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA)
• FM Radio with RDS• DNSe (Digital Natural Sound engine)
• Bluetooth v.2.0 / USB 2.0 HS
• TV Out connection
• Internal Memory: 200MB External Memory: Micro SD
• Size: 107.9 x 54.6 x 13.8 mm, 121g
• Battery: 1000 mAh
• Talk time: 3h 40min
• Standby time: 290h

Zardari Calls Palin "Gorgeous"

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Pakistan's new president called GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin "gorgeous" when the two met in New York on Wednesday.

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin meets Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in New York on Wednesday.

Palin has been in New York meeting international leaders in town this week for United Nations meetings.

On entering a room filled with several Pakistani officials Wednesday, Palin was immediately greeted by Sherry Rehman, the country's information minister.

"And how does one keep looking that good when one is that busy?" Rehman asked Palin, drawing friendly laughter from the room.

"Oh, thank you," Palin said.

Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari, entered the room seconds later. Palin rose to shake his hand, saying she was "honored" to meet him.

Zardari then called her "gorgeous" and said: "Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you."

"You are so nice," Palin said, smiling. "Thank you."

A handler from Zardari's entourage then told the two politicians to keep shaking hands for the cameras.

"If he's insisting, I might hug," Zardari said. Palin smiled politely in response.

The Alaska governor did not answer questions from reporters at her first two appearances on Wednesday, when she joined running mate Sen. John McCain in meetings with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko and then traveled downtown to meet with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

But she did offer brief remarks to a reporter at the Zardari meeting who asked about her day.

"It's going great," Palin said. "These meetings are very informative and helpful, and a lot of good people sharing appreciation for America."

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Microsoft Pledges Windows XP Support Until 2014

Although it may be moving down in availability with computer manufacturers it looks like Microsoft is going to be standing by Windows XP for a good while yet. The company has pledged to keep supporting the OS until 2014. According to Microsoft senior VP Bill Veghte, the support will include security patches and "other critical updates," and he adds that "customers who still need Windows XP will be able to get it," despite plans to stop selling a retail product and stop licensing it directly to PC manufacturers after June 30th of this year. This extension means that Microsoft will be supporting the OS for 13 years since its initial release.

News Source: Engadget

Newly Released Google Webmaster Tools API

Webmaster Central blog of the Google has finally announced the vigin release of the Webmaster Tools API via it blog.[its ironical to find solar cooker and cooking related title of the post ].In short the main benifits of the features in this first version of the Webmaster Tools API are as following:

• For Managing Sites (Adding and deleting sites)
  1. Retrieving the Sites feed
  2. Adding a site to an account

Some Free Alternatives to Pricey Software

Most of us don't want to spend $600 for a program to edit pictures (Adobe Photoshop or CS3 Suite) or $400 for a text editor and spreadsheet program. And for those of us that detest Outlook, but like the calendar features, we've felt left out since Thunderbird doesn't offer a calendar in its standard install. And then there's that pesky problem with Adobe Acrobat Professional; unless you are an educational buyer, Adobe Acrobat licenses are a bit on the pricey side.

There are some free alternatives to all of these things that I'd like to share with you today.

Microsoft Office: For most purposes, you can replace the expensive Microsoft Office 2007 with OpenOffice, the free office suite. OO comes with frequent and regular updates and patches, and offers complete versatility. You can even save your text documents in an MSWord format when you're done, so you can send it to your client who doesn't have OO. Open Office also has a spreadsheet program and presentation program, so is virtually a full replacement for the MS Office Suite.

Adobe Photoshop/CS3: If owning Adobe Photoshop is too rich for your budget, and all you're doing is editing your digital photos and making a few signs or drawings, then a decent replacement is GIMP. GIMP provides all the tools you need to crop, resize, adjust, and retouch your photos before you send them to your printer or to the store for printing.

Outlook Calendar: While I am a huge fan of Thunderbird and use it for all of my pop3 and imap email, the one thing missing is a calendar. You can download and install the Lightning plug-in to add a calendar to Thunderbird, or you can download Sunbird instead, which runs as a standalone product. Visit Mozilla.org for these two products.

PDF: Creating PDF's is about 50% of what I do on a daily basis at work. I have Adobe Acrobat Professional at work to accomplish this, but when I'm doing things at home that have nothing to do with work, I am in need of a stable PDF-production tool that won't cost me anything, and gives me all the same tools that Adobe does. I'm using PDF Creator for most things, and find it to have all the tools I need for basic PDF production.

Microsoft Publisher: Need to make a flier, brochure, or handout but don't have MS Publisher? Never fear, Scribus is here to do your dirty work for you. This intuitive, easy-to-use, tiny-footprinted program is the best free tool I've found to replace Publisher and the well-loved Adobe Pagemaker (long gone from Adobe's lineup these days).

QuickBooks: Need to do your home or small business finances but would rather not spend the big dollars to get QuickBooks? Try out TurboCash. And for a $49 optional support fee, you get access to technical support and corruption help, should that ever happen to you.

Why buy it when you can get it for free? That's my motto.

Source

Facebook Suffers it's First App Problem

CNet is reporting that Facebook has banned the "Top Friends" by Slide because it violated the app agreement. The installed application would apparently bypass information a user set to private. CNet found the error and reported it to Facebook. The Social Media giant then suspended the app from running on the site.

There have been a couple other applications that have had security issues, like Super Wall and SuperPoke. Both issues were resolved quickly. I am guessing the Slide apps could not be.

MySpace also has Slide applications on their site. CNet contacted them and they are looking into the matter.

It really is a "Too many Chefs in the Kitchen" scenario here. All it takes is either one mistake of code, or someone like Facebook to make updates that could change the way an application works with the site. Not sure what the case was with Slide. Maybe it's a bigger fix than just plugging a hole, maybe the company was using your information in the wrong way.

I have a Facebook profile (add me as a friend), and I did have this application. My profile is open to all so I didn't notice the problem. I have some other applications on there, too (Feel free to send me a hug or a plant) and new apps appearing daily from friends. I have even went to the extreme as to not accept new applications. It not only clutters up the page but you also don't know what could become a security hole.

Bottom line - a site like this invites error because so many can contribute. Limit the applications and watch those apps you decide to install. Importantly, just because an app looks safe now doesn't mean in 3 months wont have a gaping security hole to it. One small "fix" to the app or to Facebook or MySpace can change all that.

Source

Google Street View Showing more than Expected

A few weeks ago it was a guy in Chicago waiving a gun. Now it's possible Hookers in California. It's turning into a Where's Waldo game - except it's "Who's on Street View"?

I wonder how many hours it takes to scan the Google website to find something interesting to report about. The only thing more hilarious is the fact that Google is not looking at what they are taking pictures of. There are even some people that, when they see the Google car coming, they plan a last minute improvisation. Jalopnik has a couple pictures of that.

So get out there and start scanning the street view. You never know what you are going to see....

Source

Bandwidth Caps used to Force more TV Watching!

Let’s see here. Time Warner Cable provides Internet and Cable Television Service. TV is very profitable for the cable company. The Internet is not because they cannot control it.

Put in place bandwidth caps and you scare people into stopping how much time they spend on the Internet for the fear of going over their bandwidth caps.

So enter Time Warner and those with the highest speed service fully employed will spend about a $1.00 every 6 minutes or so once you bust the cap.

Time Warner does not care about Bandwidth or heavy users, they simply want you to watch more TV that you pay them to watch. Get the full breakdown of Time Warners Bandwidth Caps Cost!

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Hilton Hotel Chains Internet Access and other Issues!

Over the past six months I have been traveling a great deal. I have stayed around 40 days in a variety of Hilton properties and another 20 days in Marriot hotel chains. I usually stay in Hilton properties to gain reward points.

Over the past three or four stays at Hilton properties on the east coast, I have been completely frustrated with Internet connectivity and other issues. I will obtain Hilton’s highest VIP status before the end of July which shows I have been a pretty loyal customer but my loyalty is starting to shift.

I am going to put this as nicely as possible, Internet Access has really sucked. The hotels I have been in, have not been full of geeks sucking up bandwidth they have had average occupancy with regular travelers. Here are the main issue and it applies to wired and wireless properties. Continual website time outs, which causes pages to fail to load, very slow connections last hotel had wireless clocking in at 128k up and 128k down with full signal Wi-Fi access.

I swear that the contracted Internet Service providers are blocking access to sites or slowing them to a crawl.

The issues do not stop with Internet Access. My current stay started with the room not even having a desk? Come on now, I have not been in a hotel in 10 years that did not have a desk. While they brought me a desk after I complained they did not bring me a light, ever try to work at a desk without a light. Trip to Target solved that. Guess I will have to pack a lamp from now on.

I would have changed hotels but the hotels are full this weekend. If you are going to cater to business travelers you better have “Good Internet Connectivity”, and room furnishings to support those travelers. My experience with Marriot lately has been the opposite. Great Bandwidth and a Great Business traveler experience.

From here on out I am going to start doing extensive reviews of all of the hotels I stay at. I will name the properties and do my best to make sure they are at the top of the search engine results. Piss Poor service deserves Internet attention so that other business travelers will not have to pull their hair out.

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Verizon Please bring FIOS to Hawaii! PLEASE!!

After hearing todays news of Verizon offering some insane speeds to FIOS customers in the 16 states that they have the service available in. I really just wanted to stick my head in a pillow and scream.

Can my headline be anymore obvious? Our broadband service provider Time Warner which has a Virtual Monopoly in Hawaii is getting ready to impose ridiculous bandwidth limits on us. If there was any market that is prime for the service Hawaii is it. But the problem remains that most service providers do not want to pay back haul cost to the US Mainland.

With Verizon introducing new tiers of service with FIOS customers being able to get 50/20 Mbps, and 20/20 Mbps service just completely depresses me.

While I realize that the oceans will probably freeze over before Verizon or some other brave company tries to come to Hawaii and bring this level of service one can only wish.

Well you know what they say about wishing. Wish in One hand and well you know the rest. One things for sure Verizon is not going to be implementing stupid bandwidth limits like AT&T, Time Warner & Sprint are going to!

Way to go Verizon for pushing the envelope!

Source

Verizon Please bring FIOS to Hawaii! PLEASE!!

After hearing todays news of Verizon offering some insane speeds to FIOS customers in the 16 states that they have the service available in. I really just wanted to stick my head in a pillow and scream.

Can my headline be anymore obvious? Our broadband service provider Time Warner which has a Virtual Monopoly in Hawaii is getting ready to impose ridiculous bandwidth limits on us. If there was any market that is prime for the service Hawaii is it. But the problem remains that most service providers do not want to pay back haul cost to the US Mainland.

With Verizon introducing new tiers of service with FIOS customers being able to get 50/20 Mbps, and 20/20 Mbps service just completely depresses me.

While I realize that the oceans will probably freeze over before Verizon or some other brave company tries to come to Hawaii and bring this level of service one can only wish.

Well you know what they say about wishing. Wish in One hand and well you know the rest. One things for sure Verizon is not going to be implementing stupid bandwidth limits like AT&T, Time Warner & Sprint are going to!

Way to go Verizon for pushing the envelope!

Source

Google's Trying to Help with NetNeutrality

"We're trying to develop tools, software tools...that allow people to detect what's happening with their broadband connections, so they can let [ISPs] know that they're not happy with what they're getting -- that they think certain services are being tampered with,"

This came from Google senior policy director Richard Whitt the other day. Google seems to have taken a firm stance on what ISP's are proposing to monitor. And why wouldn't they? In the end, Google would be the one that takes the hit.

People "Google" over any other search site. If you use Firefox, Opera or Safari, you have the Google search right at the top. For IE users, it's just a "Change Default" away. If you run a website with Google Adsense, chances are you are using the Google search engine to bring in a little revenue.

If ISP's start looking at what you do online, then people will stop searching for stuff. Other search sites might pop up to counter the ISP trafficking - masking information so it looks like your searching for flowers when it's really the Hulk movie. Google will loose it's 60-70 percent stature in all internet searches.

Now we all know that you should not download software, music or movies. It gets drilled in our heads on a daily basis. While Google is not trying to promote this, they know that if people need something and don't know where to get it, they will search first. Even if you do know where it is, you still will search for it.

"Feeling Lucky" is Googles' way of getting you to go through their webpage. According to statbrain.com, there are an average 91,201,253 visits per day. If people stop searching on a popular topic, imagine how that number would drop. If they feel they cannot safely go to the site, they will stop going to the site.

I am not saying this is what drives Google to help with Net Neutrality. However, if I was in the search engine market, I would definitely have a project team watching over these items. Any type of policing like this can really hurt on those who's life is online.

I don't torrent nor go to content that could raise a red flag for ISPs. Therefore I would continue to use Google on a constant basis. Even in writing this article I searched on Google about 10 to 12 times. It's really just a way of life on the internet for me. Before Google (and this dates myself), I was Metacrawling and Dog Piling.

So this brings up the question: Would your internet usage drop if you knew people were watching where you were going?

Source

Microsoft gives three-year reprieve to MSN Music users

Microsoft gives three-year reprieve to MSN Music users

Bowing to end user pressure, Microsoft has admitted a change of heart with regard to a decision it announced in April, to discontinue authorization for music downloaded through its old MSN Music service.

French bill would ban Internet use for illegal downloaders

French bill would ban Internet use for illegal downloaders

France's Cultural Minister Christine Albanel introduced a bill to discourage the consumption of pirated media, under the threat of revoking the perpetrator's Internet access. Yesterday, that bill was approved by the Council of Ministers.

Landrush for new Yahoo Mail addresses begins at 3 pm ET

Landrush for new Yahoo Mail addresses begins at 3 pm ET

With hundreds of millions of user names already tapped out, Yahoo has now decided to add two more domains -- ymail.com and rocketmail.com -- to its e-mail addresses for Web users.

Australians will have choice of three carriers for iPhone

Australians will have choice of three carriers for iPhone

Sources told Australian IT Thursday that Telstra will offer the iPhone 3G, making it the third carrier to do so in the country.

Sprint Nextel tries again to hang onto some 800 MHz spectrum

Sprint Nextel tries again to hang onto some 800 MHz spectrum

Late Tuesday, Sprint Nextel filed for an extension in its relinquishment of portions of the 800 MHz spectrum which will be used for public safety purposes.