Educational Games

As a mother of three active boys under ten who just can't see why they can't be allowed to play the latest versions of Crysis, Demon’s Souls or Left 4 Dead 2, I'm always on the lookout for a way to turn all their energy towards something that could help them grow. I'm not about to plunk them in front of the TV to watch the Discovery Channel though; I can't believe that watching TV could be educational - no matter how good the intent of the programming. And so, I've been scouring the Internet high and low for educational games - something that could bring in my children a kind of respect for science and logical thinking, if possible. It so happens that I've come across several of these. Sometimes, my children share my enthusiasm for them, and sometimes they look at them like a bowl of bean curd and spinach on the breakfast table. If you keep looking and trying out new games for your kids, you are bound to get something that should grab their fancy at one time or another.

Let's start looking at some of the best science games there are for under-tens:

1. Red Remover - no this is not a game about fighting the communists.  A child who fires up this game, will find a screen full of brightly colored building blocks, all stacked up in curiously precarious fashion. Some of the blocks are red, some are pink, and the rest are green or blue. The programming of the game understands gravity. Any block that is moved carelessly, will fall; the goal the child is tasked with is, the removal of all the red blocks, while paying attention to the kind of clicking that each color of block requires (a long story, that rule), and also paying attention to gravity. There are 45 levels to this Flash game; while an adult could quickly complete all of them, a child would have endless fun trying to make the laws of physics obey him.

2. Another favorite is a game called Cubic Disturbance (I had quite a time convincing my children that it didn't mean they had to do math). The goal in this game is to move a yellow block to the lowest level on the game. You can't possibly just pick it up and move it. You get it to move a little bit each time you strategically place a bomb next to it and let it off. Things work according to the natural laws of motion, and the fewer the bombs a child uses to achieve his goal, the higher the score.

3. Okay, these educational games are getting a little violent now - bombs first, and breaching a castle next in a game called Crush the Castle. If you've ever seen Castle Clout, press the Castle isn't that different. The story centers on the Redvonian king who has a terrible penchant for capturing and crushing castles. King Blutias of the neighboring state of Crushtania is so alarmed at being a tempting target that he goes and builds some very solid castles. It turns out that this just appears to the Redvonian King as a very tempting challenge. The child playing is the King's finest military mind, and it is his responsibility to find a way to Crush the Castle.

4. Final on her list of educational games for children is the attractively named Fantastic Contraption. It takes a child some time to really learn how the game can be entertaining, and that adds to its appeal. In the beginning of the game, you have a light blue box that contains a little red object. Your task is to get the red object from there to another part of the screen where there is a pink area. That is easier said than done; to get it there, you need to construct a vehicle with wheels, axles and all kinds of parts. The child's job is to build the vehicle out of mysterious-looking parts whose purpose doesn't entirely seem clear at first. It teaches your child the value of patience, and how you need to keep at it in the real world before you find out how something works.

Of all the games I brought to my children, Fantastic Contraption has been the biggest hit. It really is true; the more challenging and less available or approachable something is, the more children want it.

Computer Work at Home

Some people say that work is not supposed to be enjoyable. Well, this is actually not true at all. Sure, there are some, or even many, job positions that are less than enjoyable. However, if you get involved with the right field, you can absolutely enjoy what you do for a living. It is all about understanding what kind of profession you enjoy, and then proceeding to go after it. Having a job is typically a necessity, but who says you cannot enjoy it every step of the way? Nowadays the boundaries of employment are fading away. In other words, there are no limits as to what you can do and where you can do it from.

You should smile wide at your personal computer and say thank you! This nifty machine has made computer work at home possible. Not to mention a slew of other jobs, including at-home businesses. With a PC or Mac and connection to the World Wide Web, you can easily get all sorts of work done from the comfort of your own home. You simply need to know where to get started with computer work at home, or any other field you are interested in. Take a moment to consider your skill set, as well as your education. How can you use your knowledge and experience to earn a regular income from home? Believe it or not; there is plenty of computer work at home to go around.

One important website that should not be overlooked is AmericanWorkAtHomeSociety.org. This is a legitimate website that can assist you with finding real computer work from home. Go ahead and take a look at this site in order to learn more. There are other helpful websites as well, such as HomeBusinessAtWork.com and NextJobAtHome.com. What you should absolutely not do is give up before you have even gotten started. Sadly this is what a lot of people do when it comes to employment opportunities from home. They just assume that they cannot be real, and then proceed to throw in the towel and go back to their day jobs.

Typically there is not a lot needed for computer work at home. If you have a PC or Mac that is up-to-date with software for writing, research and data entry, then you are likely good to go. In regards to salary or pay, this all depends on the company or business you are employed with. As with all jobs, it does not matter what you do, but rather whom you are employed with, what your experience is, and how much schooling you have. With some computer work at home jobs you do not even have to have a college education in order to get started. Go ahead and start checking out a few work from home positions and see what is out there for you.

Apple Computers Are On the Cutting Edge of Technology

For people who don’t own a computer already there is a very important decision that they must make; they must decide whether they want a PC or a Mac. These two brands are very different so people have to figure out what kind of features they are looking for. They have to shop around and find the best deals for eher their PC or their Mac. Although a PC is great,  is also becoming outdated by Apple computers. Apples have revolutionized the way we use a computer and they are also so easy to work especially if you are brand new to this technology. Apple is a great brand to buy eher a new computer or a new laptop from.

As of recent, Apple has introduced a new laptop that is incomparable to any other. No other PC or Mac can even compare to this. The MacBook Air is the thinnest and lightest laptop ever made even so that  can f inside a manila envelope. No one else could have thought of something so revolutionary before. If a company puts this much time and effort into a product, you know you are going to get the best computer you possibly can. Apple computers are always a step ahead and investing in one is always a great choice.

Even if you don’t want a paper thin laptop, there are desktops available for you to use and for your whole family to use.  The best desktop from Apple is the iMac. The complete computer is all in the monor and all that’s left is your keyboard and mouse. There are no heavy disk drives to worry about since  is all right in front of you. There is a built in camera so you can have web sessions with loved ones far away. If you want to play a computer game, the CD rom is in the computer so you don’t have to bend down to put  in. It is simple to use and has a very stylish look. Having more than one of these Apple computers in your home is a good idea otherwise you’ll have to schedule time for each family member to use . It’s that popular and fun to work with .

Computers and laptops are ever changing. We all know that we are technologically more advanced then we were in the past, but no one expected  to develop this quickly. Apple computers give you everything you need at a price that is very reasonable. Once you try one you’ll never go back to a PC again.

Fun Gadget Gift Ideas Online

To me, one of the best parts of living in modern times is the technology that goes into making our lives easier, more convenient, or just plain fun. I'm not even talking about the truly useful or necessary technological advances in computer science or medical equipment; I'm just talking about consumer gadgets that we all covet and crave after seeing a friend showing one off or reading a feature on a website. It could be that pair of sunglasses with a built-in MP3 player that you saw on a jogger this morning or that laser pen your co-worker couldn't stop playing with at the afternoon meeting. Since everyone loves these things, gadgets are the perfect gifts for Christmas, birthdays, graduations, and similar occasions. You just have to get an idea of what's out there and where to buy these high-tech toys.

The best place to go for gadget gift ideas is the internet. There might be a store or two at the local mall that carries tech toys, but there's no question you'll find a much bigger selection online. If you're looking for a specific product, then of course you can search for that item in your favorite search engine and generate a list of websites that sell it. If you want to browse -- which is always more fun because you get to see all the newest products that are available -- then simply type a phrase like gadget gift ideas into the search engine to come up with a bunch of technology related sites and stores that offer the toys you're looking for.

Often, gadget gift ideas are nicely categorized to make it easy to find items for men, women, colleagues, friends, teens, and even pets. For example, if you're shopping for something for dad, you'll likely see recommendations such as a digital golf scorecard, a stand-alone wireless stock market ticker, digital grilling thermometer, picture-taking binoculars, or an ultraviolet razor sanitizer. Gadget gift ideas for mom might include a digital message center for the home, a standup digital recipe reader, a voice recognition shopping list generator, or an instant beverage warmer/chiller. The possibilities are truly endless!

A great thing about looking for gadget gift ideas online is that you can often get a great deal on whatever device you want to buy. Once you find the perfect present for the person on your list, it only takes a few more minutes to run comparative price checks to confirm that you're getting the best bargain. Just make sure to read the store's return and exchange policies prior to making your purchase so you know what to do if something goes wrong with the item.

If you're tired of always giving boring gifts like clothes or video games, then chances are your recipient is tired of receiving them too! It's time to start checking out gadget gift ideas online so you can make that next birthday or holiday event more interesting.

Connotative technique with location photography

Clothing manufacturers have long known that their line of clothes can take on an entirely distinctive sense of style and an expectation of quality merely by associating the line with some well known sights and scenes. A Japanese company, for instance, selling its latest handbag, perhaps called Le Bag, may very well make the item from material from Japan, by Japanese workers, in Japanese factories, and yet, go the the trouble of hiring French models in Paris to hold Le Bag open beneath the some famous French sculpture in downtown Paris. This is associating all that Paris means to the consumer with something that has little if anything to do with the location. The manufacturer is creating a connotative association for the handbag using location photography.

Creating such an association for products is a well used technique through the advertising and marketing industry. The product may be something in a can, corn perhaps. The advertiser will tell you in the advertisement how fresh the corn is when picked, how careful it is cleaned and handled, how widespread the shipping, how the containers are designed to maintain maximum freshness, but these are all words. Have a truck full of freshly picked corn driving up to an outdoor market next to fields of swaying corn, golden shimmerings beneath a robust summer sun, a few birds happily gamboling overhead, and all that is fresh and wholesome in that scene immediately attaches to your can of corn. Location photography can say more about your product then all the words your best copy writers can imagine.

Location photography should always be considered the preferred venue when creating images that will represent your product to the world. Even if you think your product has nothing to be gained by associating a location with it, you might find that something about your product can be said of a location that you would not have normally thought to associate with the product. For instance, a manufacturer of sturdy dishes wanted to sell his potential customers on the strength of the dishes, but didn't think hammering them would make the best impression. Speaking to an adherent of location photography, he was convinced that his dishes would best be displayed atop a stony mountain. Viewers of the ad agreed, the solidness of the mountain stone somehow imbued the dishes and gave them confidence the dishes would last as long as the mountain itself, as if the dishes had been carved right out of the mountain itself.

Of course, location photography is essential when the product you're selling relates to a location. Polish Polka recordings will appear authentic in a cover with some scene from Poland, and a picture of the Vatican would certainly inspire someone buying Catholic hymns from the Vatican. Of course, getting to these locations may be expensive, but nobody said they have to be authentic locations. A set that appears like a field of corn, a mountain that may not be wholly stone, an American field where children are dressed in Polish traditional garb, and even a model Vatican can all suffice to give the impression the photograph was taken on location. After all, it's the meaning of the location you're attempting to appropriate, not the place itself. Think location next time you conceive your product's presentation in photography and video. Let the place say what you can't say in words.

Accessorizing Computers

Accessorizing Computers
Yesterday, we spent about three hours trying to convince a client of ours that brand new computers just don't come equipped with the all things that most computers need in a PC. We tried to convince him that a fully functional computer is one that is personalized with specially selected hardware and software accessories - and that the computer purchased at the store doesn't come with these things. Unfortunately, all of our convincing was to our avail. Our client insisted that he should never need more than what came with his boxed product and that we were just trying "bilk" more money out of him.

As computer consultants, it's our job and mission to make sure our clients are 100% satisfied when they walk out our offices. But our job is unnecessarily made harder when people don't take the time to learn about computer accessories and familiarize themselves with the limitations of store-bought computers. Hopefully by the time you finish reading this article, you'll understand the lesson that we were trying to teach our client: "What comes out of the box is really just a starter kit."

The typical computer package comes with a CPU unit, keyboard, mouse, and speaker set. That may be just fine for some, but most people require more than that especially in today's "connected" society. Today's users require full multimedia capabilities, a wide range of graphics tools, and accommodations for the various portables we now enjoy. These extras aren't included with "what comes out of the box," and the only way to get them is to accessorize.

To illustrate the importance of accessorizing, we like to use the "plain dough" analogy. Let's say that a brand new computer is a batch of plain dough - waiting to be flavored and baked into something useful. If we want to use this dough to make a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies, we would need to "accessorize" this dough with chocolate chips and a little brown sugar. If we want to use this dough into in a warm loaf of sesame seed bread on the other hand, we'd need to "accessorize" the dough with yeast and sesame seeds.

Like "plain dough," the brand new computer isn't very useful by itself. It needs accessorizing.

Depending on what's needed, accessorizing doesn't need to be expensive.  In fact, you can get away with paying a minimal amount for extra software and hardware if these accessories are for children. It's when these accessories are work requirements or when they're needed to produce works of quality for any other reason that they can become rather expensive. And this expense applies to microphones, digital cameras, PDAs, scanners, video cams, and more.

Regardless of cost, it's important to understand that accessories can become "necessities," and that the best time to get them is the moment you buy a new computer. Waiting too long to accessorize can cause more problems than necessary because while you wait, manufacturers continuously develop new technologies - technologies that your computer won't be able to accommodate in the future. Once you're ready to accessorize, the new products on the market are too advanced for your computer and they just won't work. This is a typical problem experienced by those who want to use hardware designed for Windows Vista on a Windows XP or Windows 2000 machine.

Networking Home Computers

Networking Home Computers


Have you ever thought about networking your computers at home? If you have a small collection of computers around the house (and a small collection of computer users), you can connect each one of those computers to one another and share data, software, and hardware including a single Internet connection. There are many creative uses for home networking, however it's an ideal situation when upgrading each computer to the same capability is financially out of the question. On a home network, each computer has access to the equipment of the better machine in the group as if that equipment were their own.

Connecting computers with either an Ethernet cable or a Wireless connection can create a home network. The easiest and cheapest method uses an Ethernet connection, which requires a series of network cards, a cable for each computer, and a router. The network card is similar to the old modems we used in the past to connect to the Internet, however in a home network, it's used to communicate with every computer that's connected to it.

You'll want to first, select the computers that will connect to each other and then install the network cards inside each of them. Then you'll connect a cable to each computer that will communicate with the server. These cables won't connect to the server directly. Instead, they'll connect to the router. To enable Internet access for each computer, this router will need to connect with a modem of the host machine.

Once the hardware is set up correctly (you'll need to read the instruction manual of your equipment for details), you can then setup the network from Windows on each machine. Within Windows, you can set up a home network similar to the way that you set up an Internet connection. Only this time, you'll set up a LAN (Local Area Network) connection.

Windows should walk you through setting up a LAN after starting the computer and once complete, you can begin to connect one of your machines to the network. You can do this through Internet Explorer by typing in the address and password required to access the router (the address and password required to access the router will be in the router manual).

Connected to the network, each computer can send files back and forth, open programs on a remote computer, play the sound files and videos located on another computer, and share a single Internet account to browse the web, download files, or chat with someone in an entirely different country.  If a single printer is available on only one computer in the network, every connected PC can send documents to it and print them out. Kids will enjoy the ability to play multi-player games and adults will enjoy the ability to blast a single message to everyone at once or maintain a group schedule.

Since we're describing a home network that will connect to the Internet, you're strongly advised to install a protective firewall program to thwart Internet viruses, worms, or other damaging spyware code. Firewalls prevent - but they don't repair. Only anti-virus and anti-spyware programs can reverse damage. So you should install a firewall on the computer that grants access to the computer, and then install an anti-virus and anti-spyware program on each of the remaining computers in the network.

If you have files that shouldn't be shared (bank statements, credit card information, etc.), you can restrict their access in one of several ways. You can put them in a new folder and then remove the "read" permissions for that folder. Or you can specify who can (and who cannot) access specific files with a password from within Windows Control Panel.