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• Why do some games randomly turn my screen a random solid color?

  - by Emlena.PhD

  When playing some games my computer will randomly have an error that I cannot fix without turning it off and back on again. The screen changes to one solid color, which varies (off the top of my head I can remember seeing solid green, magenta, etc..) and the sound blares a single tone. The sound sometimes briefly restores and I can still hear the game sounds and even hear and still be heard by people in my Mumble channel, but the screen doesn't right itself so I'm still blind. What's more is this happens in some games but not in others. While the game is actually running, not while I'm still in the menu. However, it does happen if I'm afk or idle but the game world is still rendering. Games where the error occurs: League of Legends World of Warcraft Trine The Sims 2 Dungeon Defenders Safe games: games where it has never occurred: Tribes: Ascend Star Wars: the Old Republic Battlefield 3 So relatively older games cause the problem while newer games do not? I cannot predict when it will happen, it just seems random. However, if it happens and I try playing the same game further after restart it does appear to occur more frequently after the first time. But if I switch to a safe game it doesn't continue happening. Both of my RAM sticks appear fine, flipped position or either one on their own and games still run, computer still boots. I would think over-heating, but then why not all games? ALso, sometimes it happens immediately after I start playing, within seconds of the 3D world booting up. I'm looking to upgrade very soon so I want to figure out what component or software is fubar and replace/repair it. Any suggestions or recommendations of tools would be helpful. Below is some system information. Dxdiag does not detect any problems. Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120305-1505) System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. System Model: EP45-UD3R BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8500 @ 3.16GHz (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz Memory: 4096MB RAM DirectX Version: DirectX 11 DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 64bit Unicode Graphics card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 Driver Version: 8.17.12.9610 (error has occurred w/several driver versions) Sound: I do not have a sound card, been using motherboard's built in sound)

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• SSL connection error during handshake on Windows Server 2008 R2

  - by Thomas

  I have a Windows 2008 R2 Server that runs a HTTPS Tunneling service. The software uses a certificate that is provided via the Windows certificate store. The certificate is located in the local computer private certificates. It supports server and client authentication with signing and keyencipherment. Cert chain The certificate chain looks fine. It's a Thawte SSL123 certificate. Thawte Premium Server CA (SHA1) [?e0 ab 05 94 20 72 54 93 05 60 62 02 36 70 f7 cd 2e fc 66 66] thawte Primary Root CA [?1f a4 90 d1 d4 95 79 42 cd 23 54 5f 6e 82 3d 00 00 79 6e a2] Thawte DV SSL CA [3c a9 58 f3 e7 d6 83 7e 1c 1a cf 8b 0f 6a 2e 6d 48 7d 67 62] Server certificate Issues Most browsers accept the certificate without any warning. But IE 7 on Windows XP SP3 and Opera 12 on OSX just report an connection error. Opera complains: Secure connection: fatal error (552) https://www.example.com/ Opera was not able to connect to the server, because the server does not communicate via any secure protocol known to Opera. A connection test using openssl s_client -connect www.example.com:443 -state says: CONNECTED(00000003) SSL_connect:before/connect initialization SSL_connect:SSLv2/v3 write client hello A 52471:error:140790E5:SSL routines:SSL23_WRITE:ssl handshake failure:/SourceCache/OpenSSL098/OpenSSL098-35.1/src/ssl/s23_lib.c:182: ssldump -aAHd host www.example.com during curl https://www.example.com/ reports: New TCP connection #1: localhost(53302) <-> www.example.com(443) 1 1 0.0235 (0.0235) C>SV3.1(117) Handshake ClientHello Version 3.1 random[32]= 50 77 56 29 e8 23 82 3b 7f e0 ae 2d c1 31 cb ac 38 01 31 85 4f 91 39 c1 04 32 a6 68 25 cd a0 c1 cipher suites Unknown value 0x39 Unknown value 0x38 Unknown value 0x35 TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA TLS_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA Unknown value 0x33 Unknown value 0x32 Unknown value 0x2f Unknown value 0x9a Unknown value 0x99 Unknown value 0x96 TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_MD5 TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA TLS_RSA_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA TLS_DHE_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA TLS_DHE_DSS_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA TLS_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA TLS_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_RC2_CBC_40_MD5 TLS_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_RC4_40_MD5 Unknown value 0xff compression methods unknown value NULL 1 0.0479 (0.0243) S>C TCP FIN 1 0.0481 (0.0002) C>S TCP FIN Thawte provides two Java based SSL Checkers. The Legacy Thawte SSL Certificate Installation Checker and the sslToolBox. Both validate the certificate under Windows XP but report connection errors under OSX and Windows 2008 R2.

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• Why is the server performance so poor? What can be done to improve the speed of the server?

  - by fslsyed

  Very slow processing using Windows Server2008 R2 Standard with Service Pack One. Situation: Read a text file using the text data to populate a series of MS Sql tables. The converted data is used to generate monthly PDF invoice files; the PDF files are saved directly to the hard drive. The application is multi-threading with one thread used for the text conversion and three threads for PDF invoice generation. The text conversion is occurring concurrently with the invoice generation. Application Software: C# using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate. Crystal Report Writer 2011 with runtime 13_0_3 64 bit version. Targeted platform is x64; also tested as x86, and Any CPU with similar results. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0. Microsoft Sql 2008 Issue: The software is running very slowly. The conversion of the text file is approximately six hundred fifty records per second and generation of the PDF files is approximately twelve invoices per minute. The text file to be converted is six hundred Meg with seven thousand invoices to be generated. The software was installed on three different machines from the same distribution files. The same text file was converted on each machine. The user executing the application was an administrator on each machine. The only variances were the machine and operating system. The configurations are as follows: Server: Operating System: Windows Server2008 R2 Standard 64-bit (6.1, Build7601) SP1 Service Pack: System Manufacturer: IBM System Model: System x3550 M3-[7944AC1]- BIOS: Default System BIOS Processor: Intel® Xeon® CPU E5620@ 2.4GHz (16 CPUs) Memory: 16384MB Notebook: Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium Standard 64-bit (6.1, Build7601) System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard System Model: HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC BIOS: Default System BIOS Processor: AMD Phenom II N640 Dual-Core Processor 2.9GHz (2 CPUs) Memory: 6144MB Desktop: Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build7601) SP1 System Manufacturer: Dell Inc. System Model: OptiPlex 960 BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A11 Processor: Intel Core™2 Quad CPU Q9650 @3.00GHZ (4 CPUs) Memory: 16384MB Processing results per machine: The applications were executed seven times with the averages being displayed below. Machine Text Records Invoices Generated Converted Per Minute Per Minute Server (1) 650 12 Notebook 980 17 Desktop 2,100 45 (1) The server is dedicated to execution of this application; no additional applications are being executed. Question: Why is the server performance so poor? What can be done to improve the speed of the server?

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• File/printer sharing issues on network with multiple OSes

  - by DanZ

  My workplace consists of computers running a variety of different operating systems, and I have been running into problems getting some of them to connect to a shared drive and printer over the network. Here is a brief description of the computers involved and the issues I have encountered: 1: Dell desktop, Windows Vista Business-- This is the computer I want the others to connect to. It has a USB printer and eSATA hard drive enclosure that I have set up for sharing, with different accounts for the various users. 2: Fujitsu laptop, Windows XP Tablet edition-- No problems. Can connect to both the shared printer and hard drive. 3: Lenovo laptop, Windows Vista Business 64 bit-- No problems. Can connect to both the shared printer and drive. 4: Apple MacBook, OS 10.4-- Can connect to the shared drive, but not to the shared printer. I am aware that the printer issue is due to a known incompatibility between Vista and OS 10.4 and earlier with regards to Samba. It is not a big problem, however, as this computer can access a network printer. 5: Sony laptop, Windows Vista Home Premium-- Can connect to the shared printer, but not the shared drive. It can see computer 1 and its shared drive on the network, and appears to successfully log in to user accounts. However, if you try to access the shared drive, it says you do not have permission. I have tried both standard and administrator accounts, and none can access the drive from this computer. 6: MacBook Pro, OS 10.5 (there are two of these)-- Can connect to the shared printer, but not the shared drive. They can't see computer 1 on the network. For that matter, they also can't see each other or the older Mac, but can see and access shared folders on the XP machine (computer 2) and can see other PCs in the building. I was able to add the shared printer manually by typing in its network location, but was unable to manually add the shared drive in the same way. So, what I am looking for is suggestions on how to get computers 5 and 6 to connect to the shared drive. Since they can already connect to the shared printer (which is on the same computer as the shared drive), it seems reasonable that they should be able to access the drive as well.

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• Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at www.google.com

  - by Tom

  My home page in Firefox [v4.0] and Internet Explorer [v9.0.8112.16421, Update Versions RTM (KB982861)] is currently set to Google but when I depress the quick start icon to start up either browser, I am getting the following immediate results: Unable to connect (In Firefox) Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at www.google.com. The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments. If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection. If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web. Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage What you can try: Diagnose Connection Problems More information This problem can be caused by a variety of issues, including: Internet connectivity has been lost. The website is temporarily unavailable. The Domain Name Server (DNS) is not reachable. The Domain Name Server (DNS) does not have a listing for the website's domain. There might be a typing error in the address. If this is an HTTPS (secure) address, click Tools, click Internet Options, click Advanced, and check to be sure the SSL and TLS protocols are enabled under the security section. For offline users You can still view subscribed feeds and some recently viewed webpages. To view subscribed feeds: Click the Favorites button , click Feeds, and then click the feed you want to view. To view recently visited webpages (might not work on all pages): Press Alt, click File, and then click Work Offline. Click the Favorites button, click History, and then click the page you want to view. Thankfully, I am able to use one browser that I have installed on my computer (Mathon v3.0.20.5000) to search online for technical assistance in this matter. I have seen several WinSock error issues mentioned; but, they are pointing to Windows XP and I am using Windows 7 Pro and remain uncertain whether anything identified as a fix for one OS will work in another. Things I've tried: HiJackThis Complete scan with Avira AntiVirus Premium. What am I overlooking? What should I do to address this problem?

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• How do Windows 7 encrypted files look like?

  - by Sean Farrell

  Ok this is kind of an odd question: How do Windows 7 (Home Premium) encrypted files look like "from the outside"? Now here is the story. An acquaintance of a freind of mine got a nasty virus / scareware. So I wiped out my PC technician cap and went to work on it. What I did was remove the drive from the laptop and put drive into my external drive bay. I scanned the drive and yes it was loaded with stuff. That basically cured the infection and I could start the system back up. To check if it cured the problem I wanted to see the system while running. There where two user accounts, on with a password and one without (both admin users !?!). So I logged into the unprotected user and cleaned up the residual issues, like proxy server to localhost in the browser config. Now I wanted to do the same for the password protected user. What I noticed that from my system and the unprotected user account the files of the protected user looked garbled. The files are something like 12 random alphanum chars, but the folders looked ok. Naive as was thought this might be how encrypted files looked "from the outside". (I never use Microsoft's own security features, so how would I know. TrueCrypt is one big blob.) Since the second user could not be reached, I though sod it and removed the password from the account. (That might have been a mistake, I know.) Now I did the same clean up tasks and all nice and fine; except for the files which where still "encrypted". So I looked into many Windows Encrypted Files recovery posts and not all hope is lost, since I should be able to extract the certificate and with the password regain access to the files. Also note that windows did "only" prompt me that removing the password would be insecure, not that access to encrypted files would be lost, like it is claimed in most recovery articles. Resetting the password did not help and I gave up for the night. The question that nagged me half of the last night was, what if the files are not encrypted, but the scare-ware encrypted / destroyed the files? I don't want to spend hours of work trying to recover files that are not recoverable. The ting is that the user does not remember turning it on and aren't the files marked in blue and the filename is readable? Many thanks for input from users who have more knowledge about WEF...

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• Second HDD not seen by Windows 7 on Dell Xps l501x

  - by George

  I have a Dell XPS Laptop (l501x). I have replaced the original Seagate 500GB hard drive with an SSD Intel 320 120GB when I first purchased it a year ago. It's been working great. The laptop is booting in about 23 seconds, so the SSD is great. I have an Acronis image created that I came back to every three months just to keep everything clean. The SSD is partitioned with one logical drive for my data. So, recently I thought since I am not using my optical drive often enough to swap it out with a HDD caddy and add my seagate 500gb hard drive. I ordered the caddy placed the HDD in it and now load Windows. It just hangs on the screen that should show the Windows logo. I have tried everything that I know and searched it online. I have uninstalled the SATA controller AHCI and let Windows install it. Still will not boot into windows. I wanted to mention that the Seagate 500GB drive was the one that came with my laptop before I switched to the Intel SSD. As you know Intel has this application called Intel Rapid Technology which loads once in a while and shows the second hard drive, but then, when I restart it hangs again and Windows will not load. As soon as I remove the HDD Caddy and restart it loads Windows fine. I also formated the Seagate 500GB HDD in NTFS and still Windows will not load. When I go into the BIOS it shows the Fixed SSD and also "Sata ODD 500GB" instead of the optical drive but it will not boot into Windows when the HDD caddy is present. There is nothing wrong with the caddy. I have another laptop (Asus) and I installed the HDD caddy and Windows 7 loads without any glitch. I don't get it. I have also flashed the BIOS because Dell had a new version (A08). I also wanted to add that I refreshed Disk Management and the Device Manager and the second drive does not display. At this point I think it's a Windows issue so before I reinstall Windows 7 Home Premium from scratch I wanted to see if there was anything I was missing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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• Alienware m15x (older model) BSOD investigation

  - by Crishu

  A frined of mine asked me to help him with an Alienware m15x laptop that had a little service history. It was bought in june 2008, serviced in january 2009 for a random fps drop problem, Alienware returned it saying nothing was wrong. The laptop still had hiccups, but after juggling a few drivers and settings, the fps drops weren't as noticeable. Eventually it died in Sept. 2009. It would not boot up locking itself on a white/gray screen. (i think it was overheating .. clocking in 100 degrees Celsius). So back to Alienware it went. They replaced the GPU and all was fine. Up until these blue screens started showing up. One other thing that was updated was the HDD and a Windows 7 reinstall, in August. From then on it seems to have started its BSOD. Could this be the culprit? Why? 0_o The original Windows was Vista but it was upgraded with a digital download/purchase of Windows 7 Home Premium and activated after installing windows. No errors on the old HDD, just on the latest installation. LE:Due note that now the old HDD is used to see if issues re-occur. So please, I am in need of someone who can interpret these windows dump files: Minidump I may have come to some conflicting conclusions. So if someone can clarify each dump/date and the probable cause/error it had; and a final conclusion or solution, we would be very grateful. Also please consult report for other system info I omitted: same link,code: XRWIVLWG If I missed something or if you have any other questions I'll be happy to answer them. Thank you. Good day. Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9300 @ 2.50GHz Network Adapter Properties: Broadcom NetLink (TM) Gigabit Ethernet Intel(R) Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN Video Adapter Properties: Driver Description NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX Driver Date 19.08.2009 Driver Version 8.16.11.8681 Driver Provider NVIDIA INF File oem19.inf Hardware ID PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_060C&SUBSYS_0770152D&REV_A2 Location Information @system32\DRIVERS\pci.sys,#65536;PCI bus %1, device %2, function %3;(1,0,0) PCI Device NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX [NoDB] BIOS String Version 62.92.34.0.8 Installed Drivers nvd3dum (8.16.11.8681), nvwgf2um, nvwgf2um Hard Dik Drive: Model ID ST9120823ASG (**older one 120gb**) Model ID WD32000BEKT (new 320gb with fresh OS)

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• Reliable access to Internet but not local network (not DNS or proxy issues)

  - by Ian Goldby

  I'm looking for help with a Vista Home Premium laptop that has trouble accessing any resource on our home network, but accesses the Internet just fine. The set-up is this: The Vista laptop and a MacBook Pro connect wirelessly to the router-modem. A Synology DS212j NAS drive has a wired connection to the router-modem. Devices on the local network are always referred to by IP address, so this cannot be a DNS issue. The MacBook Pro connects reliably to the NA via AFP (network shared folders), SMB (network shared folders) and HTTP. The Vista laptop connects to and browses sites on the Internet without any problems. It can log into the NAS via SMB and list the shared folders (so there is nothing wrong with the log-in credentials), but when it tries to open any of the folders Explorer just hangs with the spinning cursor for several minutes and then says "\192.168.1.64\shared\Photos is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions. The specified network name is no longer available." It can ping the NAS successfully. If I try to open the NAS drive's web interface, the browser just hangs. This is the same with IE, Firefox and Chrome. (There is no proxy.) I can log into the NAS drive with FTP and navigate directories, but when I try to list the contents of a directory with more than a handful of entries, the ftp client hangs. I set up a website on the MacBook. The Vista laptop was able to load some of the pages, but loading any of the images was very hit and miss. Images embedded in HTML pages never worked no matter how many times I reloaded the page, but when I linked directly to the image it did load (though several attempts were sometimes needed). I tried all of this with the Windows Firewall turned off, and with AVG turned off. That made no difference. I'd really appreciate any suggestions anyone can make. The fact that the Vista laptop has trouble with HTTP and FTP as well as SMB connections suggests to me that this is a problem at the TCP level or below. But don't forget it accesses sites outside the LAN with no problems.

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• Computer randomly reboots during "intensive activity".

  - by Reznor

  My friend has been playing games on his new build for some time now. However, lately, his computer will randomly reboot out of nowhere, so far only happening in game, and presumably only to happen in game as it happens nowhere else. This can happen in game during play or even in the options. Note, it isn't a crash or blue screen. It's just a normal reboot. This started today, I believe, and has only occured in two games: Dead Space and Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. He has played a handful of games before these, for about a week or so, without this problem. We theorized on two possibilities: Maybe something is overheating? Maybe the power supply is inadequate? These two were quickly dismissed, as all his components were operating at normal temperatures when he got back to his desktop from the reboot, and we all know these parts don't exactly cool down quickly, especially if they get hot enough to trigger a reboot. Besides, I know at-least my motherboard reports processor overheating at start-up, and requests I press f1 to continue into boot. The PSU one was dismissed too. He has an 850w power supply on a rig that was estimated to take only 720 some watts, that's with some overcompensating to be safe. He opened up his case to make sure nothing was seated wrong or in the way. All was fine, but he did notice a sticker on his video card. It had a giant barcode on it and some numbers. Now, I'm used to seeing these stickers, they're the warranty stickers, right, and removal voids the warranty? Yeah, well, we find it odd because this sticker is slapped right over the circuits of the video card, not on a block or anything. Is this normal? Should he remove it? Right now, I am concerned with the memory. Could that be at fault? Here are his specs: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit Intel i7 950 EVGA GeForce 570 GTX 4 GB DDR3 PC10666 dual-channel Corsair RAM Corsair 850w PSU Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Western Digital 1 TB WD1001FALS

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• Internet Pings but Does Not Load

  - by t3techcom18

  From what I've been seeing and been doing my research for the past two days, many people have been having the same issues throughout the years, however, this is the first time I've encountered this issue and many of the specific workarounds or fixes have not worked for me. I've been trying to work through this for 24 hours straight now, but to no avail so many thanks to those that can help. On Monday night, got home from work; surfing the internet for half an hour, everything was fine as always. Just after half an hour, my Internet got very sluggish and then it died completely. I thought it might have been the an update I just put through in terms of Windows Update that said was a critical update for MSE, as the same thing happened a few years ago. I did a System Restore to two different dates that were in the past two weeks, nothing. Uninstalled MSE and disabled Windows Defender and the Windows Firewall: Nothing. Reset IE Options, Reset Winsock, Dumping DNS, many of the other command prompt screens to reset items: Nothing. Reset the modem: Nothing. What DID work, however, was a ping test to Yahoo. The ping test worked, saying all four packets was recieved, yet nothing else popped up. LAN and CenturyLink said everything worked on their end and that everything was connected properly, as well as the speeds working fine. CenturyLink said in their notes that they thought Port 80 was blocked. I went and put in the Firewall to allow Port 80 but it didn't make any difference whatsoever. I remembered I had a spare modem laying around and I switched them up, both modem and the cords - nothing. I then hooked it up to my netbook to see if that would work, as it usually does - connection didn't work there either. Like I said, it's been about 24 hours now and this is increasingly frustrating, as I've tried all solutions (While browsing through 10 search results pages on my phone) suggested and still nothing. Any suggestions and tricks would be greatly appreciated! Here's my specs: Windows 7 32-bit Home Premium Intel Core 2 Duo 3.14 Ghz 4 GB Kingston DDR2 RAM eVGA nForce 750i SLI eVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB ISP: CenturyLink No router Modem: CenturyLink 660 Series Hardwired connection PLEASE NOTE: This is the only computer I have (Like I said, the netbook solution didn't work), so downloading programs and such is not an option til I get to other computers somewhere else, like right now. Unless someone knows of a way of copying/pasting a file in Windows and then transferring said info to an Android smartphone, this is gunna take a while haha. Patience is requested.

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• Jquery Slidetoggle open 1 div and close another

  - by Stephen

  I'm trying to close one div when clicking on another div . Currently, it opens multiple divs at one time. JQUERY: $(document).ready(function() { $(".dropdown dt a").click(function() { var dropID = $(this).closest("dl").attr("id"); $("#"+dropID+" dd ul").slideToggle(200); return false; }); $(".dropdown dd ul li a").click(function() { var dropID = $(this).closest("dl").attr("id"); var text = $(this).html(); var selVal = $(this).find(".dropdown_value").html(); $("#"+dropID+" dt a").html(text); $("#"+dropID+" dd ul").hide(); return false; }); $("dl[class!=dropdown]").click(function() { $(".dropdown dd ul").hide(); return false; }); $("id!=quotetoolContainer").click(function() { $(".dropdown dd ul").hide(); return false; }); $('body').click(function() { $(".dropdown dd ul").hide(); return false; }); $('.productSelection').children().hover(function() { $(this).siblings().stop().fadeTo(200,0.5); }, function() { $(this).siblings().stop().fadeTo(200,1); }); }); HTML: <div id="quotetoolContainer"> <div class="top"></div> <div id="quotetool"> <h2>Instant Price Calculator</h2> <p>Document Type</p> <dl id="docType" class="dropdown"> <dt><a href="#"><span>Select a Document Type</span></a></dt> <dd> <ul> <li><a href="#" id="1">Datasheets<span class="value">Datasheets</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Manuals<span class="value">Manuals</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Brochures<span class="value">Brochures</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Newsletters<span class="value">Newsletters</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Booklets<span class="value">Booklets</span></a></li> </ul> </dd> </dl> <p>Flat Size</p> <dl id="flatSize" class="dropdown"> <dt><a href="#">8.5" x 11"<span class="value">8.5" x 11"</span></a></dt> <dd> <ul> <li><a href="#">8.5" x 11"<span class="value">8.5" x 11"</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">11" x 17"<span class="value">11" x 17"</span></a></li> </ul> </dd> </dl> <p>Full Color or Black &amp; White?</p> <dl id="color" class="dropdown"> <dt><a href="#">Full Color<span class="value">Full Color</span></a></dt> <dd> <ul> <li><a href="#">Full Color<span class="value">Full Color</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Black &amp; White<span class="value">Black &amp; White</span></a></li> </ul> </dd> </dl> <p>Paper</p> <dl id="paper" class="dropdown"> <dt><a href="#">Value White Paper (20 lb.)<span class="value">Value White Paper (20 lb.)</span></a></dt> <dd> <ul> <li><a href="#">Value White Paper (20 lb.)<span class="value">Value White Paper (20 lb.)</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Premium White Paper (28 lb.)<span class="value">Premium White Paper (28 lb.)</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Glossy White Text (80 lb.) - Recycled<span class="value">Glossy White Text (80 lb.) - Recycled</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Glossy White Cover (80 lb.) - Recycled<span class="value">Glossy White Cover (80 lb.) - Recycled</span></a></li> </ul> </dd> </dl> <p>Folding</p> <dl id="folding" class="dropdown"> <dt><a href="#">Fold in Half<span class="value">Fold in Half</span></a></dt> <dd> <ul> <li><a href="#">Fold in Half<span class="value">Fold in Half</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Tri-Fold<span class="value">Tri-Fold</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Z-Fold<span class="value">Z-Fold</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Double-Parallel Fold<span class="value">Double-Parallel Fold</span></a></li> </ul> </dd> </dl> <p>Three-Hole Drill</p> <dl id="drill" class="dropdown"> <dt><a href="#">No<span class="value">No</span></a></dt> <dd> <ul> <li><a href="#">No<span class="value">No</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">Yes<span class="value">Yes</span></a></li> </ul> </dd> </dl> <p>Qty</p> <dl id="quantity" class="dropdown"> <dt><a href="#">50<span class="value">50</span></a></dt> <dd> <ul> <li><a href="#">50<span class="value">50</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">100<span class="value">100</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">150<span class="value">150</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">200<span class="value">200</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">250<span class="value">250</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">500<span class="value">500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">750<span class="value">750</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">1,000<span class="value">1,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">1,500<span class="value">1,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">2,000<span class="value">2,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">2,500<span class="value">2,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">3,000<span class="value">3,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">3,500<span class="value">3,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">4,000<span class="value">4,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">4,500<span class="value">4,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">5,000<span class="value">5,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">5,500<span class="value">5,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">6,000<span class="value">6,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">6,500<span class="value">6,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">7,000<span class="value">7,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">7,500<span class="value">7,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">8,000<span class="value">8,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">8,500<span class="value">8,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">9,000<span class="value">9,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">9,500<span class="value">9,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">10,000<span class="value">10,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">12,500<span class="value">12,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">15,000<span class="value">15,000</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">17,500<span class="value">17,500</span></a></li> <li><a href="#">20,000<span class="value">20,000</span></a></li> </ul> </dd> </dl> <div id="priceTotal"> <div class="priceText">Your Price:</div> <div class="price">$29.00</div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div id="buttonQuoteStart"><a href="#" title="Start Printing">Start Printing</a></div> </div> <div class="bottom"></div> </div>

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• Install XP Mode with VirtualBox Using the VMLite Plugin

  - by Mysticgeek

  Would you like to run XP Mode, but prefer Sun’s VirtualBox for virtualization?  Thanks to the free VMLite plugin, you can quickly and easily run XP Mode in or alongside VirtualBox. Yesterday we showed you one method to install XP Mode in VirtualBox, unfortunately in that situation you lose XP’s activation, and it isn’t possible to reactivate it. Today we show you a tried and true method for running XP mode in VirtualBox and integrating it seamlessly with Windows 7. Note: You need to have Windows 7 Professional or above to use XP Mode in this manner. Install XP Mode Make sure you’re logged in with Administrator rights for the entire process. The first thing you’ll want to do is install XP Mode on your system (link below). You don’t need to install Windows Virtual PC. Go through and install XP Mode using the defaults. Install VirtualBox Next you’ll need to install VirtualBox 3.1.2 or higher if it isn’t installed already. If you have an older version of VirtualBox installed, make sure to update it. During setup you’re notified that your network connection will be reset. Check the box next to Always trust software from “Sun Microsystems, Inc.” then click Install.   Setup only takes a couple of minutes, and does not require a reboot…which is always nice. Install VMLite XP Mode Plugin The next thing we’ll need to install is the VMLite XP Mode Plugin. Again Installation is simple following the install wizard. During the install like with VirtualBox you’ll be asked to install the device software. After it’s installed go to the Start menu and run VMLite Wizard as Administrator. Select the location of the XP Mode Package which by default should be in C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode. Accept the EULA…and notice that it’s meant for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. Next, name the machine, choose the install folder, and type in a password. Select if you want Automatic Updates turned on or not. Wait while the process completes then click Finish.   The VMLite XP Mode will set up to run the first time. That is all there is to this section. You can run XP Mode from within the VMLite Workstation right away. XP Mode is fully activated already, and the Guest Additions are already installed, so there’s nothing else you need to do!  XP Mode is the whole way ready to use. Integration with VirtualBox Since we installed the VMLite Plugin, when you open VirtualBox you’ll see it listed as one of your machines and you can start it up from here.   Here we see VMLite XP Mode running in Sun VirtualBox. Integrate with Windows 7 To integrate it with Windows 7 click on Machine \ Seamless Mode…   Here you can see the XP menu and Taskbar will be placed on top of Windows 7. From here you can access what you need from XP Mode.   Here we see XP running on Virtual Box in Seamless Mode. We have the old XP WordPad sitting next to the new Windows 7 version of WordPad. This works so seamlessly you forget if your working in XP or Windows 7. In this example we have Windows Home Server Console running in Windows 7, while installing MSE from IE 6 in XP Mode. At the top of the screen you will still have access to the VMs controls.   You can click the button to exit Seamless Mode, or simply hit the right “CTRL+L” Conclusion This is a very slick way to run XP Mode in VirtualBox on any machine that doesn’t have Hardware Virtualization. This method also doesn’t lose the XP Mode activation and is actually extremely easy to set up. If you prefer VMware (like we do), Check out how to run XP Mode on machines without Hardware Virtualization capability, and also how to create an XP Mode for Vista and Windows 7 Home Premium. Links Download XP Mode Download VirtualBox Download VMLite XP Mode Plugin for VirtualBox (Site Registration Required) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Search for Install Packages from the Ubuntu Command LineHow To Run XP Mode in VirtualBox on Windows 7 (sort of)Install and Use the VLC Media Player on Ubuntu LinuxInstall Monodevelop on Ubuntu LinuxInstall Flash Plugin Manually in Firefox on Vista TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Enable Check Box Selection in Windows 7 OnlineOCR – Free OCR Service Betting on the Blind Side, a Vanity Fair article 30 Minimal Logo Designs that Say More with Less LEGO Digital Designer – Free Create a Personal Website Quickly using Flavors.me

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• Install XP Mode with VirtualBox Using the VMLite Plugin

  - by Mysticgeek

  Would you like to run XP Mode, but prefer Sun’s VirtualBox for virtualization?  Thanks to the free VMLite plugin, you can quickly and easily run XP Mode in or alongside VirtualBox. Yesterday we showed you one method to install XP Mode in VirtualBox, unfortunately in that situation you lose XP’s activation, and it isn’t possible to reactivate it. Today we show you a tried and true method for running XP mode in VirtualBox and integrating it seamlessly with Windows 7. Note: You need to have Windows 7 Professional or above to use XP Mode in this manner. Install XP Mode Make sure you’re logged in with Administrator rights for the entire process. The first thing you’ll want to do is install XP Mode on your system (link below). You don’t need to install Windows Virtual PC. Go through and install XP Mode using the defaults. Install VirtualBox Next you’ll need to install VirtualBox 3.1.2 or higher if it isn’t installed already. If you have an older version of VirtualBox installed, make sure to update it. During setup you’re notified that your network connection will be reset. Check the box next to Always trust software from “Sun Microsystems, Inc.” then click Install.   Setup only takes a couple of minutes, and does not require a reboot…which is always nice. Install VMLite XP Mode Plugin The next thing we’ll need to install is the VMLite XP Mode Plugin. Again Installation is simple following the install wizard. During the install like with VirtualBox you’ll be asked to install the device software. After it’s installed go to the Start menu and run VMLite Wizard as Administrator. Select the location of the XP Mode Package which by default should be in C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode. Accept the EULA…and notice that it’s meant for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. Next, name the machine, choose the install folder, and type in a password. Select if you want Automatic Updates turned on or not. Wait while the process completes then click Finish.   The VMLite XP Mode will set up to run the first time. That is all there is to this section. You can run XP Mode from within the VMLite Workstation right away. XP Mode is fully activated already, and the Guest Additions are already installed, so there’s nothing else you need to do!  XP Mode is the whole way ready to use. Integration with VirtualBox Since we installed the VMLite Plugin, when you open VirtualBox you’ll see it listed as one of your machines and you can start it up from here.   Here we see VMLite XP Mode running in Sun VirtualBox. Integrate with Windows 7 To integrate it with Windows 7 click on Machine \ Seamless Mode…   Here you can see the XP menu and Taskbar will be placed on top of Windows 7. From here you can access what you need from XP Mode.   Here we see XP running on Virtual Box in Seamless Mode. We have the old XP WordPad sitting next to the new Windows 7 version of WordPad. This works so seamlessly you forget if your working in XP or Windows 7. In this example we have Windows Home Server Console running in Windows 7, while installing MSE from IE 6 in XP Mode. At the top of the screen you will still have access to the VMs controls.   You can click the button to exit Seamless Mode, or simply hit the right “CTRL+L” Conclusion This is a very slick way to run XP Mode in VirtualBox on any machine that doesn’t have Hardware Virtualization. This method also doesn’t lose the XP Mode activation and is actually extremely easy to set up. If you prefer VMware (like we do), Check out how to run XP Mode on machines without Hardware Virtualization capability, and also how to create an XP Mode for Vista and Windows 7 Home Premium. Links Download XP Mode Download VirtualBox Download VMLite XP Mode Plugin for VirtualBox (Site Registration Required) Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Search for Install Packages from the Ubuntu Command LineHow To Run XP Mode in VirtualBox on Windows 7 (sort of)Install and Use the VLC Media Player on Ubuntu LinuxInstall Monodevelop on Ubuntu LinuxInstall Flash Plugin Manually in Firefox on Vista TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Enable Check Box Selection in Windows 7 OnlineOCR – Free OCR Service Betting on the Blind Side, a Vanity Fair article 30 Minimal Logo Designs that Say More with Less LEGO Digital Designer – Free Create a Personal Website Quickly using Flavors.me

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• AGENT: The World's Smartest Watch

  - by Rob Chartier

  AGENT: The World's Smartest Watch by Secret Labs + House of Horology Disclaimer: Most if not all of this content has been gleaned from the comments on the Kickstarter project page and comments section. Any discrepancies between this post and any documentation on agentwatches.com, kickstarter.com, etc.., those official sites take precedence. Overview The next generation smartwatch with brand-new technology. World-class developer tools, unparalleled battery life, Qi wireless charging. Kickstarter Page, Comments Funding period : May 21, 2013 - Jun 20, 2013 MSRP : $249 Other Urls http://www.agentwatches.com/ https://www.facebook.com/agentwatches http://twitter.com/agentwatches http://pinterest.com/agentwatches/ http://paper.li/robchartier/1371234640 Developer Story The first official launch of the preview SDK and emulator will happen on 20-Jun-2013.  All development will be done in Visual Studio 2012, using the .NET Micro Framework SDK 2.3.  The SDK will ship with the first round of the expected API for developers along with an emulator. With that said, there is no need to wait for the SDK.  You can download the tooling now and get started with Apps and Faces immediately.  The only thing that you will not be able to work with is the API; but for example, watch faces, you can start building the basic face rendering with the Bitmap graphics drawing in the .NET Micro Framework.   Does it look good? Before we dig into any more of the gory details, here are a few photos of the current available prototype models.   The watch on the tiny QI Charter   If you wander too far away from your phone, your watch will let you know with a vibration and a message, all but one button will dismiss the message.   An app showing the premium weather data!   Nice stitching on the straps, leather and silicon will be available, along with a few lengths to choose from (short, regular, long lengths). On to those gory details…. Hardware Specs Processor 120MHz ARM Cortex-M4 processor (ATSAM4SD32) with secondary AVR co-processor Flash & RAM 2MB of onboard flash and 160KB of RAM 1/4 of the onboard flash will be used by the OS The flash is permanent (non-volatile) storage. Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 BD/EDR + LE Bluetooth 4.0 is backwards compatible with Bluetooth 2.1, so classic Bluetooth functions (BD/EDR, SPP/AVRCP/PBAP/etc.) will work fine. Sensors 3D Accelerometer (Motion) ST LSM303DLHC Ambient Light Sensor Hardware power metering Vibration Motor (You can pulse it to create vibration patterns, not sure about the vibration strength - driven with PWM) No piezo/speaker or microphone. Other QI Wireless Charging, no NFC, no wall adapter included Custom LED Backlight No GPS in the watch. It uses the GPS in your phone. AGENT watch apps are deployed and debugged wirelessly from your PC via Bluetooth. RoHS, Pb-free Battery Expected to use a CR2430-sized rechargeable battery – replaceable (Mouser, Amazon) Estimated charging time from empty is 2 hours with provided charger 7 Days typical with Bluetooth on, 30 days with Bluetooth off (watch-face only mode) The battery should last at least 2 years, with 100s of charge cycles. Physical dimensions Roughly 38mm top-to-bottom on the front face 35mm left-to-right on the front face and around 12mm in depth 22mm strap Two ~1/16" hex screws to attach the watch pin The top watchcase material candidates are PVD stainless steel, brushed matte ceramic, and high-quality polycarbonate (TBD). The glass lens is mineral glass, Anti-glare glass lens Strap options Leather and silicon straps will be available Expected to have three sizes Display 1.28" Sharp Memory Display The display stays on 100% of the time. Dimensions: 128x128 pixels Buttons Custom "Pusher" buttons, they will not make noise like a mouse click, and are very durable. The top-left button activates the backlight; bottom-left changes apps; three buttons on the right are up/select/down and can be used for custom purposes by apps. Backup reset procedure is currently activated by holding the home/menu button and the top-right user button for about ten seconds Device Support Android 2.3 or newer iPhone 4S or newer Windows Phone 8 or newer Heart Rate monitors - Bluetooth SPP or Bluetooth LE (GATT) is what you'll want the heart monitor to support. Almost limitless Bluetooth device support! Internationalization & Localization Full UTF8 Support from the ground up. AGENT's user interface is in English. Your content (caller ID, music tracks, notifications) will be in your native language. We have a plan to cover most major character sets, with Latin characters pre-loaded on the watch. Simplified Chinese will be available Feature overview Phone lost alert Caller ID Music Control (possible volume control) Wireless Charging Timer Stopwatch Vibrating Alarm (possibly custom vibrations for caller id) A few default watch faces Airplane mode (by demand or low power) Can be turned off completely Customizable 3rd party watch faces, applications which can be loaded over bluetooth. Sample apps that maybe installed Weather Sample Apps not installed Exercise App Other Possible Skype integration over Bluetooth. They will provide an AGENT app for your smartphone (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone). You'll be able to use it to load apps onto the watch.. You will be able to cancel phone calls. With compatible phones you can also answer, end, etc. They are adopting the standard hands-free profile to provide these features and caller ID.

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• How to Play FLAC Files in Windows 7 Media Center & Player

  - by Mysticgeek

  An annoyance for music lovers who enjoy FLAC format, is there’s no native support for WMP or WMC. If you’re a music enthusiast who prefers FLAC format, we’ll look at adding support to Windows 7 Media Center and Player. For the following article we are using Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit edition. Download and Install madFLAC v1.8 The first thing we need to do is download and install the madFLAC v1.8 decoder (link below). Just unzip the file and run install.bat… You’ll get a message that it has been successfully registered, click Ok. To verify everything is working, open up one of your FLAC files with WMP, and you’ll get the following message. Check the box Don’t ask me again for this extension and click Yes. Now Media Player should play the track you’ve chosen.   Delete Current Music Library But what if you want to add your entire collection of FLAC files to the Library? If you already have it set up as your default music player, unfortunately we need to remove the current library and delete the database. The best way to manage the music library in Windows 7 is via WMP 12. Since we don’t want to delete songs from the computer we need to Open WMP, press “Alt+T” and navigate to Tools \ Options \ Library.   Now uncheck the box Delete files from computer when deleted from library and click Ok. Now in your Library click “Ctrl + A” to highlight all of the songs in the Library, then hit the “Delete” key. If you have a lot of songs in your library (like on our system) you’ll see the following dialog box while it collects all of the information.   After all of the data is collected, make sure the radio button next to Delete from library only is marked and click Ok. Again you’ll see the Working progress window while the songs are deleted. Deleting Current Database Now we need to make sure we’re starting out fresh. Close out of Media Player, then we’ll basically follow the same directions The Geek pointed out for fixing the WMP Library. Click on Start and type in services.msc into the search box and hit Enter. Now scroll down and stop the service named Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service. Now, navigate to the following directory and the main file to delete CurrentDatabase_372.wmdb %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Media Player\ Again, the main file to delete is CurrentDatabase_372.wmdb, though if you want, you can delete them all. If you’re uneasy about deleting these files, make sure to back them up first. Now after you restart WMP you can begin adding your FLAC files. For those of us with large collections, it’s extremely annoying to see WMP try to pick up all of your media by default. To delete the other directories go to Organize \ Manage Libraries then open the directories you want to remove. For example here we’re removing the default libraries it tries to check for music. Remove the directories you don’t want it to gather contents from in each of the categories. We removed all of the other collections and only added the FLAC music directory from our home server. SoftPointer Tag Support Plugin Even though we were able to get FLAC files to play in WMP and WMC at this point, there’s another utility from SoftPointer to add. It enables FLAC (and other file formats) to be picked up in the library much easier. It has a long name but is effective –M4a/FLAC/Ogg/Ape/Mpc Tag Support Plugin for Media Player and Media Center (link below). Just install it by accepting the defaults, and you’ll be glad you did. After installing it, and re-launching Media Player, give it some time to collect all of the data from your FLAC directory…it can take a while. In fact, if your collection is huge, just walk away and let it do its thing. If you try to use it right away, WMP slows down considerably while updating the library.   Once the library is setup you’ll be able to play your FLAC tunes in Windows 7 Media Center as well and Windows Media Player 12.   Album Art One caveat is that some of our albums didn’t show any cover art. But we were usually able to get it by right-clicking the album and selecting Find album info.   Then confirming the album information is correct…   Conclusion Although this seems like several steps to go through to play FLAC files in Windows 7 Media Center and Player, it seems to work really well after it’s set up. We haven’t tried this with a 64-bit machine, but the process should be similar, but you might want to make sure the codecs you use are 64-bit. We’re sure there are other methods out there that some of you use, and if so leave us a comment and tell us about it. Download madFlac V1.8  M4a/FLAC/Ogg/Ape/Mpc Tag Support Plugin for Media Player and Media Center from SoftPointer Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips How to Play .OGM Video Files in Windows VistaFixing When Windows Media Player Library Won’t Let You Add FilesUsing Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia)Kantaris is a Unique Media Player Based on VLCEasily Change Audio File Formats with XRECODE TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional OutSync will Sync Photos of your Friends on Facebook and Outlook Windows 7 Easter Theme YoWindoW, a real time weather screensaver Optimize your computer the Microsoft way Stormpulse provides slick, real time weather data Geek Parents – Did you try Parental Controls in Windows 7?

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• Social Network Updates: While You Were Busy Marketing 2

  - by Mike Stiles

  Since social moves at the speed of data, it’s already time for another update, as we did back in April, on the changes the various social networks have made or gone through while you were busy marketing. Facebook There’s a lot of talk Facebook’s developing a mobile product to act like Flipboard and surface news, from both users and media outlets. The biggest news was Facebook/Instagram’s introduction of 15-second videos, enhanced with with filters, to take some of Vine’s candy. You can also delete parts of videos and rerecord them, and there’s image stabilization. Facebook’s ad revenue is coming along just fine, thank you very much. 35% quarter-to-quarter growth in Q2. And it looks like new formats like Mobile App Install Ads and Unpublished Page Posts are adding to the mix. If you don’t already, you’ll soon see a little camera in comment boxes letting you insert photos right into the comments you make. The drive toward “more visual” continues. The other big news is Facebook’s adoption of our Twitter friend, the hashtag. Adding # sets apart the post topic so it can be easily found or discovered. It’s also being added to Google Plus, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Twitter Want to send someone a promoted tweet when they’re in range of your store? That could be happening by the end of this year. Some users have been seeing automatic in-stream previews of images on Twitter.com. Right now it’s images in your own tweets, but we can assume all tweets are next. Get your followers organized! Twitter raised the limit on the number of lists you can create from 20 to 1,000. They also raised the number of accounts you can have in a list from 500 to 5,000. Twitter started notifying you when someone favorites a tweet you’re mentioned in or re-tweets a tweet you re-tweeted. Anyway, it’s the first time Twitter’s notified you about indirect interactions like that. Who’s afraid of Instagram? A study shows 6-second Vine videos are being posted to Twitter at the rate of 9/second, up from 5/second 2 months ago. Vine has over 13 million users and branded Vines are 4x more likely to be shared than video ads. Google Plus Now featuring a 3-column redesigned stream, and images that take up a whole column. And photo filters Auto Highlight and Auto Awesome work to turn your photos into a real show. Google Hangouts is the workhorse for all Google messaging now, it’s not just an online chat with 9 people anymore. Google Plus Dashboard improves the connection between your company’s Google Plus business page and your Google Plus Local. Updates go out across all Google properties and you can do your managing from the dashboard. With Google Plus’ authorship system, you can build “Author Rank” based on what you write and put on the web. If your stuff is +1’ed and shared a lot, you’re the real deal and there are search result benefits. LinkedIn "Who's Viewed Your Updates" shows you what you’ve shared recently, who saw it and what they did about it in real-time. “Influencers” is, well, influential. Traffic to all LI news products has gone up 8x since it was introduced. LinkedIn is quickly figuring out how to get users to stick around awhile. You and your brand can post images and documents in status updates now. In fact, that whole “document posting” thing is making some analysts wonder if LinkedIn will drift on over to the Dropboxes and YouSendIts of the world. C’mon, admit it. Your favorite part of LinkedIn is being able to see who’s viewed your profile. Now you’ve got even more info and can see what/who you have in common. Premium users get even deeper insights about how people are finding them. If you’re a big fan of security, you’ll love that LinkedIn started offering two-factor authentication (2FA). It’s optional, but step 2 is a one-time code texted to your registered mobile. Pinterest A study showed pins have a looong shelf life compared to other social net posts. “Clicks kept coming for 30 days and beyond.” Most pins are timeless, and the infinite scroll causes people to see older pins. Is it a keeper? Pinterest jumped 82% to 54 million users in the past year. It’s valued at $2.5 billion and is one of the biggest sources of referral traffic there is. That said, CEO Ben Silbermann adds, "Right now, we don't make money." A new search feature stops you from having to endlessly scroll through your own pins looking for that waterfall picture you posted. Simply select “just my pins” in the search bar. New "Rich Pins" lets brands add info like price and availability to pins that can be updated daily via a data feed from your merchant site. Not so fast, you have to apply to Pinterest for it first. Like other social nets, Pinterest does not allow sexual content, nudity, or even partial nudity. However…some art contains nudity, and Pinterest wants to allow art. What constitutes “art” will be judged by…what we have to assume are Pinterest employees who love their job. @mikestilesPhoto: stock.xchng, Tim Marmon

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• HR According to Batman

  - by D'Arcy Lussier

  Any idea who that guy is running alongside the Caped Crusader? That’s Nightwing, but you may know him as Robin…well, the first Robin anyway. There were actually like 5 Robin’s according to Wikipedia: Dick Grayson, the original, who’s parents were circus performers killed by a gangster. Jason Todd, who was caught trying to steal tires off of the Batmobile. Tim Drake, who saw Dick’s parents die and figured out who Batman and Robin were. and a few others that get into recent time travel/altered reality storylines. What does this have to do with HR? Well, it somewhat ties in with an article by Alex Papadimoulis from 2008. In the article he talks about the “Cravath System”. The Craveth system was developed by a law firm called Cravath, Swaine & Moore back in the 19th century. In a nutshell, they believed in hiring the best and brightest straight out of school. These aspiring lawyers would then begin a fight for survival in the firm, with the strong surviving. In what’s termed the “Up and Out” rule, employees needed to be promoted within 3 years or leave the company. They should achieve partner within 7 – 8 years and no later than 10 after initially coming on board (read all about the system on Wikipedia here). Back to Alex’s article, he quotes from a book published in 1947 about the lawfirm: Under the “Cravath system” of taking a substantial number of men annually and keeping a current constantly moving up in the office, and its philosophy of tenure, men are constantly leaving… it is often difficult to keep the best men long enough to determine whether they shall be made partners, for Cravath-trained men are always in demand, usually at premium salaries. And so we see a pattern forming here: 1. Hire a whole whack of smart college graduates 2. Put them to work 3. The ones that stick around should move up the ladder. The ones that don’t stick around served the company well and left to expound the quality of the Cravath firm. Those that didn’t fall into either of those categories were just let go. There’s some interesting undercurrents to these ideas. If you stick around, you better keep your feet moving! I was at a Microsoft shindig a few months back, and was talking to a Microsoft employee. He shared that at MS you have 5 years to achieve a “senior” position within the company. Once you hit that mark, you can stay there for the rest of your career (he told about a guy who’s a “senior” developer and has been for the last 20+ years working on audio drivers for Windows), but you *must* hit that mark within the timeframe. What we see with Microsoft is Cravath’s system in action, whether intentional or not: bring in smart young people and see which ones stick. You need to give people something to work towards. Saying “You must reach this level or else!” is one way to look at it. The other way is to see achieving a higher rank in the organization as something for ambitious employees to reach towards. It’s important for an organization to always have the next generation of executives waiting in the wings, and unless you’re encouraging that early on you may find yourself in a position of needing to fill positions that nobody has been working towards. Now, you might suggest that this isn’t that big of a deal because you could just hire someone from outside the organization, but the Cravath system holds to the tenet of promoting internally; develop your own talent, since your business is the best place for the future leadership to learn teh business from. It’s OK for people to quit. Alex’s article really drives this point home, but its worth noting here also: its OK for your people to quit. In fact its inevitable…and more inevitable that it’ll be good people that leave. Some will stay and work towards the internal awards of promotion, but a number will get experience, serve the organization well, and then move on to something else. This should be expected and treated as a natural business occurrence. The idea of an alumni of an organization begins to come into play here: “That guy used to work for <insert company here>”. There’s a benefit in that: those best and brightest will be drawn to your organization and your reputation will permeate your market through former staff that are sought after because of how well you nurtured them. The Batman Hook All of this brings us back to Batman and his HR practice: when Dick decided he’d had enough of the Robin schtick, he quit and became his own…but he was always associated with Batman and people understood where his training had come from. To the Dark Knight’s credit, he continued training partners under the Robin brand. Luckily he didn’t have to worry about firing any of them (the ship sort of sails when you reveal a secret identity), although there was that unfortunate “quitting” of the second Robin when the Joker blew him up…but regardless, we see the Cravath system at work: bring in talent, expect great things, and be ok with whatever they decide for their careers. It’s an interesting way to approach HR, and luckily for us our business isn’t as dangerous or over-the-top as the caped crusader’s.

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• How to find domain registrar and DNS hosting with good DNSSEC support?

  - by rsp

  Simplified problem I want to buy a domain and make a website that is fully secured with DNSSEC. Background I've been hearing about the insecurity of DNS for years. I've watched all of the talks by Dan Kaminsky and others from DNS exploits to The future of DNS Security Panel. I knew that using DNS without security is a disaster waiting to happen. I followed the development of the DNSSEC standard. I celebrated the key signing ceremony. Everything was on the right track to finally have a secure DNS system in place. And now more than 2 years later I wanted to just do what everyone said I should do: use DNSSEC for a new domain. So I need a domain registrar and a DNS hosting service that supports DNSSEC. Surprisingly it is not that easy to even find out who does support DNSSEC. It was actually much easier to find info on DNSSEC two years ago when everyone was going to support DNSSEC Real Soon Now but now years passed and I hardly see any progress done. I just hope that I was just looking in the wrong places and someone here will explain all of the doubts. I hope that other people who want to have a secure website will also find this question useful. What is needed registrar and DNS servers with full DNSSEC support for .com domains What is not needed IPv6 support Web hosting anything more What I found out so far Go Daddy offers Premium DNS service for additional $36 per year that lets you "Secure up to 5 domains with DNSSEC". easyDNS has DNSSEC available in Beta across all service levels (you need to enable the "beta" flag in configuration) but it doesn't seem to be production ready and judging from the lack of updates it isn't a feature of highest priority (the last update from March 2011 on the easyDNS blog). Name.com - according to The Register (US domain registrar does IPv6, DNSSEC) it has DNSSEC support since 2010 but right now (October 2012) I couldn't find anything related to DNSSEC on their website. Dynadot that is very often recommended doesn't support DNSSEC Namecheap that is also often recommended doesn't support DNSSEC. The support answer from 2011 suggested that it was being added but in 2012 still no ETA is given to customers. DynDNS was supposed to support DNSSEC, I found a link explaining DNSSEC support but it gives 404 Not Found page and offers a search box - when searching for DNSSEC I get "No results were found for your query." GKG was recommended online for DNSSEC support but it's hard to find any information on the level of DNSSEC support - there is a brief explanation on what is DNSSEC and how to sign Delegation Signer records in their FAQ but no information about the level of actual support can be found. Ask Slashdot: Which Registrars Support DNSSEC? from July 2011 - Answers list Go Daddy, DynDNS, GKG, Name.com as registrars that support DNSSEC but: see above. Related questions How to find web hosting that meets my requirements? What is needed to add DNSSEC to my site? DNS hosting better managed by Domain provider or Hosting provider? Registrar with good security, DNS hosting, and DNSSEC and IPv6 resolvers? In no. 1 no one is ever mentioning DNS at all. In no. 2 answers only mention the .se TLD, there are very few answers and they seem very outdated. In no. 3 one answer says "On projects that demand higher security, I might look for a web host that supports DNSSEC" but no more information is provided. The only relevant answers are in no. 4 where easyDNS is recommended by someone who has never used them personally. Meanwhile, as of October 2012, the support of DNSSEC is described as "in beta" on the easyDNS feature list. Another one recommends SiteGround but searching their site for DNSSEC returns no results. Other answers recommend web hosting providers that don't meet the requirement of DNSSEC support. Also the question mentioned above lists 9 very specific requirements other than only DNSSEC (like eg. HTTP-only login cookies, two-factor authentications, no DNS record limits, DNS statistics of queries/day, audit trails etc.) which might have excluded many possible recommendations if one is only interested in DNSSEC support. Conclusions I thought that by the end of 2012 the support of DNSSEC among domain registrars and DNS providers would be nearly universal. I am shocked that the support seems virtually nonexistent. Is this a result of some serious problems with the DNSSEC adoption? Or is it just not a hot topic and no one bothers anymore? According to the DNSSEC Scoreboard roughly about 0.1% of .com domains support DNSSEC. Could that be caused by the lack of DNSSEC support among registrars and DNS providers, is the information too hard to find or maybe no one cares? There is even no "dnssec" tag here. Questions The information is surprisingly hard to find. That is why I am asking for first-hand experience and personal recommendations. Has anyone here actually set up a website with DNSSEC, from the domain registration to the configuration of DNS servers? Can anyone recommend any of the registrars mentioned above? Can anyone recommend any registrar not mentioned above?

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• Ranking - an Introduction

  - by PointsToShare

  © 2011 By: Dov Trietsch. All rights reserved Ranking Ranking is quite common in the internet. Readers are asked to rank their latest reading by clicking on one of 5 (sometimes 10) stars. The number of stars is then converted to a number and the average number of stars as selected by all the readers is proudly (or shamefully) displayed for future readers. SharePoint 2007 lacked this feature altogether. SharePoint 2010 allows the users to rank items in a list or documents in a library (the two are actually the same because a library is actually a list). But in SP2010 the computation of the average is done later on a timer rather than on-the-spot as it should be. I suspect that the reason for this shortcoming is that they did not involve a mathematician! Let me explain. Ranking is kept in a related list. When a user rates a document the rank-list is added an item with the item id, the user name, and his number of stars. The fact that a user already ranked an item prevents him from ranking it again. This prevents the creator of the item from asking his mother to rank it a 5 and do it 753 times, thus stacking the ballot. Some systems will allow a user to change his rating and this will be done by updating the rank-list item. Now, when the timer kicks off, the list is spanned and for each item the rank-list items containing this id are summed up and divided by the number of votes thus yielding the new average. This is obviously very time consuming and very server intensive. In the 18th century an early actuary named James Dodson used what the great Augustus De Morgan (of De Morgan’s law) later named Commutation tables. The labor involved in computing a life insurance premium was staggering and also very error prone. Clerks with pencil and paper would multiply and add mountains of numbers to do the task. The more steps the greater the probability of error and the more expensive the process. Commutation tables created a “summary” of many steps and reduced the work 100 fold. So had Microsoft taken a lesson in the history of computation, they would have developed a much faster way for rating that may be done in real-time and is also 100 times faster and less CPU intensive. How do we do this? We use a form of commutation. We always keep the number of votes and the total of stars. One simple division gives us the average. So we write an event receiver. When a vote is added, we just add the stars to the total-stars and 1 to the number of votes. We then recomputed the average. When a vote is updated, we reduce the total by the old vote, increase it by the new vote and leave the number of votes the same. Again we do the division to get the new average. When a vote is deleted (highly unlikely and maybe even prohibited), we reduce the total by that vote and reduce the number of votes by 1… Gone are the days of spanning lists, counting items, and tallying votes and we have no need for a timer process to run it all. This is the first of a few treatises on ranking. Even though I discussed the math and the history thereof, in here I am only going to solve the presentation issue. I wanted to create the CSS and Jscript needed to display the stars, create the various effects like hovering and clicking (onmouseover, onmouseout, onclick, etc.) and I wanted to create a general solution with any number of stars. When I had it all done, I created the ranking game so that I could test it. The game is interesting in and on itself, so here it is (or go to the games page and select “rank the stars”). BTW, when you play it, look at the source code and see how it was all done.  Next, how the 5 stars are displayed in the New and Update forms. When the whole set of articles will be done, you’ll be able to create the complete solution. That’s all folks!

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• What Counts For A DBA: Foresight

  - by drsql

  Of all the valuable attributes of a DBA covered so far in this series, ranging from passion to humility to practicality, perhaps one of the most important attributes may turn out to be the most seemingly-nebulous: foresight. According to Free Dictionary foresight is the "perception of the significance and nature of events before they have occurred". Foresight does not come naturally to most people, as the parent of any teenager will attest. No matter how clearly you see their problems coming they won't listen, and have to fail before eventually (hopefully) learning for themselves. Having graduated from the school of hard knocks, the DBA, the naive teenager no longer, acquires the ability to foretell how events will unfold in response to certain actions or attitudes with the unerring accuracy of a doom-laden prophet. Like Simba in the Lion King, after a few blows to the head, we foretell that a sore head that will be the inevitable consequence of a swing of Rafiki's stick, and we take evasive action. However, foresight is about more than simply learning when to duck. It's about taking the time to understand and prevent the habits that caused the stick to swing in the first place. And based on this definition, I often think there is a lot less foresight on display in my industry than there ought to be. Most DBAs reading this blog will spot a line such as the following in a piece of "working" code, understand immediately why it is less than optimimum, and take evasive action. …WHERE CAST (columnName as int) = 1 However, the programmers who regularly write this sort of code clearly lack that foresight, and this and numerous other examples of similarly-malodorous code prevail throughout our industry (and provide premium-grade fertilizer for the healthy growth of many a consultant's bank account). Sometimes, perhaps harried by impatient managers and painfully tight deadlines, everyone makes mistakes. Yes, I too occasionally write code that "works", but basically stinks. When the problems manifest, it is sometimes accompanied by a sense of grim recognition that somewhere in me existed the foresight to know that that approach would lead to this problem. However, in the headlong rush, warning signs got overlooked, lessons learned previously, which could supply the foresight to the current project, were lost and not applied.   Of course, the problem often is a simple lack of skills, training and knowledge in the relevant technology and/or business space; programmers and DBAs forced to do their best in the face of inadequate training, or to apply their skills in areas where they lack experience. However, often the problem goes deeper than this; I detect in some DBAs and programmers a certain laziness of attitude.   They veer from one project to the next, going with "whatever works", unwilling or unable to take the time to understand where their actions are leading them. Of course, the whole "Agile" mindset is often interpreted to favor flexibility and rapid production over aiming to get things right the first time. The faster you try to travel in the dark, frequently changing direction, the more important it is to have someone who has the foresight to know at least roughly where you are heading. This is doubly true for the data tier which, no matter how you try to deny it, simply cannot be "redone" every month as you learn aspects of the world you are trying to model that, with a little bit of foresight, you would have seen coming.   Sometimes, when as a DBA you can glance briefly at 200 lines of working SQL code and know instinctively why it will cause problems, foresight can feel like magic, but it isn't; it's more like muscle memory. It is acquired as the consequence of good experience, useful communication with those around you, and a willingness to learn continually, through continued education as well as from failure. Foresight can be deployed only by finding time to understand how the lessons learned from other DBAs, and other projects, can help steer the current project in the right direction.   C.S. Lewis once said "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." It cannot be avoided; the quality of what you build now is going to affect you, and others, at some point in the future. Take the time to acquire foresight; it is a love letter to your future self, to say you cared.

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• Enable DreamScene in Any Version of Vista or Windows 7

  - by DigitalGeekery

  Windows DreamScene was a utility available for Vista Ultimate that allowed users to set video as desktop wallpaper. It was dropped in Windows 7, but we’ll take a look at how to play DreamScenes in all versions of Windows 7 or Vista. Downloading DreamScenes First, you’ll need to find some DreamScenes to download. We’ve found some nice ones at both DreamScene.org and DeviantArt. You can find those download links at the end of the article. They’ll come as compressed files, so you’ll need to extract them after downloading. Windows 7 DreamScene Activator If you are running Windows 7 you can use Windows 7 DreamScene Activator. This free portable utility enables DreamScene in both 32 & 64 bit versions of Windows 7. Users can then set either MPG or WMV files as desktop wallpaper. Download and extract the Windows 7 DreamScene Activator (link below). Once extracted, you’ll need to run the application as administrator. Right-click on the .exe and select Run as administrator. Click on Enable DreamScene. This will also restart Windows Explorer if it is open. To play your DreamScene, browse for the file in Windows Explorer, right-click the file and select Set as Desktop Background. Enjoy your new Windows 7 DreamScene.   Although it says it is for Windows 7 only, we were able to get it to work with no problems on Vista Home Premium x32 as well.   You can Pause the DreamScene at anytime by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Pause DreamScene.   When you are ready for a change, click Disable DreamScene and switch back to your previous wallpaper. Using VLC Media Player Users of all versions of Windows 7 & Vista can enable a DreamScene using VLC. Recently, we showed you how to set a video as your desktop wallpaper in VLC.  Since DreamScenes are in MPEG or WMV format, we will use the same tactic to display them as desktop wallpaper. We’ll just need to make a few additional tweaks to the VLC settings. You’ll need to download and install VLC media player if you don’t already have it. You can find the download link below. Next, select Tools > Preferences from the Menu. Select the Video button on the left and then choose DirectX video output from the Output dropdown list. Next, select All under Show Settings at the lower left, then select the Video button on the left pane. Uncheck Show media title on video. This will prevent VLC from constantly showing the title of the video on the screen each time the video loops. Click Save and the restart VLC.   Now we will add the video to our playlist and set it to continuously loop. Select View > Playlist from the Menu. Select the Add file button from the bottom of the Playlist window and select Add file.   Browse for your file and click Open.   Click the Loop button at the bottom so the video plays in a continuous loop.   Now, we’re ready to play the video. After the video starts playing, select Video > DirectX Wallpaper from the Menu, then minimize VLC.   If you’re using Aero Themes, you may get a pop-up warning and Windows will switch automatically to a basic theme.   If looping one video gets to be a little repetitive, you can add multiple videos to your playlist in VLC and loop the entire playlist. Just make sure you toggle the Loop button on the playlist window to Loop All. Now you’ve got a nice DreamScene playing on your desktop. Another cool trick you can do with VLC is take snapshots of favorite movie scenes and set them as backgrounds. When you’re ready to go back to your old wallpaper, maximize VLC, select Video and click DirectX Wallpaper again to turn it off the video background. Occasionally we were left with a black screen and had to manually change our wallpaper back to normal even after turning off the DirectX Wallpaper. Note: Keep in mind that using the VLC method takes up a lot of resources so if you try to run it on older hardware, or say a netbook, you’re not going to get good results. We also tried to use the VLC method in XP, but couldn’t get it to work. If you have leave a comment and let us know. While the DreamScene feature never really caught on in Vista, we find them to be a cool way to pump a little life into your desktop on any version of Vista or Windows 7. Downloads DreamScenes from Dreamscene.org DreamScenes from DeviantArt Download VLC media player Windows 7 DreamScene Activator Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Wait, How do I Turn on DreamScene Again?Enable Run Command on Windows 7 or Vista Start MenuEnable or Disable UAC From the Windows 7 / Vista Command LineUnderstanding Windows Vista Aero Glass RequirementsEnable Mapping to \HostnameC$ Share on Windows 7 or Vista TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips HippoRemote Pro 2.2 Xobni Plus for Outlook All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server Microsoft Office Web Apps Guide Know if Someone Accessed Your Facebook Account Shop for Music with Windows Media Player 12 Access Free Documentaries at BBC Documentaries Rent Cameras In Bulk At CameraRenter Download Songs From MySpace

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• The Virtues and Challenges of Implementing Basel III: What Every CFO and CRO Needs To Know

  - by Jenna Danko

  The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) is a group tasked with providing thought-leadership to the global banking industry.  Over the years, the BCBS has released volumes of guidance in an effort to promote stability within the financial sector.  By effectively communicating best-practices, the Basel Committee has influenced financial regulations worldwide.  Basel regulations are intended to help banks: More easily absorb shocks due to various forms of financial-economic stress Improve risk management and governance Enhance regulatory reporting and transparency In June 2011, the BCBS released Basel III: A global regulatory framework for more resilient banks and banking systems.  This new set of regulations included many enhancements to previous rules and will have both short and long term impacts on the banking industry.  Some of the key features of Basel III include: A stronger capital base More stringent capital standards and higher capital requirements Introduction of capital buffers  Additional risk coverage Enhanced quantification of counterparty credit risk Credit valuation adjustments  Wrong  way risk  Asset Value Correlation Multiplier for large financial institutions Liquidity management and monitoring Introduction of leverage ratio Even more rigorous data requirements To implement these features banks need to embark on a journey replete with challenges. These can be categorized into three key areas: Data, Models and Compliance. Data Challenges Data quality - All standard dimensions of Data Quality (DQ) have to be demonstrated.  Manual approaches are now considered too cumbersome and automation has become the norm. Data lineage - Data lineage has to be documented and demonstrated.  The PPT / Excel approach to documentation is being replaced by metadata tools.  Data lineage has become dynamic due to a variety of factors, making static documentation out-dated quickly.  Data dictionaries - A strong and clean business glossary is needed with proper identification of business owners for the data.  Data integrity - A strong, scalable architecture with work flow tools helps demonstrate data integrity.  Manual touch points have to be minimized.   Data relevance/coverage - Data must be relevant to all portfolios and storage devices must allow for sufficient data retention.  Coverage of both on and off balance sheet exposures is critical.   Model Challenges Model development - Requires highly trained resources with both quantitative and subject matter expertise. Model validation - All Basel models need to be validated. This requires additional resources with skills that may not be readily available in the marketplace.  Model documentation - All models need to be adequately documented.  Creation of document templates and model development processes/procedures is key. Risk and finance integration - This integration is necessary for Basel as the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses (ALLL) is calculated by Finance, yet Expected Loss (EL) is calculated by Risk Management – and they need to somehow be equal.  This is tricky at best from an implementation perspective.  Compliance Challenges Rules interpretation - Some Basel III requirements leave room for interpretation.  A misinterpretation of regulations can lead to delays in Basel compliance and undesired reprimands from supervisory authorities. Gap identification and remediation - Internal identification and remediation of gaps ensures smoother Basel compliance and audit processes.  However business lines are challenged by the competing priorities which arise from regulatory compliance and business as usual work.  Qualification readiness - Providing internal and external auditors with robust evidence of a thorough examination of the readiness to proceed to parallel run and Basel qualification  In light of new regulations like Basel III and local variations such as the Dodd Frank Act (DFA) and Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) in the US, banks are now forced to ask themselves many difficult questions.  For example, executives must consider: How will Basel III play into their Risk Appetite? How will they create project plans for Basel III when they haven’t yet finished implementing Basel II? How will new regulations impact capital structure including profitability and capital distributions to shareholders? After all, new regulations often lead to diminished profitability as well as an assortment of implementation problems as we discussed earlier in this note.  However, by requiring banks to focus on premium growth, regulators increase the potential for long-term profitability and sustainability.  And a more stable banking system: Increases consumer confidence which in turn supports banking activity  Ensures that adequate funding is available for individuals and companies Puts regulators at ease, allowing bankers to focus on banking Stability is intended to bring long-term profitability to banks.  Therefore, it is important that every banking institution takes the steps necessary to properly manage, monitor and disclose its risks.  This can be done with the assistance and oversight of an independent regulatory authority.  A spectrum of banks exist today wherein some continue to debate and negotiate with regulators over the implementation of new requirements, while others are simply choosing to embrace them for the benefits I highlighted above. Do share with me how your institution is coping with and embracing these new regulations within your bank. Dr. Varun Agarwal is a Principal in the Banking Practice for Capgemini Financial Services.  He has over 19 years experience in areas that span from enterprise risk management, credit, market, and to country risk management; financial modeling and valuation; and international financial markets research and analyses.

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• To refund or not to refund this client?

  - by Mahalia Samuels

  I'd really appreciate your advice on an ongoing project. I presented my client with a proposal and design samples which he approved, and he paid in full instead of the 50% upfront deposit as I'd given him a generous discount. He was then slow in furnishing me with some of the content, but once we did, he expected the website to be finished immediately which was not possible. Because he needed it done urgently, we agreed to try to get it done about 10 working days after the content was provided, but the developer who was helping me let me down. The next week, I completed the website myself and uploaded it to the server on a Friday afternoon. He then calls and texts me on following Sunday while I'm at church to say it's not online (there was probably a problem with his browser). The next morning, I received an email from him demanding a full refund within two days because he couldn't see the website (even though it was live, and I tested it on multiple browsers, a different computer and my phone), and he called me shouting at me because he couldn't access it. Finally when he was able to access it, he was unhappy with a certain detail regarding the slideshow which I began fixing and which was done the next day. He then referred me to another website and said he wanted it to look similar but not identical to it in terms of the layout. He also now wanted to add more features which were not in the original design. I got a designer to work on a new design which I sent to him for review, which if approved would be completed by 15 October, and he approved it last Thursday. He then called me yesterday to say that he wanted to change the design - he only approved it out of impatience. He now wants the website to be more similar to the other website he referred me to and he wants it done before the 15th! Then, he says to me that other people have done websites for him in three days - website's he's complained to me about for lacking dimension because they were just premium themes, whereas we'd designed and coded from scratch. I'm thinking of finishing the website but refunding him in full (or at least the refundable 50%) less domain registration and other non-refundable amounts, just to avoid further escalation of this matter and having him call me next week and say he wants to change it again. These are the applicable terms and conditions as laid out in the agreement: Total amount due for this project is Amount A. Client shall pay Consultant a deposit of Amount B (50% of total amount due for project) in advance before any work commences on the Project. The balance is due within 7 working days of completion of project. Deposit is non-refundable. Should client opt to host elsewhere, applicable transferral fee of Amount C will apply. Estimated project completion time frame is 14 to 30 days from the date Client furnishes Consultant with Brief and all other required media and data, provided that Client has made payment to secure the project. Consultant will make every effort to meet agreed upon due dates. The Client should be aware that failure to submit required information or materials, or last minute changes and excessive changes may cause subsequent delays. Client delays could result in significant delays in delivery of finished work. Major changes in client input or direction or brief will be charged at normal rates. Any work the Client wishes Consultant to create, which is not specified in the attached Proposal will be considered an additional service. Client agrees to pay Consultant for any additional expenses or additional services not included in the attached quotation and proposal if requested by the Client. Web design credit in the name of the Consultant, and link to Consultant’s website shall be placed on the footer of the final Website. Either party may terminate this Agreement by giving 7 days written notice to the other of such termination. In the event that Work is postponed or terminated at the request of the Client, Consultant shall have the right to bill pro rata at full rates for work completed through the date of that request, while reserving all rights under this Agreement. If additional payment is due, this shall be payable within seven days of the Client's written notification to stop work. In the event of termination, the Client shall also pay any expenses incurred by Consultant and the Consultant shall own all rights to the Work. Advice please?

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• Reading Metadata property of GifBitmapDecoder...why is it null?

  - by David

  How can I read the delay, left and top offset data for each frame of a gif? I've gotten this far. Load the Gif var myGif = new GifBitmapDecoder(uri, BitmapCreateOptions.PreservePixelFormat, BitmapCacheOption.OnLoad); Get a frame var frame = myGif.Frames[i]; From MSDN: Native Image Format Metadata Queries read (ushort)Metadata.GetQuery("/grctlext/Delay"), (ushort)Metadata.GetQuery("/imgdesc/Left"), (ushort)Metadata.GetQuery("/imgdesc/Top") But two things don't work. First the Metadata property of both the gif and the frame are always null, even if I try different animated gif files. Second, the Metadata property of the frame doesn't seem to have a GetQuery method. How do I run these queries, what did I miss? Edit: Here is sample code that gives me null metadata. Using a fresh install of VS2010 Premium, on a fresh WPF application. The image file is the one in the comments. using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using System.Windows; using System.Windows.Controls; using System.Windows.Data; using System.Windows.Documents; using System.Windows.Input; using System.Windows.Media; using System.Windows.Media.Imaging; using System.Windows.Navigation; using System.Windows.Shapes; namespace WpfApplication1 { /// <summary> /// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml /// </summary> public partial class MainWindow : Window { public MainWindow() { InitializeComponent(); var uri = new Uri(@"c:\b-414328-animated_gif_.gif"); var myGif = new GifBitmapDecoder(uri, BitmapCreateOptions.PreservePixelFormat, BitmapCacheOption.OnLoad); var frame = myGif.Frames[0]; Title = ""; Title += "Global Metadata is null: " + (myGif.Metadata == null).ToString(); Title += "; Frame Metadata is null: " + (frame.Metadata == null).ToString(); // Crash due to null metadata //var frameData = (BitmapMetadata)frame.Metadata; //var rate = (ushort)frameData.GetQuery("/grctlext/Delay"); } } }

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