What if I spill a drink on my keyboard..

Don't throw out that coffee-soaked keyboard just yet. A desktop computer's keyboard will usually survive a coffee or beer spill.

Turn the keyboard upside down on top of a kitchen towel and leave it alone for a while. Then you can wipe the top of the keys down with a slightly damp cloth and be back in business.

You can try the same drill with a laptop's keyboard, but it may not fare as well because critical parts live beneath the keyboard and some liquid may ooze down.

And beware, spills typically void a laptop's warranty, so some owners may find it worth the money to buy an extended warranty or accidental damage coverage that specifically covers drops and spills. Get it from the manufacturer who sold your equipment to you.
Better yet, put the keyboard upside down on the top shelf of the dishwasher and wash it. This works like a charm. I first read about this in either a newspaper or online, but we have used this method for a number of keyboards and works great. Turn it upside down on the towels for a few days until you are 100% sure everything is dry. Not for laptops!!! (And don't wash the dishes at the same time, and only use a tiny amount of dishwashing powder.)

client=firefox-a » The Magical Firefox String That Brings Millions for Mozilla Foundation

The Magical Firefox String That Brings Millions for Mozilla Foundation
There's huge money in free and open source software as Mozilla proves it yet again.

Mozilla, developers of Firefox browser, generated a revenue of $53 million in the year 2005 mostly from "search engine relationships". [Jason Calacanis' estimates were close enough.]

Now it doesn't take rocket science to assume that most of this money flew in from Google as it is the default search engine in Firefox.

So how does Mozilla generates those millions of dollars from that 200 x 22 Google search box sitting on the top right corner of Firefox ? The answer lies in "client=firefox-a"

Type in any query in that box and hit enter [make sure Google is selected as the default search engine] - Now take a close look at the Google URL that appears in the Firefox address bar - you'll see a substring saying client=firefox-a.

http://www.google.com/search?q=fountain+pens&client=firefox-a

That is sort of a hidden instruction from Mozilla to Google search engine saying the search originated from Firefox search box and if the user clicks on a sponsored link (Google Ads) displayed in search results, give us a commission.

There are millions of Firefox users worldwide searching Google several times a day and that keeps the cash registers at Mozilla ringing.

To clear any confusion - Google doesn't pay Mozilla when somebody downloads a copy of Firefox from Mozilla servers. It's only when users perform a search from Mozilla products and clicks on the Google ad.

Update: Mozilla gets revenue from other browsers as well including Microsoft IE and Opera which is free now. Only the reference string changes in that case.

Firefox - http://www.google.com/search?q=test&client=firefox-a

Opera - http://www.google.com/search?q=test&sourceid=opera

IE 7 - http://www.google.com/search?q=test&sourceid=ie7

Update: If you are curious to know how Firefox passes that parameter to Google, follow these steps:

» Open the Firefox installation folder [generally c:\program files\mozilla firefox]
» Open the google.xml file in notepad [located in searchplugins folder]

Shhhh! A Secret Google Search URL That Removes Adsense Ads

Shhhh! A Secret Google Search URL That Removes Adsense Ads
Google makes most of their money from AdSense ads.

While it is technically possible to block Google ads on web pages through Firefox extensions or by modifying the hosts file, these hiding methods are mostly implemented by tech-savvy users and may not have that big an effect on Google's revenue.

However, here's a secret trick - if you append the parameter "output=googleabout" to Google Web Search URL, the search results page will not carry any AdSense ads that are otherwise seen on the top and right sections of the page.

Here's a direct URL to search Google minus ads:

google.com/search?output=googleabout

Not sure why this parameter is in place but this could have an impact on their bottom line since it allows users to search Google sans advertisements without installing any geeky hacks. Thanks Vedrashko.

The following lines, when added to the Windows HOSTS file, will block Google from serving ads on your computer and won't track your visits on sites that use Google Analytics.

# [Google Inc]
127.0.0.1 pagead.googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com #[Google AdWords]
127.0.0.1 adservices.google.com
127.0.0.1 ssl.google-analytics.com #[urchinTracker]
127.0.0.1 www.google-analytics.com #[Google Analytics]
127.0.0.1 imageads.googleadservices.com #[Ewido.TrackingCookie.Googleadservices]
127.0.0.1 imageads1.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads2.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads3.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads4.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads5.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads6.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads7.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads8.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads9.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 partner.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 www.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 apps5.oingo.com #[Microsoft.Typo-Patrol]
127.0.0.1 www.appliedsemantics.com
127.0.0.1 service.urchin.com #[Urchin Tracking Module]

Nuance turns text into speech.

The company released the ScanSoft PDF Converter Professional 4, a would-be competitor to Adobe Systems' Acrobat, on Monday. The software is designed to create and convert PDF files.

The new version includes a text-to-speech feature that uses Nuance's RealSpeak technology to convert PDF documents into WAV audio files. The files, which can be used for podcasts, are read in a male voice. There are plans to provide downloads of other types of voice, said Chris Strammiello, the director of product management at Nuance, which also makes speech recognition software.
The voice feature is compliant with U.S. requirements for the accessibility of documents for disabled users, Nuance said.
PDF Converter Professional 4, aimed at corporate users, will be available in the United States Aug. 22 for just under $100, the company said. ScanSoft PDF Create 4 and PDF Converter desktop utilities, included in the package, will also be sold separately for $49 each.
The software includes a new feature that enables people to create XML Tagged PDF, which is a PDF standard that automatically includes information pertaining to the proper reading order of text, tables and graphics. The standard is used for exporting files to screen readers for the blind, and for resizing the files to fit different screen formats.

In addition, the ScanSoft feature that converts PDFs into Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Corel WordPerfect documents has been made 46 percent more accurate, Strammiello said. The feature, which maintains formatting, tables and graphics, can be used either within the PDF software or, via an option toolbar, within a document application such Microsoft Word.
By contrast, Adobe Acrobat offers a menu option for saving or exporting PDF document content into Microsoft Word and Excel, and other file formats.
The Nuance software also lets content creators set permission controls over their particular PDF document in terms of PDF security, encryption and editing.
Nuance said its has tested its PDF software on the latest beta build of

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Free dragon scansoft scan History
See Also Timeline of notable computer viruses and worms
There are competing claims free dragon scansoft scan for the innovator of the first free dragon scansoft scan product. Perhaps the first publicly known neutralization of a wild PC virus was performed by European Bernt Fix (also Bernd) in early 1987. Fix neutralized an infection of the Vienna virus.[3] Following Vienna a number free dragon scansoft scan of highly successful virii appeared including Ping Pong, Lehigh, and Suriv-3 aka Jerusalem. From 1988 onwards many free dragon scansoft scan companies formed with a focus on the new field of free dragon scansoft scan technology. One of the first breakthroughs in free dragon scansoft scan technology occured in March 1988 with the release of the Den Zuk viruses created by Denny Yanuar Ramdhani of Indonesia. Den Zuk neutralized the Brain virus. April 1988 saw the Virus-L forum on Usenet created, and mid 1988 saw the development by Peter Tippett of a heuristic scanner capable of detecting viruses and Trojans free dragon scansoft scan which was given a small public release.[4][5] Fall 1988 also saw free dragon scansoft scan software Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit released by Briton Alan Solomon. By December 1990 the market had matured to the point of nineteen separate free dragon scansoft scan products being on sale including Norton Free dragon scansoft scan and ViruScan from McAfee.

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