Everyone loves free stuff and many people search the net just to check the free stuff. Yes there are lot of resources, links and information scattered around, but the most difficult task is to dig out the information from it. Many sites which sell their products offer some free stuff to attract the customers. It is similar to hanging the banner 'sale' or 'buy one get one free' to increase the sales.

Tutorials.com sells online courses and tutorials. It offers few of the tutorials and how to guides FREE of cost. Here are some of the free tutorials availabe there: Learn2 Adjust a Bicycle (To Fit You) Learn2 Adjust the Sound on Your Computer Learn2 Apply Eyeliner Learn2 Appreciate Beer Learn2 Appreciate Cheese Learn2 Appreciate Gourmet Mushrooms Learn2 Attach Speakers to Your Computer Learn2 Attract Butterflies Learn2 Avoid Frostbite Learn2 Avoid Home Burglary Learn2 Avoid Junk Mail and more.

I hope this information is useful.

For those of you who have spent time and money to be one of the first users of the new iPhone, please calm down. I understand your frustation, the device isn't functioning and coulnd't be activated. iTunes server that's used for activation, was having a problem so the iPhone 2.0 could not be activated upon purchase. The official statement from AT&T Inc., the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S., said that a global problem with Apple's online iTunes Store prevented the phones from being fully activated in-store.

I'm sure all the problems are resolved by now, enjoy your new 3G phone.

I am sure we are all aware of environment crisis that our planet is facing now, and you are wondering what can I do to help. You don't have to be environmentalist or EPA member to start reducing bad impact on our planet. From as simple as recycling your trash (paper, bottles, cans, etc), it can help a lot.

How about your old electronics? First of all, if you are sure that it's still usable, you can always sell it to someone else. Remember that one man's trash is another man's treasure. Ebay, craigslist, and many other websites offer service to help you get rid of your old belongings and make some cash. If no one buys, you can always donate it to GoodWill and other non-profit organizations. They will find a new home to your things, you will do a good deeds, and you can get tax return for that.

So now you ask what if your electronics are so old and even Goodwill do not want it? Where do you recycle it? You can contact these following organizations: earth911.org and mygreenelectronics.com. These organizations will help you on eCycling. Some manufacturers also have some programs on recycling electronics, such as: offering to take back, mail-in, or trade-in, supporting local recycling events with cities and municipalities. Ecyclingtools.com provides information on entire of electronics and contains useful information to help you address your e-waste concerns.
For more information, click here.

Some electronic stores, home furnitures, and even supermarkets are promoting recycling program by offering to take in some items to be recycled. For example, IKEA is accepting old light bulbs and batteries for recycle. BestBuy and OfficeDepot accept old cell phones and ink-jet catridges. Some supermarkets provide kiosks for recycling plastic bags.

Want to do more than recycling electronics? You can always recycle papers, bottles, and cans at your home and office. And you can always do more than recycling. This blog suggest a good idea by not using straw and reducing use of plastic plates and utensils. There are plenty of websites out there that are dedicated for environmental tips, such as: thegreenguide.com and thedailygreen.com.
Happy Recycling!

Summer is almost here, and it can mean a lot of things: beach, vacation, road trip, air conditioner. The last one, a/c, is a must-have for those who live in south area. But do you know that a/c can take up as much energy as refrigerator? With gas prices sky rocketing, causing food price to increase too, it is wise to save a couple for bucks on energy bill.

Between cell phones, iPods, computers, DVR's and everything else that we use in our tech savvy lives, we use a lot of energy. Even those kitchen applliances: toaster, microwave, oven, although, they are not used, they still consume energy on their standy by mode. Over the course of a year that can really add up to a couple hundred dollars worth of energy. Here are a few tips you can use to reduce your energy consumption at home:

• Look for the Energy Star label. Those products with the label are specially design to use less energy.
• Unplug cell phone/PDA/iPod chargers when batteries are fully charged or when the chargers are not in use.
• When you're finished watching a movie or playing a video game, don't forget to turn off your DVD player or video game console as well as the television or monitor.
• Plug electronics, such as TVs, DVD players and audio systems, into power strips, and turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use especially for long periods of time.
• Turn off air conditioner on empty rooms.
• When in the market for home office products, consider multifunction units combining, say printing, copying, scanning and faxing, instead of a single device for each function. Same goes to kitchen appliances.
• Unplug toaster oven after use, and do not open refrigerator doors for too long.
• Use technology to save money. For example, save fuel by shopping and banking from home on your computer.

This article might not have anything to do with electronics. But since gas prices are affecting everyone, I decide to write it anyway.

Everybody should know by know that the gas price has rising like crazy over the past months. For those who do not watch or read news, they also should know about this when they are filling up their gas tanks. The gas price is breaking everyone, but some people cannot live without it; no matter how much it is, they just have to suck it up and buy it because they need it. But, you can spend less money on gas, when you follow these tips:

1. Use the lowest octane recommended for your car.
It's just as simple as that.  It's cheaper, and most of cars are engineered to run most efficiently on lower octane fuel. As long as your engine doesn't knock or ping, the fuel you're using is fine. Check your owner's manual for this information. The difference between regular and premium gas are about 20-50cents a gallon, imagine how much you can save by switching to regular.

2. Fill up all the way and do it less
When filling up tanks, it's better to fill it up all the way to full. Don't just fill it up half full in hope that tomorrow might be cheaper. It might be by few cents, but you are going to waste your time and money because you have to take another detour to fill up gas again tomorrow. Also, don't fill up gas when it's still half full, fill up when it's quarter full or less.

3. Pay cash or use membership card.
Some gas stations offer cheaper rate for paying cash. Take advantage of this deal. If you get cash on hand, use it well.

Another thing that can be done is using membership card like Chevron credit card. Or, use credit cards that offer gas savings or extra points when you use the card for gas purchases, like Discover.


4. Commute less
The easiest way is to move closer to work, work closer to home. But then again, this option is easier to be said than done. The next option is to  take public transportation to your work. If your city provides good transportation service, buy a monthly pass and take advantage of your tax dollars.

Another option is to ride a bike to your job, if they are not too far apart. It's healthy and you can save mileage and money on gas. The same thing with running errands, if it's possible to be done by walking or bicylcing, do it. You can say good by to the expensive gym membership, because you get all the exercise you need daily.

5. Carpool and combine trips
I know sometimes you envy those who just drive so fast on the carpool lane, while you are stuck in stop-and-go traffic. I know I do. Most of big highways provide carpool lanes during peak hours. So, if you have neighboors or co-workers that happen to live or work nearby, ask them to carpool with you. Make arrangment on whose car to use, how the split the gas money, when to pick up, etc. I know sometimes people have to go earlier or come home later than usual, but compromising is part of living in society.

Combining trips also work when doing errands. Take the shortest and the most efficient routes to run all your errands. This can prevent wasting fuel and wasting time. Also, plan to use alternative routes. Often back roads can prevent you from stopping at traffic lights and more importantly sitting in traffic jams. If you can do several short trips in one longer trip, you will save fuel and time.

5. Keep your car checked regularly
It is important to keep your car at its optimum condition, because when it runs smoothly, it uses less gas. Here are some of the things to check:
-Have your car tuned up and oil changed regularly
-Use the correct grade of motor oil
-Keep the tires inflated properly
-Use low resistance tires
-Get a better air filter
-Tighten up gas cap to avoid danger and gas evaporating

6. Don't use A/C or lights when not needed
Title says all.

7. Get a better driving habit
Even though two people are using the same exact car, their ways of driving car can make difference in fuel usage. Here are some "good habits" to have to save gas:
-Clear up your cars. Cars that are heavy with items use more gas to accelerate
-Drive slower. This is a tough one, but read this: driving fast will increase the drag (turbulence) and thus increase your fuel consumption. So drive just about the speed limit and you should save good amount of money
-Maintain safe distance and always brake early. You will brake more and accelerate more to keep that unnecessary and dangerous narrow gap. This also gives you a lot more room to play with when you are timing traffic signals.  
-Take it slowly from full stop. Don't throttle your rpm. If you move out slowly, it will help save you money at the pump.
-Avoid idling and long warm-ups. After start up, allow your car to idle 15-30 seconds, then drive conservatively until it reaches normal operating temperature
-Avoid unneccesary starting up cars. Starting the car used to use a lot of gas, it's now the same as idling for about 30 seconds

8. Get a fuel-efficient cars
This option is simple, but costly. If you are in the market in buying cars, then take this chance to buy good mpg cars. Hybrid cars are the best choice for now, until other fuel-efficient technology starts to catch up.

9. Get a GPS
This option might not be very important, especially if you know your area very well, However, for those who are new in the area or in travelling, GPS can save you money by not getting you lost. Getting lost wastes time, milage, and fuel at the same time.


10. Park at the first space you find, and if possible shady area
Walking a little bit to the store is better than spending time driving around the parking lot to find closer spot. And by parking in the shade, it keeps your car cool inside, so you will need less A/C to cool off when you get back in the car. This also prevents gasoline evaportating due to exposure to heat.

Lastly, shop online
Many stores are offering online shopping service, why not take advantage of that. It will save you time and money on gas. The items will be delivered right to your door, and you don't have to drive anywhere. Some shops also offer free shipping after you exceed certain amount, which is a very good deal.

Also, you can check the lowest gas price in your area online. So, before you go out filling up the tank, take time to check it out.



I hope this article can save you and me some money on gas. Happy driving.

Appliances that we use everyday, we sometimes take them for granted. Actually, they do need some special treatments. Do not worry, the treatements are minor and light. These treatments are done just to make sure that the appliances stay on duty and work properly longer. Below are some of them:

Refrigerator Tips

• Make sure the gasket between the door and compartment seals tightly. Close the door on a dollar bill and tug on it in several spots around the door. If there is not resistance, clean the gasket, fix the gasket with glue or purchase a new gasket.
• Vacuum the condenser coils once a year.
• Place the refrigerator away from heat sources such as stoves and leave a few inches between the coils and the wall for air circulation.
• Keep the freezer and the refrigerator relatively full with just enough space between items to allow air circulation.
• Keep items tightly wrapped and covered to prevent added moisture.
• Keep fresh food compartments between 37° to 40°F, freezers at 5°F, and long-term storage freezers at 0°F.
• Check refrigerator temperature by placing an appliance thermometer in a glass of water centered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. For the freezer temperature, place the thermometer between frozen packages for 24 hours.
• Regularly defrost refrigerators and freezers. 

Dehumidifier Tips

• A 40-pint ENERGY STAR® labeled dehumidifier can save consumers roughly $20 per year or more, depending on how it is used.
• Remove as many moisture sources from the basement as possible.
• Make sure humidifiers are turned off.
• Use bathroom fans during and for several minutes after showering.
• Use kitchen fans while cooking.
• If water seeps into the basement, mop it up as soon as possible. Don't use a dehumidifier to dry up puddles.
• Don't dry clothes on a clothesline in the basement while using a dehumidifier.
• Choose a dehumidifier at least one size larger than your moisture removal need. A larger model can dehumidify more rapidly than a smaller model, resulting in significant energy savings.
• A dehumidifier can help reduce humidity and odor, but does not solve moisture problems. To eliminate moisture problems, first check gutters, downspouts and grading around the exterior of the home.

Lighting Tips

• Use "task lighting" wherever possible. For example, use a small lamp for reading instead of lighting the entire room.
• Avoid "long-life" incandescent bulbs. They are less efficient than ordinary bulbs and give off less light per watt.
• Use one large wattage bulb instead of several small ones in areas that need a lot of light (one 100-watt bulb actually provides more light than two 60-watt bulbs).
• Use compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) when possible. CFLs are four times more efficient than incandescent bulbs and provide the same light.
• Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for workrooms, garages and laundry areas.
• Use 4-watt mini-fluorescent or electro-luminescent nightlights. Both are more efficient than incandescent counterparts.
• When purchasing new light fixtures, consider buying dedicated CFL fixtures with built-in ballasts.
• Consider CFLs with reflectors for spot lighting. The lamps range from 13 to 32-watts and direct light using a reflector and lens system.
• If you have torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with CFL torchieres, which use 60 to 80 percent less energy and produce more light.
• When buying bulbs, check the package for information. You want the most lumens per watt.
  Fluorescent lamps contain small amounts of mercury that are harmful to the environment. Please read these important CFL disposal instructions.

I hope with this article can help you use your refrigerator, dehumidifier, and lighting smartly.
Article taken from: http://www.dakotaelectric.com/refrigerator.asp

Few months ago, I posted an article on how to save your wet cell phones on this blog. I found another article, and it recaps all the things you have to do.

The Drying Method
1. Get it out of the water as soon as possible.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Remove your SIM card.
4. Dry your phone.
5. Allow the phone to dry.
6. Heat your phone. (2-3 days)
7. Test your phone.

Alcohol Soak Method
Apparantly, soaking your phone in 95% alcohol will draw out water from your phone because alcohol is hydrophobic. Use this at your own risk, do it outside and remember to take out the battery.

Air Condition It
Air conditioners also remove moisture, so place your phone in front of an air conditioner to help remove the liquid from it.

Refrigerate It
A fridge will also remove moisture, so take off all of the plastic parts from the phone that you can and put it in the fridge, leave it open to the air. In the fridge the phone will stay dry (unless something is spilled on it), beware of condensation when you take the phone out. The recommended method by which you can prevent this is immediately wrap the phone in paper towel and zip-lock it when you take it out of the fridge.

This article is writen by Chris Chiarella of Digital Trends. Enjoy!

Home Theater 101: A Buyers Guide

A home theater is a dedicated space in which to enjoy audio and video. From there, the definition becomes far more personal, so to help you make the right choices, you need to ask three questions:

1. What do you want?

What are you planning to watch in your home theater? "Lost?" Sports programs? The latest feature films? And do you intend to watch any of the above in standard quality (the easier, more affordable choice) or in high-definition, which delivers sharper pictures and enhanced sound?

Either way, you will need a display (a standard or high-definition television); a source component (such as a DVD player, Blu-ray player, or digital video recorder, such as TiVo); and a sound system (which can include an audio/video receiver connected to multiple loudspeakers). Once you figure out what precisely you intend to achieve in your home theater, you're ready to do inventory.

2. What do you have?

Let's assume that at the very least you have a sufficiently large TV, and you are pleased with its performance. Thanks to the triumph of DVD in the late '90s, the home-theater-in-a-box or "HTiB" category of products has evolved quickly to become a viable alternative to individually purchased audio-visual elements, for a painless "Just Add TV" approach.

A complete HTiB bundle arrives with a DVD receiver unit, featuring the necessary sound decoding/amplification combined with the DVD player inside a single chassis, along with five loudspeakers for left and right front, left and right surround/rear, a dedicated center channel plus a subwoofer, along with all the necessary cabling. These "5.1 channels" work together to recreate a true theater-style sound experience in the home, only on a smaller scale. Audio-only HTiB solutions are also available, without DVD, and almost all HTiBs offer inputs for connecting multiple source components.

If you already have speakers, how many? Dolby Digital is the audio standard for DVD, requiring the five speakers plus subwoofer to properly reproduce the soundtracks of most modern films. If you already have two speakers, it isn't necessarily as easy as adding three more. Dolby Digital requires full-range speakers - that is the ability to reproduce the highs, lows, and midrange of all five channels. The best surround speakers also dissipate the sound for a more realistic rear soundstage. Under normal use the front speakers handle most of the load, so you will need robust left and right mains, plus a center channel with exceptional clarity (for dialog). Centers are ideally horizontal and tend to be placed directly above or below the screen.

What is currently driving your speakers? If you own a receiver, is it stereo (two-channel) or multi-channel? And does it offer the latest audio decoding formats? The soundtrack data on the disc needs to be decoded, and that decoded signal must then to be amplified for your speakers. In addition to Dolby Digital, does it offer DTS, the outstanding rival multi-channel format? And how much power is at your sound system's disposal? Your sound system (the receiver/amplifier plus the subwoofer, if it's self-powered) should be capable of delivering at least 450 watts total system power for a small-to-medium-size room.

If you are in the market for a new TV as well, keep in mind that American television is changing over from analog to digital, and in less than a year ATSC will officially be the new standard. So make sure that your new TV contains an ATSC digital tuner. All new HDTVs have it, so savvy consumers will make the extra investment and stave off obsolescence by making their next purchase an HDTV. You'll gain widescreen display, best for movies and an increasing number of television shows (the black bars you see on the top and bottom of many programs will go away) as well as outstanding picture quality and the latest inputs.

Size matters in more ways than one, as you need the right size screen for your room. The popular 42-inch widescreen TV, for example, has an ideal viewing distance of about 5 to 10 feet. Any closer will reveal imperfections in the image, while too far minimizes the impact. About 1½ times the diagonal measure of the screen is the minimum distance for the viewer, and three times is the maximum. So measure not just the space in your shelving unit but also the layout of your room before you begin shopping.

If your current television is several years old, your DVDs will probably look significantly better on most new TVs. Look for progressive scan and component video input, just make sure that whichever DVD player you use - traditional or as part of an HTiB - offers progressive scan component video output. DVD is not true high definition however, so if you plan to rent or purchase movies on disc, Blu-ray is the way to go. A Blu-ray deck will not only play Blu-ray high-definition movies but will make your current DVD library look better than ever.

3. How much can you spend?

What you get is largely determined by what you can afford to pay. In the world of displays, more money nets you a larger screen size and the latest technology, all the way up to 1080p, the highest-available resolution on consumer monitors. One point not to be compromised on is HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) input, the gold standard for connectivity, which assures the transfer of full-quality HD video and multi-channel audio from the latest source components.

As little as $500 can buy a respectable HTiB, designed around standard-definition DVD. If you insist upon buying a new standalone DVD player, don't spend more than $100: That price will bring you outstanding features and performance at this point in the product's life cycle, and you won't feel badly when you inevitably upgrade to Blu-ray.

Performance is the key factor when purchasing loudspeakers, as you will simply want the best sound that you can afford, as defined by the "performance envelope" of frequency and dynamic range. A speaker's ability to reproduce lower bass (even in addition to a dedicated subwoofer) and higher trebles is critical, along with the range across which it can enjoyably reproduce soft to loud audio. Proper demos can be difficult to find at retail, so it's wise to find out if you will be able to audition the speakers at home and return them if necessary.

Of course, your speakers need to be a good match for your amplifier/receiver, and not too piggish in their power demands, noting their nominal impedance rating. Speakers with 8-ohm impedance are extremely common, and lower ratings will mean the speaker is drawing more electrical power. More discerning listeners lean toward separates, that is a dedicated decoder/preamplifier box that then passes the prepared signal to an outboard amplifier, vs. a single, integrated audio/video receiver. The performance of receivers - which can function as control centers and switchers for all of your home theater gear, with HDMI ins/out - now approach the level of separates, while their value and versatility can't be beat. Recent receivers also support the most sophisticated audio formats available on Blu-ray, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

So, in conclusion: do your research, and be sure find a comfortable chair, because your audio/video system will bring you years of enjoyment.