Friday, November 30, 2012

Designer Wholesalers In Whitechapel - Business - ECommerce

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The Asbestos attorney will be able to tell you where your case could be filed - Law - Personal Injury

Asbestos is a tragic disease because it is 100% preventable. The fact that you are looking at this article may mean that you, or a loved one, has been diagnosed with a form of Asbestos and you have heard that in some cases patients have legal rights that can be upheld.You are right about legal rights. The reason there is legislation related to Asbestos is because many persons with Asbestos are victims of unscrupulous employers who knew about the health risks associated with working around asbestos and asbestos related products but they chose to do nothing to protect their employees.Asbestos takes decades to become obvious and by the time it does, there is little that can be done. The average life span after diagnosis is 242 days but, mortality rates are improving. So, if you have Asbestos it is a good idea to learn as much as you can and to quickly seek the advice of a qualified Asbestos attorney because every state has a statute of limitations. What this means is that the re is a specifically defined period of time in which a lawsuit has to be filed. If this window of opportunity has passed, you will not be able to seek legal compensation.If you want to pursue finding out whether you can file a lawsuit, you can look for a Asbestos attorney in the yellow pages of the phonebook or go on-line and search for Asbestos attorney. Most of the time the Asbestos attorney or law firm you contact will gladly share with you the specific limitations for filing in the state in which you reside and you will not be obligated to them.While you have the Asbestos attorney on the phone and you found out you are still within the timeframe for your state to file, it would be a good idea to ask a few questions. A good starting question might be to ask about what experience the Asbestos attorney has had in representing Asbestos patients.Even though the phonebook ad and/or internet citation indicates you are contacting a Asbestos attorney, you may actually find out th at the attorney you are talking to does not represent patients but refers contacts to other attorneys for a percentage of the settlement award. Another scenario is that someone in the law firm does have experience representing Asbestos victims; in which case this is the attorney you need to be talking to.When you get connected with a practicing Asbestos attorney, a good second question is about how much he will charge you for investigating your situation to determine whether you have legal case to represent. Most of the time Asbestos attorneys have no charge for investigating the viability of a possible claim. Typically Asbestos attorneys work on what is called a contingency fee basis. What this means is that they will only get paid if there is a financial settlement or award.Another question to be sure to ask the Asbestos attorney is about the process and the potential length of time before the case reaches completion. You more than likely will hear that the answer to this question is highly dependent on the court where your case will be filed. As an aside, Asbestos attorneys generally provide services in many states and not just the one in which they reside so, if you are not happy with the local Asbestos attorney(s), know that you can work with many even those who reside in a state other than yours.The attorney will be able to tell you where your case could be filed because this depends on where you live and where you were exposed to asbestos. It is not uncommon for persons with Asbestos to be awarded some settlement monies fairly soon after filing their lawsuit. When deciding where to file, it is important to think about how long it will take for your case to be completely resolved.At this stage of your inquiry process, responding to the question of where to file is difficult to answer. There are many variables to take into consideration. Some of these include: your age, the type of asbestos disease you have, your medical status, the detail s of your exposure to asbestos, and the asbestos products you had exposure to.Be sure and talk with several different attorneys and only select one that you feel you can trust because he has experience and respects your need for resolution.Asbestos is a tragic disease because it is 100% preventable. The fact that you are looking at this article may mean that you, or a loved one, has been diagnosed with a form of Asbestos and you have heard that in some cases patients have legal rights that can be upheld.You are right about legal rights. The reason there is legislation related to Asbestos is because many persons with Asbestos are victims of unscrupulous employers who knew about the health risks associated with working around asbestos and asbestos related products but they chose to do nothing to protect their employees.Asbestos takes decades to become obvious and by the time it does, there is little that can be done. The average life span after diagnosis is 242 days but, morta lity rates are improving. So, if you have Asbestos it is a good idea to learn as much as you can and to quickly seek the advice of a qualified Asbestos attorney because every state has a statute of limitations. What this means is that there is a specifically defined period of time in which a lawsuit has to be filed. If this window of opportunity has passed, you will not be able to seek legal compensation.If you want to pursue finding out whether you can file a lawsuit, you can look for a Asbestos attorney in the yellow pages of the phonebook or go on-line and search for Asbestos attorney. Most of the time the Asbestos attorney or law firm you contact will gladly share with you the specific limitations for filing in the state in which you reside and you will not be obligated to them.While you have the Asbestos attorney on the phone and you found out you are still within the timeframe for your state to file, it would be a good idea to ask a few questions. A good starting quest ion might be to ask about what experience the Asbestos attorney has had in representing Asbestos patients.Even though the phonebook ad and/or internet citation indicates you are contacting a Asbestos attorney, you may actually find out that the attorney you are talking to does not represent patients but refers contacts to other attorneys for a percentage of the settlement award. Another scenario is that someone in the law firm does have experience representing Asbestos victims; in which case this is the attorney you need to be talking to.When you get connected with a practicing Asbestos attorney, a good second question is about how much he will charge you for investigating your situation to determine whether you have legal case to represent. Most of the time Asbestos attorneys have no charge for investigating the viability of a possible claim. Typically Asbestos attorneys work on what is called a contingency fee basis. What this means is that they will only get paid if there is a financial settlement or award.Another question to be sure to ask the Asbestos attorney is about the process and the potential length of time before the case reaches completion. You more than likely will hear that the answer to this question is highly dependent on the court where your case will be filed. As an aside, Asbestos attorneys generally provide services in many states and not just the one in which they reside so, if you are not happy with the local Asbestos attorney(s), know that you can work with many even those who reside in a state other than yours.The Asbestos attorney will be able to tell you where your case could be filed because this depends on where you live and where you were exposed to asbestos. It is not uncommon for persons with Asbestos to be awarded some settlement monies fairly soon after filing their lawsuit. When deciding where to file, it is important to think about how long it will take for your case to be completely resolved.At this stage of your inquiry process, responding to the question of where to file is difficult to answer. There are many variables to take into consideration. Some of these include: your age, the type of asbestos disease you have, your medical status, the details of your exposure to asbestos, and the asbestos products you had exposure to.Be sure and talk with several different Asbestos attorneys and only select one that you feel you can trust because he has experience and respects your need for resolution.

The Asbestos attorney will be able to tell you where your case could be filed is a new star of Cancer Rehabilitation Website it will be to provide the latest information about Choosing an asbestos attorney to represent you in a mesothelioma lawsuit





Hoe to Write a Mystery Novel - Law

Every writer wants to write a great novel, but not every writer knows the secret that can make the difference between a successful novel and a failure. The secret that every writer needs to know is that every novel is a mystery. I know that might sound ridiculous at first, especially if youre writing a romance or a science fiction novel. At their core, though, even westerns and horror stories are mysteries.Let me explain what I mean. When I say that every novel is a mystery, I mean that there is something (a mystery) that the main character must figure out during the story. In a murder mystery, this is pretty obvious. The main character must figure out who committed the murder. This search for the murderer then provides the framework around which the rest of the story is structured. In a romance, the protagonist may need to figure out how to get the man she loves to fall in love with her. In a science fiction novel, the main character may need to figure out how to get back home after his spaceship crashes on an alien planet. In each of these cases, solving the mystery in the story provides the framework.This mystery cant just be a passing comment in the story. It needs to be the bones of the story. Therefore, the very first step in writing your novel is to figure out what mystery your main character is going to solve.First, answer these questions. What is my characters main task during the story? What does he or she need to find out?Next, give your main character a seriously compelling reason for completing their task. Lets use our previous science fiction novel as an example. Our main character needs to figure out how to get back home because he wants to witness the birth of his first child. Maybe he is carrying a vaccine that can cure an epidemic on his home planet. Maybe he only has three days of breathable air. Maybe he has a message that must be delivered to the president in order to prevent war. The more dire the consequences, the bette r the story will be. The list of possibilities is endless.You can see how important the word because is when youre writing your novels statement. It can turn a good idea for a novel into a great idea. Try using this format for your novels mystery sentence: The main character needs to (write the problem here) because (write a compelling reason here).You can use this mystery statement as part of your marketing material when the novel is finished. It can appear in your press release and in your online advertising.Every writer wants to write a great novel, but not every writer knows the secret that can make the difference between a successful novel and a failure. The secret that every writer needs to know is that every novel is a mystery. I know that might sound ridiculous at first, especially if youre writing a romance or a science fiction novel. At their core, though, even westerns and horror stories are mysteries.Let me explain what I mean. When I say that every novel is a my stery, I mean that there is something (a mystery) that the main character must figure out during the story. In a murder mystery, this is pretty obvious. The main character must figure out who committed the murder. This search for the murderer then provides the framework around which the rest of the story is structured. In a romance, the protagonist may need to figure out how to get the man she loves to fall in love with her. In a science fiction novel, the main character may need to figure out how to get back home after his spaceship crashes on an alien planet. In each of these cases, solving the mystery in the story provides the framework.This mystery cant just be a passing comment in the story. It needs to be the bones of the story. Therefore, the very first step in writing your novel is to figure out what mystery your main character is going to solve.First, answer these questions. What is my characters main task during the story? What does he or she need to find out?Next, give your main character a seriously compelling reason for completing their task. Lets use our previous science fiction novel as an example. Our main character needs to figure out how to get back home because he wants to witness the birth of his first child. Maybe he is carrying a vaccine that can cure an epidemic on his home planet. Maybe he only has three days of breathable air. Maybe he has a message that must be delivered to the president in order to prevent war. The more dire the consequences, the better the story will be. The list of possibilities is endless.You can see how important the word because is when youre writing your novels statement. It can turn a good idea for a novel into a great idea. Try using this format for your novels mystery sentence: The main character needs to (write the problem here) because (write a compelling reason here).You can use this mystery statement as part of your marketing material when the novel is finished. It can appear in your pres s release and in your online advertising.





Monitor Cell Phone Text Messages - Computers

Monitoring cell phones appear like a immoral thing to some, but from time to time you have to do what you have to do. Spying on Cellular phone calls with Cell Phone Spy Software can be good for some things. It can help you keep track of associates, people or even employees at different stages and levels which could help prevent upcoming problems and even tragedies. Cell Phone Spy software can be used to check text messages, spy on cell phone conversations, and even locate your associates, family or employees via Google maps with a high tech GPS feature.

First off if you own a company and need to keep track of your employees, then there is no rule against you tracking there Cell Telephone with this spy software if you are the owner of and pay for the Phones that they are using. Hence if you are wondering where they are going when you send them out on everyday jobs then the GPS element will actually come in useful when tracking them. Furthermore being able to observe what they are texting or listen in to what they are chatting about could also come in useful and help you save money in many various ways.

Spying on Cell Phone Calls with your computer is easier than you believe. Now a days there is app for your Smartphone for just about anything you can conceive of. Whether you have a Blackberry, iPhone or whichever of the numerous phones covered by the Android operating system you can obtain this phone Surveillance software with an simple download.

You may be thinking well what would I do with this software and is it lawful for me to be spying on other peoples Cell Phones? Basically if you are paying for the phones then it is absolutely fine. So you can use this to keep track of your Next of kin or Children and also even keep an eye on your staff that have cell phones paid for by you.

This hot up-to-the-minute software allows you to spy on Cell Phone Calls, look at others text e-mail and also locate them with a in depth GPS that is backed by Google Maps. You may well have an worker that use a company vehicle and cell phone and travels a lot for your company. If you want to keep tabs on this specific employee to make sure you are not overpaying for mileage and additional expenses that an employer may be accountable for than this is a splendid way to help you track it to make sure the employee is being sincere with what he or she is claiming that you owe them.

One more example of when this Cell Phone Surveillance software could come in useful is to keep track of that Young person that might be starting to go out on dates or even to parties. Watching there text communication and calls could really help you bring to a halt trouble before it happens to help you avoid some future hassle.





Cellular phone Text Message Spy Technologies: Why It Is So Efficient - Relationships

If you have anything to hide or that you want to retain mystery, likelihood are that you aren't heading to want to talk about it out loud. No, you're going to want to be peaceful about it unless of course you are in a spot exactly where you are free to talk.Even so, you are going to need to communicate with whomever you're carrying out the top secret activity. A husband who has a lover will want to notify his lover where and when they are heading to meet. A little one that is purchasing medicines will need to have to tell his seller how considerably he needs and at what cost. Neither of these conversations is probably to be heard out loud.Rather, text messages are sent. To begin with of all, they are silent. Secondly, they are discreet and you can even create them in entire watch of everyone else. Third, they can be erased.Cell mobile phone text message spy technologies will get the info of all these texts and retailers it for you on a web site, wherever it can't be erased . That's why it's so effective at what it does.Lastly, most cell phone spy plans have cell cellular phone text concept spy know-how integrated, so you don't have to shell out additional for it.There's constantly a way you can detect the mysteries surrounding any one you're suspecting or monitoring. Now, I'm not chatting about becoming a member of the police force or hiring the solutions of a non-public investigator right here! There's a way a lot easier way -by just setting up a phone spying program, you would be ready to track and demystify all the things to do of any individual all-around you.This procedure is very less difficult given that everyone utilizes a cell telephone. You can spy, track or check any individual as prolonged as that particular person owns a mobile mobile phone. You then require to discreetly set up the spyware system on his/her cellphone in such a way that they wouldn't recognize you're spying on them.Introducing the cell cellphone spying programA ce ll cellular phone spying application is a incredibly outstanding software program plan that could be put in on any cell telephone in minutes. It works as an undercover in these kinds of a way that the users of any cellphone it has been installed on wouldn't be mindful of its presence except they have been informed of its presence by the a person that set up it. Once you have put in the program, it only gets activated after it's switched off and switched on back. The spying application immediately starts working discreetly in the background. It commences gathering all the information of the email and SMS messages, incoming and outgoing calls and a lot additional. This information and facts would then be gathered and sent by these cell telephone spying computer software to the account you would be offered when you invest in the software package.The moment you've logged into that account working with the person title and password you have been granted or one you picked, you wil l be ready to entry all the documents that have been spied by the software package.





Catch A Spouse or Track A Lover With Text Message Spying - Relationships - Sexuality

Software that allows text message spying is no longer a fantasy but a reality in the age of modern technology. Spying software technology is emerging at a fast pace and makes it quite simple to spy on anybody who has a cell phone. After installation of the spy software on a mobile phone, tracking conversations on the device is possible. Keeping track of a lover, monitoring a teenager or trying to catch a spouse cheating can be done with virtual ease.

Text message spying software is relatively simple to use and does not require a lot of technical ability. Working undercover to catch an unfaithful spouse, monitor a suspicious teenager or track a lover is no longer only possible for private investigators. After installing the software a variety of stealthy features make it possible to gather hard evidence with ease. For instance, the cell phone spy monitoring software will provide you with word-for-word SMS logs of every message being sent and received from the phone even if the holder of the phone has erased them. A call tracking feature will allow you to view the number the call was made to, where the call came from the time it took place and how long the call took place. Additionally, if a name has been assigned to the phone's memory you will be able to see who it is. In other words, you won't have to call the number to find out who the number is associated with. The mobile phone monitoring spy software is capable of v iewing every phone number registered on the memory of the phone. One of the best features of the spy software is the ability to track the exact position of the phone's whereabouts and then view the location using Google Maps. This allows you to gather more evidence on your suspicious teenager, cheating spouse or lover.

Text messaging spy software uses a state-of-the-art clandestine tracking application that monitors and records ALL activity on the phone. All you do is install the software onto the target phone you want to spy on. It then sends all the information to a server where it is stored for you. You can see everything from any computer in the world all you need is internet access.

If you are using text messaging spying software to catch a spouse and concerned they may find out, no worries. Most programs are completely undetectable and can be installed on just about every smart phone out there and you have the capability to target more than one phone. With so many advanced features, it is not surprising that an increasing number of people are electing to do their own spying and not rely on expensive private investigators.

In closing, ask yourself the following questions: Are you suspicious about someone and their behavior? Do you have a hard time trusting someone and need to know the truth? Do you want to keep track of someone's location and don't believe they are going where you think they are? Do you want to keep tabs on your teenager, know where they are, who they are talking to, and what they're talking about? Do you want to catch a spouse once and for all? If you answered yes to any of the questions, consider taking matters in your own hands and spy like a pro with stealth text message spying software. It is much less expensive than hiring a private eye and you will finally get the answers you have been looking for.

If you suspect sneaky behavior and want to Spy On Spouse then look intoText Message Spying software.





High quality Photo Frames for Framing Father Day Cards - Computers - Software

What can brighten your homemade father day cards and make them stand out? Try the high quality photo frames for framing father day cards newly-released by Frame Photo Editor for its users to free download.

What the color of fathers in the world? Black, for he is always as cool as cucumber no matter what happens, big or small, which comfort us that every thing will be OK; he protects us from troubles, and dangers, warning us if something bad is gonna happen. Green, for they connect the vast outside world with us; he is now a man with sweet smile, taking us everywhere to entertain ourselves and to enlarging our visions; we do sports together, we play together, and we together have fun in nature; he always leads us to a new world, fantastic and adventurous. White, for sometimes he acts like a child with charming and sweet smiles... In a word, he is colorful, a person who we love deeply and greatly adore.

On a special day belonging to him, we should do something to express how deep we love him, and what he means to us. Here, a series of new photo frames for us to make Father Day Cards is highly recommended. These photo frames are released by Frame Photo Editor, a photo card maker which can help people make various photo cards for any occasion, of course, including Fathers Day. The new photo frames for Father Day Cards are free for us to download and use. We can import the frames in Frame Photo Editor, and then use them freely to frame our homemade Father Day Cards. Want to know more about the photo frames, please visit: [/download-more-template.htm].

There are a total of 20 photo frames newly designed and released by Frame Photo Editor, apart from which, numerous other photo frames are in built Frame Photo Editor, covering lots of areas. Simple, elegant, fresh, vintage, stylish, fashionable, non-mainstream, modern, and more, all is in high quality, and will help us make quality father day cards for dear fathers.

Father is a senior we look up to, a friend we share with our sorrows and happiness, a should we depend on, and a foundation where we could totally relax and be ourselves. He acquires nothing from us except of our love. Why not send him a homemade Father Day Card to express our deep love for him. And I hope these photo frames for Fathers day cards can do you a favor.

About KigoSoft Inc: KigoSoft Inc. is a software development company with expertise and experience in digital photo applications. It also provides multimedia software solutions for personal computers, mobile devices and consumer electronic manufacturers.More about Kigosoft: [/].Our team designed Frame Photo Editor which enables users of all levels to easily and effectively edit, enhance their digital photos and enjoy their creative work on computers mobile devices such as mobile phones, iPods, PDAs and PSPs.

Press Contact:Name: May WuAddress: 5-1702, SBI ChuangYeJie, GuangGu, Wuhan, Hubei, ChinaPhone: +86(27)87807461Email: : /





Nike Shoes - Business

he best place to buy Nike shoes wholesale is at nikeonlineforyou.com. The website provides a wide array of Nike shoe collections to choose from. Prices of shoes and other sports apparel featured in jordanputian.com are buy nike shoes really affordable. Wholesale purchases of Nike shoes is very beneficial when you have a shoe shop business. Ordering is very simple and done through clicks of the mouse. Website has a well-organized tabs and buttons to provide you with a fast and easy navigation. Plus, when the customers get the wrong merchandise delivered nike shoes , they are given the option to request for a refund or exchange for other merchandise.

Corresponding with the release and early popularity of the Nike Air Force One line was the revolution of the Hip Hop movement and the growing trend of Hip Hop clothing. Hip-hop fashion began to gain momentum in the late seventies and continued to survive as a unique culture and fashion through out the early eighties. Marked by clothing cheap nike shoeswith an African American influence, early Hip Hop fashion included the wearing of large glasses, gold necklaces and rings, oversized loose fitting clothing in pallets of black, red and green and an emphasis on brand name footwear, Nike, Addidas that was comfortable and reflective of personal style, often with oversized laces.

Within the Hip Hop fashion culture Nike Air Force One shoes became very popular almost immediately. Bright colored with over sized laces, which were often left untied, or as white sneakers peaking out from under overlong pants Nike Air Force Ones maintained their hold on the Hip Hop market through the late eighties, nineties and continue to hold a strong place beyond the year 2000. They have become a much more casual wear shoe, seen just about everywhere, not only the basketball court.

One way is to search Nike.com. Information on their lenses can be found through the Eyewear section. Details on where to purchase the contact lenses are found through their 'Retail Locator' section found within the Eyewear portion of the website. This section will first require one to enter in where they live at. After this it will display a list of retailers in the area offering the contact lenses. If one is not satisfied with what is on the list, they can use another way to buy them, which is to find them from online eyewear stores, such as 1800Contacts.com. Keep in mind that reputable online eyewear stores will require a prescription before shipping out contact lenses, even if they are only plano. Dealing with stores that do otherwise could put one's eyesight at risk since wearing any type of lenses without a prescription is dangerous.

Buy Nike Shoes Cheap Nike Online, Lowest Prices nike Shoes, Guaranteed! welcome to our website to buy Mens Nike Shox Shoes, Women Nike Shox Shoes.





Variety Of Nike Shoes - Business - Sales

Zumba is the hottest craze right now for people who are looking for a fun way to get fit. This dance/fitness/aerobic class will have you burning calories and losing weight in no time; what's great is that it is FUN! We have written this article to look at the Nike Zumba Shoes that you can wear in this class. Find out which models are really the best.

When doing Zumba it is very important that you have the right shoes. You need athletic sneakers that will be able to give your feet the right support, while at the same time being lightweight and comfortable. Nike makes a wide range of athletic shoes and they have specific ones that are created for dance-fitness, aerobic-dance and cardio-dance activities. Below you will find a few of those, as well as some other Nike sneakers we recommend for Zumba.

Nike Musique

The Nike Musique is a great pair for shoes for people who are interested in Zumba. The reason why we are so high on these particular sneakers is the fact that they were developed by Nike specifically for these types of dance fitness classes. This sneaker is amazingly light and it is also flexible and breathable. It has a right amount of cushioning and it also gives great lateral support. The Musique is also very comfortable and on the outsole of shoe has a great pivot point that makes it good for turns and twists. Another great selling point of these sneakers is the fact that they look extremely good.

Nike Shox

The Nike Shox are also great Zumba Shoes. These are very popular training sneakers, but they can be used in these classes. They are extremely lightweight, comfortable and they are also able to provide the support that people need when doing this intense activity. If you are looking for a great sneaker to do Zumba in, then you should consider these shoes.

Nike Zoom Sister

The Nike Zoom Sister are another popular Zumba Nike Shoes used in the class. These are training sneakers, but they have great support, are lightweight and comfortable. There is also not too much traction on the outsole and this makes it just right for the class.

Zumba is an amazing way to get fit. It is fun, intense and you will have a blast. It is important to have the right Zumba Sneakers so that you are not weighed down by heavy shoes or do not have the right support. The ones we listed above will work well.The website provides a wide array of Nike shoe collections to choose from. Prices of shoes and other sports apparel featured in jordanputian.com are buy nike shoes really affordable. Wholesale purchases of Nike shoes is very beneficial when you have a shoe shop business. Ordering is very simple and done through clicks of the mouse. Website has a well-organized tabs and buttons to provide you with a fast and easy navigation. Plus, when the customers get the wrong merchandise delivered nike shoes , they are given the option to request for a refund or exchange for other merchandise.

Corresponding with the release and early popularity of the Nike Air Force One line was the revolution of the Hip Hop movement and the growing trend of Hip Hop clothing. Hip-hop fashion began to gain momentum in the late seventies and continued to survive as a unique culture and fashion through out the early eighties. Marked by clothing cheap nike shoeswith an African American influence, early Hip Hop fashion included the wearing of large glasses, gold necklaces and rings, oversized loose fitting clothing in pallets of black, red and green and an emphasis on brand name footwear, Nike, Addidas that was comfortable and reflective of personal style, often with oversized laces.

Within the Hip Hop fashion culture Nike Air Force One shoes became very popular almost immediately. Bright colored with over sized laces, which were often left untied, or as white sneakers peaking out from under overlong pants Nike Air Force Ones maintained their hold on the Hip Hop market through the late eighties, nineties and continue to hold a strong place beyond the year 2000. They have become a much more casual wear shoe, seen just about everywhere, not only the basketball court.

Before the invention of Nike contact lenses, the only way athletes could block the sun from their eyes was through sunglasses. This in itself was very inconvenient, especially for sports requiring a lot of running or jumping movement. There was always the potential that the sunglasses could come off and/or get scratched while the athlete was at play. With Nike contact lenses, this worry would become nonexistent.

What are Nike contact lenses?

Nike contact lenses are a special type of contact lenses that use a light-filtering tint to improve the focusing power of the athlete's vision. They can be used whether or not a person has developmental visual problems.

Nike contacts come in four different tints: golf tint, hi-vis tint, speed tint and polarized tint. Golf tint, just like its name suggests, is designed for being able to better see the grass and the ball while one is going golfing. The specific colors that one can see clearer with golf tint are green, red and blue.

Hi-vis tint is designed to see things better in low light. It accentuates the color yellow.

Speed tint, which works well while on the road, filters out colors that contribute to glare while putting an emphasis on the color red.

Polarized tint, useful for water sports, gets rid of the glare given off of reflective surfaces. Nike.com recommends to not use their polarized line if one is involved in sports where the head moves back and forth, because they might become distracted from the 'pulsating effect' given off by the lenses.

How can one get their hands on a pair of Nike contacts?

One way is to search Nike.com. Information on their lenses can be found through the Eyewear section. Details on where to purchase the contact lenses are found through their 'Retail Locator' section found within the Eyewear portion of the website. This section will first require one to enter in where they live at. After this it will display a list of retailers in the area offering the contact lenses. If one is not satisfied with what is on the list, they can use another way to buy them, which is to find them from online eyewear stores, such as 1800Contacts.com. Keep in mind that reputable online eyewear stores will require a prescription before shipping out contact lenses, even if they are only plano. Dealing with stores that do otherwise could put one's eyesight at risk since wearing any type of lenses without a prescription is dangerous.

Nike contact lenses are available for all types of sportsmen through their various styles of lens tinting. Indeed, Nike contact lenses, allowing athletes to see in a way that is not possible through sunglasses or even their natural eye, has revolutionized sporting. In fact, the next time a superior athlete is observed, one should consider the fact that maybe a small portion of their superb performance could be due to how Nike contact lenses has affected their eyes.

Want more information on Nike contact lenses and where online to get contact lenses? Try visiting , a popular website that offers tips, advice and resources related to contact lenses, buying contact lenses, night and day contact lenses and where to find contact lenses in Canada.

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The best place to buy Nike shoes wholesale - Business - Business Ideas

The best place to buy Nike shoes wholesale. The website provides a wide array of Nike shoe collections to choose from. Prices of shoes and other sports apparel featured in jordanputian.com are buy nike shoes really affordable. Wholesale purchases of Nike shoes is very beneficial when you have a shoe shop business. Ordering is very simple and done through clicks of the mouse. Website has a well-organized tabs and buttons to provide you with a fast and easy navigation. Plus, when the customers get the wrong merchandise delivered nike shoes , they are given the option to request for a refund or exchange for other merchandise.

Corresponding with the release and early popularity of the Nike Air Force One line was the revolution of the Hip Hop movement and the growing trend of Hip Hop clothing. Hip-hop fashion began to gain momentum in the late seventies and continued to survive as a unique culture and fashion through out the early eighties. Marked by clothing cheap nike shoeswith an African American influence, early Hip Hop fashion included the wearing of large glasses, gold necklaces and rings, oversized loose fitting clothing in pallets of black, red and green and an emphasis on brand name footwear, Nike, Addidas that was comfortable and reflective of personal style, often with oversized laces.

Within the Hip Hop fashion culture Nike Air Force One shoes became very popular almost immediately. Bright colored with over sized laces, which were often left untied, or as white sneakers peaking out from under overlong pants Nike Air Force Ones maintained their hold on the Hip Hop market through the late eighties, nineties and continue to hold a strong place beyond the year 2000. They have become a much more casual wear shoe, seen just about everywhere, not only the basketball court.

One way is to search Nike.com. Information on their lenses can be found through the Eyewear section. Details on where to purchase the contact lenses are found through their 'Retail Locator' section found within the Eyewear portion of the website. This section will first require one to enter in where they live at. After this it will display a list of retailers in the area offering the contact lenses. If one is not satisfied with what is on the list, they can use another way to buy them, which is to find them from online eyewear stores, such as 1800Contacts.com. Keep in mind that reputable online eyewear stores will require a prescription before shipping out contact lenses, even if they are only plano. Dealing with stores that do otherwise could put one's eyesight at risk since wearing any type of lenses without a prescription is dangerous.

The Nike Musique is a great pair for shoes for people who are interested in Zumba. The reason why we are so high on these particular sneakers is the fact that they were developed by Nike specifically for these types of dance fitness classes. This sneaker is amazingly light and it is also flexible and breathable. It has a right amount of cushioning and it also gives great lateral support. The Musique is also very comfortable and on the outsole of shoe has a great pivot point that makes it good for turns and twists. Another great selling point of these sneakers is the fact that they look extremely good.





Thursday, November 29, 2012

Monetizing Your Blog (2) Part 6 - Website Promotion

Your Own Products

Another great way to monetize your blog is to simply sell your own products. This is a great way to build even more credibility and popularity for your blog. Having your own ebook or video course will help you to be seen as an authority in your niche and someone to go to for information. Plus you get to keep 100% of the sales!

Creating Products Yourself

Two of the most popular forms of products are ebooks and video courses. For ebooks, all you need to do is have Microsoft word or open office (free open-source software you can download from the internet), and convert your word document into a pdf so your customers can download it.

For video courses, I suggest making power point slides with Microsoft Powerpoint or Open Office and then using a screen capture software such as Camtasia or Camstudio (Camstudio is open-source software so its free, just do a Google search for it), to record the powerpoint slides as you narrate them.

Using PLR Products

If youre not up to making your own products or youre short on time, a good option is to purchase Private Label Rights Products. If you do a search, you will find plenty of ebooks, and video courses in all sorts of niches that come with PLR. Simple purchase the products you want, edit it to suit your brand if you want to, and then its ready to be sold as your own product on your blog!

List Building

If youre serious about long-term success on the internet and making enough money for your online business to be able to replace your day job, then building a list is vital. Almost anyone who makes a substantial amount of money on the internet has a mailing list of targeted subscribers who are interested in their niche. Imagine being able to wake up in the morning, send out 1 email to your list of subscribers, and making more money in 1 day from that email then you do working a month in your regular 9-5 job. Its entirely possible and very worthwhile.

The best way to do this is to offer your visitors something of value to them for free in exchange for their email address. It could be something like a free report or an ebook, or a 7-part eCourse. Below your offer have an opt-in box where they can enter their email so they can be sent their free gift.As you can see, building a list of targeted, potential customers is very valuable and is an excellent asset, because since you now have their email address you can email them directly with your product offers and affiliate links, as well as plenty of helpful, free info!

Traffic Generation Strategies

So now weve picked a profitable niche, we have our blog set up and optimized, and weve monetized our blog, we now have one thing left to do; get visitors to our blog!

Blog Commenting

A great way to get targeted visitors to your blog that will be interested in your content and products, is by leaving comments on other similar blogs in your niche with a link back to your blog in you comment or signature.

Do a search on Google for other blogs in your niche that are relevant to your own blog and try to find blogs that have a lot of traffic, a lot of activity, and are seen as somewhat as an authority in your niche.

Try to engage constructively in the conversations and threads and offer useful advice. Try to help people the best you can, the more you positively contribute to forums and blogs, the more clicks you will get on your link back to your blog and the more traffic you will get.

Dont ever try to spam blogs by leaving comments of little value like leaving one liners like great post. This will never work and no one will even click on your link.

Try to actively participate in the community and build up a bit of a reputation for helping people and you will see a huge jump in your traffic!

In my next blog article I will go even further and cover many more monitizing techniques.

Peter Wolfing





Directory Submission Tool - Boost Internet site Traffic With Net Directories Submission - Internet

)As I said, even though, submitting the identical details (title, description, search phrases, blah blah) is tiresome and boring and it normally requires a prolonged time, when completed manually. In addition, you actually do not know the myriad of directories out there, until the Directory Fairly was sort adequate to drop an exhaustive checklist under your pillow. Enter Directory Submitter.Directory Submitter is a excellent piece of software produced by Brad Callen and his crew of madcap programmers that removes the repetition involved in submitting the identical info to directory following directory soon after directory. They are the identical crew that developed Article Submitter and Key phrase Elite (brilliant software package, but that's yet another article! ) ).In Directory Submitter, you simply produce a Profile for each internet web site that you are seeking to submit, filling in the blanks with all the information on that particular website. Right after the Profil e has been produced, you have a list of 300 directories that you have the choices of sorting by Web page Rank, Alexa score, Category (Common, Hosting, Jewelry, and many others), and Form (no matter whether it really is a directory you can submit to for free, you have to pay out for inclusion, or the two). You double-simply click a directory name, it brings it up in the developed-in Net browser and fills in all the data from your Profile assortment for you! All you need to have to do to comprehensive the submission is choose the group exactly where you want your web internet site to reside. For case in point, mine would be in the Travel part. Soon after you're completed, Directory Submitter tags that directory with the date you submitted to it, so that you know you might be done with that one particular and you transfer on. Wash, rinse, repeat. I are likely to do about 5 or 6 submissions a day.As I explained, the totally free model of Directory Submitter gives you a record of 300 directories to go through. Directory Submitter Gold (I feel it value me a measly $49) gives you with a list of about 2,200 directories. That is fairly the list! The more directory websites you submit to, the merrier! Updates are free of charge for daily life, as well. Even if you do not see the final results immediately more than time you will get a great deal of one particular-way links that position again to your web site. This in turn will give a increase to your website's rank in the search engines. So, guarantee that specifics you submit are appropriate and point to the proper net web page on your website.Automated site directory submissions are a quite well-known and simple way to get good quality, 1 way links to your web site. Very good high quality links from large PR, themed directories are very valued by the research engines. If your website will get a whole lot of these higher value, a single way links your website will be normally ranked close to the top. Of course there are great deal of other aspects also thought to be by the search engines like quality of content material and other on web page aspects.There are dozens of directory submitters available online right now. Costs differ from free of charge to a couple of hundred pounds. The higher priced products typically have more directories and capabilities like many possibilities for descriptions, titles, key phrases - that are submitted in rotation so that the research engines do not penalize you for getting too many 'similar' links far too quick. By different these alternatives you will not be penalized by the search engines in accordance to the makers of these automated directory submitters.Explore the functions and set off the positive aspects against the cost and buy a solution that best meets your wants or just go with the free of charge version. The directory submitter that submits to the most quantity of directories really should be your top selection, as you want ma ximum amount of backlinks.But some software package might declare to submit to only those directories, which have page rank and nonetheless others to only high quality directories. PageRank and search engine ranking maintain modifying with research engines algorithms.Directory submissions by humans will price you the most. As hand submissions can consider hrs of tedious operate you will be exchanging time for funds. There are several arguments for and against 'automated submissions vs hand submissions'.These who are in favor hand directory submitters argue that human beings are greater at judging the directory group, editing descriptions, placing the right keywords better than automated software package.





Finest Android Tablet Attributes You have to Appearance For - Technology

In early 2010, soon after Apple's iPad demonstrated productive debut and signaled the commencing of new tablet Laptop marketplace, a lot of computer hardware manufacturers noticed and acknowledged the achievable huge sector for tablet Pc and prepared throughout the yr. Tablet Computer, in structure, ought to be light, transportable, and inexpensive although the computing energy should be rapid ample for regular chores which include world wide web searching, e mail, Twitter, and Facebook.

These duties are straightforward adequate so that they didn't choose to deploy working with Windows OS which demands increased computing electrical power to run easily and it's not at all cheap possibly. That may be why Google Android OS became the well-liked OS for that new tablet Laptop amid the suppliers. Android OS is open up sourced, and publicly taken care of and mostly adopted because of the sensible phones. The newest publicly release edition is v2.3 code identify Gingerbread. But most of the most current products occur with version 2.2. Google recently introduced v3.0 Honeycomb, but it surely is officially announced that this really is for that tablet Personal computer only at this time. Several customers need to consider out the newest version and that's why lots of producers are arranging to adopt Android 3.0 as quickly as possible.

Now then what are the important functions of Android tablet Pc you want to appear for when purchasing a tablet Laptop? I've outlined the vital characteristics below starting from the most important to minimum.

*Processor: The center of your any computing system. Lower end tablets install 600 MHz processor, but it is important to pick a gadget with not less than 1 GHz processor or you will practical experience apparent delay. CortexA8 1GHz and NVIDIA's Tegra 1GHz are the well-known 1GHz processors.

* Exhibit size and resolution: Common display measurements are 7 inch and 10 inch. It is actually mostly rely upon your requirement. If you would really like to use the table as swift internet surfing product only at your home and would love a large screen, you'd undoubtedly want 10 inch tablet. But if you want to provide your tablet all around all over the place and take pleasure in, then you certainly would unquestionably would like to get 7 inch tablet.

* Operating Method: Android 2.2 will be the newest well-liked version and you wish to glimpse for it. It is known for being quicker than prior versions and some other lower variations are certainly not advised. Also many men and women anticipate the most recent version 3.0 codenamed Honeycomb, but there's no product accessible but. It is known for being additional adapted into the tablet Personal computer. You already know, Android was initially made to become utilised with smaller sized sized intelligent phones. If you choose Windows OS based mostly tablet Laptop, you need to be get ready to expend several hundred dollars a lot more since Windows OS involves bigger computing strength as well as the expensive OS license price very.

* RAM, Storage, and SD slot: RAM memory dimensions must around 512MB is good, but higher conclude units arrive with 1GB memory. Default storage differs from 2GB to 32 GB or even more. But generally they come with external SD card slots that supports approximately 32GB Therefore you want to ensure they've SD card slot.

* Net 3G and Wi-Fi: This requirement is additionally rely on how you would like to use your tablet. If you'd like to help keep your tablet Laptop with you on a regular basis, you'd in all probability choose to get 3G supported edition. However you need to commit few hundred dollars far more within the 3G supported edition. A few of tablet Computer planned being introduced later on in 2011 may have the blazing 4G for instance Motorola Xoom. You may still provide around your Wi-Fi only version tablet Pc and enjoy the World wide web at a variety of places since numerous public libraries, e-book retailers, espresso retailers, and airports supplies free public Wi-Fi hotspot companies.

* Camera and Video recording: Does it have Digicam? In rear or front or both equally? What's the pixel measurement? Not less than front digital camera is critical, and that means you can video chat. Also you need to verify if it supports 720 Hi-def or Whole Hi-def video clip recording.

* Touch Display: Capacitive or Resistive? Capacitive is far better over resistive display screen, but some prefers resistive. Capacitive display screen detects the touch when touched that has an electrical conductor for instance human body. Resistive screen detects the contact when stress to the display is detected. It is actually a lot more usually improved to operate with fingernails or sharper object which include stylus than finger. Also be sure that it supports multi contact that is expected for multi finger zoom in and out.

* Battery strength: How prolonged does the battery last? iPad is known to previous 10 several hours of net surfing, watching film, and listening audio. In fact, should you can get from Android gadget with 10 hrs assist, it's got very good battery.

* Other connectivity and ports: USB, Bluetooth, 4G, HDMI output,

* Other functions: Accelerometer, GPS, Gyroscope.

The greater crucial capabilities must be Processor, Show Size and Storage size. Numerous other features tend to be furnished as default characteristics for your most up-to-date preferred Android tablet PCs. But will not assume that the new fancy android tablet Pc will have each of the preferred characteristics. It is necessary that you visit their site or popular gadget review web site and verify the existence of ideal function through the specific specifications just before in fact buying the merchandise.

When it comes to value, you often must fork out about $500 - $700 for Wi-Fi version and $600 ~ $1000 for 3G edition for higher stops tablet Pc, but if that you are prepared to sacrifice several of the features, you are able to obtain a good respectable tablet Pc around $300 far too. I'll speak about this later on in the distinctive guide.

I hope that this introduction towards the functions of Android tablet Pc assists you buying for the best android tablet.





Will News Corporation Receive a Subpoena From the United States? - Business - Public Company

Recently there have been accusations brought forward regarding the possible phone hacking, voicemail hacking and bribery in the United Kingdom. Robert Murdoch and News Corporation are amongst the accused targets at this time. With this being said, the United States and other countries like that of Australia are also worried that phones have been hacked by this company within their borders. For this reason, the question being brought to the table at this time is, "Will News Corporation receive a subpoena from the United States?"

Currently there is word from sources that say the subpoena is already being drawn up for both Robert Murdoch, (Chief Executive Officer) and News Corporation. Some individuals working within News Corp. have chosen to resign due to the accusations, while others are believing that the facts will prove that phone hacking was never an issue within their company.

Both Robert Murdoch and his son are scheduled to meet with Parliament to discuss the accusations and hopefully get to the bottom of the issue. Although due to their desire to not communicate with Parliament prior to the media blasts, sources believe that there may be something to hide.

Currently the investigation is revolving around the possibility that News Corporation had hacked into the phones and voicemail systems of not only of the Royal Family, but also a large range of celebrities and United States citizens. This is why the United States seems to be moving forward with their small investigation, including that of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Mary Mulligan a former New York federal prosecutor stated, "This is a complicated investigation, and a very important matter that's being looked into."

News Corporation is actually a United States based firm that is currently operating out of Manhattan. The most important issues that are being questioned are if News Corporation rightly notified and declared all phone activity, or if items and calls have been hidden.

Hidden bribes of phone hacking could be considered a very unethical and dishonest case. If found guilty, News Corporation could be looking at millions of dollars in fines, and possible imprisonment of such individuals involved. All is dependent on if the company is found guilty and the amount of money that was sourced as income from the bribery and hacking scandal.

With this case becoming such a public issue in today's news environment, individuals and businesses are looking to increase the amount of protection they currently have on their cellular and landline phones. As most are turning to Caller ID Spoofing and setting new passwords on their phone and voicemail systems, the question that arises is, "Will it be enough to keep your information private indefinitely?"





Forex Forecaster forex trading software

The EURUSD Forecast Index is designed to predict a given day's movement of the EUR/USD with 80% accuracy. Based on mathematical transformations of identifiable trends the EURUSD Forecast Index predicts the price movement every day from 12 Midnight to 10 AM Eastern Standard Time using 5 minute charts.
The EURUSD Forecast Index projects the trend while providing key support and resistance levels. Additionally, the projected High of the Day, Low of the Day, and 10 AM Close are provided before the start of the trading session.Why is this Forex forecaster successful? Forex forecaster is also known as Expert Advisors or EA. They do live up to their name since it is said to have helped in the three trillion dollar forex market everyday .

As an expert advisor, Forex software can provide advice and information about when to buy, sell and close a deal. Beginning, experienced or even veteran traders may benefit from using automation software to make their trading decisions The profitability of this Forex software is based on its quality, and quality can be different mainly because of the manufacturer of the program and long hours we have put into its development. Forex trading software

How would you know that you are getting the right Forex robot? Your Forex robot has great background about the currency pair you are trading the EUR/USD. Of course, a Forex robot can actually monitor all the currencies in the world but we chose the EUR/USD.A major advantage is the elimination of emotional and psychological influences determining what and when to trade in favor of a cold, logical approach to the market. Automated software makes your trading decisions unemotionally and consistently, using the trading parameters you've pre-established or the default settings you've pre-installed.

By entering a trade based on the movements that happen from our service, or to exit a trade by following the charts you avoid getting stopped out during the trade, then you need to be precise to the minute this does not happen with our forex trading software. The trades are performed according to what happens on the time frames of the chart. You make the decision to sell or stay in the trade by watching the indicator along side your charts.





Choosing A Good Medical Claims Processing Software - Health - Medicine

We are going to discuss now, about the features that good medical claims processing - the medical billing software should possess. Well, most of us would have already chosen a software that suits our needs or at least learnt to survive with a software that's chosen in rush. Some of us may even be in look out for good medical billing software as well. Whatever be the case, we should know the latest advancements that different medical claims processing software companies have introduced in the recent years. Is it really important to spend time in analyzing the features to choose suitable medical claims processing software? Certainly. Experienced medical claims processing professionals would have realized that medical billing software plays a major role in healthcare revenue cycle management process and aids in every step towards collecting money. The better the features are, you will get maximized benefits. But, it is tough to find all advanced features in the same software. The best option is to go for user friendly software that has the most essential features. Let's analyze the importance of medical claims processing software & review the vital features.How medical claims processing software helps in enhanced process/ collections?

Different medical billing software have their own features that will enable you to do certain function that other software doesn't. This will give you the competitive edge over others, resulting in enhanced reimbursements. Certain software will enable you to perform the entire process with the same medical claims billing software, acting as a one stop shop for your medical claims billing needs. This will avoid discomfort arising from switching over to multiple systems at the same time.

Software that can give you proper insight about your process & performance will aid in revenue improvement, whereas other software may not provide this insight and requires human intelligence to find things out, thereby wasting valuable time which could have been spent in doing productive work.

Features that help in medical billing process enhancement: The depth of report that can be provided for appointment scheduling can make the practice more profitable.

For an instance, when a particular patient books for but often skips appointments can be easily tracked and be fined, since the physician is booked for that period & the patient didn't turn up resulting in waste of time in which the physician could have treated another patient. Features like this will give you better idea about how your appointments are doing & eliminate messy appointments and will make your practice more manageable right from the beginning.

Good medical billing software should control errors in charge entry. The review screen with visual editing features for charge entry will enable the charge entry professionals to have a look at final screen and eliminate errors. For recurrent appointments the complete patient encounter information should be updated to avoid data entry again.

Denial management reporting features that provides exhaustive report on denials can be useful to a great extent. It will enable AR analysts to manage denials efficiently and save time as well.

Advanced Features:

EMR/ EHR: EMR/ EHR implementation is talk of the nation now. We need to implement it before 2015 to get along with industry standards. We need to therefore look for medical claims processing software that can integrate with EMR/EHR. EMR software with inbuilt medical claims processing software will be a good option.

Document Management System: This is an essential feature that would contain complete repository of vital documents mapped to the patient accounts. This will help in handling denials effectively since analyzing will be easy with all important information together. Moreover, if the card copies of patients are scanned and uploaded to the system, it will help in verifying insurance and eliminating errors due to improper insurance eligibility verification

Manipulation restrictions: Medical billing and coding fraudulent activities are becoming common these days. Since the medical billing software is the claims processing medium, it is good to choose software that is secure as well as restricts manipulations in system.

Backup Management: Software that has backup management features will help in information management even at times of emergencies

Dash board features: Dashboard feature is a smart functionally that will give a snapshot of all metrics, to-do list, revenue performance etc., in the 'startup' screen itself. This will give an idea of performance and your activities in a glimpse.

Work flow allocation: Some medical claims processing software enables work flow allocation which is an important segment of handling task. The assignee & the director would get alerts regarding task and the status would be automatically updated. This vital feature organizes workflow and provides better results.





Do You Need Bad Credit Auto Loans for Your Vehicles? - Finance

One thing that many people are not sure of when they go to get a loan for a vehicle is whether or not their credit score is good or bad; which everyone should know beforehand. In fact, many people will find out that they have to get "bad credit" auto loans because they do not pay attention to their credit beforehand.

When it comes to getting bad credit auto loans, one thing that many people do not know is that they are considered to be a loan that is one of the last choices for people; because their credit ratings are extremely bad. In fact, if you are inquiring about bad credit auto loans or want to apply for one, most often a normal bank or credit union will not even deal with such a loan. In most cases, people will have to go to special authorized financed dealers for the loans. Not only are the authorized finance dealers able to give you bad credit auto loans, but they are also able to give money advances as well; however, you will also have to pay the price for it!

In many cases, people will end up getting the bad credit auto loans because they are extremely desperate for the loan or car. However, the best thing that you can do is try to do everything in your power to not get a bad credit auto loan. Not only are you showing that you have bad credit, but you will also be paying for it as well!

One thing that many people find out when getting a bad credit auto loan is how high the interest rates are. As for the interest rates, they are usually anywhere from 15% and up; however, it also depends on how bad your credit rating is and how bad your past is with paying bills. One thing that many people don't realize is that the interest rates are that high because they don't have good credit; therefore, the companies are taking a risk on them with the vehicles.

If you are definitely sure that you want to go through with a bad credit auto loan, then the most important thing that you will want to do is read all the paperwork that you have to fill out; thoroughly! By that, you will want to read even the smallest of prints on the page; as it will tell you the most important things you need to know. In fact, some of the things that you'll want to know before signing anything is the amount of interest you'll be paying, how much you'll be charged if you make a payment late as well as any other fees that may be added on.

In the end, you will want to know everything about bad credit auto loans before you sign because once you sign all the papers; you will have a big responsibility to fulfill!

More useful informations about auto loans visit /autoblog





The Whole Truth About Acne Medication

Most people will suffer from acne at some point in their life. Everyone's skin condition and chemistry are different so there can be no set remedy to prevent or clear existing acne. The good news is that it can be treatable. People make the mistake of letting it run its course, thinking they will outgrow it. Sometimes that is just not good enough.

With so many acne medications available over-the-counter or by prescription, it can be frustrating finding one that works. But something out there will work for you if you just keep trying. If you find that you are getting nowhere with your acne, try finding something more specific to your skin type.

Common over-the-counter (OTC) acne medications available are: Stri-dex, Clearasil, Oxy, Neutrogena On-the-Spot, Cetaphil, and Persa-Gel 10. These can be found in most drug and grocery stores. The prices may vary ($4-$14) but price does not necessarily mean it will work the best on your acne. There is also a variety in the form of the medication, such as: gels, lotions, creams, and medicated pads. The form of the acne medication does not usually effect how well it treats your skin. Do not be discouraged if a product that you try makes your acne worse. Sometimes we must take a step back to make progress. Make a note of the ingredients in what you used and, in the future, only use medicines that do not contain any or much of this. You should always read the labels before purchasing a product. You wouldn't order a dish at a restaurant if you didn't know what was in it, would you? If you skin is oily, then you may choose to purchase something that is especially for treating oi ly skin.

If your skin is too sensitive for OTC acne medications that you have tried, then perhaps you should consult a Dermatologist. Some forms of acne can not be treated without a prescription. The doctor may prescribe an oral antibiotic instead of a topical acne medication for severe cases. These are commonly used to decrease inflammation that can contribute to acne.

Topical prescription acne medication for severe cases of acne usually contains retinoids. Retinoids prevent blackheads and whiteheads, while un-clogging your pores. The downside to this is that you could have increased sensitivity to the sun or develop an irritation. It is possible for fine lines and wrinkles to be reduces with this treatment, which is a bonus advantage to having younger and healthier looking skin.

In addition to typical acne medication options, there are some home remedies include treating with Hydrogen Peroxide, toothpaste, or diluted alcohol. If you experiment with these, you may end up with a cheap solution to your acne. Peroxide could speed up the healing process of existing acne. It kills germs to drastically reduce inflammation. Toothpaste can be applied lightly on spots that appear before the actual acne has formed. Usually, this is left on overnight and washed off in the morning. It dries up excess oils that can contribute to the formation of acne. Pure alcohol should never be applied to the skin. However, if you dilute it half with water to gently wash your face, you can dry up excess oils without completely drying out your skin.

Acne is a common problem and getting treated is nothing to be ashamed of. No one should have to live with the embarrassment of acne. There is an effective method out there for you, as long as you are willing to take the time to find it.





Quick Selling Software

This is one of most advanced high quality software packages available for sale. You get 20 quality software titles included, all of which you get resell rights to, so you can profit from every sale!

Non only can you choose to sell these popular and fast selling programs to other, but you can also give them away as bonuses, by including the entire package or individual programs, along with other software or product you are selling, on software membership sites, etc.

And unlike many of the other software and EBook packages out there, you only need to distribute one small file when selling or giving away the quick Selling Software package. No lengthy, complicated downloads or high bandwidth and server space concerns!

Once you've paid for the program, you get the rights to resell all the programs together or separately plus the web sales page. Of course, I believe you will also enjoy using these programs yourself for years to come. Even if you choose not to resell or give away copies of this software to others, you can rest assured that for the low price you paid for this fantastic software package you could have only bought one or two of the programs contained on the packages at prices.

You may sell or give away this entire Quick Selling Software packages or the software contained in this package to others.

So, this package include following software:

1. Contact Form Wizard - A great tool that sets up a php file for creating quick and easy contact forms with maximum function. Can either have 1 email address or give them a choice - contact forms like this are a great way of avoiding spam - your email address isn't put into the html. Prefix the email subject for easy sorting.

2. Email Protector - In 2001, spam email accounted for 8% of email sent. Today, according to industry experts, it accounts for 64% to 85% of all email sent. Spam is a huge productivity drain on business. We tested several demo-version email harvesting programs and found that changing the "@" and "." to their Unicode equivalents was sufficient to fool the spambots.

3. File Splitter - A great tool for splitting files to fit onto disks or use in emails. Can't send a file through email without your account timing out? Split it with File Splitter and send it in chunks. Has settings for splitting for floppies, small email, good size email and big files. Or you can choose your custom size. After splitting you just click Join Files then choose one main file.

4. Form Builder - Quickly build a form that allows visitors to submit information to you, create your own one that has all the fields that you require - setup an unlmited number and you can make it so they are validated (have to be filled out) you can set it so it goes to one email address or they can select from a choice of address's. Very easy to use and also comes with a quick help file to get people going.

5. IE ToolBox - Microsoft Internet Explorer is the most common browser in use. If you are a user of it, then it makes sense to keep it clean and running well. This program quickly and easily cleans the history, typed urls, cookies, temporary internet files and even has some misc options to speed up your web browsing experience.

6. Image Viewer - Easy to use image viewer, one that doesn't change all you image file settings. Just pick the folder to browse and view images or use the slide show feature.

7. Instant Download Form - Quickly create download forms on your website, where users can come along, enter there name and email address and have an email sent to them containing there download link - you also get an email with this persons email address. A fantastic tool for building up your mailing list!

8. Java Source Machine - Java Source Machine, the best javascript tool! Java Source Machine includes 15 different javascripts and makes it easy to use them. You input what you want, then preview or generate code. Save the file as html or just copy and paste the code into your existing website page. Not only does this have the code, but tells you what browser it will work in.

9. Meta Code Generator - Meta Code Generator makes it easy to MetaTags into your pages for your website. Easy to use. Fill in the blanks, then generate the perfect code to copy and paste into your site! Or use the insert tab and insert the code into Multiple pages! When using insert function you must add %meta% to the html where you want the code to insert at.

10. Multi Search File Finder - Searching of selected drives for files. Searching of items within the first search. Delete items easily. Open the item to check what it is. Open the folder where the item is stored to see what else is there. Fast searching!

11. Multiple Find and Replace - Simple and easy to use Find and Replace tool. Use to change text or html on multipy files.

12. Note Organizer - Note organizer is an advanced program for storing notes, you can create as many sections as you want, sections on html snipets, peoples contact details the possiblitys are endless. Very easy to use and navigate - the is the best way to store notes. Add and remove folders and notes easily!

13. Screen Capture - Screen Capture easily captures screenshots from your computer. Captures the last active screen, full screen or user selected area. Also numbers each picture consecutively. Creates jpeg images.

14. Time To Stretch - Simple and easy to use program that reminds you when it's time to stretch. If you spend most of the day on the computer you probably aren't doing enough to keep you from getting RSI. The program reminds you to stretch your arms and legs so you don't have to get the pain of RSI. Very simple to use. Takes up little space on your desktop, can sit in the system tray.

15. Traffic Wizard - Traffic Wizard is packed with 10 scripts which are easy to use to increase website traffic. These scripts include Break Frames, Bookmark Us, Email This Page, Set Homepage, Logo Branding, Frameless Popup, Browser Entry, Language (which routes traffic based on browser language settings), Avenue Search, and Popup Page.

16. To Do List Manager - Add tasks and remove tasks, tasks can contain notes, set a date when it's due along with priority, sits in the system tray out of the way, print all the tasks out, auto saves and loads the list when you open close program, add an unlimited amount of tasks and edit any task that has been setup.

17. Start Page Surfer - Do you surf alot of the start page's? (Surf pages, get credits then others surf your site) This program will surf 5 pages at once, it will block pop-up windows, reset the start page between 0-60 minutes incase a javascript changes it. Minimizes to the system tray to be out of your way

18. Auto Hitz - Add as many start pages as you want. Limit how many times that start page is opened. Opens them randomly so hard to trace. Save and load lists of auto hitz pages. Many more great features!

19. CSS Machine - Quickly change your boring pages with these easy to use CCS scripts. Effects from No underline links to Blurry Text effects. Contains 8 very popular script with quick description and how to put it into there pages. A very handy tool to have in a webmaster kit.

20. ICQ Recieved File Remover - Easy 'Wizard' style interface for removing files that people have sent you via icq. If you got as many people on your list as I do, all everyone sends you a file now and then you'll see notice that the received files directory is taking up far to much disk space.





Palm Treo Getting Started With Your New Treo Smartphone

Copyright 2006 Christopher Meinck

Getting Started With a Palm Treo Smartphone

For many, adding a Palm Treo smartphone to their life is an exciting time. Most are coming from a traditional cellphone and the capabilities of a smartphone never seize to amaze. The Palm Treo features a large color LCD screen, full keyboard and software for syncing your personal data with your PC or Mac. Getting familiar with the capabilities of your new Treo smartphone can be overwhelming in the beginning. Once you get over the initial learning curve, owning a Treo can be a rewarding experience.

Protecting Your Treo

The Palm Treo is an expensive gadget, so you should make plans to protect your Treo. In the US, both Verizon and Sprint offer insurance on the Treo. For a fee of roughly $5, you can insure your Treo against loss or accidents. With insurance, youll have the piece of mind that your valuable Treo is protected. If your wireless provider does not offering insurance, another option is to sign up for the StuffBak protection program. Stuffbak is a loss prevention and recovery service. You purchase a Stuffbak label that gets applied to the back of your Treo. Should you lose your Treo, there is an 800# that allows the finder to collect a reward upon return.

Insurance and recovery services are both great options should something happen to your Treo. The best option is to protect your Treo smartphone with a good case and screen protector. There are many options when it comes to selecting a case for the Treo. When choosing a case, you can select from holster, pouch, skin, wallet and more. In most cases, its also a good idea to add a screen protector. Through the daily use of your Treo, you will find yourself touching the screen quite often. A screen protector will guard against scratches and its recommended even if youve opted for an enclosed case. Adding the correct Treo accessory can protect your smartphone for many years.

Treo Software

Out of the box, Palm OS based Treo smartphones comes bundled with all the software you need to sync with your PC or Mac. If you own a Mac, then you should avoid the Treo 700w. In order to sync the 700w with a Macintosh, you would have to use third party software such as Missing Sync by Mark/Space and they do not currently support the Treo 700w. If you are upgrading from a previous Palm device, youll still want to install the software that came with your new Treo. Follow the on-screen directions and youll be able to bring your data over to your new Treo. As a previous Palm owner, you should note that some applications might not work on your Treo. To be certain, locate and rename the Backup folder located in your User folder. Once youve completed the transfer of your PIM data, you can add one application at a time to insure compatibility with your Treo.

One of the great things about the Treo is vast catalog of available software applications. There are countless freeware and commercial applications. If you own a Palm OS based Treo, then be sure to look for software that supports your model. Owners of the Treo 700w should look for Pocket PC titles that support the Windows Mobile 5 operating system. In either case, its best to slowly add software. Adding incompatible software is the most common cause of an unstable Treo.

Get To Know Treo

The Treo is a remarkable device that offers robust software to help you manage your calendar, check email, browse the web, take photos, listen to MP3s and more. With any new technology, there is a slight learning curve and the Treo is no different. I encourage any new Treo owner to explore the features of their new smartphone. If you have questions, there are several good resources online or you can visit your local bookstore. Once youve mastered the basics, youll be left wondering how you ever managed without a Treo.





Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Internet A Medium or a Message

The State of the Net

An Interim Report about the Future of the Internet

Who are the participants who constitute the Internet?

Users - connected to the net and interacting with it

The communications lines and the communications equipment

The intermediaries (e.g. the suppliers of on-line information or access providers).

Hardware manufacturers

Software authors and manufacturers (browsers, site development tools, specific applications, smart agents, search engines and others).

The "Hitchhikers" (search engines, smart agents, Artificial Intelligence - AI - tools and more)

Content producers and providers

Suppliers of financial wherewithal (currently - corporate and institutional cash gradually being replaced by advertising money)

The fate of each of these components - separately and in solidarity - will determine the fate of the Internet.

The first phase of the Internet's history was dominated by computer wizards. Thus, any attempt at predicting its future dealt mainly with its hardware and software components.

Media experts, sociologists, psychologists, advertising and marketing executives were left out of the collective effort to determine the future face of the Internet.

As far as content is concerned, the Internet cannot be currently defined as a medium. It does not function as one - rather it is a very disordered library, mostly incorporating the writings of non-distinguished megalomaniacs. It is the ultimate Narcissistic experience. The forceful entry of publishing houses and content aggregators is changing this dismal landscape, though.

Ever since the invention of television there hasn't been anything as begging to become a medium as the Internet.

Three analogies spring to mind when contemplating the Internet in its current state:

A chaotic library

A neural network or the latter day equivalent of previous networks (telegraph, telephony, railways)

A new continent

These metaphors prove to be very useful (even business-wise). They permit us to define the commercial opportunities embedded in the Internet.

Yet, they fail to assist us in predicting its future in its transformation into a medium.

How does an invention become a medium? What happens to it when it does become one? What is the thin line separating the initial functioning of the invention from its transformation into a new medium? In other words: when can we tell that some technological advance gave birth to a new medium?

This work also deals with the image of the Internet once transformed into a medium.

The Internet has the most unusual attributes in the history of media.

It has no central structure or organization. It is hardware and software independent. It (almost) cannot be subjected to legislation or to regulation. Consider the example of downloading music from the internet - is it tantamount to an act of recording music (a violation of copyright laws)? This has been the crux of the legal battle between Diamond Multimedia (the manufacturers of the Rio MP3 device), MP3.com and Napster and the recording industry in America.

The Internet's data transfer channels are not linear - they are random. Most of its "broadcast" cannot be "received" at all. It allows for the narrowest of narrowcasting through the use of e-mail mailing lists, discussion groups, message boards, private radio stations, and chats. And this is but a small portion of an impressive list of oddities. These idiosyncrasies will also shape the nature of the Internet as a medium. Growing out of bizarre roots - it is bound to yield strange fruit as a medium.

So what business opportunities does the Internet represent?

I believe that they are to be found in two broad categories:

Software and hardware related to the Internet's future as a medium

Content creation, management and licencing

The Map of Terra Internetica

The Users

How many Internet users are there? How many of them have access to the Web (World Wide Web - WWW) and use it? There are no unequivocal statistics. Those who presume to give the answers (including the ISOC - the Internet SOCiety) - rely on very partial and biased resources. Others just bluff.

Yet, everyone seems to agree that there are, at least, 100 million active participants in North America (the Nielsen and Commerce-Net reports).

The future is, inevitably, even more vague than the present. Authoritative consultancy firms predict 66 million active users in 10 years time. IBM envisages 700 million users. MCI is more modest with 300 million. At the end of 1999 there were 130 million registered (though not necessarily active) users.

The Internet - an Elitist and Chauvinistic Medium

The average user of the Internet is young (30), with an academic background and high income. The percentage of the educated and the well-to-do among the users of the Web is three times as high as their proportion in the population. This is fast changing only because their children are joining them (6 million already had access to the Internet at the end of 1996 - and were joined by another 24 million by the end of the decade). This may change only due to presidential initiatives to bridge the "digital divide" (from Al Gore's in the USA to Mahatir Mohammed's in Malaysia), corporate largesse and institutional involvement (e.g., Open Society in Eastern Europe, Microsoft in the USA). These efforts will spread the benefits of this all-powerful tool among the less privileged. A bit less than 50% of all users are men but they are responsible for 60% of the activity in the net (as measured by traffic).

Women seem to limit themselves to electronic mail (e-mail) and to electronic shopping of goods and services, though this is changing fast. Men prefer information, either due to career requirements or because knowledge is power.

Most of the users are of the "experiencer" variety. They are leaders of social change and innovative. This breed inhabits universities, fashionable neighbourhoods and trendy vocations. This is why some wonder if the Internet is not just another fad, albeit an incredibly resilient and promising one.

Most users have home access to the Internet - yet, they still prefer to access it from work, at their employer's expense, though this preference is slight and being eroded. Most users are, therefore, exploitative in nature. Still, we must not forget that there are 37 million households of the self-employed and this possibly distorts the statistical picture somewhat.

The Internet - A Western Phenomenon

Not African, not Asian (with the exception of Israel and Japan), not Russian , nor a Third World phenomenon. It belongs squarely to the wealthy, sated world. It is the indulgence of those who have everything and whose greatest concern is their choice of nightly entertainment. Between 50-60% of all Internet users live in the USA, 5-10% in Canada. The Internet is catching on in Europe (mainly in Germany and in Scandinavia) and, in its mobile form (i-mode) in Japan. The Internet lost to the French Minitel because the latter provides more locally relevant content and because of high costs of communications and hardware.

Communications

Most computer owners still possess a 28,800 bps modem. This is much like driving a bicycle on a German Autobahn. The 56,600 bps is gradually replacing its slower predecessor (48% of computers with modems) - but even this is hardly sufficient. To begin to enjoy video and audio (especially the former) - data transfer rates need to be 50 times faster.

Half the households in the USA have at least 2 telephones and one of them is usually dedicated to data processing (faxes or fax-modems).

The ISDN could constitute the mid-term solution. This data transfer network is fairly speedy and covers 70% of the territory of the USA. It is growing by 100% annually and its sales topped 10 billion USD in 1995/6.

Unfortunately, it is quite clear that ISDN is not THE answer. It is too slow, too user-unfriendly, has a bad interface with other network types, it requires special hardware. There is no point in investing in temporary solutions when the right solution is staring the Internet in the face, though it is not implemented due to political circumstances.

A cable modem is 80 times speedier than the ISDN and 700 times faster than a 14,400 bps modem. However, it does have problems in accommodating a two-way data transfer. There is also need to connect the fibre optic infrastructure which characterizes cable companies to the old copper coaxial infrastructure which characterizes telephony. Cable users engage specially customized LANs (Ethernet) and the hardware is expensive (though equipment prices are forecast to collapse as demand increases). Cable companies simply did not invest in developing the technology. The law (prior to the 1996 Communications Act) forbade them to do anything that was not one way transfer of video via cables. Now, with the more liberal regulative environment, it is a mere question of time until the technology is found.

Actually, most consumers single out bad customer relations as their biggest problem with the cable companies - rather than technology.

Experiments conducted with cable modems led to a doubling of usage time (from an average of 24 to 47 hours per month per user) which was wholly attributable to the increased speed. This comes close to a cultural revolution in the allocation of leisure time. Numerically speaking: 7 million households in the USA are fitted with a two-way data transfer cable modems. This is a small number and it is anyone's guess if it constitutes a critical mass. Sales of such modems amount to 1.3 billion USD annually.

50% of all cable subscribers also have a PC at home. To me it seems that the merging of the two technologies is inevitable.

Other technological solutions - such as DSL, ADSL, and the more promising satellite broadband - are being developed and implemented, albeit slowly and inefficiently. Coverage is sporadic and frustrating waiting periods are measured in months.

Hardware and Software

Most Internet users (82%) work with the Windows operating system. About 11% own a Macintosh (much stronger graphically and more user-friendly). Only 7% continue to work on UNIX based systems (which, historically, fathered the Internet) - and this number is fast declining. A strong entrant is the free source LINUX operating system.

Virtually all users surf through a browsing software. A fast dwindling minority (26%) use Netscape's products (mainly Navigator and Communicator) and the majority use Microsoft's Explorer (more than 60% of the market). Browsers are now free products and can be downloaded from the Internet. As late as 1997, it was predicted by major Internet consultancy firms that browser sales will top $4 billion by the year 2000. Such misguided predictions ignored the basic ethos of the Internet: free products, free content, free access.

Browsers are in for a great transformation. Most of them are likely to have 3-D, advanced audio, telephony / voice / video mail (v-mail), instant messaging, e-mail, and video conferencing capabilities integrated into the same browsing session. They will become self-customizing, intelligent, Internet interfaces. They will memorize the history of usage and user preferences and adapt themselves accordingly. They will allow content-specificity: unidentifiable smart agents will scour the Internet, make recommendations, compare prices, order goods and services and customize contents in line with self-adjusting user profiles.

Two important technological developments must be considered:

PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) - the ultimate personal (and office) communicators, easy to carry, they provide Internet (access) Everywhere, independent of suppliers and providers and of physical infrastructure (in an aeroplane, in the field, in a cinema).

The second trend: wireless data transfer and wireless e-mail, whether through pagers, cellular phones, or through more sophisticated apparatus and hybrids such as smart phones. Geotech's products are an excellent example: e-mail, faxes, telephone calls and a connection to the Internet and to other, public and corporate, or proprietary, databases - all provided by the same gadget. This is the embodiment of the electronic, physically detached, office. Wearable computing should be considered a part of this "ubiquitous or pervasive computing" wave.

We have no way of gauging - or intelligently guessing - the part of the mobile Internet in the total future Internet market but it is likely to outweigh the "fixed" part. Wireless internet meshes well with the trend of pervasive computing and the intelligent home and office. Household gadgets such as microwave ovens, refrigerators and so on will connect to the internet via a wireless interface to cull data, download information, order goods and services, report their condition and perform basic maintenance functions. Location specific services (navigation, shopping recommendations, special discounts, deals and sales, emergency services) depend on the technological confluence between GPS (stallite-based geolocation technology) and wireless Internet.

Suppliers and Intermediaries

"Parasitic" intermediaries occupy each stage in the Internet's food chain.

Access to the Internet is still provided by "dumb pipes" - the Internet Service Providers (ISP)

Content is still the preserve of content suppliers and so on.

Some of these intermediaries are doomed to gradually fade or to suffer a substantial diminishing of their share of the market. Even "walled gardens" of content (such as AOL) are at risk.

By way of comparison, even today, ISPs have four times as many subscribers (worldwide) as AOL. Admittedly, this adversely affects the quality of the Internet - the infrastructure maintained by the phone companies is slow and often succumbs to bottlenecks. The unequivocal intention of the telephony giants to become major players in the Internet market should also be taken into account. The phone companies will, thus, play a dual role: they will provide access to their infrastructure to their competitors (sometimes, within a real or actual monopoly) - and they will compete with their clients. The same can be said about the cable companies. Controlling the last mile to the user's abode is the next big business of the Internet. Companies such as AOL are disadvantaged by these trends. It is imperative for AOL to obtain equal access to the cable company's backbone and infrastructure if it wants to survive. Hence its merger with Time Warner.

No wonder that many of the ISPs judge this intrusion on their turf by the phone and cable companies to constitute unfair competition. Yet, one should not forget that the barriers to entry are very low in the ISP market. It takes a minimal investment to become an ISP. 200 modems (which cost 200 USD each) are enough to satisfy the needs of 2000 average users who generate an income of 500,000 USD per annum to the ISP. Routers are equally as cheap nowadays. This is a nice return on the ISP's capital, undoubtedly.

The Hitchhikers

The Web houses the equivalent of 100 billion pages. Search Engine applications are used to locate specific information in this impressive, constantly proliferating library. They will be replaced, in the near future, by "Knowledge Structures" - gigantic encyclopaedias, whose text will contain references (hyperlinks) to other, relevant, sites. The far future will witness the emergence of the "Intelligent Archives" and the "Personal Newspapers" (read further for detailed explanations). Some software applications will summarize content, others will index and automatically reference and hyperlink texts (virtual bibliographies). An average user will have an on-going interest in 500 sites. Special software will be needed to manage address books ("bookmarks", "favourites") and contents ("Intelligent Addressbooks"). The phenomenon of search engines dedicated to search a number of search engines simultaneously will grow ("Hyper- or meta- engines"). Meta-engines will work in the bac kground and download hyperlinks and advertising (the latter is essential to secure the financial interest of site developers and owners). Statistical software which tracks ("how long was what done"), monitors ("what did they do while in the site") and counts ("how many") visitors to sites already exists. Some of these applications have back-office facilities (accounting, follow-up, collections, even tele-marketing). They all provide time trails and some allow for auditing.

This is but a small fragment of the rapidly developing net-scape: people and enterprises who make a living off the Internet craze rather than off the Internet itself. Everyone knows that there is more money in lecturing about how to make money on the Internet - than in the Internet itself. This maxim still holds true despite the 32 billion US dollars in E-commerce in 1998. Business to Consumer (B2C) sales grow less vigorously than Business to Business (B2B) sales and are likely to suffer another blow with the advent of Peer to Peer (P2P) computer networks. The latter allow PCs to act as servers and thus enable the swapping of computer files asmong connected users (with or without a central directory).

Content Suppliers

This is the underprivileged sector of the Internet. They all lose money (even e-tailers which offer basic, standardized goods - books, CDs - with the exception, until September 11, of sites connected to tourism). No one thanks them for content produced with the investment of a lot of effort and a lot of money. A really qualitative, fully commerce enabled site costs up to 5,000,000 USD, excluding site maintenance and customer and visitor services. Content providers are constantly criticized for lack of creativity or for too much creativity. More and more is asked of them. They are exploited by intermediaries, hitchhikers and other parasites. This is all an off-shoot of the ethos of the Internet as a free content area.

More than 100 million men and women constantly access the Web - but this number stands to grow (the median prediction: 300 million). Yet, while the Web is used by 35% of those with access to the Internet - e-mail is used by more than 60%. E-mail is by far the most common function ("killer app") and specialized applications (Eudora, Internet Mail, Microsoft Exchange) - free or ad sponsored - keep it accessible to all and user-friendly.

Most of the users like to surf (browse, visit sites) the net without reason or goal in mind. This makes it difficult to apply traditional marketing techniques.

What is the meaning of "targeted audiences" or "market shares" in this context?

If a surfer visits sites which deal with aberrant sex and nuclear physics in the same session - what to make of it?

The public and legislative backlash against the gathering of surfers' data by Internet ad agencies and other web sites - has led to growing ignorance regarding the profile of Internet users, their demography, habits, preferences and dislikes.

People like the very act of surfing. They want to be entertained, then they use the Internet as a working tool, mostly in the service of their employer, who, usually foots the bill. Users love free downloads (mainly software).

"Free" is a key word on the Internet: it used to belong to the US Government and to a bunch of universities. Users like information, with emphasis on news and data about new products. But they do not like to shop on the net - yet. Only 38% of all surfers made a purchase during 1998.

67% of them adore virtual sex. 50% of the sites most often visited are porn sites (this is reminiscent of the early days of the Video Cassette Recorder - VCR). People dedicate the same amount of time to watching video cassettes or television as they do to surfing the net. The Internet seems to cannibalize television.

Sex is followed by music, sports, health, television, computers, cinema, politics, pets and cooking sites. People are drawn to interactive games. The Internet will shortly enable people to gamble, if not hampered by legislation. 10 billion USD in gambling money are predicted to pass through the net. This makes sense: nothing like a computer to provide immediate (monetary and psychological) rewards.

Commerce on the net is another favourite. The Internet is a perfect medium for the sale of software and other digital products (e-books). The problem of data security is on its way to being solved with the SET (or other) world standard.

As early as 1995, the Internet had more than 100 virtual shopping malls visited by 2.5 million shoppers (and probably double this number in 1996).

The predictions for 1999 were between 1-5 billion USD of net shopping (plus 2 billion USD through on-line information providers, such as CompuServe and AOL) - proved woefully inaccurate. The actual number in 1998 was 7 times the prediction for 1999.

It is also widely believed that circa 20% of the family budget will pass through the Internet as e-money and this amounts to 150 billion USD.

The Internet will become a giant inter-bank clearing system and varied ATM type banking and investment services will be provided through it. Basically, everything can be done through the Internet: looking for a job, for instance.

Yet, the Internet will never replace human interaction. People are likely to prefer personal banking, window shopping and the social experience of the shopping mall to Internet banking and e-commerce, or m-commerce.

Some sites already sport classified ads. This is not a bad way to defray expenses, though most classified ads are free (it is the advertising they attract that matters).

Another developing trend is website-rating and critique. It will be treated the way today's printed editions are. It will have a limited influence on the consumption decisions of some users. Browsers already sport buttons labelled "What's New" and "What's Hot". Most Search Engines recommend specific sites. Users are cautious. Studies discovered that no user, no matter how heavy, has consistently re-visited more than 200 sites, a minuscule number. The 10 most popular web sites (Yahoo!, MSN, etc.) attracted more than 50% of all Internet traffic. Site recommendation services often produce random - at times, wrong - selections for their user. There are also concerns regarding privacy issues. The backlah against Amazon's "readers' circles" is an example.

Web Critics, who work today mainly for the printed press, will publish their wares on the net and will link to intelligent software which will hyperlink, recommend and refer. Some web critics will be identified with specific applications - really, expert systems which will incorporate their knowledge and experience.

The Money

Where will the capital needed to finance all these developments come from?

Again, there are two schools:

One says that sites will be financed through advertising - and so will search engines and other applications accessed by users.

Certain ASPs (Application Service Providers which rent out access to application software which resides on their servers) are considering this model.

The second version is simpler and allows for the existence of non-commercial content.

It proposes to collect negligible sums (cents or fractions of cents) from every user for every visit ("micro-payments") or a subscription fee. These accumulated cents or subscription fees will enable the owners of old sites to update and to maintain them and encourage entrepreneurs to develop new ones. Certain content aggregators (especially of digital textbooks) have adopted this model (Questia, Fathom).

The adherents of the first school pointed at the 5 million USD invested in advertising during 1995 and to the 60 million or so invested during 1996.

Its opponents point exactly at the same numbers: ridiculously small when contrasted with more conventional advertising modes. The potential of advertising on the net is limited to 1.5 billion USD annually in 1998, thundered the pessimists (many thought that even half that would be very nice). The actual figure was double the prediction but still woefully small and inadequate to support the Internet's content development.

Compare these figures to the sale of Internet software ($4 billion), Internet hardware ($3 billion), Internet access provision ($4.2 billion) in 1995.

Hembrecht and Quist estimated that Internet related industries scooped up 23.2 billion USD annually (A report released in mid-1996).

And what follows advertising is hardly more enocuraging.

The consumer interacts and the product is delivered to him. This - the delivery phase - is a slow and enervating epilogue to the exciting affair of ordering through the net at the speed of light. Too many consumers still complain that they do not receive what they ordered, or that delivery is late and products defective.

The solution may lie in the integration of advertising and content. Pointcast, for instance, integrated advertising into its news broadcasts, continuously streamed to the user's screen, even when inactive (they provided a downloadable active screen saver and ticker in a "push technology"). Downloading of digital music, video and text (e-books) will lead to immediate gratification of the consumer and will increase the efficacy of advertising.

Whatever the case may be, a uniform, agreed upon system of rating as a basis for charging advertisers, is sorely needed. There is also the question of what does the advertiser pay for?

Many advertisers (Procter and Gamble, for instance) refuse to pay according to the number of hits or impressions (=entries, visits to a site). They agree to pay only according to the number of the times that their advertisement was hit (page views).

This different basis for calculation is likely to upset all revenue scenarios.

Very few sites of important, respectable newspapers are on a subscription basis. Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal) and The Economist, to mention but two.

Will this become the prevailing trend?

The Internet as a Metaphor

Three metaphors come to mind when considering the Internet "philosophically".

The Internet as a Chaotic Library

1. The Problem of Cataloguing

The Internet is an assortment of billions of pages containing information. Some of them are visible and others are generated from hidden databases by users' requests ("Invisible Internet").

The Internet displays no discernible order, classification, or categorization. As opposed to "classical" libraries, no one has invented a cataloguing standard (remember Dewey?). This is so needed that it is amazing that it has not been invented yet. Some sites indeed apply the Dewey Decimal Syatem (Suite101). Others default to a directory structure (Open Directory, Yahoo!, Look Smart and others).

Had such a standard existed (an agreed upon numerical cataloguing method) - each site would have self-classified. Sites would have an interest to do so to increase their penetration rates and their visibility. This, naturally, would have eliminated the need for today's clunky, incomplete and (highly) inefficient search engines.

A site whose number starts with 900 will be immediately identified as dealing with history and multiple classification will be encouraged to allow finer cross-sections to emerge. An example of such an emerging technology of "self classification" and "self-publication" (though limited to scholarly resources) is the "Academic Resource Channel" by Scindex.

Users will not be required to remember reams of numbers. Future browsers will be akin to catalogues, very much like the applications used in modern day libraries. Compare this utopia to the current dystopy. Users struggle with reams of irrelevant material to finally reach a partial and disappointing destination. At the same time, there likely are web sites which exactly match the poor user's needs. Yet, what currently determines the chances of a happy encounter between user and content - are the whims of the specific search engine used and things like meta-tags, headlines, a fee paid, or the right opening sentences.

2. Screen versus Page

The computer screen, because of physical limitations (size, the fact that it has to be scrolled) fails to effectively compete with the printed page. The latter is still the most ingenious medium yet invented for the storage and release of textual information. Granted: a computer screen is better at highlighting discrete units of information. So, this draws the batlle lines: structures (printed pages) versus units (screen), the continuous and easily reversible versus the discrete.

The solution is an efficient way to translate computer screens to printed matter. It is hard to believe, but no such thing exists. Computer screens are still hostile to off-line printing. In other words: if a user copies information from the Internet to his Word Processor (or vice versa, for that matter) - he ends up with a fragmented, garbage-filled and non-aesthetic document.

Very few site developers try to do something about it - even fewer succeed.

3. The Internet and the CD-ROM

One of the biggest mistakes of content suppliers is that they do not mix contents or have a "static-dynamic interaction".

The Internet can now easily interact with other media (especially with audio CDs and with CD-ROMs) - even as the user surfs.

Examples abound:

A shopping catalogue can be distributed on a CD-ROM by mail. The Internet Site will allow the user to order a product previously selected from the catalogue, while off-line. The catalogue could also be updated through the site (as is done with CD-ROM encyclopedias).

The advantages of the CD-ROM are clear: very fast access time (dozens of times faster than the access to a site using a dial up connection) and a data storage capacity tens of times bigger than the average website.

Another example: a CD-ROM can be distributed, containing hundreds of advertisements. The consumer will select the ad that he wants to see and will connect to the Internet to view a relevant video.

He could then also have an interactive chat (or a conference) with a salesperson, receive information about the company, about the ad, about the advertising agency which created the ad - and so on.

CD-ROM based encyclopedias (such as the Britannica, Encarta, Grolier) already contain hyperlinks which carry the user to sites selected by an Editorial Board.

But CD-ROMs are probably a doomed medium. This industry chose to emphasize the wrong things. Storage capacity increased exponentially and, within a year, desktops with 80 Gb hard disks will be common. Moreover, the Network Computer - the stripped down version of the personal computer - will put at the disposal of the average user terabytes in storage capacity and the processing power of a supercomputer. What separates computer users from this utopia is the communication bandwidth. With the introduction of radio, statellite, ADSL broadband services, cable modems and compression methods - video (on demand), audio and data will be available speedily and plentifully.

The CD-ROM, on the other hand, is not mobile. It requires installation and the utilization of sophisticated hardware and software. This is no user friendly push technology. It is nerd-oriented. As a result, CD-ROMs are not an immediate medium. There is a long time lapse between the moment they are purchased and the moment the first data become accessible to the user. Compare this to a book or a magazine. Data in these oldest of media is instantly available to the user and allows for easy and accurate "back" and "forward" functions.

Perhaps the biggest mistake of CD-ROM manufacturers has been their inability to offer an integrated hardware and software package. CD-ROMs are not compact. A Walkman is a compact hardware-cum-software package. It is easily transportable, it is thin, it contains numerous, user-friendly, sophisticated functions, it provides immediate access to data. So does the discman or the MP3-man. This cannot be said of the CD-ROM. By tying its future to the obsolete concept of stand-alone, expensive, inefficient and technologically unreliable personal computers - CD-ROMs have sentenced themselves to oblivion (with the possible exception of reference material).

4. On-line Reference Libraries

These already exist. A visit to the on-line Encyclopaedia Britannica exemplifies some of the tremendous, mind boggling possibilities:

Each entry is hyperlinked to sites on the Internet which deal with the same subject matter. The sites are carefully screened (though more detailed descriptions of each site should be available - they could be prepared either by the staff of the encyclopaedia or by the site owner). Links are available to data in various forms, including audio and video. Everything can be copied to the hard disk or to CD-ROMs.

This is a new conception of a knowledge centre - not just an assortment of material. It is modular, can be added on and subtracted from. It can be linked to a voice Q&A centre. Queries by subscribers can be answered by e-mail, by fax, posted on the site, hard copies can be sent by post. This "Trivial Pursuit" service could be very popular - there is considerable appetite for "Just in Time Information". The Library of Congress - together with a few other libraries - is in the process of making just such a service available to the public (CDRS - Collaborative Digital Reference Service).

5. The Feedback Option

Hard to believe, but very few sites encourage their guests to express an opinion about the site, its contents and its aesthetics. This indicates an ossified mode of thinking about the most dynamic mass medium ever created, the only interactive mass medium yet. Each site must absolutely contain feedback and rating questionnaires. It has the side benefit of creating a database of the visitors to the site.

Moreover, each site can easily become a "knowledge centre".

Let us consider a site dedicated to advertising and marketing:

It can contain feedback questionnaires (what do you think about the site, suggestions for improvement, mailto and leave message facilities, etc.)

It can contain rating questionnaires (rate these ads, these TV or radio shows, these advertising campaigns).

It can allocate some space to clients to create their home pages in (these home pages could lead to their sites, to other sites, to other sections of the host site - and, in any case, will serve as a display of the creative talent of the site owners). This will give the site owners a picture of the distribution of the areas of interest of the visitors to the site.

The site can include statistical, tracking and counter software.

Such a site can refer to hundreds of useful shareware applications (which deal with different aspects of advertising and marketing, for instance). Developers of applications will be able to use the site to promote their products. Other practical applications could also be referred to from - or reside on - the site (browsers, games, search engines).

And all this can be organized in a portal structure (for instance, by adopting the open software of the Open Directory Project).

6. Internet Derived CD-ROMS

The Internet is an enormous reservoir of freely available, public domain, information.

With a minimal investment, this information can be gathered into coherent, theme oriented, cheap CD-ROMs. Each such CD-ROM can contain:

Addresses of web sites specific to the subject matter

The first pages of each of these sites

Hyperlinks to each of the sites

A browser

Access to all the important search engines

Recommended search strings (it is extremely difficult to formulate a successful search in the Internet, it takes expertise. "Ready-made searches" will be a hit in the future, as the number of sites grows)

A dictionary of professional terms, a speller and a thesaurus

A list of general reference sites

Shareware specific to the field

7. Publishing

The Internet is the world's largest "publisher", by far. It "publishes" FAQs (Frequent Answers and Questions regarding almost every technical matter in the world), e-zines (electronic versions of magazines, not a very profitable pursuit), the electronic versions of dailies (together with on-line news and information services), reference and other e-books, monographs, articles and minutes of discussions ("threads"), among other types of material.

Publishing an e-zine has a few advantages: it promotes the sales of the printed edition, it helps to sign on subscribers and it leads to the sale of advertising space. The electronic archive function (see next section) saves the need to file back issues, the space required to do so and the irritating search for data items.

The future trend is a combined subscription: electronic (mainly for the archival value and the ability to hyperlink to additional information) and printed (easier to browse current issue).

The electronic daily presents other advantages:

It allows for immediate feedback and for flowing, almost real-time, communication between writers and readers. The electronic version, therefore, acquires a gyroscopic function: a navigation instrument, always indicating deviations from the "right" course. The content can be instantly updated and immediacy has its premium (remember the Lewinsky affair?).

Strangely, this (conventional) field was the first to develop a "virtual reality" facet. There are virtual "magazine stalls". They look exactly like the real thing and the user can buy a paper using his mouse.

Specialty hand held devices already allow for downloading and storage of vast quantities of data (up to 4000 print pages). The user gains access to libraries containing hundreds of texts, adapted to be downloaded, stored and read by the specific device. Again, a convergence of standards is to be expected in this field as well (the final contenders will probably be Adobe's PDF against Microsoft's MS-Reader).

Broadly, e-books are treated either as:

Continuation of print books (p-books) by other means

or as

A whole new publishing universe.

Since p-books are a more convenient medium then e-books - they will prevail in any straightforward "medium replacement" or "medium displacement" battle.

In other words, if publishers will persist in the simple and straightforward conversion of p-books to e-books - then e-books are doomed. They are simply inferior to the price, comfort, tactile delights, browseability and scanability of p-books.

But e-books - being digital - open up a vista of hitherto neglected possibilities. These will only be enhanced and enriched by the introduction of e-paper and e-ink. Among them:

Hyperlinks within the e-book and without it - to web content, reference works, etc.

Embedded instant shopping and ordering links

Divergent, user-interactive, decision driven plotlines

Interaction with other e-books (using a wireless standard) - collaborative authoring

Interaction with other e-books - gaming and community activities

Automatically or periodically updated content

Multimedia

Database, Favourites and History Maintenance (reading habits, shopping habits, interaction with other readers, plot related decisions and much more)

Automatic and embedded audio conversion and translation capabilities

Full wireless piconetworking and scatternetworking capabilities

The technology is still not fully there. Wars rage in both the wireless and the ebook realms. Platforms compete. Standards clash. Gurus debate. But convergence is inevitable and with it the e-book of the future.

8. The Archive Function

The Internet is also the world's biggest cemetery: tens of thousands of deadbeat sites, still accessible - the "Ghost Sites" of this electronic frontier.

This, in a way, is collective memory. One of the Internet's main functions will be to preserve and transfer knowledge through time. It is called "memory" in biology - and "archive" in library science. The history of the Internet is being documented by search engines (Google) and specialized services (Alexa) alike.

The Internet as a Collective Brain

Drawing a comparison from the development of a human baby - the human race has just commenced to develop its neural system.

The Internet fulfils all the functions of the Nervous System in the body and is, both functionally and structurally, pretty similar. It is decentralized, redundant (each part can serve as functional backup in case of malfunction). It hosts information which is accessible in a few ways, it contains a memory function, it is multimodal (multimedia - textual, visual, audio and animation).

I believe that the comparison is not superficial and that studying the functions of the brain (from infancy to adulthood) - amounts to perusing the future of the Net itself.

1. The Collective Computer

To carry the metaphor of "a collective brain" further, we would expect the processing of information to take place in the Internet, rather than inside the end-user's hardware (the same way that information is processed in the brain, not in the eyes). Desktops will receive the results and communicate with the Net to receive additional clarifications and instructions and to convey information gathered from their environment (mostly, from the user).

This is part fo the philosophy of the JAVA programming language. It deals with applets - small bits of software - and links different computer platforms by means of software.

Put differently:

Future servers will contain not only information (as they do today) - but also software applications. The user of an application will not be forced to buy it. He will not be driven into hardware-related expenditures to accommodate the ever growing size of applications. He will not find himself wasting his scarce memory and computing resources on passive storage. Instead, he will use a browser to call a central computer. This computer will contain the needed software, broken to its elements (=applets, small applications). Anytime the user wishes to use one of the functions of the application, he will siphon it off the central computer. When finished - he will "return" it. Processing speeds and response times will be such that the user will not feel at all that it is not with his own software that he is working (the question of ownership will be very blurred in such a world). This technology is available and it provoked a heated debated about the future shape of the computi ng industry as a whole (desktops - really power packs - or network computers, a little more than dumb terminals). Applications are already offered to corporate users by ASPs (Application Service Providers).

In the last few years, scientists put the combined power of the computers linked to the internet at any given moment to perform astounding feats of distributed parallel processing. Millions of PCs connected to the net co-process signals from outer space, meteorological data and solve complex equations. This is a prime example of a collective brain in action.

2. The Intranet - a Logical Extension of the Collective Computer

LANs (Local Area Networks) are no longer a rarity in corporate offices. WANs (wide Area Networks) are used to connect geographically dispersed organs of the same legal entity (branches of a bank, daughter companies, a sales force). Many LANs are wireless.

The intranet / extranet and wireless LANs will be the winners. They will gradually eliminate both fixed line LANs and WANs. The Internet offers equal, platform-independent, location-independent and time of day - independent access to all the members of an organization.Sophisticated firewall security application protects the privacy and confidentiality of the intranet from all but the most determined and savvy hackers.

The Intranet is an inter-organizational communication network, constructed on the platform of the Internet and which enjoys all its advantages. The extranet is open to clients and suppliers as well.

The company's server can be accessed by anyone authorized, from anywhere, at any time (with local - rather than international - communication costs). The user can leave messages (internal e-mail or v-mail), access information - proprietary or public - from it and to participate in "virtual teamwork" (see next chapter).

By the year 2002, a standard intranet interface will emerge. This will be facilitated by the opening up of the TCP/IP communication architecture and its availability to PCs. A billion USD will go just to finance intranet servers - or, at least, this is the median forecast.

The development of measures to safeguard server routed inter-organizational communication (firewalls) is the solution to one of two obstacles to the institution of the Intranet. The second problem is the limited bandwidth which does not permit the efficient transfer of audio (not to mention video).

It is difficult to conduct video conferencing through the Internet. Even the voices of discussants who use internet phones come out (slightly) distorted.

All this did not prevent 95% of the Fortune 1000 from installing intranet. 82% of the rest intend to install one by the end of this year. Medium to big size American firms have 50-100 intranet terminals per every internet one.

At the end of 1997, there were 10 web servers per every other type of server in organizations. The sale of intranet related software was projected to multiply by 16 (to 8 billion USD) by the year 1999.

One of the greatest advantages of the intranet is the ability to transfer documents between the various parts of an organization. Consider Visa: it pushed 2 million documents per day internally in 1996.

An organization equipped with an intranet can (while protected by firewalls) give its clients or suppliers access to non-classified correspondence. This notion has its charm. Consider a newspaper: it can give access to all the materials which were discarded by the editors. Some news are fit to print - yet are discarded because of space limitations. Still, someone is bound to be interested. It costs the newspaper close to nothing (the material is, normally, already computer-resident) - and it might even generate added circulation and income. It can be even conceived as an "underground, non-commercial, alternative" newspaper for a wholly different readership.

The above is but one example of the possible use of the intranet to communicate with the organization's consumer base.

3. Mail and Chat

The Internet (its e-mail possibilities) is eroding traditional mail. The market share of the post office in conveying messages by regular mail has dwindled from 77% to 62% (1995). E-mail has expanded to capture 36% (up from 19%).

90% of customers with on-line access use e-mail from time to time and 60% work with it regularly. More than 2 billion messages traverse the internet daily.

E-mail applications are available as freeware and are included in all browsers. Thus, the Internet has completely assimilated what used to be a separate service, to the extent that many people make the mistake of thinking that e-mail is a feature of the Internet. Microsoft continues to incorporate previously independent applications in its browsers - a behaviour which led to the 1999 anti-trust lawsuit against it.

The internet will do to phone calls what it has done to mail. Already there are applications (Intel's, Vocaltec's, Net2Phone) which enable the user to conduct a phone conversation through his computer. The voice quality has improved. The discussants can cut into each others words, argue and listen to tonal nuances. Today, the parties (two or more) engaging in the conversation must possess the same software and the same (computer) hardware. In the very near future, computer-to-regular phone applications will eliminate this requirement. And, again, simultaneous multi-modality: the user can talk over the phone, see his party, send e-mail, receive messages and transfer documents - without obstructing the flow of the conversation.

The cost of transferring voice will become so negligible that free voice traffic is conceivable in 3-5 years. Data traffic will overtake voice traffic by a wide margin.

This beats regular phones.

The next phase will probably involve virtual reality. Each of the parties will be represented by an "avatar", a 3-D figurine generated by the application (or the user's likeness mapped into the software and superimposed on the the avatar). These figurines will be multi-dimensional: they will possess their own communication patterns, special habits, history, preferences - in short: their own "personality".

Thus, they will be able to maintain an "identity" and a consistent pattern of communication which they will develop over time.

Such a figure could host a site, accept, welcome and guide visitors, all the time bearing their preferences in its electronic "mind". It could narrate the news, like "Ananova" does. Visiting sites in the future is bound to be a much more pleasant affair.

4. E-cash

In 1996, the four corporate giants (Visa, MasterCard, Netscape and Microsoft) agreed on a standard for effecting secure payments through the Internet: SET. Internet commerce is supposed to mushroom by a factor of 50 to 25 billion USD. Site owners will be able to collect rent from passing visitors - or fees for services provided within the site. Amazon instituted an honour system to collect donations from visitors. Dedicated visitors will not be deterred by such trifles.

5. The Virtual Organization

The Internet allows simultaneous communication between an almost unlimited number of users. This is coupled with the efficient transfer of multimedia (video included) files.

This opens up a vista of mind boggling opportunities which are the real core of the Internet revolution: the virtual collaborative ("Follow the Sun") modes.

Examples:

A group of musicians will be able to compose music or play it - while spatially and temporally separated;

Advertising agencies will be able to co-produce ad campaigns in a real time interactive mode;

Cinema and TV films will be produced from disparate geographical spots through the teamwork of people who never meet, except through the net.

These examples illustrate the concept of the "virtual community". Locations in space and time will no longer hinder a collaboration in a team: be it scientific, artistic, cultural, or for the provision of services (a virtual law firm or accounting office, a virtual consultancy network).

Two on going developments are the virtual mall and the virtual catalogue.

There are well over 300 active virtual malls in the Internet. They were frequented by 32.5 million shoppers, who shopped in them for goods and services in 1998. The intranet can also be thought of as a "virtual organization", or a "virtual business".

The virtual mall is a computer "space" (pages) in the internet, wherein "shops" are located. These shops offer their wares using visual, audio and textual means. The visitor passes a gate into the store and looks through its offering, until he reaches a buying decision. Then he engages in a feedback process: he pays (with a credit card), buys the product and waits for it to arrive by mail. The manufacturers of digital products (intellectual property such as e-books or software) have begun selling their merchandise on-line, as file downloads.

Yet, slow communications and limited bandwidth - constrain the growth potential of this mode of sale. Once solved - intellectual property will be sold directly from the net, on-line. Until such time, the intervention of the Post Office is still required. So, then virtual mall is nothing but a glorified computerized mail catalogue or Buying Channel, the only difference being the exceptionally varied inventory.

Websites which started as "specialty stores" are fast transforming themselves into multi-purpose virtual malls. Amazon.com, for instance, has bought into a virtual pharmacy and into other virtual businesses. It is now selling music, video, electronics and many other products. It started as a bookstore.

This contrasts with a much more creative idea: the virtual catalogue. It is a form of narrowcasting (as opposed to broadcasting): a surgically accurate targeting of potential consumer audiences. Each group of profiled consumers (no matter how small) is fitted with their own - digitally generated - catalogue. This is updated daily: the variety of wares on offer (adjusted to reflect inventory levels, consumer preferences and goods in transit) - and prices (sales, discounts, package deals) change in real time.

The user will enter the site and there delineate his consumption profile and his preferences. A customized catalogue will be immediately generated for him.

From then on, the history of his purchases, preferences and responses to feedback questionnaires will be accumulated and added to a database.

Each catalogue generated for him will come replete with order forms. Once the user concluded his purchases, his profile will be updated.

There is no technological obstacles to implementing this vision today - only administrative and legal ones. Big retail stores are not up to processing the flood of data expected to arrive. They also remain highly sceptical regarding the feasibility of the new medium. And privacy issues prevent data mining or the effective collection and usage of personal data.

The virtual catalogue is a private case of a new internet off-shoot: the "smart (shopping) agents". These are AI applications with "long memories".

They draw detailed profiles of consumers and users and then suggest purchases and refer to the appropriate sites, catalogues, or virtual malls.

They also provide price comparisons and the new generation (NetBot) cannot be blocked or fooled by using differing product categories.

In the future, these agents will refer also to real life retail chains and issue a map of the branch or store closest to an address specified by the user (the default being his residence). This technology can be seen in action in a few music sites on the web and is likely to be dominant with wireless internet appliances. The owner of an internet enabled (third generation) mobile phone is likely to be the target of geographically-specific marketing campaigns, ads and special offers pertaining to his current location (as reported by his GPS - satellite Geographic Positioning System).

6. Internet News

Internet news are advantaged. They can be frequently and dynamically updated (unlike static print news) and be always accessible (similar to print news), immediate and fresh.

The future will witness a form of interactive news. A special "corner" in the site will be open to updates posted by the public (the equivalent of press releases). This will provide readers with a glimpse into the making of the news, the raw material news are made of. The same technology will be applied to interactive TVs. Content will be downloaded from the internet and be displayed as an overlay on the TV screen or in a square in a special location. The contents downloaded will be directly connected to the TV programming. Thus, the biography and track record of a football player will be displayed during a football match and the history of a country when it gets news coveage.

Terra Internetica - Internet, an Unknown Continent

This is an unconventional way to look at the Internet. Laymen and experts alike talk about "sites" and "advertising space". Yet, the Internet was never compared to a new continent whose surface is infinite.

The Internet will have its own real estate developers and construction companies. The real life equivalents derive their profits from the scarcity of the resource that they exploit - the Internet counterparts will derive their profits from the tenants (the content).

Two examples:

A few companies bought "Internet Space" (pages, domain names, portals), developed it and make commercial use of it by:

renting it out

constructing infrastructure and selling it

providing an intelligent gateway, entry point to the rest of the internet

or selling advertising space which subsidizes the tenants (Yahoo!-Geocities, Tripod and others).

Cybersquatting (purchasing specific domain names identical to brand names in the "real" world) and then selling the domain name to an interested party

Internet Space can be easily purchased or created. The investment is low and getting lower with the introduction of competition in the field of domain registration services and the increase in the number of top domains.

Then, infrastructure can be erected - for a shopping mall, for free home pages, for a portal, or for another purpose. It is precisely this infrastructure that the developer can later sell, lease, franchise, or rent out.

At the beginning, only members of the fringes and the avant-garde (inventors, risk assuming entrepreneurs, gamblers) invest in a new invention. The invention of a new communications technology is mostly accompanied by devastating silence.

No one knows to say what are the optimal uses of the invention (in other words, what is its future). Many - mostly members of the scientific and business elites - argue that there is no real need for the invention and that it substitutes a new and untried way for old and tried modes of doing the same thing (so why assume the risk?)

These criticisms are usually founded:

To start with, there is, indeed, no need for the new medium. A new medium invents itself - and the need for it. It also generates its own market to satisfy this newly found need.

Two prime examples are the personal computer and the compact disc.

When the PC was invented, its uses were completely unclear. Its performance was lacking, its abilities limited, it was horribly user unfriendly.

It suffered from faulty design, absent user comfort and ease of use and required considerable professional knowledge to operate. The worst part was that this knowledge was unique to the new invention (not portable).

It reduced labour mobility and limited one's professional horizons. There were many gripes among those assigned to tame the new beast.

The PC was thought of, at the beginning, as a sophisticated gaming machine, an electronic baby-sitter. As the presence of a keyboard was detected and as the professional horizon cleared it was thought of in terms of a glorified typewriter or spreadsheet. It was used mainly as a word processor (and its existence justified solely on these grounds). The spreadsheet was the first real application and it demonstrated the advantages inherent to this new machine (mainly flexibility and speed). Still, it was more (speed) of the same. A quicker ruler or pen and paper. What was the difference between this and a hand held calculator (some of them already had computing, memory and programming features)?

The PC was recognized as a medium only 30 years after it was invented with the introduction of multimedia software. All this time, the computer continued to spin off markets and secondary markets, needs and professional specialities. The talk as always was centred on how to improve on existing markets and solutions.

The Internet is the computer's first important breakthrough. Hitherto the computer was only quantitatively different - the multimedia and the Internet have made it qualitatively superior, actually, sui generis, unique.

This, precisely, is the ghost haunting the Internet:

It has been invented, is maintained and is operated by computer professionals. For decades these people have been conditioned to think in Olympic terms: more, stronger, higher. Not: new, unprecedented, non-existent. To improve - not to invent. They stumbled across the Internet - it invented itself despite its own creators.

Computer professionals (hardware and software experts alike) - are linear thinkers. The Internet is non linear and modular.

It is still the age of hackers. There is still a lot to be done in improving technological prowess and powers. But their control of the contents is waning and they are being gradually replaced by communicators, creative people, advertising executives, psychologists and the totally unpredictable masses who flock to flaunt their home pages.

These all are attuned to the user, his mental needs and his information and entertainment preferences.

The compact disc is a different tale. It was intentionally invented to improve upon an existing technology (basically, Edison's Gramophone). Market-wise, this was a major gamble: the improvement was, at first, debatable (many said that the sound quality of the first generation of compact discs was inferior to that of its contemporaneous record players). Consumers had to be convinced to change both software and hardware and to dish out thousands of dollars just to listen to what the manufacturers claimed was better quality Bach. A better argument was the longer life of the software (though contrasted with the limited life expectancy of the consumer, some of the first sales pitches sounded absolutely morbid).

The computer suffered from unclear positioning. The compact disc was very clear as to its main functions - but had a rough time convincing the consumers.

Every medium is first controlled by the technical people. Gutenberg was a printer - not a publisher. Yet, he is the world's most famous publisher. The technical cadre is joined by dubious or small-scale entrepreneurs and, together, they establish ventures with no clear vision, market-oriented thinking, or orderly plan of action. The legislator is also dumbfounded and does not grasp what is happening - thus, there is no legislation to regulate the use of the medium. Witness the initial confusion concerning copyrighted software and the copyrights of ROM embedded software. Abuse or under-utilization of resources grow. Recall the sale of radio frequencies to the first cellular phone operators in the West - a situation which repeats itself in Eastern and Central Europe nowadays.

But then more complex transactions - exactly as in real estate in "real life" - begin to emerge.

This distinction is important. While in real life it is possible to sell an undeveloped plot of land - no one will buy "pages". The supply of these is unlimited - their scarcity (and, therefore, their virtual price) is zero.

The second example involves the utiliz