SCIENCE, COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY

How to Protect Worksheets in Excel

2009-01-01T11:47:00.001+05:30

The best use of the Excel protection system is to prevent a data entry person from accidentally damaging formulas or formatting in your spreadsheet file. Passwords aren't needed for this purpose.

Worksheet protection

There are two different menu locations that together control worksheet protection:

* Format, Cells, Protection, with a check box labeled Locked, to choose which cells the user will be able to modify when the sheet is protected

* Tools, Protection, Protect Sheet to toggle sheet protection on and off In a new blank worksheet all cells are formatted Locked, but worksheet protection is off (Tools menu) so the locked cell formats have no effect. This is the part that confuses some people; it seems to work backwards to expectations, but the way it works actually makes it less work to use, once you get used to it.

Here's what you do: select all the cells you want the user to be able to edit, either one range at a time or all together using the Control key, and go to Format Cells Protection and uncheck Locked. Then you can go to Tools Protection and turn on sheet protection. The user will only be able to type in the cells you formatted unlocked; if they try to change a locked cell, deliberately or by accident, they'll get an error dialog.

Workbook protection

To prevent the user from deleting or inserting worksheet tabs, go to Tools, Protection, Protect Workbook. In both this dialog and the Protect Sheet dialog, most of the time you won't need to change any check box options.

When either sheet or workbook protection is on, the submenu item at Tools Protection (pictured above) will say "Unprotect Sheet" or "Unprotect Workbook" instead of "Protect."

Increasing the Life of the Hard Disk

2009-01-01T11:41:00.001+05:30

Taking care of your hard disk is important because this is the place where all the data is stored and once the hard disk crashes, data in most cases is not recoverable. There are data recovery softwares and programs which recover data from crashed hard disks but that is not for normal computer users.

But why do hard disks crash and what can be done to prevent them from crashing?. At the same time how can a hard disk be made more efficient? Here are the answers.

Hard disks crash due to many reasons. Voltage fluctuations, physical impact, improper alignment and of course mechanical failure due to wear and tear of internal parts. Let us start one by one and get the answers to the above problems.

1. Voltage fluctuations or spikes as they are called can be prevented by using voltage stabilizers or spike guards. This will limit the damage to the hard disk to a great extent.

2. Physical impact can be prevented by handling the hard disk carefully when installing/ re-installing. When installing the hard disk care should be taken to see that it sits perfectly horizontal and that it does not vibrate or shake once the computer is started.

3. The natural wear and tear of parts can be limited by defragmenting your hard disk from time to time.But what is defragmentation? All newly created files are stored in various places on the hard disk in a single cluster ( contiguous file ). But, as the number of files and programs increase, these files are not stored as one contiguous file but broken down and scattered in various places on the hard disk. In short files get fragmented. When these files are accessed by the user, the head on the hard disk moves to and fro to locate these fragments. These fragmented files puts lot of mechanical pressure on the internal parts of the hard disk. This leads to crashes. To start disk defragmenter from the start menu, click the start button and follow this path (All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Disk Defragmenter). A minimum of 15 percent free space on your disk is needed for disk defragmenter to run. The disk can also be defragmented automatically by using schedule task. This program can can be accessed via system tools.

4. Power management tool can also be used to enhance the life of hard disk. To access this program go to start / control panel / power options and set the parameters for various hardware devices.

5. Disk cleanup increases the efficiency of the hard disk. So delete unwanted files and programs regularly.

13 Killer Excel 2007 Shortcuts

2008-12-07T16:16:00.001+05:30

1. Apply the outline border to the selected cells. [ Ctrl-Shift-& ]

2. Apply the Date format with the day, month, and year.[ Ctrl-Shift-# ]

4. Enter the current time. [ Ctrl-Shift-: ]

5. Enter the current date. [ Ctrl-; ]

6. Hide the selected rows. [ Ctrl-9 ]

7. Hide the selected columns. [ Ctrl-0 ]

8. Alternate between displaying cell values and displaying formulas in the worksheet. [ Ctrl-` ]

9. Display the Find and Replace dialog box, with the Replace tab selected. [ Ctrl-H ]

10. Display the Insert Hyperlink dialog box for new hyperlink. [ Ctrl-K ]

11. Display the Print Preview window. [ Ctrl-F2 ]

12. Switch to the next workbook window. [ Ctrl-F6 ]

13. Display the Macro dialog box to create, run, edit, or delete a macro. [ Alt-F8 ]

Disable the UAC feature in Vista

2008-12-07T16:09:00.001+05:30

Are you tired of those User Account Control (UAC) prompts that appear whenever you're trying to run some admin tool on your Vista computer? They appear even if you're user account is a member of the Administrators group on your machine. That's because Protected Admins (PAs) normally run with the privileges of a standard user on Vista, which means to perform some administrative task or use an admin tool you have to first elevate your privileges to admin level, which is what the UAC prompt is designed to do.

Well, UAC is there for a reason--if your computer got infected by some malware and this malware tried to run an admin tool, the UAC prompt would appear to warn you that someone (you? Malware?) is trying to run a tool designed only for administrators. And a UAC prompt when you don't expect it would be a sure sign that something's gotten into your machine's innards.

Still, some users (especially sysadmins) are likely to find these UAC prompts annoying at best, so here's how to disable UAC on your machine:

1. Open Administrative Tools in Control Panel

2. Double-click on System Configuration

3. Click Continue to accept the UAC prompt

4. Select the Tools tab

5. Scroll down and select Disable UAC

6. Click Launch

7. Reboot your machine

Note that you may not be able to disable UAC if Group Policy configured for enforcing UAC on your computers.

Note: This tip is based on a pre-release version of Windows Vista and may not reflect functionality in the final product.

Use Firefox Profiles for different browsing habits

2008-12-07T16:01:00.001+05:30

One of the most under-looked features of Firefox is its ability to run different profiles. This is perfect for various reasons. If more than one person is using the same computer, each person can have a different profile where he can have his own customized Firefox setting - such as extensions or bookmarks.

Another reason to use different profiles is when using FireFox for different purposes. Obviously, most people don't use every extension every time they use Firefox. However, the fact that the extension is installed makes Firefox startup and run slower than usual. The more extensions you run, the slower Firefox will run.

Use Firefox Profiles for different browsing habits

You can create Firefox profiles for the different browsing habits that you have. For example, if you are a web developer, you can have all extensions for that on one profile, without the unnecessary ones cluttering your Firefox. Likewise, if you want to browse without leaving any trace -"private browsing" - you can have a profile with the extension distrust or stealther and noscript.

For normal browsing, you can have another profile, and so on. This will keep your Firefox neat and fast - leaving only the necessary extensions and bookmarks for their respective purposes.

To use Firefox Profiles, follow these steps:

1. Go to Start->Run and type:

Firefox -p

Ffprofile.GIF

2. Click on Create Profile and name it whatever you want (porn mode, work)

3. Run each profile and set it up exactly how you want it - download the correct extensions and place the bookmarks that you need.

Place desktop shortcuts for each profile:

To create shortcuts for each Firefox profile, put a shortcut for Firefox on your desktop for each profile. So if you have 4 profiles, place 4 shortcuts to Firefox. Right click->Properties on each shortcut and go to the Shortcut tab. In the target field, it will be something like this:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe"

Simply add -p name to the end where name is the name of the profile. So if the profile name is 'private' the Target field should look like this:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe" -p private

Ffprofile21.GIF

Do this for every shortcut of Firefox.

Depending on how many extensions you normally use, this can speed up your Firefox significantly (especially how long it takes it to start up) because the extensions are spread over more profiles. Also, it's much less cluttered because you can spread bookmarks also.

10 Basic Tips for Internet Explorer

2008-12-06T20:18:00.001+05:30

Contributed by: Rajesh (verygood101 @ yahoo.com)

In order to use the Internet Explorer (IE) effectively, we have some basic tips for you to try

1. To extend the window area of the IE, you can make it easy by pressing the F11 key. Then you press it again in order to return the IE to the normal window.

2. Sometimes you want to search a keyword in a long web page that you are surfing. How do you do ?? Just press Ctrl+F and place the keyword you want.

3. Using Backspace key in your keyboard instead of clicking Back in the IE window.

4. You can close your IE window that you are surfing by Ctrl+W.

5. To see the surfing websites history, Press F4 key to see the URL which you have typed.

6. Press Ctrl+D in order to save the url which you are surfing. And the url will be in the Favorites.

7. To send a web page to your friend. Do you know we can send it by email from the IE's tools ? Let you try it, go to File > Send > Page by E-mail...

8. To slide the web page by using the keyboard, try it with the arrow keys. To slide it to the bottom and the top of the web page, try the End and Home key.

9. If you find a picture that you prefer it to be the desktop wallpaper, you can immediately set it, right click on the picture area and select the Set as wallpaper.

10. To slide the web page gradually, you may use the Page up, Page down and Spacebar keys. Try it!

Microsoft Providing FREE Software to Students

2008-12-06T10:22:00.001+05:30

Microsoft is Providing Professional Developer and Designer tools for students at no charge.Microsoft DreamSpark enables students to download Microsoft developer and design tools at no charge.This enables students to unlock there creative potential and set you on the path to academic and career success,by supporting and advancing your learning and skills through technical design, technology, math, science and engineering activities. Download it online or get it from here.

Difference between ROM, RAM, and storage capacity?

2008-11-09T12:22:00.001+05:30

Contributed by: Ahmed Imam (idealimam @ yahoo.com)

Because they're measured in the same units, users often confuse a computer's RAM, ROM, and storage capacity. This article explores their differences in laymen's terms.

These days, it's hard to function without knowing how to use a computer. They've become indispensable tools in most schools, at many jobs, and even at home. It seems that there are few machines, from telephones to cars to cash registers, that can't be hooked up to computers in order to make them more efficient. And if computers aren't already complex enough to strain our brains, the folks who work with them seem to have a fondness for impenetrable acronyms: RAM, ROM, CPU, DIMM, SIMM, IDE, CMOS, BIOS, TSR, MHz -- the list goes on. Plus, they have a penchant for using the same units of measurement for different things.

The most glaring example of the latter is the use of the term "byte" and its larger relatives to describe three different (if related) issues: RAM, ROM, and storage capacity. All are important to understand if you really want to know how your computer works, and unfortunately it's easy to get them confused. The most common error is to assume that the RAM and the disk drive storage capacity are the same; they're not, and ROM is something else altogether. All are memory of a sort, but not the same kinds of memory. The purpose of this article is to clarify the differences between them, in language that's easy to understand.

Let's start with basics: the units used to measure the different flavors of computer memory. A byte (B) consists of a grouping of eight binary digits ("bits"), and is typically considered the smallest addressable unit of data. A byte is usually enough to indicate a single character in a file -- say, a letter or a number. A grouping of 1024 bytes is called a kilobyte (KB); 1000 KB, or 1,024,000 bytes, equals a megabyte (MB). Larger units include the gigabyte (GB), which equals 1,000 MB, and the terabyte (TB), which is way up there at 1000 GB -- 1,024,000,000,000 bytes.

In the old days (before 1990), KB were usually sufficient for discussing the capacity of an everyday computer. Back then, a computer with a MB ("meg") of memory or storage capacity was a manmade wonder right up there with the Pyramids. No more: MB and GB are necessary now, and it seems that terabyte-level computers are just around the corner.

So if the compugeeks of the world are capable of creating computers of such power and complexity, why did they decide to use the same units of measure for different things? The answer is twofold. First off, the usage got entrenched in the industry early on, and is now impossible to root out. Secondly (and most importantly), the phenomena the units measure is quite similar, whether you're speaking of RAM, ROM, or capacity. Bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes always describe computer memory. The memory, however, is used for different things.

RAM is short for Random Access Memory, and comes from hardware components wired into or attached to the motherboard, the main circuit board of your computer. RAM is used to run certain basic programs and functions that your computer needs to operate correctly, and functions only while the computer is receiving power. Programs you're using are written in RAM temporarily while the computer is processing them. Think of RAM as a playing field, a large open area where your programs function. Each program takes up a certain amount of space; the field can accommodate one or several different programs at one time, but its capacity is limited. When you shut down a program, it disappears from RAM and (ideally) the space it occupied can be reused. Sometimes some operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, won't relinquish the RAM space even when a program is closed.

However, because stuff in the RAM is retained only while the computer is powered up, turning it off will always clear the RAM.

If you want a larger playing field in real life, you have to add onto the field by acquiring more property. With RAM, you do this by adding additional memory. In most cases, this memory comes in the form of "RAM sticks," small rectangular cards studded with memory modules. These fit in special slots in the motherboard. Single Inline Memory Modules (SIMMs) are still used, but Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs) are becoming the standard.

ROM is an acronym for Read Only Memory, a type of unchangeable memory residing in chips on your motherboard. ROM contains the bare minimum of instructions needed to start your computer. Because it's used for critical functions, it can't be removed short of ripping it out of the motherboard; adding to it is just as difficult. Think of it as analogous to municipal utilities, such as gas and electricity. If you want a different configuration, you'll have to "move on" to a different motherboard or computer. Incidentally, the term "ROM" is also used, not entirely correctly, when referring to some kinds of storage media that can't be modified, such as CD-ROMs.

The term "storage capacity" is most often used to describe disk drives, which tend to be permanent, though many forms of storage media are removable: the various types of floppy disks, high-capacity Zip disks, CD-ROMs, and tape cartridges, to name the most common types. To extend the real-estate analogy used previously, your storage memory -- also known as secondary storage -- can be thought of as a series of warehouses, some of them mobile, where you can store programs.

Programs come in various sizes, from a few KB on up to several hundred MB. A particular storage "warehouse," such as a disk drive, has a finite amount of space in which to store programs. Depending upon its capacity, any given storage warehouse might be packed tight, or it might contain one tiny program stuck off in a corner. If one particular "warehouse" gets full, you can always construct or bring in another.

That's it in a nutshell. Basically, RAM is the size of your playing field, and can be increased as you purchase more "real estate"; ROM is equivalent to your utilities, the hardwired bare necessities needed to operate your computer, and is fixed in size; and storage capacity can be thought of as warehouses of various size, some of them mobile, which can be trucked in or constructed as circumstances warrant. It would take a book the size of a dictionary to cover everything about RAM, ROM, and storage, but hopefully this article will provide you with the basics you need to cut through any initial confusion. Good luck -- when it comes to computers, you'll need it!

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7 Short Tips on Word 2007

2008-10-29T18:09:00.001+05:30

7 Short Tips on Word 07

Here is a quick look at my 7 tips which I have started using them recently more often.

Changing page orientation :- In Word's default settings, the width of pages is shorter than the length. To change this, Go to Page Setup > Orientation, select the Landscape icon. You are done. You can even have Customized size from the Size box.

Printing selected portions of document :- Sometimes you would like to print certain portions of a document. To do this, first select the portion of the document you want a print out of. Go to the Office button > Print. In the dialog box, check the Selection box. You can also define the Page range.

Applying Subscripts and Superscripts :- To apply Subscript formatting to text in a Word document, press Control + Equal Sign. To apply Superscript formatting, press Control + Shift + Plus Sign.

Checking the Thesaurus :- Sometimes while writing your document, you need a synonym for a word, and might have no time to log on to the Internet. Word has its own built-in thesaurus. To access it, select the word for which you need a synonym and press Shift-F7.

Changing the case of letters :- One of the annoying things that happen to me is that I press the Caps Lock key by mistake, and not even realize it. The result is that words that need to be in lower case end up capitalized or vice versa. To fix this, select the text and press Shift + F3 to change the case of the words. This is a toggle key that will allow you to choose between block capitals, title case and sentence case.

Return Font to Default format :- You are working on a document in a particular font. You use Bold or Italics, etc to change the format for a word or a phrase. Now to get back to the default font format you were working with, press Ctrl and the Spacebar together.

Moving paragraphs Up or Down :- To move a paragraph up in a Word file, select the paragraph and press Alt + Shift+ Up arrow. To move a paragraph down, select it, press Alt + Shift + Down arrow.

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5 tips on Powerpoint 2007

2008-10-29T18:07:00.001+05:30

It's been more than a year now, I have been using Powerpoint 2007 to create presentations, All thanks to my college faculties for giving us presentations to be presented every week. During this one year, I have learned a lot on how to use the features in PowerPoint 2007, and what all features are there not available in earlier versions. I have listed down these points which will be helpful to you if you ever intend to give presentation anywhere.

SmartArt :- WOW, this is truly a Wow feature by Microsoft. SmartArt got great designs and shapes to be used. The good part is that you can change colors, give pre defined color combinations, which may suite your presentation theme and your topic. They also provide you designs for special purpose like Hierarchy, process, Chain reaction and few more It completely eliminates the requirements for those drawing tool, used to draw those flow charts.

Formatting Images :- Basic formatting did exist in earlier versions, but was not very interactive. The new version is much better and provides some more better and required features. Changes made to the images can be seen live, as soon as you make any changes, you do not need to apply those changes to see the effect of it. Another feature provided is to disable the image compression which in turn increases the size of presentation but also the quality remains intact. To disable image compression Go to Image options (Appears when you insert and select an image) > Compress images > Options, and untick "Automatically perform Basic compression on save". From there you can also set the density of the image as per the requirements. The only problem which I came to know later on was that you need to do this again and again, for different images, as it is not a permanent change.

Page Setup :- It is not possible to give a presentation in a single style on all the Projectors. According to the device you are presenting on, you need to change the page setup, hence getting the most of it. We cannot present the same presentation on Plasma and on a projector, as both have different aspect ratios. To select the proper page setup, Go to View tab > Slide Master >Page Setup. From here choose the correct setup you want to. You can have customized sizes as well.

Custom shows :- We are used to give long presentations in short duration, and leave the deep understanding part. You have to insert that data so that everyone could read that. One way is to put notes in each and every single slide, But in notes to, everything cannot be expressed. The other way is to create a complete slide and present a Custom show. How ? Just Go to Slide show tab > Custom Slide, and choose the slides you want to show. Simple enough.

Rehearse Timings :- Timings are very important for us. If we go beyond those time limits, we are bound to get reduced marks. This rehearsal tool comes in handy, where in you can practice and see if your speech matches with the presentation and time allotted. You can also set the time for slides to switch automatically when you have rehearsed, and save that rehearsal. This is one of my favorite tools which I think was needed but the there was no alternative to that.

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Using RSS Feeds in Outlook

2008-10-19T20:28:00.001+05:30

Using Outlook to manage and read your RSS feeds has several advantages over a stand-alone aggregator, including the ability to place flags and run rules on any RSS feed to which you subscribe.

Some of you might be wondering what is RSS? Really Simple Syndication (usually referred to as RSS) is a way to get updates to websites sent to you instead of having to go back to the web to see if any changes have been made. In this way, you can keep up-to-date on news and information from many different sources in one place. For example, you could subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog to be notified when we post a new article. You could also subscribe to the MSNBC Top Headlines RSS feed to keep up to date on top news stories. Many companies are starting to use RSS feeds internally to provide their employees with information that doesn't need to be e-mailed to the entire company.

In the past, people had to use a stand-alone RSS reader such as FeedDemon or an Outlook add-in such as NewsGator to view their RSS feeds. Outlook 2007 now includes a built-in RSS reader, so now you can treat your RSS the way that you treat your mail (using flags, categories, search folders, rules, etc.) without having to use a separate application.

While Outlook is running, it will periodically check the feeds to which you have subscribed and download any new content. Outlook shows an unread count for each feed next to the folder, so you can quickly see if there are new items you haven't read yet. Because Outlook downloads the RSS feed data from onto your computer, you can access that data even while offline.

Feeds displayed in Outlook look just like mail folders, and show the unread count next to the feed name

Treat RSS just like E-mail

You can delete posts as you read them or keep posts of interest long after they have been removed from the feed. You can also categorize posts, move them to a separate folder, or flag them for follow up as you please. For example, if you are subscribed to a feed from your company's website, you can easily keep posts mentioning your projects and discard those that are of no interest to you. Or you can set up rules that move interesting RSS posts to your Inbox to bring them to your attention.

If you decide that a feed is no longer important, you can remove the feed by deleting the feed's folder in Outlook. Outlook will stop downloading new content for the feed and move all the existing downloaded posts to Deleted Items.

One of the really great things about RSS in Outlook is how well it integrates with some of the other features in the product. For example, I have several RSS feeds to which I subscribe but am not interested in every post they publish. Instead of scrolling through each feed manually, I use a Search Folder that searches my subscribed feeds for posts with keywords on topics of interest. Michael describes how to setup this type of Search Folder in this OfficeHours article.

Common Feeds List

Another handy feature is that RSS in Outlook is that the Outlook feed list can be synchronized with the Windows Common Feed List, which is the list of RSS feeds maintained by Internet Explorer 7 (or later). Outlook prompts you to enable this functionally on first startup, and you can later change that decision through Tools, Options.

Feeds from Internet Explorer and other Common Feeds List clients automatically appear in Outlook

When the synchronize option is turned on, any feed added to either IE or Outlook is added to the other automatically. Deleting a feed from Outlook, however, does not delete the feed from IE, so if you have a feed that is publishing a large volume of posts or very large posts that you do not want filling up your mailbox, you can delete the feed from Outlook but still read it in Internet Explorer. This way you can keep your favorite feeds - the feeds that you always want to download in Outlook and any feeds you just want to check on occasionally in Internet Explorer. Doing so is especially handy for those who have slow internet connections and who want to minimize RSS-related network activity from Outlook.

Downloading Enclosures and Full Articles

The option to download enclosures is also very convenient. Some RSS feeds have attachments to their RSS items to supplement the content of the article, like a song file, picture, or Office document. Also, some RSS feeds only post minimal data to their RSS items, such as an article summary and a link to the full article. Outlook makes it possible to download the article text as an attachment to the RSS item for viewing offline. By default, both of these features are turned off, but you may activate either feature by editing a feed's properties. To edit the properties of a feed, select Tools, then Account Manager from the main Outlook window. Select the RSS Feeds tab to see a list of the RSS Feeds Outlook is downloading for you, and use the Change button to modify a feed's properties.

You can also choose to download attachments or update an item directly from the RSS post in Outlook. Click the information bar at the top of the item to view the full article in your web browser, or download additional content.

There are certainly lots of different ways you can use RSS inside of Outlook 2007, and I hope you find some of these tips and tricks useful as you explore on your own.

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Word 2007 Tips

2008-10-19T20:22:00.000+05:30

1. Insert one Word 2007 file into another

You can combine multiple Word files into one. Open the file in which you want to insert another Word document and click where you want the file to be inserted. Click Insert on the Ribbon, go to the Text group and click the arrow next to the Object tool. Click Text from File. The Insert File dialog box will open; use this to select the file that you want to insert. Click OK.

2. Use the Document Map in Word 2007

When working with large documents, navigating from one section to another can be quite time-consuming. You can make this task easier by using the Document Map. To enable this, go to the View tab and the Show/Hide group. Select the checkbox against Document Map. The Map will open on the left side of your displayed text in Word 2007.

3. Create an Executive Summary in Word 2007

Word can help you create a summary for long documents, which you can place in the beginning or end of the same document, or in a separate file. For this, you first need to add AutoSummarize to the Quick Access toolbar. For this, click the Office button and then Word Options. Click Customize, and then in the Choose Commands from dropdown menu, click Choose Commands not in the Ribbon. Click AutoSummary, click Add, and then click OK. Now, open the document you want to summarize and click AutoSummary on the Quick Access toolbar. In the menu that opens, select a type of summary from the given four options and the length of the summary. Click OK.

4. Create tables quickly in Word 2007

To turn on the feature of creating tables with a few keystrokes, go to the Office button and click Word Options. In the dialog box, click Proofing and then AutoCorrect Options. Go to AutoFormat As You Type and select the checkbox against Tables. Click OK. Now, whenever you want to insert a table, type a few vertical bars on the document, separated by a single space (for narrow columns) or a few spaces (for wider columns). Click Enter to get a single-row table to start with. On some systems, this can also be done by using the plus sign and hyphens instead of the vertical bar and spaces.

5. Set the direction of text in the cells of a Word 2007 table

You can set the orientation of texthorizontal or verticalin the cells of a Word 2007 table. Right-click the cell whose text direction you want to change. Click Text Direction in the menu that appears. In the dialog box that opens, select the option you want to display text in. Click OK.

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Tips to Protect your WI-FI

2008-10-12T18:53:00.001+05:30

Internet users could adopt the following methods to ensure that s/he is safe.

1. Disabling the SSID broadcast . To some extent this makes it difficult for the hacker to detect the presence of a WiFi access point.

2. Enable MAC address filter . Each network interface has a unique MAC address, by filtering it, one can to an extent control which machines can use the access point.

3. Turn on WPA/WEP encryption . This ensures that traffic between a legitimate machine and an access point is not readable.

4. Change default admin passwords for access points .

5. Ensure access points are placed securely . In the centre of a room/office etc to minimise its signal strength outside the office.

Even after following the above precautions, your WiFI account could be compromised and hence, the things to look at are :

· Monitor usage of the access point . Have a clear inventory and knowledge about the position of each access point.

· Monitor the usage of the Internet link , to know what traffic is going out. For example, some corporate block e-mail providers like yahoo or hotmail. Hence, even if the access point is compromised, the hacker may not be able to use public e-mail systems.

· Consider a specific security policy for wireless networks. For example, most companies primarily use wired networks in the office as the primary media. Access points are used in common areas like conferences rooms etc. Hence, strict policies can be deployed on wireless networks as compared to wired networks.

Role of Digital Forensics:

Digital Forensics means the analysis of electronic media to detect forgery or manipulation . It is used to identify possible culprits and also to gather legal evidence to be used for prosecution.

Digital Forensics is a highly-specialised area and if not done using the right skills and tools could lead to evidence being deleted or not usable in the court of law. It is similar to that of criminal forensics and hence needs special skills and tools. Hence, it would be advisable for companies to understand their responsibility and the do's and don'ts during a breach.

Public e-mails systems have limited information about its users and normally provide it to law enforcement agencies on special request. This information is picked up during e-mail ID creation, usage etc.

Most usual information picked up is the source of the Internet Protocol , which can be masked using techniques like using others' WiFi networks. Hence, unless e-mail providers enable higher security mechanisms like special authentication while creating users not much can be done. It is not easy for e-mail providers to do this as, by definition, these e-mail systems are free and open for people to use.

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Running Scandisk

2008-09-14T15:53:00.001+05:30

As you save, erase, and move files sometimes things do not go just right. This is not caused by anything you are doing wrong. A PC is a very complex, fast machine and despite the best efforts of all the designers, engineers and programmers who've toiled to make it flawless, sometimes programs collide and mess up each others files.

This unwanted interaction can result in invalid files, files with lost file fragments, and cross linked files. You don't always know right away when this happens. This is why you should run the Scandisk utility from time to time.

For Windows 9x and ME

1) Click the Start button.

2) Select Programs, Accessories, then System Tools. Click Scandisk.

3) Select and click the drive you want to scan, and then choose either the Standard or the Thorough test.

4) Click Start.

Scandisk runs in two modes

The Standard test checks the files and folders on the selected drive for errors.
The Thorough test performs the Standard test and then checks the entire surface of your hard drive for physical damage. You can even specify to scan areas of your disk containing only data files, or just the areas with system files, or both. This process takes a long time. Unless the Standard test fails you shouldn't need to run this test.

For Windows XP and 2000

In XP and 2000, the utility is called 'Error Checking' and doesn't offer the full physical surface check.

1) From 'Start' double click 'My Computer'.

2) Right-click the drive you want.

3) Click on 'Properties', then 'Tools'.

4) Under 'Error Checking' click 'Check Now' and then Start.

5) A small scandisk window appears and the process begins.

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What is Bluetooth and how it works

2008-09-14T15:52:00.001+05:30

Source: bluetooth.com

Bluetooth wireless technology is a short-range communications technology intended to replace the cables connecting portable and/or fixed devices while maintaining high levels of security. The key features of Bluetooth technology are robustness, low power, and low cost. The Bluetooth specification defines a uniform structure for a wide range of devices to connect and communicate with each other.

Bluetooth technology has achieved global acceptance such that any Bluetooth enabled device, almost everywhere in the world, can connect to other Bluetooth enabled devices in proximity. Bluetooth enabled electronic devices connect and communicate wirelessly through short-range, ad hoc networks known as piconets. Each device can simultaneously communicate with up to seven other devices within a single piconet. Each device can also belong to several piconets simultaneously. Piconets are established dynamically and automatically as Bluetooth enabled devices enter and leave radio proximity.

A fundamental Bluetooth wireless technology strength is the ability to simultaneously handle both data and voice transmissions. This enables users to enjoy variety of innovative solutions such as a hands-free headset for voice calls, printing and fax capabilities, and synchronizing PDA, laptop, and mobile phone applications to name a few.

Specification Make-Up:

Unlike many other wireless standards, the Bluetooth wireless specification gives product developers both link layer and application layer definitions, which supports data and voice applications.

Spectrum:

Bluetooth technology operates in the unlicensed industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band at 2.4 to 2.485 GHz, using a spread spectrum, frequency hopping, full-duplex signal at a nominal rate of 1600 hops/sec. The 2.4 GHz ISM band is available and unlicensed in most countries.

Interference:

Bluetooth technology's adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) capability was designed to reduce interference between wireless technologies sharing the 2.4 GHz spectrum. AFH works within the spectrum to take advantage of the available frequency. This is done by detecting other devices in the spectrum and avoiding the frequencies they are using. This adaptive hopping allows for more efficient transmission within the spectrum, providing users with greater performance even if using other technologies along with Bluetooth technology. The signal hops among 79 frequencies at 1 MHz intervals to give a high degree of interference immunity.

Range:

The operating range depends on the device class:

Class 3 radios have a range of up to 1 meter or 3 feet

Class 2 radios most commonly found in mobile devices â" have a range of 10 meters or 33 feet

Class 1 radios used primarily in industrial use cases â" have a range of 100 meters or 300 feet

Power:

The most commonly used radio is Class 2 and uses 2.5 mW of power. Bluetooth technology is designed to have very low power consumption. This is reinforced in the specification by allowing radios to be powered down when inactive.

Data Rate:

1 Mbps for Version 1.2; Up to 3 Mbps supported for Version 2.0 + EDR

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Turn your monitor off automatically

2008-09-01T21:16:00.003+05:30

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of either the Administrators or Power Users group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.

By using Power Options in Control Panel, you can adjust any power management option that your computer's unique hardware configuration supports. Because these options may vary widely from computer to computer, the options described may differ from what you see. Power Options automatically detects what is available on your computer and shows you only the options that you can control.

If Turn off monitor is not available, your monitor does not support this feature.

To change the elapsed time before your monitor automatically turns off

è click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.

In Turn off monitor, click the arrow, and select the time you want after which monitor turn off automatically .

è Click the OK button.

To turn on the monitor again just press any key or move your mouse.

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How to Choose a Laptop or Notebook Computer

2008-09-01T21:16:00.001+05:30

Contributed by: Ahmed Imam (idealimam @ yahoo.com)

1. Read through How to Choose a Desktop Computer. The "Before you shop" points and most of "The basics" also apply when shopping for a laptop.

2. Pick up the laptops at the store. (Ask to have them unlocked if necessary.) Choose one that feels sturdy, solid and not too heavy.

3. Try the keyboard. Since you can't replace it (except with the exact same item), make sure you're comfortable with its touch and responsiveness. Test it on a desk and on your lap.

4. Test the pointing device, track pad or track ball, the laptop alternatives to a mouse. Some of these can be hard to master. You'll be able to connect an external mouse, but the built-in device is more handy when you're mobile.

5. Check if the computer's bottom gets uncomfortably hot when it's running--a problem if you actually use the laptop on your lap.

6. Pay attention to screen size and resolution. Current liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens on laptops measure from 13 to 21 inches diagonally. Screen resolution may be as low as 800 x 600 pixels or as high as 1600 x 1200. The more pixels, the crisper the screen image. View the screen in a variety of settings: A screen that looks great in normal room lighting can look terrible in bright or dim light.

7. Choose a laptop with at least two USB 2 connections and at least one Firewire (IEEE1394) connection. USB 2 and Firewire are very popular and fast ways of connecting iPods, digital cameras and some phones to computers.

8. Check to see if the laptop has built in wireless capabilities, most do these days. A wireless network card (also called Wi-Fi or 802.11) will free you from having to be wired to your Internet connection (see How to Network Your Computers). Also, Bluetooth capability will let you share information wirelessly with other Bluetooth-equipped devices, such as your cell phone or personal digital assistant.

9. Check to see if the laptop has a DVD Burner. That makes backing up documents, music files and pictures a snap because of the high capacity of the discs.

10. Get an antitheft device. Hundreds of thousands of laptops are stolen every year. Look for cables that secure the laptop to a desk. Install software that disables a stolen laptop, or better yet, reports the laptop's location when it connects to the Internet.

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How do Touch Screens Work

2008-08-07T19:57:00.000+05:30

Touch screen monitors — where you can use your finger on the computer screen to navigate through the contents — have become more and more commonplace over the past decade, particularly at public information kiosks. A basic touch screen has three main components: a touch sensor, a controller, and a software driver. The touch screen is an input device, so it needs to be combined with a display and a PC to make a complete touch input system.

The Touch Sensor has a textured coating across the glass face. This coating is sensitive to pressure and registers the location of the user's finger when it touches the screen. The controller is a small PC card that connects the touch sensor to the PC. It takes information from the touch sensor and translates it into information that PC can understand. The Software Driver is a software update for the PC system that allows the touchscreen and computer to work together. It tells the computer's operating system how to interpret the touch event information that is sent from the controller.

There are three basic systems that are used to recognise a person's touch — Resistive, Capacitive and Surface acoustic wave.

The resistive system consists of a normal glass panel that is covered with a conductive and a resistive metallic layer. These layers are held apart by spacers, and a scratch-resistant layer is placed on top of the whole set up. An electrical current runs through the two layers while the monitor is operational. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact in that spot. The change in electrical field is noted and coordinates of the point of contact are calculated. Once the coordinates are known, a special driver translates the touch into something that the operating system can understand, much as a computer mouse driver translates a mouse's movements into a click or drag.

In the capacitive system, a layer that stores electrical charge is placed on the glass panel of the monitor. When a user touches the monitor with his or her finger, some of the charge is transferred to the user, so the charge on the capacitive layer decreases. This decrease is measured in circuits located at each corner of the monitor. The computer calculates, from the relative differences in charge at each corner, exactly where the touch event took place and then relays that information to the touch screen driver software. One advantage of the capacitive system is that it transmits almost 90 per cent of the light from the monitor, whereas the resistive system only transmits about 75 per cent. This gives the capacitive system a much clearer picture than the resistive system.

The surface acoustic wave system uses two transducers (one receiving and one sending) placed along the x and y axes of the monitor's glass plate. Also placed on the glass are reflectors — they reflect an electrical signal sent from one transducer to the other. The receiving transducer is able to tell if the wave has been disturbed by a touch event at any instant, and can locate it accordingly. The wave setup has no metallic layers on the screen, allowing for 100-percent light throughput and perfect image clarity. This makes the surface acoustic wave system best for displaying detailed graphics (both other systems have significant degradation in clarity).

Another area in which the systems differ is which stimuli will register as a touch event. A resistive system registers a touch as long as the two layers make contact, which means that it doesn't matter if you touch it with your finger or a rubber ball. A capacitive system, on the other hand, must have a conductive input, usually your finger, in order to register a touch. The surface acoustic wave system works much like the resistive system, allowing a touch with almost any object — except hard and small objects like a pen tip.

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India hosts world's fourth fastest supercomputer

2008-08-07T19:56:00.001+05:30

India has surprisingly broken into the Top Ten in a much-fancied twice-yearly list of the fastest supercomputers in the world, marking a giant leap in its push towards becoming a global IT power.

A cluster platform at Pune's Computational Research Laboratories (CRL), a Tata subsidiary, has been ranked fourth in the widely anticipated Top 500 list released at an international conference on high performance computing in Reno, Nevada.

It is the first time that India has figured in the Top 100 let alone Top Ten of the supercomputing list. The list, which is usually dominated by the United States, is also notable this time because it has five new entrants in the Top Ten, with supercomputers in Germany and Sweden up there with the one in India.

The fourth-ranking Tata supercomputer, named EKA after the Sanskrit term for one, is a Hewlett-Packard Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c system. CRL has integrated this system with its own innovative routing technology and to achieve a 117.9 Teraflop or trillions of calculations per second.

The No. 1 position was again claimed by the BlueGene/L System, a joint development of IBM and the US Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and installed at DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

Although BlueGene/L has occupied the No. 1 position since November 2004, the current system is much faster at 478.2 TFop/s compared to 280.6 TFlop/s six months ago before its upgrade.

At No 2 is a BlueGene/P system installed in Germany at the Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) and it achieved performance of 167.3 TFlop/s. The No. 3 system at the New Mexico Computing Applications Center (NMCAC) in Rio Rancho, N.M posted a speed of 126.9 TFlop/s.

Ashwin Nanda, who heads the CRL, told the conference that its supercomputer had been built with HP servers using Intel chips with a total of 14,240 processor cores. The system went operational last month and achieved a performance of 117.9 teraflops.

The system is slated for use in government scientific research and product development for Tata, as well as to provide services to US customers, Nanda said.

In a statement in India, the Tata Group said "EKA marks a milestone in the Tata group's effort to build an indigenous high performance computing solution."

CRL, it disclosed, built the supercomputer facility using dense data centre layout and novel network routing and parallel processing library technologies developed by its scientists.

While the US is clearly the leading consumer of high power computing systems with 284 of the 500 systems, Europe follows with 149 systems and Asia has 58 systems. In Asia, Japan leads with 20 systems, Taiwan has 11, China 10 and India 9.

The second ranked supercomputer in India, rated 58th in the Top500 list is at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. Others are ranked 152, 158, 179, 336, 339,340 and 371.

Horst Simon, associate laboratory director, computing sciences, at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, and one of the Top500 list authors, told Computerworld that it was exciting to see India's entrance into the Top 10 and because the country has "huge potential" as a supercomputing nation.

"India is very well known for having great software engineers and great mathematicians, and having a (HPC) center there is a catalyst for doing more in the high performance computing field," Simon told the industry publication, adding that it brings "a whole new set of players into the supercomputing world."

India has made steady progress in the field of supercomputing from the time it first bought two from the US pioneer Cray Research in 1988, at a time of a tough technology control regime. US strictures on the scope of its use and demand for intrusive monitoring and compliance led India to devise its own supercomputers using clusters of multiprocessors.

Supercomputers are typically used for highly calculation problem solving in quantum mechanical physics, molecular modeling, weather forecasting and climate research, and physical simulation including that of nuclear tests.

The term supercomputer is quite relative. It was first used in 1929 to refer to large custom-built tabulators IBM made for Columbia University. The supercomputers of the 1970s are today's desktops.

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Windows XP Shortcut Keys

2008-08-07T19:39:00.001+05:30

Key Function	Key
Minimize all loaded programs and windows	Windows Button + M
Show Desktop	Windows Button + D
Search Files and Folders in Windows	Windows Button + F
Load Windows Explorer	Windows Button + E
Load Run Command Window	Windows Button + R
Open Start menu	Windows Button or Ctrl + Escape
Load Utility manager	Windows Button + U
Lock Windows	Windows Button + L
Show Windows Task Manager	Ctrl + Shift + Escape
Load Windows Help	F1
Close any active program or window	Alt + F4
Close any sub window	Ctrl + F4
Minimize any active program or window	Alt + Space + N
Maximize any active program or window	Alt + Space + X
Restore any active program or window	Alt + Space + R
Move any active program or window (active window must not in maximized position)	Alt + Space + M
Re size any active program or window (active window must not in maximized position)	Alt + Space + S
Capture full current screen (You can paste it in Paint Brush or any other program like Photoshop or Microsot Word etc.)	Print Screen
Capture only active window (You can paste it in Paint Brush or any other program like Photoshop or Microsot Word etc.)	Alt + Print Screen
Switching between loaded softwares	Alt + Tab
Delete selected files and send to "Recycle bin" (It can be restore from "Recycle bin" later)	Delete
Delete selected files and do not send to "Recycle bin" (It can't be restore from "Recycle bin" later)	Shift + Delete
Copy selected files	Ctrl + C
Cut selected files	Ctrl + X
Paste copied or cut files	Ctrl + V
Get properties of selected file	Alt + Enter
Open or load selected file	Enter
Right click	Shift + F10

How to Make your OWN Radio Station

2008-08-03T20:23:00.000+05:30

Must HAVE Winamp (Any Version)::

First, things First your speed has to be at least 256/64 kbps (which means Dial-up users, will have alot of latency, just dnt bother)

Second, your going to have to have a domain, an updated one with the current i.p active. (Could be anything e.g. My sig)

Now, Your gonna have to download the Shoutcast Files.

Go to: www.shoutcast.com to get the files.

Ok After downloading these, installing Both of them in any order i dnt care. Go to START>PROGRAM FILES>SHOUTcast DNAS>EDIT SHOUTCAST DNS CONFIG.

Ok your gonna have to Configure it:

Go Down and where it says password: change (that means your gonna have to change it to whatever, make sure u remember)

The Portbase: change it to whatever port you want it

Maxusers: (lets be realistic here, dnt put in 10000, like NXS's radio station) your bandwidth has to be extremely good, if your cable, 50 user max is ok, ADSL should stay below 10 users, and T1 connections should do whatever tickles there fantasy.

EDIT>SAVE.

Open winamp, RIGHT CLICK>OPTIONS>PREFRENCES>DSP EFFECT> and choose the NULLSOFT SHOUTCAST.

GET A FREE .INFO DOMAIN BY REGISTERING HERE. LIMITED PERIOD OFFER!

Go to OUTPUT, and then click on Connection, Through the ADDRESS, type your address which you have done through

Code:www.no-ip.com

PORT NUMBER, whatever u did in the EDIT.txt, and your password.

Then go to Encoder, and choose your quality of your music. Go back to OUTPUT>OUTPUT CONFIG> YELLOW PAGES. this is your advertisemant information. dow hatever you like there.

Now Connect. to check that your Radio os on-line go to http:// (your address that you added in the preference)

Check the video below.

A World of Opportunity Awaits You Here

DNA Finger Printing

2008-08-02T11:49:00.001+05:30

Contributed by: Ahmed Imam

Unlike a conventional fingerprint that occurs only on the fingertips and can be altered by surgery, a DNA fingerprint is the same for every tissue, and organ of a person .It cannot be altered by any known treatment.

Fingerprinting with ink and paper , based on fingertip ridge patterns is the standard method for personal identification.Finger prints are constant throughout life, finger prints can be used to distinguish one person from any other. Similarly the DNA of every individual is also unique in its own way. Actually the method should be called simply DNA printing or DNA typing since it has nothing to do with the fingers.

The degree of variation in bands from one person to another is so large that the theoretical probability that the bands seen in one individual are present in another unrelated individual may be in millions. The advantages over finger prints are numerous. DNA can be isolated from any part of the body,skin cells, blood or blood stains or semen.

The human DNA is different from other living organisms Hence blood of an animal will have different DNA sequence and characteristics. Hence DNA fingerprinting is a very

quick way to compare the DNA sequences of any two living organisms.

However some of the disadvantages of DNA finger printing are:

It requires further standardization and quality control, to be universally accepted as a tool.

There are only a few reliable labs around the world that can give accurate results

There is also 1 in 50 billion chance of two DNA sequence being similar

APPLICATION OF DNA FINGER PRINTING

It is

currently employed in paternity disputes

Identification of bodies of soldiers killed in war. It was also used for identification of the body of Nazi physician Joseph Mengele, the so-called "Angel of Death." In fact it has been used a to reunite a kid lost in the Tsunami with his parents.

To diagnose inherited disorders in both prenatal and newborn babies, like

     a. Cystic fibrosis

     b. Sickle cell anemia

     c.Thalassemia

     d. Hemophilia

     e. Huntington's disease

     f. Alzheimer's Disease( Familial
        Type)

     g. Huntington's Chorea

     h. Marfan's syndrome

Many other similar disorders can be diagnosed

Biological Evidence to identify criminals: Where fingerprints are not available but biological specimens are available like

blood or semen stains, hair, or items of clothing at the scene of the crime then these items may prove to be valuable sources of DNA of the criminal .Since the year 1987, innumerable cases have been solved with the help of DNA fingerprint evidence.

Personal Identification - DNA maybe the best way to identify a person as all body tissues and organs contain the same DNA type. The specimen required also is very small. In fact the US army has been doing DNA fingerprinting of all its soldiers and has a huge databank. The DNA method for personal identification is far superior to the dental records and blood typing methods that were popularly being used.

How to Harness the Power of Hydrogen

2008-07-27T17:31:00.001+05:30

By Carlo Leon Guerrero

We all know that water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. Did you realize that hydrogen is one of the most efficient energy sources known to man? Did you know that you can actually drive using water as fuel? Technology today enables us to safely harness the power of hydrogen and use that power to supplement other energy sources.

I can show you today, how you can extract hydrogen from ordinary distilled water; and use it to partially power your car, truck or other vehicles, greatly reducing your dependency on gasoline.

It is not yet possible to power engines using only water but in time that will come to be. But it is possible to drive using water, or rather the hydrogen extracted from water as a supplemental fuel source. So why should you be interested in this technology?

Here are a few reasons:

1) You will improve your vehicles efficiency.

2) You will burn much less gasoline.

3) You will help to improve and protect the environment by reducing carbon monoxide emissions.

4) This technology actually extends the life of your engine.

5) You will save a lot of money.

So, you must be thinking that this technology is some sort of "rocket science" but nothing could be farther from the truth. This is actually a very simple process; and it is not even a newly discovered process; it is decades old. Most people have never heard of this because many companies... think "big oil" companies were determined that this technology should remain hidden so as to protect their own interests without regard for the general good of the people and the environment.

Harnessing the power of hydrogen, the ability to drive using water, will be a world changing event. So you might be wondering just how this is possible, and how it works. Well, read on...

To drive using water, you will install a simple kit, the key element being a small container of distilled water containing a small measure of baking soda. A tiny electrical current provided by your battery creates a chemical reaction, producing HHO gas, which is very highly combustible. This gas is routed into you intake manifold or carburetor where it is ignited and burned as fuel.

Most vehicles converted to this process will double their mileage; some people even report tripling their mileage; and that means big savings at the gas pump!

As added benefits, you will find that your engine runs more smoothly and has increased power as well.

If you are interested in saving a lot of money on fuel, and who isn't with gas prices being what they are today, I encourage you to check out the link below.

You will learn how you can drive using water as fuel. I know that you will be glad you did.

Carlo Leon Guerrero has an eye on protecting the environment and providing people with information about economical, renewable fuel resources. He believes that hydrogen is the future fuel of choice and that HHO technology represents the first step toward fully hydrogen powered vehicles. You can find out more information at http://www.gas-saving-solutions.com.

Its all about keeping you secure

2008-07-16T17:53:00.000+05:30

The main difference between http:// and https:// is, It's all about keeping you secure
HTTP stands for HyperText Transport Protocol, which is just a fancy way of saying it's a protocol (a language, in a manner of speaking) for information to be passed back and forth between web servers and clients.
The important thing is the letter S which makes the difference between HTTP and HTTPS.
The S (big surprise) stands for "Secure".
If you visit a website or webpage, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely begin with the following: http://.
This means that the website is talking to your browser using the regular 'unsecure' language.
In other words, it is possible for someone to "eavesdrop" on your computer's conversation with the website.
If you fill out a form on the website, someone might see the information you send to that site.
This is why you never ever ever enter your credit card number in an http website!
But if the web address begins with https://, that basically means your computer is talking to the website in a secure code that no one can eavesdrop on.
You understand why this is so important, right?
If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you should automatically look to see if the web address begins with https://.
If it doesn't, there's no way you're going to enter sensitive information like a credit card number!

Bacteria that eat waste & shit petrol

2008-07-10T19:42:00.000+05:30

Silicon Valley is experimenting with bacteria that have been genetically altered to provide 'renewable petroleum'.

"Ten years ago I could never have imagined I'd be doing this," says Greg Pal, 33, a former software executive, as he squints into the late afternoon Californian sun. "I mean, this is essentially agriculture, right? But the people I talk to – especially the ones coming out of business school – this is the one hot area everyone wants to get into."
He means bugs. To be more precise: the genetic alteration of bugs – very, very small ones – so that when they feed on agricultural waste such as woodchips or wheat straw, they do something extraordinary. They excrete crude oil.

Unbelievably, this is not science fiction. Mr Pal holds up a small beaker of bug excretion that could, theoretically, be poured into the tank of the giant Lexus SUV next to us. Not that Mr Pal is willing to risk it just yet. He gives it a month before the first vehicle is filled up on what he calls "renewable petroleum". After that, he grins, "it's a brave new world".

Mr Pal is a senior director of LS9, one of several companies in or near Silicon Valley that have spurned traditional high-tech activities such as software and networking and embarked instead on an extraordinary race to make $140-a-barrel oil (£70) from Saudi Arabia obsolete. "All of us here – everyone in this company and in this industry, are aware of the urgency," Mr Pal says.
What is most remarkable about what they are doing is that instead of trying to reengineer the global economy – as is required, for example, for the use of hydrogen fuel – they are trying to make a product that is interchangeable with oil. The company claims that this "Oil 2.0" will not only be renewable but also carbon negative – meaning that the carbon it emits will be less than that sucked from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made.

LS9 has already convinced one oil industry veteran of its plan: Bob Walsh, 50, who now serves as the firm's president after a 26-year career at Shell, most recently running European supply operations in London. "How many times in your life do you get the opportunity to grow a multi-billion-dollar company?" he asks. It is a bold statement from a man who works in a glorified cubicle in a San Francisco industrial estate for a company that describes itself as being "prerevenue".

Inside LS9's cluttered laboratory – funded by $20 million of start-up capital from investors including Vinod Khosla, the Indian-American entrepreneur who co-founded Sun Micro-systems – Mr Pal explains that LS9's bugs are single-cell organisms, each a fraction of a billionth the size of an ant. They start out as industrial yeast or nonpathogenic strains of E. coli, but LS9 modifies them by custom-de-signing their DNA. "Five to seven years ago, that process would have taken months and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars," he says. "Now it can take weeks and cost maybe $20,000."

Because crude oil (which can be refined into other products, such as petroleum or jet fuel) is only a few molecular stages removed from the fatty acids normally excreted by yeast or E. coli during fermentation, it does not take much fiddling to get the desired result.

For fermentation to take place you need raw material, or feedstock, as it is known in the biofuels industry. Anything will do as long as it can be broken down into sugars, with the byproduct ideally burnt to produce electricity to run the plant.

The company is not interested in using corn as feedstock, given the much-publicised problems created by using food crops for fuel, such as the tortilla inflation that recently caused food riots in Mexico City. Instead, different types of agricultural waste will be used according to whatever makes sense for the local climate and economy: wheat straw in California, for example, or woodchips in the South.

Using genetically modified bugs for fermentation is essentially the same as using natural bacteria to produce ethanol, although the energy-intensive final process of distillation is virtually eliminated because the bugs excrete a substance that is almost pump-ready.
The closest that LS9 has come to mass production is a 1,000-litre fermenting machine, which looks like a large stainless-steel jar, next to a wardrobe-sized computer connected by a tangle of cables and tubes. It has not yet been plugged in. The machine produces the equivalent of one barrel a week and takes up 40 sq ft of floor space.

However, to substitute America's weekly oil consumption of 143 million barrels, you would need a facility that covered about 205 square miles, an area roughly the size of Chicago.

That is the main problem: although LS9 can produce its bug fuel in laboratory beakers, it has no idea whether it will be able produce the same results on a nationwide or even global scale.
"Our plan is to have a demonstration-scale plant operational by 2010 and, in parallel, we'll be working on the design and construction of a commercial-scale facility to open in 2011," says Mr Pal, adding that if LS9 used Brazilian sugar cane as its feedstock, its fuel would probably cost about $50 a barrel.

Are Americans ready to be putting genetically modified bug excretion in their cars? "It's not the same as with food," Mr Pal says. "We're putting these bacteria in a very isolated container: their entire universe is in that tank. When we're done with them, they're destroyed."
Besides, he says, there is greater good being served. "I have two children, and climate change is something that they are going to face. The energy crisis is something that they are going to face. We have a collective responsibility to do this."
Source: Timesonline.

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