The Global Talk

ICL asks for ICC recognition for rebel T20 league

2008-04-16T04:18:00.001-07:00

MUMBAI, April 16: The International Cricket Council has received a communication from the rebel Indian Cricket League bankrolled by the Essel Group of Subash Chandra for recognition from the world governing council and the matter is under consideration, a top ICC official said on Wednesday.

"There are two parts to that. Until recently the ICL had never sought recognition from the ICC, so it never asked the question. About ten days ago lawyers acting on behalf of ICL contacted ICC and sought recognition from the ICC," said Malcolm Speed, the outgoing CEO of ICC, on Wednesday during an interaction with reporters.

"We are awaiting advice from our lawyers on that issue and I expect it within the next week or so (after which) we'll respond to the ICL lawyers," Speed added.

"The question is never been asked whether ICC will recognize ICL one way or the other. It's a fairly complicated legal issue and we are taking legal advice," said the ICC CEO who will step down from his post in June.

Speed also revealed that the Indian cricket board had never sent anything in writing to the ICC that the ICL was an unsanctioned event or the BCCI did not recognize it.

"BCCI has never sent anything in writing to the ICC terming the ICL as unsanctioned or that they don't recognize it. The law is different in every country on issues such as the state of trade, competition and these sorts of issues.

"So the position that the members have taken is subject to ICC obtaining legal advice they do not recognize ICL and they will deal with their player as they fit under the law of their country," Speed elaborated.

"Similarly the ICC has never been asked if the ICC will recognize the IPL. IPL doesn't need ICC recognition because it's a competition run by BCCI just as county cricket or Pura Cup doesn't need ICC recognition," he reiterated.

http://cricket.indiatimes.com/ICL_asks_for_ICC_recognition_for_T20_league/articleshow/2956250.cms

Beijing Olympics

2008-04-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

The Politics of the Beijing Olympics
By Henning Laptop
This is acutely apparent now in regards to the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, six months before events begin. China was a controversial selection to host these Olympics, and what they thought would be their coming out party as an ...
Social Europe Blog - http://blog.social-europe.eu

BOYCOTTING THE BEIJING OLYMPICS
BOYCOTTING THE BEIJING OLYMPICS – A GOOD IDEA? I just read a very interesting article by Chinese actress and director, Joan Chen in The Washington Post. The thrust of the article is that the current clamor for boycotting the Beijing ...
Scribd Feed - http://www.scribd.com/

Dining out at Germany's fully automated restaurant

2008-04-08T22:16:00.001-07:00

check out the news on automated restaurant...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7335351.stm

Google App Engine

2008-04-08T18:43:00.001-07:00

Google isn’t just talking about hosting applications in the cloud any more. Tonight at 9pm PT they’re launching Google App Engine, an ambitious new project that offers a full-stack, hosted, automatically scalable web application platform. It consists of Python application servers, BigTable database access (anticipated here and here) and GFS data store services.

http://code.google.com/appengine/

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/07/google-jumps-head-first-into-web-services-with-google-app-engine/

Shoaib Akthar banned for 5 years

2008-04-01T10:53:00.001-07:00

April 1, 2008

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, 32, has been banned for five years by a disciplinary committee of the PCB for violating the players' code of conduct. The ban extends to cricket for and in Pakistan but will leave him free to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins later this month.

Legspinner Danish Kaneria, also charged with criticising the PCB, was let off with a severe reprimand as it was his first offence.

Shoaib had appeared before a disciplinary committee in February after being charged with publicly criticising the Pakistan board for offering him a retainership instead of a contract. The board had offered contracts to 15 players, based on a formula that took into account their performance, but Shoaib was demoted to a retainership from the Category A contract he held last year.

"The board has lost confidence in Shoaib Akhtar and therefore felt his presence in the field was damaging to the Pakistan team, for Pakistan players and for the image of Pakistan cricket," the PCB chairman, Nasim Ashraf, told AFP. "The committee has recommended a five-year ban for Shoaib Akhtar. He will be ineligible to play in Pakistan or to play for Pakistan anywhere else in the world. [It is] a sad day for me and for Shoaib Akhtar. He is such a talented player."

Shoaib, 32, said he was "deeply disappointed and hurt" by the decision. "I will go to court and fight against the ban."

Read the complete article here...

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/344698.html

Cricket News

2008-03-14T08:09:00.001-07:00

South Africa move to the top of ICC rankings

South Africa defeated Bangladesh by a clean sweep 3-0 in the 3 match ODI series and thus have propelled to the top of the ICC rankings pushing below the Australian team.

Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, has said that it is important to be No. 1 in the one-day rankings after blanking Bangladesh but added that what his team really wants is to beat India in the three-Test series starting in Chennai on March 26.

Priceless Poipu: Low cost leisure on Kauai's South Shore

2008-02-18T04:25:00.001-08:00

Rainbows are free. So, of course, are blazing red sunsets, plumeria-scented trade breezes, golden sand, sensuously warm water and nodding coconut palms.

You can spend a prince's ransom enjoying these things in Poipu - or anywhere else in Hawaii - but you don't have to. It's a point well worth remembering in this season of economic nail-biting. We'll show you how to save money - sometimes a lot of money - on all the sensory elements of a classic Hawaiian vacation.

Justly famed for its broad beach park on Kauai's South Shore, Poipu offers plenty of high style, but low-cost options exist for those who prefer their paradise a little more low key. What follows are my favorite discoveries at both ends of the price spectrum.

Just keep in mind that developers the area are kicking up a lot of red dirt (see "New homes and hotel," Page D8), so don't wait too long to kick back if you'd prefer to enjoy these pleasures in relative privacy.

Island cuisine

High style: The restaurants in Poipu's resort hotels and condo communities rely on their surroundings rather than on quality to jack up prices. But the independently operated Beach House on Lawai Road routinely rates as Kauai's top restaurant and one of the best in the state. Unusual in its ability to pair a superb view with superior food (much of it locally grown or fresh-caught), the dinner-only establishment frequently books up well in advance - especially for sunset dining - so call before you go to the Garden Isle, and expect to pay $50-$60 per person for a three-course meal, excluding tax, tip and beverages.

Low key: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on Oahu's North Shore may have spawned a bevy of nearby imitators, but Savage Shrimp at the intersection of Lawai and Ho'onani roads is the only one of its kind on Kauai. I was glad to learn recently that the owner, who simply goes by Susan, has vowed she won't let the major construction zone across the street drive her away. Susan serves two kinds of shrimp: a very garlicky scampi and a slightly less garlicky Brazilian style with coconut milk, both served over rice, for $10.

The truck's open from about 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. most days, or until she runs out of shrimp. (If you can see her cooking through the bamboo-mat-framed window, go for it). There's one table and four plastic chairs, shaded by a tree but not protected from road noise, so you may want to order your shrimp plate to go, with a can of Pass-O-Guava soda (to cut the garlic aftertaste), and enjoy a picnic at the beach. Don't forget napkins - lots of napkins - since the shrimp come with shells on.

Since that only covers lunch (and shrimp eaters), keep in mind the Kalaheo Cafe for breakfast and lunch, about a 10-minute drive to its mauka (toward the mountains) location along the main highway. Carb lovers, you have your choice of white or brown rice, or hash browns or cafe fries, as well as several kinds of toast, with a wide variety of egg dishes; most dishes, including sandwiches, are well under $10.

The cafe is across the street from Brick Oven Pizza, a bustling dinner spot with pretty good pizza, but we prefer to cruise the counters of the Kukuiula Market back in Poipu for homemade items like ahi poke (marinated tuna) and mochi (pounded rice) desserts, along with fresh fish to grill. And when we've missed the weekly farmers market in Koloa, the roadside stand off Ala Kinoiki (the bypass road) offers another chance at sweet white corn, dark-skinned oranges and ripe papaya. .......

Read the complete article here...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/17/TR6MUPD74.DTL

Virus from China the gift that keeps on giving

2008-02-18T04:22:00.001-08:00

An insidious computer virus recently discovered on digital photo frames has been identified as a powerful new Trojan Horse from China that collects passwords for online games - and its designers might have larger targets in mind.

"It is a nasty worm that has a great deal of intelligence," said Brian Grayek, who heads product development at Computer Associates, a security vendor that analyzed the Trojan Horse.

The virus, which Computer Associates calls Mocmex, recognizes and blocks antivirus protection from more than 100 security vendors, as well as the security and firewall built into Microsoft Windows. It downloads files from remote locations and hides files, which it names randomly, on any PC it infects, making itself very difficult to remove. It spreads by hiding itself on photo frames and any other portable storage device that happens to be plugged into an infected PC.

The authors of the new Trojan Horse are well-funded professionals whose malware has "specific designs to capture something and not leave traces," Grayek said. "This would be a nuclear bomb" of malware.

By studying how the code is constructed and how it's propagated, Computer Associates has traced the Trojan to a specific group in China, Grayek said. He would not name the group.

The strength of the malware shows how skilled hackers have become and how serious they are about targeting digital devices, which provide a new frontier for stealing information from vast numbers of unwary PC owners. More than 2.26 million digital frames were sold in 2007, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, and it expects sales to grow to 3.26 million in 2008.

The new Trojan also has been spotted in Singapore and the Russian Federation and has 67,500 variants, according to Prevx, a security vendor headquartered in England.

Grayek said Mocmex might be a test for some bigger attack, because it's designed to capture any personal, private or financial information, yet so far it's only stealing passwords for online games.

"If I send you a package but it doesn't explode, why did I send it?" he said. "Maybe I want to see if I can get it out to you and how you open it." ......

Read the complete article here...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/15/BU47V0VOH.DTL&type=tech

Chennai Superstars Win the ICL Tournament.

2007-12-17T00:55:00.001-08:00

The Chennai Superstars have won the Inagural ICL tournament at Chandigarh... Here is a full report from the ICL website.

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The Chennai Superstars have won the introductory ICL Indian 20:20 Championship amidst an electrifying ambiance, in majestic style, defeating the Chanidgarh Lions by 12 runs in the grand finale. Hat-trick hero Shabbir Ahmed was the star bowler for the triumphant team, claiming four wickets, inclusive of a hat-trick.

Ian Harvey was adjudged the player of the series for his fantastic overall performance throughout the tournament. The versatile Australian all-rounder emerged as the leading run-scorer in the competition by scoring 266 runs in 7 matches. He also took 9 wickets to add to the spectacular starts he had provided to the Chennai Superstars with the bat.

The thrilling ambiance was the perfect setting for the championship tie – the fans were rapturous – there were colourful performances from entertainers and cheerleaders – the overall atmosphere was larger than life. Cricket was the eventual winner as the battle for the title went down to the wire. “This is an unforgettable moment,” said Stuart Law, captain of the victorious Chennai Superstars.

Shabbir Ahmed achieved a hat-trick during the 13th over when he came back for his second spell. He had already dismissed Hamish Marshall earlier and claimed the wickets of Chetan Sharma and Dinesh Mongia to compete the first and only hat-trick of the inaugural season.

The courageous Sarbajeet Singh (28) was dismissed off the very last delivery by Ian Harvey when the wicket-keeper batsman smashed the ball to the deep mid wicket boundary and the catch was safely pounced by Ganapathi Vignesh.

All eyes were on Ian Harvey who was under pressure to bowl the very last over with the Lions requiring an improbable 23 runs to win. Sarabjeet Singh and Andrew Hall continued to find the boundary, but unfortunately for them, there was too much left for them to do, to attain victory. It was too thorny to pave a path for revival after the Superstars bowlers rocked the Lions middle-order.

Although, Andrew Hall and Sarabjeet Singh were just not willing to give in to the Chennai Superstars, despite their team in totters on 84/7 with captain Cairns back in the dug out, but the duo was determined to fight like their team had en route to the final.

The most prolific run-scorer for the Lions the tournament, Imran Farhat, was dismissed early, which spelt disaster for the home team. His opening partner Hamish Marshall was quick to follow – both wickets were claimed by Shabbir Ahmed – who bowled a fearsome opening spell. The fiery Pakistan quickie continued to trouble TP Singh and Manish Sharma, ensuring the required run-rate continued to creep on.

Tejinder Pal Singh (35) countered the early adversities with great valor, striking boundaries and playing attacking strokes. He gave a glimmer of home to the heaps of fans that were firmly behind the Chandigarh Lions. One fan exclaimed “We are all supporting the Chandigarh Lions and hope to see them win the cup.”

Manish Sharma fell victim to the Superstars’ most successful bowler in the tournament, Thiru Kumaran, for 4, caught by Sarvanan at point. Dinesh Mongia joined TP Singh at the crease; the duo added 36 runs for the fourth-wicket before the definite point of the match occurred when part-time seamer snapped TP Singh for a well made 35.

Mongia was the next victim of Shabbir, when the fast bowler came back for his second spell, uprooting Mongia’ middle-stump with a quick reverse swinging yorker. It spelt doomsday for the Chandigarh Lions. Sharma’s wicket in the next delivery gave Shabbir the hat-trick.

Chris Cairns (5) stepped in after Mongia’s dismissal and all of Chandigarh pinned their hopes on the explosive Kiwi but Harvey had other plans. It took a peach of a delivery from the Aussie to see the back of Cairns. The fans at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium had succumbed to complete silence and shock when the Lion’s captain walked back to the dug out.

Earlier, the Chennai Superstars experienced fluctuating fortunes right through out their innings after Chris Cairns won the toss and inserted them into bat. Ganapathi Vignesh got the team off to a blistering start by smashing two boundaries and a massive six before Daryl Tuffey snapped him over an overambitious attempt for 15, caught by TP Singh at mid off.

As has been the trend right throughout the tournament, Stuart Law (36) and Chris Read (21) picked up the pieces and maintained the steady flow of runs with precision. The duo added 43 runs from just 30 deliveries to entertain a jam-packed audience in Panchkula.

Chandigarh Lions’ wicket-keeper Sarabjeet Singh was quite swift behind the stumps, sending both Read and Harvey back to the dugout in the space of three overs. Chris Read’s run-out was a lot more conventional with the ball racing away to the mid-wicket and a little bit of confusion beween the Aussie-English pair led to his dismissal.

Harvey, on the other hand, suffered due to a piece of brilliance from keeper Sarabjeet. The 22-year old ran towards forward short leg and a single-handed throw had Harvey stranded outside the crease – a terrific piece of fielding.

Hemang Badani (20) and captain Stuart Law (34) played definitive roles after Russell Arnold fell victim of a well disguised flighted delivery from Dinesh Mongia (1/19). The duo added 33 runs for the fifth-wicket until Badani was cleaned up by Daryl Tuffey (2/32).v

Stuart Law was stranded at the middle, losing partners at regular intervals, but managed to steer the team to a respectable total of 155/8. Looking back, the total proved to be an effective one, especially since teams have found it hard to chase totals in excess of 150 under lights.

The Chennai Superstars have emerged as the champions of the inaugural ICL season. Subash Chandra and Kapil Dev have already announced the plans for the future. The tournament in Feb-March will pay tribute to the domestic talent in the nation and will be the next step for the ICL – one towards greater heights.

The 2007 season will be one to remember, especially years down the road when fans would recapitulate the sensation it created.

How to Enable Cookies?

2007-12-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

How to Enable Cookies of your browser? Follow the simple guidelines below.

To enable cookies, follow the instructions below for the browser version you are using.

Mozilla Firefox (1.0 final release and earlier)

Go to the "Tools" menu.
Select "Options".
Select the "Privacy" icon in the left panel.
Check the box corresponding to "Allow sites to set cookies".
Click "OK" to save changes.

Netscape 7.1/Mozilla 5.0

Select "Preferences" from the Edit menu.
Click on the arrow next to "Privacy & Security" in the scrolling window to expand.
Under "Privacy & Security", select "Cookies."
Select "Enable all cookies".
Click "OK".

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+

Select "Internet Options" from the Tools menu.
Click on the "Privacy" tab.
Click the "Default" button (or manually slide the bar down to "Medium") under "Settings".
Click "OK".

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x

Select "Internet Options" from the Tools menu.
Click on the "Security" tab.
Click the "Custom Level" button.
Scroll down to the "Cookies" section.
To enable:
- Set "Allow cookies that are stored on your computer" to "Enable".
- Set "Allow per-session cookies" to "Enable".
Click "OK".

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x

Select "Internet Options" from the View menu.
Click on the "Advanced" tab.
Scroll down to find "Cookies" within the "Security" section.
To enable:
- Select "Always accept cookies".
Click "OK".

Netscape Communicator 4.x

Select "Preferences" from the Edit menu.
Find the "Cookies" section in the "Advanced" category.
To enable:
- Select "Accept all cookies" (or "Enable all cookies").
Click "OK".

Maintain Holiday Balance

2007-12-15T03:35:00.001-08:00

Do you consider "holiday balance" an oxymoron? If decorating, shopping, baking, and entertaining now fill up your free time, balance may seem elusive, something to save for your New Year's wish list. I believe it is possible to enjoy balance during December; in fact, it's a key ingredient to a happy holiday. The secret, as perfectly demonstrated by a circus tightrope walker, is to make small shifts and slight adjustments when necessary. This time of year, it may take more frequent adjustments to maintain balance. Here are seven steps to help keep you on your high wire.

1. Make a list and check it twice.

Feeling preoccupied by the long list of to-do's vying for attention in your brain? Committing the list to paper can help you to focus better on the here-and-now. Write down all the things you plan to do between now and New Year's. Include things like shopping (specify whom you need to buy for and what you plan to give), wrapping, mailing gifts, sending cards, visits, travel, baking, entertaining, decorating, and attending parties, church services, school and community activities. Now go back over your list with a discerning eye, asking:

* What are the most important activities?

* What are you eager to do?

* What activities do you dread?

* Where could you relax certain expectations?

* How could you simplify holiday preparations?

This year, for example, I plan to: make only one or two batches of cookies, and I'll buy others from bake sales and church bazaars. I'll also do more on-line shopping and will print address labels instead of hand addressing holiday cards. (No one can read my handwriting anyway!)

2. Focus on meaningful traditions.

Look at your list and identify the traditions that have meaning for you. Holiday preparations are often dictated by what we've done in the past or what our parents did when we were growing up.

* What traditions would you like to hold on to?

* What would you like to let go of?

* What new traditions would you like to create?

Candlelight services, musical and theatrical performances, special stories, and meals, can connect us to Spirit and remind us of what we are celebrating in the first place. Keep what's meaningful for you in your holiday plans and curtail what isn't.

3. Take care of yourself.

Most of us know what we need to do to keep ourselves at our best. There's a certain minimum requirement of exercise, natural light, healthy food, and rest that our bodies crave. This is an important time to honor those needs. Colds and flu tend to peak after the holidays, in part because colder weather keeps us indoors where we are exposed to more germs, but also because we are more susceptible to illness when we are run down. Be especially gentle with yourself if the holidays are a sad time for you and if you are still healing from a recent loss.

4. Keep the joy in your heart.

Have you ever tried to write all your holiday cards in one sitting? If so, you probably ended up with a horrible case of writer's cramp and felt like Scrooge himself. Pace yourself so you don't hit the wall. Imagine that you have an internal Joy-o-meter that automatically triggers a cut-off switch as soon as you stop having fun. The only way you can resume your activity is by finding a way to make it enjoyable again, perhaps by listening to some favorite music, or enlisting a helper. Or take a break and come back later, after you've eaten or rested.

5. Balance consumption with charity.

There was a tremendous outpouring of donations to help those who suffered in the aftermath of September 11 and hurricane Katrina. It's been heartwarming to see how we've rallied to take care of those who have been personally affected by these tragedies. During the colder months it's more important than ever for the haves to share with the have-nots.

* How well do your checkbook entries reflect your personal values?

* How would you like to support those who are less fortunate?

If you'd like to do more, consider making a gift donation in someone's name, dropping off canned or packaged goods to a local food pantry, volunteering at a soup kitchen, donating outgrown outerwear, and/or writing a tax-deductible check to your favorite charity.

6. Indulge moderately.

When faced with tempting treats, lavish spreads, and free flowing wine, it takes ironclad willpower to say no. Unless you know that that one drink or one sweet will turn into a binge, it's fine to be decadent occasionally. To keep from going overboard, take tiny samples of everything on a buffet, split a dessert with a friend, and pour only half a glass at a time. The best strategy is to know your limits and stick to them. If you overdo it despite your best intentions, forgive yourself, and start anew the next day.

7. Lie fallow.

This is rest time in the natural world. Deciduous trees take a break from photosynthesis, and newly planted bulbs slowly send down roots to support future blooms.

* How can you mirror the natural cycle in your own life?

* How do you find stillness?

Especially if you have a whirl of social activities on tap for December, allow plenty of down time to recharge. How about taking a long winter's nap, curling up with a good book, gazing into a roaring fire, or meditating? Couch time, quiet time, and vacation time can be wonderfully restoring.

Here's to a happy, balanced holiday!

Grace Durfee is a Professional Certified Coach, trainer, and speaker who works with busy professionals, small business owners and career changers who want to achieve professional success while enjoying more balanced lives. She is the author of the Balance with Grace: Celebrate the Kaleidoscope of Life (December 2007). To learn more and read her blog visit http://www.balancewithgrace.com

ICL Vs IPL - BCCI okays $400,000 sign-on fee for Warne

2007-12-15T02:51:00.001-08:00

The battle between ICL and IPL is hotting up. The ICL is ending its first 20-20 tournament in Chandigarh and the first tournament of IPL is scheduled to kick off from April 2008.

Shane Warne has supposedly signed up for the IPL, and he will be the Indian Premier League's most expensive signing, at a cost of US$400,000 for the first season, set to kick off in April 2008. The finance committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India met in Mumbai on Friday and approved several decisions taken by the IPL's governing council regarding payment of its players.

The fee quoted for Warne is the signing amount for him to be part of the player pool from which franchises will bid for the rights to employ players within their ranks. It is learnt that Brian Lara reportedly being paid US$1 million by the Indian Cricket League, and the market heating up over the two rival leagues, Warne and similar big-ticket signings could rope in well in excess of US$1 million, sources revealed.

The second-highest signing-on fee has been paid to Glenn McGrath, for US$350,000.

Mohammad Yousuf, who had reportedly signed with the ICL before being lured away by the Pakistan board - which made no effort to stop Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq or Imran Farhat from joining the unrecognised league - has signed up with the IPL for US$330,000.

The ICL, which is nearing the end of its inaugural edition, will hand out approximately Rs 18 crore [approx. US$4.5 million] in total prize-money for its 16-day tournament.

The fees have been decided for only 34 of the 49 cricketers signed up by the IPL, sources said, and, of these, only 11 have received [partial] advance payments. The only player to receive payment in full is Yousuf, not surprising given that he was once a dead certainty to join the ICL. It is understood that McGrath is among those who have been given a sizeable advance.

The 29 others who have received contracts:

[All amounts in US$]
Australia Justin Langer 175,000
Sri Lanka Farveez Maharoof: 150,000, Kumar Sangakkara: 250,000, Mahela Jaywardene: 250,000, Muttiah Muralitharan: 250,000, Sanath Jayasuriya: 250,000, Nuwan Zoysa: 100,000, Dilhara Fernando: 150,000, Chaminda Vaas: 175,000, Lasith Malinga: 200,000
Pakistan Mohammad Asif 225,000, Shahid Afridi: 225,000, Shoaib Akhtar: 225,000, Younus Khan: 225,000
West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul 175,000
New Zealand Daniel Vettori 225,000, Jacob Oram 200,000, Scott Styris 150,000, Brendon McCullum 175,000
South Africa Loots Bosman 150,000, AB de Villiers 175,000, Albie Morkel 200,000, Graeme Smith 225,000, Herschelle Gibbs 225,000, Shaun Pollock 200,000, Ashwell Prince 150,000, Makhaya Ntini 175,000, Mark Boucher 175,000, Jacques Kallis 200,000.

Cricket in Olympics

2007-12-14T06:09:00.000-08:00

Cricket has now been included into the Olympics!!! Yes, into the Olympics. The ICC(International Cricket committee is elated over this decision.

Cricket has been included in the Olympic Movement after a gap of more than 100 years, the ICC on Wednesday said the IOC's decision to recognize the sport would enhance its popularity all across the world.

"The International Olympic Committee's decision to recognize the ICC and cricket for the first time since the sport featured in the 1900 Paris Olympiad will lead to closer collaboration between the ICC and IOC for the good of sport.

It is also expected to enhance cricket's profile in territories where it is a developing sport," the ICC said in a statement.

ICC President Ray Mali said the recognition will help cricket reach out to previously unexplored territories.

"This is great news for cricket. The Olympic Movement is instantly recognizable around the world and for cricket to be a part of that again has to be a good thing. The ICC and IOC share similar values, such as a spirit of fair play in a competitive but ultimately friendly environment.

Cricket being such a long game compared to other sports, soccer - 1.5 to 2 hrs, but ODI cricket is 8 to 9 hrs, we have to wait and see how cricket will be received in the Olympics.

Blogging from YouTube

2007-12-03T06:26:00.001-08:00

Blogger now supports youtube... You can upload videos directly to blogger... More details below.

As you videobloggers already know, you can upload your videos directly to Blogger. But for the rest of the video watchers out there, did you know you can just as easily post YouTube videos to your blog?

All you need to do is set up your YouTube account to post videos to your blog using the "Share" button. You'll enter your Blogger information once, and from then on it's one-click sharing from any YouTube video page!

How do I post a video to my blog from YouTube?

If you've got your own videos on your computer that you want to share on your blog, Blogger now allows you to upload video directly! If you'd like to share a video from YouTube, you can do that, too.

Embedding a YouTube Video

To embed a video from YouTube, just copy the code from the "Embed" box on the video's YouTube page. You can find the "Embed" box in the "About This Video" box when you're watching the video. You can also get the code from the "Embed HTML" box on the "Edit Video" page if the video belongs to your YouTube account.

To embed a YouTube video within a blog post, first click "Edit HTML" from within the post editor. Next, paste the video's code into the body of your post. That's it!

Set Up One-Click Video Sharing

If you post YouTube videos to your blog regularly, sharing directly from YouTube is even easier and you'll only have to set it up once.

Click the "Share" button on the YouTube video's page
Scroll down and click "Setup your blog for video posting."
Click "Add a Blog/Site"
Choose "Blogger" as your Blog Service and fill in your Google Account login information.
Choose which blogs you'd like to add to your YouTube account. You can choose more than one.
From now on, when you click "Share", you'll be given the option to post YouTube videos directly to your blogs!

Understanding How Humans Cause, Respond and Adapt to Change

2007-12-03T05:54:00.001-08:00

Here is a good research article on "How Humans Cause, Respond and Adapt to Change"

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=110720

Gickr

2007-11-23T05:53:00.001-08:00

Gickr is a service that allows you to create animated Gifs online. There are a couple ways that you can do it though. You can either search Flickr for pictures, use your Flickr account, or you can just upload images to Gickr and create your animated Gif. You can also choose from different sizes and speeds for your Gif. It's really easy to use and it's fun so try it out.

The Latest from Blogger: Slideshow

2007-11-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

Show off your photos with the new Slideshow

Blogger has now added another feather to its cap... Take a look at the latest tool of blogger: Slideshow page element.

This feature lets you add a slick little slideshow of your photos from Picasa Web Albums, Flickr, Photobucket, or any site that supports Media RSS.

The photos will show up in your blog’s sidebar, gently fading into one another. Your readers will be able to go forward and backward, pause, and click through to the photo’s web page.

You can also make a slideshow of public photos based on a tag or label.

Like all page elements, Slideshow requires that your blog is using Layouts templates.

There is a help article on the topic.

Blogger adds another feather - Blogger Play

2007-10-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Blogger added another feature - Blogger Play, a neat little toy to show photos and blog posts.

What is Blogger Play?

Blogger Play is a real-time slideshow of photos Blogger users have recently uploaded to their blogs. It's a great snapshot of what people are thinking and posting about, right now!

Blogger Play will show you a never-ending stream of images that were just uploaded to public Blogger blogs. You can click the image to be taken directly to the blog post it was uploaded to, or click “show info” to see an overlay with the post title, a snippet of the body, and some profile information about the blogger who uploaded it.

Images on Blogger Play are from blogs that are public and listed on the web, and also from public Blogger profiles. If you don't want your images to appear in Blogger Play, you can remove your blog from the listings.

http://play.blogger.com/

How to lead geeks

2007-09-16T23:31:00.001-07:00

The main reason why IT people are unhappy at work is bad relations with management, often because geeks and managers have fundamentally different personalities, different professional backgrounds and different ambitions.

Some people conclude that geeks hate managers and are impossible to lead. The expression “managing geeks is like herding cats” is sometimes used, but that’s just plain wrong. The fact is that IT people hate bad management and have even less tolerance for it than most other kinds of employees.

So where does it go wrong?

1: Technical Training

Many managers assume that “training is a waste of money"

Training matters a lot, especially in IT, and managers must realize that and budget for it. Sometimes you get the argument that “if I give them training a competitor will hire them away.” That may be true, but the alternative is to only have employees who are too unskilled to work anywhere else.

2: Give Recognition

Since managers may not understand the work geeks do very well, it’s hard for them to recognize and reward a job well done, which hurts motivation. The solution is to work together to define a set of goals that both parties agree on. When these goals are met the geeks are doing a great job.

3: Do not Plan too much overtime

“Let’s wring the most work out of our geeks, they don’t have lives anyway,” seems to the approach of some managers. That’s a huge mistake and overworked geeks burn out or simply quit. In one famous case, a young IT-worker had a stress-induced stroke on the job, was hospitalized, returned to work soon after and promptly had another stroke.

4: Do not use management-speak

Geeks hate management-speak and see it as superficial and dishonest. Managers shouldn’t learn to speak tech, but they should drop the biz-buzzwords. A manager can say “We need to proactively impact our time-to-market” or simply use english and stick to “We gotta be on time with this project”.

5: Do not try to be smarter than the geeks

When managers don’t know anything about a technical question, they should simply admit it. Geeks respect them for that, but not for pretending to know. And they will catch it - geeks are smart.

6: Be Consistent

Geeks have an ingrained sense of fairness, probably related to the fact that in IT, structure and consistency is critical. The documentation can’t say one thing while the code does something else, and similarly, managers can’t say one thing and then do something else.

7: Mingle with the geeks

Because managers and geeks are different types of people, managers may end up leaving the geeks alone. This makes leading them difficult, and geeks need good leadership the same as all other personnel groups.

8: Involve in decision making

Geeks usually know the technical side of the business better than the manager, so making a technical decision without consulting them is the biggest mistake a leader can make.

10: Remember geeks are creative workers

Programming is a creative process, not an industrial one. Geeks must constantly come up with solutions to new problems and rarely ever solve the same problem twice. Therefore they need leeway and flexibility. Strict dress codes and too much red tape kill all inovation. They also need creative surroundings to avoid “death by cubicle”.

Making one or more of these has serious consequences, including:

Low motivation
High employee turnover
Increased absenteeism
Lower productivity
Lower quality
Bad service

Happy geeks are productive geeks, and the most important factor is good management, tailored to their situation.

Caveats:

I’m not saying that all geeks are the same. Geeks are wildly different people and this post does generalize dangerously.
I’m not saying that all IT-people are geeks. Some are, some aren’t. I definitely used to be.

A dummy's guide to the Indian Cricket League(ICL)

2007-09-12T18:35:00.001-07:00

FAQ: The Indian Cricket League

Everything you wanted to know about the ICL

What is the Indian Cricket League?
The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is a cricket league set to run in parallel with BCCI-run tournaments in India. Contrary to common perception, the ICL is not a breakaway league but an entirely new entity.

How did the ICL come about?
The roots of the ICL lies in the same issue as those of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket: discontent over TV rights. The Essel Group¹s Zee TV believed it got a raw deal in the allocation of Indian cricket¹s TV rights last time around, when despite making the highest bid, Zee was denied the rights for want of experience in sport broadcasting. The ICL is a joint venture between the Essel Group and Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS), and is seen by many as Essel head Subhash Chandra Goel's attempt to get back at the BCCI.

On April 3, 2007 the Essel Group announced the league, saying that the BCCI had failed to create "a reserve pipeline of players", and that the idea behind the league was to create an "ideal pool with killing instinct". They were quick to add that the ICL was not in conflict with the BCCI, and the board would be free to draw from the ICL's talent pool.

Read the complete article here...

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/icl/content/current/story/310677.html

Safegaurd your adsense code now...

2007-09-11T08:43:00.001-07:00

Are you worried that some one will steal your adsense code and put it on their websites? Adsense has now come up with a new feature - "Allowed Sites"

The Allowed Sites list, which you'll find by clicking the Allowed Sites link under your AdSense Setup tab, is the place for you to list sites or URLs where you want to allow your ads to appear. Sites that aren't on your list can still display ads using your ad code; however, impressions and clicks for these sites won't appear in your reports, advertisers won't be charged, and you won't receive any earnings from them.

Of course, it's entirely your choice whether to use this Allowed Sites feature. If you don't want to create an Allowed Sites list, there's no need to change the settings in your account; it will automatically default to allow any site to show ads.

To create your Allowed Sites list today, visit your AdSense Setup tab, click the Allowed Sites sub-tab, and choose the radio button for Only allow certain sites to show ads for my account. You'll then be able to enter allowed URLs for all your sites. Make sure to keep your list up to date when you add your code to new sites, too.

Google's page rank

2007-09-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Google's page rank, which is Google's business?, How to generate off-page criteria to gain a higher ranking? Every one with a business web site knows that the lifeblood of their business is the traffic that they can get to it, and that the Search Engines are a sure and economic way of getting it...

If your web site shows among the first 20 or 30 results when someone looks at a Search Engine For the keywords of your web site. Google is one of the biggest Search Engines (or the biggest) and that´s why Google is one of the most used ones.

If your web site has a big PageRank, that´s one of the easiest ways to reach the first places on a Google´s search, so many people think that what you should look for, is to have a BIG Google Page Rank.

And what is the PageRank?

PageRank it´s a measure of a site´s reputation according to the quality and quantity of it´s in pointing links.

How can you get in pointing links from the expert sites on your market?

You can do it with a link exchange campaign, but most of all you can achieve it:

Having good content!

So for the same keyword, the page with higher page rank will rank higher on the searches, and a page with higher page rank linking to your site, will help you more to get a better page rank for your site.

To determine the relevance of a web page, Google looks for keywords in various places of each web page, plus many other things and one of them is the PageRank, meaning that Google has a ranking where the best pages about each keyword have the bigger Page Rank.

So the marketers and search engine optimizers started to manipulate the keywords, in order to have a bigger page rank, and soon the Search Engines noticed it and started to counteract creating extremely sophisticated algorithms to evaluate each web site´s real page rank and banned the the cheater´s web sites.

And this is an endless dance, the search engine optimizers keep studying better ways to optimize the web pages, and the search engines keep evolving and creating evaluation methods that will tell them the truth about each web site´s content and value.

Many search engine optimizers will tell you that they know how Google evaluates the web site, but the real truth is that no one of them knows it! Maybe two or three people at Google really know it, and they will never tell it to any one because that will ruin their business.

And which is Google´s business?

Google´s business is to recognize what each web site is about and how good is at it, because they want to sell advertise, and they do it providing the best results on each search (including the page ads on the results). So their business is to provide targeted surfers to their advertisers.

People find that the results are really related with what they are looking for, they click over the URL (sometimes over the free ones and sometimes over the ads) and they keep on using Google as their favorite search engine.

To recognize what each web site is about and how good is at it sounds reasonable and easy for a human being, but it´s not easy at all for Google´s robots.

So Google creates algorithms to evaluate the sites and from time to time changes their algorithm in what it has being called "Google´s dance". This "dance" of course irritates many people (the ones that try to discover what the algorithm is about) because when they get near to know how to artificially inflate a web page´s value, Google changes the relevancy criteria.

But the fact is that Google does the right thing. The want to be able to recognize what each web site is about and how good is at it, without mistaking good content web pages with well "optimized" web pages.

Search engines as Google need to recognize reality and to give the proper page rank to each web site, and how do they do it?

They check the on-page criteria and the off-page criteria...

* on-page criteria evaluates the content of a web page (keywords, title, meta tags, body, images, alt tags, etc.)
* Off-page criteria evaluates how the people react about it:

what URL gets the click
how much time people spends reading each web page
how many URL link to that page, and how relevant (how big is the PageRank) are the pages that link to it
etc.

And there´s only one way to generate off-page criteria: with good content!

It´s you who know your business, and you are the best suited to write your web site´s content and this is the basic idea.

1) Create web pages with excellent content about your topic. This will tell the search engine´s robot what your page is about.

2) once you create a professionally designed web page as the ones that "How to Sell on the Web" helps you to create, don´t loose your time tweaking it to reach better places with the search engines, use your time to create more good content web pages. Keep on creating good content web pages until you have 20 or more.

3) Submit your web page to the search engines

4) Start a links exchange campaign. This will not only help you reach a higher pagerank but some search engines do not allow you to submit your web site to them and will only be able to find you through your inbound links

This plan works as a snowball...

* You write 20 or more good content web pages
* You exchange links with some good content web pages
* The search engines find that people is linking to your web pages and give you a page rank
* You write more good content web pages
* People find that your web site is a really good one and start asking you to exchange links
* Search engines find that you have more good inbound links and give you a higher pagerank for more of your easy to win keywords (without tweaking your pages)
* The higher pagerank gives you a better position on searches, this brings more visitors to your site, some of them buy your products or services and some others ask you to exchange links with them as the snowball keeps on rolling and growing you will get higher pagerank for your most competitive keywords too and without having to tweak your pages

Is this an easy and fast process?

It should be easy for you to write about your topic, but it might take months to get a decent pagerank. You will find yourself writing pages and exchanging links without noticing any results...

Don't worry!

* Keep on building good content pages
* keep on looking for good inbound links
* Keep on building good content pages
* keep on looking for good inbound links

Don't worry, persist...

And you will succeed for sure!

If you want an automate reciprocal link exchange program like the one I use to build my Easy Home Business Ideas site, you can download your free copy of from here: http://newsletter.easy-home-business.com/hts/zeus.html

And if you want to "Make Your Links Work" and grow your site to the first 3 % download this Google PageRank Profit free ebook:
http://value-exchange.sitesell.com/RB.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Dr. Roberto Bonomi is a successful e-book writer that shares his home business experience at: http://www.easy-home-business.com/ You are invited to post free your own articles, or find free articles for your web site or ezine at http://articles.drbonomi.com

Tennis Game

2007-09-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is a good game link

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/tennis/tennis.html

Technorati : Games
Del.icio.us : Games

Google's gPhone...

2007-09-06T09:22:00.001-07:00

Heard about Google's next venture...

Google's gPhone

Here is a good article titled "Getting Inside Google's gPhone".

The search giant's mobile offensive, like the iPhone, may force new cracks in the way the wireless industry operates

writes Olga Kharif

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2007/tc2007095_107344.htm

Now Inline Ads with Adsense

2007-09-06T08:41:00.001-07:00

Google Adsense has just updated the very much requested feature - Inline Ads.

We can now show AdSense Ads inside the block of blog posts, up to 3 times on the main blog page.

This should definitely improve monetization for those who use AdSense on blogs, as this places the ads inline with the blogs' actual content.

Here is how it works...

Log into your Blogger account at http://www.blogger.com/ .
Visit your blog's Template tab and click on the Page Elements link.
Click Edit in the Blog Posts section.
Check the box next to Show Ads Between Posts. You can then select how often you'd like your ads to appear, such as once after every post or once after every other post.
Customize the ads and click on Save Changes when you're done.

Example website using this - http://skincared.blogspot.com

XMPP

2007-09-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

Definitions of XMPP on the Web:

What is XMPP?

XMPP (or the eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) is an IETF standard for interoperable instant messaging and presence.

Short for Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, an open, XML-based protocol for server-to-server near-real-time extensible instant messaging and presence. XMPP is a rival protocol to SIMPLE.
XMPP also is known as the Jabber protocol because Jabber is based on XMPP. Jabber is not, however, the only instant messaging application that relies on XMPP.
Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, or XMPP, is an open, XML-based protocol for near real-time extensible messaging and presence events. It is the core protocol of the Jabber Instant Messaging and Presence technology which is currently deployed on thousands of Jabber servers across the Internet and is used by millions of people worldwide. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) XMPP working group aims to adapt the XMPP for use as an IETF Instant Messaging and presence technology.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XMPP

An important article on XMPP and Google Talk

Google Talk gives boost to XMPP Once an underdog in the IM standards race, XMPP gains backing from the Web-search giant in a move that may have far-reaching impact.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/08/26/HNgooglexmpp_1.html

Origin of Google

2007-09-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

On the Origins of Google

Even in the early days of the Internet, people saw the need for better interfaces to growing data collections. A graduate student supported by an NSF digital library project at Stanford University uncovered the missing links in Web page ranking.

In the primordial ooze of Internet content several hundred million seconds ago (1993), fewer than 100 Web sites inhabited the planet. Early clans of information seekers hunted for data among the far larger populations of text-only Gopher sites and FTP file-sharing servers. This was the world in the years before Google.

Even in this primitive Internet world, the need for more accessible interfaces to growing data collections had already been recognized. The National Science Foundation led the multi-agency Digital Library Initiative (DLI) that, in 1994, made its first six awards. One of those awards supported a Stanford University project led by professors Hector Garcia-Molina and Terry Winograd.

None of the early DLI proposals -- submitted before the World Wide Web experienced its Cambrian explosion -- explicitly included research into the Web. However, by the time DLI funding began, the information landscape had changed.

In 1994, some of the first Web search tools crawled out of the Internet sea. Two Stanford students started Yahoo!, a manually constructed "table of contents" for Web sites. Other early search engines emerged, such as Lycos and WebCrawler, and began automatically indexing Web pages, focusing on keyword-based techniques to rank search results.

Around the same time, one of the graduate students funded under the NSF-supported DLI project at Stanford took an interest in the Web as a "collection." The student was Larry Page.

Page uncovered the missing links, so to speak, in Web page ranking. His evolutionary leap was to recognize that the act of linking one page to another required conscious effort, which in turn was evidence of human judgment about the link's destination. Individually, each link was a simple but effective tool. But collectively, millions of these links provided a key adaptation for the natural selection of search results.

Page was soon joined by Sergey Brin, another Stanford graduate student working on the DLI project. (Brin was supported by an NSF Graduate Student Fellowship.) Together, Page and Brin constructed an ambitious prototype in their Stanford student offices. The equipment for the prototype, called BackRub, was funded by the DLI project and other industrial contributions.

The prototype used well-established technology to crawl from page to page by following links. However, in addition to compiling a standard text index, the prototype also mapped out a vast family tree that reflected the Web links among pages.

To calculate rankings from this family tree, the pair developed the PageRank method. In short, the method ranks a particular Web page highly if many other highly ranked Web pages link to it. Those other page's rankings, in turn, depend on the pages that link to them. Such logic could spiral out of control, but PageRank eventually stops because, as a rule, the more distantly related a page is, the less it contributes to the final rank of its descendants.

Page and Brin wrote an initial paper on their ideas and the theoretical underpinnings of PageRank and tested the fitness of the ranking approach on live Web data -- initially a test set of 24 million pages. PageRank survives as one of the main components of today's Google search service.

By late 1997, as the Dot-Com Era began to flourish, the BackRub approach proved to be sound, expandable and popular. By the end of the Early DLI Age in 1998, Page and Brin obtained funding that allowed them to move their growing hardware facility from the Stanford campus into a friend’s garage and to incorporate Google, Inc.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Courtsey:

http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=100660&org=NSF

What is Zoundry?

2007-08-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Zoundry is a service that enables word-of-mouth marketing by passionate writers on the Web. Using the free Zoundry Blog Writer, one can easily place special affiliate links, in posts and publish to the weblog. When a reader clicks on a product link and purchases the recommended product, you earn a commission on the sale.

It's as easy as 1-2-3 Step:

1. Write a product review with our free Zoundry Blog Writer.
2. Link to the product with a few simple clicks.
3. Post to your blog and get rewarded when readers click through and buy.

More details - http://www.zoundry.com/learnmore.html

what is Jabber?

2007-08-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Jabber is best known as "the Linux of instant messaging" -- an open, secure, ad-free alternative to consumer IM services like AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo. Under the hood, Jabber is a set of streaming XML protocols and technologies that enable any two entities on the Internet to exchange messages, presence, and other structured information in close to real time. Jabber technologies offer several key advantages:

Open -- the Jabber protocols are free, open, public, and easily understandable; in addition, multiple implementations exist for clients, servers, components, and code libraries.
Standard -- the Internet Engineering Task Force has formalized the core XML streaming protocols as an approved instant messaging and presence technology under the name of XMPP, and the XMPP specifications have been published as RFC 3920 and RFC 3921.
Proven -- the first Jabber technologies were developed by Jeremie Miller in 1998 and are now quite stable; hundreds of developers are working on Jabber technologies, there are tens of thousands of Jabber servers running on the Internet today, and millions of people use Jabber for IM.
Decentralized -- the architecture of the Jabber network is similar to email; as a result, anyone can run their own Jabber server, enabling individuals and organizations to take control of their IM experience.
Secure -- any Jabber server may be isolated from the public Jabber network (e.g., on a company intranet), and robust security using SASL and TLS has been built into the core XMPP specifications.
Extensible -- using the power of XML namespaces, anyone can build custom functionality on top of the core protocols; to maintain interoperability, common extensions are managed by the Jabber Software Foundation.
Flexible -- Jabber applications beyond IM include network management, content syndication, collaboration tools, file sharing, gaming, and remote systems monitoring.
Diverse -- a wide range of companies and open-source projects use the Jabber protocols to build and deploy real-time applications and services; you will never get "locked in" when you use Jabber technologies.

To learn more or get started, you can:

Marketing Pitfalls To Avoid...

2007-08-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

by uplifted

If you want to make it big in Internet Marketing you need to avoid some common mistakes.Here's a list of the top ten Pitfalls that catch our beginner Marketers(and many established ones too!).

The problem is you don't realize you have fallen into one of these holes until someone points it out.Marketers tend to be stubborn and suffer from tunnel vision-hopefully these may help you kick a few bad habits...

1.PROCRASTINATION

Putting things off is a killer where this career is concerned.You need a plan and some kind of time management system in place.Prioritize your tasks and keep lists of everything that needs doing.And no matter how much you don't feel like doing something, just get it out of the way and never leave it until the next day!

Tip:Use post-it notes.They are low-tech but work great.

2.STRIVING FOR PERFECTION

You'll likely never have a "perfect" website or product but you know what? It doesn't matter! it's important you get started as soon as you can and make your site "live".You can tweak things as you go along and improvements will come later-but if you try to get everything "right" before you start then you'll never start.

Tip:Update your site daily in little ways, it saves doing everything at once and the search-engines too.

3.WASTING MONEY

This one is important.Especially if you don't have money to burn! Don't get caught up jumping from opportunity to opportunity or buying everything that lands in your in-box.You'll be surprised how much you can get for free.Trust me you don't need half the stuff you see on-line.Try to control your emotions and think before you buy.Write a list of pros and cons, and make sure that the product or service is essential to you.

Tip:Look for reviews by people without a vested interest in the product and ask questions in forums.

4.NOT SPENDING ENOUGH

Unfortunately you have to spend a little.It won't be much starting out, but you will need more as you grow. For a start you'll need a domain, a host, an auto-responder but these are pretty affordable these days.The bulk of your expenses will be on promotion, usually ezine ads or pay-per-click.If you're paying someone to create your product or you're buying resell rights then this is another expenses(but you can start with free affiliate program).

Tip:Keep your "Internet Income" separate and re-invest.You'll be glad you did later.

5.WRONG MARKETS

This is a tricky one.If you are dead set on conquering a certain market you could end up on a long and expensive journey that is doomed to failure.Do some research first.A so-called "niche" market is a good find but only if this niche will spend money! Other markets, like Internet marketing, are very busy but Internet Marketers spend money-and the drive to make money is a strong human emotion.There's a lot of them around!

Tip:Find something that interests you and use a site like nichebot.com to see how many searches there are for that subject.High Traffic and low Demand are your goal

6.LACK OF GROWTH

You must continuously grow yourself and expand your mind.Learning is essential.If you don't, you'll be stuck with the same skills and ideas and you'll never even notice when you are bogged down in complacency and routine.

Tip:Put some time away each day to read a few articles and brows some sites.Learning just one new idea a day can increase your potential rapidly.

7.DOING IT ALONE

You can do it alone but it is harder, and without support you are more likely to fail.It doesn't have to be much.On-line forums, for example, are an amazing source of ideas and encouragement.And with other people, by forming Joint Ventures or starting your own affiliate program you can really leverage your efforts and do far more than you could do on your own.

Tip:Visit forums, message-boards and mail-lists.Lurk for a while until you're ready.

8.GOING FOR THE SMALL MONEY

You ain't ever gonna get rich selling $20 items.Seriously, include some higher priced goods and services in your marketing.You'll get less sales, but more profits.You won't know if they sell until you try! But don't fall into the trap of selling any old thing because you get a high commission.Integrity is important, too.

Tip:High ticket sales work better with existing customers who you already have a relationship with.Try them as a back-end.

9.SEPARATING LIFE AND WORK

One of the biggest pitfalls when working from home is the fact that life can encroach your activities-simply because you are at home.Try to separate the two and have fixed times when you work, and a set area to do it.Work doesn't have to take over your life, but neither should you let life interfere with your work.

Tip:Use a spare room or a spare corner and only use it for work.

10.BE AMBITIOUS

You won't know unless you try.Assume you can do "anything" because you can! You may not be ready to do it yet, but don't set up mental blocks in advance.You can create your own profitable items, sell them well, and have others selling them for you.You can operate a range of websites, even host seminars, or teach others.You can.

Tip:Recognize excuses for what they are.If you need help, invest in a good self help books.I hope identifying these pitfalls helps you look at yourself differently.Contrary to popular belief Internet marketing is not an instant path to riches, but it is an achievable one

http://performancing.com/top-10-marketing-pitfalls-to-avoid

Deleting a locked file on windows

2007-08-23T03:15:00.001-07:00

You might have come across a situation where you wanted to delete a file, but Windows simply wouldn’t allow you to do it?
This file might have been locked, Have you ever tried deleting a locked file using common windows commands? If so, then you’ll know that this is just not possible.

The main reason behind this is that the explorer.exe process locks files that are in use, effectively preventing you from deleting them.

Usually, these files should not be touched, but sometimes, situations arise when you really need to erase some troublesome ones.

Fortunately, there are a few easy solutions to delete those files.

Solution #1: Kill explorer.exe

Open a command prompt
Navigate to the location where the locked file is
Press CTRL-ALT-DEL, click on “task manager”, select the Processes tab
Kill the explorer.exe process via the “End Process” button
Go back to the command prompt and delete the file
Bring up the task manager windows again
Select file->new task
Type explorer.exe in the “create new task” field
Press OK.

Solution #2: Use The Windows Recovery Console

Just stick your Windows CD in your CD tray, boot on it, and at the “Welcome to Setup” screen, press “R“. Once the recovery console has started, navigate to the location of your locked file, and delete it. Since WRC does not really start the system, the files will not be in use, and you will be able to delete them

Solution #3: Use unlocker

Unlocker is a very useful freeware that will allow you to unlock any files that are currently in use by Windows. You’ll know if this is happening if you are getting any of these messages when trying to delete a file:

Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation
The source or destination file may be in use
The file is in use by another program or user
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use

Unlocker will make things right again for you.

You’ll notice that right after installing the software, a new option named “unlocker” will appear when right clicking any files or folders in Windows Explorer. To unlock a locked file, just right click it, select unlocker, and the unlocker software will start. Then, click “unlock all” and close the software. Now that your file is unlocked, just delete it in Windows Explorer, as you always do.

This is much simpler than solution #1 and #2.

Why People Blog?

2007-08-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

I have always been wondering why do people blog?

In my view (you may wish to add to the list), there are many reasons why people blog:

To Air your views/voice, Just a Hobby, To get Attention, To make money.

Views

Blogging is an easy way to publish opinions/views, be more influential and connect better with their audience.

People blog because it allows them to broadcast their message and extend their influence. It is a way to build a loyal following and in a few minutes, effect what many people think and do.

Hobby

Blogging is a hobby for some people... they just like to write about something... People like creative writing.

Blogging for Money

Blogs are publishing platforms, and information publishing and networks are always a good source of income if you have mindshare and a profitable business plan.

Never a days a lot of money earning programs are available like Adsense, YPN etc

Blogging for Influence

Attracting attention and making money off your blog is, in comparison, simple. Influencing public opinion, whether you are trying to change the views of an industry or of a society, is a different game.

While attracting attention and making money are themes that are often discussed in blogging, we don't often talk about acquiring the power to influence others. Simply put, very few people / bloggers have the means to influence a mass audience, and it starts with the most basic of things - getting attention and holding peoples' interest.

why do you blog?

Teen Makes $700/month blogging...

2007-08-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

I just found this story on Sphinn.

It’s about a teenager named Spencer. Her dad, helped her start a blog about Neopets.

Neopets are virtual pets that many teens love.

Earliar she was blogging on wordpress and later moved on to her own domain.

She is just 17, and she spends just a few days with blogging. It is reported that she makes around 700-900$ per month.

Three Ways To Engineer Good Content

2007-08-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

by Ryan Caldwell

Most new bloggers just take stabs in the dark. A new blogger knows her topic, and may even have a vague notion of keyword stuffing and pronoun removal.

But most new bloggers don't know how to engineer good content. That's why I'm writing this article. Because you can't be a problogger until you know how to engineer good content.

Strategy 1: Reverse Engineer Search Logs

You probably already love stats. And even if you've just been stabbing in the dark with your blog writing, you probably have gotten some search results (out of billions of searches, Google is bound to send a few lost souls to your site...especially if you have an accidental phrase or two from one of your poems that goes something like "the freshly cut wood was supple, soft like the newborn skin of a naked child." Ok. So you probably won't want to reverse-engineer any searches that come into your logs on these phrases. Nonetheless, eventually you'll find that Google has paired your blog's pages with at least a few of billions of searches. Some of those are bound to be relevant to your site, we hope.

Your search logs are a gold mine. They tell you what people are looking for. And since you most probably maintain a blog with the intention of growing an audience, your search logs give you a priceless view of what your audience wants. Your task is to feed your audience what they want.

Let's say that you've written an article on "Red Apples Grown in Oregon" but in the article, you've included the phrase "green apple orchards" and a few sentences later "green apples are primarily grown in Seattle Washington" - a few weeks after publishing this article, you notice that twenty visitors have come to your site on variations of the phrase "green apple orchards in Washington D.C." - now you know that there are people looking for information on green apple orchards in Washington D.C. Google was sending these visitors to your site by mistake. Your task is to make sure the next time *is not* by mistake.

Spend at least twenty minutes each day analyzing your search logs for new and exciting topics that you hadn't even dreamed of. Your search results allow you to reverse engineer the thoughts of your target audience.

Strategy 2: The Generic Drug Model: Re-engineer other people's success

Take three successful blogs, two days monitoring the Digg/Reddit front pages, and call me in the morning. Seriously though, you just need to pay attention to what works and you'll start to identify patterns. You'll notice that bullet points fit nicely with human psychology... that numbered, how-to guides titillate the average online reader ... that people like the number seven better than the number six and the number 10 better than the number nine ... that people like strong opinions and believable controversy ...

Got the point? Just start paying attention. That's the key. Read the premier blogs and look at their headlines. 4-7 words tend to be ideal, unless you've just got to get the eighth to seal the deal. Notice that some of the best blogs post article series, keeping their readers attention for weeks on end and giving them something to look forward to.

Strategy 3: The "Duplicate Your Own Success" Model

Sooner or later, if you're intentional about writing good content and creating linkbait, you'll find success. Much of the time, you'll also discover failure. Don't let failure discourage you. Rather, focus on what works and don't be afraid to try variations on a successful theme.

As you blog, you'll discover your strengths and your weaknesses. Capitalize on your success by finding your voice and sticking to it. Did you land a front page Digg? Could you write the same basic article on a completely different topic? Then do it. Yesterday.

The important thing here is to not run away from you own success. There's a temptation to feel like you've always got to do something new and original. Most of the great things in life are variations on pre-existing themes. There's nothing wrong with sticking with what works.

Summary

So what's the main theme of this article? Here it is in one sentence: First, discover what people want, respond to, and get excited by and then give it to them.

Don't fall for the illusion of self-projection. Most of the world is dumber than you, and most of the world has different tastes. Give them what they want, not what you want. Then, as they say, you're golden.

http://performancing.com/three-ways-to-engineer-good-content

Google Page Rank

2007-08-08T04:33:00.001-07:00

It's that time again: Google PageRank rollout. Many of us were expecting it'd be done at the end of thi month, but since it didn't happen last weekend, the next best guess would be this coming weekend. Everyone who tends to do so will want to be measuring their own PR.

Now PR (Google PageRank), if you're not familiar with it, is a measure that big G came up with a few years back to tell you how important (or not) your website is. And as would be expected, lots of little blogger boys and girls tried to game their PR. Others just wondered how to do that or even just to determine that Golden measure. I mean, if you're not using Internet Explorer (no truly serious, aspiring pro blogger should), you don't have the benefit of official Google Toolbar with PR indicator.

Welcome!!!

2007-08-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Welcome to The Global Talk, A blog to discuss anything and everything across the globe.