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Christian InTech Articles - Software
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Adware And The Case Against Bundled Software
Bundling software applications together is a practice much abused by purveyors of adware. The potential for sneaking unwanted software into a bundle of desirable software is obvious. The benefits of bundling software aren't so obvious. Isn't it time...
Data Backup For Beginners
It's 10pm. Do you know where your data is? Data. Small bits of information clustered together to make Word files, documents,pictures, MP3s, HTML etc. We work on our computers every single day never sparing a thought for all those millions of...
Using professional XP style icons in successful application development
The use of professional XP style icons in your applications can not only help you sell your products/services but also help you retain customers and attract newer ones. XP style icons act as secret weapons using which you can show your...
What is Shareware?
What is Shareware?
Shareware is software that you can try before you buy; shareware is a kind of marketing method for software. Software developers post trial versions of their software on websites. Consumers can then download the trial...
What Is Wiki?
Wiki is web server software that allows users to contribute content. Collaboration is the key to Wiki, which is designed as a powerful system for online communities to build web pages and web sites. Unlike blogs and forums, all users are allowed to...
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The Net vs. Nature.
Over the last few days, I've noticed many disturbances on the Internet. Mail has been going missing, a lot of sites have been down. It seems to be a global thing. It can make life pretty difficult if you are building and maintaining sites, or are reliant on the Internet to communicate with family and friends.
So much of our world is now dependent on the Internet to keep things flowing. I still think it's a great tool as the Internet has broken down international barriers. I have met many wonderful people through this medium.
While the difficulties I have been experiencing over the last couple of days are probably coincidental, I remember a point last year when this wasn't the case. It wasn't caused by hackers, or Australia's "extension cord" being cut by a Japanese trawler (again).
It was the sun....seriously...solar flares.
A solar flare is an explosion on the Sun that happens when energy stored within it is suddenly released. Flares produce a burst of radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to x-rays and gamma-rays - it's a radiation smorgasboard!
The frequency of these flares is tied in with the Sun's eleven year cycle. When the flares peak, radiation forty billion times greater than an atomic bomb, weighing from 1-10 billion tonnes and travelling at approximately 1-2 million mph is flung into the solar system. When the solar cycle is at a minimum, active regions are small and rare. Few solar flares are detected. These multiply as the Sun approaches the most active part of its cycle. The Sun reached its maximum, from what I understand, late last year.
Flares and geomagnetic storms (extreme solar wind caused by charged particles) can have serious ramifications on our communications, navigational tools and power supply. On March 23, 1989, Hydro-Quebec had a 9 hour blackout affecting 9 million people. The cause was a geomagnetic induced current (GIC) due to a large geomagnetic storm. Solar flares can
effect cell phone communications, GPS navigation, other satellites and more importantly, my dear friend, business partner and confidant - The Internet.
A little ray of sunshine is sometimes not a good thing, and no, don't rub sunscreen lotion on your modem (I already tried it - had to buy a new modem).
Just to put your mind at ease, here's the current weather forecast from The Space Environment Center:
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"Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity
21 February - 19 March 2001
Solar activity is expected to be at low levels during most of the
period.
No proton events are expected during the period.
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is
expected to be at normal levels during most of the period.
Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at quiet to unsettled
levels, barring an Earth-directed CME."
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...I feel so much better knowing that, gotta love them protons.....:0)
Michael Bloch
michael@tamingthebeast.net
http://www.tamingthebeast.net
Tutorials, web content and tools, software and community.
Web Marketing, eCommerce & Development solutions.
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Copyright information....If you wish to reproduce this article, please acknowledge "Taming the Beast" by including a hyperlink or reference to the website (www.tamingthebeast.net) & send me an email letting me know. The article must be reproduced in it's entirety & this copyright statement must be included. Thanks. Visit www.tamingthebeast.net to view other great articles FREE for reproduction!
About the Author
Michael is an Australian Information Technologies trainer and web developer. Many other free web design, ecommerce development and Internet articles, tutorials, tools and resources are available from his award winning site; Taming the Beast.net (http://www.tamingthebeast.net)
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