I couldn’t tell you how many movies and TV shows I have seen that have glamorized hacking as a cool and interesting thing to do. Hacking may refer to cleverly solving a program or device problem with alternative techniques, or modifying a program or device to access features that were otherwise unavailable. In the latter sense, hacking can be used maliciously to gain private information about people and organizations, or it can be used creatively to find and solve internet security problems.
Companies are now seeking employees with Ethical Hacking abilities to test their IT Security. Ethical hackers help an organization by actually attacking the organization’s system to figure out where there are weaknesses that need to be fixed. Sounds like a cool job with a cool title, right? :)
Believe it or not, there are ways for a person to become a Certified Ethical Hacker. New iClasses offered by EC-Council are now available online to teach you what you need to know to become certified. Session hijacking, hacking web servers, and web application vulnerabilities are just a few topics covered in the ethical hacking course offered by EC-Council.
In addition to Ethical Hacking, other courses offered by EC-Council include: Security Fundamentals, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics
, Disaster Recovery, and Secure Programming. There are special prices and discounts available for members, government/military personnel, early-bird registration, and multiple seat registration. For course descriptions and more information, visit their website.
It can be very difficult living with a friend or family member who has a problem with substance abuse. Without going into detail too much, I will say that my family has experienced this first-hand with a family member who was in need of help for many years. It took a long time, but I think that person in our family is finally heading the right direction of a happy, healthy lifestyle. Some people may view alcohol rehabilitation as negative, or something that is embarrassing to admit to people when they ask, but it is an important step on the road to recovery for those who do have problems.
For those that live in the Malibu or west L.A. areas of California, Promises is a lovely-looking treatment center offering care for various disorders and addictions. Their well-designed and clean-looking website offers a plethora of useful information for anyone seriously interested in seeking out their services. A limited number of clients are allowed in residential treatments at a time to make sure that everyone gets the attention and support they need to recover. With 20 years of experience in drug and alcohol treatment, and countless testimonials to back up their experience and professionalism, Promises would seem like a very nice place to consider for anyone looking to be rehabilitated.
If you are bored with fancy video game consoles and are looking to play some basic, yet fun, games on the internet, sign up for MagNext, a free game site by Mega Brands, the creators of Rose Art ®, Mega Bloks ®, and other kid-friendly brands. Even though the game is clearly geared towards kids, I like games of all kinds so decided to give it a try. You could give it a try, too, if only just to see if it would be something your child (or a child you know) could play.
In the game, the player uses marble-like spheres called “Magz” (they remind me of the basic sphere object you create on the canvas and see in the Material Editor in 3Ds Studio Max) to navigate through the games. Collect Magz and customize them with different paint colours, from basic solids to fancy textures, and objects, such as baseball caps and king crowns. In the MagNext world, the player has a choice of five things to do: challenge and fight other Magz in the MagNext Arena, play the iCoaster roller coaster game, view the MagNext line of products in the Showroom and what other players have built with them in the Gallery (coming soon), and race in the Spheron Room. After completing the games, the player is awarded coins and experience (XP) points. The website also has a buddy list and chat feature, all kid-friendly and safe.
I must say that the iCoaster game bored me. I thought it involved navigating the Magz through the virtual roller coaster, but most of the game is already animated. The player watches the animation until the game stops at specific points where the player has to select the missing pieces to complete the track. I did enjoy the racing game in the Spheron Room. The player must navigate a car through a course while avoiding the Mag objects, collecting coins, and using the right boosts to gain maximum speed. I enjoyed this game because it was interactive, simple, and fun, just like a lot of the old 8 and 16 bit video games were.
Now that the new year has arrived, it could be time for you to look into purchasing a new cell phone. You could go out and buy a new phone, but keep in mind that many companies offer upgrades every year or two and with the extension of a contract, which I find is a better option than paying significantly more for the phone. Sometimes you can take advantage of your wireless provider’s free cell phone offers if you are looking to get a new phone and save money.
Admittedly, I am not much of an insider in the world of wireless phone service and my provider is T-Mobile. Therefore, I’m not sure what free verizon phones are specifically offered, for example, but I bet there are free offers out there. Maybe you are looking for Sprint phones or at&t cell phones. To find out more, I would suggest scouring the internet to find the best cell phone deals, then pay a visit a local retailer to ask questions about the phones and test them out.
Personally, I took a look at Tmobile phones not all that long ago on the T-Mobile website. To be honest, I wasn’t much into the idea of buying the ultra-hot G1 phone with Google technology. I know somebody who has it and, while I love technology, it just seems like a little… much. Don’t get me wrong, the phone is cool-as-hell, but why spend that kind of money on a phone (I think it was around $500 without the 2 year contract extension) that is just going to be obsolete after a short period of time? Not only that, but cell phones can easily be dropped, lost, or stolen. Dropping a couple of hundred on a cell phone is far from a sensible investment, if you ask me.
Knowing how I am with phones (I’ve been known to drop them) and what I use cell phones for (I am admittedly a textohaulic, but I also use my cell for, well, the “normal” things you use a cell phone for: calling people, voice mail, calendar…), I would go for something cool-looking, but sensibly priced. They are cool to have, but there is really no need for all the bells and whistles.
Accessories can make or break an outfit: Too many can look ridiculous and too few can be boring. It’s nice to match accessories, too. With that in mind, how cool would it be to have a different pair of fashionable eyeglasses to go with different outfits? Okay… it would be totally unnecessary and perhaps a waste of money to have different eyeglasses for different outfits, but what about for different seasons? That might not be too bad… A simple coloured frame, like purple or green, would be cute for the spring and summer months; a plaid pattern, a la Burberry, for the fall; and something really funky, like festive Holiday frames with images of snowflakes and Christmas trees, for the winter time.
How cool are these eyeglasses?!?
If you are looking for a nice selection of eyeglasses, whether you want something funky that will make people notice (the Holiday frames would be a unique accessory for someone who really loves this time of the year) or something more classic and subtle, consider visiting Zenni Optical‘s website. Zenni Optical has a selection of cool frames at reasonable prices. I’m going to keep them in mind for the next time I get a new pair of eyeglasses; I’ve wanted to try out a pair of funky coloured plastic frames for a while and they have some cool-looking styles.
General | Anna | 
June 8, 2009 7:25 pm | 
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