There is not any particular set location in space and time where you can look for writing ideas, rather you can get writing ideas from almost anywhere and at anytime. Magazines, books, blogs, periodicals, forums, movies, questions asked by others, answers to those questions, old blog posts, old articles, or your immediate physical surrounding can be a good starting point. However, there are many ways to get ideas to write upon, you should only choose the idea that fit into the bigger picture keeping in mind the nature of the medium and the expectation of the target audience from it. If you are just starting out with writing then avoid taking any complex topic, and try to keep the sentences short.

Be a voracious reader. Books can be a good source for sourcing writing ideas. Try reading books from different genre and as many as you can. Blogs can also be effective in sourcing writing ideas. Do not confine yourself to reading blogs from your niche only as reading blogs from your niche alone will limit your ability to see the bigger picture, the context in which your readers see your blog. Reading blogs from different niches will also infuse freshness to your thinking. Writing updated versions of old articles can also be considered. This will open many writing avenues for you.

The bottom line is to be observant. Keep close eye on the surrounding and see what is changing and what effect will it have. Try to look for small changes; these are the things that at times have bigger impact. Always keep a pocket notebook with you to write down the observations you make and the ideas that come to you. This repertoire will keep you away from getting into the writer’s block.

Let’s give you a personal account in brief to explain this more clearly. Couple of years back, I was employed in a space selling team of a national newspaper (for convenience sake let’s call it X-Paper). My stay there was not long, but I learned quite a few things there. While in X-Paper, I made a friend, who was very polished, professional, and stiff and had a quirky sense of humor. One fine day, he was not in his usual mood, not cracking his kind of jokes, which made me ask, how he was doing. In response to this he started verbally bashing our bosses (we had a handful of them). As he said, his issue was with the way our bosses lick the clients boot by being polite (overly) to make a sale (perhaps he was referring o their soft skills), and to meet their targets. He felt, it was not being professional. He went on saying he was against such things; one should do what he used to do, make a good PPT, put all the necessary information in it, and deliver the presentation, as best as one could. And that according to him was how sales should be made; no personal chit-chat, no small talks. What he was suggesting was this: do not be friendly (over, as he put it) with the people on the other side of the table, they are just business associates, so, instead of showing concern to their matters, we should focus on solving problems in their business. As he said, we should focus on what problem clients’ business had, and how our product was going to solve it.

After couple of months in the only corporate job, I quit and started a viral marketing and buzz generation agency (I come from MARCOM background), and hired this person for sales job. Six months into the position, he was still looking to make his first sale. I tried convincing him the other method, but he did not listen, and shifted the blame on our agency being a new thing. His point was well taken. Interestingly even when he was with X-Paper, a very well established niche newspaper, his sale was still not justifying the salary he drew. I was naïve then, and due to lots of other reasons my venture failed, but while taking its last breath it taught me the power of soft skills. The power of a simple smile, saying sorry, listening carefully, politely disagreeing when the difference in opinion arises, and admiring heartily when come across wonderful thing. All in all it taught me the wisdom that lies in being a good human.

Why my friend from X-paper despite those glittering MBA degree from a reputed college failed in doing what my bosses found it every day affair? Most of my bosses did not even have an MBA degree, they were plain vanilla graduates! I am not planning to kill you by the length of this post, so return tomorrow and get the answers. Till then, so long!

• MSI has an eco-friendly MSI Wind Nettop CS120.  The size of this desktop PC hard drive is about 11.1 x 9.45 x 2.56 inches, while including a slot-load DVD burner, an Intel Atom 230 1.6GHz processor, a 160GB hard-drive and a 1GB of DDR2 SODIMM memory.  This desktop PC is reported to save about 90% on energy costs!
• Marvell Technologies has a plug in computer that is about the size of an adapter!  It is called the SheevaPlug and it also saves on 90% of electricity use.  It has a 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of DRAM and 512MB of flash memory storage.  It connects to the world-wide web through Gigabit Ethernet or through a USB port.  For all you Linux fans, this mini-computer support Linux 2.6 distributions.  For $99 this turn you into a green techie in no time.  Considering the amount of plastic that it takes to build a regular sized computer, energy efficiency is not its only highlight!

These two are not as eye-catching as the technology projects featured on the Greener Gadgets Design Competition website.  The SheevaPlug reminds me of Blink, a photocell controller for outlets.  I know, I know!  Blink isn’t a mini-computer for your entertainment needs.  But it sure acts like one by giving users the opportunity to program their media centers, security programs, or even their lighting and housing temperatures.   Basically, Blink blinks. Its infrared photocell acts like an eye that reacts to natural light.  Its “eyelid” adjusts to what it “sees”.   I could really use a product like this that would reduce the large amount of energy I waste after writing these blog posts!

However, my all time favorite “Go Green!” technology is the ASUS Bamboo laptop.  This is something you have to see to believe!  It reminds me of the old “woodie” cars of the 1950s.  The ASUS touchpad for this laptop is bamboo themed too.  I wonder though if Bamboo laptops will be as popular when they have a hefty price tag of more than $3,000?  Maybe they’ll have a cheaper bamboo desktop in the future.  They already have a bamboo mouse!

But then, making a generalized statement saying that ‘all money making opps online are fake’ is not true. The internet has made it possible for people to outsource work to the cheapest vendor, irrespective of where they are, and get paid irrespective of other normal factors that affect employment. In fact, if there was no internet, the BPO industry which has changed the economy of dozens of countries would not have existed!

Here are some of the real ones, and remember – most of the programs that pay you to work from home would not require you to pay an upfront fee.

• Resell products

Some of the internet’s most profitable work from home ventures is reselling products online. A provider or a manufacturer that does not have the necessary resources to market, will prefer to pay other people to market and even if they have a marketing team, reselling is hugely profitable, as it opens up access from around the world. For instance, selling and registering websites is a business that is extremely popular and pays very well. Take a look at http://resellers.gossimer.biz/ for an illustration. There are several more kinds of products / services. Do your own research.

• Work from home

The real one – not the namesakes that flood the internet. Websites like elance, guru and oDesk have created platforms to bring together clients and providers. They charge a fee on every billed transaction, and that is a win-win-win situation for the portal, the buyer, and the customer. But you need to have genuine qualifications to work there, as they require your certifications. Try them out.

• Blogging – Advertising

On the internet, advertising is king, and with the advent of online ad services like Google AdSense, it has become possible for people to make money from their blogs and websites. However, you need to have real good content, or you can sell ads on behalf of another website. Try out a program that looks good.

• Selling

If you are not into reselling, you can try selling some real products online. Sites like eBay and many more help you create an online store which you can register on for free. You have tons of resources available for you to market your store online, and if your services are good, you are in for some serious money!

These are just a few of the good opps online. If you are serious about working from home, your best bet would be to ask your way around, and see which are the ones that are really good.

All the best!

Of course if you aren’t paying attention to the news, nothing can probably save you. But if you are watching your balance sheet, reviewing spending, and accounts receivable, and looking for ways to cut unnecessary costs you’ve got part of the idea under consideration.

It’s probably also good time to cut back on advertising and marketing – NOT!

There is no better time than now to build a new website. It’s easy. It’s affordable. Carpe diem. Seize the day.

This depression won’t last forever and there is no better time to profit from it than now.

Your competition is dropping like flies. They can’t pay their bills. They are laying off talented employees and closing their doors. You can acquire their liquidated inventory for pennies on the dollar. Their customers already know you and are looking for someone reliable to do business with.

But how to get the word out without spending those dollars that are more precious than today ever?

Media and print are the expensive dinosaurs of yesteryear. They went the way of brick and mortar stores when the internet exploded into our lives.

It’s never been easier or more affordable to build a website. Gossimer offers 3 Website Builder packages rich with marketing features.

Email marketing, search engine optimization, e-commerce – these are all smart ways to drive new customers to the front door without spending the big bucks.

“But,” says the senior partner, “We can’t afford a programmer and all that expensive equipment.”

That’s when the light bulb goes off. He thinks of his grandson, the computer nut!

In days it’s all agreed to. Grandpa is paying for college anyhow. And grandson is helping with the business he will someday inherit by putting up the fresh new website with the “What You See Is What You Get Products” by Gossimer.

Innovative and creative ideas have kept them in business for the past 75.

And that’s how to keep the family business alive for the next 25!

There are however other sides to the Internet that many at times turn a blind eye. While information opens our horizons to think and to reason at a more advanced level than our ancestors, such information if not censured can dreadfully carve certain behavioural patterns that leave an indelible mark in our lives. The busy rush hours and constant deadlines to meet, have caused parents to unintentionally forget their parental duties towards their children.The result is a generation that grows craving for attention, affection and at times finding it through the wrong outlets. Parents should therefore take the time out to censure the information that their children are being exposed to.

Windows Vista comes equipped with certain gadgets that help curtail the exposure to risky information and people that children may encounter and also limits the possibility of them downloading files to the computer that may contain viruses,Trojans etc. The gadgets allow you to control the sites the children visit, the time they spend on these sites, which video games they can play etc. To turn on Parental Controls using Windows Vista go to Start, then Control Panel then User Accounts and finally Set Up Parental Controls from there you establish the controls you wants to set for your child.

For traditional users of Windows XP this comes through the web service Windows Live Family Safety at www.fss.live.com and from there you follow the given instructions. The Internet should be seen as a cyber library but care at all times must be taken to control the information that we take in and give out from our favorite chair.

The Wifi Finder Plus created by Kensington is one little cutie that you will not want to leave behind. It eliminates the need of having to take your laptop from it´s case to test signal strength in hot spots.The Wifi Finder Plus is able to indicate signal strength if a 802,11b or 802,11b/g network is close by. It is small and detect less so there is not need to worry about extra weight in your luggage. The main disadvantage is that it does not indicated if the network is encrypted or not so one has to think if it is worth taking the risk.

The USB port blocker is another small gadget that you will not want to leave off your list if you intend to protect yourself from the possibility of viruses being introduced on you computer in the event you happen to be distracted. This tiny devise basically locks off any access to your USB from unscrupulous people. It is simple to use and acts as a extra bodyguard against viruses, spy ware etc.

Do not forget your battery charger after all you do intend to get some work done on your trip. Its is important that one does some research to identify the best charger for his needs. It would be best to choose one serves for many other gadgets thus reducing your luggage load.

Maybe you are not going on a secret mission and much less working for an international spying agency, nevertheless a Fingerprint Reader USB flash drive is an excellent way to guarantee that your data does not fall into the wrong hands. It is exactly was the name says, and can recognize up to 10 authorized fingerprints.

If your job involves a lot of paperwork and you happen to have a deadline to hand them in upon arrival at you destination, but you you are still working on it, then take a Portable Printer with you .There are quite a few on the market such as Pentax PocketJet3 Mobile Printer,HP Deskjet 460wbt Mobile Printer,Canon Pixma i90 Mobile Printer.

There is also the USB Watch drives that allows you to take your data with you wherever you go. It is basically a watch and USB in one, another cutie that one should definitely have.

The investment one is willing to make to acquire the Anti-virus. Expensive does not necessarily mean it is the best. Try to research on the features and advantages different anti-virus packages will give you when compared to their competitors

You own personal needs. Are you an entrepreneur or an organization? While you may take the necessary care to ensure that you follow all laid down guidelines to minimize all possible virus infections, your fellow man may not necessarily share the same interest. In cases like these you will need an Anti-virus program that offers protection against all possible viruses.

What are the features of the Anti-Virus you are considering? Does it have the latest updates against new viruses? You should always choose an Anti-virus program that has the latest definition and above all that is updated on a regular basis to protect your computer.

Ensure that the Anti-virus automatically updates itself as this will reduce the chances of virus infections if by chance you happen to forget to update it manually. This special feature not only guarantees that the update is done when you least expect it, it also can be configured to do so when you go online.

It is never advisable to use two Anti-virus programs at once. There can be conflict between the two programs and you end up creating a weak point for viruses to leash through on your computer. Therefore it is a myth to believe that two Anti-virus programs will guarantee maximum protection.

Ensure that your Anti-Virus offers you the option to eliminate the virus. It makes absolutely no sense detecting a virus and then not having features to be rid of it, after all who wants a virus ever present locked in quarantine on your computer?

The hardware is the first component of the computer that we come in contact with and care should be taken to keep it clean. This not only increase ones productivity it also is a healthy approach.Imagine touching a mouse that has layers of grease from centuries and centuries of sticky finger contacts, or a keyboard that has tons of overnight snacks embedded between it´s keys, this obviously is a cause for alarm.

The steps to clean ones hardware does not not involve any special product than the simple traditional methods of a soft brush,a little water and maybe a piece of cloth .It is important that a day is set aside to do this so as to avoid disturbance during the process. There also has to be an established order in mind to know which parts you intend to clean first.

After unplugging all components and and an order has been mentally established to clean the different components, all that is left now is patience.The keyboard which is basically the ‘hands’ of the whole system can suffer alterations if dust and crumbs are not taken from it quickly.To remove dirt from the keyboard one can use a professional keyboard cleaner that has been adapted justly for this purpose. Turning the Keyboard over on a piece of paper and gently shaking it to remove all accumulated dust ,one then passes a soft brush to remove any excess dirt on the outside of the Keyboard.The same applies for Laptops.

The monitor and the CPU can both be cleaned using a non-abrasive cloth to remove any excess of dirt. Areas like the USB ports generally have accumulated dust and once again the use of a small soft brush is handy. For those you wish to use a professional Laptop screen cleaner , this is highly optional, but one will achieve the same results with simple conventional methods.The aim of all of this is that you clean and not destroy while cleaning.

The mouse is another gadget that allows us to enjoy an efficient user interface with our system and with the realms beyond(Internet).Excess dust and grime will compromise it´s function and you will notice this based on the time response it gives when you move it. Care should be taken in opening it and a soft bush should be used so as to not damage it.

There is no need to open the casing of the CPU nor the Laptop. All that requires cleaning resides on the external part of the casing. If you are not a professional, opening may void all warranty rights and you may unintentionally damage some internal part.The use of cotton to clean is a good option but I prefer a brush.

Make a plan about your business that outlines the service/product you intend to offer and the market segment you expect to reach. In order to execute an action , there has to be plan that governs all the steps that one intends to make. This will prepare you in advance for the many responsibilities that may arise as you undertake you mission step by step.

Create a website for yourself . There are thousands of website packages that allow you to build a website at an affordable price and even offers privacy protection.Organize your website to ensure that it is easy to navigate and attracts the attention of online navigators.This can be achieved though optimization of your website using tools such as SEO.Finally ensure that you have taken the necessary precautions to avoid Identity theft

As budget is the determining factor in any recession there are quite a few ways for you to advertise your services without having to spend a lot. E-mail marketing for example is a cheap way that guarantees this.E-mail marketing requires that one has to an organized database in operation and a system that manages the messages you intend to send out.

There are thousands of websites that claim to drive Internet traffic to ones website, this has to be carefully researched as at times there really is to gain to this , just spam and not Internet traffic. Another point is that in order to be aggressive in the market, one has to be aggressive to defend his/her product and brand, always check to ensure that untrue advertisements regarding your product are not made and that you are not hosting your competitor on your website!!

Understand the desires of your customers and always review blog posts to see what hey are saying. By doing so you will be informed as to what you need to offer your clients in order to stand out in the market by these very blog posts.

For those who do not have a product to offer at the time and may consider working as a freelancer special care should be taken when looking for at home jobs on the Internet. Never take a job that you have to pay for, after all that is the main reason you are behind a job, to get paid!!. I recommend Odesk, Elance if you wish to work as a freelancer using the Internet.

Virtualization allows multiple operating systems to co-exist and run at the same time on one host computer. These operating systems are usually called guest operating systems and the platform where they are installed are called virtual machines. For the guest operating systems to be able to access the actual hardware installed on the computer, virtual devices are created to represent these actual devices to the guest operating system.

Though this technology has been available since the 60′s, only with the advent of the Intel VT or AMD-V technologies did it become available to consumer hardware platforms. Previously, support for virtualization on the PC was limited to software implementations which only allowed the guest operating systems to see virtual devices in the created virtual machine. With virtualization now being available through hardware, it is now possible to create virtual machines that can provide performance similar to running the operating system directly on the hardware.

Some of the striking results of virtualization that is available in the market now is that of Mac OS X 10.5. Now, it is possible to have both Mac OS X and Windows installed on a Mac computer. So if you are a Mac user but you really have no choice but to use a Windows application, you no longer had to have two machines. You can have the best of both worlds with your Mac computer. Another good example is that of Ubuntu Linux allowing the user to install Ubuntu as a virtual machine instead of creating separate partitions for it on your hard drive before installation. Ubuntu can now be installed just like a common Windows application all thanks to the new Wubi installer included with Ubuntu 8.04 and above. Now, there is no risk to find out what Linux is all about while still having the ease of mind knowing that you can always go back to Windows if you need to.

Hardware OEMs are also starting to get into virtualization. Asus recently implemented Splashtop features in some of its laptop and PC machines. Splashtop, created by DeviceVM, allows the user to quickly boot up the computer in 4 to 5 seconds and immediately connect to the Internet while waiting for Windows to load in the background. It is no longer required that the user wait for Windows to finish loading before they can enjoy going online. It is really fast because the software needed for that feature is installed directly on the motherboard of the computer.

No doubt, power users of virtualization technology would still purchase separate software to allow them to create multiple virtual machines at will. But for most consumers, the added ability to run a whole separate operating system in their current machine or one that just allows them to use the computer quickly while waiting for their main operating system to boot up is already a great boon, and all that is possible thanks to virtualization.

AdSense basically provides revenue by putting advertisements on all web pages of a site or a blog with no additional resources. Setting up AdSense does not require any special skills, it is made in a very customer friendly way so that anyone can follow those easy steps and get started. AdSense delivers the relevant ads according to the content of your site, specifically targeting your site. The words have different meanings in different contexts. AdSense is an intelligent program which understands the context of the content and display ads accordingly.

Google strives to get you the maximum revenue from you web page by pitting two types of ads against each other:

• CPC: Cost per click in which revenue is generated by clicking on the ads.
• CPM: Cost per thousand impressions

Whatever is best suited for your site, is displayed there and generates revenue for you. You can also put search boxes in your site and you will find ads relevant to searches performed by the visitors on your site. Searches also yield money and add to your revenue.

Setting Google AdSense

Setting up Google AdSense requires minimal investment in terms of your time. You only need to send an online application, on approval, you get a code which needs to be pasted in your site’s code and here you are, AdSense ready. AdSense allows you to customize the ads format in terms of space, color scheme, appearance and templates.

Ads for every content

Due to a wide base of advertisers, Google has ads for everyone, however specialized the content may be. Moreover, you have access to thousands of advertisers without bothering to interact with them, Goodle manages this for you. AdSense works according to geography as well resulting in helping local advertisers target their audience.

Premium AdSense Service

If you are one of those who get 20 million page views per month or 5 million searches (the standards may vary), then Google offers you Premium AdSense service which has many facilities as compared to regular AdSense users. One of this is a dedicate Google representative which will help you with optimization and of course more revenue generation. The ads are much more customized and almost completely blended with the content. The sites like LinkedIn, MySpace are under the Google Premium AdSense service and you can have an idea of what it actually looks like.

Google Adsense has something in it for everyone. You can rake mullah with this revenue generation program. All you have to do is generate traffic for your site and Google will take care of the rest.

The last time the computer industry became so excited with an input device was in the 80′s when Apple used a mouse on their Macintosh line of computers. While the mouse has been invented and used in different platforms much earlier than that, Apple coupled the use of the mouse with an operating system which had a graphical user interface(GUI) that made the use of the mouse logical and essential.

On the gaming end of the computing spectrum, major innovations came in the form of the joystick. First used in the arcades and later on in Atari consoles, the joystick then resembled a car’s stick shift and one or two buttons on top of the stick or beside it on the base of the stick. The idea of the modern joystick however, arrived when Nintendo released their Family Computer in Asia whose counterpart is the Nintendo Enteratainment System(NES) in the United States. Nintendo’s take on the joystick was to replace the stick to a cross-shaped directional pad. It also featured more buttons which were placed on top of a flat rectangular plastic box. Later on, the term gamepad was used to refer to these modern joysticks.

Fast forward to the present. Surprisingly, both Apple and Nintendo continue to be the innovators for input devices.

Apple is now gaining much popularity and accolades for introducing multi-touch into their devices. The traditional touchpad which was largely used on laptops was already widespread but Apple enhanced it by allowing multiple fingers to be used to control the computer’s GUI. Also, Apple started using touchscreens on their mobile products which includes cellphones and media players. With the Apple iPhone and the Apple iTouch leading the way in multi-touch, it also features an accelerometer that detects the device’s orientation while it is held aloft.

Similar innovations were made by Nintendo when they introduced the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii consoles. The Nintendo DS featured dual screens one of which was touch activated. This allowed gamers to have new gaming experiences previously not possible with the use of a gamepad. A greater surprise was the introduction of the Wii’s Wiimote controller. Instead of strictly using the gamepad buttons to control the games, the Wiimote allowed user control with a flick of the wrist or by simply tilting or rotating the controller wirelessly. The Wii truly revolutionized gaming by bringing in a greater audience that included Mom and Dad, the casual gamer, and even the hardcore gamers together. The simplicity at which the games can be played due to the intuitive nature of the controls allowed virtually anyone to simply pick up a game and have an enjoyable experience with little to no learning curve needed. This eventually led to Nintendo winning console sales over its competition.

So what’s next in the future of input devices? It appears that the next innovation in input devices are geared towards interactive experiences with the use of one’s hands. Everyone who has watched Minority Report was astonished when 3D holograms were made out of thin air allowing one person to touch, move and interact with objects in the hologram using their hands. Well, it may be a long way before input device technology reaches that level but for now, it appears that multi-touch screens and movement sensor controllers are going to be the standard input of choice for future devices.

The relationship between ITC and education is twofold: On one hand, citizens are called upon to hear and learn about ITC. On the other hand, ITC can be applied to the educational process.

That dual aspect is reflected in two different educational expectations: on the one hand, we have the information, interested in learning computers, and in the other, teachers interested in using computers for education.

Throughout this article we are going to provide you more information’s about the evolution that education has suffered.

1. Evolution of Education gives:

1.1 The long history of global education shows several revolutions

The first of these was the adoption of the written word through literacy imposed by the pencil and paper as a primary tool of communication of knowledge, a mainstay of information and as a medium of instruction.

The second was the emergence of the schools, where it appears the figure of the teacher.

The third is due to the invention of printing, since then the paper was used as a carrier of information; were changed then a series of cultural patterns, in the form of work, in the form of reading, to live and reported.

Today, current technologies appear to have changed new carriers, the magnetic media and optical medium of information. The information is now digitized. It was then passed from the “technology” pen and paper to keyboard and screen.

Today, the computer goes from being a sophisticated and fast machine to calculate, to be a machine to communicate and transmit knowledge, and that allows us to transmit information through texts, and even today the process of information transmission is within the scope of multimedia environment, where the sound, voice, text and the ability to work together at a distance are a reality

1.2 Impact of New Technologies in Education

We are facing a technological revolution; witnessing a global spread of computers and telecommunications. These new technologies pose new paradigms, revolutionizing the world of school and higher education.

There is talk of revolution because through these technologies can be visited museums in cities around the world, reading books, taking courses, learn languages, visiting countries, contact with people from other cultures, access to texts and documents without having to move from a chair, etc, through the Internet.

Education is an integral part of new technologies and this is as well that a growing number of universities around the world is demanding for ITC literacy as one of the requirements in their entrance examinations and graduation, considering it a essential aim to prepare future professionals for the digital age in the workplace.

Most institutions of higher education have a greater or lesser extent, to computers that allow Internet access for students. Thus, academics, including those for financial problems do not have computers in their homes, they can access a world that was once exclusive to the affluent classes, taking the opportunity to visit museums and accessing knowledge available free of charge. It is in this sense, that the role of university professor is crucial: The more we inculcate in the university the ability to use new technologies, will be the wider world that works for them and the opportunities they have to find work.