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Web Design Pitfalls
Windows XP Tweaks
What is Podcasting
Sharepoint
What's New
About Inorbital
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Each year, Internet design guru Jakob Nielsen asks readers of his newsletter to help
formulate a list of the worst design mistakes on websites. Check off any you are guilty of, and redesign.
Read More
from the Globe and Mail
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Computers are shipped to the customer with factory settings and drivers, meant to standardize the
performance and appearance of a particular brand or model. Here, we’ve assembled 10 fast n’ easy
tweaks for any PC that break the “factory mold” and improve performance. Try a few of these tips and
you may see significant increase!
Clean Out Your System Tray
If you have a new PC, this is something to watch. If your PC is a few months (or even weeks) old,
here’s a helpful tip: Eliminate every unnecessary application. These apps drain your processor’s cycles
and memory. That means a gradual slowdown, until you’re crawling.
Update Your Drivers
It’s easy and fast, yet most PC users never bother. Keeping on top of video card and chipset drivers by
visiting the manufacturer’s site frequently can deliver amazing performance benefits. We recommend a
once-a-month checkup of drivers. You’ll be happy you did.
Enable DMA For Your System
First a definition of DMA: Short for direct memory access, a technique for transferring data from main
memory to a device without passing it through the CPU. Computers that have DMA channels can transfer
data to and from devices much more quickly than computers without a DMA channel can. This is useful for
making quick backups and for real-time applications. So, here’s our recommendation: Go to the Device
Manager of your PC and take a look at the Properties of your Primary IDE Channel. On the “Advanced
Settings” tab, make sure that DMA, if available, is checked for both devices. Do the same thing with
the “Secondary IDE Channel.”
Visit windowsupdate.com Regularly
This is a big one. Also very fast and simple. The “patches” that are made available on a weekly basis
not only provide protection for your PC, they are also designed to improve performance. We recommend at
least twice per month.
Convert Your Drives To NTFS
If you want to get the most from your drives, you may want to convert them to NTFS. Here’s how: Open a
command line and type: Convert x: /fs:ntfs
…Except you will replace the “x” with your drive’s letter-name.
NOTE: Back up your important files before attempting this conversion.
Use Quick Launch
Common problem. Simple fix. Instead of cluttering your Desktop with shortcuts, just right-click the
Taskbar, go to Toolbars, and make sure Quick Launch is checked. Then drag your favorite shortcuts to the
Quick Launch bar for easy access, anytime.
Speed Up Your User Interface
Today’s PCs often come to you with many graphical bells and whistles, and while they’re cute, they rob
your system of fundamental power. Faster is better. Here’s our recommendation: Go to the Display control
panel, click the Appearance tab and hit the Effects button. Uncheck the first two options, as well as
“Show shadows under menus.” Use minimal graphics and go faster.
Create One-Click Access To Device Manager
To open Device Manager in Windows XP without the hassle of going to System Properties, just create a
shortcut to “devmgmt.msc”
Did You Know Windows XP Has An On-Screen Keyboard?
Another XP secret revealed. You may need it if you can’t get to your keyboard. Here’s how: Open My
Computer and browse to C:/Windows/System32 then double-click osk.exe. The keyboard operates with simple
point-and-click commands.
Defrag. Defrag. Defrag.
A “must” for busy PC users, made simple. Here’s how: Regular defragmentation can improve your machine’s
hard drive performance by massive amounts. To begin defragging, right-click your hard drive in My
Computer, select Properties, go to the Tools tab, then click defrag. Do this religiously every month or
so and you’ll enjoy smooth sailing.
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Podcasting is a means of distributing audio and video programs via the
Internet that lets users subscribe to a number of files, also known as "feeds", and then hear
or view the material at the time that they choose. A feed is usually in the MP3 audio format.
Podcasting became popular in late 2004 with the spread of free software that enabled automatic downloading
of audio MP3 files onto computers and mobile MP3 players.
"Podcasting" is distinct from other types of online media delivery because of its subscription
model, rather than one-time delivery. A series of files are delivered because subscribers want to get the
information regularly.
Subscriptions use a "feed" (such as RSS or Atom) to deliver the enclosed files. Podcasting
enables independent producers to create self-published, syndicated "radio shows," and gives
broadcast radio or television programs a new distribution method. Listeners may subscribe to feeds
using "podcatching" software (a type of aggregator, which periodically checks for and downloads
new content automatically.
The word "Podcast" is often incorrectly used to describe any Web link to a
media-player-compatible audio file. Some radio personalities post MP3 versions of their shows and call
them podcasts even though they offer no subscription feed.
Most podcatching software facilitates copying podcasts to portable music players. Any digital audio player
or computer with audio-playing software can play podcasts. From the earliest RSS-enclosure tests in
2000-2001, feeds have been used to deliver video files as well as audio. By 2005 some aggregators and
mobile devices could receive and play video, but the "podcast" name remained most associated
with audio.
"Podcasting" is a portmanteau that combines the words "broadcasting" and
"iPod." The term can be misleading since neither podcasting nor listening to podcasts
requires an iPod or any portable player, and no broadcasting is involved.
Aware of that misleading association from the beginning, some writers have suggested alternative names
or reinterpretations of the letters "p-o-d", without winning much of a following.[1]
One little-used alternative is "blogcasting", which implies content based on, or similar in
format to, blogs. Another is "audioblogging."
Reprinted from
Wikipedia
Favorite Podcasts - Staff Picks
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About Inorbital
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Our Services include:
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Professionally crafted
award-winning web
development with user
objectives driving the
design. The freshest
principles as they apply to
a clean, clear and
successful web experience.
This combined with our
ultra-strong programming
skills has positioned us to deliver
your web presence at the highest level.
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Cheers and the best to all during the upcoming Holiday season!
Thank you for your continued support! If you have any suggestions, tips, or other comments please e-mail them to
us at: newsletter@inorbital.com
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