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Discounted Retailers/Wholesalers
( 2 Articles )
Looking to replace your fine china or silverwear? We found a great source for you.
While these are products and services that aren’t required for us to live, they are vital to keeping the quality of our lives up in our golden years. As a result, we are searching for the best senior-friendly retailers and wholesalers. And with prices going up, this is something that will help us all.
We are investigating this topic and will be making this a priority. Also, if you know of a retailer or wholesaler whose information would benefit seniors, send us that information and we will investigate it. Help us help you.
If you don’t see what you want, contact us and we will get you the information
Prevention is the Best Cure for a Computer Virus
You're sick. You've got a fever, the chills, and a headache so horrible that you can't think straight. No matter who claims to desperately need your help, you are not going to get out of bed. Your computer can suffer the very same thing--a virus. And, in the worst-case scenario, it might cause your computer to refuse to start up.
The term "virus" in the computer world comes from exactly where you might think--the term used for illnesses like the common cold. Like a biological virus, a computer virus spreads by making and sending copies of itself to other computers. A computer virus causes a lot of trouble in a computer and the infection occurs without the consent of the user. The copies it makes of itself could be exactly like the original virus, or they might vary a bit. They typically spread over a network or via the Internet. Many people lump all malicious programming under the label "virus."
However, a virus is something completely different from a worm or a Trojan horse. Unlike a virus, a worm can't spread on its own; it requires some action from the user, such as opening or running an infected file. A Trojan horse is a file that tricks the user into running it by appearing to be harmless. Viruses cause problems for computer users by harming programs, reformatting the hard disk, or deleting files. Although the vast majority of viruses are created for the purpose of doing harm, there are a few that are meant to be harmless pranks that merely display video, audio, or text messages.
Regardless, these viruses still use up memory without permission. The fist virus was dubbed "Elk Cloner" and it was made to run on the Apple DOS 3.3 operating system. It was created by a high school student named by Richard Skrenta in 1982. It was a joke virus that was transmitted using a floppy disk containing a game. The disk could successfully open the game 49 times; on the 50th the virus was activated. It caused the screen to go blank and then display a poem reading: "It will get on all your disks. It will infiltrate your chips. Yes it's Cloner! It will stick to you like glue. It will modify RAM, too. Send in the Cloner!"
Brain was the first virus for the PC. It was designed in 1986 by brothers Basit and Amjad Farooq Alvi. Their purpose for creating the virus was to protect legitimate software they'd written from being copied illegally. In the early days of viruses, the usual means of infection was through some form of media that could be moved from computer to computer, like a floppy disk. However, today, it's easier for viruses to be spread over the Internet or through computer networks, so most are designed to do just that. Because of the popularity of the Windows platform, the majority of viruses are designed to exploit weaknesses in the Windows operating system. However, that's not to say that there are no viruses affecting other operating systems.
The truth is, no matter what operating system you're running, unless you take steps to prevent virus infections, your computer is vulnerable. There is an entire industry of virus protection software. The most common ways these anti-virus programs work are:
1) Detecting viruses using signature definitions, and
2) Detecting viruses using a heuristic algorithm that recognizes typical virus behaviors.
A program that uses signature definitions relies on the user to keep the list of definitions up to date using updates and patches put out by the maker of the software. These are usually available at no cost with purchase of the software or through a paid subscription to the software. The algorithm method is able to find viruses for which no signature exists. Other ways of protecting your computer against viruses include making backups of your data and operating system on media not stored on the computer's hard drive.
This way, if your computer should be infected causing a loss of data or the inability to start up the computer, you can restore the computer. If your computer becomes infected, it's unwise to continue using it until the virus has been removed by completely reinstalling the operating system. This is a time-consuming process and often results in lost data. So, as with a virus in the human body, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." An anti-virus protection program is absolutely essential to the health of your computer.
Digital Camera Basics - Want To Stop Being An Idiot And Learn How Digital Cameras Work?
With the advancement of the digital camera and the software that is made for them, most pictures look professional from the first click of the camera.
But like most things, it is important to understand the "how and why" for higher quality results. The basics of a digital camera revolve around terms like pixel, pixel count, white balance, sensor, sensitivity, optical zoom, or digital zoom. These improve your understanding of what digital photography is all about, and will help you become a more efficient photographer.
For example, one important term is digital sensor. A typical digital camera may have a digital sensor element that is as big as a small finger nail. Most 5MP digital cameras use a sensor that is 7mm x 5mm in size. This is much smaller than the size of the negative of a 35 mm camera. However, high-end digital cameras have large sensors, and generate superior images.
These are important things to know, to see how pictures can be better or worse. Digital cameras also have sensitivity settings similar to ISO ratings on film. Most digital cameras will have settings for sensitivity equivalent to ISO 100 and ISO 200. Many also have a setting for ISO 400. A few expensive digital SLR cameras with large sensors have settings for ISO 3200 or even for ISO 6400. Most digital cameras have an optical and a digital zoom. An optical zoom lens works by changing the focal length and magnification while the zoom is being utilized - with the image quality remaining high. Digital zoom works by cropping the image to a smaller size. The cropped image is enlarged to fill the frame, causing a significant loss of quality. The manufacturers of digital cameras use the term "pixel count" to describe their camera's image properties. The word pixel originates from "(PIC)ture (EL)ement"- with the use of phonics added for emphasis. It represents a single point in a graphic image - not a dot but an abstract sample that can be reproduced in any size, without a dot or square appearance. A pixel is important to understand because it is the basic unit of measurement, used to define a digital photograph.
With the advancement of the digital camera and the software that is made for them, most pictures look professional from the first click of the camera. But like most things, it is important to understand the "how and why" for higher quality results. The basics of a digital camera revolve around terms like pixel, pixel count, white balance, sensor, sensitivity, optical zoom, or digital zoom. These improve your understanding of what digital photography is all about, and will help you become a more efficient photographer.
For example, one important term is digital sensor. A typical digital camera may have a digital sensor element that is as big as a small finger nail. Most 5MP digital cameras use a sensor that is 7mm x 5mm in size. This is much smaller than the size of the negative of a 35 mm camera. However, high-end digital cameras have large sensors, and generate superior images.
These are important things to know, to see how pictures can be better or worse. Digital cameras also have sensitivity settings similar to ISO ratings on film. Most digital cameras will have settings for sensitivity equivalent to ISO 100 and ISO 200. Many also have a setting for ISO 400. A few expensive digital SLR cameras with large sensors have settings for ISO 3200 or even for ISO 6400. Most digital cameras have an optical and a digital zoom. An optical zoom lens works by changing the focal length and magnification while the zoom is being utilized - with the image quality remaining high. Digital zoom works by cropping the image to a smaller size. The cropped image is enlarged to fill the frame, causing a significant loss of quality. The manufacturers of digital cameras use the term "pixel count" to describe their camera's image properties. The word pixel originates from "(PIC)ture (EL)ement"- with the use of phonics added for emphasis. It represents a single point in a graphic image - not a dot but an abstract sample that can be reproduced in any size, without a dot or square appearance. A pixel is important to understand because it is the basic unit of measurement, used to define a digital photograph.
The more the number of pixels per square inch, the higher the resolution of a digital picture, increasing its clarity. Some examples would be 2,400 pixels per inch, 640 pixels per line, or spaced 10 pixels apart. Designers, artists, and photographers sometimes interchange the pixel terminology, such as dots per inch (dpi) with pixels per inch (ppi). The dpi is used when it refers to the printer's resolution for the printing density. Each pixel is made up of three color channels - red, green and blue -- and has a numerical value of between 0 and 255. The pixel count also decides the size of a print in case you want to print photographs. A 3MP camera can provide excellent 4x6 inch prints, while a 4 or 5MP digital camera can deliver high quality 8x10 inch prints.
With a digital camera you can pick the white balance to suit the light source. This is meant to ensure that white looks white, and not yellow or blue. Normally, your digital camera will do this automatically. You can also set the white balance yourself for better effects. Since each pixel generates three bytes of data, a photographer using a 3MP camera will need a storage space of 9 million bytes or 9MB to store a single image. This is a huge amount of space. Camera companies therefore allow for a compression of image using a format called JPEG. This reduces the file size significantly but while doing so a lot of data is lost. To overcome this problem companies have come up with different storage formats. Canon calls it RAW while Nikon calls it NEF. The data loss is less in these formats. The low end cameras used by beginners can shoot images whose pixel count is one million is categorized as 1 MP or one million pixel camera because the intensity of each pixel is variable, with each pixel having three or four dimensions of variability - such as red, green and blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The high-end cameras used by professionals, can range from 14MP to 22MP with a pixel count as high as 14 million or 22 million per image. The thing to remember is the higher the resolution, the more realistic the image is, matching closest what the actual image is. So take your time, do some research, and talk to people who know cameras. Otherwise, a lot of money will be spent on something that is barely adequate for what you want.
Some Of The Many Reasons You Should Consider Owning A Battery Free Watch
There are many watches out there and everyone has a style that they consider to be their favorite. Some people like flashy watches that have faces surrounded in diamonds, while other choose watches with plain faces that just show the time and date. There are watches that keep track of international time and watches that you can wear underwater without worrying about any damage being done to the time piece. Ways to tell time have been around for centuries. There are still sundials available that you can place in your yard to keep track of time.
There's a whole new generation of watches being offered and they do not require batteries or winding. Two such watches are the Citizen Eco Drive that uses solar energy to run and the Kinetic line of watches that are manufactured by Seiko. It should be no surprise that the two biggest names in watches should create an entire new time keeping technology. Citizen's solar powered watches, such as the Eco-Drive will never have to have the battery replaced. The line doesn't just run from solar power. Any light source will do. They also have watches that are suitable for diving and aviation and they come in fashionable styles for both men and women.
Pulsar attempted to produce watches with solar technology, but they did not have the same quality. There is also another type of battery free watch put out by Seiko. These are called Kinetic watches. They were introduced during the late 1980s, in Germany. They are now sought after by people all over the world. It will never need batteries because of innovative technology that allows it to be powered by the movement of the wearer. The technology is so advanced that Seiko holds over 50 patents on it. The watch contains small capacitors that the generator charges. These capacitors can store up to 6 months of power to keep the watch running even if the wearer takes it off. The watch has a pendulum that rotates. The pendulum is connected to a large gear and the gear is meshed with a small pinion. Movement from the wearer causes the pendulum to turn which in turn makes the pinion spin. The high speed that the pinion turns at, actually powers a tiny generator, which in turn charges the capacitors. The Kinetic watches also offer a feature called the Kinetic Auto Relay. This feature saves power by causing the watch to "sleep", if it doesn't sense movement for over 72 hours. Other features include a perpetual colander that is accurate until 2100. The next time you're in the market for a new watch, consider one these new innovations. They're stylish, low maintenance and friendly to the environment.
About the Author
Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Mens and Womens Watches at http://www.onestopwatches.com
Exercise Bikes Buying Guide - Put Your Mettle to the Pedal!
Exercise bikes are one of the most popular home fitness machines on the market. These bikes give you an effective workout and promote a healthy lifestyle. You will have fun; enhance your fitness routine and burn calories with exercise bikes. They are also referred to as stationary bicycles, indoor bikes or studio cycles. They work your legs, lungs and heart while limiting the impact on your knees and leg joints. Exercise bikes are available in several different designs. Due to the cost involved, you will most likely purchase only one exercise bike for several years to come so read the following buying guide and make an informed decision.
What are the factors to keep in mind when buying an exercise bike? Smart shopping is required when buying home fitness equipment because it is normally a long-term investment. Check whether the bike offers a comfortable seat and a well-balanced flywheel. Also make sure that you can vary your workouts with adjustable resistance options. The exercise bike should have a sturdy frame and a wide range of seat heights. Finally, check whether the bike comes with a good warranty and free repair services.
What are the different kinds of exercise bikes available? There are three different types of stationary exercise bikes: upright bikes, recumbent bikes and dual action bikes.
Upright Bikes: Upright exercise bikes are similar to traditional bicycles. These bikes have tiny saddles where you sit with your back unsupported and pedal. Upright bikes occupy very little space. They give you a good lower body and cardiovascular workout. You can even stand up and pedal with an upright bike.
Recumbent Bikes: Recumbent bikes have a laid-back seating style. The chair-like or bucket seat allows you to lean back for a more comfortable ride. This seating arrangement is good for people with back problems, as it provides lower back support. The pedals are located toward the front of the bike, making the seated position similar to the one that you adopt while driving. These bikes work your hamstrings and gluteals. They also promote efficient blood flow throughout the body. Some recumbent bikes have a recline feature that allows you to adjust the angle of your seat accordingly. They are ideal for overweight persons. If you are not a bike enthusiast, recumbent bikes should be your choice.
Dual Action Bikes: Dual action or elliptical bikes have movable bars as arm handles. You can increase the overall aerobic intensity of your workout by moving your arms and legs at the same time. Dual action bikes are ideal for those looking to tone both their upper and lower body. What kind of resistance do you need? Exercise bikes use friction-based, electro-magnetic or air-resistance mechanisms. The kind of resistance you can choose depends on your budget. Bikes with friction-based resistance, like a caliper or fabric brand brake, are low-priced, but they offer only limited programming. Bikes with air resistance use a fan to produce resistance. The fan also provides a cooling effect. These bikes last longer, as they are free from friction which causes wear and tear.
Air resistance bikes are very rare. However, the Schwinn Airdyne is the most popular model of this kind. Bikes that use electro-magnetic resistance are smoother. These models are usually more expensive, but they provide quieter operation. You can benefit from their pre-set programs and heart rate monitors as well. Try to select a bike with automatic resistance settings, as it will be safer to use. Do bikes require power to operate? Most bikes are self-driven and do not need mains power to operate. You can use an exercise bike for about six hours a day. These models last longest if only one or two persons use the same machine. If more than two people use the same bike, it is advisable to purchase a model that requires mains power to drive them. How much space do these bikes occupy? Exercise bikes are usually small and occupy minimal space. You can opt for fold-away bikes that can be stored in racks when not in use. Do you want to monitor your workout? Most exercise bikes provide information on speed, distance traveled and length of your workout. Do you want to know the total calories you burnt, the program mode or the resistance level? Some advanced models give you all this information along with your pulse and heart rate. Pre-programmed workouts and information storage are offered by sophisticated exercise bikes only.
About the Author
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