USB vs Firewire

By CC-Staff

Introduction:

USB 2 is the next generation of the Universal Serial Bus, which the first USB products trickled out back in the Pentium days. USB 1.1 is, for the most part, available on the majority of today's computers. USB is a port that allowed users to be able to plug and unplug devices from their computer without having to reboot it.

USB 1.1 is still a widely accepted standard, but now, it is getting updated. With current gadgets out there, USB 1.1's standard is too slow to stay up with current demands. USB 1.1 had a speed of 12mbps, which is just a fraction of what today's USB 2 standard which boasts speeds of up to 480mbps, or 40 times faster than USB 1.1.

USB is the answer to replacing the "old" ports such as PS/2 , parallel and serial ports. With the availability of keyboards and mice that use this standard, people are slowly moving away from ps/2 devices. I personally still use PS/2, and those who threw out their ps/2 devices, might wish they haven't.

When something goes wrong with your computer and you can't boot into your operating system, well those who use USB are out of luck because PS/2 devices do not need drivers to be able to function, while usb keyboards and mice do.

What is Firewire?

Firewire aka IEEE 1394, has been out for quite a few years, only recently, it has become increasingly popular for PC users. Firewire has been available for Mac users for a while. Firewire is a tad slower than USB2; it's only 400mbps compared to USB2's 480mbps. Firewire does basically the same as USB, it allows you to swap devices "hotswapping" without turning off your computer and turning it back on.

There is one major diffence that benefits Firewire users is that it is isosynchronus. That means that if you have for example 3 devices, that all 3 would get 480mbps bandwidth to use, while USB2 is shared between devices. This is the ugly side of using USB2.

How do I get Firewire or USB 2 ?

Your motherboard might have already built in USB2 or Firewire ports or both respectively if your motherboard is under 2 years old. USB 2 and Firewire ports are being included more with the newer motherboards, but read the manual to see if you already have it.

If you don't have one or the other, there is an easy way of installing USB2 or Firewire or both in your computer, and that is by buying a PCI card. There are quite a few manufacturers that make these cards. You have the option of getting a PCI card with just USB2 ports, just Firewire and cards that have both. I personally would recommend getting a card that has both for future device purchases. It might cost a bit more, but then why buy another card? I would advise that you read the specs on the card before buying, but you shouldn't have a problem if you run Win98se and up.

Some insight on USB 1.1 products on usb2 ports

Some people might get confused with this but I will explain it nice and short. USB 2 devices will work on USB 1.1, it may not work great since there is a significant speed decrease. The device will not work as fast as it would if it was connect to a USB 2.0 port.

Second, devices that are designed for USB 1.1 will work on USB 2 ports, but there will be no speed increase. That device will continue to operate as if its being used on a USB 1.1 port.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, Firewire and USB2 has both its disadvantges, and its advantages. I would personally choose Firewire over USB2 because it has been used a lot longer than USB2. There also seems to be a lot more multimedia devices, such as DV Cameras, that use the Firewire port compared to USB2, and there are harddrive that also tend to use Firewire as its connection than USB2.

But, for those who do not have either USB2 or Firewire and need one of them, to be on the safe side, I would personally buy a card that supports both, for the simple fact as stated above, you would have both areas covered.

Article provided by:

Canadian Content Staff
Email: technology @ canadiancontent.net
http://www.canadiancontent.net/tech/

Email Backup

By Alexandru Marias

Introduction:

This article will explain how one can create an Outlook Express Backup copy ( as Outlook Express lacks a backup function ). This email program is usually installed with the Windows operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email programs today. While using Outlook Express is fairly easy, finding and backing up the emails can be a little more complicated. Since there are a large number of files and folders on a computer running Windows, the first problem is to find the files containing the emails. Outlook Express stores emails in .dbx files and there might be several different dbx files depending on how many email folders you have created in Outlook Express. If you are using Windows 98, you can probably locate your emails somewhere in the Windows directory. In Windows 2000 and XP, emails are usually stored somewhere in the user data or application data folder.

Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures are only a few examples of what could destroy the data on a hard drive, including all documents, pictures, emails and other files!

Most home computer users don't need an expensive backup solution; as they only need to burn the folders with important documents and pictures to a CD-RW from time to time; this ensuring that in case of a disaster they can easily get them back.

Together with documents and pictures, it's a critical operation to save the emails, attachments, address book and other important data from within the email client; otherwise in case of a computer problem the user will find himself in the impossibility to get them back, and this can be a really unwanted situation especially for webmasters or people who rely on their emails. Unfortunately many people actually start to do backup copies only after they lose data.

The easiest way to find out exactly where your emails are stored is to start Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu, and open the Options dialog box. In the Options dialog box, select the Maintenance page and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find the path to the folder containing your emails. To open the folder, copy the path and paste in the address field of the Windows File Manager. You should see a number of .dbx files and possibly some other files, too.

After locating the email folder, you can simply select all the files and press Ctrl-C. Then open the folder where you want to keep the backup copies (on another hard disk, a DVD or a network drive, for example) in Windows Explorer, and press Ctrl-V.

Backing up your address book: Steps

• Select Tools | Address Book... from the menu in Outlook Express.
  
• Choose File | Export | Other Address Book... from the address book's menu.
  
• Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) as the export format.
  
• Click Export.
  
• Select the location you want to export your address book to using the browse... button.
  
• Give your backup copy a meaningful name.
  
• Click Next.
  
• Select the fields you want to include in your backup.
  
• Finally, select Finish.
  
• Click OK.
  
• Click Close to end the process (successfully, I hope).
  

Additionally, there are several email backup utilities which can make the backup operation much easier. Outlook Express Backup Genie is one piece of software that can offer peace of mind by creating compact backup copies of emails, attachments, address book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules and settings periodically. The difference between using a automatic email backup utility and manual backups, is that the first can be scheduled to create backups quiet in the background at specified time intervals, and that it will include all email information ( signatures, blocked list, etc. ) which otherwise would be more difficult to save. Also if ever the backup is needed, the application will ensure that the restore process is made smoothly. And, it works with top 9 popular email clients. The downside of using a automatic email backup utility is that it costs money, usually about 20-30 USD as one time payment, while the manual backups are ofcourse, free.

Conclusion:

The conclusion is that either manual or automatic, backing up emails is a critical operation for every computer user that would regret losing them.

A trial copy of Outlook Express Backup Genie can be found at: Amic Utilities.

Article provided by:

Canadian Content Staff
Email: technology @ canadiancontent.net
http://www.canadiancontent.net/tech/

Distance learning Broadcast Engineering course

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS : distance learning Broadcast Engineering course was designed to provide the specialized knowledge required for a career as a broadcast engineering technician at an AM or FM radio station or at a TV station. This course is also valuable for the cable television technician who must maintain and repair studio equipment.

Broadcast Engineering explores important theories and principles related specifically to broadcasting, but because it does not contain any laboratory work, it is best suited to those students who already have some previous education or practical experience in electronics.

What You Will Learn:

Broadcast Engineering (course 2) starts with the basics of electronics and then moves on to more advanced topics that include:

AC and DC circuit theory.
Identifying components.
Working with printed circuit boards.
Systematic troubleshooting.
Antennas and wave propagation.
Audio signals in broadcast systems.
The television system.
Video tape and disk recorders
FM stereo.
Programmable controllers.
Digital data communications.
Fiber optics and more.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers Certification

Broadcast Engineering graduates are eligible to earn a Certified Broadcast Technologist certification (CBT) from the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE). SBE is the only organization devoted to the advancement of all levels and types of broadcast engineering.

Thirst Aid Pouch

Basically we don't drink direct from the tap here in Malaysia. We are suppose to really boil the water so it is safe to consume. However what if you have no other choice and really desperate for water. Would you drink any water you could find? If you don't drink you die and if you drink you also die or perhaps live if you are lucky. But with this thirst aid pouch, you could possible drink just about any water i.e from drainage ditch or muddy puddle to a standpipe. The thirst aid is equipped with advanced water filtration technology that is capable of removing contaminants with a unique filter that strips out pathogens, bacteria and also viruses.

Beside that it also remove other harmful items such as sediment while heavy metal are reduce to leave the water odourless and palatable.

The thirst Aid Pouch features a durable fabric known as Amour Weave that can withstand a 2.5 tonne Landrover being driven over it repeatedly without breaking.

This is perfect for travellers, since you are able to get clean and safe water anytime, anywhere without having to resort to bottled water that is rather expensive in some countries.

www.bwtechnologies.com

Flying Man @ Rocketman

Former swiss military pilot, Yves Rossy, also known as Fusion man flies in the sky like a rocketeer in Southern Swiss Alps near Bex. Rossy is the first man to successfully fly with wings, powered by four engines on his back.

Unbelieveable you may say. But that man really fly. Amazing really.....

Robots inspired by animals

Robotics researchers are increasingly turning to nature for inspiration. Watch a robotic salamander, a water strider robot, mechanical cockroaches and some...

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Cyborg insects

Watch some cyborg insects that are being developed and see a robot controlled by a moth.

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