Cloud Computing - Internet Moves Like Cloud

There's a revolution happens in internet and computer world. The revolution is called Cloud Computing which holds the key to many future innovations and solutions. Through Cloud Computing technology, many activity can be done more light, fast, and secure. Many "heavy" activities can now be done without a superior hardware. To do it what you need is just a browser and a fast and reliable internet connection.

The basic of Cloud Computing is to perform all application in website. Start from a simple application through a complex operating system. The most important part is that users don't need to have a superior and luxurious hardwares, and don't need softwares too. Looks like this technology is for the future, but some implementation of this Cloud Computing technology is available now. For example Google. This search engine provide Office application, e-mail account, RSS Reader, Calendar, and other programs. All run in a browser so it doesn't depend on the operating system used. Every softwares and data is saved on Goolgle's server and loaded accordingly.

This Cloud Computing technology is not a new thing. It is a compilation af available technology. Inside, there is Computer cluster, Grid Computing, and Utility Computing. A Cluster consist of some computers connected one another to increase the available power and also minimize the lost of data. A broken server will put tasks to another server (High Availability Cluster). Grid's function is to perform high resource tasks. The difference with Cluster is that Grid is a sequence of servers around the world that connect several institution. The third component in Cloud Computing is Utility Computing. in Utility Computing, there's online storage, virtual servers, and integrated software service.

There's three application available from Cloud Computing. The first is "Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Here the developer can control the whole infrastructure. For example is virtualized hardware. The second application is "Platform as a Service (PaaS). This application is made specially for developers. The most well known example is "Google App Engine" which based on Phyton language. The third aplication is Software as a Service (SaaS). In SaaS, users can "rent" software. This "rented" software run in a browser and doesn't need special platform.

From the above discussion, we can see that Cloud Computing offers advantages for all. Users can use softwares regardless what the operating system is. Software developer doesn't need expensive hardwares, and server provider have profit with renting its resources. So, lets wait this technology to develop further.

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Violence in game

Sadistic massacre in schools happens again and shock the world. The question is, why boys and teenagers often involved in it ? It's a difficult question to answer. But The trigger is suspected from "killer computer game". The shooter in Winnenden, German (happens this March) often play those violence game game like Counter strike.

From 1999 until now, several serious killing have happened. In April 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 12 student and a teacher in Littleton. In 2002, a massacre in Erfurt shocks the word. Robert Steinhauser kills 17 people brutally and then kill himself. In 2007, 32 people dead and 30 people seriously wounded in a killing done by Cho Seung Hui in Virginia tech Blacksburg. And the latest killing is in March 2009 when Tim Kretschmer, a 17 year old boy obsessed with guns shoot 15 people and then kill himself.

Although many stores don't sell games that full of violence anymore, experts don't fully agree to the relation between violence in virtual world and violence in the real world. The pros and cons do some research on their own and the result shows both of them are right.

In common, parents don't see digital entertainment media as a media that gives bad influence. Research from Microsoft shows that three from four teacher think that video game can give some good experience for their student. Still from the research shows that two from three parents allow their children to play "adult" games.

Research on "violence in computer game" already done many times. There are several result about the research. Some says that boy gamers usually have a higher alcohol consumption level. But the other research says that people who are intensively play games don't have any relation at all to killing or violence in the real world. However, many agrees that violence in computer games need to be reduced. And also kids who looks easy to do violence need to have extra control.

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Hard Disk Maintenance

Working on a PC is more enjoyable for us if we sure that our data is safe within our hard disk. There are three tools that can be use for hard disk maintenance, Imaging, Partitioning, and Backup.

For Forrest Gump, life is like a chocolate box, full of surprises. On the contrary, PC users don't like surprises because most of them end with something bad. PC security is not only about malware and virus, data protection is important too. That's why we need imaging software to make backup to prevent lost of data.

Most of notebooks today is equipped with one important function : partitioning. This function can make a special partition to keep owner's private data. This will keep the data secure even if we must re-install Windows. Let's take a look at the three tools for hard disk maintenance.

Imaging

For imaging process, every imaging software has already reached a high standard. On-th-fly backup system or internet image saving already become a standard features. The different is only at the speed of the process. Another feature that already become a standard is image update. Almost every imaging software can update image without writing the image from the beginning. It only save the latest change of the image. Beside that, to make image, imaging software use a special protected area on hard disk. This area become a single locked partition.

Partitioning

We should make several partition in our disk to prevent "total lost" case. For example, we should put operating system in one partition, and data in another partition. This will prevent the lost of data if we re-format or re-install the operating system. Windows Vista has a partitioning function and works better than Windows XP. Create, expand, and delete partition is a very easy task in Windows Vista. This function can be found in Control Panel "Administration | Computer Administration | Hard Disk | Hard Disk Administration".

Backup

Backup is one of the most important hard disk maintenance tools. Backup can be done manually the hard way (Bakup to CD or DVD or something like that) or we can use imaging software. There are two type of backup in imaging software. incremental backup and differential backup. In incremental backup, what will be saved is only the latest change at the latest backup. But in differential backup, it saves the change from the full backup.

There are several recommended software to do this hard disk maintenance software. Disk Director Suite 10 (True Image Home 2009), Partition Manager 9 (Drive Backup 9 Proffesional), Partition Magic 8 (Norton Ghost 14), and Partition Commander 10 (Perfect Image 11) are several example of the recommended software.

That's all for now, I hope this article can be a useful tips for performing hard disk maintenance.

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Get Ready for Windows 7

Microsoft will release a new operating system called Windows 7. This new version of windows will be an effort to cover their "failure" in Windows Vista which was not responded well in the market. What are the new features in windows 7 ? Basically, there are not many new features in Windows 7. What Microsoft do is upgrade the existing feature better.

Microsoft really wants to make this Windows 7 as a superior product and bury the bad name because of Windows Vista. Although Vista is really not a bad product, but the image of Microsoft really goes down in end users. On the contrary, since Windows 7 was tested, good words have been spreading. There are several "promise" from Microsoft about this new Windows 7 :
Light. Not like Vista which many user found it heavy and use very high computer power to load, Windows 7 is promised to be much more lighter.
Fast. Because it is light, so Windows 7 will be much faster than Vista.
Responsive. Windows 7 will be more responsive. Windows 7 will start immediately what user wants and will make every day works become easier.
Clear. In visual side, Windows 7 will adapt more Vista "beauty" but with a lot of improvement.

To see if Microsoft keep the promise in Windows 7, Let's take a look at its new features.

Aero The Beautiful
Since Windows Vista, Microsoft use what called "Aero" for its visual appearance. Several new features is implemented in this new Aero. Aero Peek is one of them. It is the ability to peek opening windows. Another features is Aero Shake. This features make easier to minimize all application windows except the active one. There are Aero Snaps too which allow user to snap application windows to the side of the screen.

Windows XP Mode
Windows XP Mode (XPM) is eligible only for the "expensive" versions of Windows 7. Like Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise Edition. Basically, this feature is Windows XP Service Pack 3 complete with its license, but live inside Windows 7. This XPM application allow user to install softwares that only works in Windows XP. With this application, XP users will not afraid to upgrade their OS, cause all of their software will guaranteed to work perfectly.

There are also some eliminated feature in Windows 7. The most promising of the eliminated feature is the use of Autorun which often used by viruses. In windows 7, users only have choice to open flash disk with windows explorer or with previously installed software. Another eliminated features is Windows Sidebar. This will make desktop looks more wider although the gadgets will look more messy.

Is windows 7 ready yet ? The main problem for Windows 7 is driver. Since Windows 7 is a new OS, support driver still use the one that from windows XP or Vista or from the Windows 7 itself. ATI and NVIDIA have already prepared specific driver for this new OS, but the performance still not reach its full potential. Beside of the driver problem (which wont take long), another problem is bug. Because it's new, there will be bug everywhere. This will depend on Microsoft how to deal with bugs and make some updates according to it. But out of those problems, Windows 7 will still be a powerful OS that worth waiting for. Performance offered by Windows 7 is superior than 2 of its predecessor, Windows XP and Vista. So let's wait for the official release.

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Kindle 2, E-book Reader From Amazon

This February, Amazon introduce a new Kindle 2 which was an e-book reader. Until now, book can't be replaced by computer. But this lack of technology is not for Amazon anymore with Kindle. With this milestone product, Amazon can write history. Books, newspaper, magazine now can be read easily through e-book.

This new Amazon Kindle is not just a gadget but it becomes "a must have book". This new Kindle is very slim, light, and has a superior quality from its predecessor. Because of its characteristic, this gadget is very easy to be taken anywhere. In free time you can easily read your favorite content. If you don't have much time, parts or interesting news can be marked and you can read it later in "My Clippings" . With bookmark facility, readers can directly go to the latest read parts, books by books.

According to few sources, for their readers, Amazon provide nearly 260,000 e-books and magazines. You will always have something to read. Beside that, almost all Best Seller from New York Times can be accessed too. But Kindle has a few disadvantages, like the use of DRM (Digital Rights Management). Books is sold per package and always protected by DRM, not like songs from iTunes or from Amazon. So, books cannot be copied like conventional books. Beside that, Amazon forgets about social interaction. There's no book reviews, comment, or rating in this gadget.

So, for those wo love reading everywhere, this gadget can be considered "a must have book".

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