Sunday, March 30, 2008

An Underdog Gets His Shot


In two weeks, Alfonso Gomez will try to do what underdogs do in boxing - upset the champ. He'll step through the ropes and into the ring at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall and take a shot at doing what 31 other guys have been unable to do - send Miguel Cotto back home to Puerto Rico as a loser.

Make no mistake about it, Alfonso Gomez is a big underdog against Cotto, who some have dared whisper might be one of the greats.

Hailing from the dusty streets of Guadalajara, Mexico before migrating to California with his family, who were all in search of a better existence, Gomez has persevered in a life that made him an underdog from the get-go.

"I have proven time and time again, since my amateur days, that I can overcome obstacles," says the youthful Gomez, who has a matinee-idol face that looks like it belongs in a Latin soap opera.

"I did it in my first pro fight, fighting in somebody else’s backyard. I proved it against Ishe Smith fighting in his backyard. In "The Contender" against Peter Manfredo, who was ranked number three. Jesse Brinkley, Arturo Gatti, Ben Tackie - I can name a dozen of them where I’ve been the underdog. I’ve had people tell me, 'Ahh, you’re going to get knocked out.' But, you know, I just keep proving people wrong."

While he didn't ascend to "The Contender" reality show throne, Gomez became a fan favorite because of his friendly personality and engaging smile. The reality show was the platform that enabled him to tell his story to the masses of wanting to provide for his family through boxing. He's been able to make a better life for himself and his family, but he has a burning desire for more.

And he'll tell you with a serious look that, "Poverty was my motivator."

Last summer, Gomez shocked the boxing world against Arturo Gatti when he sent the human highlight reel into a hasty retirement after seven bloody rounds. With a big right hand that came all the way from the back alleys of Guadalajara, Gomez freed up Gatti's future as a prizefighter and laid open Gatti's lip like a filleted fish. He sent HBO's favorite son sinking to the floor, and on that night there would be no miracle comeback for Arturo. Gomez made sure of that.

"I prepared insanely for that fight," he says. "I didn't take any shortcuts during training camp.”


Gomez was in the zone against Gatti and knocked him out in seven rounds.

Most people laugh off the comparisons that Gomez makes between Gatti, who was a shell of his former self, and Cotto, who is a beast that is likely in his prime.

"I’m prepared for no matter what," he says of Cotto. "It’s like with Arturo Gatti, I try to make different plans. I didn’t know that night what Arturo Gatti was going to show up - the brawler or the boxer. So, I know Miguel Cotto has good boxing skills and he has tremendous toe-to-toe skills. I’m prepared for both - for the boxer or the brawler."

Others criticize Gomez' most recent opponent, the oft-beaten Ben Tackie, whom he outpointed a few months back. But again, Gomez defends the opposition and his performance. "I wasn't able to stop him," he says of Tackie. "But I dominated every round and I demonstrated that I'm ready for the world titles."

When asked about just how it is he plans on doing what Shane Mosley and Zab Judah could not, Gomez doesn't get into the hype and blather that is the norm for many fighters in this day and age. "Well, you know, I can say a million things but there is only one way to prove it - and that is April 12th. All I can do is feed on that negativity and feed on those critics just to motivate me and make things even easier for myself."

When pressed for the specifics though, Gomez delves into his thought process and sizes up the many ways he might have a chance against Cotto.


Miguel Cotto and Gomez came face-to-face at a New York City press conference to announce their fight for the WBA Welterweight championship.

"One of them is the fact that I am bigger than him. I’m a natural welterweight. And you know, on his record he really hasn’t faced a natural welterweight. They’re usually fighters that come up from lower weight divisions like Mosley and Judah and Quintana and so on. So I’m the first natural welterweight he fights and hopefully that will be something that shows in the fight. If he comes well prepared I see it playing out as a tremendous fight. A fight to remember for the fans. There’s gonna be blood, there’s gonna be a lot of sweat. Hopefully there will be knockdowns, but primarily I see myself winning this fight, a victory for the Gomez team and a new champion from Mexico."

He says that he has watched the videos of Cotto so many times that he knows what Miguel is going to do before he does it. While supporters of Cotto don't see much to pick apart, Gomez says he's seen a few flaws in the WBA welterweight titlist’s game. "

"Every fighter has weaknesses and strengths. I have both, myself, too. I just make sure that I watch the tapes over and over and over and over again until pretty much I’m Miguel Cotto. Until you know, anything he does, before he does it, I know what he’s going to do. So that’s my plan, to come in with a perfect plan to expose his weaknesses.”

"His strengths are his body shots and left hooks. His weaknesses are, you know, his chin. He’s proven that he has a soft chin and I wanna’ expose that. Also, I don’t think many people have hit him to the body, as they should. And I know in my fights that I have a great body punch. I have a good uppercut, I have a good jab and I have good boxing skills. I don’t know what to say. I just wanna’ beat him."

In listening to Gomez make his case as to why he thinks he's going to beat Cotto; he can be very convincing. With his dark brown eyes and light Mexican-American accent, the mature 27 year old talks about Cotto in a calm and deliberate manner.

Gomez is easy for fans to root for, and even though he didn't win "The Contender" show hosted by Sugar Ray Leonard, he is perhaps closer to Leonard than any of the other show participants.


Gomez and Sugar Ray Leonard have become close associates who enjoy each other's company. Leonard has offered guidance and friendship

Leonard knows a soaring eagle in boxing trunks when he sees one, and he's taken Gomez under his wing by showing him how a champion lives inside and outside of the ring. It's Leonard that has accompanied Gomez as a guest host on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights and greeted fans while standing side-by-side with him at the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Through it all, Gomez has not lost sight of his ultimate goal and he hasn't forgotten from where it is he came from. He uses all of it as motivation.

"I have fought very tough fighters in the past, ones that are very hungry to get there," he explains. "Miguel Cotto has already made it. I’m sure he wants to make it farther, so he’s pretty hungry still. But I can’t imagine him being hungrier than me. He already has the titles, he already has the undefeated record. If he already has millions, how can he be hungrier than me? That’s impossible, and so…"

And so it's this theme of eagerness and hunger and desire that are the central characters in Gomez' plot to bigger things in life. From being born into poverty in Mexico to coming to America to fighting as an amateur and pro, and then to his appearance on "The Contender". Every step has been another foot forward in his quest to make something more of himself and live what he perceives to be the American dream.

"There’s a lot of things against me," he plainly says. "But my destiny is bigger than that and I’m able to overcome all of that. You know, I’m standing here for a reason. I lost my chance to go to the Olympics as an amateur and never excelled as the best amateur. I’ve lost fights, but I’m standing here and that’s for a reason, and I believe it. And since I’m standing here now, I’m not gonna let this opportunity go. I’m gonna train one hundred percent. I’m going to be there one hundred percent."

Real underdogs always are.


March 2008

Mozilla Firefox Version 2.0.0.13

My most reliable and used application. I used this browser instead of internet explorer because of reason i hope you need to know. Never complete my e-life without this one. I stay secured with this one with it`s existing protection against spyware, viruses and pop-ups.


The award-winning Web browser is now even faster, more secure, and fully customizable to suit your online life. With Firefox 2, we’ve added powerful new features that make your online experience even better.

Enjoy a Better Web Experience
Firefox 2 delivers helpful new features to make your online experience more productive.

Stay Secure on the Web
Phishing Protection has been added to Firefox's existing protection against spyware, viruses and pop-ups.

Personalize Your Browser
Choose from thousands of useful Add-ons that enhance Firefox. It’s easy to personalize Firefox to make it your own.

And lot more....

Download Link:-
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/

Friday, March 28, 2008

Freeware Download Manager: Rapidshare

One of my favorite application is the Free Download Manager. Link Here
Simply because it is 100% safe, open-source software distributed under GPL license. It is very dependable and i have tested it in the past. Subok na to..Also it has support to download our favorite youtube videos.

But if you looking for another great alternative you could try this one..Rapishare Download Manager..
A download manager that will allow you to download files from the internet faster

Download Direct will accelerate your downloads by up to 500% (sometimes more) and will allow you to manage them via one central screen.

Features:-
  • Accelerates downloads up to 500% (sometimes more)
  • Manage all downloads via one central screen
  • Uses mirrors to find the fastest file location (achieves even more speed)
  • Pause and resume downloads at anytime
  • Resume broken downloads
  • Preview music and movies while downloading
  • Added support for BitTorrent files
  • Built-in calender to schedule downloads
  • Easy to use and configure with a fully graphic interface
  • Quick save files to your favourite folders with MyFolders
  • In-depth statistics on download details
  • Unlimited simultaneous downloads
  • Simplified lists help sort and group downloads
  • Easy file management with MyFolders
  • Download files without progress windows
  • Keep track of old downloads with Download History
  • Automate tasks on download completion and errors
  • Supported protocols HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent
  • Resume partial downloads
  • Use multiple mirrors for each download. Can mix protocols (HTTP, FTP)
  • Smart automatic mirror switching for fastest downloads
  • User defined mirror list (addRemove your own mirrors)
  • Automatically attempts error recovery
  • Large-volume of active downloads supported
  • Multiple connections per download
  • Multiple threads per download
  • HTTP GZIP compression support
  • HTTP authorisation support
  • FTP anonymous and password protected support
  • File preview of partially downloaded files
  • BitTorrent 1.0 protocol support
  • BitTorrent fast protocol extensions support
  • Smart BitTorrent peer balancing for maximum download rates
  • Proxy support
  • Integrates with Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla Firefox, Opera
  • Support for large files (greater than 2GB)
Requirements:-

Minimum system requirements
  • Windows 98 SE
  • 633 MHz processor
  • 128MB memory
  • 1GB storage space
  • 16MB video memory
  • 56k dial-up internet
  • 800x600 resolution
  • 256 colour depth
Recommended system requirements
  • Windows XP
  • 2000 MHz processor
  • 512MB memory
  • 5GB storage space
  • 64MB video memory
  • Broadband internet connection
  • 1024x768 resolution
  • 24-bit colour depth
Download Link:-
http://rapidshare.com/files/94566400/RSDirect_Download_v1.14.rar

Monday, March 24, 2008

Advance JPEG Compressor 5.0

I use this one for my scanner and digicam (but not for editing use)..Very handy and powerful jpeg compression capability..

Advanced JPEG Compressor for Windows is an invaluable and useful tool for everyone who knows what is a digital image. This is definitely a must-have utility if you own a scanner or a digital camera, use digital images whether at work, or at home.

This program allows you to:-
  • Convert images to JPEG format using the most powerful JPEG compression engine
  • Shrink the large file size of your graphic files
  • Optimize pictures for faster loading from the Web
  • E-mail smaller image files faster and not exceeding email size limitations
  • Resize images and make thumbnails
  • Advanced JPEG Compressor can acquire pictures from your scanner or digital camera, and save them in the JPG format with the highest quality / file size ratio. You can easily scan, compress and e-mail photos from Advanced JPEG Compressor.
  • Advanced JPEG Compressor works as dedicated JPEG converter, allowing you to open existing images in many formats (BMP, TIFF, GIF, PNG, ...), and a JPEG optimizer, compressing existing JPG images. The possibility to create, edit and apply named compression profiles considerably helps in processing various types of graphic files.
The Batch Processing function makes it easy to process multiple images applying the selected compression profile.

Audacity

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.


You can use Audacity to:
  • Record live audio.
  • Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
  • Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files.
  • Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together.
  • Change the speed or pitch of a recording.

Features

Recording

Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs. With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio.

* Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
* Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
* Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
* Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.

Import and Export

Import sound files, edit them, and combine them with other files or new recordings. Export your recordings in several common file formats.

* Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
* Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
* Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
* Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
* Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
* Open raw (headerless) audio files using the “Import Raw” command.
* Note: Audacity does not currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file formats.

Editing

* Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
* Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
* Very fast editing of large files.
* Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
* Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
* Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.

Effects

* Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
* Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
* Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
* Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
* Other built-in effects include:
  • Echo
  • Phaser
  • Wahwah
  • Reverse
Sound Quality

* Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
* Record at up to 96 KHz.
* Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
* Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.

Plug-Ins

* Add new effects with LADSPA plugins.
* Audacity includes some sample plugins by Steve Harris.
* Load VST plugins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
* Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.

Analysis

* Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
* “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed frequency analysis.

Free and Cross-Platform

* Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
* Runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and GNU/Linux.

Download Link:-
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/latest/audacity-win/audacity-win-1.2.6.exe

VLC Media Player 0.8.6d

The best media player for me,it can play any format including divx and the most important of all, it`s free!

VLC (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.
  • It is a free cross-platform media player
  • It supports a large number of multimedia formats, without the need for additional codecs
  • It can also be used as a streaming server, with extended features (video on demand, on the fly transcoding, ...)
Home Page:-
http://www.videolan.org/

Download Link:-
http://www.videolan.org/mirror.php?file=vlc/0.8.6d/win32/vlc-0.8.6d-win32.exe

Alternate Link:-
http://www.filehippo.com/download/d3502b6491c8b66c381144f3a6f5e456/download/

Google Hacks Tool

Google Hacks is a compact utility that will allow its users to search google using different google search hacks.

Using Google Hacks one can easily do a music search by using a highly optimized and complex search command that can be obtained just by clicking a number of option boxes that can be found in the program´s interface.

Download in this Link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/68833925/GooggleHcks16.rar
Press Free Button and then to download...

Saturday, March 22, 2008

New Folder Virus Removal

In today`s cyberworld, many are reinventing distructive programs that will cause inconvenience if not wreck to us net users. I myself despite my layer of protection has been one of those victim of the so called "salot" sa internet. May mga Trojan Virus even best antiavirus prog cannot remove, so you have to remove it manually.

One of this type of virus is the "new folder" and it interest me.

This Virus also known as - IT University Sohanad W32.HLLW.Ssdx newfolder.exe

How to remove it? You can see that the folders in Shared Documents have an exe extension If you have unchecked Hide extensions for known file types in Folder Options

newfolder

Virus Infection Symptoms:-

Disabling Task Manager
Disabling Registry Editor
Creates a startup entry to start upon system start
Creates its own exe files in shared documents folder which appear like ordinary folders
Disables folder options
Uses your 50% or more processor

Manually Remove NewFolder.exe

Sets these entries in Registry:-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]

“NofolderOptions”=[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]

“@”=[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

“YahooMessengger”=[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]

“Shell”=”Explorer.exe “

Deletes Virus Files:-

svichossst.exe
autorun.inf
at1.job
autorun.ini
Nhatquanglan) scvhosts.exe
blastclnnn.exe
hinhem.scr
All duplicated exe files in Shared Documents Folder
Also the exe files in your selected folder

Download any one of the following tool to remove NewFolder.exe virus

Download Link:-
http://downloads.andymanchesta.com/RemovalTools/SDFix.exe

Being a Vegetarian and it`s Benefits

Did you know these facts?

Vegetarian foods are a major source of nutrition for most people in the world.

Vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer than non-vegetarians.

Vegetarian diets can be simple and easy to prepare.

What is a vegetarian?
Broadly defined, a vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarians eat mainly fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts. Many vegetarians eat eggs and/or dairy products but avoid hidden animal products such as beef and chicken stocks, lard, and gelatin.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) classifies vegetarians more specifically in the following ways:
Vegans or strict vegetarians exclude all animal products (e.g. meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, and other dairy products). Many vegans also do not eat honey.
Lactovegetarians exclude meat, poultry, fish, and eggs but include dairy products.
Lacto-ovovegetarian s exclude meat, poultry, and fish but include dairy products and eggs. Most vegetarians in the US are lacto-ovovegetarian s.


Why are people vegetarians?
People are vegetarians for many reasons, including concern for personal health and the environment, economic and world hunger concerns, compassion for animals, belief in nonviolence, food preferences, or spiritual reasons. People may become vegetarians for one reason, and then later on adopt some of the other reasons as well.


What are the health benefits of a vegetarian diet?

According to the ADA, vegetarians are at lower risk for developing:
Heart disease

Colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers

Diabetes

Obesity

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

This is because a healthy vegetarian diet is typically low in fat and high in fiber. However, even a vegetarian diet can be high in fat if it includes excessive amounts of fatty snack foods, fried foods, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Therefore, a vegetarian diet, like any healthy diet, must be well planned in order to help prevent and treat certain diseases.
Are there any health risks in becoming a vegetarian?
Though being a vegetarian can be a healthy lifestyle, care needs to be taken that this is not a step towards a generally more restrictive, disordered eating pattern. Be sure you fully understand why you are choosing vegetarianism.

Do vegetarians get proper nutrition?
The key to any healthy diet is to choose a wide variety of foods, and to consume enough calories to meet your energy needs. It is important for vegetarians to pay attention to these five categories in particular.

Protein
Protein is found in both plant foods and animal foods. The ADA has said that it is NOT necessary to combine specific foods within a meal in order to "complete" the amino acids profile of the proteins found in plant foods. Eating a wide variety of foods and enough calories during the day will fulfill your protein needs. Good sources of protein include whole grains, lentils, beans, tofu, low-fat dairy products, nuts, seeds, tempeh, eggs, and peas.

Calcium
The ADA recommends consuming at least 1300 mg of calcium per day - the equivalent of over 4 cups of milk or yogurt! Vegetarians can meet their calcium needs if they consume adequate amounts of low-fat and fat-free dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. Calcium is also found in many plant foods including dark, leafy greens (e.g. spinach, kale, mustard, collard and turnip greens, and bok choy), broccoli, beans, dried figs, and sunflower seeds, as well as in calcium-fortified cereals, cereal bars and some juices.
Vegans (people who don't eat any animal products) must strive to meet their daily calcium requirements by regularly including these plant sources of calcium in their diets. Many soy milk products are fortified with calcium, but be sure to check the label for this. You can also include a calcium supplement in your diet, which is available at the pharmacy in Health Services.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium. There are few foods that are naturally high in vitamin D, though. Therefore, dairy products in the US are fortified with vitamin D. Many soy milk products are also fortified with vitamin D. Your body can make its own vitamin D, but only when the skin is exposed to adequate sunlight (but that can have its own risks). People who do not consume dairy products and who do not receive direct exposure to sunlight regularly should consider taking supplemental vitamin D. This supplement should contain no more than 100% of the Recommended Daily Value, however, because larger doses can be dangerous. Both multivitamin supplements and calcium supplements with vitamin D are available at the pharmacy in Health Services

Iron
Iron-fortified breads and cereals, dark green vegetables (e.g. spinach and broccoli), dried fruits, prune juice, blackstrap molasses, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and soybean nuts are good plant sources of iron. Consuming foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits or juices, tomatoes, and green peppers helps your body absorb iron from these plant sources. Cooking food in iron pots and pans will also add to your iron intake.

Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 is produced in animals and by bacteria in the soil. Vegetarians who consume dairy products and/or eggs usually get enough B-12 since it is found in these foods. Vegans, however, should add vitamin B-12 fortified soy milk to their diets. Regularly taking a broad-spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement (available at the pharmacy in Health Services) will also supply the necessary amount of B-12.


What about athletes?
Being both an athlete and a vegetarian can be challenging, especially for vegans. It can be difficult to eat a volume of food high enough to meet an athlete's high caloric needs. Vegetarians who participate in sports should be aware of their increased energy needs, and should make a concerted effort to consume sufficient calories. Click for info on sports nutrition.

How do I become a vegetarian?
Some people stop eating meat "cold turkey." Others may prefer to make dietary changes more gradually. However you choose to make the change, you can begin to achieve the health benefits of vegetarianism by significantly cutting down on the amount of meats consumed, and making vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains the focus of your meals. The ADA suggests the following tips for following a vegetarian diet:
Choose whole-grain products (e.g. whole wheat bread, brown rice, or whole-grain cereals instead of refined or white grains.

Eat a wide variety of foods.

If you eat dairy products, choose non-fat or low-fat varieties.

Limit intake of eggs to 3-4 yolks/week.

Limit intake of sweets and high fat foods.

When shopping for food, plan ahead, shop with a list and read food labels.

Many vegetarian foods can be found in any grocery store. Specialty food stores may carry some of the more uncommon items, as well as many vegetarian convenience foods.

What are some options for a tasty vegetarian meal?
Becoming a vegetarian can be as easy as you choose to make it. Whether you enjoy preparing elaborate meals or choose quick and easy ones, vegetarian meals can be very satisfying. In order to make meal preparation easier, the ADA suggests having the following foods on hand:
Ready-to-eat, whole-grain breakfast cereals, and quick-cooking whole-grain cereals such as oatmeal

Whole-grain breads and crackers, such as rye, whole wheat, and mixed grain

Other grains such as barley and bulgur wheat

Canned beans, such as pinto, black beans, and garbanzo beans

Rice (including brown, wild, etc.)

Pasta (now available in whole wheat, spinach, and other flavors) with tomato sauce and canned beans and/or chopped veggies

Corn or flour tortillas

Vegetarian soups like lentil or minestrone

Plain frozen vegetables

Frozen fruit juice concentrate

Nut spreads (e.g. peanut or almond butter)

Canned and frozen fruit

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Slow Computer? Speed Up Your PC By Disabling Unnecessary Windows Services

If you have not had yet the experience of working on a PC that moves like a snail, you are a unique, rare human being.
" Unless top of the line ang rig nyo or you are using apple mac, this is not for you. Tweaks sa mga window user lang po to.."


Sabi nila "Windows is now so big and onerous because of the size of its code base, the size of its ecosystem and its insistence on compatibility with the legacy hardware and software, that it just slows everything down..."

Windows PCs have had a long tradition of not managing well long and uninterrupted use across different applications, too many applications when installed and removed from a PC and a slew of processes and services running at all times inside your PC RAM memory but which maybe actually completely unneeded by your computer.

Your computer is indeed filled with hidden functions and services whose existence you may barely know.

Most of the times, such a large number of unnecessary background programs is likely to slow down your computer to a crawl without any valid reason or necessity to do so.

You probably have heard people telling you that you can speed up your computer by stopping unwanted services. But when you look at the list of services running, you are unsure of what to shut down and what not to.


Uneeded Windows services that you can turn off:
  • AdobeLM Service: Not all computers have this service, still it is useless, just disable it if you have it.

  • Alerter: Disable this one if you are not on a network because you will not receive alerts.

  • Application Management: Set this to manual.

  • Automatic Updates: Disable it if you don't require auto updating and patching of Windows. It is pretty useless if you use auto-patcher by NeoWin to update your Windows OS. Thus, you will save bandwidth.

  • ClipBook: Disable this if you are not on a network, since you don’t need to share anything.

  • Computer Browser: Disable this too if you are not on a network, as you don't need to browse and monitor connected computers.

  • Cryptographic Services: Set this to manual if you are not sure you need it.

  • Distributed Transaction Service: Set this to manual.

  • DNS Client: Set this to manual if you are not on a network.

  • Error Reporting Service: Disable this useless service for reporting errors to Microsoft, because they will hardly even reply to you for any error you get. Also saves lots of bandwidth.

  • Fast User Switching Compatibility: Disable it if you have only a single user on your computer, or if you do not use fast user switching feature much. That is, if you completely log-off and then allow other users to use your computer, then you do not need this. Note that this service is completely useless for low memory computers.

  • FTP Publishing: Disable this if you do not use FTP.

  • Help and Support: Set it to manual or turn it off if you do not use the help feature often. You can turn it on again when you want help.

  • HTTP SSL: Set it to manual.

  • Human Interface Device Access: Turn it off if you do not use hot-keys or remote systems on your computer; if you use them sometimes, it is better turn it to manual.

  • IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service: Set this to manual to save memory and time. Do not turn it off if you have a CD writer or a DVD writer attached to your computer.

  • Indexing Service: Turn it off, it uses lots of CPU. If you are an avid searcher, like a maniac, on your computer, leave it on since it will help you. If you know where your files are and do not use search that often, then disable it for your good.

  • InstallDriver Table Manager: Disable it, it does no harm in doing so.

  • IPSEC Services: Set this to manual.

  • Windows Messenger: Disable this if you are not on a network, it uses too much memory and it is a hog. Also, it does no good and sometimes it is likely to become a security threat.

  • MS Software Shadow Copy Provider: Set this to manual.

  • Net Logon: Disable if you are not on a network.

  • NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing: Disable this if you do not use Remote Desktop feature; in my opinion, it is a pretty useless feature.

  • Network Provisioning Service: Disable this, iti s useless if you are not on a network.

  • NT LM Security Support Provider: Disable this, its useless too.

  • NVIDIA Display Driver Service: If you do not use the features of nVidia Desktop, this service must be disabled; it is a big hog of memory.

  • Office Source Engine: Disable it if you have a MS Office CD handy always, its helpful if your installation goes corrupt.

  • Portable Media Serial Number Service: Set it to manual if you connect portable media to your computer, otherwise disable it.

  • Print Spooler: Disable it if you don’t have a printer.

  • Protected Storage: Disable it if you don’t allow strangers to sit on your encrypted storage computer.

  • Remote Desktop Help Session Manager: Disable it if you don’t use Remote Desktop feature for help and support from Microsoft which most probably is a "Yes".

  • Remote Procedure Call Locator: Set it to manual.

  • Remote Registry: Serious security threat if turned on, disable it no matter what.

  • Removable Storage: Disable it if you don’t use removable storage drives, else turn it manual.

  • Routing and Remote Access: Set it to manual.

  • Secondary Logon: Useless feature for most, disable it or turn it manual.

  • Security Accounts Manager: Disable it, it's pretty useless, unless you use NTFS Encryption.

  • Security Center: Damn useless and irritating feature. Disable it.

  • Server: Set it to manual or disable it if you are not on network.

  • Smart Card: Disable it if you don’t use smart cards on your computer.

  • SSDP Discovery Service: Disable it of not on network or don’t have UPnP devices on home networks.

  • Task Scheduler: Disable it if you don’t schedule tasks like defragmentation, error scans etc… and plan to do it your self instead.

  • TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper: Set it to manual if on network, otherwise disable it.

  • Telnet: Set it to manual if you use this feature, otherwise disable it, especially if you are home users.

  • Terminal Services: Since you aren’t using Remote Desktop etc… disable it for good.

  • Uninterrupted Power Supply: Disable it if you don’t have an UPS attached to the serial port of your computer.

  • Universal Plug and Play Device Host: Set it to manual.

  • User Privilege Service: Set it to manual.

  • Volume Shadow Copy: Disable it if you don’t backup using System Restore or Windows Backup.

  • Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS): Disable this if you have another firewall such as Norton or Zone Alarm installed, otherwise let it remain ON for better security.

  • Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) : If you don’t connect/use a camera/scanner with your computer, disable this service, else set it to manual.

  • Windows Media Connect: Disable this if you don’t use things such as an iPod etc… for your Windows Media Player.

  • Windows Media Connect (WMC) Helper: Disable this if you disabled the one above or if you don’t need help.

  • Windows Time: Disable if not on a synchronized network.

  • Wireless Zero Configuration: Disable if not on a wireless network.

  • WMI Performance Adapters: Disable it, useless service for basic usage.

  • Workstation: Disable if you aren’t on a network. Or simply, if you are a gamer, just shut this one.

1. To enter service manager, go to Start > Run > Type services.msc and hit enter.

2. To toggle the startup type of a service between Automatic, Manual and Disabled, double-click on the required service and choose the specific option from the listbox titled ‘Startup Type’ in the General tab.

3. If you are unsure about a service or for some reason, think it's important, leave it alone or turn it to manual instead of disabling. It will help protect from damage.

4. Completely mastering service management is a task possible only by trial and error.

5. There are risks involved in turning down important services, better read the description before attempting to change a service’s startup type.


I hope I have been clear enough for you to understand what to disable and what not to. Enjoy a faster and healthier computer.



Sunday, March 16, 2008

YouTube Puts a Dent in PPV Revenue


Hours after Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez engaged in another great night of boxing on HBO PPV, the money wasn't yet tallied as to how many pay-per view buys were ordered up by boxing fans. Early indicators are that the rematch, which Pacquiao won by split-decision, will be a big winner at the cash register.

Just over 11,000 fans flooded into the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and because the arena was sold out even more fans paid $50 each to watch it on the big screen in another room at the casino.

If you were watching television in the week or so before the fight it was difficult not to see the commercials hyping the "Unfinished Business" rematch as it was a multi-pronged promotion that will pay big dividends.

But it likely could have been even more of a financial blockbuster without the dirtiest word a boxing promoter has ever heard - YouTube.

The morning after the fight, anybody with Internet access could log onto the popular Web site and watch the entire Pacquiao - Marquez rematch free of charge. The night before, if you wanted to watch the fight and the three bout undercard, you could have done so on HBO PPV but you would have had to pony up $49.95 to do it.

But less than twelve hours after the fight had ended in Las Vegas, 14,332 people had already viewed the entire fight or portions of it on YouTube.

Now that may not seem like a large number, especially from a global perspective, but when it's put into dollars and cents the impact and power of YouTube hits home like a Manny Pacquiao straight left hand.

If all 14,332 that viewed the fight for free had paid the $49.95 pay-per view asking price it translates into $715, 883.40 of possible lost revenue. That's right, nearly three quarters of a million dollars. Real money, to be sure, and that dollar figure rises every hour as thousands more voyeurs log on and view for free.


Manny Pacquiao knocked Juan Manuel Marquez down on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Thousands of fans paid to see it, while thousands did not.

Most boxing fans see this new "free" system as a wonderful reprieve from outrageously high cable and satellite bills. Many no doubt take it as an act of liberation to be able to take a pass on the pay-per view show and then watch a fight the next day for nothing.

But the real impact of what this means for the sport of boxing may not be realized by the very fans that purport to love and support it.

A cursory examination will tell you that this is money that the television networks and promoters use to pay the fighters and that the fighters in turn use to pay their staff of trainers, handlers and support people. It's money that promoters would have used to make payroll and hire publicists to do all the work behind the scenes to put these huge events together. It's money that would have been used to help with marketing expenses and to pay for everything from conference calls to press room meals to plane tickets to fight posters.

Now some will argue that the television networks and promoters are fat cats who have gotten rich on the backs of a powerless public that has been forced to pay $40 or $50at least once a month in order to watch their favorite fighters. They would say that YouTube is nothing more than a way for the fans to circumvent the power brokers in the sport and it allows them to get the last laugh on names like Don King and Bob Arum as well as HBO and Showtime.

But the fans shouldn't laugh too hard. In the end, it's likely the fighters who are losing out.

Instead of Pacquiao receiving $3 million for his fight with Marquez, maybe he gets several hundred thousand more if the fight does high pay-per view numbers. That means more for his trainer Freddie Roach and more for everyone right on down the line of the gravy train.

I'd guess that when it's all said and done and that when all of the dollars are counted, that it's the fighters who are really left holding a lighter lunch pail. And that's a shame.

Arum Stirs the Pot - Many fans and also many in the boxing media (is there a difference anymore?) have been getting on Bob Arum's case because they don't like the fact that he has decided not to do an immediate third fight between Pacquiao and Marquez.

Instead, Arum's going to match Pacquiao against WBC Lightweight titlist David Diaz on June 28th. Arum is also Diaz’ promoter. Even Richard Schaeffer of Golden Boy Promotions (who should take some lessons from Bob) was unhappy with the direction that Arum is taking Pacquiao next. But as Bobby Brown used to sing, that’s his “prerogative”.

Arum has been criticized for not matching his middleweight champion, Kelly Pavlik, against Winky Wright. After the fight with John Duddy fell apart at the hands of Walid Smichet, Arum was left looking for an opponent. The obvious choice was Wright, but Arum steered Pavlik as far away from Wright as possible and didn’t want to hear anything about Winky Wright whom Arum perceives to be overpriced with a less than fan friendly style of fighting.

Instead Arum will match Pavlik against the unknown (at least here in the USA) Gary Lockett from Wales.

So why would Arum take his two shiniest stars in Pacquiao and Pavlik and match them against lesser names like Diaz and Lockett?

Well, Arum’s plans allow him to keep more of the money as he doesn’t have to split the proceeds with Golden Boy Promotions if he stays away from Marquez and Wright. And he gets the chance to allow his two crown jewels to take a bit of a breather after having been matched very tough in their most recent fights.

It also allows a third Pacquiao vs. Marquez fight to simmer on the burner for a while longer and stew into a mega promotion. It will be an even tastier treat if Pacquiao beats David Diaz and Marquez also wins another fight. A rematch at the end of the year, after the fans have been made to wait several months for it, will surely whet everyone's appetite.

As for Pavlik, a gimme' fight against Lockett on June 7th in Atlantic City allows the middleweight contenders to sort themselves out a little bit and hopefully a clear frontrunner to Pavlik will emerge. If nothing else, it allows John Duddy’s cuts a while to heal and for him to learn a defensive move or two from his trainer Don Turner. It would also allow us to see whether an inactive, Krispy Kreme eating Winky Wright can even make 160 pounds.

Make no mistake, Arum is a master chef when it comes to Pavlik and Pacquiao and even though he's closing in on 80 years old, he's still cooking.

Mayweather’s Wrestling Career - Unlike some other boxing scribes, I have no problem with Floyd “Money” Mayweather’s foray into the laughable world of professional wrestling.


Mayweather gets tossed out of the ring by the "Big Show" last week.

I’ve always thought someplace like the WWE is just the spot for Floyd and his personality. Truth be told, Mayweather's type of act plays best in the theatrical world of pro wrestling.

When the "Pretty Boy" told me one night in Las Vegas that he was “better than Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali” he believed it. And anybody with that much of a warped sense of himself and with that sort of sick sense of humor should do very well in the WWE. I hope he stays in wrestling. He fits in well with that gang of thugs and misfits.

I also hope that all 441 pounds of the “Big Show” trips and falls on him when they meet at Wrestlemania XXIV.


March 2008

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Money Notes around the world

our very own Php 1000 bill(front)
our very own Php 1000 bill (back)

our very own Php 500 bill


From the rest of the World