My Tech Quest

Why Google decided to protest SOPA using popular home page?

Steve Yu — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:13 +0000

This is a guest post by Rosette Summers. If you would like to contribute too, please leave us a message via the contact us page.

On January 18th 2012, the internet was a very different place for 24 hours. Wikipedia would no longer grant access to its articles, while social sites such as Reddit prevented users from sharing their creations. Google, the world’s most popular search engine, also joined in the fight by turning its homepage into a digital protest against SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act proposed in the US. But what motivated this multi-billion-dollar company to take sides with grass-roots activists?

(Image Credit : ~David-Irastra )

SOPA and its sister bill, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), are being heralded by the entertainment industry and supporters in the American political classes as the best way to stop illegal file sharing and copyright infringement online. Many believe that the decline in the music and movie industries over the past decade and a half can be directly linked to the increase in people sharing pirated material online for free, which they perceive as effectively amounting to theft.

However, Google’s complaint lies not with the concept of preventing this kind of theft, but with the deeper issue of online censorship, which SOPA critics claim that the act essentially authorises. At the moment, democracies such as the US and many European nations are dedicated to net neutrality, which ensures that people have their right to freedom of speed online. SOPA and PIPA would give authorities the ability to shut down access to sites deemed to be in breach of legislation, which protesters fear would lead to increased censorship and an end to this vitally neutral stance.

Google’s homepage contained a link on January 18th, which led to an explanation of its reasons for opposing SOPA and PIPA and highlighted the changes that might result from their enactment. Tens of millions of phone calls, emails and letters were also passed on to US politicians involved in supporting these acts during this period, indicating the widespread distrust of the legislation.

Of course, there were some companies that were willing to weigh in on the other side of the argument and criticise Google itself. News Corp. boss Rupert Murdoch claimed that the search giant was actually at the root of the contemporary piracy problems in a tirade of messages posted on social-networking site Twitter. Given that Murdoch’s various companies have been reportedly damaged by piracy, it is perhaps unsurprising that he took this stance.

The dissenters who came out against SOPA and PIPA were not advocates of piracy, they claimed, but supporters of free speech. Most were concerned that the acts could be employed to take down content that was simply satirical and entirely legal, essentially turning the internet into a political tool that those in power could manipulate to their advantage. Broadband only deals with the world in the way that the individual user chooses, but this legislation is seen as putting a choke chain around the web.

In the weeks since Google and its peers took their protest online, other interesting events have added to the debate. The total clampdown on file-sharing service MegaUpload and the arrest of its eccentric creator Kim Dotcom have hit the headlines, suggesting that authorities already have the power to kill off sites that they see as a threat. Twitter has also become embroiled in its own censorship row, which could see it blocking tweets in certain countries to avoid incurring the wrath of their governments. In the future, broadband only deals could present users with a view of a much-changed internet, but the protests and counter-arguments look set to continue.

About the Author:

Rosette Summers is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on Technology for various technology company. Her expertise are in writing articles related to internet providers, DSL Internet Providers , Social media etc.

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HTC Announced White Sensation Smartphone with Ice Cream Sandwich

Steve Yu — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:42:02 +0000

HTC Corporation has announced the availability of the HTC Sensation smartphone in Ice White flavour. The smartphone is expected to hit the market in Europe early March.

Besides the new flavor, the white HTC Sensation will run the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS and most probably will also feature HTC Sense 4.0 UI. Whereas for other specs, they remain the same as their black counterpart.

The smartphone will have a large 4.3-inch qHD (960×540 resolution) screen display, 1.2Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 processor, with 768MB of RAM and 1GB of internal phone storage. Other features include 8-megapixel rear camera and VGA front-facing camera.

In addition, owner of all Sensation models including the original Sensation, Sensation XE and Sensation XL will receive the Ice Cream Sandwich OTA update on their smartphone very soon, the earliest should take place shortly after the white Sensation smartphone goes on sale in March 1.

[via]

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Add Background Image to Your Facebook Profile with Facebook Background Changer

Steve Yu — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:56:49 +0000

A while ago, we’ve mentioned about the FB Refresh extension, it enables you to add background image to the login page of Facebook website. Now, you probably want to add some colour to your Facebook profile page as well.

What do you think of this profile page? Want to personalize your profile page too? Try Facebook Background Changer!

Facebook Background Changer is an extension for the Google Chrome browser that allows you to change the background image of your Facebook profile page. In the extension, there are a total of 36 awesome background images for you to choose from. Simply click on your favourite image and the background image will appear on your Facebook page almost instantly.

In the Settings page, you can set the scrolling or fixed background. Also, you can change the opacity of your Facebook page.

As for the upcoming version, you will be able to set your own wallpaper as the background image. The developer has promised that user can add pictures to the public library and put them in categories.

Here’s a preview of the upcoming Facebook Background Changer 2.o.

Install Facebook Background Changer extension for Google Chrome

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11 Awesomely Creative Uses of Facebook Timeline Cover Images

Steve Yu — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:07:11 +0000

This is a guest post by James Adams. If you would like to contribute too, please leave us a message via the contact us page.

Facebook’s new Timeline cover photo offers creative people many ways to express themselves using the combined format of the Timeline cover photo and the profile photo.

The timeline cover photo measures 854 pixels wide and 323 pixels tall and features as a banner across the top of the Facebook profile page. The profile picture sits near the bottom left hand corner of the Timeline cover, which it partially overlaps and fronts. The profile photo measures 125 pixels x 125 pixels.

Facebook users have already demonstrated some amazingly creative ways to use the new Timeline cover photo together with the profile photo. Most of the best ideas involve combining the two pics into one composite photo.

Here are examples of some truly awesome Facebook Timeline cover images.

1. Ekkapong Techwongthaworn

Ekkapong Techawongthaworn’s Timeline creation is a great example of fusing the cover photo and the profile photo together into one composite whole. The cover photo also includes some interesting artwork and a funny message about the user’s long name.

2. Aly Moffat

Another nice composite photo comes from Aly Moffat who uses a Laundromat scene and includes herself in the cover photo as if trapped in one of the washing/drying machines. The photo has nice color styling and includes a recreation of the Facebook top menu bar with her apparently handwritten signature.

3. Erik Shabaz Mehdi

Another popular way to use the Facebook Timeline cover photo is to create a thought or speech “bubble” or “cloud” originating from the profile photo as shown here in Enk Shahbaz Mehdi’s profile. In this case, Enk adds what may be a little humor by offering to sell the cover photo space for advertisements. Or maybe he is serious?

4. Oliver Alexander

Oliver Alexander also uses a little humor by advertising his Facebook Timeline cover photo space out for rent. The invite to poke is a great way to break the ice with new friends. In many cases, Facebook users may be advertising their own professional creative skills in the cover photos.

5. Jeremy Bronson

Jeremy Bronson’s Timeline cover photo is another good example of connecting one’s body across the cover and profile composite canvas. In this case, Jeremy on the left is looking at Jeremy on the right giving viewers a good laugh.

6. Victor Zapanta

In this Facebook Timeline cover photo, Victor Zapanta gives a good example of a mirroring effect as occurs when you face two mirrors together or point a camera at a mirror. A visually stunning impact but maybe it is a little disconcerting at the same time. At least, the repetition of his name might help people remember him better!

7. Sune Adler Miltersen

Sune Adler Miltersen uses the thought cloud technique humorously by making fun of his own creative process. The randomly-created text near the center and the pointer at his profile name together with more self-deprecation add to the hilarity of the composition.

Here is another creation by Sune Adler Miltersen that combines the Timeline cover photo and the profile photo together in a poster board composite. Included are some humorous notes and an ad for friends to interact on his personal website.

8. Fabio Maravilla

Another example of the mirror effect, in this case by Fabio Maravilla. The interesting thing about this combination of Timeline cover and profile photo is the use of the alternating angles in which Fabio “holds” his own photo.

9. Guiseppe Draicchio

Have to love this creative composite image by Guiseppe Draicchio who uses the beloved ET character from Steven Spielberg’s classic to create an encounter of the Facebook kind. This looks like original artwork, and it shows how the Facebook Timeline cover photo provides a good showcase for professional and amateur talent.

10. Maggie Lin

Another popular way to use the Timeline cover photo is to insert one’s profile from another social media network. In this example, Maggie Lin, uses her Google+ profile page in a move that might not please Mark Zuckerberg!

11. Rayson Esquejo

A nice composition by Rayson Esquejo that uses a speech bubble to advertise his foodie page on YouTube. The site also uses the technique of pointing at one’s profile name from the cover photo. You can also point at your name from the profile photo. A good way to promote name recognition!

How to create Facebook Timeline cover images

While it is possible to measure out the proportions of the Timeline cover photo and the profile photo and create a composite image from scratch, there are applications out there that simplify the process. One of them is the Schweppes Profile App 2.0.

Many of the cover applications are free and they provide an easy interface and step-by-step process for merging the two photos. Of course, if you have media and graphic skills already, you should have no problem composing a cover using Photoshop or other popular graphics software.

Of course, the examples above are just some of the many creative designs out there, but we think they are particularly awesome.

This article was written by James Adams. He blogs for a major British printer cartridge supplier, and also creates content related to HP printer cartridges when he’s not busy surfing the internet.

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Samsung NP305U1A-A01 11.6-Inch Ultraportable Laptop

Steve Yu — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:52:54 +0000

This is a guest post by Rebecca Jones. If you would like to contribute too, please leave us a message via the contact us page.

Samsung has hit the European market again and this time with an ultra-portable called the NP305U1A-A01.

This time Samsung has come out with knockout features:

Display: 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 LED-backlight
Processor: 1.66GHz AMD E-450 dual-core
RAM: 4GB DDR3 with 500GB hard drive
Integrated Camera: 1.3 Megapixel HD Webcam
WiFi: 802.11b/g/n
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Cost: USD $484

The security features are just awesome:

Norton anti-virus (60-days trial)
Boot-up password
Hard drive password
Kensington Lock Port

Other features include a card reader, Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, an HDMI port, a 6-cell battery. 3 W Stereo speakers boosted by technology Sound HD (High Definition) Audio in addition to the technology SRS Sound Effect.

Samsung has provided with 3 types of connectivity consequent upon which this notebook would easily synchronize with any device that is Bluetooth 3.0. Then there is an Ethernet network cards to connect this laptop to a local network.

In order to ensure the longevity of battery this device, it is advisable to work with less power, which of course is quite common with other laptops as well. The display provides a sharp picture even in direct sunlight, now this is something new as the feature is not present on other machines.

After going through the specs, I must say Samsung has done really an amazing work with its configurations and specifications. I don’t think this flawless machine would fail in the European consumer niche. I personally like the its duracase casing which gives it a scratch-resistant surface which keep protected from scratches, bumps and knocks.

This article was written by Rebecca Jones, a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and technology. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently bought a Portable printers. These days she is busy in writing an article on Yamaha Motorcycles.

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It’s Time for Cubicle Makeover with Pimp My Cube Contest

Steve Yu — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:39 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is my second article on the Pimp My Cube Contest. You can read my first post on the contest here.

First of all, let’s take a look at the picture below.

If you think you currently stuck in a working space for 8 hours a day with all the bad or old furniture, out-dated and useless technology, messy, unorganized, noisy, dirty, dark or otherwise horrible (the image above is one of the examples), then this is your great opportunity to remake your cubicle into a comfortable ones, for FREE!

Enter the Pimp My Cube Contest!

To recap, Pimp My Cube Contest is the latest video submission contest from Contest Factory (CF). In this contest, the people over CF are looking for the worst, most pathetic, miserable, messy (you just named it) cubicle, office or working space in the U.S. The grand prize winner will entitled to one of three available cubicle makeover prize packages (worth approx. $1200) for free!

Here’s the available prize packages.

Technology Package: new computer system with LCD monitor, stereo speakers and web cam.
Furniture Package: new desk, ergonomic chair, painting or artwork and plants.
Entertainment Package: New sound system, Espresso Machine, Mini-fridge and Personal Water dispenser, etc.

To enter the contest, you need to upload a video (around 30 to 60 seconds) of your horrible cubicle at the contest page, in which, in the video, you need to show the world your cubicle, highlights a few points on what makes your workspace so miserable and why it is important that CF comes in and “Pimp” your cubicle. Submission has already started on December 5, 2011 at 12.00 pm and shall ends on January 31, 2012, at 12.00 pm. Yes, time is running out (really fast!), so make sure you are in time to record and submit your video.

Here’s a sample video. This should give you some ideas to do your video.

The winner of the contest will be chosen by CF judges based on various criteria including the most votes, best (really worst cubicle) video and the most compelling story. To have a better chance of winning, you need to get as many as people (family, friends, co-workers or just anyone that you can get) to vote for your video. Also try to make your video as funny and witty as possible. And put in a good story too.

On top of that, you may also win a $200 gift card just for registering, voting, commenting and inviting others to register for the contest, and also vote for your video, which automatically enters you into the sweepstakes! Sweepstakes prize winner will be chosen randomly at the end of contest.

Hey guys, it’s time for a cubicle makeover!

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Join Walgreens Prescription Savings Club at a Discount [Until January 31,2012]

Steve Yu — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:00:41 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

How good it’ll be if the price you are paying for your prescription can be lower as you can pass the savings to finance other necessities. Put it simple, who doesn’t want to cut their prescription costs?

Introducing the Prescription Savings Club, a membership program by Walgreens (largest pharmacy chain in the U.S.) that enables you to enjoy discount prices on your prescription needs. By joining the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens, you can save on a variety of medications including more than 8 thousands brand-name and all generic medications. Moreover, you are entitled to discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies, as well as bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services.

Normally, membership costs $20/year for an individual and $35/year for a family. But for a limited-time only, Walgreens is offering a special discount of only $10 a year for a family membership while individual can enroll to the program for only $5 a year. A family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, all dependents under the age of 22 and even pets.

You might want to take advantage of this time-limited offer as it is only valid though January 31, 2012. Let’s experience savings buying prescriptions at Walgreens!

To get updated with the latest news from Walgreens, you can join in the conversion with Walgreens on Twitter or like Walgreens on Facebook.

Note : The Prescription Savings Club is open to people of all ages who are not enrolled in a publicly funded health care program, such as Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE.

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Happy Dragon Year 2012!

Steve Yu — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:07:46 +0000

Happy Chinese New Year of Dragon! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Today marks the first day of the lunar new year – the year of Dragon! Taking this opportunity, I would like to wish all our Chinese readers here as well as all Chinese around the globe a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year. Please do enjoy yourselves during the CNY celebration with your family members, friends and not forgetting, your loves one.

Last but not least, we hope that all through the coming year, may all of us be blessed with abundance of health, wealth, love and happiness.

Note : We are taking the week off, so there will be no article update until next week. Happy Dragon Year!

Chinese New Year 2012 Related Posts :

40+ Lovely Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Wallpapers

Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Screensaver

13 Chinese New Year 2012 Wallpapers for Android

Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Themes for Windows 7

[CNY Dragon Sale] 9 Gameloft iOS Games for 99 cent Only Each!

Angry Birds Seasons Gets Year of the Dragon Episode for CNY 2012

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Angry Birds Seasons Gets Year of the Dragon Episode for CNY 2012

Steve Yu — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:18:58 +0000

Chinese New Year 2012 of Dragon is just two days more. The people over Rovio Mobile come in time to join the CNY celebration too with a new and vibrant red Chinese New Year theme update for the Angry Birds Seasons game.

Called the Year of the Dragon episode, the update contains 15 brand new festive levels, fills with fireworks and lanterns to set you into the CNY mood. In the update too, the Mighty Eagle is transformed into the fearsome Mighty Dragon. And guess what, the Mighty Dragon is available for free throughout this episode!

Here’s some screenshots on the Year of the Dragon episode of the Angry Birds Seasons.

Check out the game animation as well.

Angry Birds Seasons is free for Android devices, can be downloaded from the Android Market. For iPhone/iPod touch/iPad users, the game can be purchased via iTunes for $0.99. If you have Angry Birds Seasons installed on your device, this new update is free for download.

Chinese New Year 2012 Related Posts :

40+ Lovely Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Wallpapers

Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Screensaver

13 Chinese New Year 2012 Wallpapers for Android

Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Themes for Windows 7

[CNY Dragon Sale] 9 Gameloft iOS Games for 99 cent Only Each!

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[CNY Dragon Sale] 9 Gameloft iOS Games for 99 cent Only Each!

Steve Yu — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:25:06 +0000

The popular mobile game developer, Gameloft is joining the Chinese New Year 2012 celebration with their latest CNY Dragon sale. For a limited time only, you can purchase and download 9 of Gameloft’s selected iOS games at $0.99 only!

Here’s the list of the 9 game titles :

Silent Ops for iPhone and iPad
BackStab for iPhone and iPad
Fast Five the Movie: Official Game for iPhone and iPad
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard for iPhone and iPad
N.O.V.A. 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance for iPhone and iPad
Spider-Man: Total Mayhem for iPhone and iPad
James Cameron’s Avatar for iPhone and iPad
Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles for iPhone and iPad
Splinter Cell Conviction for iPhone and iPad

All the game titles are now available for download via iOS App Store, for both iPhone and iPad devices. Happy Dragon’s year!

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Disable Email Notifications from Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Youtube and More with Notification Control

Steve Yu — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:27:01 +0000

Sick of getting emails from social networking sites and web services like Dribbble, eBay, Facebook, Forrst, Foursquare, Google+, LinkedIn, Meetup, Path, Pinterest, Stumbleupon, Tumblr, Twitter, and/or YouTube, but doesn’t know how to disable the email notification? Check out Notification Control.

It is a simple yet handy web page that enables you to quickly access the email notification settings for the 14 social networks and web services mentioned above.

In Notification Control, you should find 14 direct links (similar to the screenshot above) that will take you to the corresponding web service’s notifications setting page. Surely one of the web pages that you want to put in your bookmark.

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Hide Any Window to System Tray with UltraHide

Steve Yu — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:46:01 +0000

Need to be away from computer but doesn’t want people to find out what you are doing on your computer? Try UltraHide!

UltraHide is a lightweight application for Windows that enables you to hide any running application window to the system tray using a hotkey. A similar tool to TrayDevil and portable Tray Everything. Moreover, by default, the application will automatically password-protect all the hidden windows.

In the main window of UltraHide, you can set a password to unlock hidden windows. The default password is 123. If you don’t want to lock the window with password, just leave the password box blank.

To hide a window, make sure the window is the currently-active window, then hit the keyboard combination Ctrl+Alt+SPACE. The window will reside in the system tray as an icon. If you hide 10 windows, then there will be 10 icons in the system tray.

Now, to unhide the window, simply double-click on the icon and enter the correct password in the given box. Quick and easy!

UltraHide is free for download and is compatible with all versions of Windows.

Download UltraHide

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Fake Antivirus Removal Tool for Windows

Steve Yu — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:39:16 +0000

We first reviewed the Remove Fake Antivirus application back in 2009, back then it carried version 1.1. Well, guess what, the handy app is still around (now version 1.83) and the list of fake antivirus that the application can remove has expanded from 15 (in our last review) to a huge number of 75 different fake security programs!

What’s a fake antivirus, you may ask? Read this!

Fake antivirus is a type of virus/malwares which disguises itself to be an antivirus. It infects your computer when you accidentally click a link in a website which will download the malware into your computer and run automatically when your windows boot. It scan the infected computer and produces fake alert warnings. It convinces you that your computer is in danger and urge you to purchase a useless copy of the fake antivirus.

Here’s the complete list of fake antivirus that the application can remove. If you have any of the following fake antivirus residing in your computer, please remove it immediately using Remove Fake Antivirus.

AV Security 2012
Data Recovery
Wolfram Antivirus
Security Protection
Windows Antivirus 2011
Mega Antivirus 2012
AVG Antivirus 2011
PC Security 2011
ThinkPoint
ThinkSmart
Antivirus 8
Security Tool
My Security Shield
Antivirus 7
Antivirus GT
Defense Center
Protection Center
Sysinternals Antivirus
Security Master AV
CleanUp Antivirus
Security Toolbar
Digital Protection
XP Smart Security 2010
Antivirus Suite
Vista Security Tool 2010
Total XP Security
Security Central
Security Antivirus
Total PC Defender 2010
Vista Antivirus Pro 2010
Your PC Protector
Vista Internet Security 2010
XP Guardian
Vista Guardian 2010
Antivirus Soft
XP Internet Security 2010
Antivir 2010
Live PC Care
Malware Defense
Internet Security 2010
Desktop Defender 2010
Antivirus Live
Personal Security
Cyber Security
Alpha Antivirus
Windows Enterprise Suite
Security Center
Control Center
Braviax
Windows Police Pro
Antivirus Pro 2010
PC Antispyware 2010
FraudTool.MalwareProtector.d
Winshield2009.com
Green AV
Windows Protection Suite
Total Security 2009
Windows System Suite
Antivirus BEST
System Security
Personal Antivirus
System Security 2009
Malware Doctor
Antivirus System Pro
WinPC Defender
Anti-Virus-1
Spyware Guard 2008
System Guard 2009
Antivirus 2009
Antivirus 2010
Antivirus Pro 2009
Antivirus 360
MS Antispyware 2009
IGuardPC or I Guard PC
Additional Guard

Remove Fake Antivirus requires no installation. To use, simply run the Remove Fake Antivirus executable file. On the main window, click the Start button to begin detecting your system for the listed fake antivirus. Any fake antivirus found on your computer will be automatically removed.

Download Remove Fake Antivirus

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Quickly Check Adsense Earning in Google Chrome

Steve Yu — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:26:59 +0000

Do you have the habit of checking your Google Adsense earning ever so often? If so, try this Chrome extension, called the Adsense Publisher Toolbar!

This extension is very secure to use, as it is developed and released by Google. Using this extension, you can quickly check your Adsense earning from Chrome browser, without the need to log into Adsense page. You can access real-time information about your account and the ads served on your website(s).

The extension resides as an icon next to the omnibar. Simply click on the icon to display a pop-up account overview, which lets you the following at a glance :

Account earnings summary (today, yesterday, this month, last month)
Top 5 custom channels
Top 5 URL channels
Lifetime revenue

If you open the website that runs your AdSense code, an extra option called “Show ad overlays” will appear. It enables you to read instant summary (today, yesterday, last 7 days) of the income generated from each ad unit served in your website.

Download Google Publisher Toolbar (by Google) [via]

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How to Read Wikipedia Offline in Google Chrome?

Steve Yu — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:22:45 +0000

What would you do in your leisure time or a time without connecting to internet? How about taking a read on the articles from the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia while working offline? Yes, you can read Wikipedia offline with the help Offline Wiki extension for Google Chrome.

Offline Wiki enables you to download a copy of nearly all of the textual content of the Wikipedia (English articles only) to your computer and make them available offline on your Chrome browser. You can access the articles anytime without having to connect to the Internet.

In the settings page, you can choose to download either a approx. 14 MB compressed dump file of the most popular Wikipedia articles (1337 articles) or a 1GB database containing 314k of articles. On top of that, you can select one of four available parsers which turns the Wikipedia information into HTML contents that are readable in the Chrome browser.

It will take a while for the download to complete especially if you choose 1GB worth of data. After the download has completed, you can now access the articles offline, now let’s turn off the internet, shall we?

Let’s give Offline Wiki a try. Go the main page to access Wikipedia articles offline. FYI, Offline Wiki app will appear at the Apps section in your Chrome’s New Tab Page. You can look for article by using the search option, article index from the Index button or you can load a random article by hitting on the Random button.

Install Offline Wiki Chrome Extension [via]

P.S. : One of the great ways to kill your time while working offline, don’t you think?

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iHome iH22 Dual Alarm Clock For iPod

Steve Yu — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:42:16 +0000

This is a guest post by Rebecca Jones. If you would like to contribute too, please leave us a message via the contact us page.

Tumbling out from a snug bed and listening to euphonious tunes has just got simpler for Apple users. Although there are several gorgeous looking, advanced alarm solutions for i-devices, the stunning portfolio from iHome knows how to score higher points. After rolling out their iH15 LED color changing stereo system, the company has now come up with an interesting iHome iH22 Dual Alarm Clock for iPod users.

Enclosed in a compact, intriguing form factor, the dual alarm now enables users to seamlessly rise and shine through separate iPod and buzzer alarms. By playing on the massive capabilities of this condensed peripheral, users can wake up to their iPod music and snooze out to their favorite tunes. Users can even wake up to a buzzer and adjust the clock’s time settings for an optimum user experience.

The universal dock integrates the capability to play and charge docking iPod models at the same time. The aesthetically designed dual alarm clock from iHome also lends support to the distinctive snooze/dimmer bar. The stated feature allows users to conveniently bring adjustments to their device’s display and change low, medium and high brightness for clock display. There are interactive alarms with accurate settings for music, time, sounds and repeat alarms for any day of the week.

Weighing as light as 1.6 pounds, the new iHome iH22 can be smoothly carried from one place to another. Besides zooming on the portability factor, the device grabs attention for embedding a DST switch which helps users indulge in easy Daylight Savings Time adjustment. There is a battery backup as well that significantly maintains alarm and clock settings during the power failure episodes. The use of dual alarm clock is sure to allow users to start their morning off right with ease and reliability.

Featuring a contemporary appeal that harmonizes well with any exquisite décor, the dual alarm clock for iPod furthermore comes equipped with a snooze attribute and a selectable sleep timer. Extending the usability and compatibility factor is a separate line-in jack that should allow one to play other MP3 and CD players.

Quite impressively conscious through three AAA batteries, the amazing yet feature-rich iHome iH22 Dual Alarm Clock For iPod can be picked up in eye-catchy silver and pink translucent shades. Not to forget, the chassis also houses an efficient, high fidelity neodymium driver for enhanced performance. So irrespective of the purpose – be it playing soothing music in unprecedented clarity or seeking a reliable alarm clock for the next day’s important meeting, the iH22 model helps users do almost everything.

The portable iHome iH22 Dual Alarm Clock for iPod can be purchased now from the company’s official website or through Amazon Store. The price point, however, reads around $49.95. The device indeed makes a perfect pick if you were searching up and down for a great looking way to listen to music. Waking or catching some winks, certainly, topple as another significant convenience that comes associated with the stylish dual alarm clock.

This article was written by Rebecca Jones. She is a blogger by profession and is fond of Swatch Watches. These days she is busy in writing an article on Pocket Calculator.

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Web Browsers Cosplay [With Picture]

Steve Yu — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:52:04 +0000

We’ve seen how the web browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera etc, are compared with popular celebrities.

Now, how the web browsers look in cosplay? Check out the pic below.

Wow, the Firefox cosplay is so sexy!

[via]

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Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Themes for Windows 7

Steve Yu — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:36:15 +0000

Decorating your desktop for the upcoming Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012? Over Microsoft, they prepared two Chinese New Year-related theme packs to dress up your Windows 7.

Check out Year of the Dragon theme and also Best of Bing : Chinese New Year theme.

Year of the Dragon theme

Features 12 high-resolution of wallpapers of the imperial dragon rendered in stone, wood, and bronze.

Download Year of the Dragon theme

Best of Bing : Chinese New Year theme

Brings the colours and moods of the Chinese New Year to your desktop with 9 high-resolution wallpapers.

Download Best of Bing : Chinese New Year theme

Note: Windows 7 themes can only be used in Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate editions.

Chinese New Year 2012 Related post:

40+ Lovely Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Wallpapers

Chinese New Year of Dragon 2012 Screensaver

13 Chinese New Year 2012 Wallpapers for Android

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How to Reduce Clutter in Windows Start Menu?

Steve Yu — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:35:04 +0000

If you have the habit of installing new software on your computer ever so often, then it’s not surprising to see a lot of clutter in your Windows Start Menu. Now, you probably want to tidy up your Start Menu. If so, try Start Menu Organizer.

Start Menu Organizer, by Winstep, is a handy application that allows you to quickly group your Start Menu shortcuts into a specific set of categories (e.g. Utilities, Internet, Office) to reduce start menu clutter, thus making finding what you are looking for a lot easier and quicker.

The application is easy to use and has a straightforward interface. In the main window, you can see a set of predefined categories (at the left section), there are 10 of them. Nope, you can’t rename nor create new category, unless you purchase the pro version. On the right is all the un-categorized start menu items.

What you need to do is to move as many as application in the start menu into the appropriate category, either by using button or drag & drop.

In addition to organizing start menu items, Start Menu Organizer also supports start menu backup and restore. On the first run, the content of your Start Menu is automatically backup.

On top of that, the application also help you to detect and delete dead shortcuts in start menu.

Start Menu Organizer is free for download and works best in both 32 and 64-bit version of Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista and 7.

Download Start Menu Organizer

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How to Automatically Recover Files Hidden by Virus in USB Drive and Memory Card?

Steve Yu — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:24:51 +0000

Did you ever come across this really nasty virus which attacks the files in your USB drive or memory drive? It hides some of the selected type of files in your removable devices and creates exe file extension for every each of your original files hidden. So is there any quick way to deal with this situation? Easy, try Snappersoft USB Heal!

Snappersoft USB Heal, similar to USB Show, is a lightweight application for Windows that automatically unhide or recover all files and folders hidden by virus in your USB drive as well as in memory card.

After installation, the application will sit at the system tray. To unhide files from a USB drive or memory card, simply plug in the device to your computer. USB Healer will scan your device in the background and automatically recover hidden files and folders found. You will be notified whenever a file or folder is successfully unhide.

Moreover, the application also allows you to repair damages caused by viruses, like enabling back the Task Manager, Registry Editor or Folder Options. All the options can be found at the system tray. Hit the USB Healer icon > Repair Virus Created Damage.

Snappersoft USB Heal is free for download and works best on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

Download Snappersoft USB Heal