The King Cheetah (Acinonyx Rex) was originally thought to be a seperate species from spotted cheetahs after its discovery in 1926. It was not until 1974, 48 years later, that a live King Cheetah was photographed in the wild, and not until 1981 that the distinctive striped pelt was discovered to be a recessive trait in the species.
In all other respects, King Cheetahs are similar to spotted cheetahs, aside from their larger size and markings. They hunt impala and commonly the Thompson’s Gazelle. Cheetahs hunt by day, making them a diurnal hunter and therefore somewhat unique among the big cats, most of which prefer to hunt by night.
Smile!
Photo courtesy yaaaay
The best known strength of the cheetah of course, it its speed. Cheetahs are without question the fastest animals on the planet, capable of speeds of up to 75 miles per hour. They can accelerate from a standing start to over 60 miles per hour in three strides, faster than most high-performance automobiles. Their bodies are intricately balanced machines designed for the singular purpose of outrunning every other animal.
Unlike almost all other cats, cheetahs are generally incapable of climbing trees. They are also much weaker and lighter than most other big cats. For this reason, cheetahs, even King Cheetahs, rarely fight other big cats in their territories. For them, it is much better to avoid becoming injured.
But the King Cheetah, with it’s darker markings, stripes and larger size, is not a myth. It is a real variant of the more common spotted cheetah and it is found wherever other cheetahs hunt, roam and live.
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a scripting language for a web application is simply where the actual application code runs. In a simple client-server environment, like a web browser to web server session, there are two places where programs can run: on the server or the client.
However, with many HTML-related technologies, like scripting languages, plugins, pop-up windows, framed web pages, server-side includes, PHP, CGI processes, and so forth, where a program is running and what resources it has access to becomes very important for both the programmer and the end user.
PHP, known as the Hypertext Preprocessor, is extraordinarily useful because it kind of forms a bridge between a web server and a client application, such as a web browser. It interprets and processes instructions on the web server, but the output it generates is data that can be displayed by a web browser, usually in the form of an HTML page.
The instructions themselves, however, are written directly inside a web page. To a web designer, therefore, they can write server instructions and client instructions on the same page, which is an excellent way to integrate the two sides of the transaction and reduce both bugs and user errors.
Because of its versatility, PHP is an excellent choice for database-driven web applications as well, because it has built-in features for increased database compatibility and easy application design.
A firewall is a device that prevents other computers on the Internet from communicating with your computer without your authorization. If your television had a firewall, for example, you could set it to block certain channels so that no programs on that channel could reach your television.
On the Internet, an individual desktop computer should rarely require direct communication from another individual machine. This is why firewalls are important. They “lock the doors” around your computer so that other machines on the Internet can’t talk to it. Firewalls do allow communications with authorized machines, however, so that you can use the web and get your e-mail.
The difference between a software firewall and a hardware firewall is that a software firewall is installed in your computer. A hardware firewall is a seperate device which only functions as a firewall and/or a router. It does not run an operating system like Mac OS X or Windows, so it is not vulnerable to the kinds of security problems that a computer is.
Although a software firewall is adequate in most circumstances, a hardware firewall gives you an additional layer of protection. With a hardware firewall installed, it means your computer is never in direct contact with the Internet.
With a hardware firewall installed, even if there were a malicious attempt to reach your computer by a virus or another user, it would be virtually impossible for it or them to establish a direct connection to your computer, because the hardware device sitting on your desk would prevent it.
Installing a hardware firewall is therefore an essential part of Learning 2 Interweb.
There are four important reasons why you should buy an Apple Macintosh computer: either a Macbook portableor an iMac desktop Here is why.
Macs are more secure
1. All Macs have a built-in software firewall.
2. The Apple operating system, called Mac OS X (short for Macintosh Operating System, version ten), is based on an industrial strength system called UNIX which is very secure because it has been in development for nearly four decades.
3. There are very few viruses and almost no spyware that can infect Macs.
Since all new Macs have Intel processors, Macs can also run Microsoft Windows or Linux either as a dual-boot option, or through a virtual machine such as VMWareor Parallels
If you have Windows software, you can still run that software on your new Mac by installing Microsoft Windows in a virtual machine such as VMWare or Parallels, and then installing your Windows software in the virtual machine. Your programs will then run on your Mac desktop just as if you were using a Windows computer.
It is true that Macs don’t have the most recent games, but if you want to play games, get a Nintendo Wii. If you want to get work done, buying and using a Mac is the first step towards Learning 2 Interweb.
Computers are very good at some things, and not so good at others. For example, computers are excellent mathematical problem solvers. Microprocessors are designed specifically to count things: memory addresses, bits, offsets, database entries, and so forth. On the other hand, computers aren’t very good at throwing a curve ball, taking out the trash or feeding the cat. It’s too bad, because people can always use help with the chores.
Repetitive tasks like changing the size of 100 photos of a housing tract to 350 pixels wide so they will fit in a brochure would be a crashing bore for most people, but it is something computers were designed for. So how do we get the computer to do our work for us?
Performing the same action on multiple pieces of data is called a batch process. It means that the computer is going to take a batch of data, usually consisting of several units of the same kind of information: JPEG files, PDF documents or mp3 recordings, for example, and perform the same action on each individual unit until all of the units have been “processed.”
And now, the Famous Tomato Can Factory Metaphor
Think of a batch process as an assembly line with all of the units of data lined up on a conveyor belt like tomato cans. The computer is the machine that puts a lid on each can as it goes by. If there are 100 cans, they are the “batch.” Putting 100 lids on those cans is the “process.”
One common example of batch processing is called a droplet in Adobe Photoshop. A droplet is a container for a Photoshop “action.” Think of an action as “put a lid on one can” from the previous example.
The droplet will do whatever action it contains with any image file that is dragged and dropped on it. Let’s say the action contained in the droplet is “resize to 350 pixels wide.” If you drop a 1000 pixel wide JPEG on that droplet, it will resize it to 350 pixels, because that’s what the action says to do.
If you only knew the power of the Droplet…
The power of the droplet is that you can also drop ten 1000-pixel-wide JPEGs on it, and it will resize all ten of them to 350 pixels wide, one at a time. It’s exactly like our tomato can factory. The JPEGs are on the conveyor belt, and the droplet crunches each one to 350 pixels wide as they go by.
Almost anything Photoshop can do can be recorded as an action and saved as a droplet, which makes droplets extraordinarily powerful tools for working with large numbers of files. There are a number of excellent tutorials on the web which explain how to build droplets for your own use. Here are a few to try:
An XML sitemap is a way to describe your web site
Photo by Norman Leventhal
An XML sitemap is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to improve a site’s visibility on the web. The reason for this is fairly simple: sitemaps tell search engines like Google and Yahoo! what is on your site and where it is. This not only gives search engines a way to index your existing information but it also makes it easier for them to find your future articles and pages as well.
Sitemaps are written in XML or eXtensible Markup Language. XML provides all sites with a way to develop a standard structure for sitemaps so search engines will be able to read them no matter how a site is set up.
Fortunately, there are tools available which will build a free xml sitemap for you even if you don’t know XML or how to write one. All you have to do is tell the tools where your site is, and they will automatically parse your site, find all the links and then include them all in an XML-formatted file you can either download or copy and paste. Once you have the file uploaded to your webserver, simply tell search engines where it is by submitting it along with your site, and you’re all set.
Google’s Webmaster Tools has more information on how to utilize sitemaps. Here are three great tools to get started building your own free XML sitemap:
All personal computers, whether they are PCs or Macs, contain similar components. Every computer has a processor, memory, storage and a video adapter. If all of these parts are good quality and the system is functioning properly, the computer should run at maximum speed.
But if a computer is slow, how can you tell which part is causing the problem? Let’s first evaluate the quality of these four components, and then we’ll look at ways to determine if they are functioning properly in the next article.
CPU Quality
When evaluating a CPU, or central processor unit, it is important to understand the difference between brand names and the actual characteristics of the unit. The key feature of a processor is called clock speed. Clock speed indicates how fast a processor can perform tasks, and is measured in gigahertz, or billions of cycles per second.
During each one of these cycles, a processor can perform a calculation or task. For example, a processor with a clock speed of two gigahertz can perform two billion calculations per second, where a different processor with a clock speed of one gigahertz can perform one billion calculations per second.
Nearly all of the other features of modern PC processors are only occasionally important. Multi-core processors, 64-bit processors, etc. are generally only faster in very specialized circumstances, such as when running multi-threaded programs or very high-performance databases. For basic day-to-day uses, such as web browsers or e-mail, these specialized processor features aren’t as important.
How can a CPU slow down my computer?
A CPU with a low clock speed can be overwhelmed by software that requires a faster clock speed. Software gives a processor a list of calculations it must perform in order to open a menu or display a file. If the processor has many instructions required by the software but can only complete them a few at a time, it will appear the computer is slow. Most software packages and games are packaged with system requirements which will specify the minimum processor speed.
Computer memory upgrades can increase performance
Photo by Tim in Sydney
Memory Quality
Computer memory is called “Random Access Memory” or RAM. RAM is sold as “modules” which are electronic components that can be plugged in to the mainboard or “motherboard” of a computer. RAM is kind of like a piece of paper used to figure out calculations: it stores information while the processor works on it. Since modern processors are very fast, they can make use of a very large amount of memory.
RAM modules have a key feature very similar to CPUs which we’ll call a “memory clock” to avoid confusion. This is the speed at which the memory transfers data across the system bus (from the memory to the CPU and back), and it is measured in megahertz. RAM speed is dependent on the CPU clock. It can receive and transmit data either once (single data rate) or twice (double data rate) during each CPU clock cycle. Having the highest memory clock speed is important, but only in very rare circumstances will the memory clock speed contribute to slow performance. Far more important is the amount of RAM installed.
Very often, when a computer slows down significantly or suddenly, it is due to a hard disk access. Sometimes software must retrieve a document or some information off of the hard disk. When this occurs, it can seem that the computer “hiccups” or pauses for an instant. If a large document must be retrieved, often a “wait” icon will appear while the information is “loaded” from the disk into RAM so the processor can utilize it.
The reason this can seem very slow compared to the normal operation of the computer is because hard disk drives, DVD drives, etc. are mechanical devices, whereas everything else in the computer is electronic, and literally operates at or near the speed of light. Compared to the CPU or RAM, a hard drive moves at glacial speeds. When information is retrieved from a disk, the “read head” must physically move from one place to the next across a spinning platter and electronically transfer information piece by piece.
For this reason, two features of hard drives are very important beyond simply their capacity. One is how fast the disk spins, called RPM or revolutions per minute, and the other is “seek time.” Seek time indicates the speed at which the read head traverses the disk to retrieve data. A combination of a high RPM and a low seek time is ideal.
A third feature is also important for disk access speeds, and that is how the disk is actually connected to the computer. For example, external disk drives connected by USB (Universal Serial Bus) will transfer data much slower than an internal disk connected directly to the mainboard. SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) internal drives are faster than EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Device Electronics) drives, and so forth. The reason this isn’t quite as important as the first two characteristics is because the available connection types are usually dependent on the computer itself.
Video adapters are easily the most misunderstood and confusing components in personal computers. The reason for this confusion is that video adapters are extraordinarily specialized components which are fine-tuned for maximum performance in video games, graphics and video editing.
When trying to make a choice between adapters, it is very easy to become completely overwhelmed by numbers, brand names, processor types, functions, memory capacities, clock speeds and a variety of information that doesn’t really explain how well a particular video card will perform unless you have an advanced degree in electronics.
The best video adapters are used for high-end video gaming systems.
Photo by Nightstarromanus
For day-to-day functions like word processing or e-mail, the general method of evaluating RAM applies to video adapters: there are very few circumstances where a video adapter will noticeably slow a system down except at the extreme upper tier of high-performance video games or video editing requiring massive volumes of real-time data transfer.
One characteristic of video adapters that is important, however, like hard drives, is how they connect to the system bus. Connection types could be PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) or PCI-e (PCI Express). Generally speaking AGP and PCI-e connection types are fastest. Plain PCI is adequate, but will now generally only be found on older systems.
Mainboards also often have “on-board” video adapters built directly in to the system. For general use, these adapters are often quite adequate and sometimes provide above average performance.
Here is why.
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