Office Communication: Tips to Stay Connected

Want your office to run as smoothly as possible? The first step involves improving communication.

There's nothing more stressful than lack of communication in an office setting. When co-workers don't work together as a team, problems and misunderstandings - big and small - can arise, causing unnecessary dilemmas and even rifts.

The following tips will help managers improve office communication:

* Hold regular meetings. Whether they're held weekly or daily, meetings are a great way to find out what's going on around the office and learn about what assignments or events are to come. This also is a good time to talk about what goals need to be set for the office.

* Utilize technology. Though e-mailing, interoffice calling and paging are effective ways of keeping in touch with co-workers, new technology is taking communication to a new level.

One such technology is the Immediate Response Information System, also called IRIS. Developed by TechRadium Inc., IRIS is an innovative alert system that sends routine, priority and emergency messages to building occupants, building managers and, if necessary, emergency responders. These voice and text alerts are sent through a variety of frequently used electronic devices: home and cell phones, e-mail accounts, pagers, PDAs and fax machines. IRIS is an affordable communication system because it requires no hardware, software or system installation for setup.

* Use your listening skills. Pay attention so that you do not miss out on important information that you may need to know or discuss with a co-worker or client in the future.

* Spread the word. When you have sensitive or important matters to discuss, don't hide behind e-mails because the message can be misconstrued. To make sure you get your point across, meet with each party that's involved or contact them by phone.

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Better Online Communication Makes Business Sense

Many companies are now doing the majority or even all their business online and foregoing the “Brick and Mortar” storefront. It is easy to see why that trend has happened. For one thing, the cost of setting up such a business is relatively inexpensive and easy. There is no need to pay for the overhead of a physical building. Also, the cost of maintaining a Web site is minimal. Moreover, the Internet provides a convenient and efficient way of marketing products. As more and more people are spending time on the Internet, the market of online customers continues to grow.

But when businesses shift from face-to-face customers to anonymous online customers, there is a loss of personal connection and trust. All the online spamming and scamming hasn’t helped the matter at all. That has eroded the trust in E-commerce and the credibility of many companies.  How are you gaining and maintaining customer trust? What are you doing as an online vendor to communicate to your customers?

In an online world, business just doesn’t stop after hours and on weekends. What are you doing to answer your customer’s questions? Here are a few things that you can do to improve communication with your customers:

1. Offer a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page and online product support information. This is an excellent way of answering basic questions that may otherwise flood your support email. For example, our voice-changing product, MorphVOX, has a FAQ on the common issues that customers may come across. We also have provided detailed online documentation on topics that users may want to explore more. This takes care of roughly 95% of the questions people may have.

2. Add a support email link on your Web site for issues that can’t be resolved by the Web support. At Screaming Bee, we try to answer our customer questions within one business day. More often, we’ll answer questions within an hour of receiving the email. I believe that we have gained many loyal customers because of our aggressive efforts to meet needs in a timely manner.

3. Provide a message board or forum for customers to voice their opinions, add comments, and interact with each other. Remember that people are social creatures and like to be heard. This also helps to build up a community of users that are empowered and have a say in the products and services that you provide.

4. Write a personal email to each customer. Have you followed up on your customers after they have made a purchase of your products or services? This is essential, not only from the perspective of getting feedback on how to improve your offerings, but more importantly, maintaining the trusting, long-term relationship with your customer.  Send them an email within 3-4 weeks of the first purchase. In this way their experience with your products and services is fresh in their mind.  Remember, a customer who is ignored is a customer who is lost.

Spending time and effort on better communication with your customers will pay off. Your company will rise and fall not on the customers you gain, but on the customers that you don’t lose.  Loyal customers will be the ones that give you the best testimonials. They also provide you with the richest, organic, word-of-mouth marketing. Remember that every happy customer is a testament of your company’s success.

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5 Easy Ways to Increase Your Business Using a Toll-Free Number

Toll-free numbers allow customers to contact your business without them having to pay for their call.  Studies have shown that consumers are more likely to call a business with a toll-free number than those who only have a long-distance number, and 90% of Americans say that they use toll-free numbers.  By following these five easy steps, you can discover for yourself how a toll-number can help your business grow.

1. Expand your market.  Toll-free numbers allow you to use the same number for receiving local toll and state-to-state calls.  This gives you the opportunity to market your business nationwide.  Even if you don't provide service in certain areas, toll-free numbers have the flexibility to block calls from those areas.

2. Advertise your number.  Toll-free numbers lend an air of legitimacy and professionalism to your business.  By using a toll-free number, your business may appear larger and more established to the consumer which will make him/her trust you more.

3. Initiate a direct response mechanism for impulse buyers.  By allowing your customers an avenue to immediately react to your company's efforts calling for their action, this prompts significant increases in phone orders.  It has been found that these buyers generally order more merchandise and higher ticket items nearly every time they call.

4. Qualify your buyers.  Toll-free numbers enable your business to use time more efficiently and effectively.  With a toll-free number, you know that someone who has called your business is already interested in what you have to offer.  You spend less time trying to find interested prospects and let the number find them for you.

5. Analyze your call detail.  Toll-free numbers allow you to track calls and access all of a call's details such as the number, time, date and duration of every call.  This information cannot be blocked and is an excellent tool for generating leads which can lead to more sales.

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Amazing Communications

As history has progressed and technology has continued to advance, life has become full of more and more good things. Without a doubt, one of the best things that our society has gained from the advances of technology is communications.

Consider for a few moments all of the amazing forms of communications that have made your life easier and more full. First and foremost in many peoples minds is the telephone. Even if you like to write letters once in a while, can you honestly imagine if letter writing and telegrams were the only way to communicate with people? Think of the countless ways that having phones have improved worldwide communications. My telephone allows me not only to call my next-door neighbor but the communications a telephone allows also enables me to call a friend who has moved to Africa in just a few moments time.

If having the telephone doesn't impress you enough, think about the way the internet has improved communications and many other aspects of your life. The internet has literally connected people from every corner of the globe by the simple click of a button or two. Our communications with people have become easier, more frequent, and faster. You can send a message to a business parter in Tokyo and receive a reply within mere seconds. Amazing.

The improvements in communications have opened up a world of possibiility to people in the area of travel. Places that were once impossible to reach are now not only possible to reach but also convenient and quick. Each time I sit in an airport I find myself amazing by the incredible communications system that keeps air traffic in control around the world. I can definitely see how an air traffic controller is the most stressful job in the world, but there is no way the job would even be possible without the intricate communications system we have to use.

With a less advanced system of communications, life would be different for individuals around the world, but life would also be different for countries and international relations. Imagine trying to keep the peace with an overseas country by the exchange of letters? Decades would pass before any amount of substantial communication could take place. Chances are high that we would enjoy far fewer privileges to visit or move to other countries without a great communications system like what our world has in place.

Before you pick up the telephone or sit down to check your email, take a moment to be grateful for the afffects of advanced communications in your world and in your life.

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WISPs and Bandwidth Management

Most Internet service providers have a bandwidth limit.  Even if they advertise unlimited Internet, there is usually some level of transfer that will red flag in their system and cause them to take action.  This is usually in the form of calling you to up-sell their service or, in extreme situations, cutting off your service.

Most people will never run into this problem.  ISPs can advertise unlimited data because the soft cap (this is the bandwidth limit) is so ridiculously high that a user would have to try pretty hard to hit it.  Most users can go about their business without ever coming even remotely close to the limit.

So why impose limits?  From a consumer standpoint, many feel cheated by the fact that they are not really getting unlimited service when they’re paying for ¨unlimited service.¨  But this is more to protect an ISP or WISPs customer base than anything else, after all - they don’t make more money by cutting off people’s service.

How does a bandwidth cap improve customer experience? The simple answer is that ISPs can ensure that they do not oversell their bandwidth.

So what’s the big deal with bandwidth getting oversold?  As an ISP or WISP operator, you want to ensure that you are providing good service for your customers.  Unfortunately your pipe is only so big, so it has to be shared between your customers.  Giving one customer access to the whole pipe means that he could use all the bandwidth available and leave all the other customers with slow or no service.

So you give each customer a fraction of the pipe.  Bandwidth is sold by calculating the average load per customer so you can sell to the most customers while still providing good service.  If all those customers get on and try to download a bunch of data at the same exact time, you will run into problems because the bandwidth is sold to accommodate average usage.

So if one customer is maxing out his portion of the pipe most of the time by downloading huge amounts of data, it is more likely that other customers are going to run into problems.  The line needs to be shared, and one person hogging up the line is going to cause unhappy customers and possibly people dropping their service.  It is better to cut off the ¨trouble maker¨ and keep your customers who aren’t causing problems.

With properly allocated bandwidth resources, you should never be running into problems.  Everyone will have great service and will be happy.

Sometimes an ISP or WISP will want to sell service plans by bandwidth.  This is different from unlimited plans because instead of a soft cap you have a hard cap.  This may be set anywhere from a couple gigabytes a month an up, depending on several factors like the size of the service provider’s pipe.  When a customer reaches their limit - say 2GB - their service is simply cut off, or they are redirected to a page telling them they need to upgrade their plan.  This is the best solution for Wireless ISPs who don’t necessarily have the capacity to give unlimited transfer to everyone on their network.

Sometime these hard-cap plans are better for consumers because they know exactly what to expect.  Having an unlimited plan cut off from over usage can come as a surprise to a customer, but if you have a 2GB plan and you’re cut off after 2GB, you won’t be surprised at all.

These plans are also better for environments where your average user is a light to medium Internet user.  Someone who checks their email every day, browses around for a few hours a week, and doesn’t download a lot of media will probably be fine with a plan that gives them a couple of gigabytes.

Bandwidth limits help to ensure high quality service on a shared line.  If you are an extremely heavy user, you should expect to pay more for your service - after all - you’re using more than most people on the network.

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What is Active X?

Active X is a software technology that was released by Microsoft; basically this technology allows content or programmed capabilities to be sent from the web to a Microsoft Window's computer.

Active X in its earlier form was OLE and COM technologies. OLE stands for Object Linking and Embedding and COM stands for Component Object Model. Active X was primarily developed so that end users on MS Windows computers can interact with content and link files such as MS Word Documents or Excel spreadsheet documents from a computer to the web with ease.

In this case, an internet browser visiting a website with Active X would be able to view a Word or Excel document directly in their web browser. Unfortunately Active X was created with poor security features and lacked even basic security controls. For this reason many computer security experts discouraged its use.
OLE (Object Linking and Embedding)

OLE allows an object from one application; let's say a MS Excel table to be embedded into another application- a MS Word Document. In this specific situation, the MS Excel table becomes an object, it is then cut or copied and pasted directly into the MS Word document and saved. OLE allows a user or group of users to work on separate parts of a master file and then quickly compound it or put it all together.

Microsoft renamed OLE, calling it Active X in 1996. In 2005, Microsoft has dropped its support for Active X primarily due to a loss in a patent lawsuit. This means that in newer editions of IE web browser, end users will no longer be able to interact with Active X without first activating it. For instance, many media files such as Flash, QuickTime, etc must first be activated. Before, you can usually roll over a media item with your mouse or open a page in your web browser to start active X, now you must first directly interact with the media object and for instance click the item to start a file or to interact with its properties.

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What is RAM

Anyone who works as their own tech geek on their computer system may be highly concerned about what is ram? It is a very important piece of a computer system. It is Random Access Memory which is the location where the application programs, the operating system, and data presently in use are stored. This way the computer's processor has the ability to reach them momentarily when needed. RAM is head and shoulders above the other various types of storage inside a computer system. It's even faster than floppy disk, hard disk, or CD-ROM. The information stored in RAM is only accessible for the length of time that a computer is begin run. Information previously stored in RAM disappears when a computer is shut down. When the computer is turned back on, information from hard disk is retrieved to bring RAM back to the forefront again. RAM is much like main memory that is accessible by programs.

How Does it Work?
RAM operates much like a human being's short-term memory. Much like the human brain RAM is able to draw upon the computer's long term memory for information. This is often necessary when short term memory becomes full. Most computers come equipped with at least 256 million RAM bytes plus the hard disk which has the capability of holding 40 billion bytes. Data is placed on a magnetized area that resembles a record. Computer printers also hold bytes of RAM as well. Each byte of RAM has the ability to be ascertained separately without the other bytes being accessed.

Types of RAM
RAM comes in dual forms. DRAM which is Dynamic Random Access Memory and SRAM which is Static Random Access Memory. DRAM is the most typical of the two types. DRAM requires refreshing at a rate reaching in the thousands each second. DRAM's times for accessing information are 60 nanoseconds. SRAM is more costly, but does operate at a much quicker pace than DRAM. The interlocking of a capacitor and a transistor produces a memory cell. This is one bit of data. Also, SRAM allows access at times as quick as 10 nanoseconds.

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What is Active Directory?

Active Directory is one of the enhancements that first appeared on the computer technology scene with the launch of Microsoft's Windows 2000 architecture. This innovation in directories made use of many of the system directories of times past, and sought to enhance those features while adding additional functionality. Active Directory was designed with the specific idea of enhancing the function of distributed networking environments.

How Does Active Directory Compare to Other Directories?

Active Directory covers the same basic functionality that is found in other major directories designed for similar purposes. Like the Novell Directory Service, or NDS, Active Directory provides a central and standard platform to work with. This platform helps to automate the ability of the network to manage all sorts of resources, such as security protocols, user data, and the whole range of distributed sources. Because Active Directory is designed as a Microsoft product, it is especially configured to work with various Windows operating systems.

What Are Some Of The Features of Active Directory?

Because Active Directory is meant to function as a support for distributed networking environments, several features speak to that functionality.

1. Active Directory provides support for the secure extension of network functions onto the World Wide Web.

2. Active Directory allows for a logical single point of access for overseeing the functions of the system, such as creating and managing user accounts, applications, and servers.

3. Active Directory supports the X.500 standard required for directories involved in a global environment.

4. Active Directory makes use of an object-oriented programming and storage format, making it easier to access information

5. Active Directory is configured to make use of both forward compatible and backward compatible functionality.

6. Active Directory includes support for LDAP or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, which helps to enhance the ability to make use of several subdirectories.

Since the creation of Active Directory, the service has proven to be widely successful and has helped to further spur development into ways to make the most of distributed networking environments. As access to the Internet have become more mobile in recent years, the important of Active Directory has continued to expand.

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What is Scan Disk

ScanDisk checks and repairs file systems and bad data clusters. ScanDisk is a system utility which is bundled with and all Microsoft Windows Operating Systems.

Scandisk was programmed to check the integrity of the hard disk drive to ensure that there are no significant issues which could corrupt your computer data. It is used to scan your hard disk for errors caused by improper shutdowns, viruses, etc.

It was first seen in MS-DOS version 6.2. Previous versions of MS-DOS had only a very basic, purely text-based program called CHKDSK. From Windows 95, SCANDISK added a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

The disk scanning utility bundled with Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP is also called CHKDSK and has the ability to check NTFS disk drives. From Windows 2000 onwards, it has been integrated with Disk Properties under the title of "error-checking".

The ScanDisk utility is owned by Microsoft, which originally purchased it from Norton (now Symantec).

Scandisk can scan and correct errors in your computer and can fix damage caused to critical Windows files, thereby improving system performance.

You can find Scan Disk in Windows 95 and 98 by going to Start Menu. Afterwards, go to Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ScanDisk.

In Windows 2000 and other later versions of Windows, Scan Disk has been given the title “Error Checking” under disk properties.

In order to run Scan Disk in Windows 2000 and Windows XP, you need to press the Start button and click on My Computer. On the list of disk drives, select the drive you want to scan. Then, click on the File menu and choose Properties. On the Tools tab page, click on the Check Now button. As a final note, you should ideally use the Scan Disk feature once a month in order to ensure that your PC is free from errors.

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Proxy

A proxy is also known as proxy server and application level gateway. It is a form of technology developed for the use of various business institutions and individuals when it comes to their network and Internet access needs. With this, a proxy acts as a computer that serves as a mediator between the computers that make up the local network of a company and the Internet or any other large-scale network.

A proxy’s work starts when incoming data is requested by a specific computer in the local network. When this happens, the proxy ensures that the data properly enters and passes through one of its ports. Subsequently, the data is forwarded to the unit that requested it through another port. Hence, by providing a means of prohibiting the direct access between networks, a proxy can prevent hackers and unauthorized individuals from obtaining sensitive information such as the internal addresses of a group.    

A proxy has 2 types. These include:

(1) the http proxy; and
(2) the SMTP proxy.

The former acts as a gateway for Internet access, while the latter acts as a gateway for email. Apart from controlling the access level of external networks, the proxy can also restrict computers within the local network in terms of the online resources they could access. This is especially useful in situations when the network administrator needs to prevent the users from opening websites they are not supposed to access.

A proxy can also cache web pages. This is a feature that enables the main computer to store copies of downloaded Web pages in its hard disk. When a computer in the local network requests for an external URL, a copy of that URL is stored in the server. Subsequently, when another computer requests for the same URL, the proxy can provide the stored copy instead of getting the original one from the Internet. This, of course, minimizes the time for acquiring information.

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What are Emoticons

Emoticons are popular selections of graphic media that is currently used in chat software. These graphics are commonly used by people in order to relay the feelings they have at that given moment. A good example of these graphics would be the so-called “Smileys”, wherein it is placed within the text as an indication the user is “happy”. Hence, other groups of characters are also available in order to form a specific image.

The technology behind emoticons was derived from the previous tactic of individuals who used specific letters, punctuations, and/or numbers in order to display a graphical representation of a particular emotion. This becomes possible when these characters are placed one after the other. Similar to the “Smileys” emoticon we have now, the most common example of this, previously, would be the smiling face. This is via pressing the colon, dash, and the right parenthesis, which would appear like this - .

These days, there are already various types of emoticons. Such emoticons can now convey various feelings such as anger, sadness, and indifference. It would range from “Smileys” to popular cartoon characters. Utilizing these emoticons is very easy since you are initially provided with the list of pictures and characters. You only need to select the picture that best describes your feelings at that specific moment.

You can find comprehensive lists of emoticons on Web forums and IM applications. Good programs where you can access these lists while you chat with your friends and loved ones would be through Yahoo Messenger, Skype, and Google Talk among others.

Moreover, although emoticons are very useful is emphasizing the emotions behind your messages, it is best that you practice using these emoticons properly. It is important that you consider using these symbols or characters in a way that you do not overuse them. Thus, there are also emoticon characters that can imply sarcasm, rudeness, intimidation or anger. Even if you can convey these emotions through emoticons, chatting etiquettes would prompt you to avoid using these on your messages. Of course, emoticons serve the purpose of relaying one’s emotions and not as a means to hurt other people’s feelings.

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Error Loading Operating System

This error appears when the Operating System of a computer fails to load from the hard drive into the Random Access Memory. The operating system is what makes the computer respond to user interaction and coordinates the various systems within the computer. This system software needs to load itself into memory from the hard drive before it can start functioning. When this does not happen properly, the computer displays the “Error Loading Operating System” message. There can be a number of reasons for the operating system’s inability to load itself into memory. The reasons can be hardware-related, software-related or a combination of both.

Hardware-related Causes:

A defective hard drive can be a source of this problem. When the hard drive malfunctions, the computer may not be able to read and load the operating system files properly into memory. A defective cable connecting the hard drive to the motherboard can also cause this error.

Sometimes, an incompatibility between the BIOS of the motherboard and the operating system can give rise to this problem. Each operating system comes with its own set of minimum hardware requirements. When the computer’s hardware does not meet this requirement, the operating system fails to function properly. A more recent operating system would require a later version of the BIOS. A FLASH BIOS can be updated to the latest version by downloading files from the Internet.

Software-related Causes:

This error can also occur when certain critical files in the operating system get corrupted or deleted. Corruption of files can happen due to virus activity, improper maintenance of software, accidental deletion of files or defects in certain portions of the hard drive.

Since there are a variety of causes for this error, and each cause needs a different mode of handling, the error can be rectified only when its cause is diagnosed properly.

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Converting FAT32 to NTFS

These instruction will assist you in converting the C: partition from FAT32 to NTFS. If you wish to convert another partition instead, just use that drive letter instead of C: while following these instructions.

1. First, back up your data. The conversion process almost always works flawlessly, but there is no point in taking the risk.

2. Click the <Start> button.

3. Click <Run>.

4. Enter "cmd" into the text field labeled "Open".

5. Click the <OK> button.

6. Enter the command "vol c:" to find the volume label for the C: partition.

7. Enter the command "convert c: /fs:ntfs" to convert the C: partition from FAT32 to NTFS.

8. When prompted, enter the volume label for the partition.

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Analog vs Digital Satellite Tv Receivers

In today's world, communications are of utmost importance, there is absolutely no doubt about that. Satellite tv is one of the technological breakthroughs of the 20th century. Made possible because of the massive satellite fleets deployed by different companies and with different purposes, satellite tv has in a way revolutionized communications.

The communications satellites of different companies relay on an increasingly diverse range of TV programming. And when it comes to the options you have for your satellite tv receiver, this will greatly depend on the very nature of the satellite tv service you desire to view. There are satellite tv programs which are (FTA). FTA is an abbreviation from "free to air". However, there are other satellite tv services which are encrypted, and are only available to subscribers of various satellite tv companies.

Another important distinction must also be made between satellite tv services which are analog and those which are digital. The analog services are based on electromagnetic waves that vary in their frequency. I am sure you have heard of the term FM, which is short for frequency modulation. Also, analogue transmissions can vary in intensity. In the latter case, the process is called amplitude modulation, or AM.

But digital signals are a different story entirely. And yes, we have entered in the digital age, where everything is made up from many 0s and 1s. This is also how a digital signal is broadcast, in a series of binary digits called bits. 1 means on, 0 means off, and this is how information is actually transmitted to the computer circuitry.

When speaking about the costs of an analog satellite tv receiver, it depends on the number of features offered (as every other electronic product). There are some low cost receivers which equal the high priced items in quality. However, there is a downside. And the downside is the fact that the operator must remember all the adjustments that need to be made and execute them, with each satellite tv broadcast.

However, since we are in the digital era, there are dozens of digital satellite tv services which are emerging all over the place. And their number will only increase in the following years, there is absolutely no doubt about that. The question of MPEG compliancy is a very debatable issue though.

And another difference from the analogue services is the fact that digital services are usually a part of a big package, which consists in a wide array of channel options. This is because digital compression makes combining more channels in a single digital stream possible. This is how "bouquets" are created, and these packages have a great appeal to people who always want "all in one". Having multiple channels in a single package is very convenient, as more and more types of tv stations emerge all over the world. These stations are very specialized. If you want to want sports, entertainment, or everything else and from over the world, there never has been a better time for that with the help of digital satellite tv.

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Antenna - How One Works

It's probably not something many people are interested in unless they're some kind of an electrical engineer or just bored, but understanding how an antenna works can be useful when the one on your TV or radio goes south on you and the reason is beyond your comprehension.

Trying to explain how an antenna works in simple English is not an easy task as there are a lot of technical specifications that need to be explained.  But a general understanding is possible without getting into tech speak that would make Einstein cringe.

In order for an antenna to work it has to radiate.  Your antenna, whether TV or radio has what is called free electrons running through it.  It is these free electrons that vibrate.  The question becomes, how do these free electrons vibrate and what causes them to vibrate?

Well, in real life it takes an electric field to move an electron.  If you take an isolated straight dipole, the power comes from the combined fields of all the charged particles, both positive and negative, in the antenna.  We'll call this field the antenna's coulomb field.

In addition to this field, the antenna exhibits a magnetic field that is the sum of the magnetic fields of all the free moving electrons.  The antenna also has a dynamic electric field that is the vector sum of the dynamic electric fields of all the free electrons.  What we can do is separate the electric field of the antenna at any point in space into two components.  One of the components will be in phase with the total magnetic field and the other will be 90 degrees out of phase.  The in-phase component is the radiation field of the antenna and the out of phase component is the induction field.  At the antenna, both fields are parallel to the metal surface.

What happens is that the coulomb field and the induction field fall off much more quickly than the radiation field as the distance increases from the antenna.  When you reach distances greater than a few wavelengths from the antenna, you have what is called the antenna's far field.  This field is pure radiation.  As you get closer to the antenna you have what is called the antenna's near field.  This field is a mixture of radiation, coulomb, and induction fields.  Still with us?  Great, we're getting to the good part.

What ultimately happens with all these fields that makes it so that your TV or radio picks up signals through your antenna is this.  The free electrons moving through your antenna are moving at their maximum speed.  The right hand half of your antenna accumulates electrons.  The left hand half of your antenna is where the electrons depart and leave an excess of charged ions.  The coulomb field produces an imbalance and opposes the electrons' rightward motion.  The electrons then stop, coast for a bit and then head back towards the left.  After they reach maximum speed they then stop and process is repeated, now heading back to the right.  The result is a vibration of free electrons that heats the metal and in turn generates electromagnetic waves.

And that, in as simple English as possible, is how your antenna works.

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An Introduction to Internet TV

You use the Internet and, of course, you watch television, but have you ever tried Internet television?

Most people are unaware of one of the more recent developments in interactive Internet use. This new technology brings all the benefits of the Internet and television together to create your own personalised viewing experience. In simple terms Internet television means that you can watch TV straight from your laptop or desktop PC.

Internet TV allows you to you maximize the use of your computer and your Internet connection. I expect you have probably thought that there must be more you could do with your personal computer or laptop. You know that typing the occasional letter, transferring your MP3 collection to your iPod or playing the odd game or two online is hardly making use of its full potential. Now you can explore a trusted method of entertainment with access to unlimited viewing and you don't even have to stop your usual computer activities.

If you are someone who can’t get enough of watching programs on television, think about how Internet television will open up new options for free viewing. You can catch up with current news stories, watch real time sports action, keep up to date with stock market movements or enjoy a little light comedy. You are provided with a wide variety of entertainment possibilities that continues to grow, gaining in popularity every day.

At the time of writing, FIFA World Cup 2006 is just around the corner and, for many, Internet TV will provide access to free live football streams. Viewers will be able to keep up with the latest action from all the international football games involving teams including Brazil, Argentina, France, England and many more. Japan's third largest TV broadcaster, Tokyo Broadcasting System, has recently announced plans to air World Cup programmes over the Internet and on mobile phones.

If you use the Internet for any kind of research (even if it's only helping the kids with their homework), you no longer have to view what you find in the usual format of text and pictures. Now you can see this information through streams of live or pre-recorded video enabling you to see details that simply wouldn't be visible in a series of pictures.


5 Features of Internet Television:

1. Stations are available internationally. Currently over 150 countries have Internet access so you can rest assured that your country has at least one Internet TV station you can watch.

2. No additional hardware is required. In the past, watching television on your computer would require the fitting of a PC TV card but this is no longer necessary. Improvements in the telecommunications industry have made broadband connections more widely available and cheaper than ever before allowing more and more people to view high quality streaming media on their computer.

3. Anyone with an Internet connection can watch. A minimum connection speed of 56K is recommended and watching at this speed should give you a reasonable picture. Higher connection speeds will improve the picture quality (dependant on the server capabilities) and the fastest connections can enable you to view programmes in DVD quality.

4. New channels are added all the time. Major players in the Internet industry have recently started showing significant interest in this rapidly expanding market. Google is developing Google TV and has signed up American channel UPN and is in talks with the BBC in the UK to provide content. AOL is launching IN2TV which will show thousands of hours of programmes from Warner Brothers across 6 different channels and Yahoo has plans to show Internet TV in Japan which could lead to a worldwide service if successful.

5. Personalize your experience. Normal televisions have fixed channels which depend on the local stations or the cable operators. Internet television gives you the opportunity to bookmark your favorite stations so you can get back to them quickly without having to flick through everything else available. There is usually the option of viewing in either full screen mode or in a smaller window enabling you to get on with other things on your computer while watching.

You too can enjoy all the benefits of Internet television. The world really is at your fingertips now you have discovered this new, hassle-free way of watching TV.

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About VoIP

What is VoIP?  Is it useful, or inexpensive? The answer is that VoIP is Voice over Internet Protocol. Voice over the Internet allows connections all over the world. It is one way to have a free pc to phone international call. In other words it is a phone call from pc. Yes, it is useful, and it is inexpensive, especially if you like the word free. Some Voice over Internet service may allow you to only call anyone who has the same service, but some will allow a phone call to anyone with a telephone number including international numbers.

Easy Free PC To Phone International Call
Voice over Internet Protocol allows the converting of your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. If you are calling a regular phone number, using a broadband service, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination.  In layman’s terms you are using your Personal Computer via a modem or phone adapter to connect to the Internet, and the receiving person will answer via PC or telephone. This allows the free pc to phone international call. This all happens with this broadband Internet connection instead of a regular or analog phone line.

The equipment needed to make this happen are a broadband high speed Internet connection.  A computer, adapter or other specialized phone is required. Some Voice over Internet Protocol services only work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, while there are other services that allow you to use a traditional phone connected to a VoIP adapter. If you are going to use your computer as a phone call from pc then you will need to have some software and an inexpensive microphone. Some special VoIP phones plug directly into your broadband connection and operate largely like a traditional telephone. If you use a telephone with an adapter, then you will use the phone like you always have.

In order to make the VoIP free pc to phone international call you must make certain that your Internet provider will allow you to make those calls. It comes down to what your subscription service will allow on their services. Check into that before you decide if VoIP is right for you. One of the advantages of VoIP is that you may be able to avoid paying for both a broadband connection and a traditional telephone line, which will save you money. More so if you are able to make a phone call from pc. If you are traveling overseas or to another country you may take your phone and adapter with you, and connect to another computer. This makes you able to use your same provider to make phone calls back home.

The disadvantages are that the VoIP will not work during power outages and the service provider may not offer backup power. Not all VoIP service connects directly with emergency services such as 9-1-1. Nor will some providers offer directory assistance or white page listings. These seem to be the downfall of having VoIP service. The computer does not have to be turned on for the VoIP to work, but the broadband connection must be active or live. The other piece of news is that you can use both the computer and the VoIP phone service at the same time. Yes, this is one good way of making your free pc to phone international call.

The option is for you to check with your Internet service provider. Make certain you have all software and possible adapters, as well as the broadband connection. With the right equipment you will be able to make a free pc to phone international call. If you are attending school, working overseas, or checking on the family back home, then VoIP is a wonderful tool to connect with loved ones, and special people. This is a way to have your free pc to phone international call. The tools are available. Your next step is to set up your computer and Internet service provider for a Voice over Internet Protocol.

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'No Audio Device' Error

If you have experienced a Windows "No Audio Device" error, it most likely means that your sound card is not installed properly. Even though other problems can cause this error, an improperly installed sound card is the most common reason. If the audio card isn't properly connected in the motherboard or you do not have an audio controller connected, you will get this error. Also, it is possible that the device you are trying to use is not compatible to the motherboard you are using.
Troubleshooting the most common error

Here are a few steps to take to solve the most common error, an improperly installed card:
You will first need to find your audio controlling device or controller. This controller is what gives you the ability to adjust the sound for everything. From your start menu, go to your control panel. Then, go to add hardware and search for the hardware yourself. Don't let the computer search for it automatically, because if it is improperly installed it may not be seen. Then, scroll down to sound devices and search for your audio controller. Check the properties of the device, and see if it is installed properly. If it isn't installed properly you will see a yellow highlighted question mark beside the device's name

• The best way to solve this problem is to uninstall your sound card and drivers. You will reboot, enter the bios, disable the onboard audio, game port, and midi. Then boot back into windows, go to add remove programs and make sure that any programs for the device was removed.
Next, you should reinstall the sound card and drivers. It is possible driver updates have been made since the sound card was manufactured and released, so it is a good idea to visit the manufacturer's site and see if there are driver updates. Once you do this, restart the computer again. The problem is (more than likely) the default device in audio properties is still the onboard, you can select the creative devices and it will probably work, but it will be better to disable the onboard all together.
Uninstalling and reinstalling the sound card will more than likely fix your problem.
Other troubleshooting tips
If you are still experiencing difficulties, try these other troubleshooting ideas.

• If you think your sound card may be 'dead', before buying a new one, I would recommend borrowing one that is fully functioning from a friend, if possible, and installing that one to see if the error is in the card itself.

• Try using a different PCi slot, that way windows may detect it as new instead of trying to reconfigure it on the slots its currently on. This can also help you to determine whether one of the slots are bad.

• If you have an onboard sound card but are trying to use a sound card you bought separately, ensure the onboard one is disabled.

Always ensure the sound card you purchase is compatible with your board. If it doesn’t say on the packaging, do a little research online prior to the purchase.

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