Archive for July, 2008
July 30th, 2008
In this article, you will learn how to design and develop a simple online chat room with PHP and MySQL. This tutorial explains every steps of the development, including both database design and PHP programming. Basic computer skills and knowledge of HTML and PHP are required. Ok, let’s begin now.
Step 1: Design Database Table. Create table “chat” in MySQL database to store basic chat information: chtime (chat time), nick (user nickname) and words (chat message, less than 150 characters)
mysql> CREATE TABLE chat
-> chtime DATATIME,
-> nick CHAR (10) NOT NULL,
-> words CHAR (150);
Step 2: Design Structure. This simple online chat room includes the following four sections: user login, message display, message input and a main frame integrating the display and input sections. Thus, it needs the following four files to work: login.php, main.php, display.php and speak.php.
Step 3: Write the code
1. login.php (just a HTML form)
Please input your nickname and enter
2. main.php
setcookie(”nick”,$nick) //use cookie to store user nickname
?>
3. display.php
This file is used to get message records from database and display the results. To keep the size of database, old messages are deleted and only the newest 15 messages are displayed.
//connect to mysql server, server name: main, database username: root
$link_ID=mysql_connect(”main”,”root”);
mysql_select_db(”abc”); //abc is the database name
$str=”select * from chat ORDER BY chtime;” ;
$result=mysql_query($str, $link_ID);
$rows=mysql_num_rows($result);
//get the latest 15 messages
@mysql_data_seek($resut,$rows-15);
//if the number of messages<15, get all of the messages
if ($rows<15) $l=$rows; else $l=15; for ($i=1;$i<=$l; $i++) {
list($chtime, $nick, $words)=mysql_fetch_row($result);
echo $chtime; echo ” “; echo $nick; echo”:” ; echo $words; echo ” “;
} //delete the old messages(only keep the newest 20 only)
@mysql_data_seek($result,$rows-20);
list($limtime)=mysql_fetch_row($result);
$str=”DELETE FROM chat WHERE chtime<'$limtime' ;" ;
$result=mysql_query($str,$link_ID);
mysql_close($link_ID);
?>
4. speak.php
If ($words)
{ $link_ID=mysql_connect(”main”,”root”);
mysql_select_db(”abc”); // abc is the database name
$time=date(y).date(m).date(d).date(h).date(i).(date(s); //get current time
$str=”INSERT INTO chat(chtime,nick,words) values (’$time’,'$nick’,'$words’);” ;
mysql_query($str,$link_ID); //save message record into database
mysql_close($link_ID); )
?>
//the following is the message input form
Now, you have finished the design and coding of a simple online chat system. Put all the files into your website root and see how it works, 
July 28th, 2008
The general public have little knowledge of free line rental contracts because of the fact that they are a pretty new phenomenon. 12 month free contracts are still the greatest secret amongst all the contracts around at the moment.
Theoretically a free line rental cell phone contract is not supposed to cost anything to operate. This is based on the assumption thatthat the individual taking out the mobile contract properly makes a request for for one hundred percent cashback. This may not as easy as customers are lead to think as dealers add in tricks within the terms and conditions of free line rental deals so they can cut down the numbers of successful customers.
A free line rental deal is a type of redemption deal. With a free line rental cell phone contract you pay the cost of the phone as you would normally for the first months before you get your 100% cash refund. Then it is down to you to remember to claim all your money of the mobile cell phone back from the retailer which first gave you the mobile cell phone.
Despite the pitfalls of free line rental deals they remain legitimate and potential customers can still find a completely cost free cell phone for full duration of a 12 month contract.
12 month free is is a trade off, due to the fact they are only made available with older cell phones. The major drawback of free line rental products is the fact that in the event that the shop go out of business you have now way to redeem your 100% cash back.
By far the most competitively priced method of purchasing a free line rental mobile contract is online. As free line rental products are a little obscure promotion you would be well advised to use a site comparing mobile phone deals to find the cheapest products at that given moment.
July 27th, 2008
Lamination is simply the process of enveloping a document between two layers of plastic film and sealing its edges in order to provide a level of protection against outside influences that may cause damage. Photos, posters, letters, certificates and cards are all examples of documents that commonly utilize such a technique, and the items can either be produced professionally or with special laminating products that are used in the home.
Of the different types of laminators that are available, those which use the process of thermal (or heat) lamination are actually layers of film which are constructed of a polyester base and resin. During the heating process, the resin layer melts and is then spread across the surface of the print through the means of pressure. Once spread, the adhesive begins to cool, hardening as it goes, in order to form a permanent bond between the film and the print.
There are several types of laminating machines, each using different kinds of laminators. The easiest of these will allow you to feed the document into a laminating machine, where it comes into contact with the adhesive, which are then pressed together by rollers or - in some cases - an oversized plate.
Using the Proper Laminator
+ Depending upon the material of the print to be protected, certain laminators must be used in order to complete the job correctly. That being the case, it’s important to match the correct type of laminator with the particular material that’s being used. In other words, prints of paper, wood or fabric are going to require different types of laminators.
+ Due to the steps that are necessary to successfully laminate a print, it’s important to know the size of the document. Since lamination pouches are used during part of the process, you’ll need to ensure that these are a proper fit before the technique can be successfully completed.
+ The frequency in which you use the lamination machine and the size of the jobs should be considered, as well. If you plan to use it on a daily basis, or for large lamination jobs, then it’s best to invest in a heavy duty laminating machine. For particularly large jobs, you might be better off obtaining an industrial machine.
+ Thickness is an important consideration, as well, since prints that are of a thicker nature will need to utilize a spring-loaded roller in order to be fed through the machine properly. The advantage to this type of tool is that it will automatically adjust to the thickness of the material that’s being introduced.
+ Machines that are equipped with a stand-by mode and a readiness indicator are best for those times when you’re planning to use them throughout the day, such as in an office environment.
Hot Lamination
Different jobs will require specific types of laminators - either hot or cold - depending upon the material and desired effect.
+ For documents that are up to 20″ in width, pouch laminators are used. Photographs, ID tags and other jobs that are of similar size would do best using this approach.
+ You’ll need to use a roll laminator if you’re planning to process prints that are between 20″ and 60″ wide and 1″ in thickness.
+ Dry mounting is the most expensive of the three types, and is performed by using a tissue adhesive as well as precise heat and pressure regulations, in addition to the necessary time that it takes to apply a substrate to the product. Specialized machinery needs to be used in order to perform this technique, and is often used in professional print shops.
Cold Lamination
Tape lamination uses a cold version of adhering a protective plastic film to the print. By inserting a pre-wound, rolled cartridge of laminated film into the machine and introducing the document, both the adhesives and the print are pulled into the machine with two rollers after pushing a button or using a hand crank. These types are often used in the home environment, office, photo-finishing labs and sign shops.
Various Types of Finishes
There are five basic finishes that can be applied to a laminated product. Depending upon the type of effect that you wish to produce will determine the best finish for the job.
+ Standard Clear - produces a glossy finish
+ Satin - reduces glare without frosting
+ Matte - applies a slightly frosted finish
+ Crystal - produces a granular texture
+ Scratch Resistant - hard finish for extra protection
With the right tools, you can produce a variety of high quality products that are suitable for framing, posting or inserting into a binding that houses keepsakes. Laminated documents are also more professionally protected when prepared for packaging, in the event that documents must be transported through mailing or shipping services.
The writer Peter Mason publishes many news and information for the website www.laminating-guide.com . The author is helping people finding the best solutions for laminators www.laminating-guide.com/laminators.html and other important office equipment.
July 24th, 2008
Recently on the “Apprentice” Television Show with Donald Trump we saw someone get fired for a lousy presentation. She actually pronounced the companies name wrong? Of course those executives from that company hearing this literally cringed, yes on TV. She of course tried to blame the others as usual “Blame Game” politics in the boardroom with Donald Trump, yet for some reason it appears to be a lesson there. No matter what the presentation is paramount and like Zig Ziglar says; “Nothing Happens Until Someone Sells Something.” Yet we all know that giving a presentation is not easy, you must be an absolute perfectionist and know your product or service better than any other and have done some comprehensive research on the company you are presenting too. This is a good thing as it weeds out the weak, ill prepared and those who are weak in performance and rewards those who are at the top of their game, which is the person who should get the job anyway, right?
Well, what if giving a presentation were easy? What if anyone could pull it off perfect every time? What if it took little if any preparation to do? What if getting in front of hardliners, detractors and pessimists were easy? Would be all be better served or would it make us weaker? What if a half-ass presentation were acceptable and we lowered our standards and allowed poor presentations with being critical? Would anyone be better served or should we leave things the way they are and make people perform and let the best person win? Think on it next time you have to give a presentation.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
July 24th, 2008
The global digital animation industry is poised to grow to $70 billion by this year. The Indian animation industry is expected to reach $15 billion by 2008. Big numbers, pointing to India’s next big outsourcing boom. Labor arbitrage numbers are absolutely fantastic: $125/hour in the US versus $25/hour in India for animators. $75 Million to $175 Million for a full-length features film in the US versus $1-$15 Million in India.
As in the software industry, much of the growth is driven by off-shoring and contract services. Original productions are still very rare, although this month, an animation feature called Hanuman has been released by Sahara India Mass Communication and Percept India in association with Silvertoons. Hanuman is the Hindu monkey god, a superhero of sorts who can move mountains, eat the moon, fly (of course) …
The quality of indigenous animation films have traditionally been quite pathetic, because of huge budget constraints. Networks pay in the range of $500-$1500 per 20-25 minute episode of an animation TV series, where it costs a good $5,000-$10,000 per minute of finished animation, bringing the cost of that episode to $100k+. The economics of television, as it stands, does not work, and need to be re-engineered, if the animation channels need to continue broadcasting quality productions.
Film economics, on the other hand, DOES work. $1- $5 Million is still a relatively low budget film, and if India can develop enough sophistication in story-telling, direction and animation, I see this as a very viable route to attempt to build a genre a la the Japanese Anime. Princess Mononoke, the crown jewel of this genre had a production budget of $20 Million, and grossed $150 Million+ worldwide. It was, needless to say, enormously successful in Japan, first, but also grossed a decent $2.3 Million in the US (dubbed in English).
So, for India, the goal should be to develop a genre like Anime with deep and exciting plots, exotic imagery and ambience, make the films successful in India first, and then market abroad. The film economics can be extremely compelling.
Silicon Valley Entrepreneur and Strategy Consultant Sramana Mitra writes about Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, Emerging Technology, Market Moves, and sundry other topics in her Blog “Sramana Mitra on Strategy”. Read more of her writings at http://www.sramanamitra.com
July 23rd, 2008
Copyright 2006 Sandstone Limited
“Complete waste of time”. “Just like the last time”. “We never seem to learn from these”. Sound familiar? Someone is talking about a team building session. Or are they?
I’d argue not. I’d argue that they are comments commonly heard after a team bonding session. A proper team building session is one that focuses on real development. It delivers something of genuine value back in the workplace. As well as fun.
The difference between the two is immense and yet people all too often think that they are the same. Indeed, most commonly, people set about organising team bonding days without realising that they are missing a really important trick. Team bonding brings people closer together but only deliver improvements in team effectiveness by luck. They usually focus on fun (always important!) but without a commensurate emphasis on team development.
So - team development requires a true team building session rather than just a team bonding one. Which begs the question - what can be done to genuinely improve a team in a session that only lasts a short time? Perhaps as long as two days, more commonly just the one day - or even less?
I argue that to be the best that it can be, a team needs 4 key elements - which happen to form the acronym ACME:
A) - Ability
C) - Commitment
M) - Methods
E) - Experience
If you look at these, a team building session can only realistically and significantly affect just the one of them. Let’s look at each.
People are born with their ability. A session that lasts a year isn’t going to increase a single person’s ability. So it can’t help this.
A good team building session will improve every participant’s commitment to the cause - but only for a limited period. If you think how long it takes when you get back from holiday until you forget that you’ve had one, you’ll understand what I mean. The real world will quickly dull the initial flush of enthusiasm that a good team day will instil in the group.
Skipping to the last one, a day spent for a team of say 30 people will add 30 “man days” of experience to what will be literally hundreds of “man years” experience - negligible at best.
When it comes to the third letter in our acronym, however, we’re in with a chance. We get to work with many organisations of all sizes in all sectors and industries and our most common reflection is that we see good people achieving things despite the way they go about them - rather than because of. We see people’s ability, commitment and experience papering over the cracks of their team methodology.
What are the steps to focussing on the M in ACME to deliver real team improvements from a session?
1) Choose an exercise that requires the same team approaches that your team need in the workplace - albeit something sufficiently far removed from the day-to-day work that people can enjoy it.
2) Use trained observers with an understanding of the issues that the team faces and a structured observation guide to help them pick up the key points to feed back to the team.
3) During the debrief, ensure that the focus is on generating an action plan - one that is sufficiently detailed that everyone involved knows what they are going to do to implement it.
4) Also ensure that each action point is assigned to a named individual who is responsible for making it happen - even if he or she does not do it himself of herself.
5) Set a time - probably between 4 and 6 weeks away - when the plan will be reviewed - and make it plain that the action points are expected to be delivered within that time.
Follow this guidance for your next team building day and I’ll be surprised if you hear the comments this article started with at the end of it.
July 23rd, 2008
Just as destination weddings are fast growing in popularity, so are destination wedding dresses.
What exactly is a destination wedding dress? It is a trendy, sensible, cost effective alternative to the traditional wedding gown.
You don’t have to be leaving town to choose a destination wedding dress. The name lends itself to the fact that these bridal gowns are usually made of softer, lighter fabrics that pack easily and travel well.
However, these informal wedding gowns are nothing less than spectacular with sleek lines, and simple designs. Today, more and more brides-to-be are choosing to stray from the multi layers of frill and lace in favor of the simplistic beauty of a destination wedding dress.
Lightweight fabrics such as chiffon, organza, silk, rayon, crepe or crinkle cotton are extremely popular and practical. They are cool, elegant and comfortable. The lightweight, wrinkle resistant qualities of such fabrics make your precious wedding gown very “packable”.
Styles range from truly elegant full length gowns to romantic tea length. Sexy slip dresses and halter styles are also very popular and beautiful. For a casual beach wedding dress, consider a sarong or a Hawaiian holoku.
The cost for such a dress itself warrants consideration, especially for the frugal bride on a tight budget. You can easily keep the cost of your beach wedding dress under $300.00 without sacrificing style at all!
Remember…
Dollars do NOT dictate beauty! Some of the prettiest wedding gowns I have seen, both casual and formal, have been right on eBay… at a fraction of the cost!
It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for an informal beach wedding dress for your poolside ceremony, a sunrise or sunset ocean front ceremony, or if you are planning to wed onboard a luxury cruise liner…
The destination wedding dress is perfect for every wedding style!
One more thing…
When traveling to your wedding destination, do NOT entrust the safe keeping of your wedding gown to airline attendants. Not long ago, as I stood in the Jacksonville airport, I watched one young girl break down as a baggage handler, presented her with her wedding dress accompanied by an apology. The garment bag was torn open and there were black tire prints on her lovely silk gown. It had apparently slipped off the side of the baggage trolley and been driven over, then dragged back to the terminal from the plane.
Don’t let this happen to you!
About the author:
Cindy English is the publisher of:
http://www.All-Florida-Beach-Weddings.com
Plan your wedding celebration in Paradise!
http://www.Beach-Wedding-Themes.com
Beach wedding themes full of fun, fantasy and romance!
© Copyright 2005 by Cindy English
July 19th, 2008
Video games are one of the most excellent forms of electronic entertainment in the world at the moment, & heaps of computer games consoles are purchased every year.
The fame of handheld consoles means that games manufacturers such as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are continually developing additional consoles incorporating integrating most modern equipment to stay ahead of each other in the handheld marketplace.
Therefore, knowing just which handheld games device to choose might be complex, whether you are getting a games device for the very first time, buying one as a reward for another person, or basically longing to improve their latest games console.
So we’ve created the following advice to the sort of things you should ought to be looking for when picking & obtaining a computer games console to help you find your way around the video games market.
How to Choose a Video Games Console Toy-Shopper.co.uk has great offers on a range of Video Games Consoles, including Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP and XBOX 360.
There are countless important questions that you would be recommended to have before selecting a video games device in order to guarantee that you pick the correct video games console for yourself. Here are a couple of the things you would be recommended to consider when selecting your choice.
Picking a Video Device ? Portable or Residential Consoles
One of the initial decisions you have got to make when looking for a games console is whether or not you need a computer games device which will largely be used at home, or whether you call for a portable handheld video games product.
July 19th, 2008
X rated toys are fabulous; sensual aids are one thing that won?t ever have a problem spending hours with you till it gets you yourself off. Sensual toys have been all over the place for years, from the cucumber in the ancient times through to the great and high tech toys for sale online today.
If you feel that your sexual life is in need of a bit of urgent attention then marital aids are brilliant to add that extra sex spice you are looking for. You can often use vibrators with your husband or on your own and the sexual excitement is never ending, just use your naughty fantasies. Buy lots of sex toys and Vibrating Butt Plugs at Sex Bomb.
At times it can often seem that sex aid toys are only designed for women, well if you have ever been to a vast sex website you would happen upon countless marital toys for lads. Sex retailers stock everything from vaginas to penis pumps. lads every now and then feel embarrassed about getting marital aids for themselves, but with the www now readily around to everyone you might often save any embarrassment and acquire online and get a penis masturbator dispatched in plain packaging. If you do not know which sexual toy to try first you can regularly speak or email the customer service guys for their marital aid guidance.
July 19th, 2008
Trains are something that UK folk think as very easy and very fast to travel on, there’s no dramas checking in, having to stand around to pick up your holdalls and going through long security checks when you are trying to get to St Tropez. It is simply spectacular. So you simply go to the correct train station, find your train platform and then you’re off.
Trains are also comparatively environmentally friendly sorts of general public transport. This is because public transport will take tremendous masses of people at any one time. By transporting so many passangers compared to the same number of cars it would need to transport them all, the carbon emissions is noticeably less overall. Trains are brilliant compared to cars.
It is constantly going to be needed to travel from home to a vacation resort by whatever modes of transport are probable and if this means travelling on a train because it has a decreased carbon emission than a plane, then this is a green friendly choice to make, some may say its a nice choice. So it is attainable to enjoy a holiday by rail and actually be co2 friendly. At the moment it is possible to go by rail to most destinations in the world including Prague.
So if you yourself want to keep your greenhouse gases to a minimum, there’s no contest, going by train is terrific compared to by car. Going by public transportation is a pretty green way of travel, and it is easy to stay safe on a public train if folk use common sense. The next time you yourself desire to travel, see if you yourself will use a train or another type of transport to reduce and cut down on pollution. Independent studying has found that jetting between Glasgow, Rome, and Austria creates ten times more transport emissions than transporting by public transport, assuredly this is reason enough to travel by train, when customers can. Reduce chemicals going into your environment with Train Holidays.
Using the public transportation for romantic holidays is a wonderful way to cut down on your fuel emissions, and you may desire to bring that same smart thinking towards your work commute to work. Although going by public transportation has become more popular in the last 3 years, there is still a huge percentage of travellers that take their car to work.
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