Hubble Space Telescope repaired

NASA's space agency managers announced that they had successfully restarted the broken Hubble Space Telescope, but acknowledged that they won't be ready to send a repair team to the 18-year-old instrument until May at the earliest.

After reactivating two cameras on Hubble, scientists beamed its first pictures to Earth since a glitch idled the telescope several weeks ago.

They released an image of a pair of interacting galaxies that appeared to form the number 10 -- a picture that inspired NASA officials to declare the telescope had scored a "perfect 10" as it got back to work.

The new pictures were testimony to their success. The images were made with the scope's Wide-Field Planetary Camera and the Advanced Camera for Surveys. NASA said it hoped to have the other instruments operating in the next few days.

There was no certainty the switch to Side B would work. That unit had sat idle in space for 18 years while its brother did all the work. But now that it's operating, said Hubble manager Preston Burch of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., he feels "very confident" it will continue to work in the coming weeks.

NASA also announced Thursday that a repair mission to Hubble would be delayed once again. Before the data-handling unit broke, a team was to depart for the telescope Oct. 14 to replace faulty gyroscopes and worn batteries. NASA said the mission would be delayed until at least February while engineers took a new data-handling unit out of storage and prepared it for launch.

That unit, it turned out, wasn't operable. It had been partly disassembled. When it was put back together, it "didn't handle the commands properly," Burch said during a news briefing at NASA headquarters in Washington.

The repair mission, whenever it happens, will be the last for Hubble. NASA had not even planned to make this one but was forced into it by Congress after a public outcry in support of the telescope.

TiVo and Netflix joined

It has been a long time coming, but Netflix and TiVo have finally teamed up to bring streaming shows and movies to TiVo owners' TV screens. The two companies announced today that they have begun a test of the new capabilities in "several thousand US households" today, and expect it to be available to the public in early December.

Through the partnership first envisioned in 2004, Netflix subscribers who own the TiVo Series3, HD, or HD XL will be able to stream over 12,000 movies and TV shows through Netflix's online streaming service. In order to do so, users will first need to visit the Netflix website in order to add movies and TV episodes to their instant queues, which will then be displayed through the TiVo. From there, users can browse their instant queues and make selections right from that comfortable dent in the couch.

This isn't the first time Netflix's streaming service has tried to leave the PC and made a foray onto the big(ger) screen, but it is one of the first attempts to do so with a product as mainstream as the TiVo. Netflix introduced its own set-top box called the Roku in May of this year, a $99 device that could stream content from subscribers' accounts to the TV. Although the price is astonishingly affordable compared to similar options (the Apple TV still costs more than $200, for example), the public is still somewhat resistant to adding yet another box to their entertainment systems. The same applies to the LG BD300 Blu-ray player with Netflix capabilities.

In July, however, Netflix and Microsoft made headlines by announcing that the Xbox 360 would gain Netflix streaming capabilities, and for free (outside of your monthly Netflix subscription). That announcement really got the streaming video fans excited, and the natural progression from there is to bring Netflix content to the most ubiquitous DVR system on the market, the TiVo.

"Joining forces with Netflix creates the ultimate video on demand service and solidifies TiVo's leading position as the one-box solution for aggregating, searching, and delivering the best content available anywhere right to the TV," TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said in a statement. "Adding Netflix to our already vast library of content differentiates TiVo even further from any other offering in the market today."

Much of the online video market is still struggling to find ways to users' TV screens while keeping DRM firmly in place. Today's announcement is another step forward for digital distribution, as TiVo's massive installed user base will surely help give Netflix a leg up in the market.

Laser treatment for acne

Acne is a skin disorder which is common among the age group of 18-25. This skin disease is usually associated with a lot of pimples, scars and huge open pores. There are several treatments for acne scars. The most recent latest treatment is the laser treatment for acne scars.

This laser acne treatment is the latest technology advancement in the field of medicine to ensure the complete removal of the acne scars from the face and the back of the human body. This medical procedure is usually done by dermatologists and they are done in laser clinics in hospitals.

The acne scars laser treatments are mainly done with the help of wave lengths that are usually assorted. The laser treatments are also of several intensity levels, which is mainly due to the different levels of scars and acne in the human body.

Laser acne will not only remove the occurrence of the acne bacteria but it also helps in reducing the red skin that is usually caused by acne and its pimples. This procedure which is done in the hospitals takes a bit of procedures to be done before hand.

The dermatologist will have to first determine whether the patient is suitable for this type of acne treatment. After this, he/she determines the type of laser to be used for the laser treatment for acne scars.

The intensity of the laser treatment can also be determined between you and the doctor to ensure that you get the results that you wanted. The tissues that are not needed are completely removed with the help of the carbon dioxide laser.

For most acne patients, a single acne laser treatment is enough, but for others who have more severe acne problems, more than one treatment is required. There is another kind of laser which is known as ablative laser treatment for acne scars. This laser eliminates the outer layers of the skin along with the tissues of the scar which helps a lot in lowering the visibility of the acne scar.

Laser acne treatment cost is expensive but is the most effective way to remove acne scars fast and permanently.

Microsoft to sell Office as a web service

In addition to the online services components of Windows 7, Microsoft is announcing plans to provide online versions of: Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote that will run in a web browser.

Janice Kapner, head of communications for Microsoft's "information worker" group, which produces the Microsoft Office products, said the company decided to unveil its plans -- which have been an ongoing topic of speculation -- to be part of the broader cloud computing and online services announcements that have headlined the company's Professional Developers Conference here this week.

"We're here sharing at PDC so that people recognize that Office is part of the bigger strategy for the cloud," she said. "I know people have been talking about this stuff for a long time, but customers ... are really now embracing it much more than just talking about it."

Google beat Microsoft to the market for online productivity products with its Google Docs and Spreadsheets offering, which Microsoft has dismissed as too short on features to be a real competitor to its dominant Office products, which have some 500 million users globally and contribute to the Microsoft Business Division's $18.9 billion in fiscal 2008 revenue (more than 31 percent of the company's total).

But Microsoft clearly sees the niche Google has filled and appears unwilling to cede it to the Internet search giant. Microsoft hopes the offering will also cut down on piracy of Office.

"We just recognize that a one-size-fits-all solution isn't appropriate," Kapner said. "... Clearly we need to be respectful of what customers want."

Microsoft is building "lightweight" versions of the four key pieces of its Office suite, which will be sold to businesses through volume licensing agreements and as hosted services -- paid as a subscription -- much like the Microsoft online services the company provides now for its server products such as Exchange and Sharepoint.

Consumers will be able to get these Web companions to Microsoft's full-fledged productivity software through Office Live, which has both a free service supported by advertising and a paid offering.

Kapner said the company is still in the early stages -- calling a planned demonstration during today's Windows 7-focused keynote a "sneak peek" -- and, as such, it is not announcing specific plans for pricing the product.

The company gave few details on its schedule for bringing online Office to market, other than a planned technology preview -- limited to a select group -- by the end of the year. She did say that the online offerings are part of the next version of Office, currently going by the name Office 14. Microsoft has been mum on the product's schedule.

The online Office suite will work in the three major Web browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari.

Microsoft does not envision people using the online version of Excel to work on an 8,000-line spreadsheet or write a major term paper with online Word. Instead, the company expects the online offerings to be best-suited for collaboration, editing and reviewing and other less-intense tasks.

Source: Seattle Times

Microsoft Azure, the new cloud development platform

Windows Azure is a "services-based operating environment," competes with Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) as a scalable hosting environment on which developers can build and host their applications.

Microsoft is releasing a Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Azure in the U.S. at PDC, and eventually will host the service in global data centers.

The announcement of Windows Azure was expected, as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a public appearance earlier this month that Microsoft was readying a Windows cloud offering it would reveal in only a few weeks.

Ozzie said a team of Microsoft developers led by Amitabh Srivastava, vice president of Windows Azure team, had begun working on Azure just before Amazon unveiled EC2. He said he tipped his hat to Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos and the Amazon team for bringing its offering to market before Microsoft.

"All of us are going to be standing on their shoulders" as the technology industry transitions from offering and using traditional software run in enterprise IT networks to running more applications on the Internet via cloud-computing environments hosted by large vendors, Ozzie said.

However, he noted that Microsoft had "somewhat broader and different objectives" than Amazon in developing Azure, since unlike Amazon, it has the responsibility to support a vast global network of software developers and applications already built on its infrastructure software.

Ozzie dipped into the past to show how cloud computing has evolved beyond the virtualization and utility models that have been present in corporate IT systems for 30 years or more and were pioneered by his former company, IBM.

Previously, companies developed these networks for their own employees and didn't expect to be serving customers and partners outside the firewall, he said. But "things are materially different when building systems to serve the world of the Web than it is ... serving those that live in the company's four walls," Ozzie said.

Developers can use Microsoft's familiar .NET tools to build applications on Windows Azure and Microsoft used those tools to develop the environment, said Srivastava, who took the stage Monday after Ozzie to describe Azure in more detail. Eventually, Microsoft also will host all of its own Web-based services on Azure, he said.

Key to Azure is a Fabric Controller that "manages the lifecycle of the services" that developers build, Srivastava said.

The Fabric Controller "views all of the data center as fabric of shared hardware resources that can be managed and shared with all the services there," he said. This enables Azure to update developer's applications automatically, sparing them the hassle of updating those applications across individual PCs across the enterprise, Srivastava said.

Windows Azure also separates applications from the OS layer using Microsoft's virtualization technology, which also eliminates the need for updating desktop PCs when updating applications. This has long been a sore spot for corporate IT teams and has been seen as a stumbling block for enterprises to update to the latest version of the Windows client OS, Windows Vista.

Ozzie did not say when Windows Azure would be generally available, but said Microsoft will be discussing the platform in more detail in the next several days at the show.

Amazon EC2 adds Windows and SQL Server

Amazon's EC2 service yesterday went into full production mode. The cloud computing platform shed its beta label and, in so doing, gained a service level agreement. These changes mark EC2's transition from an experimental development platform into an enterprise-ready cloud solution, broadening EC2's reach to include those customers who might have otherwise been attracted to AT&T's Synaptic Hosting.

Reliability is one of the major concerns regarding the viability of cloud computing; performing business-critical activities in a remote data center may well be an unacceptable risk for many businesses. EC2's SLA promises 99.95 percent availability (this translates to a little over 4 hours of downtime per year). Coupled with S3's 99.9 percent availability promise, these services should now be an option for a much broader audience.

Amazon also announced a public beta of the availability of Windows and SQL Server on EC2. First announced earlier this month, the company is expecting customers to use Windows EC2 for a range of activities, from running ASP.NET web applications to media transcoding to High Performance Computing. Not surprisingly, Windows EC2 will cost more than the operating systems available (Linux, FreeBSD, and OpenSolaris) but, with the scalability and flexibility EC2 offers, it could become a highly compelling hosting platform.

The company also described features planned for next year, including improved management and monitoring of cloud applications and automatic load balancing and scaling. These will allow applications on EC2 to both distribute load between EC2 instances and dynamically alter the capacity of the application's EC2 instances to accommodate changes in demand. This kind of capability truly justifies the use of cloud computing, as it provides cheap and easy scaling in a way not possible with conventional hosting.

Tesofensine is the new obesity drug

Tesofensine can produce weight loss twice that of currently approved obesity drugs, and should be studied in phase III trials. These are the conclusions of an Article published early Online and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet, written by Professor Arne Astrup, Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues.
Increased obesity prevalence worldwide, in both developed and developing countries, results in more people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, and cancer. Whilst gastric bypass surgery substantially reduces bodyweight and obesity-related disease, the researchers believe a treatment gap exists between the effectiveness of currently marketed obesity drugs and gastric-bypass surgery.

Tesofensine – which inhibits the presynaptic uptake of the neurotransmitters noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin in the brain – has been shown to be safe and effective in animal models. It also caused unintended weight loss when it was given obese patients with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease when it was researched for those conditions. The drug works by suppressing hunger, leading to an energy deficit which burns off excess body fat.

This randomised, placebo-controlled phase II study was done in five Danish obesity management centres, and involved 203 obese patients (body mass index 30-40 kg/m2), weighing a mean of just over 100kg. They were prescribed a limited-energy diet and assigned to tesofensine 0.25mg (52 patients), 0.5 mg (50), 1.0 mg (49), or placebo (52), all once daily for 24 weeks.
The primary outcome was percentage change in bodyweight. A total of 161 patients completed the study, and an analysis showed that the mean weight loss recorded for placebo and diet was 2.2kg and for tesofensine 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1.0mg it was 6.7kg, 11.3kg, and 12.8kg respectively. For the 0.5mg and 1.0mg doses, this represented a weight loss around twice that attained using sibutramine or rimonabant*, the currently-approved therapies in Europe. Blood pressure was increased in the 1.0mg group.The most common side-effects caused by tesofensine were dry mouth, nausea, constipation, hard stools, diarrhoea, and insomnia.

The authors conclude that the 0.5mg dose of tesofensine is more promising than the 1.0mg dose because it produces a similar weight loss with less side-effects. They say: “We conclude that tesofensine 0.5 mg, once daily for 6 months, has the potential to produce twice the weight loss as currently approved drugs; however, larger phase III studies are needed to substantiate our findings.”

Bad circulation symptoms

There are millions of people around the globe taking treatment for bad circulation, and there are many others who suffer from bad circulation, but not aware of that. Most people ignore the symptoms or take it lightly and hence fail to diagnose it in time. When the person dies all of a sudden, then only others realize that he/she was suffering from bad circulation. This is why bad circulation is sometimes referred as a silent killer.

Bad circulation, in medical terminology Peripheral Vascular Disease PVD, is a medical condition which is somewhat similar to carotid artery disease and coronary artery disease. Bad circulation is caused when fatty deposits are accumulated in the inner linings of the artery wall. This accumulation results in the blockage of blood circulation. Bad circulation in arteries leads to the kidneys, arms, hand, legs, and feet. Most people who suffer from bad circulation may have fatty deposits in the arteries of brain and heart. This can cause the death of the patient from heart attack and stroke.

Bad circulation is considered as a serious condition and can result in heart attacks, loss of limbs, stroke, and in many cases even death. However if found in the early stages, bad circulation may be prevented or treated in the early stages with meditation, drug treatment, surgery, life style changes, or mostly a combination of all these treatments.

Some of the main symptoms of bad circulation are legs and or feet falling to sleep, cramping of the buttocks, legs, or feet, pain in the legs, swelling of the legs, tired aching feet; and very low temperature in your hands, arms, legs, or feet. If you feel that you have some or most of the symptoms then you may have been suffering from bad circulation. It is better to visit your family doctor and take a complete check up. Bad circulation can be diagnosed by a physical examination, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging angiography MRA, and X-ray angiography.

Some lifestyle changes which can help you to lower your risk include controlling diabetes, quit smoking, controlling blood pressure, and consuming low cholesterol diet. Bad circulation can be prevented to some extend by taking healthy fat free diet and regular exercises.

All we have to do is take a good look at the lifestyle we are living and it should be quite obvious to everyone why this is happening. First of all most people do not get enough exercise which is a crucial factor in allowing our blood to circulate properly. Bad circulation can lead to heart attack and strokes and if that is not enough all the fast food and fatty foods most people eat, only add to the problem.

Free PSP themes available

You would probably like to download a free PSP theme. Virtually all PSP users do. The PSP has become an incredibly well known, and well loved, machine, and part of that is the flexibility it affords its users. Ipod socks are totally superfluous when you have the freedom to choose the exact way your PSP looks and behaves!

Download A Free PSP Theme Tip 1-Don't use the main Sony site!
A lot of people never bother to look beyond the main Sony Playstation website when they are looking for themes for their PSP. It is virtually impossible to find a unique PSP Theme if you are downloading it from the same place as everybody else. Although there is no shortage of themes to choose from on the main site, there are a lot of people choosing them. Look somewhere else!

Download A Free PSP Theme Tip 2- Do an internet search
A lot of people will use the main search engines to find out how to download a free PSP theme, but use a bit of clever thinking, and you can get what you want. Instead of doing a direct search engine search for themes, look for PSP communities on the internet? Try to see if you can find some forums or newsgroups. This can be a really useful source of resources, sometimes from members of the forum, and sometimes just from threads. You can find custom-made PSP Themes on these dedicated forums.

Download A Free PSP Theme Tip 3- Don’t use a download!
You can try using one of the simple art programs on your computer to design your own original Theme. Virtually any of the simple art programs will allow you to produce a simple wallpaper, and this should be compatible with your PSP as long as you create it as a JPEG file. Another possibility is to get someone who is good with art to actually design a theme for you. You can find a PSP forum which has some decent Themes, and ask whoever designed the themes you like the best if they will create one for you. Often they will be happy to do it, although they may charge you a little for doing the job.

You can do a lot more with downloading free PSP Themes than just following everybody else with EA games wallpapers etc from the official Sony site. Be original, and you will enjoy your PSP more!

New treatment for prostate cancer

Radiation oncologists are now using what's sort of a GPS for the body to fight prostate cancer. Frank Fiore chose external beam radiation to fight his cancer. “The option that gave me decreased risk and flexibility, less intrusion and the best success,” he said.

The Calypso 4D Localization System, is sort of a GPS for the body and not only could it be used in prostate cancer, but eventually for tracking other cancers as well. Radiation specialist Dr. Dan White said that three tiny radio transponders are implanted into the prostate prior to treatment. “Those are implanted trans-rectally by the urologist, similar to when the patient gets a biopsy,” he said.

A computer program then tracks the transponders, which shift naturally as the prostate does during treatment over time. “By knowing where it is, we can treat a smaller area, because we are not worried about missing it,” White said. This lowers the odds of damage to surrounding tissues and ups the odds of killing off the cancer. “Hopefully this will translate into us being able to give higher doses of radiation to the prostate, better tolerated by the patient and hopefully lead to higher cure rate,” the doctor said.

The Calypso 4D Localization System utilizes proprietary electromagnetic technology in conjunction with implanted Beacon electromagnetic transponders in the prostate. The system is designed to enable doctors to accurately and objectively position cancer patients for radiation therapy treatment, and then measure and monitor tumor motion during radiation therapy delivery.

Continuous knowledge of the tumor location is expected to provide greater confidence to clinicians and patients when they know that the radiation beam is always on target. Because the product platform does not require expertise in interpreting x-ray or ultrasound images, it greatly reduces the time to perform patient setup, a well-recognized bottleneck in the radiation department workflow.

Calypso Medical Technologies, is a Seattle, WA based privately held medical device company founded in 2000. The Company’s proprietary tumor localization system utilizes miniaturized implanted devices (Beacon electromagnetic transponders) to continuously, accurately, and objectively pinpoint the location of tumors for improved accuracy in radiation therapy. Calypso addresses two major issues in modern radiation oncology: errors in treatment set-up and tumor motion during treatment. In addition, the Calypso® 4D Localization System’s non-ionizing electromagnetic guidance has the potential to improve work flow efficiency and treatment room utilization. The technology is designed for body-wide cancers commonly treated with radiation therapy, including prostate, breast, lung, head, neck and other radiation therapy target organs.

Studies are now underway in breast and lung cancer using this technology. It can be used even if the prostate is removed, by implanting the transponders in the prostate bed.

iTunes makes Blu-ray useless

Apple announced today that it has not only become the world's most popular TV programming store, thanks to 200 million unit sales of TV shows, but that all four of the major networks--CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC--are offering high-definition content on the iTunes store.

If Apple is the world's leading store for buying TV shows and the world's largest music retailer, how can Blu-ray and it's measly 8 percent market share, expect to compete with Apple's freight train as it starts to pick up steam in the movie space?

Considering the fact that as of this past January, it had sold 7 million films on iTunes after 15 months of availability. Consider the fact that Blu-ray hit the 7 million-units-sold mark after 18 months, and it's quite obvious that people are ready and willing to download films instead of buying an expensive player and media to go with it.

Granted, the movies Apple has sold are standard definition and of the 2,500 films currently offered on iTunes, the 600 HD films can only be rented, but does that even matter? When we consider the cost of ownership between Apple's integration and Blu-ray's, it's difficult to see how it would make sense on any level to choose the latter. Not only are Blu-ray players more expensive than an Apple TV, it'll run you about $30 just to have one HD movie in most cases. And if you want to rent Blu-ray films from Blockbuster, it'll be $5.99 and you'll be forced to leave the house. The only logical way to get Blu-ray films into the house is through Netflix and even that company has raised its rates by $1 to make up for the additional cost of providing Blu-ray movies.

iTunes is growing at a rapid rate and it's no longer just a music store. And as more consumers find that they can have HD content in their homes with little or no effort, iTunes will claim another victim.

Startups, a great source of business

New start-up businesses are a constant feature of the business landscape. There will always be entrepreneurs willing to go it alone and launch their own business, in order to find greater independence job satisfaction, increase personal wealth and build a more secure longer term future.

But starting a business isn't just of benefit to entrepreneurs. Start ups also represent a valuable market segment for suppliers of an extremely wide range of goods and services. Start ups can be easier and therefore more profitable to sell to, more loyal in the longer term, and spend more on their initial orders.

Far from being overlooked, there are a number of significant reasons why you should be looking to target start up businesses as part of your B2B sales and marketing strategy:

Start ups have a wide range of needs

When a new business starts up it usually needs to source practically everything from scratch. Their needs are wide ranging including everything from recruitment and financial advice to office furniture, IT, marketing and printing. Often their initial purchases in these areas are likely to be far greater than when the businesses are more established and mature.

Start ups are a growing market, even in a recession

Despite recent economic uncertainties, the rates at which new businesses are started seem to be unaffected. In fact new business start up rates seem impervious to economic woes and even go up in troubled times. This can be because people lose their jobs and look to self employment for a new career, or partners who haven't worked start their own business to bring additional income into the household. So start up businesses can represent one of the few vibrant and growing sectors of the economy.

Start ups are ready to buy now

New businesses are in a position to make buying decisions far faster, because they need to get trading as quickly possible. This can make your sales effort far easier, making your sales more profitable. It's also easier to get a foot in the door as start ups are more receptive than mature businesses which may have a well established supplier base.

Start ups can help you increase market share

Getting your products or services sold into businesses when they first start up can really help you steal a march on your competitors. In fact if you act quickly you can become supplier to a new business before your competitors even know they exist. If you operate in a specific industry sector, new entrants are often the lifeblood of that sector, and exploiting them can help you increase your market share

Start ups make loyal long term customers

New business owners often need a little extra help, guidance and advice from their suppliers. If you can provide this support alongside your products or services, you'll build potential long term customers for your business who are far less likely to defect to your competitors.

In summary, if your company is looking to source new customers - as most businesses always are - then you should make sure that you include targeting new business start ups from your local area, region or industry vertical as part of your sales and marketing strategy.

Acne questions and answers

Acne is a very common disease. People who have it tend to have similar kinds of questions about it and its treatment. This section addresses some of the common questions asked by people with acne. Please remember that your dermatologist is always the best source of specific information about your individual health issues, including acne.

Questions and Answer does follows:

What causes acne?

The causes of acne are linked to the changes that take place as young people mature from childhood to adolescence (puberty). The hormones that cause physical maturation also cause the sebaceous (oil) glands of the skin to produce more sebum (oil). The hormones with the greatest effect on sebaceous glands are androgens (male hormones), which are present in females as well as males, but in higher amounts in males.

Sebaceous glands are found together with a hair shaft in a unit called a sebaceous follicle. During puberty, the cells of the skin that line the follicle begin to shed more rapidly. In people who develop acne, cells shed and stick together more so than in people who do not develop acne. When cells mix with the increased amount of sebum being produced, they can plug the opening of the follicle. Meanwhile, the sebaceous glands continue to produce sebum, and the follicle swells up with sebum.

In addition, a normal skin bacteria called P. acnes, begins to multiply rapidly in the clogged hair follicle. In the process, these bacteria produce irritating substances that can cause inflammation. Sometimes, the wall of the follicle bursts, spreading inflammation to the surrounding skin. This is the process by which acne lesions, from blackheads to pimples to nodules, are formed.

I wash my face several times a day. Why do I still get acne?

Many people still believe that acne is caused by dirty skin. The truth is, washing alone will not clear up or prevent acne. Washing does, however, help remove excess surface oils and dead skin cells. Many people use all kinds of products, including alcohol-based cleansers, and scrub vigorously, only to irritate the skin further and worsen their acne. Washing the skin twice a day gently with water and a mild soap is usually all that is required. However, acne is actually caused by a variety of biologic factors that are beyond the control of washing. For that reason, you should use appropriate acne treatments for the acne.

Does stress cause acne?

Stress is commonly blamed for the development of acne. Stress can have many physiologic effects on the body, including changes in hormones that may theoretically lead to acne. In some cases the stress may actually be caused by the acne lesions, not the other way around! If the acne is being treated effectively, stress is not likely to have much impact on the majority of people.

I never had acne as a teenager. Why am I now getting acne as an adult?

Usually, acne begins at puberty and is gone by the early 20s. In some cases, acne may persist into adulthood. Such types of acne include severe forms that affect the body as well as the face (which afflict males more than females) and acne associated with the menstrual cycle in women. In other cases, acne may not present itself until adulthood. Such acne is more likely to affect females than males.

There are several reasons for this. As females get older, the pattern of changes in hormones may itself change, disposing sebaceous glands to develop acne. Ovarian cysts and pregnancy may also cause hormonal changes that lead to acne. Some women get acne when they discontinue birth control pills that have been keeping acne at bay. Sometimes young women may wear cosmetics that are comedogenic-that is, they can set up conditions that cause comedones to form.

What role does diet play in acne?

Acne is not caused by food. Following a strict diet will not, clear your skin. While some people feel that their acne is aggravated by certain foods, particularly chocolate, colas, peanuts, shellfish and some fatty foods, there is no scientific evidence that suggests food causes or influences acne. Avoid any foods which seem to worsen your acne and, for your overall health, eat a balanced diet--but diet shouldn't really matter if the acne is being appropriately treated.

Does the sun help acne?

Many patients feel that sunlight improves their acne lesions and go to great lengths to find sources of ultraviolet light. There is no proven effect of sunlight on acne. In addition, ultraviolet light in sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer and early aging of the skin. It is, therefore, not a recommended technique of acne management, especially since there are many other proven forms of treatment for acne. Moreover, many acne treatments increase the skin's sensitivity to ultraviolet light, making the risk of ultraviolet light exposure all the worse.

What is the best way to treat acne?

Everyone's acne must be treated individually. If you have not gotten good results from the acne products you have tried, consider seeing a dermatologist. Your dermatologist will decide which treatments are best for you. For more information about the types of acne treatments that are available, and for basic acne treatment guidelines, please see Acne Treatments in the main part of AcneNet.

What kind of cosmetics and cleansers can an acne patient use?

Look for "noncomedogenic" cosmetics and toiletries. These products have been formulated so that they will not cause acne.

Some acne medications cause irritation or pronounced dryness particularly during the early weeks of therapy, and some cosmetics and cleansers can actually worsen this effect. The choice of cosmetics and cleansers should be made with your dermatologist or pharmacist.

Heavy foundation makeup should be avoided. Most acne patients should select powder blushes and eye shadow over cream products because they are less irritating and noncomedogenic. Camouflaging techniques can be used effectively by applying a green undercover cosmetic over red acne lesions to promote color blending.

Is it harmful to squeeze my blemishes?

Yes. In general, acne lesions should not be picked or squeezed by the patient. In particular, inflammatory acne lesions should never be squeezed. Squeezing forces infected material deeper into the skin, causing additional inflammation and possible scarring.

Can anything be done about scarring caused by acne?

Scarring is best prevented by getting rid of the acne. Dermatologists can use various methods to improve the scarring caused by acne. The treatment must always be individualized for the specific patient. Chemical peels may be used in some patients, while dermabrasion or laser abrasion may benefit others. It is important that the acne be well controlled before any procedure is used to alleviate scarring.

How long before I see a visible result from using my acne medication?

The time for improvement depends upon the product being used, but in almost all cases it is more a matter of weeks or months instead of days. Most dermatologists would recommend the use of a medication or combination of medications daily for 4 to 8 weeks before they would change the treatment. It is very important for patients to be aware of this time frame so they do not become discouraged and discontinue their medications. Conversely, if you see no change whatsoever, you might want to check with your dermatologist regarding the need to change treatments.

Would using my medication more frequently than prescribed speed up the clearing of my acne?

No--always use your medication exactly as your dermatologist instructed. Using topical medications more often than prescribed may actually induce more irritation of the skin, redness and follicular plugging, which can delay clearing time. If oral medications are taken more frequently than prescribed, they won't work any better, but there is a greater chance of side effects.

My topical treatment seems to work on the spots I treat, but I keep getting new acne blemishes. What should I do?

Topical acne medications are made to be used on all acne-prone areas, not just individual lesions. Part of the goal is to treat the skin before lesions can form and to prevent formation, not just to treat existing lesions. Patients are generally advised to treat all of the areas (forehead, cheeks, chin and nose) that tend to break out rather than just individual lesions.

My face is clear! Can I stop taking my medication now?

If your dermatologist says you can stop, then stop--but follow your dermatologist's instructions. Many times patients will stop their medication suddenly only to have their acne flare up several weeks later. If you are using multiple products, it may be advisable to discontinue one medication at a time and judge results before discontinuing them all at once. Ask your dermatologist before you stop using any of your medications.

Does it matter what time I use my medication?

Check with your dermatologist or pharmacist. If you were taking one dose a day of an antibiotic, you could probably take it in the morning, at midday or in the evening, although you should pick one time of day and stay with it throughout your treatment. With oral medications prescribed twice a day or three times a day, you should try your best to spread out the doses evenly. Some antibiotics should be taken on an empty or nearly empty stomach. For optimal results with topical treatments, you should strictly follow your dermatologist's recommendations. For example, if instructed to apply benzoyl peroxide in the morning and a topical retinoid at bedtime, it is important to follow these directions strictly. If the two were applied together at bedtime, for example, you could decrease the efficacy of the treatment because of chemical reactions that make them less effective.

I have trouble remembering to take my oral medication every day. What's a good way to remember? What should I do if I forget a dose?

This is a common problem. Many patients try to associate taking their medication with a routine daily event such as brushing teeth or applying makeup. It also helps to keep the medication close to the area where the reminder activity is carried out.

In most cases, if you miss a day of your oral treatment, do not double up the next day; rather, get back to your daily regimen as soon as possible--but there may be different instructions for different oral medications. Ask your dermatologist or pharmacist about what to do if you miss a dose of your particular medication.

I have been using topical benzoyl peroxide and an oral antibiotic for my acne and have noticed blue-black and brown marks developing on my face and some discoloration on my body. The marks are especially noticeable around acne scars and recently healed lesions. Is this a side effect of medication and is it permanent?

It is not possible to make general statements about side effects of medications that apply to individual cases. A dermatologist should be consulted. The facial marks and body discoloration described by the patient in this case do fall within the range of side effects of some antibiotics.

Unique patterns of pigmentation are sometimes seen in acne patients treated with certain oral antibiotics—particularly minocycline. The pigmentation patterns that appear may include:

* Localized blue-black or brown marks in and around acne scars and in areas of previous acne inflammation

* A "muddy skin" appearance that may cover much of the body

* Diffuse brownish pigmentation of the feet and lower legs.

The pigmentation side effect gradually disappears after the therapy is discontinued.

Any side effect of a medication should be noted by the patient and brought to the attention of the physician. While most side effects are temporary they should be discussed with the physician and monitored.


My doctor is prescribing a topical retinoid for my acne. He said a retinoid is a substance related to vitamin A. If the drug is related to vitamin A, shouldn't vitamin A dietary supplements be helpful in getting rid of acne?

Dietary vitamin A is essential to good health, especially vision. It has healthful effects in the skin. Large doses of vitamin A for the treatment of acne is not recommended on grounds of safety. The retinoids and retinoid-like substances used as topical treatments for acne are prepared especially for their potent effect on the shedding of cell lining in the sebaceous follicle. Their use should be monitored by a dermatologist.

Dietary vitamin A has multiple health effects in the human body. Vitamin A is essential for good vision. Extreme vitamin A deficiency can result in blindness, usually accompanied by dry, scaly skin. Vitamin A overdose that far exceeds the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 5,000 IU can have effects nearly as catastrophic. Extreme vitamin A overdose can cause the skin to blister and peel—an effect first seen in early North Pole explorers who nearly died after eating polar bear liver that has an extraordinarily high vitamin A content.

Topical retinoids are usually prescribed as a treatment for moderate to severe acne. Side effects are chiefly dermatologic, including redness, scaling and dryness of the skin, itching and burning. These side effects can usually be managed by adjustment of the amount and timing of retinoid applied to the skin. Dose adjustment must be discussed with the dermatologist who prescribed the treatment.

Are there any acne treatments specifically for people with dark skin? Are there any treatments specifically harmful to dark skin?

There are no acne treatments specifically for use on dark skin. Acne treatments are generally as safe and effective on dark skin as on light skin. Some treatments for acne scars may cause temporary lightening of dark skin.

Acne is a common skin disease that has the same causes and follows the same course in all colors of skin.

Very dark or black skin may be less well-moisturized than lighter skin. Topical anti-acne agents such as benzoyl peroxide that have a drying effect on the skin should be used under the supervision of a dermatologist. Benzoyl peroxide also is a strong bleach and therefore must be applied carefully to avoid inadvertent decolorization of a patch of hair, towels or clothing.

Darker skin has a tendency to develop post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (excessive skin darkening at places where the skin was inflamed). Severe inflammatory acne may result in dark spots. The spots resolve over time; a dermatologist may be able to recommend cosmetic measures to make the spots less apparent until they resolve. Some acne treatments, such as topical retinoids and azelaic acid, may also help fade the discoloration.

Removal of acne scars by dermabrasion or chemical peeling may cause temporary lightening or darkening of dark skin in the areas of treatment. Scar treatment should be discussed with a dermatologist or dermatologic surgeon before it is undertaken.

Alterations of melanin (dark pigments that give the skin its color) pigmentation such as vitiligo and melasma are not related to acne, but they may be present simultaneously with acne. The diagnosis and treatment of melanin pigmentation disorders such as vitiligo requires a dermatologist with knowledge and experience in treating these conditions.

Is acne that appears for the first time in adulthood different from acne that appears in adolescence?

Acne has a specific definition as a disease of sebaceous follicles. This definition applies to acne that occurs at any age. However, it may be important to look for an underlying cause of acne that occurs for the first time in adulthood.

Current understanding of the causes of acne vulgaris is described in the Main Text section Why and how acne happens. In brief summary, acne vulgaris develops when excessive sebum production and abnormal growth and death of cells in the sebaceous follicle result in plugging of follicles with a mixture of sebum and cellular debris and formation of comedones (blackheads and whiteheads). Bacteria in the follicles—chiefly Propionibacterium acnes, the most common bacterial colonist of sebaceous follicles—may contribute to the inflammation of acne by release of metabolic products that cause inflammatory reaction. The pathogenic events, which cause disease, in the sebaceous follicle are believed to be due in large degree to changes in levels of androgenic (male) hormones in the body—a circumstance usually associated with growth and development between ages 12 and

Some acne investigators believe that although this understanding is generally correct, there is more yet to be learned about the causes of acne vulgaris.

Acne that appears after the age of 25-30 years is (1) a recurrence of acne that cleared up after adolescence, (2) a flare-up of acne after a period of relative quiet—for example, during pregnancy, or (3) acne that occurs for the first time in a person who had never previously had acne.

Acne that occurs in adulthood may be difficult to treat if there are multiple recurrences. Some patients with severe recurrent acne have undergone repeated courses of treatment with the potent systemic drug isotretinoin.

Acne flares in association with pregnancy or menstruation are due to changes in hormonal patterns.

Acne that appears for the first time in adulthood should be investigated for any underlying cause. Drugs that can induce acne include anabolic steroids (sometimes used illegally by athletes to "bulk up"), some anti-epileptic drugs, the anti-tuberculosis drugs isoniazid and rifampin, lithium, and iodine-containing drugs. Chlorinated industrial chemicals may induce the occupational skin disorder known as chloracne. Chronic physical pressure on the skin—for example, by a backpack and its straps, or a violin tucked against the angle of the jaw and chin—may induce so-called acne mechanica. Some metabolic conditions may cause changes in hormonal balance that can induce acne.

Some lesions that appear to be acne may be another skin disorder such as folliculitis—infection and inflammation of hair follicles—that require different treatment than acne. Acne that appears for the first time in adulthood should be examined and treated by a dermatologist.

My 15-year-old daughter has what I would describe as a very mild case of acne. She has made it much worse by constant picking and squeezing. She looks in the mirror for hours, looking for some blackhead or blemish she can pick or squeeze. Does she need psychological counseling?

Excessive picking and squeezing of otherwise mild acne is a condition called excoriated acne, seen most often in young women. A dermatologist may provide effective counseling.

The typical person with excoriated acne is a person—often a young women—who is so distressed with her appearance due to acne that she literally tries to "squeeze the acne out of existence." The acne is often very mild, but the person's face may constantly be covered with red marks from squeezing, and open sores where lesions have been picked open.

The word excoriate means to scratch or abrade the skin. Excoriated acne is a medically recognized condition that should be discussed with a dermatologist. Occasionally giving in to a temptation to squeeze a blackhead is not defined as excoriated acne. Hours in front of a mirror, squeezing and picking every blemish, is a definition of excoriated acne. A dermatologist may be able to counsel the patient regarding a course of treatment in which the patient can participate, but keep "hands off."

Can the rate of secretion or the composition of sebum be altered by diet? If it can, shouldn't alteration of diet be considered a treatment for acne?

Diet has never been proven to have a role in the cause or treatment of acne. Dietary manipulation may have a role in the treatment of some scaling diseases of the skin, but not in the treatment of acne.

Dietary cause is one of the most persistent myths about acne. Foods, such as chocolate or greasy foods, do not cause acne, but certain foods seem to make some people's acne worse. The following can bring on or worsen it:

Hereditary factors

An increase in male hormones found in both males and females

Menstruation

Emotional stress

Oil and grease from cosmetics, work environment

No food has been shown to be effective in preventing or treating acne. A healthy diet is, of course, necessary for good general health.

Shouldn't I just try to eliminate sebum from my body?

No. When it isn't blocked in your pores, sebum helps keep your skin healthy.

Why does acne usually start at puberty?

No one knows for certain. What is known is that the sebaceous glands that produce sebum get much larger at puberty than they were before.

Why does the skin around a pimple turn red?

This redness is caused by the body's inflammatory response. Inflammation is a sign that your immune system is working to fight an infection. However, the inflammatory response doesn't always work perfectly, and can even be the cause of scarring.

If my skin turns red, does that mean that I'm going to have scars?

Usually, no. Even when there will be no permanent scar, the aftereffects of the inflammatory response can leave the skin red for months, sometimes for more than a year.

What are free radicals?

Free radicals are byproducts of oxidation in your body. We all need oxidation to occur as part of our life process, but there is concern that the buildup of unrecycled free radicals contributes to many conditions, including skin damage. Antioxidants, including several of the active ingredients in Acuzine, help prevent the buildup of free radicals.

Windows 7 replaces Windows Vista

In its brief lifetime, Windows Vista has been characterized as something of a bloated memory hog by many Microsoft channel partners and customers, some of whom have been clamoring for a slimmer, more simplified version of Windows.

Microsoft appears to be listening to these minimalist pleas, at least when it comes to assigning an official name to Windows 7, the successor to Vista that's slated for release sometime in late 2009.

In a Monday post to the Windows Vista team blog, Mike Nash, announced that Windows 7 will be the official name of the OS, marking the first time that a Windows product code name will be carried over to the final version.

Nash also threw readers a dose of logic by noting that the Windows 7 name also denotes the fact that it's the seventh version of Windows that Microsoft has developed.

Andrew Kretzer, director of sales and marketing at Bold Data Technology, sees Microsoft's move to simplify the Windows naming convention as a positive step that he hopes will soon be applied to Microsoft's entire product line.

High volume iPods damage hearing

Listening to personal music devices such as iPods at high volume over a long period can permanently damage hearing, according to a new EU study.

Research carried out by the EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) has found that up to 10 per cent of listeners risk permanent damage to their hearing if they listen to a personal music player for more then an hour a day over successive weeks at high volume.

An EU safety standard currently restricts the noise level of personal music players to 100 dB, but there is now concern that new measures may have to be introduced to further restrict volume levels in light of the latest research.

SCENIHR's research indicates that users of personal music players who listen to over five hours of music a week at high volume (exceeding 89 decibels) would exceed the current limits in place for noise allowed in the workplace. Listening for longer periods over 5 years can risk permanent hearing loss, the authors of the study say.

The increase in sales of portable audio devices and MP3 players in the EU has been phenomenal with estimates suggesting sales of between 184 and 246 million for portable audio devices and sales of between 124 and165 million for MP3 players over the past four years.

Other studies have also revealed evidence that listening to music at excessive levels via portable players can produce temporary and reversible hearing impairment such as tinnitus and slight deafness.

The European Commission said it intends to organise a conference early next year to discuss introducing new measures to protect citizens.

The origin of hair loss

A healthy individual loses around a hundred hairs a day. Nothing to worry about as long as they are constantly replaced and the losses occur evenly around the whole scalp. But when hair loss goes well beyond this level it can become quite a problem for those affected -- not only superficially in terms of looks but also psychologically. A breakthrough on the hair front has now been made by an international research team headed by scientists at the University of Bonn.

After six years of research they have succeeded in identifying a gene that is responsible for a rare hereditary form of hair loss known as Hypotrichosis simplex. The scientists are the first to identify a receptor that plays a role in hair growth. They now hope that their research findings will lead to new therapies that will work with various forms of hair loss.

"Although Hypotrichosis simplex is very uncommon, it may prove critical in our search for an understand of the mechanisms of hair growth," says project leader Dr. Regina Betz from Bonn's Institute of Human Genetics, summing up the research results. The disease is inherited and affects both men and women. Sufferers generally begin to go bald during childhood. The process of hair loss (alopecia) then advances with age, especially around the scalp.

The cause of Hypotrichosis simplex in the form examined in this project is a genetic defect. It prevents certain receptor structures on the surface of hair follicle cells from being correctly formed. It has been found that when messengers from outside bind to these receptors they trigger a chain reaction in the cell interior which is apparently needed for the hair follicle to function normally. Such a receptor that plays a specific role in hair growth was previously unknown to scientists.

Source: ScienceDaily

Hubble space telescope damaged

Hubble Space Telescope has abruptly stopped transmitting data a few days ago.

The problem comes just two weeks before the planned launch of a mission to service and upgrade the 18-year-old observatory. Efforts to troubleshoot the recent problem will delay that mission, originally scheduled to fly October 14, until at least next February, NASA scientists announced during a telephone briefing on September 29.

Hubble fell silent because of an unknown failure inside a science data formatting unit, which packages and labels data recorded by the observatory’s five science instruments, said Preston Burch, Hubble manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

NASA is considering commanding Hubble to switch to a duplicate unit onboard, but doing so would require electronically reconnecting all five science instruments, posing unforeseen risks. ”The probability of failure is pretty low … but the consequences of a failure could be very high,” Burch told Science News in an interview on September 30. “There are concerns about blowing a fuse, having a relay stick, having a box fail.” In addition, the duplicate unit has been, like its broken counterpart, subject to 18 years of daily temperature fluctuations, cosmic ray bombardment and other vicissitudes of flying in space. Its health is unknown.

“Our goal is to sort out reality from overly conservative fears,” by first practicing switching sides on Hubble’s electrical replica on the ground at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Burch says. If that exercise goes well, engineers would attempt to switch to the duplicate unit on Hubble sometime toward the end of next week, he adds. A successful switch would allow the observatory to resume doing science with the Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2. Scientists would also hope to restart the cooling system required to operate the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph.

Relying on the duplicate on-board science data formatter to revive Hubble would be a short-term solution. In addition, NASA is investigating whether to transport on the planned shuttle mission a duplicate device that’s spent the last 18 years on the ground. Pending extensive testing of the ground device over the next few months, astronauts could replace the failed data formatting unit with the new gadget and still have a spare unit on Hubble in case of another failure, Burch says.

He estimated that it might take a space-walking astronaut about two hours to replace the ailing unit, which would require undoing 10 bolts from a fairly accessible part of the observatory.

But because the five scheduled space walks on the shuttle mission to Hubble are already jam packed, it’s possible that some other repairs, now deemed less critical, might have to be sacrificed, he says.

The relatively high operating temperature of the formatting unit may have contributed to its failure, but scientists may not know the root cause of the problem until the device is brought back to Earth, Burch says.

Source: Ron Cowen (ScienceNews)

Using GPS tracking for fleet management

GPS tracking devices can be found in almost all of the new cars being manufactured today. Finding one that does not have a GPS unit preinstalled in it is very hard to do. Many companies are now using them as a system of fleet management. Individuals and companies alike find them useful for providing driving directions and pinpointing obscure locations.

The infamous global positioning system has more value than just being used for driving directions. Many communities are now considering using them as a safety device for some of their disabled citizens, allowing them to be located at any time.

Project Lifesaver is now underway in Dakota County. This project was developed to protect those citizens with autism, Alzheimer's and other diseases that affect a person mentally. These citizens will be able to wear a special bracelet that has a fleet management tracking device implanted in it.

GPS tracking systems have found a new outlet with one company in the UK. This unique use is for the purpose of providing better food retail management. Everyone who has ever worked in the food service industry knows that suppliers have to be on-time or early for their deliveries. When a supplier is late, the restaurant loses business and the supplier can ultimately be eliminated.

PHS Teacrate is a UK based company that specializes in crate rentals. Recently they installed GPS units in each of their collection and delivery vehicles. Through the use of these GPS units, route managers and dispatchers are able to track the drivers whereabouts during the day and make the necessary adjustments to their route as customer call and make requests. They can also use the information provided by the unit to accurate predict a window of time that a customer can expect a delivery or collection. The use of these systems has resulted in a significant increase in the company's profit margin by reducing both mileage traveled by the drivers and response times to customer requests.

Recently, schools within Mobile County are finding that they are experiencing unusually large numbers of copper thefts. For example, last summer alone saw 40 different copper units stolen from five different schools. School officials are now considering installing a GPS tracking device on each copper unit in order to catch the thieves. Because of the high price being offered for copper by recyclers, this may be the only way to put a stop to the thefts.

The copper coils in most commercial units weigh about 50 to 70 pounds and are large enough to effectively hide a tiny GPS tracking device. Their small size makes them very hard to detect, even for the experienced thief.

Manufacturers of GPS systems and fleet management devices are highly optimistic that they will see an increase in business due to rising crime rates and the poor economy. The many other uses being found every day for these units also helps to boost the optimism of these companies regarding the future of the GPS unit. It is likely that GPS will be a term that is heard for many years to come.

Earn money with Google Adsense

Google earns most of its revenue by allowing other website owners to advertise on their search result pages. All this is managed through a program they call AdWords. Now you can earn a share of the revenue that Google earns from AdWords by placing these same text ads on your site. In other words, you're helping Google advertise and they pay you a percentage of what they earn. Follow these simple steps to be an Adsense winner:

Keywords and Competition
To make money with Google Adsense it all starts here by choosing high paying Google Adsense keywords to make more money. Look for keywords that are searched for frequently, but have little competition and build web pages around these keywords. Your pages will still display the high paying Adsense ads to make you more money.

Good Domain Name
Register keyword rich appealing names.

Interesting and Unique Content
Creating unique and interesting content for your visitors so they return will make you even more money with Google Adsense. Your own content is best, or you can go to the article sites and use their content (as long as you abide by their rules), but add an introduction and a summary to make it unique.

Professional Looking Website
Many quality templates are available for you to produce Google Adsense websites. Use images sparingly to avoid distracting visitors from your content and clicking on your Adsense ads, To Know more about it simply visit on www.youradsenseprofits.com. Professional looking sites make money; don’t build a website that looks like your dog created it.

Optimize Pages

Well optimized pages rank well and will make good Adsense money:

— Title: Your keyword and a few extra words
— Meta Description: Use your keyword and make it appealing
— Meta Keyword Tag: Only use your keyword and one or two related keywords.
— Keyword Density: Aim for 3% - 5% keyword density
— Internal Linking: Use keywords in links

Adsense Placement
It’s well known that Google Adsense ads displayed at the top and middle of the page make more money than those down the side or at the bottom. Make your Google Adsense ads blend in with your page.

Blog
Create blogs and add links to your site and to some of your posts. Blogs that have regularly posts rank higher and get listed faster than websites or visit www.guardadsense.com (any links get spidered too). Write at least two posts a week and use Google Adsense on your blogs to make more money.

Google Site Map
Getting indexed fast will make you more Google Adsense money. Create a Google site map and send it to them and your site will get indexed fast.

Articles
Few use this method of generating free traffic to make money from Google Adsense. Articles also give you quality one way links. For a new site write two to three articles a week.

External Links
Nothing will improve your search engine rankings more than having quality one way links to your site. Good links will also give you more traffic to make even more money from your Adsense ads.

Global temperatures expected to rebound

Until recently, global temperatures were more than a degree Fahrenheit warmer when compared to the overall 20th Century mean. From August of 2007 through February of 2008, the Earth’s mean reading dropped to near the 200-year average temperature of 57 degrees.

The warming and even the cooling of global temperatures are the result of long-term climatic cycles, solar activity, sea-surface temperature patterns and more. However, Mankind’s activities of the burning of fossil fuels, massive deforestations, the replacing of grassy surfaces with asphalt and concrete, the ‘Urban Heat Island Effect,’ are making conditions ‘worse’ and this will ultimately enhance the Earth’s warming process down the meteorological roadway in the next several decades.

From the late 1940s through the early 1970s, a climate research organization called the Weather Science Foundation of Crystal Lake, Illinois, determined that the planet’s warm, cold, wet and dry periods were the result of alternating short-term and long-term climatic cycles. These researchers and scientists also concluded that the Earth’s ever-changing climate likewise has influenced global and regional economies, human and animal migrations, science, religion and the arts as well as shifting forms of government and strength of leadership.

Much of this data was based upon thousands of hours of research done by Dr. Raymond H. Wheeler and his associates during the 1930s and 1940s at Kansas State University. Dr. Wheeler was well-known for his discovery of various climate cycles, including his highly-regarded ‘510-Year Drought Clock’ that he detailed at the end of the ‘Dust Bowl’ era in the late 1930s.

During the early 1970s, our planet was in the midst of a colder and drier weather cycle. Inflationary recessions and oil shortages led to rationing and long gas lines at service stations worldwide. The situation at that time was far worse than it is now, at least for the time being.

The Weather Science Foundation also predicted, based on these various climate cycles, that our planet would turn much warmer and wetter by the early 2000s, resulting in general global prosperity. They also said that we would be seeing at this time widespread weather ‘extremes.’ There’s little doubt that most of their early predictions came true.

Our recent decline in the Earth’s temperature may be a combination of both long-term and short-term climate cycles, decreased solar activity and the development of a strong long-lasting La Nina, the current cooler than normal sea-surface temperature event in the south-central Pacific Ocean. Sunspot activity in the past 18 months has decreased the lowest levels since ‘The Little Ice Age’ ended in the mid-to late 1800s. This "cool spell," though, may only be a brief interruption to the Earth’s overall warming trend. Only time will tell.

Based on these predictions, it appears that much warmer readings may be expected for Planet Earth, especially by the 2030s, that will eventually top 1998's global highest reading of 58.3 degrees. It’s quite possible we could see an average temperature in the low 60s. Until then, this ‘cooling period’ may last from just a few months to as long as several years, especially if sunspot activity remains very low.

We are already seeing on virtually every continent an almost Biblical weather scenario of increasing droughts and floods. In both the southwestern and southeastern corners of the U.S, there are severe water shortage problems associated with chronic long-term dryness. In some cases, the water deficits are the worst in at least 400 years.

Dr. Wheeler also discovered that approximately every 102 years, a much warmer and drier climatic cycle affects our planet. The last such ‘warm and dry’ peak occurred in 1936, at the end of the infamous ‘Dust Bowl’ period. During that time, extreme heat and dryness, combined with a multitude of problems during the ‘Great Depression,’ made living conditions practically intolerable.

The next ‘warm and dry’ climatic phase is scheduled to arrive in the early 2030s, probably peaking around 2038. It is expected to produce even hotter and drier weather patterns than we saw during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

But, we should remember, that the Earth’s coldest periods have usually followed excessive warmth. Such was the case when our planet moved from the Medieval Warm Period between 900 and 1300 A.D. to the sudden ‘Little Ice Age,’ which peaked in the 17th Century.

By the end of this 21st Century, a big cool down may occur that could ultimately lead to expanding glaciers worldwide, even in the mid-latitudes. We could possibly see even a new Great Ice Age. Based on long-term climatic data, these major ice ages have recurred about every 11,500 years. Well, you guessed it. The last extensive ice age was approximately 11,500 years ago, so we may be due. Again, only time will tell.

If you smoke, drink red wine

California researchers with the Kaiser Permanente health system report finding that a daily nip of red wine appears to decrease a man’s risk of developing lung cancer.

Reporters run across scores of stories like this: Scientists have just discovered that eating/drinking (fill in some comestible) appears to reduce/increase an individual’s risk of (fill in the disease). And you’ll learn about many such studies in newspapers or TV broadcasts because they make for such easy breezy reporting. The observed links emerge out of the statistical morass of some epidemiological study. With only correlations to work from, there’s usually no messy mechanism to try and explain. Which means even a cub reporter can handle it.

And most who do tackle such stories cram the salient details into a sentence or two. Which may not do it justice.

The new Kaiser study was big — 84,170 subjects in all — which is good for cementing its statistical power. But all the participants were men and nearly all of those who developed lung cancer had smoked. At some level, this isn’t surprising, since smoking is such a strong risk factor for the disease. But this also limits the ability to extrapolate the findings to nonsmokers, the authors acknowledge in the October Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Their study compared lung cancer risks among people who drank any type of alcoholic beverage. Only red wine appeared protective; consumption of at least one glass a day correlated with a whopping 60 percent decreased risk of developing lung cancer. Among current and former smokers, anyway.

This would suggest we’d all benefit from a glass a day, right?

Except that any mechanism behind that protection might not work in the women (like me). Or never smokers (like me). Or young people of either gender, since the populations studied ran from 45 to 69 years old.

In fact, while trying to figure out what might explain the link, the authors noted that in wine drinkers don’t generally eat quite same foods as those who prefer other types of alcohol. For instance, they report, “Beer and liquor drinking were also associated with greater meat intake, whereas reduced meat consumption was found with wine drinking.” And those who habitually drank red wine appeared to eat more fruits and vegetables than the other groups.

So is the real operant factor here consumption of fruits and veggies? Might it be the resveratrol, a natural antioxidant in red-grape skins, that’s responsible? And if it was reservatrol, did the men get most of theirs from wine — or from other dietary sources such as blueberries and peanut butter?

In other words, the study raises plenty of questions.

So a guy — or gal — can justify downing a glass of red wine every day or so. But it’s probably too early to justify it as medicine.

Share your games with Microsoft Popfly

Microsoft Popfly is the fun, easy way to build and share mashups, gadgets, games, Web pages, and applications.

Popfly is a simple way to create and share games with your friends. Choose from a variety of built-in templates or start from scratch to create a side scrolling game, a 2D shoot-em-up, or a host of others. And best of all, you can get started without writing a line of code.

Mashups are a kind of application that take information from many places and mix it together. With Popfly's mashup creator you'll be able to take photos, RSS feeds, and many other kinds of information and combine them to create your own personalized view of the web.

Always wanted to create a web page but thought it was too hard? Popfly makes it easy with its simple web page creator.

Popfly makes it easy to place your creations into your blog, your Facebook page, or even make them into Windows Vista sidebar gadgets. And it's fully integrated with Visual Studio so as you gain experience you can upgrade to professional-quality tools.

Make your own game. If you have an idea for a game but don't want to learn to program, Popfly is an easy way to get started making it real. No coding is required, and Popfly supplies a large library of actors, images, and sounds so you can get started quickly.

Try recreating one of the classics, like creating a personal version of Space Invaders in just a couple of minutes. And if you ever feel you're running out of power, Popfly makes it easy to step into the source code and take full control.

Display your images, your way. If you have photos on a web site like Flickr or Windows Live Spaces, Popfly can quickly convert them into a variety of attractive display formats and embed them into any blog, Facebook page, or even turn them into a Windows Vista sidebar gadget with the click of a button.

Map information with Popfly. Whether it's your Twitter friends, photos, or something like earthquake activity, Popfly makes it simple to put information onto a map so you can see it and share it with your friends.

Do you use Facebook? Do you want a more custom experience? All Popfly creations can be embedded in your Facebook page to make it truly yours. And Popfly even comes with full Facebook support for games like Halo 3 and World of Warcraft.

Acne treatments at home

Acne is embarrassing at times. Visiting a dermatologist can help cure acne by shelling out some money for costly medicines. But, there are other acne treatments which may be far cheaper and easier and you do not actually have to spend large sums of money. These are probably the best acne treatments that you can have to cure and also to avoid acne. In this article, let us have a look into some of the natural and home treatments for acne that can be helpful.

- Applying a mask of honey to the face and the affected area, once or twice a week can help. This is because of the fact that the honey has anti- bacterial properties and helps to heal minor acnes. So, instead of allowing the acne to build up and trouble you, it is better that you treat it in the earlier stages.

- Wash your face and other affected areas with sulfur based soap which is designed especially for the treatment of acne. Using the soap twice a day will help to combat acne. It helps to reduce blemishes and there are some obvious precautions that are to be taken. Do not scrub the acne while washing and do not over wash.

- Acne might be a sign that there is a deficiency of nutrition. If the body is not getting correct amount of nutrition, there can be a breakout of acne. Try taking some potent multi-vitamins which are capable of increasing the body's resistance power against bacteria.

- Include chromium in the diet. Other than an element necessary for reducing weight, the chromium is also excellent for healing skin infections. Chromium supplements in diets do not only heal acne but also helps in preventing future breakouts.

- Carrots are rich in vitamin A. Vitamin A is one of the acne cures and helps in maintenance and repairing of the tissue, making the skin and the mucous membrane. It also contains anti oxidants and removes free radicals from the body.

- Eating food rich in zinc is one of the treatments for acne. Zinc is an anti bacterial agent and is needed by the oil producing glands of the skin. Deficiency in zinc can cause acne.

Acne solutions have flooded the market and it is often downright expensive to find out the right solution that can work for the type of acne you have. Which acne solution will work is a matter that depends solely on the type of skin that you have.

Acne does not have a single magical cure. It is important to consider restricting consumption of food that promote acne, eating nutritious food to fight the bacteria that causes acne, along with external applications as mentioned above along with maintaining cleanliness of the affected area etc. These simple steps are sure to prove as easiest remedies and best acne treatments.

Windows cloud available this month

Microsoft will let loose a new operating system, Windows Cloud, at the company’s annual developer conference later this month.

Boss Steve Ballmer announced Redmond’s plans at a Software plus Services partner event in London this lunchtime. He playfully gave the OS the temporary name of Windows Cloud. Apparently, we’ll learn more from Microsoft about the platform at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, which takes place at the end of October.

“We need a new operating system designed for the cloud and we will introduce one in about four weeks, we’ll even have a name to give you by then. But let’s just call it for the purposes of today ‘Windows Cloud’,” said Ballmer. “Just like Windows Server looked a lot like Windows but with new properties, new characteristics and new features, so will Windows Cloud look a lot like Windows Server.”

Ballmer also hinted at what would be built into the new OS, including geo replication, how to design apps intended to commingle [we think he means appeasing regulators by providing more interoperability], management modelling and an SOA model, to effectively create a new platform. “We’re not driving an agenda towards being service providers but we’ve gotta build a service that is Windows in the cloud,” admitted Ballmer.

Ballmer also acknowledged that Midori - which many have speculated will be a post-Windows operating system from MS - lives, at least in incubation form, that is. The firm has no plans to bring Midori to market - yet. It's merely a research project, he added.

Apple sells jailbreak iPhone in Hong Kong

A public notice on Apple's web site states that consumers in Hong Kong can buy an unlocked 8GB iPhone for HK$5,400 (£385) or a 16GB version for HK$6,200 (£422).

Apple has not made much of a splash about the release, which goes against its usual region-locked policies. An iPhone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation. These instructions are published in the Hong Kong Apple Store pages.

No such information is present on the UK site, where buyers are limited to the O2 network nor Spain where you should buy at Telefónica.

Although Apple does not usually offer unlocked iPhones, a simple web search returns many 'how-to' guides for doing it yourself, a practice that any firm would be keen to discourage.

It is possible that Apple has started the process in Hong Kong, and will roll it out further. However, the firm currently has exclusive relationships with a number of carriers, which may make such a move difficult.

Source: David Neal (VNU Net).