The 24-7 Blogger

2006-04-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

Career and Employment

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Career and Employment

2006-03-23T01:11:00.000-08:00

Outdoors News

2006-03-23T01:10:00.000-08:00

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Career and Employment

2006-03-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

Outdoors News

2006-03-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

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Career and Employment

2006-03-20T04:04:00.000-08:00

Outdoors News

2006-03-20T04:02:00.000-08:00

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Career and Employment

2006-03-19T03:45:00.000-08:00

Outdoors news

2006-03-19T03:43:00.000-08:00

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Career and Employment

2006-03-18T01:23:00.000-08:00

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2006-03-18T01:19:00.000-08:00

Career and Employment

2006-03-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

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2006-03-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

2006-03-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

2006-01-12T23:53:00.000-08:00

2006-01-03T23:35:00.000-08:00

2006-01-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the year that was, no matter what

2005-12-31T15:04:00.000-08:00

This blog takes bow to the year that was.

2005 was both a good year and a bad one.

First the bad:

- There was Hurricane Katrina

- The series of suicide bombings in Iraq

- The earthquake in Pakistan

- and a lot more.

But there were the good events, too, such as:

- That black holes are good after all, as astronomers have discovered they can create life in the form of new stars

- The Discovery Shuttle was launched, erasing from our memory the disaster laden 2003 shuttle

- Polio eradication hopefully is being achieved at the end of 2005

- On the personal note, this website was born along with two other sites

- and many more good news.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Christmas Story: The nine days of Christmas

2005-12-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas day is just around the corner. Here is a tidbit relating to Christmas. This is the story behind one of the most popularChristmas songs, Silent Night.

o The lyrics of the song was written by Josef Mohr, an assistant pastor by avocation, on December 23, 1818, in Austria. He wrote the song while walking down the hill overlooking Oberndorf, just one of the vllages in the Austrian Alps.

o Mohr's poem was given music by church organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. He did the music in one setting, spending a few hours on his guitar because the church's organ was out of commission.

o On Christmas eve of 1818, Josef Mohr and Franz Gruber sang the "Silent Night" for the first time accompanied by the later's guitar, at the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf and attended by the village's congregation.

o Here's the lyric of Josef Mohr and Franz Gruber's composition:

Silent Night
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is brightRound yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peaceSleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is bornChrist, the Saviour is born

Here's the original poem by Josef Mohr:

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wachtNur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemachtDurch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!Christ, der Retter ist da!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lachtLieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!Christ, in deiner Geburt!

2005-12-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

2005-11-30T23:40:00.000-08:00

2005-11-26T15:17:00.000-08:00

2005-11-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

2005-11-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

2005-11-18T23:46:00.000-08:00

2005-11-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

The customer is king

2005-11-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

The age old saying that goes "The customer is always right" is true in any field of human enterprise. Even on the Web.

Chief Yahoo Jerry Yang made this clearer when he said at a recent conference in reference to the above quote:

"The fastest company to create that environment will be the most sustainable. We have to get there first."

Now a lot of companies are gearing into that direction, lead of course by the tech industry behemoths Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, MSN.

Read What's next for the Web here.

2005-11-15T22:33:00.000-08:00

2005-11-14T22:14:00.000-08:00

2005-11-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

2005-11-11T23:46:00.000-08:00

2005-11-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

When Microsoft sneezes, a smaller company catches flu

2005-11-02T03:01:00.000-08:00

Microsoft is going full force on its goal - at all costs.

And what is the goal of the software behemoth?

The news in my main site headlines Microsoft's paramount goal of topping Google in the search arena. But a greater goal, I surmise, is securing number one position on the Internet plain.

News services today reveal Microsoft's plans in the near horizon.

As a result, a lot of smaller companies will be in danger of annihilation.

(Remember that during the past ten years, top products like the popular WordPerfect, Lotus123 and Netscape browser were thrown into the dustbin.)

This time around, services that normally are charged a fee by smaller companies will be offered for free by Microsoft.

Some of these services will be as follows:

free phone calls via VoIP

free virus scanning

free web-based email accounts

free domain names

web sites with free storage

Smaller companies will have to dip into their bag of survival kits. One survival strategy these companies will better remember is this:

put added value to their current services.

One value-added tactic is this. If Microsoft will offer a 5-minute free phone call, how about extending your time limit twice or thrice that of Microsoft? People won't mind paying a reasonable fee for a longer time on the phone.

2005-10-31T19:54:00.000-08:00

Beware of the Google PageRank technicians

2005-10-30T22:31:00.000-08:00

This piece is in reaction to a bit dated article, a 10/22/05 entry on allaboutadsense.blogspot.com, where the recommendation is as timely today and the foreseeable future.

The article gives advice on how not to fall for the those who offer you a rank 10 in Google or topping Google queries.

Allaboutadsense.blogspot.com provides the following guidelines so as not to fall into this trap.

"1.Check the rank or if the seller is actually using their own products. IF they are see if they are working.
"2.Do a little research before you folk over that hard earned cash. Find out if anyone speaks ill of the said seller. And see if they back their accussations. FOrmer customers know what's going on from experience, and are sometimes nice enough to let others know.
"3.Make sure this does not go against google rules or other laws. As it may get you in trouble or your website.
"4.Make sure if the said offer doesn't work you get a refund. Makes sense doesn't it? If it does indeed work then they have no problems in making sure the customer feels safe in their purchase.
"5.Check out the seller. What their history other products they may have.

"Try all of these before you fall for all of those people who just want your money. Like the famous "link traders" where they think increasing your link popularity will also increase your rank. Matter of fact this is true however google only counts those sites that have something to do with your site. And if they are irrelevant it knows you tried to trick and you lose some points off of your rank. So if you sell dolls don't link a medical site. There are many others programs like this and many require payment of some sort though I can't go through all of them you can use my five rules to make sure the program is legit. Though if it sounds too good to be true then it is."

Vending machines to dispense mobile phones

2005-10-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

A report today revealed that Vodafone plans to sell phones via vending machines.

The price range for these phones will be from $53 to $106. Initially targeted will be UK's foreign visitors in airports, shopping malls and ferry terminals.

This is a lesson out of Coke and candies vending machine experience.

My suggestion is for Vodafone to initiate a marketing campaign called

buy one take two free.

This means that for the price of a vodafone product customers can get a phone with a bonus package consisting of a coke and a candy!

2005-10-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

Google and Microsoft into book search project collision

2005-10-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Microsoft's recent announced plans to go into book digitization project (in association with Yahoo and Internet Archive) makes the book industry an interesting topic once again.

Google has a hold-on project on scanning and digitizing books.

The book industry, however, is a minefield of troubles and controversies.

2005-10-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

2005-10-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Fatigue

2005-10-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

The keyword I heard on CNN today while folks in Florida are bracing for Hurricane Wilma is hurricane fatigue.

Judging from the screenshots on TV, there was less of a jaded feeling on the part of the brave folks out there.

One shot I took notice of was a man tying with a thin rope all of his backyard appliances. The choice of a thinner rope could be a challenge to the natural tormentor that it is not that frightful after all.

Another screenshot showed a group of beach lovers, seemingly unmindful of the looming hurricane.

That could be a case of hurricane fatigue, in reverse.

On MSN.com's PageRank 2 on Google

2005-10-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

If you follow the news account on the subject of page ranking at Google, you will think there has been another hurricane (yup, another one lashing Florida now) threatening the southeastern shores.

The truth is page ranking for a site comes and goes. I'm elated that this site earned a PR 3 from the recent Google update. I thank, too, the dear visitors who have made time out of their busy schedule to peep through this page.

You will read more about MSN.com PR 2 rating here.

Pixel Ad seems to be in

2005-10-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

The recent upsurge of we sites selling pixel advertising (my site caught the pixel fever, too :)), could be an indication that this form of advertising has been making an impact.

Most analysts attribute the origin of this ad form to a brilliant UK student by the name of Alex Tew. He started his pixel ad business two months ago and now he has sold more than $400,000 worth of pixels (at $1 a pixel). His target is to populate his homepage with $1 million worth of pixel ad spaces.

My research showed that cockeyed.com sold the first pixel ad on eBay more than a year ago. I wrote more about this here.

Page Rank Confirmed

2005-10-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

I just checked with rankwhere.com about my Google page rank.

The results are as follows:

http://the24-7blogger.blogspot.com has Google PageRank 3 out of 10

http://www.the24-7blogger.blogspot.com has Google PageRank 0 out of 10

Since this site is accessible from both addresses above, I would now prefer to type in the first address above. It's nice to see a green on the PageRank toolbar of my browser.

Thanks again.

Page Rank 3 from Google

2005-10-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

Finally, it seems!

I'm not very sure about this. It seems this site has just earned a page rank of 3 from Google, on October 19th to be exact. But this one I have to check some more, because the page rank toolbar on my browser is an off and on thing.

Anyway, after close to three months of blogging, a PR 3 is a sweet pay back.

Thanks to you regular and occasional readers of this blog.

And of course, to Google spiders, who have finally noticed this little spot.

2005-10-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

2005-10-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

2005-10-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

2005-10-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

More on the Million Dollar Pixel

2005-09-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

He's now in college. The million dollar blogger has started University. more..

Traffic Exchange

2005-09-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

If you are a home based business owner doing business on the Internet - a beginner at that - your biggest problem is how to attract visitors to your web site.

There's a zero cost method of driving traffic to your web site. Of late there has been a mushrooming of traffic exchanges on the web.

This is an indication that the traffic exchange phenomenon is catching fire.

If you are interested in trying this thing out, you can search Google for web sites offering traffic exchange program. Or you may try my advice of signing in with one of the leaders in the traffic exchange scheme.

From your research, you can then select which of the numerous traffic exchange web sites you will sign in.

Here is the link to one of them. Tell me if it works for you. As for me, I find it pretty successful.

2005-09-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

2005-09-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

2005-09-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

2005-09-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

2005-09-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Inspirational for the busy entrepreneur

2005-09-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

As a beginning home based business entrepreneur, you wanted to discover the basic strategies that catapulted to the top today's leaders in the business world. But before you could embark on a successful Internet venture, you must prepare yourself for the task ahead.

Why? Because the road ahead is laced with victory and defeat.
You need to inspire yourself at all times in order to stand on your own two feet as you manage and watch your business grow. You could manage the advanced learning on Internet marketing later, either through enrolling in an advanced program, getting a mentor, or attending seminars.

A person who does not have an inspired mind will eventually succumb to pressure. A beginning entrepreneur is vulnerable to big stresses in his new Internet career that can break his or her resolve to succeed.

Read the full article

Let there be light!

2005-09-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

And there was none in most of the Los Angeles area around lunchtime today. The blackout was due to human error, as is often the case of major disasters.

The beauty of human error is that it is not as catastrophic as nature's error. The LA blackout is not an iota of disaster when compared to Katrina's fury in the Gulf of Mexico area.

Human error is a correctable phenomenon in a much shorter period. Nature's error takes generations, if not centuries, to rectify.

The remedy to both events lies in human hands. To do what is right in all things that a human does should be the call of the day. And to finally pay more attention to environmental concerns.

A Tribute to the Lady

2005-09-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

I'm not too sure if readers will agree with me on this. The greatest woman who ever graced this planet has her origins from the Middle East. She was the most beautiful and most devoted lady of all ("I am the Lord's servant," she proclaimed).

She is adored by both Catholics and Muslims.

The woman's name is Mary. And today, September 8th, is her birthday. Happy birthday, Mother Mary!

To celebrate Mother Mary's birthday, I am reprinting below the lyrics of The Beatles' '70s hit song, Let it Be.

The victims of hurricane Katrina will somehow find consolation two from the lyrics of Let it Be.

When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
there will be an answer. let it be.

Let it be, let it be, .....

And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me,
shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be.....

Free Ads Posting for the Home Based Entrepreneurs

2005-09-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

A beginning Internet entrepreneur is often faced with the daunting task of finding web sites that accept free ads posting.

A related web site, The Internet Marketing Learning Center, is publishing a list of web sites that accept free ads posting. Normally, your posting expires from a period of one week to several months. So you have to monitor each of your postings and renew them when it's time to repost your ad.

The listing is updated regularly. So if you are a beginning Internet entrepreneur, or somebody who needs to post some ads, and you are looking for free ads web sites, you can visit the InternetMarketingLearningCenter.com by clicking here.

New Orleans Tragedy in Retrospect

2005-09-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

In the wake of last week's tragedy spawned by hurricane Katrina, this 24/7 blogger reminisces the '60s era hit song, House of the Rising Sun.

Photo taken from NationalGeographic.com web site; photographed by James Nielsen/AFP/Getty Images.

The song was alternately sung by the popular groups in the '60s: Doors, the Animals, and Rolling Stones.

As New Orleans, and America in the greater landscape, are busy finding and counting the dead, the House of the Rising Sun is being played in this jaded blogger's ears. Here is the complete lyrics of the song:

There is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy And God I know I'm one

My mother was a tailor She sewed my new bluejeans My father was a gamblin' man Down in New Orleans

Now the only thing a gambler needs Is a suitcase and trunk And the only time he's satisfied Is when he's on a drunk

Oh mother tell your children Not to do what I have done Spend your lives in sin and misery In the House of the Rising Sun

Well, I got one foot on the platform The other foot on the train I'm goin' back to New Orleans To wear that ball and chain

Well, there is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy And God I know I'm one

If you wish to give your donations to the victims on the Gulf of Mexico's outlying areas through the Red Cross, just click the banner on the left and you will be taken to the organization's web server.

Help the Victims of Katrina through Your Red Cross

2005-09-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

If you will notice the banner to the left margin, it is the Red Cross's clarion call to all and sundry in its relief efforts for the victims of hurricane Katrina.

If you desire to send in some donation, kindly click the banner and you will be taken to the Red Cross's server.

Katrina One of the Worst!

2005-09-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

Already, we have thousands of homeless and tens maybe hundreds of deads. Katrina is the worst natural disaster to have hit the U.S.

The outlying states along the Gulf of Mexico bore the brunt of the attacking hurricane. Even the most seasoned Internet marketer (of course, not me) must pause and reflect upon this tragedy.

Hear! Hear! Coffee is Here to Stay!

2005-08-30T01:04:00.000-07:00

One news item that perks the day for coffee drinkers is the
recently released study concluding that coffee possesses antioxidant properties.

Antioxidants are vitamins that fight off cancer, damage to cells and to DNA; they, too, provide healthful benefits. Apart from coffee, the other sources of antioxidants are fruits and vegetables.

Unfortunately, Americans are more coffee drinkers than fruit or vegetable eaters.

Too much coffee means an increase in the cholesterol level in a person's body. Experts have opined for years - long before the results of the recent study were made public - to drink coffee in moderation. I guess this is the best prescription to follow in drinking coffee.

Increasing Gasoline Prices Sees Increasing Preference to Scooters

2005-08-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

Prices of energy rise as Katrina batters Gulf of Mexico's oil and natural gas producing area. Gasoline prices are expected to scale up from the present $2.60 per gallon.

The Internet Marketing Learning Center offers the following solution in its recent news review:

People with economic knowhow blame the record high prices of gasoline for the dip in consumer confidence, first time ever in three months this August.

Although there's no danger of drastically changing consumer spending pattern, people are starting to shift their attention to driving motorized scooters. These are two-wheel drive vehicles just like the picture shown below.

Scooters are proven to be gas economizers. Starting last year, sales of motorized scooters have been climbing.
Sales this year have been projected to double that of five years ago.

On the fun side, you really enjoy when you ride a scooter. Teenagers especially have found riding scooters to
be "cool." It's some kind of a fashion statement for them.

For adults, it is the practicality, ease of parking and more mileage that draw them to use scooters. The last
benefit mentioned is especially appropriate at this time when prices of gasoline have been escalating

Scooter manufacturers that fight it off in the market today are the ones in Italy (their Piaggio is in the higher end) and Japan. China made scooters are coattailing the leaders with their lower prices.

One note of caution. Light as they are, motorized scooters are still considered as motor vehicles (at least in accordance with one law in Florida). Parents in every state are therefore advised to take extra precaution in letting their children ride scooters. They can surf the DHSMV web site for more information.

The Spiritual Entrepreneur

2005-08-22T23:48:00.000-07:00

The spiritual renaissance is being touted to be catching fire. This blogger does not dispute to that assessment. This has been validated by the come-from-behind blockbuster showing of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and the reelection of President Bush - both in successive order last year.

What does this indicate to the small business entrepreneur?

Being spiritual is a plus factor for the believer. But both believers and unbelievers can take advantage of the spiritual wave. Think of the products and services this would induce. Is it any wonder why "Jim Rohn" is among the top search keywords in Overture?

Turn Business Ideas Into A Success

2005-08-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

Education and passion have been credited with turning unusual ideas into business success.

In today's edition of MSN.com, these attributes have been highlighted.

"Back in 1997, the thought of accessing unlimited entertainment without leaving the house was an idea straight out of The Jetsons. But that didn't stop founder Reed Hastings. He took his "crazy" idea and established online DVD rental service Netflix.

"Hastings came up with the concept after a trip to his local video store. Like so many of us have, he forgot to return a movie on time, and was informed that he owed a $40 late fee. Hastings thought to himself, "There's got to be a better way." And with that grumpy revelation, Netflix was born. Three million subscribers later, Netflix is a household name that offers access to more than 40,000 movie titles for a flat monthly fee. And, most important to Hastings, no late charges!

"How did Hastings turn his grumpy day at the video store into a revolutionary business venture? Passion. And education. With a master's degree in computer science from Stanford University, Reed Hastings had already spent years of his life studying how to solve problems and design systems. So when his frustration with the system met his passion for problem solving--well, let's just say the video-rental industry has never been the same. Not bad for a quirky idea from a frustrated computer scientist."

Read the full story from MSN.com.

Bill Gates Was Once A Small Business Owner

2005-08-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

The bigness of Microsoft started from scratch, so to speak. Learn about the strategy he used to get to the status he's in now from here.

Discovery back on earth

2005-08-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

It was a joyous and wonderful occasion. Watching the Discovery shuttle back on earth was a victory of sort for millions of people.

More report from CNN here.

Discovery shuttle set to return early tomorrow

2005-08-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

This blog will monitor this development.

Inspirational piece

2005-08-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Learn about an ebook to lift your spirit here.

Windows Vista In Sight

2005-08-04T23:15:00.000-07:00

Finally! Microsoft has metamorphosed the name "Longhorn" into "Vista" to come up with the soon to be released Windows Vista.

The Plane Crash at Toronto Airport

2005-08-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

Eleven years ago, it was a refreshing feeling to land at the Pearson International Airport. Its setting belies the fact that it is located in one of the most modern cities (connotes structures of steel with nary a tree or pond) in North America. For one, the airport is shielded by its own mini-forests and grasslands, just 17 miles from the beautiful City of Toronto.

Photo of generic plane courtesy of Priceline.com

It was therefore a shock to watch yesterday afternoon over CNN an aircraft owned by Air France, spewing smoke as it lay on its belly off the runway, encircled by the Toronto grasslands that dotted the airport premises.

For a while there, our thoughts fearfully wondered whether the passengers and crew were safe or something worse befell upon them. There were more than three hundreds of then, we were told.

Luckily - as if a miracle - all the 309 passengers and crew came through the ordeal safe and sound, having escaped the burning plane moments after it crashed unto the airport's runway.

The keyword here is miracle - for catastrophes like the recent London bombing are dime a dozen in this post 9/11 era.

To all the survivors, it is worthwhile for them to ponder over the the words of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: "That which does not kill me, makes me stronger." Whatever they had experienced yesterday could still be to their advantage in the future.

A tale of the grim earth and the awe-inspiring space - as seen by the Discovery astronauts

2005-08-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

As the Discovery shuttle's crew fixes the fault on the station's heat shield up there in space, here on earth the top guns of NASA, Yahoo! and Akamai Technologies have signed up joint agreements to bring the Discovery's space odyssey to millions of people on the Internet via NASA's web portal.

As we here on earth have done a lip service in terms of environmental protection, the astronauts up there are reporting to us earthlings - with shocking awe - the changes on the earth's landscape, in particular its diminishing forest cover. This is in contrast to the awe-inspiring view the astronauts are feeding themselves - the amazing space and the moon among the glittering stars.

If Google does Spanish ads, can MSN, et al not be far behind?

2005-07-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

In 1994, a projection was made that in the 21st century the Spanish speaking segment of the U.S. population would dominate all the others. I was in Chicago when I read that account and judging from what I saw all around me in the workplace, I doubted less the news account.

That same year I was in Los Angeles and any doubt in my mind all but dissipated, about the news projection coming to pass.

Now comes the report that Google has made the move to tap the largely increasing Spanish-speaking web visitors, by inking a deal with the Univision.com web site. Naturally, not far behind from the leader are the other major search engines, in particular MSN, Yahoo and AOL, who also would want a share of the Spanish-speaking online pie.

Like they say, let's watch this continuing saga.

Cell Phone or PDA - Which do you prefer to buy first?

2005-07-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

That's the $64 question for the beginner in technology gadget.

Give Me A Blind Teen And Video Game And I'll Show You An Inspirational

2005-07-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Technology is showing us once again that it's a great leveler - and a source of inspiration. A blind kid has found his niche at video games - a whiz at that. Oh how he can easily demolish his foes' characters one by one in the gaming arena.

Read the full report at CNN.

iPod Alternatives

2005-07-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Don't worry if you have no iPod yet. Alternatives to digital video on the go are readily available.

CNET.com reports:

"First comes the Cowon iAudio X5, one of the earliest truly high-profile MP3 players with MPEG-4 and DivX playback. Available in 20GB and 30GB capacities, the X5 is basically a portable video player (PVP) in MP3 player clothing; the outfit includes an iPod-like 2-inch screen. Next is one of the coolest PVPs to hit the market: Archos's Gmini400 series. Virtually the same size as the 20GB iPod, the Gmini400 features a 2.2-inch screen and, thanks to its small size, makes a delightful MP3 player. Moving on, we have the Gmini400's big brother, the AV400 series. This amazing PVP does the usual: it plays back many types of video and audio files, displays photo slide shows, and records audio, then adds DVR-like video recording. You can always go for a Portable Media Center such as Creative's Zen PMC. There are three models currently available, but the Zen PMC (while bulky) is definitely the best overall. Any gadget appreciator should be excited about the upcoming Creative Zen Vision, which combines a small form factor, a dishy 3.7-inch color screen, a simple and sweet interface, and extras such as FM radio and a CompactFlash slot. Finally, while you can't store too much video on a Memory Stick, the hot Sony PSP gaming device makes for a nice portable video rig, courtesy of its gorgeous wide-screen display, or you can use it to watch UMD-based movies."

Discovery shuttle lifts off!

2005-07-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today at exactly 10:39 a.m. ET, the Discovery shuttle lifts off. The moment will somehow assuage the pain felt by millions of people more than two years ago. On that fateful day of February 2003, the Columbia shuttle flew to smithereens. I looked up high on the California skies that time, hoping to find answers to the whys and the wherefores.

Today, the answer is loud and clear. In science - as in life - defeat is a temporary thing. Today's launch is headed for success.

There are several dignitaries present at the Kennedy Space Center in "NASA's Return to Flight" today. Most notable among them is First Lady Laura Bush.

Thanks for photo to http://www.nasa.gov

The 24-7 Blogger

2005-07-26T00:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the birthing of this blog site.