jeng’s blog

some of the toxic chemicals that are in computers are :

heavy metals; lead, mercury, hexavalent chrome and cadmium
certain brominated flame retardants, polybrominated biphenyls, prolybrominated diphenyl ethers hexabromocyclododecane and tetrabromobisphenol
PVC polyvinyl chloride
"toxic dust"
penta and octa brominated diphenyl
pbde are related to polychlorinated biphenyls, used in fire estinguishers, fluorescent lights and liquid insulators. several organisations have confirmed pcbs damage the brains of human foetuses
scientists arent too sure that PBDEs are diseases or developmental impairment although they are studying that links between brominated flame retardents and autism
barium. beryllium, hexavalent Chromium, dioxins and Furans

It is more of a hazard to recycle computers because it contains lead as well as heavy metals such as mercury and cadium. Lead affects the human central nervous system and kidneys, while mercury can lead to brain damage, birth defects, kidney failure, respiratory harm and liver damage. It is also linked to autism in children.

because high-tech electronics contain hundreds of materials, they are difficult and expensive to recycle. So to minimize the cost, many recclers ship the used electronics to countires where labor is cheap and environmental regulations lax. Also, it pollutes poor communities. 

Reasearchers have made a two-wheeled robot, which they named uBOT-5, that has two arms which are able to pick up small objects and is even capable to dial 9-1-1. It's video-screen shaped head consists of sensors around it which knows when someone fell down. A computer scientist, Rob Grupen said for once, robots are, safe, and inexpensive to be able to work in a residential environment. To build a single robot in the lab, it would cost $65,000. but he told livescience that manufacturers said it might only cost a couple of thousands. Though with it's abilities, it can cost up to more than $1,500. uBOTS are very efficient to have around the house, even as reminders. They are able to tell you when to take your medication, pick up some packages, and when it's time to clean the house or to go out for a day to shop. it is even able to direct house calls from people using a web cam, microphone, touch sensitive liquid crystal display screen and internet connection. uBOTS seem to be very efficient and would be very fun to have around the house for your own entertainment and they are not just to help the elderly.

Firewalls are usedto protect your home network from offensive web sites and potential hackers. basically, a firewall is a barrier to isolate destructive forces from your property. a firewall is almost the same as a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading. it's simply a program/hardware device that filters information going into your internet connection into your private computer/network. if an incoming packet of information is flagged by filters, it will not let if go though. without a firewall, many computers are accessible to anyone who is on the internet. firewalls use more than one out of three methods to help control traffic flowing into and out of the network
Packet filtering: small chunks of data that are analyzed against a set of filters.
Proxy service: internet recieves information that is retrieved by the firewall and then sent to the requesting system and vice versa.
Stateful inspection: a newer method out of the three that doesn't go through the contents of each packet but compares certain key parts of the packet to a database of vital information.

Domain Name Systems: service that translates domian names into ip addresses. it is it's own network, if a dns server can't translate a domian name, it asks another one, and so one, until it can get the correct ip address. extremely important but a hidden part of the internet. you use a domian name whenever you or on the web or send an e-mail. for ex: the url http://wwwnhowstuffworks.com has the domain name howstuffworks.com. so does the e-mail address iknow@hotstuffworks.com . all machines use names called ip addresses to refer to one another. everytime you use a domain name, you use the internets domain name into the machine readable ip address. it is a database.

3. Meanings of any word in an instant
Even though you can still go on dictinary.com or any other website i think using google to define a word can also be very effiecient. It doesn't only give the meaning, but it also gives other websites that you can choose.
Ex: define: beureaucracy

Ex: Abbreviations - define: SOA
Ex: jargons - define: Web 2.0
Ex: sms language - define: LOL

4. Find the time of any location
This tip somehow amazed me. I did not know that you were able to find out times at any place my typing in something so simple as time. This is very useful for times when you want to travel. 
Ex: time japan

Along with time, comes weather

5. Weather at your fingertips
Time and weather are very important to know before you travel anywhere and can help you in many different ways. By knowing the time, you are aware of what time in the day it will be when you arrive to your destination. So you can plan ahead of time, and knowing weather, helps you to know what to pack and what to expect for the weather conditions.

7. Calculate with your browser
When you do not have a calculator around you, and the calculator on your computer isn't that helpful, you can use google to figure out your basic arithmetic to trigonometrical expressions.
Ex: 27 * 9000
Ex: sin(90) / cos (90)

8. Compare your currency with others
 We should be aware of how much currency amounts are cashed into another currency. This is also very important for traveling so you know how much is converted and how big of a difference it is.
Ex: 1 USD in INR
Ex: 1 EUR in INR

Although all 10 may be useful to different people, out of the 10 tips, these five are the ones that i think, are most efficient. I was surpirsed how I did not know about half of them and how helpful they will be, and how much easier it will be for many people if they were aware of these few tips.

One of the things that I found very interesting and useful, was the "Slanket" It may seem very funny, but at the same time very efficient. I think this because, rather than having a bulky blanket to carry around when you are in the kitchen, wanting to make something while watching a movie, it is very much of a hassle to be carrying around rather than having somewhat of a very warm sweater. but more like a slanket =P.. along with sleeves. The slanket will be very warm and though it makes you look ridiculous, it's not like you're going out of the house with it on. correct? The second thing that i found very interesting also, useful. was the " Chargepod" ($99.00) I think that this will be very useful because when you are at a sleepover, or even at a party, and you are with a bunch of your friends. and all of their electronic devices are low in battery, including yours, you are all able to charge them all at once. Also, have them be charging all at the same place rather than scattered all over the house. For these reasons, I think it will be very useful. Lastly, the third thing that i found that I personally would want for christmas, was an "itouch", ($300) you can do absolutely anything with it. It is very useful in all different kids of ways, it's like bringing your tv phone, computer with you everywhere you go.

Video game consoles that are currently on the market are Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Sony PlayStation 3. The Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite is $649. Its combination of top-notch gaming and digital media features make it the current game console for people’s choice. It consists of a premium black finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best HD entertainment. Second best choice console is the Sony PlayStation 3. It is between $499 and $599 and has a larger hard drive and the skill to play PS2 games makes it a good choice to one of the cheaper models. It became known to the public on May, 16 2005. Though the Nintendo Wii doesn’t have the great graphics and rich media features that the Xbox 360 and PS3 have, its uniqueness of light controllers and fun game play makes every house want to own one. Also, being able to surf the net makes it that more hard to resist. Though it is the most expensive, $799 in my opinion, it is worth the money. Also, it is not just for you, but is to be played with the whole family. Microsoft Xbox 360 is between $279-$399 in price range and has wide range digital media features, online service, and a game library. It is the first console to provide a near- simultaneous launch through 3 major regions. Lastly is the Sony PlayStation. It has the larger hard drive and ability to play older PS2 games. It is between $495-$619. The order I have put them in, is in my opinion, according to popularity.

http://cnet.nytimes.com/consoles/microsoft-xbox-360-elite/4366-10109_9-32390552.html

PVR: personal video recorder. just like a computer, a personal video recorder carries a hard drive and when you are watching a program it records the program onto the hard drive. You can also pause, and when you are away, it will continue recording. It is one of the fastest growing areas of consumer electronics technology. it was first introduced at the consumer electronics trade show in 1999 by TiVo. The most popular PVRs at the market are easily the ones available with your satelite or cable tv service. Echo star PVR are fast and reliable. there are many things you can do with a PVR. you can pause, rewind, and instant replay. you can record two programs at once. you can record a show while watching a different program. record up to 50hours of programming.

types: topfield TF5800PVR, human PVR 9200T duovisio, Digifusion FVRT200 PVR, Panasonic TUHTH100 freeview PVR , Humax PVR 8000t-80 PVR 
DVR: digital video recorder. allows you to record  television programs onto a built in hard drive for instant playback at any time.
types of dvr:

dvr capture board. PC-TYPE DVR system. pc type dvr.

freeview

viewsat

dvr

This christmas, I would like to get a new cell phone. My reason for this is because my phone right now isn't that great. Although, I can take pictures and such, it isn't as nice as everyone else's. My brother has a really cool phone. When you want to change the song, all you have to do is shake it. He can also store music videos. Whereas, my phone doesn't act as an mp3 and store music. The only thing I like about my phone is that it's a flip phone, and that when you close it, there is a mini screen where you can put a picture of anything. I think my phone is fat, and I would like it to be more skinny and small :) Also, my phone is hard to find faceplates. and it isn't that great in long range of battery. It probably lasts me three days without charging. If I could get something for one of my family members, it would have to be a wii. Although it's old to many of people, it seems like you can never get tired of it. and, it wouldn't just be for them, it would be for me also :) It would keep us occupied and would be great for christmas break.

Hard Drive Central Processing Unit: stores most of your computer's information including the operating system and all of your programs

Motherboard: a motherboard is the central or primary circuit board making up a complex electronic system, such as a modern computer. It is also known as a mainboard, systemboard, and baseboard.

Power Supply: device or system that supplies electrical or other types of energy to an output load or group of loads.

Peripheral Component Interconnect: specifies a computer bus for attaching peripheral devices to a computer motherboard.

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express: is a computer expansion card interface format

Universal Serial Bus: connectors that let you attach everything from mice to printers to your computer quickly and easily.

Firewire: one of the fastest peripheral standards ever developed, which makes it great for use with multimedia peripherals such as digital video cameras and other high-speed devices like the latest hard disk drives and printers.

IEEE-1394: multimedia connection enables simple, low-cost, data interfacing between computers, and consumer electronics products such as camcorders, VCRs, printers, TVs, and digital cameras. With IEEE 1394-compatible products and systems, users can transfer video or still images from a camera or camcorder to a printer, PC, or television, with no image degradation

Liquid Crystal Display: a thin, flat display device made up of any number of color or monochrome pixals arrayed in front of a light source or reflector. uses small amounts of electric power.  

** Plasma (in relation to screens):With plasma it is possible to get good definition over a larger area.

High Definition Multimedia Interface: a new type of cable connection that is used to transmit digital signals from your cable set top box, DVD player or satellite receiver to your high definition television.

Random Access Memory: the best known form of computer memory. RAM is considered "random access" because you can access any memory cell directly if you know the row and column that intersect at that cell.

Flash Memory: is non-volitile computer memory that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed

Accelerated Graphic Port: enables your computer to have a dedicated way to communicate with the graphics card, which enhances the look of graphics.

Digital Versatile Disc:  A recordable DVD stores up to 2 hours of very good quality DVD-Video, including several audio tracks in formats like stereo, and also advanced menu systems, subtitles and still pictures that can be played by many standalone DVD Players and most computer DVD-ROMs.

** Direct X10: adds a new level of realism to games by making characters more life-like.

The internet has changed drastically over the past five years. With all the new sites and such, there are more ways to communicate with your friends and family. You know more information than you ever would by being on the internet, more specifically facebook. You know when their bithdates are, who they recently have been with (relationships) or where they have been. Internet is a great way to see or talk to your relatives. You can see them by webcam, and see how they have changed by looks, or even location. I find it very amusing how you can talk and see anyone from whatever country you are at.I f you need to talk to a friend or simply ask your sibling a question when you are at a friends house, all you have to do is just click their username on msn and ask, rather than dialing their number on the phone, even though cell phones are a great use of technology also. When you need to talk to a friend and they are not home and don't have use of a computer it is very helpful to call them and ask them how they are doing, homework, or just a quick conversation after they have come back from their vacation. A cell phone is very great thing to have when you are alone and bored and in need of someone to talk to. The internet is also very useful in the case of homework. When you need quick information about a project or need the lastest information on a certain something, there are many websites to choose from. Some more accurate than others, but still a great variety. There are loads of things i can say how the internet/phone has made my life easier but these are just the basics.