17 Google Tips for Web Businesses (Google Analytics, Google AdSense, and Google AdWords)

Whether you're a first-time blogger or you've owned a Web site for many years, chances are you're not doing it just for fun. Mostly everyone wants to make money with their online venture, or at least gain lots of exposure. If this is the case, then you may want to opt for some Google tools to track your success.

If one of your objectives is to have a lot of eyeballs on your site, you may want to set up an account with Google Analytics, so that you can track your Web site's referrals and run traffic reports. Next, you'll likely want to choose which advertisements are relevant to your site's content by using Google AdSense. This way, you can earn money every time a visitor clicks on these ads. (Yes, real money!) Finally, Google AdWords will help you customize your ads and choose the right keywords to make your site search-friendly.

The idea of using these tools may seem a bit overwhelming at first. That's why we asked the Google experts to provide PC Magazine with a list of tips for using Analytics, AdSense, and Adwords. Study them, because they may just help your Web site grow and profit.

Google Analytics Tips

Google Analytics lets you track your Web site's referrals, ads, and e-mail promotions.

1. Get the basics out of the way. Defining basic terms will help Web site owners and Webmasters with using the Web analytics tools.

• "Visits" is the number of sessions on a Web site, the number of times someone interacted with a site.
• "Bounce Rate" is the percentage of single-page visits or number of visitors who left instantly from the entrance page.
• "Page View" is the instance that a page is loaded by a browser.
• "Average Time on Site" is how long visitors stay on a site.
• "% New Visits" is how many sessions or interactions were from first-time visitors.

2. Understand traffic sources. Once you get the basics, find out where people are coming from.

• "Direct Traffic" is composed of visitors coming to a Web site by typing in the URL of that Web site or from a bookmark. Some people also call this "default traffic" or "ambient traffic."
• "Referring URLs" are other Web sites sending traffic to a Web site. These can be from banner ads or campaigns, and they can include blogs or affiliates that link to a site.
• "Search Engines" are—you know—Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, and others. This subset includes both organic and paid (PPC/SEM) traffic.
• "Other" means campaigns that have run: e-mail, direct marketing, and so on.

3. Determine what reports mean the most. Learn how to read data and make use of reports.

• Look for trends and see where growth is coming from in the last three to six months. Is it from free traffic? Paid traffic? Have efforts to get people through other channels succeeded?
• Drill down to specific Web sites that send traffic and, of course, keywords and key phrases that are sending traffic. Both of those help make sense of customer intent.
• Improve pages that need attention. Pages with a high "Bounce Rate" are not delivering on the promise that drives customers to a site.
• Make sure an ad campaign's keywords are not leading to high bounce rates and are delivering on an intended action or conversion.
• Search for surprises in your data, such as unexpected or unusual patterns.
• Identify and label goal pages in order to calculate return on investment.

4. Walk in their shoes. Experience a Web site as a visitor.

• Look for clusters of heavy clicks, links that ultimately drive high conversions and items that connect with people. Do more people convert on a site if they click on product comparison on the homepage, or do they go directly to a product page?
• Follow the heavy clicks and see what people do next.
• Check out referrers to each page. It may explain bounce and exit rates.

5. Focus on outcomes. Measure and evangelize your data, and take action.

• Identify needed improvements to your pages.
• Consider merchandising, cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.
• Answer the question, why does a Web site exist? Then go through the four steps mentioned above to identify the two or three key metrics that help measure those outcomes.

Google AdSense Tips

With Google AdSense, choose which ads are relevant to your site's content, and you can earn money every time a visitor clicks on them.

1. First off, you must have launched a Web site with acceptable content and a valid URL. If you don't have a Web site, you can use Google's free programs: Page Creator or Blogger (page.google.com, blogger.com). Then, sign up for an AdSense account and you are on your way.

2. Make sure your site is attractive by customizing the ads to your site. For instance, sites with white backgrounds should use ads with a gray background, as well as use colors in ads that already exist on the page.

3. Place ads on the best location on the page. One of the best locations is in line with your content.

4. Create a lot of content and add fresh unique content regularly. Sites with the most pages and content have more opportunities for ads and clicks. A site with 10 pages won't make nearly as much money as a site with 50 or 500 pages of relevant content.

5. Promote your Web site by emailing friends for word-of-mouth, and submit your site to all search engines so content will be indexed.

Google AdWords Tips

Create your own ads and choose powerful keywords for your site using Google AdWords.

1. Know your audience. Precision is the key to search advertising with programs like Google AdWords. You want to reach the right users at the right time. Take a good look at the products and services you're selling and the customers who are buying.

2. Identify your goals. Once you have a clear sense of your business, stay focused on how to reach your customers. You'll need to know your ultimate goal so you can measure success. Structure each campaign based on a simple, overarching goal such as a category, product line (coffee, tea, or machines), or theme (seasonal or promotional).

3. Choose powerful keywords. Choosing keywords is both an art and a science. Start brainstorming by expanding your list as broadly as possible, and then narrow your focus. Try to think like your users do. Understand which keywords work best for you and increase your bid on those words to maximize your return.

4. Write "gotta-click" ads. It's time to write the ads that users will see when they search on your keywords—the ads that will make them feel they must click on your ad to learn more. Typically, you'll have three short lines of text with which to grab your potential customers' attention. To get your ad right, try these tips:

• Include your keywords in your title and description.
• Convey key product benefits.
• Get to the point quickly.
• Write copy that includes a strong call to action, such as "buy now" or "sign up today."
• Direct users to the landing page that most relates to your ad.

5. Hit the right users with the right ads. Once you know your potential customer, you can target individual campaigns to reach your audience. Write and target ads in a variety of languages if you have a global business. You can also target a particular geographic area, such as a region that your business serves.

6. Track down to the last customer. After your campaign goes live, measure its results regularly. Keep a close watch on your account statistics, review your own Web logs, and use conversion tracking software (available for free through some advertising programs).

7. Test. Adapt. Thrive. Continually review what you've set up, keeping in mind that there's always room for improvement, and that the online advertising environment is dynamic. Don't be afraid to make changes and try new things.

How to Move Your Data to the iPhone 3G

From music to contacts to your favorite bookmarks, here's how to integrate an iPhone—3G or otherwise—into your digital life.

As another, failed, wireless carrier once said, don't call it a phone. With Apple's iPhone 2.0 software update, it doesn't matter if you spring for the iPhone 3G or hold onto your first-generation iPhone. Either way, you get a top-quality handset with a revolutionary touch-screen interface. Pair it with your desktop or laptop PC, though, and it becomes so much more than that.

This guide will show you how. It's intended for beginners who have never owned a smartphone before, though some of the tips can also help experienced users. Whether you just got home with your brand new iPhone 3G, or you want to improve the way you synchronize your current iPhone, here's what you need to know.

Note: Apple has revamped the activation process for the iPhone 3G compared with the original iPhone. So if you're buying one, you'll need to activate it in the store, rather than taking it home and activating it from your computer. Meanwhile, if you're upgrading an existing iPhone to an iPhone 3G, you'll want to hook your old one into iTunes and synchronize it first, before you get started with the new one.

Synchronize your media. First, download and install the free iTunes 7.7 application and set up an Apple iTunes Store account per Apple's instructions. You'll need to do both of these things to get started. iTunes will let you manage your music, movies, television shows, and iPhone applications (including games) on both your iPhone and your desktop (be it a Mac or a PC). iTunes will also synchronize photos from iPhoto on a Macintosh. For PC users, iTunes will grab photos from Adobe Photoshop Album, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and any picture folder (including My Pictures) on your PC and then synchronize them with the iPhone.

Synchronize your address book and calendar. Mac users are good to go right out of the box. Not only will iTunes take care of the aforementioned media files and applications, but the iPhone will also connect to your Mac's Address Book, iCal, Mail, and Microsoft Entourage applications and synchronize that data as well. If you're on a PC, iTunes will pick up Outlook and Outlook Express data, but not data from any of Vista's built-in apps. For webmail users, the iPhone can automatically synchronize contacts from Google Contacts and Yahoo! Address book. The same goes for Web-based e-mail itself; while the iPhone doesn't sync AOL contacts, it does synchronize with AOL Mail, Yahoo! Mail, and Gmail accounts.

Synchronize your Web bookmarks. If you use Safari on the desktop—either on a Mac or on a PC—you can synchronize your bookmarks with your iPhone. On the other hand, the iPhone can't synchronize Firefox bookmarks or Internet Explorer favorites; instead, install Safari, export the bookmarks to a file, import them into Safari, and then synchronize your iPhone to transfer them over.

Synchronize your data wirelessly. MobileMe, Apple's replacement for its old .Mac service, isn't required for you to use your iPhone. But for $99 per year, along with some other helpful features, it lets you synchronize your calendar, contact, Safari bookmarks, and other data wirelessly. (Note: Apple has largely cleaned up the widely publicized issues that early MobileMe adopters ran into, and is now offering a 30-day credit to those users.)

Synchronize your workplace data—but heed this warning. If you connect your iPhone into your workplace Exchange server, you'll be able to sync your e-mail, contacts, and calendar over the air—even without MobileMe. But there's a catch. If you do this, you'll lose the ability to sync your personal data, even if you subscribe to MobileMe. You can connect to only one or the other, for reasons that still elude me.

Retain access to your PC at all times. If you want to access your PC's files from your iPhone, you may want to look into Syncplicity. There are plenty of services like it—Avvenu (which Nokia now owns) and SoonR immediately come to mind. But Syncplicity recently launched an iPhone-specific page at m.syncplicity.com: When the site detects that you're using an iPhone, it redirects to this iPhone-formatted page. Syncplicity is free for up to 2GB of storage and syncing two computers (not counting the iPhone); it's $9.99 per month for the 40GB plan and an unlimited number of computers.

List of Premier League transfers in January transfer window

LONDON: List of player transfers involving Premier League clubs during European soccer's January transfer window:

Arsenal

In: Luke Freeman (Gillingham).

Out: Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth), Matthew Connolly (QPR), Fran Merida Perez (Real Sociedad, loan), Jay Simpson (Millwall, loan), Kieran Gibbs (Norwich, loan), Mark Randall (Burnley, loan).

Aston Villa

In: Wayne Routledge (Tottenham).

Out: Gary Cahill (Bolton), Chris Herd (Port Vale, loan) Stephen O'Halloran (Southampton, loan), Tobias Mikaelsson (Port Vale, loan).

Birmingham

In: James McFadden (Everton), David Murphy (Hibernian), Mauro Zarate (Al Saad, loan).

Out: Rowan Vine (QPR), Neil Danns (Crystal Palace), Neil Kilkenny (Leeds), David Howland (Port Vale, loan), Artur Krysiak (Gretna, loan).

Blackburn

In: Jonathan Flynn (Ballymena).

Out: Robbie Savage (Derby), Andy Taylor (Tranmere), Peter Enckelman (Cardiff, loan), Paul Gallagher (Stoke, loan).

Bolton

In: Gary Cahill (Aston Villa), Matt Taylor (Portsmouth), Gretar Steinsson (AZ Alkmaar), Tamir Cohen (Maccabi Netanya), Grzegorz Rasiak (Southampton).

Out: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Gerald Cid (Nice), Gary Speed (Sheffield United), Christian Wilhemsson (Deportivo La Coruna, loan), Lubomir Michalik (Leeds).

Chelsea

In: Nicolas Anelka (Bolton), Branislav Ivanovic (Lokomotiv Moscow), Franco di Santo (Audax Italiano).

Out: Ryan Bertrand (Norwich, loan), Adrian Pettigrew (Rotherham, loan), Anthony Grant (Southend, loan).

Derby

In: Emanuel Villa (UAG Tecos), Robbie Savage (Blackburn), Laurent Robert (free agent), Roy Carroll (Rangers), Alan Stubbs (Everton), Mile Sterjovski (Genclerbirligi), Hossam Ghaly (Tottenham, loan), Danny Mills (Manchester City, loan).

Out: Steve Howard (Leicester), Matt Oakley (Leicester), Andy Griffin (Stoke), Jon Macken (Barnsley), Lee Holmes (Walsall, loan), Stephen Bywater (Ipswich, loan).

Everton

In: Manuel Fernandes (Valencia, loan), Dan Gosling (Plymouth Argyle), Anthony Gardner (Tottenham, loan).

Out: James McFadden (Birmingham), Alan Stubbs (Derby, free), Patrick Boyle (Crewe, loan), Lukas Jutkiewicz (Plymouth, loan).

Fulham

In: Brede Hangeland (FC Copenhagen), Leon Andreasen (Werder Bremen), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Erik Nevland (FC Groningen), Toni Kallio (BSC Young Boys), Jari Litmanen (free agent), Paul Stalteri (Tottenham, loan).

Out: Steve Davis (Rangers, loan), Collins John (Leicester City, loan).

Liverpool

In: Martin Skrtel (Zenit St. Petersburg), Alex Cooper (Ross County).

Out: Mohamed Sissoko (Juventus), Jack Hobbs (Scunthorpe United, loan), Lee Peltier (Yeovil).

Manchester City

In: Felipe Caicedo (FC Basel), Nery Castillo (Shakhtar Donetsk, loan), Filippo Mancini (Inter Milan, loan).

Out: Rolando Bianchi (Lazio, loan), Georgios Samaras (Celtic, loan), Ousmane Dabo (Lazio), Danny Mills (Derby County, loan), Matthew Mills (Doncaster Rovers, loan), Marc Laird (Millwall, loan), Ishmael Miller (West Brom).

Manchester United

In: Manucho Goncalves (Petro Luanda).

Out: Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City), Phil Bardsley (Sunderland), Adam Eckersley (Port Vale), Manucho Goncalves (Panathinaikos, loan), Fabian Brandy (Swansea, loan), Kieran Lee (QPR, loan), Jonny Evans (Sunderland, loan), Darron Gibson (Wolverhampton Wanderers, loan), Fraizer Campbell (Hull City, loan), Kieran Lee (QPR, loan), Lee Martin (Sheffield United, loan).

Middlesbrough

In: Afonso Alves (Heerenveen).

Out: Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham), Andrew Davies (Southampton), Ben Hutchinson (Celtic).

Newcastle United

In: Ben Tozer (Swindon), Tamas Kadar (Zalaegerszeg), Fabio Zamblera (Atalanta), Wesley Ngo Baheng (Le Havre).

Out: David Rozehnal (Lazio, loan), Matty Pattison (Norwich).

Portsmouth

In: Lassana Diarra (Arsenal), Milan Baros (Lyon, loan), Danijel Subotic (FC Basel), Lucien Aubey (Lens, loan), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham).

Out: Matt Taylor (Bolton Wanderers), Djimi Traore (Rennes, loan).

Reading

In: Marek Matejovsky (Mlada Boleslav), Jimmy Kebe (Lens).

Out: Simon Church (Yeovil, loan), Hal Robson-Kanu (Southend, loan), James Henry (Norwich, loan), Alex Pearce (Norwich, loan), John Halls (Crystal Palace, loan), Simon Cox (Swindon).

Sunderland

In: Jean-Yves Mvoto (Paris St-Germain), Phil Bardsley (Manchester United), Rade Prica (Aalborg), Jonny Evans (Man United, loan), Andy Reid (Charlton).

Out: Andy Cole (Burnley, loan), Stanislav Varga (Burnley, loan), Greg Halford (Charlton, loan).

Tottenham

In: Alan Hutton (Rangers), Chris Gunter (Cardiff), Jonathan Woodgate (Middlesbrough), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin).

Out: Phil Ifil (Colchester), Lee Barnard (Southend), Wayne Routledge (Aston Villa), Ben Alnwick (Leicester, loan), Hossam Ghaly (Derby, loan), Anthony Gardner (Everton, loan), Paul Stalteri (Fulham, loan), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth).

West Ham

In: None.

Out: Hogan Ephraim (QPR), Christian Dailly (Rangers, loan).

Wigan

In: Wilson Palacios (Deportivo Olimpia), Maynor Figueroa (Deportivo Olimpia, loan), Erik Edman (Rennes), Antonio Valencia (Villarreal), Marlon King (Watford), Erik Hagen (Zenit St Petersburg, loan).

Out: Fitz Hall (QPR), Denny Landzaat (Feyenoord).

Inside the Latest iPhone

Apple packed a lot of features into the latest version of the iPhone but managed to keep a tight lid on the cost of components that go into it. Manufacturing and components for the 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G set Apple back about $173 per unit, according to an estimate by Silicon Valley-based research firm iSuppli, due to be released June 24. Comparable expenses for the earlier iteration of the iPhone were about $226, iSuppli says.

Analysts scour component-price estimates to gauge profit margins on Apple's best-selling products, while keeping a close eye on which supply manufacturers have won the potentially lucrative contracts from Apple. Falling component prices let Apple (AAPL) add new features, including navigation tools and faster Internet download speeds, while maintaining healthy margins, say iSuppli analysts, whose estimates are preliminary. The iPhone 3G is due to be released July 11. "They have done a good job in using what worked well with the first one and making improvements where it mattered," iSuppli analyst Jagdish Rebello says.

Consumers who purchase the iPhone in Apple and AT&T (T) stores will pay $199 for the 8GB version, but AT&T will subsidize a big chunk of the price of each phone—an estimated $499 for each device. AT&T hopes to make up for the expense through monthly service packages but will take a bottom-line hit of 10¢ to 12¢ a share through the end of 2009. After royalties, Apple's per-unit profit on an 8GB iPhone works out to about $281, or about 56%, in keeping with the percentage on other Apple products, iSuppli says. The figure doesn't include other costs, including software development, shipping and distribution, packaging, and miscellaneous accessories included with each phone. Apple also pays fees to its Chinese manufacturing partner, Hon Hai Precision Industry.

Apple added parts that enable faster download speeds and navigation features, via Global Positioning System satellites. One big winner appears to be the German chipmaker Infineon (IFX), which iSuppli says won the contract to supply the 3G wireless chipset. Broadcom (BRCM) unit Global Locate will supply the GPS chipset.

Most Components Unchanged

Aside from those changes, most of the components used in the original are likely to remain unchanged. "It makes sense that Apple would go with the same design and not change very much inside," Rebello says. Samsung is thought to be supplying the same applications processor as on the original iPhone. The specifications of other chips haven't changed much either. The new iPhone's camera boasts a picture quality of only two megapixels—again, the same as on the original. Idaho-based chipmaker Micron (MU) likely stayed in place as the supplier, though at a lower cost, Rebello says.

The most expensive parts are the memory chips. Eight gigabytes worth of NAND-type flash memory costs about $23, and about double for 16 gigabytes. Suppliers of the NAND chips are many, and include Samsung, Hynix, and IM Flash Technologies, a joint venture of Micron and Intel (INTC).

Apple also has to pay about $45, or about 9% of the price of each handset, in royalties for patented 3G technologies, according to the iSuppli analysis. Chief among these collectors of royalties is wireless chipmaker Qualcomm (QCOM), who owns several patents related to a technology known as WCDMA used in the 3G chipsets. Others that may be collecting some royalties include Sweden's Ericsson (ERICY) and Finland wireless giant Nokia (NOK).

Another difference this time around: Apple and AT&T have abandoned the revenue-sharing agreement that gave Apple an estimated 30% to 35% of the monthly service revenue generated from iPhone contracts. Apple is making up for the lost revenue with the subsidy from AT&T.

Apple is also likely to benefit from further declines in the component prices. The component price tag is likely to drop to $148 in 2009 from the current $173, iSuppli estimates. That bodes well for the company's gross margins, which widened to 34% in the first six months of the current fiscal year, from 33% in the year-earlier period.

Cesc rules out Madrid move, for now

Cesc Fabregas claims he has told Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon that he is not prepared to move to the Bernabeu this summer, but the Arsenal star has refused to rule out a return to his home country in future.

His revelation that he has spoken to Calderon comes in the wake of reports on Sunday that claimed Real have made the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year their number one transfer target after struggling to prise Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

Fabregas – who at just 21 years of age is already Arsenal’s most influential player – has told Real he is unwilling to move but the open-ended nature of his statement and the fact that Calderon has been in touch are unlikely to please Arsene Wenger.

The Arsenal boss has previously been angered by suggestions that Real have, without his permission, been in contact with the player he plucked from Barcelona’s youth academy at the age of 16 and transformed into one of Europe’s finest players.

Talk of a return to Spain has resurfaced in almost every transfer window since his first team breakthrough in the 2004-2005 season but Fabregas is not ready to end his English adventure this year.

Speaking to Marca before his return to pre-season training with Arsenal, Fabregas stated: “I didn’t say ‘No’ to Ramon Calderon, I told him that right now it’s not the moment to join Real Madrid.

“The fact that Real Madrid - one of the greatest teams in history - want you is important.”

Fabregas has six years remaining on his current contract in North London but the Euro 2008 champion is not prepared to spend another season without silverware at Arsenal.

A solitary FA Cup victory is his only reward for four seasons in the Arsenal first team and Fabregas is desperate for the club’s trophy drought to end.

“Not winning any title in four seasons would be very long to me,” he added.

Manchester over Madrid for Tevez

Carlos Tevez’s agent Kia Joorabchian has confirmed he will ‘make sure’ the Argentinian secures his long-term future at Manchester United, amid fresh reports that Real Madrid are chasing the forward.

Madrid are reportedly ready to turn their attention from Cristiano Ronaldo to Tevez, who is yet to complete a complex £32 million deal with United.

The ownership of Tevez’s rights make any deal more complicated than a usual transfer, giving Madrid space in which to unsettle the Argentina international.

However, Tevez is hugely valued at Old Trafford and Joorabchian is confident his long-term future remains with The Red Devils.

“He is very happy at United and that’s the key. That’s all he wants to concentrate on. He wants to do the Treble – that’s his ambition at the moment," he said in The Daily Star.

“We will help him accelerate the deal to make sure it goes through.

“Everyone is keen to make sure his future is dealt with in the correct way. Manchester United have been fantastic with Carlos – he’s very lucky to have them and they are lucky too because he’s been very good for them.

“It looks like it will happen but we don’t know the timing, whether it will be a month, two or six.

“But we’ll make sure when the time is right everything is done smoothly.”

Big Phil wants four-midable Blues

Luiz Felipe Scolari has raised the bar for his Chelsea players by telling them he wants to win all four competitions in which his side compete in this coming season.

The Brazilian has refused to settle for a halfway target in his first campaign in charge of The Blues, instead insisting he believes his team can triumph on four fronts.

Having watched the West London outfit get pipped to both the Champions League and Premier League titles last term, as well as being defeated in the Carling Cup final, Scolari is desperate to blow his rivals out of the water in his debut campaign in the English league.

“We have four competitions this season and I will try to win them all,” the Brazilian said in The Sun.

“Of course it will be very difficult. But we have the players to do it. And in my life I have learned one important lesson — never say never.”

Scolari is now confident that, under his guidance, Chelsea can improve on what was a frustratingly disappointing last season and claim glory as he feels they have solid foundations for success.

“Last year this team arrived in two finals and came close in the league,” he continued. “That is very good news for me.

“I also want to arrive in finals. I will be happy if we do that because I know the way to win them. And the players understand that.

“I’ve told them to work hard and have confidence in themselves. After that, the rest is my problem.”

Recycling Plastic Gift Cards

Gift cards are a new currency. They’re perfect for gift givers in search of hassle-free presents and for gift-receivers tired of sweaters they’ll never wear and gadgets they’ll never use. Because of their popularity and ease of use, it’s no surprise that almost 17 billion plastic cards, including gift, library, video rental, and membership cards, were produced in 2006, according to the International Card Manufacturing Association. Unfortunately, once spent, these cards typically get trashed�a very unfriendly environmental practice because the cards are often laden with polyvinyl chloride (PVC)–a known human carcinogen.

To keep cards out of the trash, Earthworks, an eco-friendly manufacturing and recycling company, recently launched its Retailer Gift Card Return Program. It allows retailers and consumers to send in cards for recycling so that the gift of these cards can live on and on.

Plenty Magazine chatted with Earthworks President Rodd Gilbert about the card recycling business, greenwashing, and the best gift card he’s ever received.

What inspired you to start recycling gift cards?
Since I’m in the recycling and manufacturing business, I was already taking unwanted materials from one company and selling it to another. After awhile, I began to see that the card manufacturing industry makes a lot of scrap that gets trashed. I saw a chance to make a difference not only for the environment, but also for the industry. It’s just good business to avoid buying raw materials because they can be expensive. At the same time, I also noticed that people wanted to be green, but that there’s not always the option to do so. I started working with the card manufacturing company Arthur Blank & Company on recycling these cards. Earthworks collects the cards and reprocesses them into recycled card sheets, and Arthur Blank reprints new cards from the sheets. The company now has the exclusive right to brand its recycled products with the Earthworks name. Now that we�ve started this program, there�s an outlet for people who don�t want to throw their cards away.

How successful has the program been so far?
The program started in January 2008 and we’ve already had a couple of nationwide retail chains starting to collect cards and send them to us. We�re also currently doing a couple of pilot programs in the Greater Cleveland area, including a Starbucks. A Starbucks employee contacted me after noticing how many gift cards the Starbucks she works at generates. She brought the plan to recycle these cards to the general manager and it snowballed from there. The program has done so well that Starbucks is looking to bring the card recycling program to a national level.

Does the recycling process create any waste?
It absolutely does not create any waste. It’s a really simple process that involves securely destroying the material by chopping it up and then melting the plastic down. There’s no chemical waste because we don’t use any chemicals in the process, which a lot of post-consumer products need in order to clean the material. The other great thing is that recycling a card and making it into a new one saves about 80 percent of the energy that would be used to make a brand new card. That’s because our product is made from 100 percent recycled materials with no raw materials and no petroleum.

This seems like such a basic idea. Why is your company the first to recycle gift cards?
Since it does seem to be an easy enough thing, you’d think it would�ve been done before. But the recycling process does get a little complicated: A lot of cards have magnetic strips, use different kinds of inks, and are made from different types of plastic, so it makes it difficult to recycle these cards without getting cross-contamination. The same is true with plastic bottles. Many people go out and buy a bottle made from corn plastic thinking that they’re doing something good for the environment, but they don’t realize that you can�t mix corn plastic and traditional plastic in the recycling process because one will contaminate the other. That’s why we encourage our companies to buy Earthworks-approved products–they’re not only 100 percent recycled, they’re also 100 percent recyclable. You also need to be careful if companies claim their products are biodegradable, because often there’s a magnetic strip and additives on the cards, so it’s pretty hard for them to biodegrade. There’s lots of misinformation out there and people need to be aware of it and ask questions.

Can individuals mail in gift cards?
They definitely can. After all, it will only cost you shipping. We think it’s great when people send in their individual cards. It makes us feel good that consumers are taking the time to do that. But it would really make a difference if people pressured their favorite stores to start offering the card recycling service. It’s easy to do, just put up a collection box and people would be happy to throw their used cards in.

Should consumers be worried about sending in confidential information?
What I always say is that it’s better than putting the gift card in the garbage can behind the register. I mean, how safe is that? Plus, if you’re sending in blank gift cards, there’s obviously no value to them, so why be concerned? As far as others kinds of cards (like licenses), just put them in a secured box, tape it up and ship it to us. If you’re really worried, you can cut the card in half.

What’s the best gift card you’ve ever received?
I’d have to say a Gap card because it had our logo on it, but also because I like the Gap. About the worst gift card you could send me is a non-recycled card. My family and friends know that if they’re going to get me a gift card, it better be a recycled Earthworks card!

Build an XP SP3 Recovery Disc

Think you can use your original Windows XP disc to restore your PC? Think again.

Odds are your computer came with a recovery disc, a CD with all the programs and drivers that were installed on your PC's hard drive when it was new. And odds are you have absolutely no idea where that disc is.

The good news is that it probably doesn't matter. First of all, the recovery media most PC manufacturers provide is designed for a singular purpose: to restore your computer to the state it was in when you bought it. This process typically involves wiping your hard drive (say bye-bye to your spreadsheets and vacation photos) and then reinstalling Windows and the handful of programs originally included with your system. Unless you're simply preparing the whole kit and caboodle to sell on eBay, this is probably not something you will ever need.

Second, the hardware drivers on your recovery CD are almost certainly out of date, either made obsolete by newer and better versions available online, or simply irrelevant to new hardware you've subsequently installed.

Instead of fretting about the old recovery CD you lost (or perhaps never got), why not take a few minutes and make one of your own?

Ideally, a recovery disc should act as a safety net should anything disagreeable happen to your PC's hard drive or its data. (Think crash, virus, spyware attack, driver corruption, and so on.) A good recovery disc allows you to reinstall Windows to fix a minor problem or rebuild your PC from scratch to recover from a major one.

Here's the problem: Once you upgrade your XP installation to Service Pack 3, Windows won't ever allow you to install an older version (including earlier editions of XP) without either wiping the hard drive clean or installing to a different drive. Even if you do install "fresh," you'll still have to then endure a separate SP3 upgrade. The solution is to create a new hybrid installation disc from whatever installer CD you have and a special version of SP3, using a process known as slipstreaming (etymology: fluid mechanics, or the "Hope and Fear" episode of Star Trek: Voyager.)

Step 1: Take Stock

To prepare a recovery CD, you'll need only three things: a Windows XP install CD (any edition), a valid Windows product key, and about 1.5 gigabytes of free space on your hard drive. Of course, as with many recipes, procuring the ingredients is often the hardest part.

The install CD can be any version, including Service Pack 2, Service Pack 1, or the original release from 2001. If you already have a disc labeled "Windows XP with Service Pack 3" (as opposed to merely an SP3 update disc), then you don't need this procedure. Go ahead and read another story.

The CD can be difficult to come by if you bought your PC with Windows preinstalled, mostly because so many manufacturers omit Microsoft's installer CD these days in favor of some sort of customized "express install" recovery disc. (This is done for a variety of reasons, including to simplify customer support and also, in the penny-pinching tradition, to reduce Microsoft licensing fees.) Some PC manufacturers are service-conscious enough to send a true XP CD to any customer who asks for one, but if you're not so lucky, you can get a genuine disc on eBay for as little as $10.

The 25-digit key, of course, you should already have handy if you own a legal license to the software. If XP came with your PC, it's printed on a sticker somewhere on the PC case; if you bought XP, it's on a sticker on the CD sleeve. (You may also have been compulsive enough to save the hologram-laden Certificate of Authenticity, which should have the key as well.) If you can't find it, contact your PC's manufacturer or, barring that, Microsoft for a proper key. You might also try the simply awesome (and awesomely named), open-source Magical Jelly Bean Key Finder, a tiny little utility whose sole purpose is to find the registration keys hidden away in your Registry.

Step 2: Slipstream Service Pack 3

To create a slipstreamed XP SP3 CD, first create a new folder called XP in the root folder of your hard drive. Insert your original XP CD, start Windows Explorer, and then navigate to your CD drive. Highlight everything in the root folder of the CD, and copy all of it to the C:\XP folder you just created.

Next, create a second new folder alongside C:\XP, and name it SP3. Go to download.microsoft.com, type sp3 network install into the search box, and click the link for Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers in the search results. Download the 324MB file, WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe, and save it to the new C:\SP3 folder.

From the Start menu, select Run (or press Windows key-R). Type the following command at the prompt and click OK:

c:\sp3\WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU /integrate:c:\xp

Type the entire command on one line with only a single space between ENU and /integrate—there should be no spaces surrounding the colons.

If all goes well, the process should take a minute or two and then conclude with a simple "Completed" message box. Otherwise, if you see an error, here's what it means:

Failed to copy some or all of the files necessary for integrated install: This can happen for any number of reasons, most likely because you mistyped the /integrate command. But do make sure you have plenty of free hard drive space, and that all of the files from your older XP CD are present in the C:\XP folder.

…is not recognized as an internal or external command: Either you mistyped the SP3 update filename, or you didn't save it in the C:\SP3 folder.

…is not a valid Win32 application: This error usually means the file you downloaded is corrupt, or has not finished downloading. Delete the file and try downloading again.

…not the correct version: You're trying to slipstream the U.S. English version of the SP3 update with a non-English copy of Windows XP, or vice versa. Just return to the Microsoft download page, choose your language from the Change language list, and download the correct file.

Step 3: Automate the Install

Now if you want to be really slick, you can set up what Microsoft calls an answer file to enter your product key automatically so you don't have to type it manually later on. On your original Win XP CD (Professional Edition only), navigate to the \Support\Tools folder, double-click DEPLOY.CAB, and then double-click Setupmgr.exe to open the Windows Setup Manager Wizard. When prompted, choose Create a new answer file and then Windows Unattended Installation. For the User Interaction Level, choose Provide defaults, and when asked about the Distribution Folder, answer No. Finally, you'll see a new window, into which you can specify defaults; select Providing the Product Key on the left and then type your product key in the text fields on the right.

When you're done, save the file Unattend.txt into your C:\XP folder. For additional information, open the Setupmgr.chm file, also found in DEPLOY.CAB.

Step 4: Bootstrap and Burn

You're not done with your old XP disc yet; you still need to pull the boot loader off the old disc so you can make the new one bootable.

The easiest way to do this is using ImgBurn, available free from www.imgburn.com. Install ImgBurn, start the app, and click Write files/folders to disc on the first screen. Choose the Advanced tab, followed by the Bootable Disc tab, and from the Extract Boot Image list select the drive containing your XP disc. Click the Save icon and save the BootImage.ima file to your C:\SP3 folder.

Now it's time to burn a new CD. You'll need CD-burning software capable of creating a bootable CD, such as ImgBurn, Nero Burning ROM (part of Nero 8 Ultra Edition), or Roxio Media Creator, and you'll need to customize the burning settings carefully.

If you're using Roxio or Nero, choose Bootable CD or CD-ROM (Boot), respectively, from the list of project types. Or, if you're using ImgBurn, choose the Advanced tab, followed by the Bootable Disc tab, and turn on the Make Image Bootable option.

Next, use 0x7C0 for the load segment, and 4 for the sector count. Make sure you're using the Joliet file system, and if prompted to choose a bootable disc emulation type, select no emulation. Specify the BootImage.ima file you just created as the boot image; copy the CD volume label from your original XP CD, and paste it as the disc label for your new project.

Drag the entire contents of the C:\XP folder into your CD project and burn the CD. For good measure, use a Sharpie pen to write your XP key right on your CD, and then put the disc in a safe place for that rainy day.

How to secure/hide folders on personal computer?

Today tip is very helpful to hide and secure your personal data from other users, particularly on home computer. Just imagine if multiple users are using the same computer at home or in office environment then there is no any 100% secure method to protect your personal files. You may be used any third party tools to protect your folders but it is not recommended by Microsoft to use such kinds of tools. Using built-in windows (XP, 2003, Vista) Attrib commands option, you can change the attributes of a folder (Read only, Hidden and System attributes) and safe your data.

Follow the given steps to edit the folders attributes to secure your data:

To enable this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

Now create a folder that you want to hide on any computer drive. (For example, you have created a folder on D drive with the name Data)

First click on Start button and type CMD in Run box then press Ok button to display the windows command prompt.

Now type the command "attrib +s +h D:\Data" without quotation marks and press Enter button to execute it.

This command will hide your "Data" folder from D drive and now you can verify it.

Any one cannot unhide this folder using windows "Show hidden files and folders" option also.

When you want to unhide this folder, again open command prompt and type the command "attrib -s -h D:\Data" and press Enter button. If you want to hide files then simply move all these files to this "Data" folder.

How to move your mouse cursor without mouse?

You can control your mouse pointer with keyboard keys in all windows versions. When your mouse stops working, you can enable this keyboard feature to complete your important work. This keyboard mouse can performs all tasks same like a normal mouse.

Follow the given steps to activate the keyboard mouse:

To edit this feature, first you should log onto your computer with administrative rights.

To activate this feature, press Alt+Shift+NumLock keys at once and you will receive a small MouseKey box.

To keep MouseKeys on, click on Ok button or click on cancel button to cancel MouseKeys box.

Click on Settings button, if you want to adjust the mouse cursor detail settings.

Here a new dialog box will appear with the title “Settings for MouseKeys", now you can manage all mouse settings for example mouse cursor speed, acceleration and some other features.

Now using Numeric keypad, you can move your mouse pointer. The controls are:

• 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 and 9 keys are used to move the mouse cursor into different directions.

• Key 5 is used as mouse click button.

• Insert key used to hold down mouse button.

• + Sign used to double click on any object.

• Delete button used to release the mouse.

• Click on NumLock button to disable this keyboard mouse feature.

Summer Salad With Feta

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Tomatoes were this summer’s forbidden fruit (yes, they are fruits, not vegetables). It was just last week that the Food and Drug Administration announced that tomatoes are safe to eat again – wonderful news for those pining for the fruitiness of the heirloom, the brawn and juice of the beefsteak, or the tart edge of the cherry tomato. Even better than their wide variety of flavors, tomatoes are loaded with vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene and lycopene, all powerful antioxidants.
Like a ripe peach, a tomato should give just slightly when pressed. It may be firmer at the shoulders, but it shouldn’t be hard, and if it has no smell, it’s probably not ripe. At the height of tomato season, be wary of soft, mushy spots.If possible, look for vine-ripened tomatoes grown on a farm near you; the flavor will far surpass that of tomatoes imported over long distances.
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Summer Salad with Feta

5 medium or large ripe tomatoes cut into wedges (if large, the wedges should be cut crosswise in half), or 1 pint of cherry tomatoes cut in half

1/2 European cucumber, or 1 Persian or Japanese cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, seeded if desired, then sliced into half circles about 1/3-inch thick.

Sea salt or fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, or 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, salt, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. Add the feta and herbs, and toss again. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and serve.

Variations:

Add any or all of the ingredients below:

1/2 small red onion, sliced and rinsed with cold water

12 to 18 imported Greek black olives, such as kalamatas or amphisas

1 small green, yellow, or red bell pepper

1 heart of romaine lettuce, cut in 2-inch pieces

A handful of cubed stale bread or croutons

Advance preparation:

You can assemble the salad hours before adding the seasonings, vinegar, and olive oil. Be warned: If you salt the salad too long before serving, it will become watery, as the salt draws out juices from the vegetables.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Mirrors Don’t Lie. Mislead? Oh, Yes.

For the bubbleheaded young Narcissus of myth, the mirror spun a fatal fantasy, and the beautiful boy chose to die by the side of a reflecting pond rather than leave his “beloved” behind. For the aging narcissist of Shakespeare's 62nd sonnet, the mirror delivered a much-needed whack to his vanity, the sight of a face “beated and chopp’d with tann’d antiquity” underscoring the limits of self-love.

Multimedia

Sammlungen des Fürsten von und zu Liechtenstein, Vaduz

REFLECTED People have long been fascinated by mirrors, with one central to a 17th-century work by Rubens.

Whether made of highly polished metal or of glass with a coating of metal on the back, mirrors have fascinated people for millennia: ancient Egyptians were often depicted holding hand mirrors. With their capacity to reflect back nearly all incident light upon them and so recapitulate the scene they face, mirrors are like pieces of dreams, their images hyper-real and profoundly fake. Mirrors reveal truths you may not want to see. Give them a little smoke and a house to call their own, and mirrors will tell you nothing but lies.

To scientists, the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of mirrors make them powerful tools for exploring questions about perception and cognition in humans and other neuronally gifted species, and how the brain interprets and acts upon the great tides of sensory information from the external world. They are using mirrors to study how the brain decides what is self and what is other, how it judges distances and trajectories of objects, and how it reconstructs the richly three-dimensional quality of the outside world from what is essentially a two-dimensional snapshot taken by the retina’s flat sheet of receptor cells. They are applying mirrors in medicine, to create reflected images of patients’ limbs or other body parts and thus trick the brain into healing itself. Mirror therapy has been successful in treating disorders like phantom limb syndrome, chronic pain and post-stroke paralysis.

“In a sense, mirrors are the best ‘virtual reality’ system that we can build,” said Marco Bertamini of the University of Liverpool. “The object ‘inside’ the mirror is virtual, but as far as our eyes are concerned it exists as much as any other object.” Dr. Bertamini and his colleagues have also studied what people believe about the nature of mirrors and mirror images, and have found nearly everybody, even students of physics and math, to be shockingly off the mark.

Other researchers have determined that mirrors can subtly affect human behavior, often in surprisingly positive ways. Subjects tested in a room with a mirror have been found to work harder, to be more helpful and to be less inclined to cheat, compared with control groups performing the same exercises in nonmirrored settings. Reporting in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, C. Neil Macrae, Galen V. Bodenhausen and Alan B. Milne found that people in a room with a mirror were comparatively less likely to judge others based on social stereotypes about, for example, sex, race or religion.

“When people are made to be self-aware, they are likelier to stop and think about what they are doing,” Dr. Bodenhausen said. “A byproduct of that awareness may be a shift away from acting on autopilot toward more desirable ways of behaving.” Physical self-reflection, in other words, encourages philosophical self-reflection, a crash course in the Socratic notion that you cannot know or appreciate others until you know yourself.

The mirror technique does not always keep knees from jerking. When it comes to socially acceptable forms of stereotyping, said Dr. Bodenhausen, like branding all politicians liars or all lawyers crooks, the presence of a mirror may end up augmenting rather than curbing the willingness to pigeonhole.

The link between self-awareness and elaborate sociality may help explain why the few nonhuman species that have been found to recognize themselves in a mirror are those with sophisticated social lives. Our gregarious great ape cousins — chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and gorillas — along with dolphins and Asian elephants, have passed the famed mirror self-recognition test, which means they will, when given a mirror, scrutinize marks that had been applied to their faces or bodies. The animals also will check up on personal hygiene, inspecting their mouths, nostrils and genitals.

Yet not all members of a certifiably self-reflective species will pass the mirror test. Tellingly, said Diana Reiss, a professor of psychology at Hunter College who has studied mirror self-recognition in elephants and dolphins, “animals raised in isolation do not seem to show mirror self-recognition.”

For that matter, humans do not necessarily see the face in the mirror either. In a report titled “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Enhancement in Self-Recognition,” which appears online in The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Nicholas Epley and Erin Whitchurch described experiments in which people were asked to identify pictures of themselves amid a lineup of distracter faces. Participants identified their personal portraits significantly quicker when their faces were computer enhanced to be 20 percent more attractive. They were also likelier, when presented with images of themselves made prettier, homelier or left untouched, to call the enhanced image their genuine, unairbrushed face. Such internalized photoshoppery is not simply the result of an all-purpose preference for prettiness: when asked to identify images of strangers in subsequent rounds of testing, participants were best at spotting the unenhanced faces.

How can we be so self-delusional when the truth stares back at us? “Although we do indeed see ourselves in the mirror every day, we don’t look exactly the same every time,” explained Dr. Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. There is the scruffy-morning you, the assembled-for-work you, the dressed-for-an-elegant-dinner you. “Which image is you?” he said. “Our research shows that people, on average, resolve that ambiguity in their favor, forming a representation of their image that is more attractive than they actually are.”

Wildlife Conservation Society

Asian elephants are among the few nonhuman animals found to recognize themselves in mirrors.

Multimedia

When we look in the mirror, our relative beauty is not the only thing we misjudge. In a series of studies, Dr. Bertamini and his colleagues have interviewed scores of people about what they think the mirror shows them. They have asked questions like, Imagine you are standing in front of a bathroom mirror; how big do you think the image of your face is on the surface? And what would happen to the size of that image if you were to step steadily backward, away from the glass?

People overwhelmingly give the same answers. To the first question they say, well, the outline of my face on the mirror would be pretty much the size of my face. As for the second question, that’s obvious: if I move away from the mirror, the size of my image will shrink with each step.

Both answers, it turns out, are wrong. Outline your face on a mirror, and you will find it to be exactly half the size of your real face. Step back as much as you please, and the size of that outlined oval will not change: it will remain half the size of your face (or half the size of whatever part of your body you are looking at), even as the background scene reflected in the mirror steadily changes. Importantly, this half-size rule does not apply to the image of someone else moving about the room. If you sit still by the mirror, and a friend approaches or moves away, the size of the person’s image in the mirror will grow or shrink as our innate sense says it should.

What is it about our reflected self that it plays by such counterintuitive rules? The important point is that no matter how close or far we are from the looking glass, the mirror is always halfway between our physical selves and our projected selves in the virtual world inside the mirror, and so the captured image in the mirror is half our true size.

Rebecca Lawson, who collaborates with Dr. Bertamini at the University of Liverpool, suggests imagining that you had an identical twin, that you were both six feet tall and that you were standing in a room with a movable partition between you. How tall would a window in the partition have to be to allow you to see all six feet of your twin?

The window needs to allow light from the top of your twin’s head and from the bottom of your twin’s feet to reach you, Dr. Lawson said. These two light sources start six feet apart and converge at your eye. If the partition is close to your twin, the upper and lower light points have just begun to converge, so the opening has to be nearly six feet tall to allow you a full-body view. If the partition is close to you, the light has nearly finished converging, so the window can be quite small. If the partition were halfway between you and your twin, the aperture would have to be — three feet tall. Optically, a mirror is similar, Dr. Lawson said, “except that instead of lighting coming from your twin directly through a window, you see yourself in the mirror with light from your head and your feet being reflected off the mirror into your eye.”

This is one partition whose position we cannot change. When we gaze into a mirror, we are all of us Narcissus, tethered eternally to our doppelgänger on the other side.

Smaller PCs Cause Worry for Industry

SAN FRANCISCO — The personal computer industry is poised to sell tens of millions of small, energy-efficient Internet-centric devices. Curiously, some of the biggest companies in the business consider this bad news.

The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC

In a tale of sales success breeding resentment, computer companies are wary of the new breed of computers because their low price could threaten PC makers’ already thin profit margins.

The new computers, often called netbooks, have scant onboard memory. They use energy-sipping computer chips. They are intended largely for surfing Web sites and checking e-mail. The price is small too, with some selling for as little as $300.

The companies that pioneered the category were small too, like Asus and Everex, both of Taiwan.

Despite their wariness of these slim machines, Dell and Acer, two of the biggest PC manufacturers, are not about to let the upstarts have this market to themselves. Hewlet - Packard, the world’s biggest PC maker, recently sidled into the market with a hybrid of a notebook and netbook that it calls the Mini-Note.

Several makers are taking the low-powered PCs one step further. In the coming months, they are expected to introduce “net-tops,” low-cost versions of desktop computers intended for Internet access.

A Silicon Valley start-up called CherryPal says it will challenge the idea that big onboard power is required to allow basic computing functions in the Internet age. On Monday it plans to introduce a $240 desktop PC that is the size of a paperback and uses two watts of power compared with the 100 watts of some desktops.

It wants to take advantage of the trend toward “cloud computing,” in which data is managed and stored in distant servers, not on the actual machine.

Industry analysts say that the emergence of this new class of low-cost, cloud-centric machines could threaten titans like Microsoft and Intel, or even H.P. and Dell, because the giants have built their companies on the notion that consumers want more power and functions built into their next computer.

Some of the big computer companies put a positive spin on the low-cost machines, saying they welcome new categories. But they would just as soon this niche did not take off, given the relatively low profit margins.

“When I talk to PC vendors, the No. 1 question I get is, how do I compete with these netbooks when what we really want to do is sell PCs that cost a lot more money?” said J. P. Gownder, an analyst with Forrester Research.

Even as some PC vendors are jumping into the fray, others say they are resisting. Fujitsu, one of the world’s top 10 personal computer makers, said that it believes the low-cost netbook trend is a dangerous one for the bottom line.

“We’re sitting on the sidelines not because we’re lazy. We’re sitting on the sidelines because even if this category takes off, and we get our piece of the pie, it doesn’t add up,” said Paul Moore, senior director of mobile product management for Fujitsu. “It’s a product that essentially has no margin.”

Stan Glasgow, chief executive of Sony Electronics, said, “We are not looking at competing with Asus.” But he said the company is investigating what consumers want in a second PC.

It is a market that caught the major computer companies — both hardware and software — by surprise after Asus, entered the market last year with the $300 Eee PC. The company thought the device would essentially appeal to the education market, or as a starter laptop for adolescents, but the interest has turned out to be broader.

With an emphasis not in on-board applications (like word processing), but Internet-based ones like Google Docs, the Linux-based Eee PC sold out its 350,000 global inventory. It has been in short supply ever since, said Jackie Hsu, president of the American division of Asus. Everex has sold around 20,000 of its CloudBook, which sells for about $350.

The sales are a veritable drop in the bucket compared with the 271 million desktop and laptop PCs shipped globally last year. But there is an intensifying debate about how big the category can become, and what segment of the market finds these computers appealing.

IDC, a market research firm, is predicting that the category could grow from fewer than 500,000 in 2007 to nine million in 2012 as the market for second computers expands in developed economies.

Intel is projecting that by 2011, the market for the netbooks will be 40 million units a year, which is why Intel is jumping in with low-powered chips that would be used in the netbooks and the net-tops.

With its new Atom chip, Intel is competing against upstarts including Via, a Taiwanese company that has a chip called the C7. The C7 is showing up in netbooks and, indeed, is being used in the Everex models and in H.P.’s $500 Mini-Note.

The wave of small computers includes, from top, the CherryPal Net-Top, the Asus Eee PC and the Everex CloudBook.

William Calder, an Intel spokesman, said that the cost of the Atom for PC makers is around $44, compared with $100 for a state-of-the-art chip. He said that Intel executives think the market for low-cost PCs is too big to pass up, though it does raise a potential threat to more powerful and more profitable computing lines.

Microsoft has been a reluctant participant too. Even though it is no longer selling its Windows XP operating system software, it made an exception for makers of these low-cost laptops and desktops. Microsoft said it was responding to a groundswell of consumer interest in the low-cost machines, but some makers of those machines say Microsoft did so reluctantly because it did not want to lose market share to Linux.

Tim Bajarin, an industry analyst with Creative Strategies, a technology consulting firm, said that while the big computer companies have been caught off guard by the market’s potential, they are finding little choice but to dive in.

“H.P., Dell and these other PC makers have learned that if there’s consumer interest, you can’t just sit back and let someone else steal all the thunder,” he said.

Hewlett-Packard thinks consumers want more than a mobile Internet terminal. “Our competitors proved there is a pretty good market,” Robert Baker, a notebook product manager at Hewlett-Packard conceded.

Dell has not been specific about the price or features of its entry, but Michael Tatelman, vice president for marketing at Dell, said he believed that the category would have limited consumer appeal.

They are useful for someone on the go at an airport or on a commuting trip on a bus, but not for a more intense computing experience, he said. “It’s a good 30- to 90-minute experience.”

A healthy sex life: 10 reasons to make love

Evidence points to the many health benefits of an active sex life. Sex Made Easy, an article published in Men's Health Magazine, gives 10 healthy reasons to hop into bed -- a reminder that making love is good for both body and soul.

1. Exercise. "Sexual activity is a form of physical exercise," according to Dr. Michael Cirigliano of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Making love three times a week burns around 7,500 calories in a year -- the equivalent of jogging 75 miles.
2. Heavy Breathing. A night of love can raise the amount of oxygen in cells, helping to keep organs and tissues functioning at their peak.
3. Strong Bones and Muscles. "Any kind of physical exercise is going to increase testosterone," states Dr. Karen Donahey, director of the Sex and Marital Therapy Program at Chicago's Northwestern University Medical Center. Testosterone is believed to help keep men's bones and muscles strong.
4. Lowered Cholesterol. Making love regularly can lower levels of the body's total cholesterol slightly, while positively changing the ratio of good-to-bad cholesterol.
5. Pain Relief. Sex can lower levels of "arthritic pain, whiplash pain and headache pain," according to Dr. Beverly Whipple, president-elect of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. Hormones that are released during sexual excitement and orgasm can elevate pain thresholds.
6. DHEA -- Without Supplements. DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), a popular supplemental hormone, is released naturally during lovemaking. "Just before orgasm and ejaculation," Crenshaw says, "DHEA spikes to levels three to five times higher than usual."
7. Prostate Protection. Researchers say prostate trouble may arise or be worsened by fluid buildup within the gland. Regular ejaculation will help wash out those fluids. Be cautious when suddenly changing frequency -- sudden changes may also trigger prostate problems.
8. Stress Relief. "Sex can be a very effective way of reducing stress levels," Donahey told Men's Health.
9. Love Will Keep Us Together. Crenshaw says affectionate touch will increase levels of oxytocin -- the "bonding hormone." Oxytocin is a desire-enhancing chemical secreted by the pituitary. Regular oxytocin release may help encourage frequent lovemaking.
10. Hormones -- Naturally. "Regular lovemaking can increase a woman's estrogen level, protect her heart and keep her vaginal tissues more supple," states Donahey.

Fergie: Madrid would be bad for Ron

Sir Alex Ferguson appears to have backtracked somewhat on his stance regarding Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming on Monday that ‘going to Real Madrid would be the worst thing he could do’.

Ferguson seemed ultra-confident over Ronaldo’s future on Friday, insisting the 23-year-old ‘would be a Manchester United player next season’.

The United boss maintains that view – pointing to the facts of Ronaldo’s contract, but his suggestion that Madrid would be a bad career move appear to hint that the saga is not yet dead.

Madrid president Roman Calderon has confirmed he will not be giving up until the player states his position, which crucially remains cloudy after Ronaldo stated ‘only God knows my future’.

Ferguson may be God in the eyes of United fans, but his confidence seemed less secure when discussing the matter on Monday.

"Sometimes young lads can be turned by talk of money and the moves that are happening all the time in football," said The Scot.

“But the future is that he signed a five year contract with the team last year and he has four years left. That’s definite, I’ve seen his signature.

“After the Champions League final Ronaldo was the happiest boy in the world. I think he knows where the best club is to be, and that is Manchester United.

“I honestly believe that going to Real Madrid would be the worst thing he could do. He’s 23 years old and is at a fantastic club.”

La Liga transfer news

Marca claims that Real Madrid star Robinho is discussing a move to Chelsea, with the Spanish daily suggesting his agent Wagner Ribeiro reportedly met with Blues sporting director Frank Arnesen in London.

Los Merengues are believed to want £28 mPublish Postillion for their Brazil international.

Jaime Gavilan is a Getafe player having left Valencia following a successful six-month loan. The 23-year-old is starting his third spell at the South Madrid side as he played the 2005/2006 season with Geta.

Gavilan has signed a four-year deal worth £4 million and Valencia will earn 15% of his future transfer. Michael Laudrup’s former team have already signed six players this summer: Ibrahim Kas, Euge Polanski, Rafael Lopez, Joffre Guerron and Adrian Gonzalez.

Vicente Del Bosque will be presented as Spain’s new head coach on Tuesday 15 July, according to the domestic press. The ex-Real Madrid and Besiktas boss will replace Luis Aragones.

Atletico Madrid have been rebuffed in a bid for Chivas de Guadalajara starlet Carlos Plascencia. Mexican director Nestor de la Torre has stated that the offer is far too low, and that other teams are in talks for the exciting Under-15 international.

Back to basics for healthy food

Almost 70 years after Britons were urged to Dig For Victory to produce hearty home-grown food to help the war effort, domestic horticulture is coming back.

Across the Atlantic, where mortgage defaults, plummeting property prices and spiralling oil costs have driven the US economy to the brink of recession, home-grown food is also gaining in popularity.

Where for some people, the appeal has been primarily health-driven, for other newcomers to the grow-your-own phenomenon, growing vegetables from seed is being recognised as a cheap way to get healthy food.

According to the US National Gardening Association, Americans spent some $US1.4 billion ($NZ1.85 billion) on growing their own vegetables last year, an increase of almost 25% on 2006.

Across Britain, gardening virgins are buying vegetable seeds in their millions and waiting lists for allotments - plots of land which can be rented for a nominal fee and cultivated to your heart's desire - are stretching for years.

Around 300,000 people hold allotments in Britain, but many thousands more are waiting. And whereas once they were strictly the territory of elderly green-fingered enthusiasts, now everyone from hard-up students to busy young professionals wants a little piece of the country to call - and grow - their own.

"We got in just before the rush," said Maeve Polkinhorn, a young mother as her one-year-old daughter Orla snoozed in a stroller beside the plot she has had for three years at the Grange Lane Allotments in south-east London.

"For us it's the perfect antidote to living in London. It's a great stress-buster and the vegetables we grow taste so much better."

A combination of rising fuel costs, greater demand from growing economies in Asia, poor crop yields and the use of farmland for biofuels has pushed world food prices up.

In Britain, the credit squeeze is starting to bite and people are told the going is getting tougher with daily media headlines about rising inflation and slowing economic growth.

"We often find that when pockets are a little tight and people haven't got so much spare change, they tend to buy more seeds," said Clare Dixie, marketing manager for Thompson Morgan, one of Britain's biggest seed companies.

Vegetable-growing in Britain declined sharply in the 1980s and 1990s as cheap all-year-round vegetables in supermarkets took prime position.

But both Thompson Morgan and Suttons Seeds - another major British supplier - have noticed a rising trend in the past five years and say they have seen a jump towards vegetables from flower seeds this year in particular, with edible varieties accounting for between 60 and 70% of total sales.

Britons spent around STG62 million ($NZ160 million) on seeds in 2007, 46 million of which was spent on seeds of edible plants, according to the Horticultural Trades Association.

Its latest figures show sales of fruit trees and seeds for edible plants were on the up in 2007, rising by 43% and 13% on 2006 - a trend set to continue this year.

Tom Sharples of Suttons said the fashion for organic foods - especially among middle-class mothers - had been a driving factor, but he is convinced the tougher economic climate will produce longer-term converts.

"Before, it used to be the older people and then it was the eco-mummies," he said. "But now I suspect there is a strong economic factor."

Lenny Moakes, an 85-year-old seasoned London-based allotment grower, said this year, more than ever in his 44 years of vegetable growing, has been a bumper year for newcomers. "We all want food now that's organic, we don't put no chemicals or any of that rubbish on our vegetables."

Many amateur growers are also eager to point out many other health benefits - both mental and physical.

John Sleat, 71, says he thought his "time was up" when he contracted pneumonia last year, but his doctor urged him not to give up the allotment because both the sowing and reaping were good for his health.

And Colin Rutland, a 77-year-old who is in remission from cancer, is convinced his plot kept him alive.

"I tell you, if I hadn't had this allotment and I'd have had to sit indoors, I'd have been dead," he said.

For those who have a smaller space, less time, or just less commitment, seed companies are rapidly developing fruit and vegetables to lure even the most impatient or work-shy growers.

Raspberries and blackberries which can be grown in pots, seed tapes and seed mats which keep mess to a minimum and "cut-and-come-again" salads which can be grown and harvested in a matter of weeks are selling well, according to Thompson Morgan and Suttons.

Among the dedicated, there is anecdotal evidence of a revival of some World War Two habits, when food rationing meant "digging for victory" and using all resources - vegetable, animal and mineral - to ensure the nation's survival.

Sharples said he has heard of Britons ploughing up their lawns, as they did in the 1940s. And some growers are branching out into new food production areas such as "snaileries".

Gary Weekes, a builder who lives in the southern English county of Kent, said it seemed "a natural progression" for him to expand his vegetable-growing success to a more meaty crop.

After checking out some basic tips on the internet, he started a snailery in his back garden and soon had friends and neighbours dropping off their contributions on his doorstep.

"I took about a hundred of them to a barbeque at a friend's house and they went down a storm," he said.

"And I've had my eye on the squirrels in my back garden for the past few weeks," he added, only half joking.