The Tak Team Blog

Data Centers are the core of the Internet. The computer servers that power the Interne,t call Data Centers their home. If you think of how many billions of online transactions that happen every day you will be amazed to know that the final resting place of all these stored transactions is the Data centers. This Amazement quickly turns into Panic when you think about how much private data and vital data is stored there. Over years the Data Center technologies have evolved a lot into much advanced techniques like server virtualization and high speed power houses. There are more than 100 factors one should evaluate a data center against before choosing one to home their servers. In this article we will see the three main that in turn dictate the rest of the factors.

1. Security: We just now saw how much data is stored, processed and served by the data centers. All these are vital data that makes or breaks a global economy. Security includes the data encryption capability of the servers, the security of the uplinks or the backbone networks that are employed. It includes security mechanisms like the Public key dongles and the capability to store the data securely and safely. The less talked aspect is the physical security of the box and the whole data center itself. We are talking about limiting snooping and sniffing the packets, but what happens if one person just walks in carries off a server. How much credit card data, transaction details, bank details and the SSN’s get compromised! You can have a slow box but an insecure one creates a ton of problems in the form of countless lawsuits. Choose the data center that excels in all aspects of security. Ask pointed questions, expect the right answers.

2. Reliability: The next important aspect is the reliability of the systems and the data center infrastructure itself. We are just not talking about backup machines or RAID 5 HDD. We are talking of highly available power systems with sufficient backup time and in house generators for emergencies. The additional aspect to consider is reliability of the company that offers the data center and the persons working for the company. You many want to talk a little bit about their hiring and daily authentication and authorization process if you are even a mid-sized company. Disaster recovery systems are critical for the five 9’s in reliability don’t be stalled because a California power-company had a complete emergency shutdown due to an earthquake or a hurricane in Florida. You should be able to gracefully failover to alternate sites.

3. High Speed: The third aspect is the much needed speed. This is more complex than you think. Adding a word saying that we have the high end servers making a data center a high speed infrastructure is minimum requirement. The network uplinks and the Internet backbone the center are connected to are also very important. You have to ask for custom solutions like caching technologies, load balancing blueprints and high end routers, switches and backplanes.

This article just touches on these major concepts and you have to do sufficient research on the keywords employed in this article. As I said there are 100 factors to consider before choosing the right datacenter. Any good company owning a data center would openly help you evaluate their infrastructure against these factors.

You can find a good Data Center with many of the good capabilities discussed in this article in fastpcnet.net. Ask them about their custom solution and how they measure against the deciding factors and you will be happy at the answers.

Author Holds a Masters in Distributed computing and does freelancing for many great Internet companies through the no fee free freelance website freelancefree.com.

Your clients might be tempted to outfit their top managers and producers with the latest and greatest PC hardware. After all, a CFO or senior account manager has a tremendous amount riding on his or her daily performance and productivity. But they need to consider better ways to spend their money.

What Does Your Client Really Need?

Look carefully at clients’ software application requirements before you allow their “emotional” needs to drive tech PC hardware purchases. If a client’s CFO spends most of a typical day crunching numbers in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and communicating via e-mail in Microsoft Outlook, he or she really has only very basic PC hardware requirements.

Would Their Money Be Spent Better Elsewhere?

As virtual CIO to this client, you may find at least a dozen financial software-related projects you could work on for this CFO that would bring greater bottom-line results than an ego-driven PC hardware purchase.

These consulting projects will be infinitely more profitable to your consulting firm than the slim profit margin on a high-end, commodity-like desktop PC hardware purchase.

What about Notebook PCs?

Also help your clients keep their egos in check with notebook purchases. Your clients can get some really useful multimedia features in high-end notebooks in the $4,000 to $5,000 price range.

But if the CEO of one of your main clients merely wants to access e-mail remotely, you easily could equip him or her with a reliable, high-performance, brand-name notebook for one-third to one-half of that price.

Use Your Knowledge To Help Your Clients

As your clients’ virtual CIO and technology visionary, you have an awesome responsibility. Don’t allow clients’ objective judgments and technology budgets to get seduced by superfluous bells and whistles - especially when these bells and whistles take away from technology spending that can have a much greater impact than PC hardware purchases.

When in doubt, ask yourself this basic question:

“If my client took the $5,000 that was about to be spent on the “Rolls Royce” of notebooks and reallocated the amount toward computer consulting services, what kind of an impact on their business could my firm make with a $5,000 budget for a consulting project?”

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, helps computer consulting business owners get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for your free access to field-tested, proven computer consulting secrets at Computer Consulting 101.

For the most part, wireless cell phones are safe. And who could deny the convenience and freedom they have bought to our lives. Wireless cell phones bring our family and friends closer and allows us to do transact business more conveniently than ever. But, take note as we compiled a list of general cautions that you should be aware of.

Never place your wireless phone in the microwave as it will explode.

Coins, paperclips or pens in your purse, bag or pocket may short circuit the + or - terminals of your mobile phone battery. (Hint: the metal strips on the battery.)

Do not disassemble your cellular phone.

Do not sit weighty objects on the power cord. Furthermore, do not crimp the power cord as it may cause a fire or electrical shock.

Do not take or receive calls when your cellular while charging the phone as it might short circuit your cellular phone causing electrical shock or fire.

Do not bend, twist or heat the power cord. Do not use the plug if you notice that it is loose. This can cause a fire or electrical shock.

The power plug must be firmly connected. This might result in extreme heat or fire.

As we said in the beginning of this article, wireless phones are very safe if used correctly. We wish to enlighten our cellular phone customers about proper use of their new cellular phones.

Catherine Kenyeres is a free lance writer and publisher for Best-4u-Cell-Phones.com. Catherine provides the latest information, reviews and comparisons for cell phone clients.

All of the high-tech peripherals and latest editions of computer software products that you’ve installed are useless if your computer’s power supply is not sufficiently providing electricity.

Before your computer can operate properly, it needs an adequate amount of electricity. Through the power supply system’s switcher technology, power deliveries the electricity once the alternating current (AC) input from an electrical outlet is converted into direct current (DC) input for your computer. The power supply is typically known as the “switching power supply.” This is a metal box found in a corner of the computer case. In most cases, power supplies are visible at the back of the computer that contains a power-cord receptacle, cooling fan and off/on switch.

As various components of the computer have different requirements, there are three voltages typically provided by a power supply: 3.3 volts, 5 volts, and 12 volts. The digital circuits of most computers use the first two voltage rails while the 12-volt rail is used in disk drives and fans. The main specification of power supplies is using wattage to rate the current they use up. In the early 90’s, the typical power supply used around 150 watts. But as the advancement of computer technologies grew, the need for higher wattage arose. Thus, you are now able to purchase 450 watts or greater.

The emergence of higher-wattage power supplies led to many believing that these systems are better for their computers. Apparently, they misinterpreted that installing a large-containing-wattage power supply would safeguard their computers against under-powering the system, and at the same time, draw only the amount of current required. However, this notion is not advantageous at all, as large power supplies can produce more heat. As power supplies are rated through wattage, generating more heat would mean more wattage used. Thus, more wattage used would also mean higher cost for the power.

You’ve shot that wonderful video of your daughter’s birthday. Now, how can you get it into the computer to do some snazzy editing and perhaps produce a VCD or two? If the video is on that MiniDV or Hi8 tape, how can you possibly move it out of there into the computer? Seems tough. Well, let this article help you.

Analog or Digital?

The first thing you want to do is to determine if your video is in digital format (MiniDV, Digital8, MicroMV, Digital Tapeless, DVD) or analog format (8mm, Hi8, VHS-C). If it is in digital format, which is increasingly popular these days, you will need to transfer the video to the computer using a Firewire card. If it is in analog format, you will need an analog-to-digital conversion device to do the transfer.

Firewire Cards

A Firewire card is the channel through which video from your digital camcorder can enter your computer. A Firewire cable runs from your camcorder DV output port to your computer’s DV input port. Due to the extremely fast transfer speeds that Firewire achieves, the digital video will be transferred with almost zero loss in quality. Most computers do not come with Firewire cards - if you are lo
ing for one, I’d highly recommend the Belkin FireWire card which retails for less than $35 online.

If you want to find out what factors to consider when purchasing a quality Firewire card, you can check out my article on choosing the best Firewire card.

Analog-to-Digital Conversion Devices

An analog-to-digital conversion device converts video from analog format to digital format. These type of device is well suited for the following video editing scenarios:

• You have video shot by an analog camcorder and wish to convert it into a digital format.


• You have some old VHS tapes which are growing dusty and you wish to convert them into a digital format.

If you are in either of the above scenarios, I highly recommend you get an analog-to-digital conversion device to help with the time consuming work. One product that I’ve had excellent experience with is the USB Instant DVD from ADS Technologies.

This is is a neat little device that has ports to allow analog video input from your analog camcorder or VCR. It outputs the converted digital video via a USB cable into your computer’s USB port. You will definitely want to check out my full review of USB Instant DVD.

Conclusion

Well, I hope this article has given you some insight into the process of capturing video into your computer. The main point is to always remember what video format you’re dealing with. If it’s digital, go with Firewire and if it’s analog, use an analog-to-digital video conversion device.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on digital videography. Visit his website at http://www.desktop-video-guide.com for tips and tricks on buying digital camcorders, as well as shooting and editing great videos.

TiVo will change your life… for the better. Plain and simple: record shows by telling TiVo to record them (not when, what channel, how long, etc.), record all new episodes of X, record all movies w/ so-and-so in them, etc.

High Points:

Most people know the basics of the concept. Here’s the low-down on the things I’m asked most…

1. You can record one thing and watch something else already recorded.

2. You can get a dual tuner TiVo, but you’ll need two SEPARATE feeds to the TiVo (i.e., two lines from your satellite dish). Then you can record 2 things at once or watch one/record another. These are more expensive, but you can get a DirecTiVo w/ dual tuner cheaper and then the monthly TiVo fee is about half normal.

3. Pause live TV - if you don’t realize the value of this, I can’t explain it.

TiVo has many different versions which all some slight variations. If you want to go beyond ‘average guy’ level, check out this forum.

Comparison to ReplayTV:

TiVo seems to have a better interface from what I’ve seen and what others have said. It’s easier to use. However, ReplayTV is more easily hackable - you can access it from the web and the PC easier to convert/archive shows, etc. I have a DVD recorder for this which is another post for another time.

Both can be made to do mostly the same things, but you get the idea.

My Suggestion

I recommend the DirecTiVo Hughes HDVR2 (dual tuner) w/ the Triple LNB dish (this is the oval dish w/ 4 lines from it and it’s HDTV ready). It’s got the satellite converter box built in so it’s only one box to deal w/, the TiVo monthly fee is less and it’s dual tuner.

This model isn’t as hackable as some TiVo’s, but it can do some and if you want to go beyond the basics than you probably haven’t read this far.

Sites:

http://www.dvrinfospot.com

http://www.TiVo.com

http://www.TiVoCommunity.com

http://www.WeaKnees.com

…and, of course, The Armchair Geek (see below).

Bear Cahill is a software engineer in the Dallas, TX area and runs a few websites: The Armchair Geek (thearmchairgeek.com), Webpage Hosting Info (webpagehostinginfo.com), Go To College Online (gotocollegeonline.com) and The Video Exchange Community (videoexchange.org)

Publish freely if this resource box is included and links maintained as links.

When planning to buy a cheap laptop computer, you need to consider factors that go well beyond performance and memory. You need to consider many factors like size, weight, screen dimensions, battery life, keyboard quality, built-in memory, and also certain other options like wireless connectivity.

Let us now consider some key features you need to consider when buying your laptop.

•Processor: Choosing the right processor is a very important task because the processor determines how quickly a laptop can run applications and perform on-screen tasks. Don’t settle for anything less than 1.4 GHz. This is enough for everyday work-word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail etc. Pentium M processors are good for this purpose. These processors are fast and allow for long battery life.

•System memory: The more memory your laptop has, the more applications you can run at once and the better your laptop will perform. Do not settle for anything less than 128 MB. However note that upgrading memory in laptops is not as easy as in the case of desktop computers.

•Screen size: The size of a laptop’s LCD screen is quoted as a diagonal measurement. The larger the screen, the higher the maximum resolution and the more information you can view at once. For cheap laptops, choosing a 12.1 inches screen is a good option.

•Battery: Thanks to the Pentium M processors. Laptops now have very good battery life when compared to the old ones. Battery life in the units equipped with these chips range roughly from 3 to 7 hours. Choosing a lithium ion rechargeable battery is a good option.

•Hard drive: The larger the hard drive, the more data you can keep on your laptop. For a cheap laptop, it is better to choose hard drives with 20GB or 40GB capacity depending on the usage.

•Keyboard: Laptop keyboards are quite different from the keyboards we use with the desktop computers. The keys are quite small and closely packed. Get hands-on with the laptop keyboard before you actually buy it.

•Pointing device: Opt for a touchpad or pointing stick built into the laptop. This is much more useful than connecting a mouse via a USB port.

•Optical drives: Many manufacturers offer laptops with re-writable DVD drives. However for a budget laptop, a single CD-RW drive is more than sufficient.

•USB ports: Two USB ports are enough for a budget laptop. If you need much more ports, you can always use an external USB hub. A hub usually consists of four or more USB ports and connects to one of your laptop’s USB ports.

•Weight: Your laptop should weigh anywhere between 4 and 10 pounds. If you still want to reduce weight, use can use external floppy and CD drives.

•Communications: Do not opt for serial ports, PS/2 ports and infrared ports as they are becoming rare. Opt for a built-in Ethernet instead.

You’ll probably spend a lot of time with your new laptop. Therefore research a lot before buying any particular brand. Check for user’s stories, consumer opinions, reviews and more. This will help you to get your dream laptop at a low cost.

Robert Scheer
researches and writes about laptop
and notebook computers for http://www.best-cheap-laptops.com

What happens to many people is that they’re just about to purchase some wireless equipment, and then they have a sudden realisation — they have no idea how their network layout is going to work with a wireless connection. Well, there are a few things you need to think about when you decide how you’re going to connect up your computers with all that great new wireless gear.

Ad-hoc Networks Explained.

Ad-hoc networks are the ones your wireless devices create more-or-less on their own — they are also known as peer-to-peer networks. In an ad-hoc network, each computer on the network acts as an equal ‘peer’, with each one sending data to any other. This arrangement is most often used in place of a real LAN, to allow employees in a company, for example, to exchange files. You can create ad-hoc wireless networks between any computers that have wireless equipment — access to the Internet is not required.

These networks work using something called an ‘SSID’ (Service Set Identifier). Essentially, this is the network’s name, decided on the computer that was the first to connect to the network (yes, a network consisting of just itself). The other computers that connect to the network can then simply connect by finding the network with the name (SSID) they want.

This is powerful. You can put your wireless-enabled laptop next to a friend’s, and the two computers can create a little network for themselves on the fly. Thanks the way wireless networking works, they keep the connection even if you move them around — the only thing that will force the computers to disconnect from each other is if they go out of range. For many people, this spells the end of messing around with CDs and floppy disks — they can finally use their laptop just like a briefcase, carrying everything from one place to another.

Arriving somewhere with your laptop and being automatically included in the wireless network also gives you access to shared resources, such as printers. Imagine being able to take your computer to somewhere where there’s a printer, press print, collect the document and walk away again. Ad-hoc networking makes this a reality.

Access Points.

An access point, on the other hand, is a way of connecting your ad-hoc wireless network to a real, wired network. Note that this network could just be a LAN, or it could be the entire Internet. There are hardware access points and software ones, with either kind allowing you to connect your wireless device to a wired network. Internet Connecting Sharing, for example, is a software access point to the Internet, while a wireless router is a wired one. If you have wireless access at your office, the chances are it is provided as a wireless access point to the wired network, to let people bring in wireless devices and connect them to the office LAN.

A network that contains an access point is sometimes called an ‘infrastructure’ network, as opposed to an ad-hoc one. It’s worth remembering, though, that part of the infrastructure network still consists of the ad-hoc network between the computers — they can still communicate just the same as they could before.

If you think about it, you can see that the access point structure allows you to create a series of networks, all interconnected. The Internet, in this scheme, is just another wired network. You can connect your wired network to the Internet, connect your wireless network to an access point to your wired network — whatever you want.

The string of networks is potentially never-ending, with wired networks being able to break out into wireless ones as often as they need to. This concept is sometimes called lilypad networking, because it lets your computer be like a frog, hopping from lilypad to lilypad. Even though the whole area of the water isn’t covered with lilypads, the frog can still get through — and you can make wireless networks work the same way.

Information supplied and written by Lee Asher of
CyberTech SoftShop
Suppliers of the DeadEasy Ebook Maker and Publishing Wizard.

We all know what it is like when that message flashes on the computer screen as you are printing off an important document. Your ink cartridge is low, replace soon! But, do you know what type of ink cartridges your printer needs? Do you know where to find ink cartridges to replace those? Is this going to be a long, difficult search that will cost you dearly? You don’t have to dread that message at all. In fact, finding the information you need for the replacement of ink cartridges is simple.

First, you need to know what type of ink cartridges you need. To know this, you will need to consult your handbook. Often times this information is listed right on the inside cover of the printer as well. Got that information? Okay, great, you are half way there. Now, you need to find the ink cartridges themselves. You can get in your car, drive across town, and wait in the endless lines at your local office supply store. Perhaps you are feeling lucky? You can then check your local department store to see if they may carry the ink cartridges you need. Or, you can simply sit where you are and find your ink cartridges online. There are many quality websites and web merchants who can supply you with those ink cartridges.

Probably one factor in your search is finding the best price on the ink cartridges. If this is the case, then you definitely should utilize the internet to fill your needs. Finding quality and lower prices are just one benefit to finding ink cartridges online. So, the next time you see that message flashing on the computer don’t worry! Finding your ink cartridge is going to be a snap!

The Ink Cartridge Resource Site is an all-in-one Resource for Ink Cartridges.

Millions can now explore, find and connect with Mobile Search as coverage extends to Denmark, France, Italy, Norway and Spain

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced the expansion of Mobile Search, a free software solution for the high-performing Nokia Nseries multimedia computers and other Nokia devices based on the S60 platform. Mobile Search provides people with an easy, fast and direct way to find what they want, when they want it. The Mobile Search application fast-tracks the user directly to the desired contact number, with just one click. Users of this online search tool in select countries across Europe will have access to decisive local search capabilities from their Nokia mobile devices, including the Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N80, Nokia N90, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 7610, Nokia 6260 and Nokia 3230. In addition to the initial countries, with Fonecta and Eniro in Finland and Sweden and Yell.com in the UK, Mobile Search will now be at the fingertips of millions of Nokia mobile device users in Denmark, France, Italy, Norway and Spain.

Nokia has teamed with the most comprehensive content providers in each respective market to enable easy and precise local searches. Mobile Search users will be able to access local content from Eniro, Findexa, Fonecta, Page Jaunes, TPI PaginasAmarillas.es, Seat Pagine Gialle and Yell.com. Once Mobile Search has found the required destination, this clever application directs the user to the right location with the aid of a digital map with dynamic panning and zooming, where maps are available.

“Mobile users on the go value the easy access of a single application to guide their favorite online activity, searching,” said Ralph Eric Kunz, vice president, Multimedia Experiences, at Nokia. “Nokia is delighted to be the first to provide such a concise and easy search experience. Our collaboration with leading content providers is now bringing information and entertainment to the pockets of millions. They won’t have to waste any time finding a hair salon, dentist or pub, whatever town they are in,” he said.

Mobile Search users in France and Sweden have the added benefit of locating friends or family with people search, available in these two countries.

Mobile Search is expected to be available in the standard sales packs of Nokia N73, Nokia N93, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6680 and Nokia 6681, and in select markets in the standard sales packs of Nokia N70 and N71. It is also offered as a free download for additional Nokia S60 devices from www.nokia.com/mobilesearch.

Like your smartphone, Mobile Search does the thinking for you. Local search engines enable country specific quests for services or businesses - anything from bakeries and bars to hotels and hostels. The search results reveal the relevant contact data, and with the push of a button, the user can call that pizza place directly, or choose to save it straight to Contacts. Once the desired search has been located, the integrated mapping solution, where available, shows the user how to get there. Share the find by sending the map as a MMS to a friend.

Mobile Search tracks the travels of the user, and automatically offers to change to available local search engines in new locations. The setting can also be changed manually, which would allow dinner reservations for a Parisian restaurant to be made from London, for example.

For more information on mobile phones visit www.mobileshop.com or nokia.co.uk