Pinoy Hub

2012-02-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

Crack cocaine user Houston, 48, was found dead under the bath water by her bodyguard in luxury suite number 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday afternoon, which is said to have been littered with bottles of prescription pills.

On Thursday she is said to have gone on a 'wild binge' where she clashed with security guards. The next evening she 'partied heavily, drank and chatted loudly' with friends at the hotel bar.

Bottles of Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax and a sleeping medication were found in the hotel room, it has been claimed.

The drugs were believed to have acted as sedatives, causing her to fall asleep in the bathtub once they had been mixed with alcohol from the previous evenings.

Paramedics battled to revive the singer but she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm, hours before she had been due to perform at a pre-Grammys party at the same hotel.

Los Angeles coroner's office refused to comment on rumours that water was found on her lungs, indicating she had drowned.

It said further details will not be officially released until a police investigation is completed, which may take between one and two months, and revealed no one may visit the body while it is in their custody.

At first it was thought that singer and reality TV star Ray-J, her on/off boyfriend who at 17 years younger dated her between 2007 and 2009 and was believed to have rekindled the romance, found the star.

But the brother of pop star Brandy, who made a sex tape with Kim Kardashian in 2003, later released a statement saying he 'was nowhere near the scene but no less distraught'. He added that he had received 'missed calls' from his ex, and said: 'We all gotta live with that.'

Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown, with whom she had a notoriously turbulent 14-year relationship riddled with drug use, was in Nashville at the time of her death and his daughter's trips to the hospital.

Brown - whom she blamed partly for her drug issues - was said to be 'in and out of crying fits' upon hearing the news - but still appeared on stage on Saturday with his band New Edition, and cried out 'I love you, Whitney!' in the middle of the concert.

Singer Johnny Gill, one of Brown's New Edition bandmates on tour in Memphis with the star, said: 'Bobby is struggling and he's devastated.'

Whitney Houston Dead!

2012-02-15T20:08:00.001-08:00

On Thursday she is said to have gone on a 'wild binge' where she clashed with security guards. The next evening she 'partied heavily, drank and chatted loudly' with friends at the hotel bar.

Bottles of Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax and a sleeping medication were found in the hotel room, it has been claimed.

The drugs were believed to have acted as sedatives, causing her to fall asleep in the bathtub once they had been mixed with alcohol from the previous evenings.

Paramedics battled to revive the singer but she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm, hours before she had been due to perform at a pre-Grammys party at the same hotel.

Los Angeles coroner's office refused to comment on rumours that water was found on her lungs, indicating she had drowned.

Singer Johnny Gill, one of Brown's New Edition bandmates on tour in Memphis with the star, said: 'Bobby is struggling and he's devastated.'

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

LeBron James Dunks! CHECK THIS OUT!

2010-03-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

King James preparing for takeoff!

Pacquiao Vs. Mayweather: March 13

2009-12-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

Manny Pacquiao has signed a contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing's biggest fight on March 13, a source with knowledge of the meeting told ESPN.com on Friday night.

Pacquiao and promotor Bob Arum met for two hours Friday to discuss the proposed deal, according to Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz, who told The Associated Press that "Manny has some additional requirements, requests, which Arum didn't think was a problem.

"The requests of Manny were so realistic that Arum doesn't feel it's a problem and it's pretty much a done deal," Koncz said.

Later Friday it became a done deal, at least on the Pacquiao side, when he signed the paperwork, the source said.

Mayweather had previously agreed to terms with Golden Boy Promotions, his promoter for the HBO PPV fight, but it was unclear if he had signed a contract.

The source also disclosed other aspects of the fight, which will take place at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds for Pacquiao's title and match the top two fighters in the world, pound-for-pound.

The camps agreed to a 50-50 split of the money, which could be gargantuan. Many experts expect the fight to eclipse the all-time pay-per-view record for sales, which is the 2.44 million buys generated by Mayweather's 2007 victory against Oscar De La Hoya.

Both fighters will wear 8-ounce gloves but each fighter will be allowed to select the brand of gloves he will wear for the fight.

For promotional purposes, the bout will be referred to as Mayweather-Pacquiao, but Top Rank will receive first billing over Golden Boy throughout the promotion.

However, instead of a full-scale media tour, there will only be a single press conference in New York during the second week of January. With the schedule compressed because of the March 13 date for the fight, rather than May 1, which the promoters and HBO PPV preferred, it didn't leave time for a lengthy media tour.

The fight is going to take place March 13 because Pacquiao is running for a congressional seat in the Philippines and the elections are in May, which would have been a conflict between his training and the campaign.

Pacquiao will spend the first half of his training camp in Baguio in the Philippines, where he also trained for the first part of his camp in preparation for his 12th-round knockout victory against Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14. For the final few weeks of his training, Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach will relocate to Roach's Wild Card gym in Hollywood, Calif.

The site of the bout has not been finalized. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has expressed interest in bringing the fight to his new stadium as have representatives from the Superdome in New Orleans. Also in the mix is the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which has hosted several Pacquiao and Mayweather bouts. Arum has also received a proposal for a 30,000-seat temporary stadium on the Las Vegas Strip across from the Wynn resort.

source: ESPN.com

Watch Anime Online For Free

2009-09-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

Animefreak.TV is an Anime Streaming site to Watch Anime Online Free.Serving over 10000 anime episodes and adding new Animes daily! We update airing anime series right after it has released. Just select an anime title from the right side and begin watching online!

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“Pacquiao will win over Cotto ” – Mayweather

2009-09-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather Jr. gave his views about the upcoming fight of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto . He revealed in an interview with him on ESPN that with the punishment Cotto endured in his fight against Mexican Antonio Margarito last year, the Puerto Rican’s mental toughness has changed, and says Pacquiao will win the fight. Mayweather made a boxing comeback after his retirement for a fight with lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in September. He was also eyed as the great opponent for Pacquiao this year but Mayweather struggle in his June 13 fight with Joshua Clottey that escaped him with a split-decision victory.

Pacman jams with Ely Buendia

2009-09-12T03:51:00.000-07:00

Music Icon Ely Buendia is set to have his TV Guesting in Show Me the Manny this coming Sunday where they will be having a jamming session with the people’s champ Manny Pacquiao. This would also be the 1st time that Manny will be doing a song number for a sitcom. Watch the exciting musical episode of Show Me the Manny this Sunday, after All- Star K!.

Top 10 Most Famous Hackers In The World

2009-09-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Black Hat Crackers

The Internet abounds with hackers, known as crackers or "black hats," who work to exploit computer systems. They are the ones you've seen on the news being hauled away for cybercrimes. Some of them do it for fun and curiosity, while others are looking for personal gain. In this section we profile five of the most famous and interesting "black hat" hackers.

Jonathan James: James gained notoriety when he became the first juvenile to be sent to prison for hacking. He was sentenced at 16 years old. In an anonymous PBS interview, he professes, "I was just looking around, playing around. What was fun for me was a challenge to see what I could pull off."

James's major intrusions targeted high-profile organizations. He installed a backdoor into a Defense Threat Reduction Agency server. The DTRA is an agency of the Department of Defense charged with reducing the threat to the U.S. and its allies from nuclear, biological, chemical, conventional and special weapons. The backdoor he created enabled him to view sensitive emails and capture employee usernames and passwords.

James also cracked into NASA computers, stealing software worth approximately $1.7 million. According to the Department of Justice, "The software supported the International Space Station's physical environment, including control of the temperature and humidity within the living space." NASA was forced to shut down its computer systems, ultimately racking up a $41,000 cost. James explained that he downloaded the code to supplement his studies on C programming, but contended, "The code itself was crappy . . . certainly not worth $1.7 million like they claimed."

Given the extent of his intrusions, if James, also known as "c0mrade," had been an adult he likely would have served at least 10 years. Instead, he was banned from recreational computer use and was slated to serve a six-month sentence under house arrest with probation. However, he served six months in prison for violation of parole. Today, James asserts that he's learned his lesson and might start a computer security company.
Adrian Lamo: Lamo's claim to fame is his break-ins at major organizations like The New York Times and Microsoft. Dubbed the "homeless hacker," he used Internet connections at Kinko's, coffee shops and libraries to do his intrusions. In a profile article, "He Hacks by Day, Squats by Night," Lamo reflects, "I have a laptop in Pittsburgh, a change of clothes in D.C. It kind of redefines the term multi-jurisdictional."

Lamo's intrusions consisted mainly of penetration testing, in which he found flaws in security, exploited them and then informed companies of their shortcomings. His hits include Yahoo!, Bank of America, Citigroup and Cingular. When white hat hackers are hired by companies to do penetration testing, it's legal. What Lamo did is not.

When he broke into The New York Times' intranet, things got serious. He added himself to a list of experts and viewed personal information on contributors, including Social Security numbers. Lamo also hacked into The Times' LexisNexis account to research high-profile subject matter.

For his intrusion at The New York Times, Lamo was ordered to pay approximately $65,000 in restitution. He was also sentenced to six months of home confinement and two years of probation, which expired January 16, 2007. Lamo is currently working as an award-winning journalist and public speaker.
Kevin Mitnick: A self-proclaimed "hacker poster boy," Mitnick went through a highly publicized pursuit by authorities. His mischief was hyped by the media but his actual offenses may be less notable than his notoriety suggests. The Department of Justice describes him as "the most wanted computer criminal in United States history." His exploits were detailed in two movies: Freedom Downtime and Takedown.

Mitnick had a bit of hacking experience before committing the offenses that made him famous. He started out exploiting the Los Angeles bus punch card system to get free rides. Then, like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, dabbled in phone phreaking. Although there were numerous offenses, Mitnick was ultimately convicted for breaking into the Digital Equipment Corporation's computer network and stealing software.

Mitnick's mischief got serious when he went on a two and a half year "coast-to-coast hacking spree." The CNN article, "Legendary computer hacker released from prison," explains that "he hacked into computers, stole corporate secrets, scrambled phone networks and broke into the national defense warning system." He then hacked into computer expert and fellow hacker Tsutomu Shimomura's home computer, which led to his undoing.

Today, Mitnick has been able to move past his role as a black hat hacker and become a productive member of society. He served five years, about 8 months of it in solitary confinement, and is now a computer security consultant, author and speaker.
Kevin Poulsen: Also known as Dark Dante, Poulsen gained recognition for his hack of LA radio's KIIS-FM phone lines, which earned him a brand new Porsche, among other items. Law enforcement dubbed him "the Hannibal Lecter of computer crime."
Authorities began to pursue Poulsen after he hacked into a federal investigation database. During this pursuit, he further drew the ire of the FBI by hacking into federal computers for wiretap information.

His hacking specialty, however, revolved around telephones. Poulsen's most famous hack, KIIS-FM, was accomplished by taking over all of the station's phone lines. In a related feat, Poulsen also "reactivated old Yellow Page escort telephone numbers for an acquaintance who then ran a virtual escort agency." Later, when his photo came up on the show Unsolved Mysteries, 1-800 phone lines for the program crashed. Ultimately, Poulsen was captured in a supermarket and served a sentence of five years.

Since serving time, Poulsen has worked as a journalist. He is now a senior editor for Wired News. His most prominent article details his work on identifying 744 sex offenders with MySpace profiles.
Robert Tappan Morris: Morris, son of former National Security Agency scientist Robert Morris, is known as the creator of the Morris Worm, the first computer worm to be unleashed on the Internet. As a result of this crime, he was the first person prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Morris wrote the code for the worm while he was a student at Cornell. He asserts that he intended to use it to see how large the Internet was. The worm, however, replicated itself excessively, slowing computers down so that they were no longer usable. It is not possible to know exactly how many computers were affected, but experts estimate an impact of 6,000 machines. He was sentenced to three years' probation, 400 hours of community service and a fined $10,500.

Morris is currently working as a tenured professor at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He principally researches computer network architectures including distributed hash tables such as Chord and wireless mesh networks such as Roofnet.

White Hat Hackers

Hackers that use their skills for good are classified as "white hat." These white hats often work as certified "Ethical Hackers," hired by companies to test the integrity of their systems. Others, operate without company permission by bending but not breaking laws and in the process have created some really cool stuff. In this section we profile five white hat hackers and the technologies they have developed.

Stephen Wozniak: "Woz" is famous for being the "other Steve" of Apple. Wozniak, along with current Apple CEO Steve Jobs, co-founded Apple Computer. He has been awarded with the National Medal of Technology as well as honorary doctorates from Kettering University and Nova Southeastern University. Additionally, Woz was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in September 2000.

Woz got his start in hacking making blue boxes, devices that bypass telephone-switching mechanisms to make free long-distance calls. After reading an article about phone phreaking in Esquire, Wozniak called up his buddy Jobs. The pair did research on frequencies, then built and sold blue boxes to their classmates in college. Wozniak even used a blue box to call the Pope while pretending to be Henry Kissinger.

Wozniak dropped out of college and came up with the computer that eventually made him famous. Jobs had the bright idea to sell the computer as a fully assembled PC board. The Steves sold Wozniak's cherished scientific calculator and Jobs' VW van for capital and got to work assembling prototypes in Jobs' garage. Wozniak designed the hardware and most of the software. In the Letters section of Woz.org, he recalls doing "what Ed Roberts and Bill Gates and Paul Allen did and tons more, with no help." Wozniak and Jobs sold the first 100 of the Apple I to a local dealer for $666.66 each.

Woz no longer works full time for Apple, focusing primarily on philanthropy instead. Most notable is his function as fairy godfather to the Los Gatos, Calif. School District. "Wozniak 'adopted' the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-the-art technology equipment."
Tim Berners-Lee: Berners-Lee is famed as the inventor of the World Wide Web, the system that we use to access sites, documents and files on the Internet. He has received numerous recognitions, most notably the Millennium Technology Prize.

While a student at Oxford University, Berners-Lee was caught hacking access with a friend and subsequently banned from University computers. w3.org reports, "Whilst [at Oxford], he built his first computer with a soldering iron, TTL gates, an M6800 processor and an old television." Technological innovation seems to have run in his genes, as Berners-Lee's parents were mathematicians who worked on the Manchester Mark1, one of the earliest electronic computers.

While working with CERN, a European nuclear research organization, Berners-Lee created a hypertext prototype system that helped researchers share and update information easily. He later realized that hypertext could be joined with the Internet. Berners-Lee recounts how he put them together: "I just had to take the hypertext idea and connect it to the TCP and DNS ideas and – ta-da! – the World Wide Web."

Since his creation of the World Wide Web, Berners-Lee founded the World Wide Web Consortium at MIT. The W3C describes itself as "an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff and the public work together to develop Web standards." Berners-Lee's World Wide Web idea, as well as standards from the W3C, is distributed freely with no patent or royalties due.
Linus Torvalds: Torvalds fathered Linux, the very popular Unix-based operating system. He calls himself "an engineer," and has said that his aspirations are simple, "I just want to have fun making the best damn operating system I can."

Torvalds got his start in computers with a Commodore VIC-20, an 8-bit home computer. He then moved on to a Sinclair QL. Wikipedia reports that he modified the Sinclair "extensively, especially its operating system." Specifically, Torvalds hacks included "an assembler and a text editor…as well as a few games."

Torvalds created the Linux kernel in 1991, using the Minix operating system as inspiration. He started with a task switcher in Intel 80386 assembly and a terminal driver. After that, he put out a call for others to contribute code, which they did. Currently, only about 2 percent of the current Linux kernel is written by Torvalds himself. The success of this public invitation to contribute code for Linux is touted as one of the most prominent examples of free/open source software.

Currently, Torvalds serves as the Linux ringleader, coordinating the code that volunteer programmers contribute to the kernel. He has had an asteroid named after him and received honorary doctorates from Stockholm University and University of Helsinki. He was also featured in Time Magazine's "60 Years of Heroes."
Richard Stallman: Stallman's fame derives from the GNU Project, which he founded to develop a free operating system. For this, he's known as the father of free software. His "Serious Bio" asserts, "Non-free software keeps users divided and helpless, forbidden to share it and unable to change it. A free operating system is essential for people to be able to use computers in freedom."

Stallman, who prefers to be called rms, got his start hacking at MIT. He worked as a "staff hacker" on the Emacs project and others. He was a critic of restricted computer access in the lab. When a password system was installed, Stallman broke it down, resetting passwords to null strings, then sent users messages informing them of the removal of the password system.

Stallman's crusade for free software started with a printer. At the MIT lab, he and other hackers were allowed to modify code on printers so that they sent convenient alert messages. However, a new printer came along – one that they were not allowed to modify. It was located away from the lab and the absence of the alerts presented an inconvenience. It was at this point that he was "convinced…of the ethical need to require free software."

With this inspiration, he began work on GNU. Stallman wrote an essay, "The GNU Project," in which he recalls choosing to work on an operating system because it's a foundation, "the crucial software to use a computer." At this time, the GNU/Linux version of the operating system uses the Linux kernel started by Torvalds. GNU is distributed under "copyleft," a method that employs copyright law to allow users to use, modify, copy and distribute the software.

Stallman's life continues to revolve around the promotion of free software. He works against movements like Digital Rights Management (or as he prefers, Digital Restrictions Management) through organizations like Free Software Foundation and League for Programming Freedom. He has received extensive recognition for his work, including awards, fellowships and four honorary doctorates.
Tsutomu Shimomura: Shimomura reached fame in an unfortunate manner: he was hacked by Kevin Mitnick. Following this personal attack, he made it his cause to help the FBI capture him.

Shimomura's work to catch Mitnick is commendable, but he is not without his own dark side. Author Bruce Sterling recalls: "He pulls out this AT&T cellphone, pulls it out of the shrinkwrap, finger-hacks it, and starts monitoring phone calls going up and down Capitol Hill while an FBI agent is standing at his shoulder, listening to him."

Shimomura out-hacked Mitnick to bring him down. Shortly after finding out about the intrusion, he rallied a team and got to work finding Mitnick. Using Mitnick's cell phone, they tracked him near Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The article, "SDSC Computer Experts Help FBI Capture Computer Terrorist" recounts how Shimomura pinpointed Mitnick's location. Armed with a technician from the phone company, Shimomura "used a cellular frequency direction-finding antenna hooked up to a laptop to narrow the search to an apartment complex." Mitnick was arrested shortly thereafter. Following the pursuit, Shimomura wrote a book about the incident with journalist John Markoff, which was later turned into a movie.

The World's Top 20 Billionaires

2009-09-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

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2009-09-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

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Mayweather-Marquez set for July 18; Floyd comes back as the best fighter in the world

2009-09-04T04:51:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather is ready to reclaim his throne as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and will take the first step with a July 18 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.

Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's adviser, confirmed the bout in an exclusive interview with The Press today. Ellerbe said the Grand Rapids native and six-time world champion immediately reclaims the title as boxing's best.

"He left the sport as the best fighter in the world, he comes back as the best fighter in the world," Ellerbe said. "(Manny) Pacquiao was never considered the best fighter while Floyd was active, so why should anything change?"

Pacquiao will face Ricky Hatton tonight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The Pacquiao-Hatton winner is rumored to be in line to face the winner of Mayweather-Marquez later this year.

"I left on top, and I came back on top," Mayweather said at a news conference in Las Vegas on Saturday. "I'm here to fight and reclaim what's mine."

Mayweather, 32, is 39-0 with 25 knockouts in his career. Marquez, 35, of Mexico, is 50-4-1 with 37 knockouts.

The fight will be at the catch-weight of 143 pounds. Mayweather reportedly wanted to fight at 147, while Marquez didn't want to go above 140.

"It's going to be tremendous event. (Marquez) has been and still is one of the best fighters in the sport. He's one of the top two fighters in this sport," Ellerbe said. "This is the best versus the best. Floyd wasn't going to come back just to fight anyone.

"The sport has truly missed him. He is the face of boxing. The whole world has been waiting for him to come back."

Mayweather hasn't fought since scoring a 10th-round technical knockout of Ricky Hatton on Dec. 8, 2007.

Ring Magazine had ranked Mayweather as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world from July 18, 2005, through June 2, 2008. He also was honored as Ring Magazine's Fighter of the Year twice, in 1998 and 2007.

If Mayweather beats Marquez, will he face the Pacquiao-Hatton winner?

"We're not focusing on anything other than July 18," Ellerbe said. "The road to (the pound-for-pound title) comes through Floyd Mayweather."

Maricar Reyes dahilan ng Luis Manzano Angel Locsin break-up?

2009-09-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Pinutakti ng tanong si Luis Manzano sa prescon ng In My Life ng Star Cine-ma tungkol sa napabalitang break-up nila ni Angel Locsin.

Ayaw sagutin ni Luis nang diretso ang tanong ng lahat kung break na ba sila ni Angel o hindi.

Mas gugustuhin na lang daw niyang pag-usapan ang movie nila ng kanyang mom, na si Vilma Santos.

Kesyo right from the start naman daw ay hindi nila nire-reveal sa press ang relasyon nila ni Angel kaya gusto lang nilang i-maintain ang pagiging tahimik nila at pribado hanggang sa huling sandali.

Pero siyempre, ayaw pumayag ang press na manahimik na lang si Luis sa issue lalo pa’t ang lumalabas ay siya ang may kasalanan sa paghihiwalay nila ni Angel.

Kesyo may third party raw na involved at ang pa-ngalan ni Maricar Reyes ang lumalabas na pampagulo.

“Walang third party na involved mula pa noong una hanggang ngayon. Magka-kilala kami ni Maricar but we’re not close. Siya supposed to be ang leadig lady ko noon sa Flash Bomba, hanggang doon lang ang connect namin ni Maricar. Puro speculations lang ang mga ito,” depensa ni Luis.

Sinagot din niya ang isyu tungkol sa pagtatampo raw ng Vilmanians kay Angel nang pinuri nito si Nora Aunor sa Himala at nagkaroon pa ng mga haka-haka na gagawin niya ang remake ng pelikula.

“Angel was only speaking the truth nang sabihin niya na magaling na artista si Nora Aunor. Hindi ibig sabihin na porke’t pinuri niya si Nora ay she’s disrespecting ng my mom already. Walang ganoon,” tugon ni Luis.

Pati ang hindi pagsipot ni Angel sa TV special ni Ate Vi ay nilagyan din ng malisya.

Kesyo nasaktan daw nang husto ang aktres sa paghihiwalay nila kaya hindi na nito nagawang magpakita sa taping ng TV special ng mom niya.

“The trouble with people ay pinangungunahan na kagad ang kanilang prejudices. Angel certainly has her reasons for not going to the TV special. But one things is for sure, wala itong kinalaman sa kung ano man ang nangyayari sa amin. Angel is very professional naman pagdating sa trabaho,” pagtatanggol pa ni Luis.

Sa Sept. 16 ang showing ng In My Life at isang big revelation si Luis dito pagdating sa pag-portray niya bilang isang gay son na may sakit.

Mismong si Ate Vi ay puring-puri sa pinamalas na acting ng anak sa pelikula.

At hamak na mas maga-ling pa raw siya sa daddy niya na si Edu Manzano!

How to Choose a Laptop?

2009-09-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

A laptop (also known as notebook computer) is a small mobile personal computer usually weighing from 1 to 3 kg. Laptops nowadays are becoming increasingly more powerful and feature packed. They are now capable of many of the same tasks that desktop computers perform. And they come with large screen sizes too. Models that have 17" widescreen LCDs are becoming popular, even replacing desktops in some homes.

First, decide on what features you need and make notes of your preferred features and the reasons for them. These are the important features you will need to consider:

CPU (Processor) - this is the engine that will drive your laptop's performance. Ideally you should choose the fastest CPU available.
Memory (RAM) - the on board memory is another important feature (the more the better). Not having enough memory will significantly affect your laptop's performance. A recommended minimum nowadays is 1 Gigabyte of memory. Consider that Windows Vista can require about 500 megabytes (1/2 a Gigabyte) of memory for the operating system.
Hard Disk (HDD) - the hard disk capacity and speed are important features. This is where you will have all your installed software and data like photo or video files. The bigger the better as you will need enough room for your ever increasing data.
Screen - this is what you will be looking at and you need to be comfortable with the size and resolution. You would want to choose one with a bright crisp screen with good viewing angles. If you are a road warrior I would suggest screen sizes 14" or below. If you are heavy into graphics work, 17"gaming laptops. would be a minimum. Same goes for

Another important consideration but often overlooked when choosing a laptop is battery life. Don't believe what the manufacturer says. Always look for objective, independent tests instead. A laptop is just about useless if its battery lasts less than 2 hours, unless you only plan to use it in places where there's a mains power supply nearby.

If you plan to lug your laptop around everyday, it is crucial to consider the laptop's weight. If the laptop is too heavy, it will eventually end up acting like an overpriced desktop system, or perhaps breaking your shoulders when you try carrying it around. It is far better to sacrifice a little speed for a lighter weight. And if you travel a lot, it will save you some heartache by choosing something with a more durable outer casing like the latest Panasonic Toughbook.

Other features like mobile computing capabilities should also be considered. Ideally you want a laptop with built in wireless networking (WIFI) and Bluetooth. This will allow you to be truly mobile and connect to trusted networks at airports. While wireless networking technology isn't unique to laptops, it is much more important in laptops than it is for desktop PCs. You are certainly going to want to need it with more and more wireless hotspots sprouting up. You should choose a laptop that makes this as painless as possible.

Ensure enough ports for external devices. You will want to connect a mouse, printer, memory stick, external portable disk drive (for backups) or scanner to your laptop. This is usually via USB ports. Make sure the USB ports are USB 2.0 and not USB 1.0. USB 2.0 is dramatically faster than USB 1.0. You should consider at least 2 to 3 USB ports. A digital media slot for reading digital camera cards will also be useful if you need to frequently access photos taken with your digital camera. Lastly if you need frequent access to CDs/CD-ROMs/DVDs consider a built-in CD/DVD drive.

20 Essential Blog Directories To Submit Your Blog To

2009-08-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Let us take a look at 20 popular directories worthy of your consideration.

1. Best of the Web Blog Search Best of the Web’s Blog Directory is very selective and only lists aged and valuable blogs. A link from here is majestic and well deserved.

2. Bloggeries has the best categories and subcategories home page on the internet. The layout is clear and concise, and readers are able to find what they are looking for in a snap!

I am really liking what Rob is doing with Bloggeries and this is bound to be one of the premier Blog Directories on the web.

3. EatonWeb Blog Directory is a real jewel with many aged inbound links and a blog rating system. You may have to pay a fee for your blog to be reviewed, but like Yahoo, the review fee is well worth the few dollars.

4. OnToplist.com is a free human-edited blog directory where you submit the RSS feed of your blog. You can also set up your own micro-directory (blog ranking) and compile a list of your favorite blogs in one place. OnToplist is also a social network that allows you and other bloggers to get in touch and promote your blog by attracting more readers.

5. Blogged.com is an interesting mix of a blog directory and a Google News type site which fuels its news feed from the blogs listed on the site. Blogged.com is very impressive and is free to list your blog.

6. One of the most selective Blog Directories on the web (and Wordpress powered), Blog Search Engine is owned by Performancing’s parent company and serves search results powered by IceRocket.

7. Blog Catalog features a vast directory of categories, from academic to writing, while offering the ability to search by country, language, or user. It has a no frills design, but offers convenient member access through simple blog registration.

8. Globe of Blogs has too many features to list. In order to be listed on the site, the blog must not be commercial. The site may appear to be busy, but I like the features of being able to search by title, author, or subject. Narrowing the search becomes easier on this blog.

9. The ultimate directory of British blogs connotes all things British. It is not directed by location, but by the culture! It is asked that bloggers be genuinely “britished.” Being listed in this blog reaches readers all the way across the pond!

10. Blog Universe is the perfect place to promote your video or podcast themed blog. Its layout is easy to navigate. Although the content is limited, it is an all around good directory site worthy of submission.

11. Bigger Blogs is a relatively new blog directory with only a few blogs registered. The blog is intertwined with a business directory. The blog section is difficult to find, and it is located through a link on the right side of the business directory page. However, the benefit is that the earlier you are accepted on a blog directory, the more exposure your blog will obtain. In addition, a back link is indeed a back link, so this can help with your search engine placement.

12. Upon visiting Bloggernity, you find a crisp, clean, and easy to navigate site. Scrolling down, you find the new blogs. As there is little advertising on the home page, it is pleasant to the eye of the reader as well.

13. Bloggapedia has an interesting and eye catching homepage. Readers are easily connected to the top blogs and newest posts. Innovative categories and a colorful design make this blog directory a hit.

14. Spillbean is a well-designed blog directory site with categories such as health, society, internet, and personal. The site is aesthetically pleasing, but there are not many listings yet.

15. Blogging Fusion is a blog with over sixty categories. These categories include photo blogs and family focused blogs. Blogging Fusion has an good amount of blog listings within the directory, and it also has visitor stats available.

16. Blogflux is not only a tool for bloggers, but a directory that has the listings in alphabetic order. The blog listings are organized and clear. It is definitely an effective blog directory in which to be listed.

17. The blogs on the top listings of Bloglisting are fun, colourful, and catch the attention of the reader. Bloglisting displays the page ranking blogs, which is a helpful tool when determining with whom you want to exchange links.

18. Blogio may be a small blog directory with few listings, but it worthy of a submission. Despite its small size, there are quality blogs and a solid ability to search on this site.

19. Blog Explosion claims to be the largest blog promoter on the internet. They have a vast directory but do not seem to have direct links. However, the listing in the directory can still show up in SERP’s, so keep this in mind.

20. Super Blog Directory is a great site that offers tools to posters that others do not. You can see the latest submitted links and blogs on the site, which is a perk that draws traffic into the directory.

The above listings are a glimpse inside the large and vast world of blog directories and the valuable inbound links that your can build for your blog and your business.

What blog directories do you suggest? Leave a comment below :)

Facebook makes privacy changes

2009-08-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Facebook has announced it is to overhaul its privacy settings to make it clearer for users to know who has access to their personal data.

The news follows an investigation into the privacy policy of the social networking site by Canada's Privacy Commissioner.

The social networking site has agreed to make changes that it believes will provide its users with greater transparency and control over their personal information and how it is used.

"These changes mean that the privacy of 200 million Facebook users in Canada and around the world will be far better protected," said Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart in a press statement.

In July Stoddart issued an initial report on an investigation into Facebook that followed a complaint from a privacy advocacy group, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa.

The main concerns highlighted by the report were the lack of clarity over privacy settings and how much personal information is shared with third-party developers of applications such as games and quizzes.

In response to the investigation Facebook has agreed to make "significant enhancements" over the next 12 months, WHO says. This would include clarifying its privacy policy so that users can clearly understand why personal information like date of birth is requested, the difference between deactivating and deleting an account, and how its advertising works.

Another key amendment is that Facebook will retrofit its application platform in order to prevent developers from accessing users' personal information -- unless users provide explicit consent.

"Application developers have had virtually unrestricted access to Facebook users' personal information. The changes Facebook plans to introduce will allow users to control the types of personal information that applications can access," Stoddart said in her statement.

Work on the planned changes will begin immediately, although Facebook has said some changes will take some time before they are visible. Updates to Facebook's privacy policy will require a notice and comment period for users.

It has also said the changes to how users share information with third-party applications will require time and resources, both for the updating and testing of the new Facebook application platform and for third-party application developers to reprogram and test their applications.

"We will be communicating regularly with developers about the changes and we're going to take our time to make sure the outcome is something users understand and that developers have ample time and notice to adapt," Ethan Beard, Director of Platform Product Marketing at Facebook, said in a statement.

Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Global Communications and Public Policy at Facebook, added in a prepared statement that the changes would "provide even greater transparency and control for Facebook users.

"We believe that these changes are not only great for our users and address all of the Commissioners' outstanding concerns, but they also set a new standard for the industry."

Bomb Injures Soldiers Near Philippine Airport

2009-08-30T20:20:00.001-07:00

JOLO, Philippines — Suspected Al Qaeda-linked militants planted a bomb that exploded near an airport and an air force base Sunday in the southern Philippines, wounding two soldiers, officials said.

Abu Sayyaf extremists most likely planted the bomb that exploded late Sunday on a narrow road in Jolo township, wounding the two troops who were riding a scooter to a mosque, regional military chief Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said.

The soldiers were taken to a hospital for treatment to shrapnel wounds. There were no reports of damage to either the airport or the air force base on Jolo, a predominantly Muslim island where American troops have been deployed to provide training to local forces battling the militants.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has more than 300 fighters, is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations because bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings of hostages have rattled the southern Philippines for decades. The group is suspected of receiving funds and training from Al Qaeda.

It has been blamed for several bombings, including a motorcycle bomb blast that killed two people and wounded 31 last month on Jolo, about 590 miles (950 kilometers) south of Manila.

Michael Jackson's death was a homicide, coroner rules

2009-08-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES, California - The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled that Michael Jackson's death was a homicide involving a combination of drugs.

"The drugs propofol and lorazepam were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson's death," said a news release issued Friday by the coroner. "Other drugs detected were: midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine and ephedrine."

The release said Jackson died from "acute propofol intoxication," but said "other conditions contributing to death: benzodiazepine effect."

Lorazepam, midazolam and diazepam are benzodiazepines.

A lawyer for Jackson's personal physician criticized the coroner for releasing only a brief summary of his findings, saying it contained "nothing new" and had "all the earmarks of police gamesmanship."

Michael Jackson's family issued a statement in reaction: "The Jackson family again wishes to commend the actions of the Coroner, the LAPD and other law enforcement agencies, and looks forward to the day that justice can be served."

Federal and state agencies also have launched independent investigations into "matters uncovered" by Los Angeles police while looking into Jackson's death, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Police Department, which has been conducting a criminal investigation of Jackson's death, requested at an interagency meeting last week that federal and state agencies pursue their own investigations, according to statements issued Friday by California's attorney general and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Chris Brown's Sentence Dissected: What Will His Punishment Entail?

2009-08-30T20:06:00.001-07:00

Now that Chris Brown has been formally sentenced, what will his punishment entail?

He was sentenced to 180 days of community labor service and ordered to undergo weekly counseling for one year. In addition, the singer will be under probation supervision for the next five years and must also abide by a protective order that restricts his contact with Rihanna until August 2014.

There are critics who have dismissed his punishment as a case of celebrity justice, but legal expert Peter T. Haven said, upon closer examination, Brown's plea deal might be just as tough on him as jail time, particularly the labor-service aspect.

"There sounds like there's gonna be a lot of challenges here," Haven explained. "Labor service is not a walk in the park. It may be better than spending 180 days in jail, but it's not a walk in the park. And there's these issues about the stay-away order [not being lifted]. Remember, if he violates [anything], it'll be a violation against his whole plea agreement."

Brown was originally scheduled to be sentenced earlier this month, but Judge Patricia Schnegg requested additional time to ensure the "Forever" singer would endure labor work in his home state of Virginia instead of community service. In court on Tuesday, Schnegg confirmed that Brown would report directly to the Richmond chief of police in Virginia, who will supervise his labor work, which will include picking up trash and strenuous physical activity.

Invisible Scanner

2009-08-30T03:02:00.000-07:00

Check Now

It can check invisible IDs on Yahoo! Webmessenger, Meebo, Pidgin, eBuddy and other.

Cheat Engine or so called "Roap"

2009-08-30T02:49:00.000-07:00

Download Cheat Engine

Cheat Engine is an open source tool designed to help you with modifying games so you can make them harder or easier depending on your preference(e.g: Find that 100hp is too easy, try playing a game with a max of 1 HP), but also contains other usefull tools to help debugging games and even normal applications.

It comes with a memory scanner to quickly scan for variables used within a game and allow you to change them, but it also comes with a debugger, disassembler, assembler, speedhack, trainer maker, direct 3D manipulation tools, system inspection tools and more.

For new users it is recommended to go through the tutorial(The one that comes with Cheat Engine, you can find it in your programs list after installing) and at least reach step 5 for basic understanding of the usage of Cheat Engine.

Lock Folder XP

2009-08-30T02:37:00.000-07:00

What is Lock Folder XP?

Download Lock Folder XP

Lock Folder XP is a secure and easy to use program that allows you to password-protect and easily prevent access to your personal and important folders. A protected folder and its contents will be prevented from being renamed, modified, deleted, copied, moved, accessed or even seen on the system.

Wherever - at home, work or any other environment where you share your computer with others, this program can really help you to secure your files and folders from prying eyes, malicious programs, users and getting infected by deadly viruses, trojans and unwanted access or accidental damage.

It is a must have tool for anyone seeking to secure their system with ease but in confidence and trust. Yes that's right; it is so secure that even if it crashes or if someone kills the program maliciously, it will still keep protecting your folders.

ComboFix

2009-08-30T02:24:00.000-07:00

ComboFix is a program, created by sUBs, that scans your computer for known malware, and when found, attempts to clean these infections automatically. In addition to being able to remove a large amount of the most common and current malware, ComboFix also displays a report that can be used by trained helpers to remove malware that is not automatically removed by the program.

ComboFix Tutorial
Download ComboFix

UFC: Couture Vs. Nogueira

2009-08-30T02:11:00.001-07:00

A 46-year old shouldn't be able to go toe-to-toe with a 33-year old in mixed martial arts, but that's exactly what Randy Couture did against Brazilian legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He simply wasn't big enough to hurt Nogueira on the feet. When the fight went to the ground Nogueira was better technical fighter. He threatened with the most dangerous moment of the fight in the middle of the second round with an arm-triangle choke for 42 seconds. Nogueira rolled to a unanimous decision (29-28 and 30-27 on two cards) over the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion at UFC 102 in Portland.

Nogueira (32-5-1, 3-1 UFC), a former Pride and UFC heavyweight champ, put himself in line for a shot at Brock Lesnar's title down the road. It was an excellent comeback performance after he looked so sluggish in a loss to Frank Mir at UFC 92. He was also dealing with a staph infection at the time and said he was in the hospital a week before the fight. He looked much more crisp tonight and took repeated heavyweight punches walking through Couture bombs on several occasions.

Couture was gracious in defeat:

"I'm disappointed to lose [but] you gotta love this sport. The guys come out and every single fight they put it on the line. What keeps me going are guys like Nogueira and interesting fights. He was very tough tonight."

Couture didn't sound like he's ready to retire:

"We’ll let the dust settle see what the UFC wants to do. I feel the best I’ve ever felt."

Nogueira set the tone in the opening round as he stood right in front of Couture trading leather. Nog landed a right of his own that floored Couture with three minutes left in the first. He turned that into a choke attempt

that Couture eventually freed himself from.

Couture, master of ground and pound, had top control on several occasions but couldn't never unload big shots. Nogueira held Couture close to his body and was able to reverse the position on each occasion.

Ding Ding Ding! Cristine Reyes - FHM Philippines September 2009 Cover Girl

2009-08-30T01:47:00.000-07:00

FHM's Sexiest Woman of 2009 is on the cover of FHM Philippines for September 2009 Issue.

This is the second time that Cristine Reyes graced the cover of the said men’s magazine. She first graced FHM’s cover last August 2007.

Newest Dota Allstar Maps

2009-08-30T01:21:00.001-07:00

Download Official DotA Allstars Maps Here

Download Online Games

2009-08-30T01:18:00.003-07:00

9 Dragons
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Flyff
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Cabal Online
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Rohan
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FreeStyle
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Ran Online
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Ragnarok Online
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Special Force
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WarRock
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Granado Espada
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Perfect World
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