Now let's say the computer is going to be just to work on Microsoft office. You just need a basic computer. Not something very good and not something very bad ... ]]> What do you need to know before you buy a desktop computer as a gift? You need to know what kind of person that the other person is. You don’t want to give a super computer to someone that is not going to use all the potential the computer has, and if you give a bad computer to some one that plans to use the computer to play computer games, the person will not do that much with the computer.

A person that wants a computer just to play games will not need a very big hard disk and you should else invest in a very good graphic card that will make the games much more smooth.

If the computer is going to be used to work then it makes no sense to add a good graphic card to it, does it not? What if the computer is just to surf the internet? You are not going to need a graphic card too and you will need a very fast CPU.

This is the best a computer can get.

Now what if the computer is going to be used for video edition? Then you are going to need a super fast CPU, probably one of the best ones in the market.

Video is the heaviest thing you can order a computer to do, only simulation is heavier in terms of CPU loads.

Simulation can be construction programs, it can be architechture software, it can also be games, it can be city planning, it can also mean you are going to need a super CPU with more than four cores so it can work even much faster.

Now let’s say the computer is going to be just to work on Microsoft office. You just need a basic computer. Not something very good and not something very bad either.

If the person is a student the computer must have a very fast CPU to handle any kind of applications. This computer will also need 4 GB of RAM. Because 8 is still too big for today. Maybe the next year. A Huge hard disk is a must to hold all the programs you need inside it.

The student will also need a long lasting battery other than just a light computer. This is because the computer will need to work on places with no electricity for all most of the times.

Now do you don’t know what kind of person you are going to give a computer?

That is a little problem. If you can’t find out the kind of person the other person is then you are going to need to buy a general computer. Get a quad core computer with 4 GB of RAM, a ATI graphic card of medium speed and get also the biggest hard disk you can buy.

This is the best I think you can get.

Windows Vista or XP? Vista.

The Weather Channel provides us with up to date weather information and also provides safety tips in the event of a national disaster ... ]]> The Weather Channel has evolved into more than most have ever imagined that it would when it all began in 1982. The televised show was broadcast 24 hours/7 days a week in the beginning. The Weather Channel now broadcasts through radio, internet and television. A great network for those interested in weather around the United States and the world. Depending on the time of year there are different informative reports given through this great channel. Allergy reports and influenza reports are shown during the calendar months most are impacted by these ailments in the United States.

For the avid traveler, The Weather Channel provides up to the minute travel information. Flight times along with flight delays are available for internet viewing over the computer links. Weather Channel has truly became something for everyone! If golfing is your game, there is even a weather report for popular golf courses around the country. The extended 10 day weather forecast is a frequented area of the world wide web, as the information provided here can assist in outdoor event planning.

Up to the minute weather forecasting is also available through the Weather Channel production newsroom. Meteorologists man The Weather Channel for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and all 365 days of the year. When there are severe weather outbreaks around the country, or a high potential for this to happen; severe weather specialists report from The Weather Channel headquarters based out of Atlanta, Georgia.

From simplified weather reporting in 1982 to detailed forecasts and educational information for everyone, The Weather Channel has it all. Traffic reports, wild fire reports,

global warming, air quality reports, road construction reports, and information for day to day living in areas of the United States. The educational opportunities are endless for anyone that frequents the internet web site or finds the televised show on their big screen.

Not only does The Weather Channel provide great weather information for the United States, but you can also find the weather forecasts for worldwide locations. With our mobile society and thousands of service men and women overseas this provides an avenue of keeping in tune with the weather in all parts of our world. The Weather Channel is an awesome communication link available to millions each day and does not fail to provide the reliable information that so many of us depend on.

The Weather Channel provides us with up to date weather information and also provides safety tips in the event of a national disaster. From hurricanes, to floods, to wild fires; The Weather Channel has been a great resource of knowledge for millions of people. We can hope that this wonderful source of information will continue to evolve through the 21st Century. With all of the changes in our weather patterns we will need a reliable source of knowledge and information as we venture into new weather happenings throughout our country. If The Weather Channel continues to evolve with our changing weather pattern as it has during the past 25 years we will all be in for an amazing new weather source. With an eye to the sky and a desire to inform The Weather Channel will be sure to provide a great service as we approach the year 2009.

However, when it comes to choosing a portable air conditioner, there seems to be a lack of reviews for such units.  Thankfully, for the past few ... ]]> Rising temperatures mean more people will be turning to their trusty air conditioners in order to beat the heat.  Generally speaking, air conditioners fall into four different categories: window air conditioners, through-the-wall air conditioners, central air conditioners, and lastly, portable air conditioners.  Window air conditioners are installed into the window of a room and designed to cool that particular room.  Through-the-wall air conditioners are mounted into a wall and provide a cooling effect by exchanging inside air with outside air, while central air conditioners cool entire homes and buildings.  Portable air conditioners, on the other hand, do not require permanent installation such as reconfiguring a window or breaking into a wall and can be moved from one room to the next.

Because of their easy maneuverability, relatively small size, and portability, portable ACs are ideal for a variety of settings, including apartments, rooms, workplaces, computer server rooms, or anywhere else where installing a traditional AC may not be feasible. Although easy to maintain, portable air conditioners will need to be vented out a window, but this is easily accomplished by positioning a flexible hose out through the window opening.  Nonetheless, portable air conditioners are still great for supplemental or spot cooling, and many of today’s models such as also come with built-in heaters and/or air purifiers.  Moreover, because portable room air conditioners utilize a refrigeration cycle to lower temperatures, humidity levels are reduced, therefore making them especially useful for humid climates. 

However, when it comes to choosing a portable air conditioner, there seems to be a lack of reviews for such units.  Thankfully, for the past few weeks, our product review team has been hard at work testing the most popular portable ACs on the market.  For this week, NewAir sent us the sleek and stylish AC-1600E portable air conditioner, and we were especially impressed with its design and cooling ability.  We tested the NewAir AC-1600E portable AC in our product editor’s 150 square foot office on a warm afternoon.   Here were our findings:

Style and Design:

Upon receiving the NewAir AC-1600E and after taking it out of its carton, we saw that the unit sported a sleek silver finish – something hadn’t seen with many other portable ACs we’ve tested.  Although it weighed roughly 85 pounds or so, there were built-in, easy to roll casters that allowed us to move the unit from one office to the next with ease.  The control panel provided bright contrast and clear visibility, while the included remote allowed us to conveniently control the unit from across the room.  The included window kit and large diameter exhaust hose was also easy to install, and within just minutes, we were able to get the NewAir AC-1600E portable air conditioner up and running. 

Cooling Capacity:

When choosing a portable AC, one of the most common mistakes consumers make is incorrectly sizing their unit. Portable air conditioners are sized according to BTUs, which stands from British Thermal Units. A BTU is a unit of energy that is commonly used in the power, steam generation, and heating and air conditioning industries. A portable air conditioner’s BTU rating describes its power and cooling capacity. Naturally, the higher the BTUs, the stronger the portable AC.  However, the one problem we’ve come across is incorrect and insufficient BTU ratings.  Some portable air conditioner manufacturers have overstated the cooling capacity of their products, but prior to receiving the AC-1600E, we spoke to NewAir directly and they reassured us that this portable AC featured a verifiable 16,000 BTUs of power with a cooling capacity of up to 500 square feet in optimal conditions.  We found this to be true and even at the lowest setting, the NewAir AC-1600E provided more than enough cooling for our needs.

Condensate Removal:

The NewAir AC-1600E utilized auto-evaporative technology and this dramatically decreased the amount of moisture that was accumulated.  Also, this portable air conditioner worked as a dehumidifier with a capacity of 80 pints of moisture per day.  Although our environment wasn’t very humid, we noted that this would be a great feature for those living in humid climates. 

Air Purification:

Poor indoor air quality is a problem that can plague most homes, regardless of how immaculate.  Furthermore, when using an air conditioner, air is constantly being recirculated, so if you have an air quality issue, turning on the AC won’t help.  Thankfully, NewAir has addressed this with the AC-1600E portable air conditioner.  This portable air conditioner utilized a three-step filtration system that included a 3M filtrate filter, washable air filter, and an activated carbon filter.  All of these filters work together to provide you with cleaner air, which is especially helpful if you have pets in your home.

Overall, we really liked the fact that the NewAir AC-1600E was compact, stylish, and feature-rich.  Furthermore, this portable air conditioner offered far more BTUs than many other portable air conditioners in its price range.   

Besides spoiling them due to what they didn't have when they were their kids' age, parents spoil them because they don't want ... ]]> Recently, someone in my family wanted a larger i-pod (2,000 songs instead of 1,000) because the market assures its customers that they are getting what they want. Because it’s my teenage sister, I understand why the urgency to have “stuff.” My dad was in a confused state-of-mind, however, because even back in his day, he would buy an album a month, which of course, is less than 1/10th of what my sister will probably get. Since my sister wants a larger i-pod more than anything, however, it seems clear to me that she’ll get “spoiled.” Why does this happen? It’s not because the parents or their children are stupid, it’s because the market is an everyday occurrence that cannot be stopped, but the real sideshow is peer pressure: How else can you describe twenty-somethings reminiscing over how they had to get Cd’s of their favorite groups no matter what the cost was during the more obscure 1990s, for example?

Besides spoiling them due to what they didn’t have when they were their kids’ age, parents spoil them because they don’t want to get any blame from their kids for feeling alienated from “conforming” to what their friends and peers have: Little League Tryouts, Ta Kwan Do, Gymnastics, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, Apple, etc. Some parents have a larger issue though: They earn too much money from their white-collar jobs and don’t have a clue when to stop spoiling their kids even when their kids are in their mid-late 20s. There are various “class distinctions,” but in a multicultural nation like America, the divisions of class seems to be beside the point. Likewise, I will theorize why rich parents spoil their children: High expectations for their kids to make as much money (or more) as they do. You would be surprised how rare this happens, however. For example, I knew someone whose dad ran a very successful business in the ‘burbs and was so rich that he would pay his son’s rent, college, and (without even knowing it) anything affiliated with partying every night (For his sake, I won’t mention what specifically because he went to jail not long ago). What the “child” did when he was old enough to move out of the house was nothing but partying and he went to jail because he got spoiled too much.

Note that I am not trying to be condescending against this kind of behavior: A parent doesn’t have to be present with their kid as often as some may think, but I am weary over the attitude. Can a successful businessman come home and take some time from his life to teach his son how to be more cultured and successful? Not AS cultured and successful, but cultured and successful because even the brightest of children can’t learn so much information overnight, but can find change within themselves at some point and know when they can head to a bigger, brighter future (Some who are more wealthy and privileged can delay their learning experience a little more than others can). In the end, however, it’s not the money that can buy children their freedom but the patience their parents have along with a couple of restrictions, or more if necessary. Rules should and always be enforced, but how parents enforce the rules is their call and not their children. Otherwise, New Media will continue to exploit children on You Tube as “idiots” and then we’ll be even more pissed off by the way old people are running our communities.