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Monday, August 31, 2009



If you seem to be tired of finding your personal little objects wet here is a fabulous solution for all tech lovers. Christened the SPIbelt, this handy gadget is able to keep your personal objects safe. Whether you are walking along the beach or ride your bike, you may feel free for your personal items used on a daily basis.

Welcome to the world of easiness and comfort as this charming gizmo may be useful any time. Additionally, the SPIbelt is ultra portable thanks to its slender design so it can be taken whenever you go. Just be sure your bank notes, keys or other things you may carry with you are safely kept even on the go.

This twin pocket belt makes sure you are well concentrated on your sporting activity without need to be distracted. The SPIbelt is also expandable and keep your objects with no bounce at all. Once used, you will get a new simplified experience especially perfect if you are fond of running.

The SPIbelt has one size that fits most of adult waist sizes. Made in America, these sporty belts make sure your comfort is at the high level while is available for 19, 95 USD.



Saturday, August 29, 2009


DPF-D72N/BQ is a new Digital photo frame from Sony which made with CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski Elements and comes with a 7″ LCD WVGA display, Auto Rotation sensor, Auto-Resizing adjustment system and 1 GB of storage capacity. Sony DPF-D72N/BQ features an USB ports, a multi-card reader (Multi-Media Card (MMC), Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick PRO Duo™, Secure Digital (SD), xD-Picture Card™ media, Compact Flash®and SDHC.), clock, a calendar and a wide range of view modes. This Digital photo frame will expected to be available in October with price tag 100€ or about $150



Friday, August 28, 2009

Many administrators say the opportunity to direct funds to reforms has been limited or nil.

By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo

The announcement earlier this year that roughly $100 billion in federal stimulus funds would flow to public schools came with great expectations – both for saving jobs and for fostering reforms in education. But the way the money is being used so far is decidedly more mundane.

In a new survey of 160 school-district leaders, 53 percent say they have not been able to use the money to save teaching positions in core subject areas or special education. And 67 percent say the opportunity to direct the money to reforms has been limited or nil.

“Everybody appreciated getting the money …, but primarily all the money did was help to backfill the budget deficits they were already facing,” says Daniel Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) in Arlington, Va., which released the survey Tuesday.

The majority of survey respondents did prioritize saving various personnel positions, along with investing in professional development. Other top uses of the money included buying technology, equipment, and supplies for classrooms and paying for school repairs.

Survey respondents cited several key reasons for not being able to focus more on reforms.

The money is coming through several streams, and the most flexible one, known as State Fiscal Stabilization, was primarily used to fill holes left by declining state and local funding.

The bulk of the remaining money comes with specific purposes: Title I stimulus funds support low-income students, and Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) dollars support special education. Fewer strings would have made it easier to stimulate the economy and implement innovative ideas, some respondents commented.

Fear of a “funding cliff” also comes into play: Administrators worry that if they maintain too many jobs or set up new programs now, they won’t be able to continue to fund them after the stimulus money runs dry in the 2010-11 academic year.

Some education-watchers, though, say districts could take a more radical approach if they were willing. “That would entail districts thinking about whether their class sizes … are configured smartly, whether they’re using distance technologies effectively,… whether they might want to rethink their pay scales,” says Frederick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. “One has to search long and hard to find districts doing any of this.”

Mr. Hess and Mr. Domenech do agree there is still hope that some models for reform will emerge from about $5 billion of stimulus cash still to be distributed to states and districts. Such competitive grants would be based on proposals in key areas, such as linking teacher pay to student outcomes and turning around failing schools.

The US Department of Education isn’t giving up hope, either: “We are confident that as states continue to invest stimulus dollars in their schools, the funds will not only go towards saving jobs but to investing in reform,” writes deputy press secretary Sandra Abrevaya in an e-mail.

—–

Schools try to do more with less

Budget cuts and demands for improved student achievement test public-school administrators more than ever. But read here about how some scrappy innovators are passing that test with an ‘A.’



Thursday, August 27, 2009



Picnic experience has never been completed without this jaw dropping gadget. Christened the Cooladio Solar Cooler, this smart gizmo is able to recharge your portable USB devices on the go while harnessing the sun power. In addition to that, this handy gadget offers high cooling abilities by keeping your drinks cool and pleasing to drink.

Just check it out and surely if the weather is good and it is a sunny day be sure you will take your picnic experience to the same level. The Cooladio Solar Cooler has more useful features than a regular picnic basket while keeping your favorite electronic devices constantly charged.

Operating thanks to its on board solar panels that use the solar power, the Cooladio Solar Cooler also includes an embedded speakers that makes it possible for you to listen to your favorite tunes on the move. This green solution came from Picnic Plus is available for 84, 99 USD and measures 11 inches in width, 7 inches in diameter and 16 inches in height.

Whether you feel a little bit hungry while on picnic holiday, the eco friendly Cooladio Solar Cooler is capable of keeping your food hot or cold depending on your personal preferences. So you might benefit from this amazing gadget even in everyday life.

What could be better than having your meal and drinks available all the time while keeping your gadgets from going flat. Another advantageous point is its ability to play the music using headphones instead of speakers. So choose the green life style while picnicking.


Wednesday, August 26, 2009



It is about now for MSI X-Slim X600 to go for sale, which it does today. At this point there are probably not many people left who are overly exited by this news because most of specs and photos have been here and there for quite a time now. In this case, the only readers to whom we should address here are those who actually already decided to get an X-Slim X600. One thing I like about MSI notebooks was that they tend to not overprice what they are selling. X600 costs 799.99 USD at Amazon, enough to step back and think over purchase ones again.

While you are thinking how many gallons of petrol an Asus Eee 1008HA Seashell will save you, I will remind what you are paying for. X-Slim X600 sports a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Solo on a GS45+ICH9M-SFF chipset. Two units of 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM memory, 2GB each. I especially like its video card – its ATI Radeon HD 4330, 512MB – not a thriller, of course, but I was expecting less at first and good job they didn’t mess with Intel inbuilt graphics. MSI X600 is perfectly capable of running your all-time favorite 3D game, do you see what I mean? Back to specs, for 799.99 USD you also get a 6 cell battery, 320GB SATA HDD and a 15.6 inch WXGA LCD with 1366 x 768 res and 16 : 9 aspect ratio. Still kinda pricy? – that what I think, but then it will last till you decide to get another laptop, and then it will last a couple more years, hopefully.



Tuesday, August 25, 2009


Now this is a big one. We might have missed the big news about the announced Nokia Booklet 3G laptop by three hours or so. This is why in order to redeem our fault we are bringing more accurate specifications of the Booklet 3G. First things first, this is a kind of device that already tries to outdo everything around, despite we don’t know its price. No one will until Nokia World 2009, which will take place on next week's Wednesday. Still, should Nokia Booklet 3G be addressed to as a netbook, laptop, anything else? Well let’s find out.

At a first glance, all we see is a pretty small aluminum body, forget about plastic. Dimensions are: 264 mm x 185 mm x 19.9 mm. Weight is 1.25 kilos. Aluminum probably adds a fair bit of weight to the internals, but that is a small price to pay really for long lasting and durable, beautifully curved piece of design.

Now, what about specs? The biggest mystery was Booklet’s processor. It was said in the official Nokia press release that all is driven by a new sufficient processor from Intel Atom family. But then ZDNet UK, referring to Nokia, posted on their website that the Booklet 3G has a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z530 inside. That’s fine by me because they also said that it has no fan. Nokia that has a fatal flaw of overheating is too much middle class. And, can you see through it? It starts falling off netbook shelf before we even got to the equipment. Here is a list of what is known about Nokia 3G laptop at the moment:

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor

* 10.1 inch display

* 12 hour battery

* 3G/ HSPA, GPS, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ovi Maps

* Hot-swappable SIM card slot, SD card slot, USB 2.0 x 3

* Front web camera

* HDMI output, 3.5 mm headphone jack

* Microsoft Windows 7 OS (judging by video only)



Monday, August 24, 2009


News from Gamescom 2009 and indeed good news because we forever had been thinking of how many buttons can there be on a mouse? Razer is right there with a new gaming Naga mouse. Do want to have a guess how many buttons they have stuffed on it? Wrong – its 17. The thing is Naga is not covered randomly with them, on left side it has a full 12 piece numeric keyboard which is there to help with gaming so you don’t have to roam all around the actual keyboard and keep the left hand exclusively on movement controls.

Behind the new design we find a familiar 5600dpi engine with 1ms response time. Enough for MMO games really, but in addition to Naga, Razer offers Add On software which allows Naga users to create unlimited number of profiles all with unique commands and key presets. And, finally, to sum up gaming enthusiasm, Razer also offers a Megasoma gaming mouse mat. This will suit optical and laser units for 49.99 USD. Razer Naga for size runs up to 79.99 USD. Well, who said MMO gaming is cheap?



Saturday, August 22, 2009



Have you ever imagined sailing on public roads? Christened the CitySailer, this splendiferous two-wheeler seems to push the envelope. This out of this world vehicle is powered by fuel cells while still offering a safe city driving even if you do not like wearing helmets. This artfully designed vehicle features a sail like windshield that is able to power the scooter using wind power. So why not start using green transportation that is so much beneficial to our environment.

This ecologically friendly wonder seems to live up to expectations for those who are tired of constant traffic jams as the design of the CitySailer is quite slender that take maneuverability to the next level. Engineered by industrial designer Christopher Kuh, this outstanding vehicle uses the combination of highly productive fuel cells and drive-by-wire technology.

The CitySailer two-wheeler runs on an electric engine positioned inside the rear wheel. In order to park this sustainable scooter, there are some special steering levers the driver will need to pull. Additionally, the driver’s safety is ensured by seat belt and airbags that makes it possible to drive without need of helmet. Optionally, the driver will be able to use a large backpack mounted into the vehicle to provide some storing capacity.



Friday, August 21, 2009


You might have noticed a lot of odd odors inside some buildings. But is there anything that is able to truly ensure odor-free clean air. The answer is simple Electrolux’s Oxygen Ultra that can purify indoor air noiselessly while keeping your house out of bad odors. This intelligent air purifier can eliminate bad odors while keeping the air dust-free.

With the Electrolux’s Oxygen Ultra air purifier it seems to be no more allergens issues and it is reported to be able to get over 99, 97 per cent of dust. Thanks to the PlasmaWave technology, it appears to be possible to keep your home out of dangerous viruses. With the Electrolux’s Oxygen Ultra air purifier clear indoor air is guaranteed.

The Electrolux’s Oxygen Ultra air purifier comes equipped with a special odor sensor that identify bad odors to finally purify the air. Do to a range of indicator lights, the clean air lover will be able to know when the filter should be changed as well as speed the purifier operates. There are 5 speeds the air purifier can run.

Craftily designed, this gorgeous air purifier turns out to be an ultra portable gadget offering a 3 stage filtration system making the air you breathe clean and free from potential gases. The carbon filter used in the Electrolux’s Oxygen Ultra air purifier boasts a 1 year operating time and you may be not scared to forget to change the filter as there are automatic indicator lights making the gizmo user friendly.



Thursday, August 20, 2009



If your children seem to like classic Harley Davidson as much as you do, this stunning toy car called the Harley Rocker might be their dream car. The Harley Rocker appears to be a preschool release of widely known Harley Davidson bike. The toy car runs on batteries and features the only seat for your little biker.

Available in blue color, this amazing ride-on offers some true-to-life features including realistically looking V-Twin engine. The Harley Rocker ride-on comes equipped with a tear drop like gas tank and 3 wheels having wheel spokes. The seat height is well adjusted to ensure much comfort and stable position.

The Harley Rocker toy car is recommended for ages ranging from 18 months up to 4 years so your child may get experienced in driving before he goes to school. This tantalizing ride-on is covered by one year warranty and has a shipping weight of 25 pounds while assembly is still needed.

The Harley Rocker ride-on comes packed with a 6 Volt battery and measures 27, 1 inches in length, 25 inches in width and 15, 2 inches in height and is available for 139 USD.



Wednesday, August 19, 2009



Natural energy seems to be extensively used to help the environment. But what is the point in using such bicycles? As long as the biker follows the road downhill, the bicycle seems to be a perfect means of transportation but when it comes to running uphill the problem arouses.

Here is a very interesting bike concept called the Win-Solar Energy that is capable of producing energy on the move so as to assist the biker in those uphill running situations. Thanks to this smart bicycle, the rider will be able to easily follow the road.

Designed by industrial designer Chen Chun Tung, it seems to be a new era of smart bicycles with the Win-Solar Energy bike being able to harness different kinds of renewable energies including solar power, wind power as well as rider power.

Once the energy is harnessed, the Win-Solar Energy will be able to transform it into electricity while storing the energy in a rechargeable battery. So when uphill running is begun, the bike will be able to assist the rider while reducing the biker power applied.



Tuesday, August 18, 2009

As schoolchildren return to class this fall, they'll find that any trace of a feverish forehead or deep cough could quickly land them in the nurse's office with a call home to pick them up.As schoolchildren return to class this fall, they'll find that any trace of a feverish forehead or deep cough could quickly land them in the nurse's office with a call home to pick them up.

Officials worry that a surge of swine flu -- coupled with the annual return of seasonal flu -- just as the school year begins could be an educational and health nightmare. As a precaution, school administrators are quickly changing how they handle sick children.

Students who report for class with a temperature of more than 100 degrees will be sent home without exception and not permitted to return until a day after the fever breaks. School nurses will track absenteeism and report kids' symptoms to county health departments, a practice that began last spring when the virus first emerged. Teachers, aides and cafeteria servers will continue to drill students in common-sense precautions such as washing hands and covering coughs.

While much about the emergent H1N1 strain remains a mystery, so far it has hit young children especially hard. School officials and health experts are responding with a call for vigilance in the classroom and at home.

"We're on alert," said Ellen Wolff, health services supervisor with Naperville School District 203. "It's so much of an unknown right now."

Just before lunch Friday, nearly two dozen 1st graders extended their tiny palms for a squirt of hand sanitizer before heading toward the Elgin school cafeteria, their clean hands pressed to their sides.

Sheridan Elementary School teacher Maribel Andino gave instructions as she put a dollop of the cleansing liquid onto each outstretched palm and demonstrated how to make effective use of it.

"Solo en las manos, si? Only in your hands," Andino said. "Show me how you do it. Not in your hair, not in your eyes. Now rub your hands together."

In addition to expanding its use of hand sanitizers, the Elgin district stepped up surveillance of flulike symptoms. District officials made clear to parents that a fever-ridden child with the telltale flu symptoms will not be permitted to stay in school.

"Prior to H1N1, if a student came to school with a fever, it may or may not have been noted. There's nothing to say a child would be sent home," said district spokesman Tony Sanders. "With this new strain, if a student comes to school with a fever greater than 100, they will be sent home and parents will be contacted."

Unlike the seasonal flu, which typically dies off in the summer, the H1N1, or swine flu, strain that emerged last spring continues to spread. To date, 3,443 cases have been confirmed or identified in Illinois, nearly 60 percent of them striking school-age people 5 to 24, according to the state Department of Public Health. Nine of every 10 confirmed infections have been clustered in Chicago and the surrounding counties.

The spread shows no sign of slowing. Indeed, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention anticipates more illness after the school year begins because the flu typically spreads more easily during fall and winter.

"As far as being a bellwether and a potential hot spot for epidemics, schools are probably No. 1 on the list," said Bill Mays, community health director with the Lake County Health Department.

How schools handle the virus is shaped by health experts. Last spring, when the first cases were diagnosed in the U.S., the federal government urged schools to shut down for up to 14 days if they had a confirmed case. More than 700 schools in the nation closed, including nearly three dozen in the Chicago area.

But schools this year likely will be slower to call off classes, based on new information. The CDC now says schools should be conservative about closing entirely. The agency instead urges parents to check their children each morning for flulike symptoms and keep them home from school if they have a fever.

What's more, the CDC has changed its recommendation about when students can return to class after a bout of swine flu. Previously, it said that students with confirmed cases should stay home for up to seven days. Now it's saying that students can return to class 24 hours after the fever ends.

"We can't stop the tide of flu, but we can reduce the number of people who become very ill by preparing well and acting effectively," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC.

School nurses will be at the forefront of efforts to stop the spread of swine flu. Illinois, however, lags behind most states in the number of school nurses available. Illinois has 2,893 students per school nurse -- a ratio that's 46th in the nation -- according to the National Association of School Nurses.

In Barrington, school nurses will continue to work with classroom teachers to reinforce lessons about hand-washing and covering coughs. One teaching tool they employ is an ultraviolet light that allows elementary students to put their hands underneath and see what germs did not get scrubbed away, said district nursing supervisor Eva Dettloff.

"We ask staff to enforce hand-washing and to remind kids when they perhaps need to wash their hands," Dettloff said.

Chicago Public Schools again will look for suspicious attendance dips to identify schools that may be affected by swine flu.

Any student with a temperature more than 100 degrees will be sent home, but the district is working with the city health department to determine what other symptoms might trigger a dismissal from class, said district spokeswoman Monique Bond.

One factor that's still in play is a possible swine flu vaccine. It is being tested, but it likely won't be available until weeks after students return to class. School-age children are expected to be among those given first access to the vaccine.

The national health agency also recommends seasonal flu shots for all children older than 6 months. Many schools plan to host health fairs and promote the annual flu shot among employees.

The common flu vaccine cannot guard against swine flu, but it can avoid confusing a routine illness with the more serious H1N1 infection.

"You can't tell a difference between seasonal flu and H1N1 by the symptoms," said spokeswoman Melaney Arnold with the Illinois Department of Public Health. "If we build up a better protection to the seasonal influenza, it will cut down on the number of people needing to go the hospitals for H1N1."

Elise Hauptman typically skips the annual flu shots for her three children. But this year, the Vernon Hills mother insisted on the vaccine for her 6th grader and 4th-grade twins.

"There's no monkeying around," Hauptman said. "We're doing it this time."



Monday, August 17, 2009



If you are passionate about stylish cruising, this splendiferous super yacht will make it a reality. Called the Ancora, this glamorous yacht has a length of 42, 74 meters. Made by Baglietto, this Italian looker is constructed of steel and aluminum. This sailing marvel is designed by Francesco Paszkowski and features a main aft deck that includes a comfy sofa for those sailors who want some rest.

Featuring a beam of about 9 meters, the Ancora super yacht offers stairs coming to its roomy bathing platform. For those who prefer to wine and dine on the wave, there is a dining area accessible from sliding door operating automatically. The interior of the yacht is particularly marvelous with zebrano wood elements coming also with polished finishing.

The furniture of the yacht also includes zebrano wood as well as leather elements. The main deck of the Ancora super yacht comes equipped with a spacious salon consisting of a social lounging area with 4 lounge chairs and a dinning room. The wide windows of the main salon produce the natural daylight while indoor light is ensured by low consumption LED light mounted in the ceiling.

This monstrous yacht runs on dual 2400 horsepower Caterpillar 3512C engine making it possible to accelerate up to 16, 5 knots. The sailing range of the yacht is 4, 500 nautical miles when sailing at a speed of 12 knots. Right on the starboard, there is an owner’s area that has a relax area coming with a comfortable sofa while a cabin is equipped with en-suite bathroom that features a custom made bathtub.

The lower deck of the yacht is designed for guests and has 4 cabins. Additionally, there are 2 roomy VIP cabins while upper deck comes equipped with a TV area, lounge and bar. You can reach the sundeck by means of starboard stairs where you can find the aft park coming with a swimming pool so there is everything for enjoying an adventurous cruising.



Sunday, August 16, 2009



What about electric choppers? If you are an environmentalist or another eco friendly user you will appreciate this driving marvel from Orange Country Choppers. This all-electric monster features an outstanding design and despite of being a zero emissions vehicle, it has a 27 horsepower electric engine.

Using just one speed, the Orange Country Chopper’s green bike seems to feature a clutch-less transmission. This fascinating bike is said to be made of Siemens’s electronics while having a 60 miles driving range with a top speed of 100 miles per hour makes this electric bike stands out in a crowd.

Running on electricity, the bike uses an on board charging unit that is simply connected to any 110 volt power point. Five hours are needed to fully charge its batteries however depending on a high voltage station the time may vary. The bike is rated to be the first custom made American electric bike.

Additionally, this all-electric bike uses LED lighting by OSRAM. This 350 pound bike features 300 mm inches rear tire while its long and low stance makes it look aggressively. Other features made by Siemens include the electric engine, the charging system, wind turbine blade made of fiberglass as well as power management system.

Having a monstrous 120 inches wheelbase, this sustainable bike made from recycled material offers a new environmentally friendly driving experience while still keeping a good speed performance. This intelligent bike is scheduled to be auctioned in the year 2010 with money expected to be spent for environmental needs.



Saturday, August 15, 2009

Definiton : There are two types of ads to publish on your site using the Adsense program. When I speak of ad types, I am not referring to the different formats and sizes, but that kind of revenue you generate. These can be:

CPC: Ads that generate revenue for each click.

CPM: Ads that generate revenue for every thousand impressions.

geotargetingThen we can show on our site, both CPC ads, or CPM. You may know that revenues generated in each individual? Unfortunately it does not depend on the campaign that has engaged the advertiser. Can you account, then, that regardless of what you pay for the click, if the ratio of your ads are, to a greater extent by the CPC, you should increase your CTR (higher ratio of clicks per impression) to generate more profits.

In contrast, if the ads shown, they are mostly CPM, you have to do to increase your earnings is to have more visits and thus more impressions.

As we said before, as we can not know which ads are CPC or CPM, (although some have their theories), unfortunately we must work on improving two key aspects to make more money with Adsense, increase the CTR (here’s how) and number of impressions. Adsense recommended in both types of display ads, to avoid the narrow segment of advertisers and maximize your earning potential. This will make from your Adsense account.
Example :
* 1,000 impressions
* 30 clicks (CTR = 3%)
* Earnings of $ 6 s (CPC of $ 0.20 per click s)

Now let’s see what can happen to an increase in your CTR:

Case 1

* 1,000 impressions
* 60 clicks (CTR = 6%)
* Earnings of $ 12 s (CPC of $ 0.20 per click s)

After a very good optimization, we improve our CTR doubled from 3% to 6%. Assuming that Google maintained the CPC in $ s or 0.20 cents per click, we could double our profits.

Case 2

* 1,000 impressions
* 60 clicks (CTR = 6%)
* Earnings of $ 6 s (CPC of $ 0.10 per click s)

In this case, we were also able to implement a good job, getting an increase in CTR. Unfortunately under the Google CPC ads to our half, so that despite our work, our profits were stable at $ 6 s. As we saw in the examples, the ideal would be the case 1, where we could maintain the CPC, and after sampling to improve CTR, we increased our earnings.

As we will see later when we explain in another article that is the eCPM and serving, it’s likely that whatever the case 2, which adjusted the price that Google paid for each click and left us with the same earnings, which eCPM is called stability.

How to increase CPM and earnings at Google Adsense ?

My recommendations are:

1) Write unique content and quality.

Content is most important – original content, interesting content, with descriptions, pictures and of course it must be usefull for visitors.

2) Optimize your ads have a high CTR.

Many publishers forget this. Go to Adsense Setup/Channels and try to write channel title and description and help advertisers to choose you. More advertisers, bigger competiiton – more earnings.



3) Choose good banner position

It is essential to know what is the best placement of Google ads on your pages, it depends on which people can click and clicks of your winnings depend, then we could start with the same Google recommends reviewing “Heat maps” that show areas with the highest clicks in different areas of a traditional website, a forum and blogs

4) Choose the best conversion banner size

Rectangle and Square 250×250, 300×250 – they have better conversion – of course if you put in the top place.

5) Works to improve your site to get more hits.

You must change sometimes banners, templates, topic and more – to watch and learn. Than you will impove yourself.

6) Write about a specific topic, you will have specific creative, relevant and best payments that a general theme, which are usually waste and low CPC.
7) Learn in detail your stats, which are the best source of information for accounts that generate higher returns.



Friday, August 14, 2009



This wonderful gadget called the WalkyDog, appears to be a dog bike leash that allows you to walk your dog on the move while being in good shape. Designed in Italy, the WalkyDog is made of stainless steel dog leash that is fastens to the bicycle seat to ensure safe and comfy walking experience. So if you are ready to go to the dog park, this marvelous gadget will fit the bill.

This stable device offers amazing skills to take your dog wherever you go by attaching the dog leash to your bike. Keep the whole control of your dog on the go and stay fit. What could be more enjoyable? Especially, if you have hunting dog, long-distance running will make it more active and well-trained.

The WalkyDog is easily mounted and used while the shock-absorbing system along with fast lock and unlock capacity makes the whole process easy and comfortable. Using the WalkyDog while riding seems to be safe for both you and your dog. Keeping your hands on the handlebars is a good idea if you want to change your direction.

In those emergency situations, you may easily release the dog in less than one second while dog leash installation takes less than 5 minutes. This universal gadget could be installed on whatever bike you like while its light weight and compact weight of just 16 ounces makes it easy to store. Even when you ride your bike on off-road conditions, the WalkyDog will operate perfectly.

However, it is recommended to be used by those aged at least 15 years old with a body weight more than 35 kilograms. Your frame bike will not be damaged using the dog leash while if you want to use it as a standard leash, just release it and enjoy walking. The Walky Dog bike leash is extendable with a maximum length of 12 inches suitable for most of the dogs.



Thursday, August 13, 2009



This sports watch seems to be an elegant combination of black and white tones. Called the Vestal Zeppelin Watch, this replica is designed for those men who fancy a good looking style. This cool time piece includes black toned stainless steel case and stainless steel band to be a solid wrist watch. Its stainless steel bezel comes with a tachymeter.

The Vestal Men's Zeppelin Watch features black Arabic numerals, 3 sub dials, luminescent white hands and a date window positioned at 4 o’clock. This gorgeous time keeper also features water resistance up to 330 feet, mineral crystal dial window coming with anti glare coating and stainless steel buckle with safety clasp.
Powered by high precision Quartz movement, this wrist watch will tell you only good time while keep you stylish all the time.



Wednesday, August 12, 2009



Lancia di Lancia is an out of this world boat that is rated to be the worldwide first speed boat constructed by the Italian luxury carmaker. Inspired by cars, this outstanding speed boat is capable of producing 1120 horsepower due to the brand new engine from Fiat Powertrain Technologies. Designed by Christian Grande, this miraculous cruiser runs on Sacs and is equipped with LED technology vintage headlights for those night adventures.

The Lancia di Lancia speed boat is expected to be officially announced on September 4 at the Lido of Venice. For more invigorated experience, the detachable windshield of the Lancia di Lancia can be taken away. One more conspicuous feature is its interior that includes a dinner table along with comfy sofa that you can easily transform into a bed suitable for two with a single touch of a button.



Tuesday, August 11, 2009

To be a successful principal, Julia D'Amato says, you need to be "a 29-baller." That's someone who can juggle 29 balls at the same time, not dropping any of them.

That's someone who can juggle 29 balls at the same time, not dropping any of them. That's what it feels like to run a school, says D'Amato, principal of Reagan High School, the south side school she has led from birth in 2003 to the top bracket of Milwaukee high schools now.

It's hard to find people who can juggle like that.

And it's hard for Milwaukee Public Schools to find top-notch people to lead approximately 200 schools.

As a new school year approaches, MPS is struggling with creating a strong, stable corps of principals. How so?

•  More than 20% of elementary and kindergarten-through-eighth-grade schools have someone different at the helm now than a year ago, and turnover in recent years has, in general, been high. MPS officials say there are 58 principals with three years of experience or less, almost one-third of the total.

•  Change goes beyond retirements and new hires. Superintendent William Andrekopoulos has moved principals from school to school frequently. He says he is trying to get better results from both people and schools. But some principals find the moves baffling and alienating.

•  The system that was used for coaching principals in recent years has been dropped, and a new one, focused on mentoring newer principals, is being launched in cooperation with Alverno College.

•  New Leaders for New Schools, a high-profile national program for preparing people to lead struggling schools, has encountered strong resistance within MPS. The program is key to plans for strong principals in MPS in the future, but some principals - and assistant principals who think the New Leaders program jeopardizes their chances of promotion - have little good to say about it.

•  In general, principals such as D'Amato say the job has become harder, more complex and more demanding in recent years, and attracting good people to take the jobs has become harder. Among the reasons: More demands from administrators and politicians; increased burdens due to the federal No Child Left Behind law and the state's plan to make MPS change some of its practices; as well as the general impact of tighter budgets and higher poverty in the city.

•  Some principals say morale is low in their ranks and fear is high of reprisals from the superintendent if principals stick their necks out in any way.

How to build up the quality of the corps of principals will be one of the biggest challenges facing the next superintendent of MPS. John Weigelt, executive director of the Administrators and Supervisors Council, an organization of MPS managers, said principals overall hope the next chief will be "someone who can inspire people to do their best work."

It is almost universally accepted among educators that a high-quality principal is key to a high-quality school.

Yet filling those jobs has gotten harder and more complex. MPS has gone through a series of changes, going back to Andrekopoulos' predecessor, Spence Korté, in how it selects principals, and it continues to make changes.

One key change in recent years is a shift away from looking at being an assistant principal as the preferred route to becoming a principal.

To Andrekopoulos and the founders of New Leaders for New Schools, this is a positive step. The field of candidates has broadened to include not only people in other roles but people outside MPS, especially if they go through the intensive program New Leaders is offering, including a summer of training and a year of internships in MPS schools.

"We have changed the notion that there's a rite of passage in the district . . . (that) just because you have seat time, you have a right to a position," Andrekopoulos said.

But that has made many principals and assistant principals unhappy.

How are principals picked? Sallie Brown, veteran principal of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning and president of the administrators organization, said, "You would like to think there's rhyme or reason for it. If there is (an understandable process), I'm not privy to it."
Power to hire, fire

Everyone agrees that the power to pick, to assign and to shift around principals lies with the superintendent, and Andrekopoulos has used that power actively.

"That's my job, to put people in places where we think they can perform," he said when asked about shifts in principals that have made other MPS administrators unhappy. He said MPS is holding principals more accountable for success than in the past, and more work must be done to improve that system.

If anything, Andrekopoulos would like the MPS superintendent to have more power to hire and fire principals.

Now, they generally have tenure to stay as principals or, if they are relatively new in the job, to return to their prior jobs, often as assistant principals. Andrekopoulos said the job security is "an increasing concern I have."

He said that with a spate of retirements by veterans in the last few years, MPS has a roster of principals generally younger than in the past. "We have a lot of young, enthusiastic people who are giving it their all," he said. The pipeline for future appointments is getting better with the increasing presence of New Leaders and other efforts, he said.

But there are clearly strong critics within the system.

Weigelt said that morale among principals is "at the lowest point I've seen it in 12 years in this position" as director of the principals and administrators organization. "People are disheartened," he said. There are many reasons, from attacks on public education from outside the system to diminishing resources for schools to increasing demands on principals. One reason, he said, is that principals feel "hamstrung by central office policies."

Andrekopoulos has recentralized power in MPS in the past several years, putting principals and schools under more specific control and narrowing the choices schools can make in what they are doing, especially if the schools have had low test scores.

Those steps were recommended by outside consultants and are now part of the state Department of Public Instruction's orders for MPS.

But one result, Weigelt said, is that "the days of the maverick are gone - one cannot be a maverick in MPS and last very long."

A decade ago, it was a handful of maverick principals - including Korté and Andrekopoulos - who drove the dialogue about change in MPS. Now it is Andrekopoulos and the central office.
Changes causing division

The New Leaders program is intended to bring a wave of highly motivated people into principal jobs in MPS and nine other urban districts where the organization has operations. The goal is to put them in the most challenging schools, where they can shake things up and produce higher achievement.

But the program has encountered resistance, much from people in the MPS bureaucracy. The criticisms include that it is expensive and that it bypasses good training programs that include spending years building up to being a principal.

One sign of trouble in Milwaukee: Two people from the first wave of New Leaders training were assigned last year to lead challenging schools, Maple Tree on the northwest side and Urban Waldorf (now Twenty-Seventh Street). Both were transferred out at the end of the year by Andrekopoulos, who said both will be good principals but need more seasoning.

Almost no one is willing to talk about what happened, but the stories behind the moves were much more complicated. It is clear particularly that Jane Behr, who led Maple Tree, pushed the staff to focus more on achievement and to change some established practices, and that the staff became divided. Some supported her strongly and said in e-mails to MPS officials that they had the most successful year of their careers, while others opposed what she did. Test scores rose in her first year on the job.

Andrekopoulos offered Behr a position as an assistant principal at an elementary school, but she has requested a leave to work on her doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jon Schnur, the Milwaukee-area native who is the co-founder and CEO of New Leaders, said he is confident the organization is starting to have substantial positive impact in the cities where it operates.

"We are on the brink of cracking the code of how to drive dramatic gains in low-performing schools across the country," he said.

Andrekopoulos said it is important to learn to use data better in guiding schools, accountability systems must be improved, and MPS must continue to press to get the best people it can to lead schools.

But, speaking from her vantage as a lead among Milwaukee's principals, D'Amato said, "It's getting harder and harder to get qualified, competent people to fill these positions because of the increased demands of the job."



Monday, August 10, 2009



If you were dreaming of impressive and effortless driving, this pedal powered tricycle dubbed the Goblin seems like a good idea. With this marvelous trike, you will be able to easily get to hard to reach areas. This mouth watering trike is assisted with gas and electric engine and is able to travel 150 miles per gallon.

However, this driving range is achieved thanks to your leg work. The Goblin tricycle features a miniature 35 cc or 50 cc Honda motor that is able to produce up to 40 miles using merely over a quarter gallon of gas. Sure enough, these results can be achieved in tandem with your pedaling. The Goblin tricycle is able to accelerate up to 20 miles per hour while the electrical assist along with pedaling produces 30 miles per hour.

As you pedal the trike, the gas engine produces just a few horsepower to move your trike effortlessly. According to the manufacturer, the Goblin trike was able to vertically travel up to 6 500 feet without too much effort. This imposing car is available for 6 500 USD, so if cycling is what you like a lot, the car is ready for a joy ride.



Friday, August 7, 2009


If you want to drive a car that will turn many heads, this concept car called Brontes fits the bill. Designed by Spanish car designer Marco Aurelio Galan Henriquez, this beautiful concept car runs on electric engine giving you a sustainable city driving. This environmentally friendly car seats two passengers and features amazing exterior looks.

The Brontes car is powered by a lithium-ion battery that powers its electric engines. However, do not expect high speed or long-distance driving range as the car uses just 3 wheels. According to its designer, the car measures 2, 7 meters in length, 1, 8 meters in width and 1, 34 meters in height. Thanks to its electric engine, the Brontes car features a silent cruising.



Thursday, August 6, 2009


The design of this eco-friendly gadget is credited to Rong Yong and Jiang Qian. The device performs two major functions: firstly it saves gallons of water when washing clothes and secondly the Partial Washer produces solar electricity and thus cuts your electricity bill.

It is most likely that the gadget was developed for people who are lazy enough to do their laundry, but it could also be used for those who want to go camping, taking the portable washer with them.

With the help of the solar-powered Partial Washer users can wash only the part of clothes that requires cleaning. The device has a clamp that one can place on the stained part of garments. The gadget takes advantage of the new air washing technology, which uses a very small amount of water.



Wednesday, August 5, 2009


If you can not imagine your day without a cup of coffee, this fashionably designed coffee maker called Bugatti coffee machine will make you want it. This kitchen gadget will make it possible for you to enjoy the coffer made by yourself. Featuring an Italian design, this gorgeously looking coffee machine comes equipped with a temperature gauge, embedded 800 ml water tank and cup warmer.

With the Bugatti coffee machine you yourself will be able to make a cup of scrumptious coffee. Thanks to its 15-bar pumps you will enjoy 2 cups of alluring coffee at a time while its drop system makes sure the fresh water intake makes your coffee making experience enjoyable. Available in different colors, including pink and yellow, this beautiful coffee machine is not supposed to occupy much space in your kitchen.

The Bugatti coffee machine can be had for 1, 300 USD. This smart coffee maker is able to get ground coffee and coffee pods. Another noticeable feature includes a steam wand designed to froth milk, cappuccino along with tea. The coffee machine weighs about 10, 8 kg; however its weight may be different. The Bugatti coffee machine consumes 1050 watts and is covered by 2 year warranty.

The Bugatti coffee machine is plated in chrome and measures 36 cm in height, 24 cm in width and 24 cm in length. This fantastic coffee maker features bodywork and base in aluminum while other screws and attached supports are made of stainless steel. Only 2 minutes are needed to warm up your coffee. Other features include thermometer dial made of shockproof polycarbonate, thermo block heating element.



Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Many of those cat lovers would have problems changing their cat litters on a daily basis. Still there are those who find it difficult to manage those unpleasant situations like nasty smell. But stop worrying about this as there is an ingenious pet gadget called the CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Box that makes difference. This smart gizmo has been specifically designed to make your pet problems disappear.

The CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Box does not need to touch or change your cat litter anymore thanks to its washable granules operating on a regular basis. The device drains collected liquid through the permanent granules whilst liquefying and scooping the waste simultaneously. After that, the solid waste along with liquid are flushed right down the drain.

This time, you will not have to change manually your litter box instead you may easily preset the timer of the CatGenie or push the button. This smart device makes it possible to get rid of unpleasant odor and potential germs. This smart car box is able to maintain itself and may be a perfect solution for those who have two or three cats preferably over 6 months old.

In order to dry granules, its embedded dryer automatically blows hot air until they are dry. The CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Box is covered by 2 year limited warranty and is available for 279, 99 USD. The CatGenie is tested and recommended by vets so you may be sure your cat feels comfortable. The CatGenie includes special hardware for a water supply, 2 cartridges, 2 boxes of granules and instructions.

The CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Box measures 21 inches in height, 19 inches for cat area and 16 inches in width. Made of translucent material which is both biodegradable and recyclable, this cat box appears to be cleaner solution. Managing your cat has never been so easy so why not give your cats all the care they deserve.



Monday, August 3, 2009


Leaving your favorite bicycle unattended in public areas might be risky and you never know what could happen with it. But are there reliable locks that are able to protect your green transportation from being stolen? Here is a trustworthy gadget dubbed Rimlock bike that is capable of locking your bicycle in a smart way.

Once locked, it appears to be unable to drive anymore until you unlock it. Does not it sound like a good idea? With the Rimlock, bikers may not worry anymore about their bicycle’s future. Wherever you leave it, it is well protected. Simply use the key in the hub of the bicycle and remove its rim to completely disable it.

Not only does the Rimlock lock front wheel but also locks it its back wheel. Just one turn of the key will make your bike motionless. However if you prefer some extra protection for your bike, you may additionally use a traditional chain lock.



Sunday, August 2, 2009



You must have seen a lot of electric cars. But this one called the Speedway is a concept car that has more to offer whether it is a speed or driving range. Designed by Christian Forg, this concept car seems to be an ideal replacement for highways and regular city driving. This environmentally friendly car is powered by linear engines wherever you need more driving range and speed.

This zero emission electric marvel is able change its power along with shape. When you need it just for city driving, the car will be powered by electric engine with 200 miles of driving range while for those long distance destinations the car will capture power right from its linear engines that are supposed to be fitted into the highways.

Once its shape has been changed, the car becomes more aerodynamic with altered seating arrangement for more relaxing seating position. The designer has also offered next generation parking towers for the car. The contact-free propulsion system along with magnetic fields improves car speed as well as its driving range while charging your on-board batteries to make certain your cruising does not stop unexpectedly.



Saturday, August 1, 2009

Security researchers have apparently motivated Apple to kick out a patch that plugs an SMS hole in the iPhone's operating system. As demonstrated in a Thursday presentation at Black Hat, an iPhone flaw allowed hackers to launch malicious attacks through text messages. On Friday, Apple served up a fix.

Could something as simple as an SMS More about SMS text message turn your own smartphone against you, allowing a hacker to listen in on your private conversations or direct you to a malicious Web site?

It can be done, according to security experts presenting their findings Thursday at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.

News of the now exposed flaw generated quite a buzz, especially because the researchers said they had notified Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Apple Store Discount on Office 2008 for Mac - Home and Student Edition . Click here. More about Apple about the iPhone's susceptibility to the attack, but the vendor had not released a fix at the time it was revealed at the conference.

However, the iPhone maker on Friday rushed out with an iPhone OS update that it says addresses the flaw.

Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) More about Google Android operating system is also affected by an SMS flaw, but the Internet search giant has fixed it.

The danger of SMS flaws is that they let attacks spread widely very fast and have the potential to take phishing and cyberfraud to new heights.
News of the iPhone SMS Flaw

At Black Hat, Charlie Miller, a researcher from Independent Security Evaluators, and University of Berlin Ph.D. candidate Collin Mulliner demonstrated that hackers can break into an iPhone through the SMS protocol to launch a denial of service (DoS) attack or take control of a user's device.

They showed that hackers can launch malware attacks through a victim's iPhone or implement other types of attacks common in the PC world, such as installing information-stealing Trojans.

That's because smartphones, with their flash memory, operating systems and other capabilities, are essentially very small computers. iPhone hackers and crackers have been able to turn the phone into what could arguably be called a desktop. The Java-based Open Office suite can be ported to the iPhone and, because the iPhone has a connector on its base for video output, it can be hooked up to a large screen. Add a keyboard, and you have a computer with at least 16 GB of disk space, 128 MB of RAM and a 600 MHz processor that can run any Linux application.

Miller, who formerly worked at the National Security Agency, released the first remote exploit for the iPhone back in 2007 and has made a career out of breaking Apple's security. He made it to Popular Mechanics' Top 10 Hackers list in 2008.
Apple Issues Update

The duo publicized the flaw at Black Hat because Apple did not initially respond to their requests to fix it, they said.

On Friday, after news of the attack had been widely reported, Apple introduced iPhone OS 3.0.1, which it claims patches the SMS flaw.

Apple's exclusive carrier in the U.S., AT&T (NYSE: T) More about AT&T, said it's working hard to maintain security. "AT&T takes all security threats seriously, and we have controls and mitigation capabilities in place that block and identify attempts to breach the security of our network," spokesperson Jeannie Hornung told TechNewsWorld.
iPhone Users Upset

News of the flaw sparked the creation of a topic on how to disable SMS on Apple's iPhone forum.

"In light of the recently announced hack of iPhone's SMS, I'd like to turn the feature completely," dan-the-red wrote on the forum. "Once there's a permanent solution ... well, I'd like to leave it off. Frankly, I can't stand it. How can I kill it, short of turning off the iPhone?"
What Is SMS and Why Is It Flawed?

SMS, part of the GSM series of standards, uses standardized communication protocols to let mobile phone users send and receive messages of up to 160 characters.

GSM has several vulnerabilities, some of which carry over into SMS. However, SMS has additional vulnerabilities because of its store-and-forward feature and because it can be conducted over the Internet.

Back in 2005, researchers at Pennsylvania State University presented a paper on SMS' vulnerabilities at the 12th ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security.

Titled "Exploiting Open Functionality in SMS-Capable Cellular Networks," this paper said that connections between mobile phones and the Internet through SMS could let hackers kill voice service to large metropolitan areas with a cable modem. The hackers could target the entire United States with a medium-sized zombie network.

SMS traffic can be used to create a denial-of-service (DoS) attack by simply sending enough of them to flood control channels. "It would be theoretically possible to knock out cellular service for the continent with a data rate of approximately 370 Mbps," the paper stated.
The Danger of Thinking Big

Hackers have not launched wide-scale attacks through SMS so far perhaps because they would first have to collect data on the phones available in a given area. However, that can be done over the Internet.

"Evidently, the bad guys haven't been able to figure out how to do it effectively yet," Randy Abrams, director of technical education at security vendor ESET, told TechNewsWorld.

However, when the hackers do figure it out -- if they manage to work around the patch Apple delivered -- it could be big trouble. "The iPod touch and iPhone share the same operating system, so if I can infect your iPhone and use it to infect all other iPhones in your address book, that could spread like wildfire," Carl Howe, director, anywhere consumer research at the Yankee Group, told TechNewsWorld.

The iPod touch would be a good vector to help spread the infection because it uses WiFi and can drop off the network after pulling or sending malware. Yankee's research shows there are more than 40 million iPhones and iPod touches worldwide.

"This could parallel the swine flue pandemic with the rapidity of its spread," Howe said.
Google Plugs the Leak

The Android operating system also suffered from an SMS flaw, but it's different from the Apple flaw, according to Android security engineer Rich Cannings.

The Android flaw would let attackers temporarily knock mobile phones off the cell network but would not let them gain control of the devices, Cannings told TechNewsWorld.

Miller and Mulliner had notified Google about the flaw at the end of June, and Google fixed it within days, Cannings said. "We made the fix available to carriers and OEMs for use in updating their customers, and have updated open source Android," he added.

Android users who update their systems will see that the update includes a security fix.
Taking CyberFraud to the Max

Security fixes are essential because SMS spoofing could take cyberfraud to new heights, ESET's Abrams warned.

"I just got an e-mail from a stranger claiming she's stranded in London and has lost her wallet and passport and asking me to send her money," he said. Such messages are a common tactic for scammers who break into a victim's email account and then steal money from that person's friends.

"That sort of fraud will be even more effective on cellphones than it is on e-mail when it appears to come from your friend, because people trust their cellphone messages even more than they trust e-mail," he said.