N00bs’ Guide to Updating Netbook RAM

Hey, n00b, nice netbook you’ve got there. Let me guess: you haven’t cracked the case yet because you’re worried about invalidating the warranty. It probably still has all the parts that came direct from the factory, doesn’t it?

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Seriously, n00b; you are such a n00b. You probably don’t even know that most netbooks have manufacturers that put the least amount of RAM possible into their products so they can keep the price down. Let me give you some help. We’re going to get your netbook up to speed in no time by updating its RAM so that it’s actually worth owning.

Don’t Shock Yourself!

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There’s this thing called electricity that has pretty much made the world amazing. Oh, you’ve heard of electricity? Awesome. We don’t have to start at the VERY beginning, then. There are basically two things that you need to know about electricity before we start on this project:
1- Your battery is full of it (electricity, I mean).
2- It can really hurt your hands.
So that you don’t get your little n00b fingers shocked, we’re going to remove the battery and discharge any remaining power in the system. You do know how to remove your netbook’s battery, right? Good. Do you know how to discharge the remaining power? Well, that figures. Just hold down the power button for a second and you’ll be good.

Say “Sayonara” to Your Warranty

The next thing we’re going to do is get over this obsession you have with your netbook’s warranty. Why? Because we’re going to tamper with some of the key components inside your computer. Depending on what kind of netbook that is, we might even need to crack the shell.
What?! You actually paid the extra fifty bucks for an extended warranty?! Look, either you can follow my advice here, or you can call the Geek Squad to do the work for you. Or maybe you need to call your mommy. Can we proceed?

Access Your Computer’s Insides

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We’re going to have to get inside your computer to replace the RAM. Depending on the type of netbook you have, this is going to be easy, or really hard. If you have an Asus, then you are in luck: tt’s not going to get easier than that. If you have an Acer, though, we’re going to be at this for a while.
The Asus notebooks are easy because you can just flip them over, remove the two screws on the memory bay door, and you’ll see the RAM sitting right in front of you. You can probably handle that, right?
Now that you’ve found the RAM, you just remove it by pressing the clips at both sides. The RAM should stand up at a 45 degree angle. Remove it gently and line up your new RAM with the alignment notch. Push it in gently. Voila! You’re really progressing here, n00b! Now, push the RAM back down and screw on the memory bay door.

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Awesome job. OK, so maybe you don’t have a netbook that’s really easy to work with. Maybe, you have the infinitely complicated Acer Aspire One. Quite frankly, you’re going to have a hard time getting to that RAM.
You’ll have to remove the screws from the back (two of them are hidden under the rubber feet); take off the keyboard; remove even more screws; and then, ever-so-gently, reach inside to grab the RAM. Yes, it’s tough, but it’s not impossible. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to hold your hand, n00b, so check out this video for step-by-step instructions.

Double Check Your Work

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Now that you’ve installed the RAM into your netbook, let’s make sure you did it right. First, put everything back together. Put the battery back in too, n00b, because you’re going to need power.
Turn on your netbook and press the F2 button while it boots.
This will take you to the BIOS. Scroll down to where you see the computer’s RAM. If it says the amount that you just installed, then you did a good job! If it doesn’t say anything at all, or if it shows some whacky number that doesn’t make any sense, then you’ve totally messed this up.
No, no, it’s OK newbie. I blame myself. Really, I do. It couldn’t possibly be your fault.
Assuming that you did this properly, you can now enjoy faster speeds and increased memory. Come to think of it, you’re hardly even a n00b anymore. You’re still n00bish, but you’ve got some experience now. Maybe you’re just n00b-lite. Either way, good job!

let's take a short quiz. Just one question: If you double a penny every day for a month and what do you get?
Answer now:   $1,000    $10,000    $10 million
 

April Fools Day!

Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool's Day, sometimes called All Fool's Day, is not totally clear. It is not like Halloween, where despite an interesting history, most people just put on Halloween costumes, get candy, and leave it at that. There really wasn't a "first April Fool's Day" that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.
The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1.

However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.
This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.
In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the "kick me" sign can be traced to this observance.
Mexico's counterpart of April Fool's Day is actually observed on December 28. Originally, the day was a sad remembrance of the slaughter of the innocent children by King Herod. It eventually evolved into a lighter commemoration involving pranks and trickery.
Pranks performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple, (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied, or I accidentally stepped on your glasses!), to the elaborate. Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common gag. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!"
Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool's Day. Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes are played on friends or relatives that last the entire day. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day was a fairly detailed documentary about "spaghetti farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.
April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" observance. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their "significant other" out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!

What is Food Poisoning?

Food poisoning is a very common ailment that everyone suffers from at some stage in their life. Usually, food poisoning is mild but there can be instances under which the situation might become serious. Fatality due to food poisoning is very rare and happens only if there is no medical intervention at the right stage. More than 25 million food related illnesses are reported in the United States alone. As many as 3000 deaths in United States are also attributed to food poisoning.
The resistance to food poisoning is also dependent on the person’s immune system. There are cases wherein different people who have consumed the same contaminated food have shown very different reactions. Many a times, food poisoning is caused when a person is traveling to a different place and is not able to take sufficient care of their food habits.
This is popularly known as traveler’s diarrhea or Montezuma’s revenge. Food poisoning can occur due to variety of reasons but most cases are due to poor hygienic practices by those who handle the food. Sometimes, undercooked or improperly cooked food can also lead to food poisoning.

Food Poisoning

Source : flickr

Types of Food Poisoning

It is widely believed that as many as 250 known diseases can be transmitted through food thus it is safe to say that there are different types of food poisoning depending on the causes of food poisoning. Food poisoning may be caused by Viruses such as Nanovirus, Rotavirus and Hepatitis A or bacteria such as Salmonellar, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli (E coli), Shigella (traveler’s diarrhea), Listeria monocytogene, Clostridium botulinum (botulism), Vibrio cholerae, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Parasites seldom cause food poisoning and are known for mild but long lasting symptoms. These include Giardia (beaver fever) and Cryptospordium.  Toxic agents causing food poison include Mushroom toxins, Ciguatera poisoning, Scombroid. Many a times, pesticides also cause food poisoning. These are usually transmitted inside the human body by consuming fruits and vegetables that have not been washed properly. Among these, most common forms of food poisoning are caused by Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, E. Coli. All these major infections occur from bacteria that live in the intestines of other animals such as birds, cattle, reptiles and mammals. Infection by certain strains of E.Coli in children can even cause kidney failure.

diarrhea

Source : flickr

Food Poisoning Symptoms

The symptoms of food poisoning vary depending on the types of food poisoning. This includes the nature of the contaminant that has caused the food poisoning and the quantity of contaminated food that has been consumed by an individual. Also, the time taken for the body to show the food poisoning symptoms also varies with the type of food poisoning. It can be fast and start showing up in as less as 30 minutes or can be very slow and could keep worsening and spread over few days to weeks depending on the type of food poisoning. Some of the common food poisoning symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramping.

Food Poisoning Causes

Broadly, the causes of food poisoning can be divided into two categories. Food poisoning that is caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites are generally grouped into one category and are known as Infectious agents. The second category, toxic agents, includes poisonous mushroom, pesticides over eatables, and improperly prepared food. Most often food becomes contaminated either by poor preparation techniques or poor sanitation. It is very important for food handlers to keep themselves very hygienic.  Most cases of non accidental food poisoning can be reduced by practicing a high level of hygiene. Other reasons for contamination include poorly packaged food or food that is stored at wrong conditions of temperature. It is not uncommon for people to consume foods that are beyond the expiry date. This practice may not always lead to noticeable health issues but it is something that should be strictly avoided under all circumstances.

Food Poisoning Diagnosis

In case of food poisoning an individual will have to visit a medical practitioner or a hospital for the basic examination followed by a thorough physical examination. This is primarily done to locate any outward signs and food poisoning symptoms. A thorough inspection of the abdominal is also conducted to ensure that there are no serious food poisoning symptoms. Also, the extent of dehydration in the patient is estimated and necessary fluids are injected into the patient’s body. Also, a sample of stool is tested for any blood or mucus to trace the cause of food poison. Instances of the stool and vomit being sent to laboratory for further testing are not uncommon. This is primarily done to trace out the type of food poisoning. Though not common, a rectal examination is also done at times done to check for any rupture in the rectum as this may also cause the presence of blood in the stool sample. A urine test is also carried out in order to get an idea about the extent of dehydration. Blood tests, or X-rays of the abdomen along with a CT-scan might also be required.

Food Poisoning Treatment and Remedies

Most cases of food poisoning are not serious and do not require a medical intervention. Vomiting and Diarrhea that last for less than a day can usually be treated at home. It should be noted that severe vomiting and diarrhea may need immediate medical intervention. As food poisoning is usually accompanied by nausea and vomiting. It is strongly advised to stay abstain from solid foods during this time. This helps cleanse the bowels. Vomiting and diarrhea lead to dehydration of the individual. Hence, it becomes necessary to supplement the body fluids by drinking clear liquids. The liquids need to be taken in small quantities but at very frequent intervals. This is a great food poisoning treatment.

Food Poisoning Treatment and Remedies

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Alcohol or caffeine products should be completely avoided during this phase. These liquids have the potential to complicate the situation. Food poisoning treatment also includes consuming yydration products such as Pedialyte and Rehydralyte that are good for the body and are available over the counter. Though expensive, these are very useful to rehydrate the body in a very short span of time.
Other food poisoning remedies include consuming tea with lemon and ginger. Consuming buttermilk that has ginger paste in it at least two to three times a day is also beneficial. Papaya is also helps treat food poisoning. Take papaya cubes and boil it along with two glasses of water for twenty minutes. Drain this mixture and consume it at least two times a day. This is an effective food poisoning treatment.
Herbal teas with chamomile, mint, blackberry or raspberry can also be consumed to treat food poisoning. Fenugreek and cumin seeds when powdered and consumed with water offer relief from food poisoning and this is an effective food poisoning remedy.
Adults can take over the counter medicines in specified doses but such medicines should not be given to children without medical consultation.
Plain foods should be taken once there is a reduction in vomiting and nausea. Food items like rice, wheat breads, potatoes, low-sugar cereals are widely recommended to start the diet. Most people do not show any ill effects to milk but there have been cases wherein patients have developed complications due to lactose intolerance.

Foreign Banks Tapped Fed's Lifeline Most as Bernanke Kept Borrowers Secret

Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

April 1 (Bloomberg) -- Thomas Brown, chief executive officer at Second Curve Capital LLC and a Bloomberg Television contributing editor, discusses the Federal Reserve's discount window lending to banks at the height of the financial crisis. The central bank released about 29,000 pages of secret loan documents yesterday under court order, almost three years after Bloomberg LP first requested details. Brown speaks with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)

April 1 (Bloomberg) -- Mark Williams, a former Federal Reserve bank examiner who is now an executive-in-residence at Boston University's School of Management, discusses the Fed's release of data on "discount window" lending during the financial crisis and prospects for transparency at the central bank. Williams speaks with Erik Schatzker and Lizzie O'Leary on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack." (Source: Bloomberg)

 

April 1 (Bloomberg) -- Nouriel Roubini, the New York University economist who predicted the financial crisis, talks about the outlook for monetary policy by the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. He speaks from Cernobbio, Italy, with Maryam Nemazee on Bloomberg Television's "The Pulse." (Source: Bloomberg)

 

March 31 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg reporter Bob Ivry discusses the release of the Federal Reserve's discount-window lending records and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s borrowing history. He speaks with Matt Miller on Bloomberg Television's "Street Smart." (Source: Bloomberg)

Dexia SA borrowed as much as $33.5 billion through its New York branch from the Fed’s “discount window” lending program, according to Fed documents released yesterday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Photographer: Jock Fistick/Bloomberg

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s two-year fight to shield crisis-squeezed banks from the stigma of revealing their public loans protected a lender to local governments in Belgium, a Japanese fishing-cooperative financier and a company part-owned by the Central Bank of Libya.
Dexia SA (DEXB), based in Brussels and Paris, borrowed as much as $33.5 billion through its New York branch from the Fed’s “discount window” lending program, according to Fed documents released yesterday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Dublin-based Depfa Bank Plc, taken over in 2007 by a German real-estate lender later seized by the German government, drew $24.5 billion.
The biggest borrowers from the 97-year-old discount window as the program reached its crisis-era peak were foreign banks, accounting for at least 70 percent of the $110.7 billion borrowed during the week in October 2008 when use of the program surged to a record. The disclosures may stoke a reexamination of the risks posed to U.S. taxpayers by the central bank’s role in global financial markets.
“The caricature of the Fed is that it was shoveling money to big New York banks and a bunch of foreigners, and that is not conducive to its long-run reputation,” said Vincent Reinhart, the Fed’s director of monetary affairs from 2001 to 2007.
Separate data disclosed in December on temporary emergency- lending programs set up by the Fed also showed big foreign banks as borrowers. Six European banks were among the top 11 companies that sold the most debt overall -- a combined $274.1 billion -- to the Commercial Paper Funding Facility.

Bank of America

Those programs also loaned tens of billions of dollars to each of the biggest U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley.
The discount window, which began lending in 1914, is the Fed’s primary program for providing cash to banks to help them avert a liquidity squeeze. In an April 2009 speech, Bernanke said that revealing the names of discount-window borrowers “might lead market participants to infer weakness.”
The Fed released the documents after court orders upheld FOIA requests filed by Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, and News Corp.’s Fox News Network LLC. In all, the Fed was ordered to release more than 29,000 pages of documents, covering the discount window and several Fed emergency-lending programs established during the crisis from August 2007 to March 2010.

Public Outrage

“The American people are going to be outraged when they understand what has been going on,” U.S. Representative Ron Paul, a Texas Republican who is chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the Fed, said in a Bloomberg Television interview.
“What in the world are we doing thinking we can pass out tens of billions of dollars to banks that are overseas?” said Paul, who has advocated abolishing the Fed. “We have problems here at home with people not being able to pay their mortgages, and they’re losing their homes.”
The Monetary Control Act of 1980 says that a U.S. branch or agency of a foreign bank that maintains reserves at a Fed bank may receive discount window credit.
David Skidmore, a Fed spokesman, declined to comment.
Wachovia Corp. was the only U.S. bank among the top five discount-window borrowers as the crisis peaked.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank borrowed $29 billion from the discount window on Oct. 6, in the week after it nearly collapsed, the data show. Wachovia agreed in principle to sell itself to Citigroup Inc. on Sept. 29, before announcing a definitive agreement to sell itself to Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) on Oct. 3. The Wells Fargo deal closed at the end of 2008.
Wells Fargo spokeswoman Mary Eshet declined to comment on Wachovia’s discount-window borrowing.

Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland Plc, which had $11 billion outstanding from the discount window on Oct. 29, 2008, was a unit of Edinburgh-based HBOS Plc, which announced its takeover by London-based Lloyds TSB Group Plc in September 2008.
The borrowings in 2008 didn’t involve Lloyds, which hadn’t completed its acquisition of HBOS at the time, said Sara Evans, a spokeswoman for the company, which is now called Lloyds Banking Group Plc. (LLOY)
“This is historic usage and on each occasion the borrowing was repaid at maturity,” Evans said. “The discount window has not been accessed by the group since.”
Other foreign discount-window borrowers on Oct. 29, 2008, included Societe Generale (GLE) SA, France’s second-biggest bank; and Norinchukin Bank, which finances and provides services to Japanese agricultural, fishing and forestry cooperatives. Paris- based Societe Generale borrowed $5 billion that day, and Tokyo- based Norinchukin borrowed $6 billion.
Bank of China
“We used it in concert with Japanese and U.S. authorities in the purpose of contributing to the stabilization of the market,” said Fumiaki Tanaka, a spokesman at Norinchukin.
Bank of China, the country’s oldest bank, was the second- largest borrower from the Fed’s discount window during a nine- day period in August 2007 as subprime-mortgage defaults first roiled broader markets. The Chinese bank’s New York branch borrowed $198 million on Aug. 17 of that month, while two Deutsche Bank AG divisions borrowed $1 billion each, according to a document released yesterday.
Arab Banking Corp., then 29 percent-owned by the Libyan central bank, used its New York branch to borrow at least $1.1 billion from the discount window in October 2008.
The foreign banks took advantage of Fed lending programs even as their host countries moved to prop them up or orchestrate takeovers.
Dexia received billions of euros in capital and funding guarantees from France, Belgium and Luxembourg during the credit crunch.

‘Backward-Looking’

Dexia’s outstanding balance at the Fed has been reduced to zero, Ulrike Pommee, a spokeswoman for the company, said in an e-mail.
“This information is backward-looking,” she said. “We experienced a great deal of tension concerning the liquidity of the dollar at the time of the crisis. The Fed played its role as central banker, providing liquidity to banks that needed it.”
Depfa was taken over in October 2007 by Hypo Real Estate Holding AG, which in turn was seized by the German government in 2009. Oliver Gruss, a spokesman for Depfa’s parent company, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Many foreign banks own large pools of dollar assets --bonds, securities and loans -- funded by short-term borrowings in money markets. The system works when markets are calm, said Dino Kos, former executive vice president at the New York Fed in charge of open-market operations. In times of stress, banks can be subject to sudden liquidity squeezes, he said.

‘Playing With Fire’

“They are playing with fire,” said Kos, a managing director at Hamiltonian Associates Ltd. in New York, an economic research firm. “When the market dries up, and they can’t roll over their funding -- bingo, you have a liquidity crisis.”
The potential for dollar shortages remains. As the Greek fiscal crisis roiled financial markets last year, the Fed had to open swap lines with the European Central Bank, the Swiss National Bank, the Bank of England and two other central banks to make more dollars available around the world. That move was partially the result of U.S. money market funds shrinking their exposure to European bank commercial paper.

Witnessing history - The final launch of Space Shuttle Discovery

While sitting at work back in March of 2010 I was thinking about the upcoming retirement of the space shuttle fleet and how I have always wanted to be at the press site to witness a launch.  Back in 1992 I got lucky and got to witness STS-45 (Atlantis) launch while I was down in Florida during Spring Break, however in all my years of being a member of the media I had never applied for credentials to record a shuttle launch.  Now time was running out and I realized I had to do something about it or always regret not being there.

I had no idea how to make my dream become a reality so I made some phone calls and found out that when the shuttle lands NASA opens up registration for media for the next upcoming mission.  Well it was March and there were only 3 missions left (May, July, and September).  May and September were not going to work for me (conflicted with Andrews AFB air show and Oceana air show), so I had decided to apply for the July mission which was scheduled to be Endeavour on STS-134.

As time grew closer to registration time, NASA shuffled the schedule of launches to better accomodate the retirement of the shuttle.  When President Bush decided the shuttle fleet would retire in 2010 he had intended for there to be a replacement program to continue to bring Americans into space.  However President Obama cancelled the new program and NASA was left with some decisions to make, and shuffling the launch schedule to better accomodate the end of the program was their only option.  STS-134 (which had been scheduled in July) and STS-133 (which was scheduled for September) were swapped and placed in order.  STS-133 would launch in November, and STS-134 would launch the following February (2011).

After talking with NASA for a few months I learned when the media accreditation period would begin for STS-133 and as soon as the window was open I filled out the application so there would not be a problem with there being too many people ahead of me.  Everything was going great.

Then about 2 weeks before I was planning on heading to Florida I received an email from NASA that my application for credentials had been denied due to the fact my photo agency does not cover the space program.  I started making phone calls right away and explaining why I was being sent down there to cover the launch and that we do cover aerospace, however this was the first time I was being asked to cover a launch.  NASA reversed its decision and approved my application.

Then in late October 2010 I headed down to Florida for the final launch of Discovery.  As most of you probably know, there turned out to be a fuel leak in the main fuel tank and the launch was delayed.  It gets a lot more technical, however, the shuttle was not going to be going up while I was in town. 

NASA engineers worked 24/7 to get Discovery airborne and tried a few different launch windows heading up to Christmas however it was not able to happen and they decided to move the launch to the February window that STS-134 was previously scheduled, and move STS-134 to April.

Due to the fact I was already credentialed for the STS-133 mission I was able to return to Florida on February 22nd and begin covering the attempted launch of Discovery again.  This time however everything could not have gone off more smoothly.  Due to the fact I had already been down at NASA a few months earlier I had learned how things work down there and knew where to be when, what lists my name needed to be on, etc. 

So on the day before launch (Feb 23rd) I arrived at Kennedy Space Center at 8:00am and so began the fun.  At 6:45pm the members of the media that had signed up for being at the rollback of the RSS (Rotating Service Structure) had to be on the NASA buses for the ride over to the launch pad.  We arrived at the pad at 7pm and the rollback was scheduled for 8pm.  Once the massive structure that protects the shuttle began moving it took about 20 minutes for it to be completely out of the way and unveil the beautiful shuttle standing poised, and ready for launch.  Soon after we began taking our photos we had to get back on the buses and head back to the press site.  I left KSC around 10pm that evening.

Then the next morning I was back at KSC at 9am for what would be a very full day of activities.  The big events today however were photographing the astronauts heading out to the launch pad, then of course the launch itself.  At noon we all had to line back up and get on buses to head over to the building where the astronauts were, and at 1pm they came out and waved to the massive crowd of people cheering them on.  Then just as quickly they were gone and on the way to the launch pad.  Then we headed back to the press site and prepared for the scheduled 4:50pm launch of Discovery.

The weather could not be more perfect (74 and sunny), and according to NASA communications the orbiter was in perfect shape, and ready for launch.  During the countdown there was a problem with a computer monitor at the range safety office, but it was fixed in time and at exactly 4:53:24 PM EST the Space Shuttle Discovery roared off the launch pad and skyward towards the International Space Station for the very last time.  It was a beautiful site, but I was very impressed with the roar and how loud the crackling sound of the flames were as it streaked up into the sky.  It was an experience I will never forget.

Here are a few of my images from my two days at NASA.  Why did I not start covering these launches earlier?  :)