World Cup 2006 Interactive Map

Your quick guide to all 32 teams and countries playing in this summer's World Cup. Launch the World Cup Interactive Map Now!

Match the Pairs - World Cup 2006 game

How good is your memory and concentration? Take this test on the football World Cup and its players.

All you need to do is find pairs of similar images hidden in the boxes. Simply click on any of the boxes to reveal the hidden image. Then randomly click on any box to reveal a similar image.

If the second box does not contain the same image then both the images would go back to its original state.

The timer will let you know how long you took to match all the 18 pairs. Start playing the game!


Launch the World Cup game

Thanks to Rediff India.

Barca have it all ......

The UEFA Champions League final between FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC promised to be an entertaining epic, but instead Paris witnessed a masterclass of a different kind. Ten-man Arsenal took a first-half lead against the odds and their fabled defence protected it for almost 40 minutes, only for Barça to get their reward for a patient display with two goals in the last 15 minutes, from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti, to give the Spanish side the trophy for the second time.

How to Build a Computer

Most people just assume that a new computer is a Dell or Gateway. Few people (other than the technically inclined) know that Dell and Gateway skimp on the parts inside the computer. What you're left with is a third-rate computer that costs much more than it should have.

Computers are surprisingly easy to build. Branded computers can offer both value and performance, the parts used can be powerful and cheap, and you can switch on and start work. Yet parts are often short-spec in one place or another. Sadly you'll often get a performance "bottleneck": such as a slow graphics card, only a basic amount of memory, or a slimline motherboard with too few upgrade slots.

If you can afford the time to plan and build your own machine, you can design a system more targeted at your own use:

• A case-size and colour that stylishly fits your environment. Choose your own keyboard mouse combination, maybe get a rechargeable mouse that doesn't need constant battery changing.
• Parts that will enhance your specialisms. Different configurations suit (from cheap to expensive):
  
  
  • Work and Productivity: Office and Email. A cheap branded PC will do nicely.
  • A Gamer (games playing) Rig. You'll need a killer graphics card.
  • Music Producer. Specialist sound cards offer lots of features and mult-channels.
  • Video Editing Suite. Your processor, hard drive, and memory (some situations graphics card too) are used extensively.
  • Multi-Client Server. You need a really powerful rig that can shift large amounts of data 24/7.
    
    

The cost implications of choosing between these uses are huge. A cheap Work computer might cost only two or three hundred. A Server can reach tens of thousands. Choose your setup, and take the advice of experienced users in your field.

You'll only spend the amount of effort and money that gives you a PC that suits your purpose.

We'll assume that you've chosen what your primary use will be. Now we'll build the computer and get it working. Please see the Warnings for cautionary preparations.

Steps

1. Select your hardware:
   1. Motherboard - This is the base that the other components hook into. Modern boards contain PCI-E(xpress) slots that are much faster than the old PCI. Motherboard makers list compatible cpu and memory products online. You should read them before making your cpu and memory selections. Go to Crucial.com's online memory checker to make sure you select the right memory for your motherboard. You need 8 USB slots (or at least 6) for all your add-on digital cameras, printers, scanners, webcams etc. DFI's LanParty line of performance mobos provide great customizing potential at a great price. Intel makes great mobos if you're looking for a more stable approach.
   2. Graphics - Unless your motherboard had built-in graphics (ok for office work), and you don't plan to do anything graphically intensive (gaming, video editing, etc) you should buy a graphics card. Your graphics card fits into either a PCI-E slot (the current graphics standard), or an AGP slot (a dying interface, but still alive). If you are upgrading an older, manufactorer-built PC, there may be neither of these slots, in which case you will have to use an empty PCI slot to accompany a PCI video card. These mobos almost always have integrated video. Two main chipset makers exist: ATI and NVIDIA. Despite what people say, neither is overall better than the other. Each one makes a card that will fit your needs. If you're an extremely hardcore gamer and you really want to know which one makes the best card, you probably already know how to build a computer anyway.
   3. Processor (CPU) - Intel or AMD. The facts are that AMD show better results in gaming and desktop computing, INTEL have better straightline speeds for data-crunching, AMD Athlons and Opterons are better now, until INTEL can bring its new ranges out. Go for the Athlon 64 model and a socket 939 motherboard as it's not ridiculously expensive and has great value. This is the way to go if you want more upgrade options, or a gaming computer. If you are an Intel fan since they are sometimes said to have more stable timing, go with a Pentium 4 and a socket LGA775 board.
   4. Power Supply - Focal to the computer is the power supply itself. Power Supplies are mainly rated by their power output in watts. A 350W is bare minimum anymore, suitable only for an office machine, while big gaming rigs sometimes need PSUs in excess of 600W.
   5. RAM for your motherboard's memory slots (2,3 or 4 will fill it up). Fast memory is more expensive, sometimes more is better than faster (application dependent). RAM choice is dependent on the motherboard. Go with a stick of 512 MB DDR RAM as the minimum.
   6. Hard Drive - getting cheaper and cheaper (much less than $1 per GB). SATA, the current interface, offers RAID support and faster transfer speeds. All new motherboards are compatible with SATA hard drives. A 7200 RPM drive is crucial (anything less will bottleneck your entire system.)
   • Additional Drives - In addition to the Hard Drive, you will also want to purchase a Floppy Drive and a CD/DVD Drive. The Floppy Drive is fairly standard and will be inserted into your case by opening a side panel and putting it in a vacant bay. After doing so, use a connector from the power supply and a data cable from the motherboard. The CD/DVD drive is similar, but with greater storage capacity per disk and variety of drives (CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, etc.)
2. Connect your hardware according to the instructions that come with the motherboard.
   • See Tips and Warnings for safety and continguency advice. Don't leave the hardware on your floor for days while you figure out what you should do.
3. Now that the inside is done, now we can do the outside:
   1. Case - A mid-size, mini, or micro cube is fine for most users, but a full tower may be needed for servers or users who want a lot of space. Just make sure the tiny box you'd like has enough space for hard drives, DVD recorders and that optional card reader. Running out of space is a pain.
   2. Monitor - CRTs, the large, box monitors, are still preferred by graphic artists for their reliability and color accuracy. However, LCDs are much sharper and will leave your desk less crowded. They also consume less power. It's mainly a money decision.
   3. Keyboard & Mouse - There are expensive gaming and work sets available, for first-person-shooter (FPS) games or designing 3D. Just get a cheap set (wireless is good, less congested) for basic computing. A docking rechargeable mouse is great (no more battery changing!). If you love FPS games, then you should go with a optical mouse that has a nice feel and weight to it. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome then a trackball mouse might be best. They are slightly more expensive, but you don't have to move your wrist at all and you can place them anywhere (leg, table, arm of chair, anything).

Tips

• Spend no more than is required for your usage. Ignore salesmen or others who implore you to waste money on unneeded upgrades.
• Frankly it's better to ask nicely and get an experienced geek to source the parts and build the machine. Individual hardware can have niggling incompatibilities that can ruin your user experience. Insist on years of exerience. You'll be glad you did.
• If you make the machine yourself, do as much research as possible. Choose parts that are likely to work well together. Read about configurations that have worked well for other users.
• The more preparation, research and careful selection of parts you do (and making it), the less proportion of your life you will spend making the darn thing work.
• Well, that's all you need in order to build computers, but you still have the need of an operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux). Most people have Windows and know it well, but Mac users are very happy with their incredible ease of use, and lack of problems (no viruses on mac!). Linux is great, but a steep learning curve.

Warnings

• Be careful of ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) when putting it together. Wear a static wristband (available from stores), or at least regularly ground yourself.
• Double or triple check all connections before switching on the computer for the first time.
• Avoid spilling coffee/tea. Computers hate liquids.

How to Choose Between a Personal Computer Vs a Macintosh

Gates or Jobs? Whom do you want to support? Here's a guide to help you decide whether you want to buy a PC or a Mac computer.

Steps

1. Decide how much you have to spend. If you're not sure if it's worth paying the price for a Mac, try a Mac mini first. They start at around $500 and may actually fulfill all your requirements. A handbuilt PC costing $500 will take up more space on your desk, but can be much more powerful.
2. Decide what you want your computer to do. If you want to do high-end video editing and graphic design, you may choose a Mac for this job. PCs and Macs are both good for doing day-to-day tasks.
3. Consider your choice of operating systems. While Windows has its instabilities, Mac OS X in most cases is far superior and more ahead than even the newest, most up-to-date Windows operating systems. Mac operating systems tend to be much more secure, and offer a very easy-to-use interface with many included applications and intuitive features. Windows also has a multitude of viruses for it, while there have only been a handfull identified for Macs.
4. Macs have less of a software selection, but there are quite a few decent programs for the platform. Most commonplace programs are available on the Mac. Microsoft Office, most Adobe products, and most major software have Mac counterparts.
5. If you want a cheap disposable workhorse, or want to play games, PCs are best. Mac users have a quasi-religious devotion to their computers which is well founded: few switchers from PCs to Macs ever go back.
6. If you want a PC, but want OSX, get PearPC, a free Mac emulator, and install Mac OSX with it. Alternatively VirtualPC installed on a Mac can run most windows software with some preformance loss. A third method to get a computer with dual Mac/Windows functionality is to purchase an Intel based Mac and install Bootcamp from Apple. This allows Intel based computers to boot either OSX or Windows, meaning that the computer is both PC and a Mac. (note that Bootcamp is still Beta software, meaning that it is not fully supported though it has already been successfully deployed by many users)
7. Instead of Windows, you can try Linux, a free and much more reliable OS that is based on UNIX. There are many distributions available, visit the official website at http://linux.org/ . If you eventually decide on Windows but still want linux functionality, you can download and run WinLinux from http://www.winlinux.net/

Tips

• Macs may be more expensive, but keep in mind that it includes a lot of applications that the PC doesn't include. Apple has great tech support. Macs are also proven to last longer and are more reliable than PC's.
• While there is a 'stereotype' of sorts about the price of Mac computers, investigation will reveal that prices are more comparable now than they ever have been. The newest Macintosh computers are made with Intel processors, which should help to further bring down the price.
• PC systems can handle high-end video editing and high-end graphics as well as Macs, although PC solutions will cost much more.
• Avoid the salespeople at "Big Box" electronics stores who usually know little about computers and a lot about this week's special offer. Talk instead to a devotee of either the PC or Mac platform before making your choice. Get both to show you what each machine can do with the software that comes with the machine.
• Macs, by nature, cannot be exploited by Windows viruses. Also, there is much less of a spyware/adware problem, because most spyware/adware is written targeting vulnerabilities in Windows operating systems.
• If you decide on a Mac, you'll want to buy it either at an Apple Retail store (http://www.apple.com/retail/) or from the online store. Most mainstream retailers do not carry Macs (with exception to CompUSA and a few others), so you'll probably end up going directly from Apple. Places like Apple's online store (http://store.apple.com) and MacMall (http://www.macmall.com) are geared toward Macs and offer all Mac products.
• It is not a good idea to build a $500 computer. If you are going for the bargain basement it is almost always better to go to a big company like Dell. You will get a slightly better computer for the low price because large companies sell the bottom end machines as 'loss leaders' to get people to buy from them. With the purchase you will also get tech support and a warranty that you will not get if you build your own. However, more expensive computers with premium components are almost always cheaper to build and in general the more you are willing to spend the bigger the price difference between building your own and buying an 'out of the box' computer.

Warnings

• If you are switching from a PC to a Mac or vice versa, you will have to adjust to some minor keyboard differences (i.e., you will use the command key instead of the control key in most instances when switching from PC to Mac).
• Think before you buy.

Top Ten Digital Photography Tips

You've heard this before: Digital cameras do all the work. You just push the button and great pictures magically appear. The better the camera, the better the photos. Isn't that right? Heck no!

The truth is that you can make great photos with a simple consumer point-and-shoot camera, or take lousy shots with the most expensive Nikon. It's not the camera that makes beautiful images; it's the photographer. With a little knowledge and a willingness to make an adjustment here and there, you can squeeze big time photos out of the smallest digicam.

for more go to Top Ten Digital Photography Tips by Derrick Story