What is Surround Sound and Why Do You Want It?

Whether you are an audio novice or an experienced technophile, this article is for you. Let’s take a few minutes to review the basics of surround sound, and the principles behind it. If you are new to surround sound, this will help you to understand the concept. It will also refresh the memory of those already in the know. These are the basics of sound. Monophonic sound is single channel and unidirectional. Basically, this means that your audio is all filtered down into a flat single channel. All elements of the recording are mixed down into one source, thereby seeming to originate from the same source no matter where you are standing in the room. This is old school, kids. Stereophonic sound is reproduced through two channels and is considered superior to monophonic sound. You can tell stereophonic sound, because different sounds originate from either speaker. This type of sound gives one the sense of being there during the recording. The best example of this is listening to a recording of the symphony, where different band members are located in different parts of the room. The strings are over here, and the horns are over there. Surround sound was first pioneered by Dolby in the early 1970’s, and first used in movies such as “Tommy” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. The Dolby process encapsulates four channels of audio; left, right, rear, and phantom center. The reason it is called phantom center is because it is essentially a mix of the left and right front channels. This gives the listener the impression of being surrounded by sound, hence the name surround sound. Dolby surround sound has evolved considerably in recent years. Dolby 5.1 is bar far the most common. Dolby 5.1 is similar to traditional surround sound, but it is further broken down and processed into more distinct channels. Dolby 5.1 increases the range of sound by adding stereo rear sound as well as a dedicated subwoofer channel. This results in a far superior surround sound experience. You not only hear surround sound, but you feel it, too! Technology is ever changing, and the marketplace offers many surround sound options. This article is not complete by any means, and only serves as a primer on the basics. Check out your local electronics superstore for the latest technology.

What makes Toshiba Laptops so good?

Toshiba laptops have a well-deserved reputation for being some of the best laptops in the world. But what makes them so good? Well, first of all, Toshiba laptops are very sturdily built. If you drop one, it won’t usually break, nor will they break through normal wear and tear like cheap Dells can – Toshibas don’t get cracked cases and have keys fall off the keyboard, and if they ever did then Toshiba would fix it very quickly. This high build quality is important to people who will have their laptop for a long time, as well as people who travel around a lot with their laptops and so need to take them as luggage on planes. Secondly, Toshiba laptops are very light. Again, this is important to travellers, but it is also important to people who are just using their laptop normally, carrying it from home to their office or simply perching it on their lap at home. Heavy laptops can be a real pain, making it feel like an effort to pick up the computer and quickly check or alter something, while light ones are far more practical. However, as with other Japanese-made laptops, this extra sturdiness and ultra-light weight comes with a price. Toshiba laptops can be up to 50% more expensive than the cheapest models on the market with the same processor, RAM and so on, simply due to the cost of the better build quality and having to pay Japanese workers’ salaries. Computing tends to be a race to the bottom, with the cheapest computers gaining the largest market share, which leaves Toshiba courting the more computer-savvy buyers who really need a high-quality laptop for their work. If you do rely on your laptop for anything, though, you would do well to see the extra cost as an investment and consider getting a Toshiba, or a similar high-quality laptop.

What's It Going To Be?

Computers are one of the most interesting and complex machines on the planet. They have the ability to intrigue anyone who sits down and attempts to use it. On the other hand though, they also have the ability to confuse the heck out of you! When I think about computers, I think about the internet, Microsoft Word (for school), and games. What sort of computer I buy should be user friendly in all three of these aspects. First you have to make a big decision... Apple or Windows. They both have great features, and are both more user friendly for each individule user. Windows is compatible with several computer manufacturers, including HP Pavilion, Compaq, and Dell. Now, in my case, I need to take a close look at each option, as I have specific uses for my machine. When purchasing a computer you should be aware of what your main purpose with it is. For some it is business, others gaming, and for many, it is used for school. Make sure you test each version, Apple and Windows. If Apple seems the most compatible with your purpose, then congradulations! Your choice is made. But if you decide Apple is not right for you, take a look at all the operating systems that there is for Windows. There are several, each with different features, and you should choose the one that is right for you. As you can see, the purchase of a computer is not always black and white. What's it going to be for you?

What's Your Passion?

Okay, you've decided you want to make money with Affiliate Marketing. So, you join some affiliate programs and start submitting free ads to newsletters and free advertising classifieds sites. You're going to make BIG money now -- right? Nope! Sorry! Just sending out a few ads is not going to do it. Not if you want to be a real success. You must first determine your passion. I mean other than making the money! What is your hobby? What do you know how to do REALLY well? What is your job? Everyone has something that is their own special talent. Find yours. You probably have more than one thing that you are very interested in and do well. See if you can find five (ten if you're really ambitious). Write them down in a list. Remember, you are going to be spending a lot of time working with this subject. Make sure you enjoy it! Go down each item on your list. Start writing a rough outline of everything you know about the topic. It doesn't have to be elaborate. This is just to give you an idea of how much information is available for a given subject. Try mind mapping. Write down the main subject of your idea. Draw a circle around it. Now, start thinking of sub-categories that are related to your main category. Draw a line from your main category and end it with a circle. Put the sub-category title inside this circle. Find as many sub-categories (and sub-sub-categories) as you can. Go through each of your interests with this procedure. Choose the one that you know the most about and that you can write about comfortably. What if you "think" you don't know enough about your topic? Then, do some research. Read books and magazines. Do some searches on the Internet. Who knows? You might find an area, a niche, that is just waiting for you to fill it with useful information. There's a lot more to affiliate marketing, of course. But the first step is to find your passion. Your "passion" doesn't have to be making money on the Internet. It can be cooking, sewing, billiards, or whatever. In fact, it's better if you find a niche that isn't in the online marketing arena because that's what nearly everyone else is doing. Make your topic unique. Make it yours. And make it your passion. It will pay you well.

Download Legal Free Music For Ipod Today

Should you wish to avail yourself of some download music for your Ipod, I would definitely recommend the legal free music. Very large numbers of people own an Ipod, and there are many of these people who try to find the music they want on disreputable P2P sites, where many of them have found their computers infected with viruses. I’ve told people time and again about the free legal music download sites but they aren't listening. Will you?

For my guide to the best sites to download legal free music for ipod from, please visit http://www.ipodlowdown.com

The benefits of free legal music downloads-1
One of the most important benefits of these legal download sites for your Ipod is that you are not breaking the law. The Government or law enforcement officers will not come chasing after you, and record labels will not be seeking to take legal action. To me that is a massive point in their favour.

The benefits of free legal music downloads-2
You have a lot to choose from. If you want to download free legal music for Ipod, it is often possible to find all that you are looking for on one site. You can find all of the songs you want, all on one site with easy access. This is totally different from the usual experience of people with the illegal P2P sites. You can have a very annoying time searching through descriptions etc hoping that someone will have uploaded the song you want. If it isn't there, the frustration gets even worse. You have a lot less chance of this happening with the legal sites, as a few of them have over 90 million files. That’s a lot of music!

The benefits of free legal music downloads-3
They are faster. Most of the reputable free sites will have you pay a joining fee at the outset. This one off charge goes toward their upkeep costs for servers and customer service staff etc. One great benefit of this is that the download speeds are way in advance of what you would get with a P2P site. When you become accustomed to fast download speeds, you will wonder whether the slow download speeds on the illegal sites are even tolerable.

The benefits of free legal music downloads-4
It is much safer. Unlike the P2P sites, you don't live with the constant fear of your computer being destroyed by viruses, or infected with spyware. The legal sites are professional businesses, and the downloads from these sites will be safe, and they will be exactly what they were supposed to be.

Downloading legal free music for Ipod is without doubt the best course to follow. I’m very glad to have my memberships, and I can’t begin to calculate how much I have saved in comparison with Itunes by having access to the legal free sites.

Free Iphone Games & Movies-The Full Story

Title:
Free Iphone Games & Movies-The Full Story

Word Count:
418

Summary:
Do you want to download free Iphone games and movies? I think every Iphone user I have ever met has been head over heels in love with their Iphone, but none of them get any real value from it. If you want to get real value from your Iphone, read on!


Keywords:
iphone movie downloads, iphone games downloads


Article Body:
Do you want to download free Iphone games and movies? I think every Iphone user I have ever met has been head over heels in love with their Iphone, but none of them get any real value from it. If you want to get real value from your Iphone, read on!

If you've gotten over the post Christmas boredom by downloading stuff from Itunes, you probably know how expensive it can work out to be. The costs of a single download isn't much, but whoever stops there? Instead of throwing away your precious income like that, check out these tips to make sure you aren't taken to the cleaners.

Tip 1
Torrent Sites- these sites can be useful, but only if you are smart about it. Firstly though, a word of warning – downloading something you don't already own from these sites is against the law – you can use them to download MP3s of your current CD collection no problem, but to download anything else is unlawful. Before you do anything like that check out the laws in your area. That's not all, sites like this can be a real breeding ground for hackers/spammers, so make sure your computer is super super secure before using them.

Tip 2
Use the membership sites – would you like to pay $50 and get unlimited access to every musical album you've ever wanted, or every computer game or DVD? Well here's your answer. The memberships are usually lifetime, and the downloads are very high speed and in very good condition. These sites are probably your best bet for building up a large catalog of downloads in the shortest time.

Tip 3
Avoid the scam sites. If you've spent any more than about 10 seconds on the net searching for free Iphone downloads you can't fail to have noticed the amount of websites competing for your attention. Unfortunately not all of these guys are as honest as you would hope. It's quite common to come across a site that promises the earth, only to find that there is nothing at all worthwhile there. The reason for this is that those types of sites get paid for people to click on their advertising, so it's in their interest to get as many people to visit their site as possible, regardless of whether they can actually provide any of the free downloads they claim. Not very cool, but it happens.

Hopefully these 3 tips have helped you open your eyes to the pitfalls of downloading free stuff for your Iphone.

Electronics Stores

Electronic stores are becoming more and more popular. With the introduction of new technology every day it’s easy to see why stores that cater to the electronics fan are popping up steadily on the retail horizon.

Electronics stores sell many different products. One of the most common items found in electronics stores are televisions. Years ago you could just take a trip down to your neighborhood department store to purchase a television but that has all changed with the introduction of newer designs of televisions.

Most electronics stores display dozens of models of television. You’ll often see an entire wall of the electronics store filled with television sets of different sizes and designs. A very popular choice in television sets today are the flat screen models. These come in different sizes and you can usually find one that will fit into your room perfectly.

Electronics stores have other televisions as well including wide screen models. These have a high definition feature which enables the viewer to see a truly brilliant image. Many DVDs being sold today are specifically manufactured for viewing on wide screen televisions.

Televisions aren’t the only thing being sold in electronics stores. Another item that you’ll find there are home theatre systems. If you want theater quality sound in your home you’ll want to browse this department whenever you visit electronics stores. The variety of products offered is expansive and regardless of the size of your room you can achieve audio that makes you really feel as though you are sitting in a theatre viewing either the movie you are watching or the television program.

Some people visit electronics stores because they want to find an audio system that is a bit more portable. This includes items like MP3 players and personal CD players. These are great gadgets that afford the user the convenience of being able to take their music selections with them. Prices vary on these devices and it’s a good idea to consider the features you want before you decide to purchase.

One of the favorite departments of electronics stores for young people is the video games. Video games have grown leaps and bounds since the days of Pong. The video game systems being manufactured and sold today allow the user the ability to play a game with graphics that in many cases look very real.

Each gaming system has its own positive features and sells games that are often times unique only to them. Many young people and even some adults find this kind of play exciting and exhilarating; they wait anxiously for the release of new games.

Electronics stores also sell many accessories for video game systems including extra controllers, steering wheels and joysticks. They also sell the cables necessary to connect the game console to the internet for tournament play. This is an additional feature on selected game consoles and is a great way for people to challenge others to their favorite games.

You’ll find the staff at most electronics stores to be courteous and very helpful. They are trained in the use of the electronics they are selling. It’s also quite common for electronics stores to have a service counter. You can bring any products that aren’t functioning properly in for troubleshooting and repair.

Enhance the visibility of myspace page through features

Myspace page is a very important site on the Internet that will be frequented by a number of visitors including friends, relatives and colleagues. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Myspace member to ensure that the page is attractive and all the features that will help register the maximum hits. The more the number of features, the greater is the visibility of the myspace page. It can be decked up with a number of add on features like colors, artificial flowers and designs, themes and backgrounds that will add aesthetics to the Myspace page of the member. The onus of developing the Myspace page depends on the attitude of the user. If the user wants to remain low profile, the Myspace page could be basic and normal without any additional features on them. If you do not want any visitors, then provide a filter to the page to screen the visitors. If you do not want the myspace page to be in the public domain, it can be achieved by restricting access to the site. All these features are embedded in the background by the user. The site can also have images of the member, the favorite habits, hobbies and networking issues.

If you want the Myspace page to be full of images, then select a dull colored background for the site. The dull color is necessary to ensure that the images have adequate visibility. In a dull colored background the visibility of the images will be enhanced. If the background of the Myspace page is dark such as red, blue or orange, the images might not receive the attention due to them. Besides, they do not augur well with the image flow. Besides, if the image album is black and white, the color combination could be a total contrast. The resultant page might appear awkward to not only the user, but also the visitor. Therefore, as much as possible, keep the page evergreen by ensuring the right color and combination. Choose a dull color like navy blue or amber or lavender. This will not only enhance the beauty of the images, but add greatly to the aesthetic value of the site. However, make sure that the color splash does not mask the images in the process.

A number of designs are also available for the use of the member. They can be of any shapes or sizes. It can be the designs such as nature or landscape or those that are futuristic. If the designs are futuristic, it could reflect the attitude of the of the Myspace user. However, if you do not want to look futuristic, stick to the traditional design. The futuristic design might not be appealing to all of the visitors.

The futuristic designs come in all kinds of visualizations. For instance, it could be the image of deep space or graffiti. The futuristic designs also sport a trendy look and gives the feel of a young to the account holder. If you do not like the background, it can always be replaced with another background of your choice.

Electric Shaver – Bidding Adieu To Safety Razor

Gone are the days when you had to live with the cut and bruised skin. No cuts, no irritations whatsoever, thanks to electric shaver, shaving has never been easy for men who shaved to satisfy their wrongly nurtured & cultured notions of masculinity. Shaving your beard is o more a frustrating and a must-wash-face daily (?) routine.

How an Electric Shaver Works

Electric shavers have a rather simple construction that attending minor things like making a small solder or changing batteries is pretty easy even at home. If you open the back cover, you will see three main things inside. They are

1.A set of rechargeable battery
2.A miniature electric motor
3.A gear train system
And there are two significant things on the outside; they are the switch and the set of blades.

Batteries supply power to a circuitry printed on a fiber glass board called as printed circuit board (PCB) when you switch on the shaver. PCB helps organize circuits without messing up with the moving parts like motor and gears. PCB is an intelligent circuit which decides whether batteries need recharging and if the battery is recharging.

When you start, the motor powers the system of gears which are in turn connected to the blades in a particular sequence which means three gears drive the three blades.

The rotary blades rotate closely within their respective safety cages at speeds variable in two or three steps depending on the model you choose. Since the blades rotate, this type of electric shavers is called rotary shavers. Some manufacturers recommend using their shavers on wet face, but this does not mean that you need to use that foam or lather again. Just soaking the face is enough to moisten the beard. Most other models are dry type.

Who Makes Electric Shavers and How to Buy Them
Even a visit to your near super stores can quickly answer your question. There are numerous reputed models and then there are local and Chinese models available. The top selling brands are easily Philips, Braun, and Panasonic.

Check out the features before you buy. If you are looking for just a trimmer, you need not buy a shaver which hardly helps. Check for battery life & standby time and warrantee. Chargeable battery types will be convenient. Men’s shavers usually have three heads (blades) unlike the women’s shavers which are slightly different in construction. Check for ‘CE’ certification. Buy always from reputed shops. Check whether it comes bundled with cleaning accessories etc.

Europe: Places to Meet Pure Bred Aristocracy and Royalty

Want to meet a Duke or a true Prince and Princess? One of the easiest and most convenient places to meet pure royalty is at one of the prestigious hotel casinos. They hang out at many of the following five casinos and, once you are in, you can interact with them, play against them and if you are good enough, even beat them. Wouldn't you like to boast that you defeated a King? These five hotel casinos give you that chance.

But do not expect an all you can eat buffet or players with baseball caps and cool shades. Come dressed elegantly and only then will you be let in to share a baccarat game with pure-bred European aristocracy.

The European casinos listed here are the largest and the most luxurious casinos in Europe. Their appointed clientele is less the seasonal tourist gambler and more the upper crust. So, if you are looking for a stylish way to spend your latest lottery winning, you can shoot the dice in one of the casinos listed below while your traveling partners lie around the French Riviera beaches or go on wild shopping trips in the streets of London or Moscow.

1) Casino de Monte Carlo, Monaco:
Monte Carlo has been the favorite gaming destination of Europe's rich and famous for almost 150 years with the first casino that was founded by Prince Charles III of Monaco in 1863. Casino de Monte Carlo is a complex of five posh casinos located by the seashore and decorated in French rococo style with marbled columns, golden ornaments and crystal chandeliers. The overall environment would make you feel like an extra in a French history movie.

2) Casino Metropol, Moscow:
The Russian Federation has the biggest number of casinos and slot machines in Eastern Europe. The best casinos for tourists are obviously the ones located in hotels. Casino Metropol is part of the five star Hotel Metropol, which is not only one of the most elegant casino hotels in the area but it is also conveniently located in the center of Moscow within a walking distance from the Red Square and the Kremlin. The lowest minimum table requirement is 25 dollars and a night at the presidential suite will cost you 2,000 dollars.

3) Baden Baden Casino, Baden Baden, Germany:
The veteran European casino was founded in 1809 and although it has changed several ownerships since then, its reputation as one of the finest casinos in Europe in general and in Germany in particular has not change. Nowadays, the Baden Baden Casino is one of the city's landmarks along with the famous thermal baths. If you ignore the table games and the slot machines, walking through the 32,289 square foot casino looks as similar to a visit in an European art museum with permanent exhibits of oil paintings and sculptures.

4) The Clermont Club, London, England:
If you are visiting the UK, you cannot just pop into a casino but have to apply for a membership at least a day ahead. If you plan to follow this procedure, the Clermont Club in Berkeley Square is one of the most reputable gaming clubs around. Set in a 17th century building, the Clermont Club was designed to resemble the Great Hall at Holkham. In addition to its friendly and convenient gaming room, the Clermont Club includes a bar and a clubroom where members and their guests can lounge over a banquet of a vintage bottle of champagne. Note that playing at online casinos is legal in the UK, so you can just pop into any internet cafe for online games.

5) Casino Barriere de Deauville, Deauville, France:
The elegant seaside casino resort had inspired Ian Fleming in depicting the Casino of Royale les Eaux in his first James Bond novel Casino Royale. First founded in the 1860s by the Duc de Morny, the extravagant palace is one of the most beautiful casinos in the world. In addition to its gaming facilities, Casino Barriere hosts variety of exclusive entertainment shows as well as cultural and artistic events.

Learn How Internet Firewalls Work To Keep Your PC Safe

Copyright 2006 Otis Cooper Not many of us intentionally leave our cars unlocked or the front of our homes open to strangers. But we often leave our computers wide open to anyone and everyone that may want to snoop. To get and keep our computers safe from hackers,or anyone wanting to have a look in our computers,we need the aid and assistance of something commonly called Firewalls. A Firewall can be hardware or software that acts as a gatekeeper to your computer. It does this by monitoring all internet traffic coming in and going out of our computers. They not only allow the passage of this traffic but inspects all,making sure it is safe and do not contain viruses,any spyware,or other malicious software. Firewalls control internet traffic in two methods: Packet filtering and stateful inspection. A Packet is a chunk of data and it contains the address of the computer it comes from and a destination address. Ok,so you're wondering what on earth is an IP Address.Well, it is an idenifier for your computer device.The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. If the Firewall recognizes the Packet and its IP Address,or its Internet Protocol Address,it allows the Packet to pass. The Stateful Inspection method look at the some data in the Packet and compares key chunks of data to a large area that contains known,trusted information. to see if it is safe or if your computer is expecting the data.It aloso allow safe passage of data if all seems well.The Stateful Inspection method is preferred since it checks the data that have passed through your computer before. ALL ABOUT HARDWARE FIREWALLS Hardware Firewalls are devices that are designed to run software Firewalls.So why are there hardware firewalls,you ask.One big advantage of having a Hardware Firewall is that the computer don't have to do any work. The hardware running the software does all work,thereby leaving the CPU in the computer free to get on with other tasks.The CPU, or Central Processing Unit should be free as much as possible to keep the computer running at peak performance. ALL ABOUT SOFTWARE FIREWALLS WHAT FIREWALL PROTECT YOU FROM There are many creative ways that people use to access or abuse your computer when its not protected. Smeone is able to connect to your computer and control it in some form. This can range from being able to view or access your files to actually running programs on your computer.Some of the software Firewalls protect your computer from are the following. Email Bombs. Someone sends you the same e-mail hundreds or thousands of times until your e-mail system cannot accept any more messages. If you spend time on the internet often you will most likely experience this. Viruses. This is no doubt the most well known threat.A Virus is a small file which reproduces itself on other computers.Viruses may be harmless to wiping your hard drive clean. Firewalls may not protect you from all viruses.It would be worth your while to invest in good anti virus software as added protection.Once you invest in a Firewall,study its owner's manual to set it up. Once the Firewall has been installed and setup complete,take a minute to be sure its working.Test the Firewall by going online and visiting a security site.Go to www.grc.com and give their free Shields Up security test a try. If the Firewall pass,you will have the comfort of knowing your PC will have that added protection from someone stealing your credit card information or any valuable information. If you have not invested in a Firewall,won't wait to give one a try. Your critical files and programs will be much safer and you will have the knowledge of being able to install Firewalls on the PC of your friends,enemies,and everyone else in between.