JD's World

im going back to my old blog, this is the url http://jrem95.blogsup.net

i knew my forum wouldnt last

My has been thinking about buying a Mac for a really long time, its exciting!

Maybe that most recent e-mail virus was the last straw. Maybe you've been longing for a computer that "just works" and that you actually look forward to using. MaybeMicrosoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Vista finally just sent you right around the bend. Perhaps it was that "Mac guy" on the commercials. Or maybe you are the "Mac guy."

For whatever reason, you've decided to buy a new computer from Apple and want a little help sorting out the different models. Well, you're in luck, because perhaps more than at any other time, Apple's product lineup is clear, logical, and targeted at distinct types of users and uses. The entire product line is one of the strongest Apple's ever had. Without hyperbole, it may be the best overall line of computers anyone has had, ever -- there's not a bad Apple among the bunch, and some are truly superb.

Plus, if you're a PC guy or gal contemplating making the switch to the Mac world, the good news is that, if you have to, you can still use Windows on just about any new Mac. Parallel's Desktop for Mac, VMWare's Fusion virtualizer products, and Apple's own included Boot Camp dual-boot enabler all allow Windows to run at native or near-native speed on your Mac. So, these days, your choice doesn't have to be either-or, it can be both.

From design to function, from form to performance, you pretty much can't go wrong with anything Apple is currently selling. We've tested them all in our labs over the past months, and they're just that good. Read on and we'll help you choose the right one.

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Apple released Safari 3.1 on March 18 with an updated rendering engine that makes the fastest Internet browser even faster.

On top of that, Apple's new browser includes some features that reflect the future of the HTML 5 specification: offline storage, media support, and CSS animations and Web fonts. It also adds some needed compatibility and bug fixes, as well as some other new features that really make it a great everyday browser.

For the uninitiated, Apple provides a great PDF overview of Safari. You can get the upgrade/installer from apple.com/safari/download/ (it's about a 16MB download for both Mac and PC) or simply update from Software Update. The installation is easy but strangely requires a restart on Macs but not on Windows. By the way, Safari 3.1 is the first Windows version not to carry the "beta" tag.

The interface and the user experience are largely unchanged from those in Safari 3.0. Under the hood, however, Apple has made some significant changes that it has pulled from the latest builds of the open-source WebKit engine.

WebKit is the framework version of the engine that's used by Safari. It is also the basis of the Web browsing engine in iPhone's Mobile Safari, Symbian's browser, the Google Android platform and Adobe's new AIR platform.
Testing

To check out how well Safari 3.1 handles Web sites, I ran it through some popular standards testing -- and found that it leads the pack. In the Acid3 Tests, which were created by the Web Standards Project to test dynamic browser capabilities, Safari 3.1 scored 75 out of 100, significantly higher than the previous version of Safari and other shipping browsers (Firefox 3 Beta 4 scored 68, while the most recent WebKit scored 92).

However, the big news is how fast the new version of Safari is. How fast? I tested Safari 3.1 on my first-generation 2-GHz MacBook Pro with 2GB of RAM. In MooTools' SlickSpeed speed/validity test suite, a series of tests that use popular Javascript libraries, Safari came out on top in almost every category on both Mac and PC.

It also did significantly better than any shipping browser on the SunSpider JavaScript speed tests (although since these tests are hosted at WebKit.org, they are perhaps biased). For example, on the Mac, Safari scored 4430ms, compared with 5048ms for Firefox 3 Beta 4.

While I spend 90% of my time on a Macintosh, I also installed Safari on my Windows XP box to see how it stacked up against Internet Explorer, Opera and Firefox. In short, it worked extremely well for everyday browsing, offering speed and efficiency, especially on a four- or five-year-old machine. It also performed really well with lots of tabs open.

All measurements are in milliseconds. Lower numbers are better.

Although Safari 3.1 does perform much better than the shipping version of Firefox, the speed improvements in Firefox 3 Beta 4 are catching up with Safari 3.1 -- though Firefox 3 did consume more CPU cycles during my tests.

One of the drawbacks of Safari has been the perceived "over-smoothing" or softening of fonts on the PC. While this hasn't been completely fixed, Apple's Safari 3.1 allows Web sites to specify fonts outside the seven Web-safe font families; these new fonts can be downloaded by the browser as needed.

Unfortunately, there are still prominent features that are part of rival browsers that Safari simply can't match. For example, Safari doesn't have all of the add-ons that Firefox enjoys, such as the Google toolbar.

Furthermore, if you need to use a site that employs Microsoft's proprietary ActiveX technology -- like Microsoft Exchange's Outlook Web Access, for example -- you'll find that the experience on Safari leaves much to be desired. In this case, you're better off using Internet Explorer.

Finally, Opera offers features, such as direct BitTorrent downloads, that aren't offered in Safari.

With the 3.1 release, Safari has become the fastest browser you can use. If that isn't enough reason to make a switch, its strong adherence to Web standards and rapid adoption of new technologies might make you think again.

Well, I fixed your navbar, index page and fixed your portal page (notice there isnt a space in the middle now) ENJOY Very Happy

now for the buttons...

The Emma Samuels Bat Mitzvah is tonight! I am going of course, I am going to wear these pimping black pants my mom bought me from Macy's. They are so awesome. The party is also tomorrow night at the resort! I will totally take some pics. I took pics from Hannah's Bat Miztvah but forgot to post them! Sorry about that! But anyway, Its not for a while.. soo....yeah.

POST MORE PEOPLE!! I NEED MORE MEMBERS!!!

Book 3 now officially has a name - BRISINGR! Christopher Paolini explains, "BRISINGR is one of the first words I thought of for this title, and it’s always felt right to me. As the first ancient-language word that Eragon learns, it has held particular significance for his legacy as a Dragon Rider. In this new book, it will be revealed to be even more meaningful than even Eragon could have known."

Random House has also released the book cover of Brisingr, which will feature the golden dragon Glaedr on a black cover with the familiar golden text. You can view the book cover here.

In addition to the announcement of the book title, Random House has changed the release date of Brisingr from September 23, 2008 to September 20, 2008, after an out-pouring of enthusiasm from book sellers and fans to hold midnight release parties on Friday night, September 19th. The book will now go on sale at 12:01 AM on Saturday, September 20th, 2008.

Brisingr will have an initial first print of 2.5 million copies - the largest first print of any Random House children's book. An audio version of Brisingr> will release simultaneously with the book itself.

Windows Vista SP1 has been compared to Vista RTM and Vista RTM with all updates installed and some interesting results popped up.

Windows Vista RTM with updates installed was found to be 12.8% faster than a fresh RTM install, while Music and Communications droped by 1.6% and 6.5% while productivity increased by 5.25%.

Onto Windows Vista SP1, SP1 was found to be 1.5% faster than RTM with updates and 14.5% faster than RTM. Music and Communications were 4% and 12.8% higher than RTM. With Productivity being 9.8% faster than RTM. Windows Vista SP1 had a 86% file copy and write improvement over RTM also, with a reduction from 9 mins to 2 mins with large files.

Averatec Expands its Family of Powerful, Ultra Portable Notebooks

SANTA ANA, Calif., March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Averatec today introduced a
new 12.1" notebook to the market. The 2575 notebook further establishes
Averatec into the portable notebook PC segment.

Averatec, Inc., a leader in innovative mobile electronic products,
continues to expand its line of full-featured ultra-thin, ultra portable
notebooks with a brand new 12.1" offering. The new 2575 model boasts
contemporary industrial design and incorporates power of AMD's Turion(TM)
64 X2 dual-core mobile technology. Averatec's powerful, yet efficient
design not only runs cool to the touch, but provides style not normally
found in ultra-portable, ultra-light form factors. "We are very excited
with the introduction of our 2575 model," said Darren Lee, Director of
Marketing at Averatec. "The introduction of this product marks a new era
for Averatec on our notebook product line and will provide a great
foundation for our upcoming All-in-One desktop product launch."

Pre-installed with Windows Vista(TM) Home Premium operating system, the
2575 features a 12.1" wide screen, a built-in 1.3M pixel webcam, 250GB of
disk storage and comes with 2GB of system memory.

The 2575 is available now at major online resellers and through
Averatec online at http://www.shopaveratec.com. The Averatec 2575 notebook
has an MSRP of $1099 and is backed by a one-year limited warranty (six
months for the battery) and one-year, toll-free technical support available
24/7.

About Averatec

Based in Orange County, California, Averatec, Inc.
(http://www.averatec.com) is a leading provider of innovative mobile
electronic products and is dedicated to delivering the highest quality
products backed by superior service. Averatec has been recognized with
numerous editorial awards for its high-value product lines. Its products
reach all market segments, including corporate, small business, education
and home, and are sold through major national retailers and online retail
partners, as well as direct through http://www.shopaveratec.com. For more
information about Averatec, please visit http://www.averatec.com.

Averatec and AveraBrite are trademarks of Averatec, Inc. in the U.S.
and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or
other countries. AMD and Turion are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices,
Inc. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.

Hope you guys like the new site look! I got a lot of help from alx310, so be sure to thank him as well!

Some of you already know, but i have a huge obsession with the rubiks cube. my fastest solve is 45 seconds. I will post a video later.

Protests break out in some nation around the globe and one of the first things a media-shy government does--just after sending in riot police--is pull the plug on YouTube.

The latest example is China's handling of protests in Tibet. The Chinese government has blocked access to YouTube in that country after scores of clips showing violence between police and protesters were posted to the site, according to hundreds of reports found on Google News.
KU6 censors

On a trip to China in 2007, News.com reporter Michael Kanellos visited the offices of KU6.com, a rapidly growing video-sharing site in China. Here, KU6 workers review videos for "inappropriate" content before they can be posted.
(Credit: Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com)

Scores of other media outlets have been blocked or partially blacked out in China, including broadcasts of CNN, the BBC World, and Google News. But it's YouTube that gets all the ink.

In an example of YouTube's influence, blocking access to the video-sharing site is now a sort of scarlet letter for governments. The site, which allows individuals to communicate with mass audiences, has become a symbol of free speech to many, and governments that forbid it are immediately branded around the world as repressive.

This kind of image can't be welcomed by China as it prepares to host this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing.

In its report on China's YouTube ban, The New York Times asks whether the Internet and its ability to enable individuals to communicate with large audiences can stand up to a "ruthless government."

The Web publication for British newspaper The Times wrote Monday: "YouTube has been blocked in the past, and the so-called Great Firewall of China prevents discussion of and searches for many sensitive topics, such as the Tiananmen Square protests."

The ban was reported in newspapers in a host of other countries including Russia, Turkey, Canada, and Ireland.

China is obviously no fan of user-generated content. In January, the Chinese government tried to impose a rule whereby only state-run companies could post videos to the Web. The measure was quickly altered after people began raising questions about freedom of speech.

The country's authorities routinely block sites such as Wikipedia, the BBC, and even live TV transmissions to hinder publication of stories on the Dalai Lama, Falun Gong, or even stories critical of leaders or governments that China is trying to build better relationships with. Last May, while reporter Michael Kanellos watched a CNN story on Myannmar from a hotel in Beijing, the screen went blank. CNN only returned when a the news station was broadcasting a different story.

The Great Firewall of China isn't perfect, and it will alternate between blocking particular sites and allowing particular sites, but it does make it more difficult for Chinese citizens to get full information or news stories, according to some analysts.

The Firewall also seems to allow Westerners to view objectionable material in China, while blocking it for Chinese readers. Conceivably, this could be a technique to blunt criticism from the West.

On an Internet connection from a room in a Western-owned hotel, censorship was fairly light, Kanellos reported. Hundreds of images of the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989 popped up on Google Images, particularly images of "Tank Man." News stories, or at least headlines, on controversial subjects came up as well. In an Internet cafe, far fewer images of "Tank Man" appeared, but they could still be found. A few videos of the riots also were available on second-tier video sites like Veoh Networks.

But those results came when the search is conducted in English. Searching for Tiananmen Square on Google's Chinese Image site with Chinese characters revealed no pictures of the riots in 14 pages of images. The only one--on 14 pages of results--that relates to the 1989 riots was a picture of the Goddess of Liberty. On Baidu, the more popular Chinese Web search site, not even that came up.

In the latest controversy, the Chinese government may have been spooked by what happened in Myanmar last year. Clips of troops clashing with protesters were widely videotaped and posted to YouTube before the site was blacked out in Myanmar. By then it was too late. World condemnation of the crackdown was only spurred on by the YouTube ban.

Perhaps the poster child for bans gone wrong is Pakistan. The government there was angered over videos it found disrespectful to Islam and demanded YouTube be blocked. An ISP in Pakistan goofed and erroneously shut down access to YouTube around the world. The government lifted the ban soon after.

The other important issue in all this is how Google will respond to China's ban. A representative said that the company is "looking into the matter," and trying to "ensure that the service is restored as soon as possible."

But what happens if China wants Google to begin self censoring videos or wants to know the names of the people who posted the clips of the Tibet violence?

Yahoo can be used as a model of what can go wrong when negotiating with the Chinese government. The portal handed over information about a journalist who was later sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence for posting comments critical of the government online. Yahoo's action has been widely condemned ever since.