Listening to your PDF files

Adobe Reader 8 has a built-in function which allows you to listen
to a PDF file instead of reading it on the screen.

Like most similar programs
it has its limitations. Listening to an artificial voice is
tiring compared to a human voice and there is a big difference between
the spoken word and the written word. However it has an interesting potential use for

authors.

To listen to a PDF file double-click on it to open it in Adobe Reader.

Click the top menu item "View" then on "Read Out Loud" which is the last menu item.
Click on "Activate Read Out Loud". You'll have to do this for each PDF to which you
want to listen.

To hear a certain paragraph put the cursor anywhere over the paragraph and left-click.
The reader will start after a second or two.

To read a particular page scroll to the required page and choose View/Read Out Loud/Read This Page Only. The number of the current page is displayed in the box in the top menu bar.

Choose View/Read Out Loud/Read to end of document to read from the current cursor position to the end
of the document.

The "Read Out Loud" menu also has "Pause" and "Stop" options.

While the read function is satisfactory for plain text "Read Out Loud" will read everything on
a page including the index and the header and footer.

For writers the "Read Out Loud" function could be a useful tool. When your article is ready
open it in OpenOffice (a free "word processor" program available from www.openoffice.org)
Click on the "Export Directly as PDF" and give it a name. Open in Adobe Reader and listen.

Evento no Japão coloca robô para cozinhar prato típico

Motoman preparou o tradicional okonomiyaki sobre chapa quente.
Feira também tem robô controlado pelo olho e manequim high-tech

Uma feira de robótica realizada nesta semana em Osaka, no Japão, reúne produtos de 60 empresas desse setor. Entre as novidades exibidas estão um robô que cozinha, uma máquina controlada quando o usuário pisca os olhos, um robô com visual de manequim e também um cotovelo robótico.

TV Digital vs. Internet - A Batalha da Década.

Um dos assuntos mais quentes do momento - em se tratando de audiovisual - é a TV Digital e sua ALTA DEFINIÇÃO. Há uma forte especulação sobre as suas consequências na vida dos cidadãos comuns e sobre a realidade da TV como mídia. A data oficial de lançamento no Brasil será dia 02 de dezembro próximo, diga-se de passagem uma nova data histórica.

Pra ficar um pouco mais por dentro sobre as perspectivas e diferenças proporcionadas pela implementação da TV Digital, você pode acessar:

http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Tecnologia/0,,MUL178732-6174,00TV+DIGITAL+VAI+SER+A+BATALHA+DA+DECADA.html

Apesar das dezenas de explicações, ainda há uma série de incertezas sobre o real impacto dessa nova tecnologia sobre a população em geral, bem como onde essa tecnologia irá mudar os rumos da TV, como ela se apresenta hoje em dia.

O que se diz por aí é que as mudanças só serão realmente sentidas por quem tem alguns trocados a mais para acessar esta nova tecnologia, a base de aparelhos de televisão modernos.

É a velha democracia, acessível ainda para poucos.

Car reviews: 2005 Mazda RX-8

Japanese cars have never been known for the passion they invoke. This isn't to say they are bad cars, they certainly aren't, in fact, it usually just means they break less. But there is a certain feeling that a Japanese car usually lacks in the minds of automotive enthusiasts when compared to their counterparts from say Italy or England. Japan is known for churning out cars such as the Nissan GT-R or the Mitsubishi Evo, cars that are complete techno showcases, making people the world over stand in awe staring at something that can't be seen, a program within the car, active yaw-control, 4-way traction control, exciting sounding devices like that. The Mazda RX-8 however, is a different animal. Nothing else can compare, even to any car from the lands of passion and electrical fires. For many years this passion has been defined and quantified by an invisible substance most commonly referred to as soul', this is a completely subjective term, there are however a few cars that are undeniable full of this soul' people speak of, an old hand-built Aston Martin, an old air-cooled Porsche, and any rotary powered Mazda, such as the RX-8. This is mainly because people don't understand these things, how can an Aston, hand built by some man in England, hold together and not fall apart in some glorious fire? How can an old Porsche be so much fun to drive, when the engine is in the wrong end? And what is this funky little engine under the hood of this Mazda, and how does it make 240hp from just 1.3 liters, and more shockingly, how does such a small engine get such horrible fuel economy? It's the magic of a rotary engine, only the strangest of the strange really understand how it works, and why it works. You don't have to though, it's completely irrelevant to the sublime driving experience that goes along with a Mazda RX-8.

Driving an RX-8 is unlike driving any other car on the road, everything feels the way it should, everything gives you a connection to the road under you, and the car you're controlling. Perfect harmony, all executed at a silky smooth 9000 RPMs. This is the true magic of this car, the culmination of all it's working parts, the funky engine, the telepathic steering, the gloriously precise shifter, the forgiving yet planted suspension, all coming together to form one spectacular car. Even while standing still you can tell this is a special sort of car, from it's rearward opening back doors, to the little triangles hidden into the cars styling that give you a constant reminder of what sort of engine is under the hood. To it's perfectly form fitting bucket seats and thick leather wrapped steering wheel, it's immediately apparent that this is a serious driver's car. And that it is, this is no normal car, it is certainly not for everybody. This is not the car to buy if you are looking for a grocery getter, or a generic piece of transportation to get you efficiently and comfortably from point A to point B. It has it's little quirks, it burns oil, it's quite natural, it's simply what rotary engines do, but it is something that needs to be watched after on a regular basis, generally every other time you fill up the gas tank, which is actually quite frequently, when you combine it's abysmal gas mileage, a typical combined mileage of 18 MPG, and it's modestly sized gas tank, with a capacity of 15.9 gallons, you'll end up at the gas station rather frequently. But once you leave the fill-up station and put all of these things behind you, the car is pure bliss. But that is very important, you have to love cars enough to be able to forget all it's minor inconveniences and short-comings, which is remarkably easy to do if you are a sucker for any sort of inspiring driving dynamics. Hitting your favorite twisty road on a Sunday evening listening to the engine wind it's way up to 9000 RPMs, and not sensing a thing, in fact, Mazda included a little chime that comes in at 8500 RPMs to remind the driver it's nearly time to shift, feeling the car will itself through a turn with it's perfect weight distribution and beautifully tuned suspension, none of it's short comings matter, the fact that it burns a little bit of oil and drinks gas like the biggest SUVs on the road mean nothing. It's a small price to pay to feel true motoring genius. And if you agree with that sentiment, and if you are willing to put sheer joy in front of a bit of practicality, then this car is quite possibly for you. And if so, then I salute you, fellow car guy, and enjoy your ride in Japan's interpretation of that soul' thing the Italians have been trying for so long to perfect.

Online networking dos and don'ts

Online networking is a great way to meet others and even find new opportunities for yourself. You can share interests, network with professionals, and expand your horizons. As wonderful as online networking is, there are a few rules to follow.

The following is a list of things you should DO when networking online.

-Be respectful of others. You want respect; therefore, you should respect other users. The more respectful you are, the better you online networking experience will be.

-Read and comment on other's posts. If you really want to get people to view your posts and information, take the time to return the favor. The more you read and comment, the more people that will be willing to view your material.

-Look at the profiles of people who add you as a friend. This will help you to learn more about the people who view your posts and material. By viewing profiles, you will see what type of audience you have.

-Make any comments and replies meaningful. It may be quicker to just type "Great Post!", but it's worth the time to add in a reason why the post was so great. People will be more likely to talk to you when you take the time to post a meaningful reply or comment.

-Be confident. First of all, you're online. This takes a lot of the pressure off of you. You know your information, so act like it. Don't be afraid to talk to others and share your knowledge. Confidence is a key factor in networking online.

-Be yourself. This is very important. The more lies you create, the harder it will be to keep up with them. The easiest way to successfully network online is to just be yourself. You will be more at ease and your knowledge and confidence will shine through.

Now that you know what you should do, it's time to learn what you shouldn't do.

-Never reply to spammers. They could care less about you or your material and posts. They are out to make a quick buck and cause problems for you. Since you don't like spammers, don't spam others either. No one likes spam and your account may be deleted if you do so.

-Don't lie about what you know. If you try to fake knowledge, it will show. You want people to respect you, not avoid you at all costs.

-Never try to create romantic relationships unless that is the site's purpose. Otherwise, no one will take you seriously. People are there to network, not meet their soul mate.

-Never download or click on anything questionable. Unless you're 100% certain that the link or download is safe, it's best to leave it alone.

-Don't give out personal information. This is for your own personal safety. You can network and share interest without revealing your full name, address, phone number, or other personal information.

-Never flame others. One of the quickest ways to get a site to suspend or delete your account is by flaming others. It's disrespectful and makes you look like a child. Avoid getting in arguments and if one starts, refuse to participate. You will be much better off.

Online networking is popular and a great way to meet with others that share you interests. By following the above lists of Dos and Don'ts, you're online networking experience will be successful and fun.

New Laptop MSI wind (Intel Atom Tecnology)

The MSI Wind has a large 10-inch 1024×600 pixel display, 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM (expandable to 2GB), 80GB hard drive running at 5400 rpm, integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, integrated WiFi, integrated Bluetooth (option) and weighs in at 2.6 pounds with the 6 cell optional battery (3 cell included). The device also has a 4-in-1 memory card reader (SD, MMC, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick Pro), three USB ports, stereo speakers, headphone jack, VGA port, and ethernet jack. The Windows XP Home model is priced at US$499 and the SUSE Linux model will be available for US$399. It looks like it will be coming in different colors (black, white, and pink) so there will be a variety for those who want a bit of differentiation.

How to prevent a webpage 'breaking out of a frame' on a traffic exchange

Traffic exchanges are where two sites link to each other, or where people agree to browse other people's websites, in exchange to traffic to theirs. The problem with setting up a traffic exchange is that each site must be scanned thoroughly to make sure that the content is legal, virus & spyware free, and free of annoying JavaScript. Due to the way JavaScript is set up, it's not possible for the traffic exchange network to disable popups, or override any JavaScript commands.

The only practical way to keep the sites from breaking out of the frames, or creating popups is with periodic server side scanning. You set up a script that downloads the main HTML file, and all linked JavaScript Files from the site in question. It then scans all JavaScript files for commands such as window.open or window.location. If these commands are found, then the site should be flagged as "bad" or "questionable", and someone will have to test it manually before it can be allowed in the traffic exchange.

Another snafu with all of this is that some crafty web developers will serve up "clean" content to the checking script, but return other content to regular browsers. There are several methods to circumvent this technique. First, your script must pretend to be a real browser. The User-Agent must be set to IE or another browser. Additionally, you may consider having your script make the request via a proxy server, so the site won't know what IP address the request will be coming from/ Lastly, you should periodically re-check all the sites in the traffic exchange to make sure the content hasn't changed.

This is one of those "moving target" type of problems, but if you're on top of it, and periodically check the sites manually, you can have a traffic exchange network that is safe and reliable.