Amazon Kindle How-to Series: Replacing the Battery on Your Amazon Kindle

Author: Michael Piston

Since the Amazon Kindle is a fairly new innovation, most owners have not had their Kindle e-book reader long enough to require a new battery. However, if you use your Kindle frequently and charge it often then you may get to the point where the battery doesn't seem to last as long as when your Kindle was new. This is not an usual phenomenon - most rechargeable batteries have a "life" measured in number of re-charges.
Another reason that you may wish to replace the battery on your Kindle is that you are going to be using it for a long period of time and can't charge it. For example let's say you are planning a trip with a long international airplane flight. In this case you can take two (or more) fully charged Kindle batteries with you and replace them as required.
To save battery life, the Kindle goes into a "sleep" mode if you have not been reading an e-book or listening to an audio book for a long period of time. You'll recognize when your Kindle has entered "sleep" mode because a screen saver will appear on your screen in-place of the book you were reading. Kindle comes with built-in screen savers, or you can check the site in the resource box below to learn how-to create your own.
Your Amazon Kindle has a built-in battery power meter you will find at the bottom right-side of the screen. The battery power meter is right next to the wireless signal strength meter. It's sometimes easy to get these meters confused. The wireless signal strength indicator appears as a bar graph with a small antenna in-front of the first bar. When your battery power meter shows nearly all white you know it's either time to recharge your Kindle or replace your battery. If the power meter goes down quickly after a charge it may be time to replace your battery.
Here's how you replace the battery on your Amazon Kindle:
1. Turn-off your Kindle
2. Find a soft cloth or other means to protect the face of your Kindle
3. Place your Kindle face down on a flat, secure surface
4. Slide the gray back cover off of your Kindle
5. You will see the gray battery in it's compartment
6. Note the battery compartment has a rounded "notch" on one end
7. Using your finger (not a screwdriver or any other device that might damage your Kindle)gently push the battery to the back of the compartment then lift it out
8. The battery is attached to your Kindle by a white plastic connector and several wires
9. GENTLY pull the white connector back until the battery is disconnected from your Kindle
10. Attach your new battery by pushing the white wiring connector into the proper location in the battery compartment
11. Seat the battery into the back of the battery compartment - make sure the white wiring connector is attached properly
12. Press the battery down at the front of the battery compartment - note that the battery and the compartment have a small notch and grove to help you line-up the battery
13. Replace the cover
14 Turn on your Kindle and you're ready to get back to reading your favorite e-book or listening to your favorite audio book
Congratulations! You have just learned how-to replace the battery in your Amazon Kindle.
While this is not a procedure everyone will do regularly it's helpful to know either when your battery does not hold a charge or if you are traveling with more than one charged battery.
One more important point! The battery in your Amazon Kindle is made from Lithium Polymer. It should be disposed of properly - likely at a battery recycling center located near you.
Article Source: http://michaelpiston.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/amazon-kindle-howto-series-replacing-the-battery-on-your-amazon-kindle-742916.html
http://www.guidetokindle.com



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The Harmful Effects Of Cell Phone Use

Author: Alisha Dhamani

Over the past decade the world has seen rapid growth in cell phone users. Everyone from older adults to kids in high school seem to carry one glued to their ears, without understanding the possible health ricks associated with the use of cellular telephones.

To begin with, a recent scientific journal published in 2007 titled Long term use of cellular phones and brain tumors, concluded after assessing results from many different studies that use of cell phones for more then 10 years does show increased risk for acoustic neuroma and glioma. Adding that the risk is highest for ipsilateral exposure, meaning tumor on the same side of the brain where phone mostly held.

Research scientists behind this journal assert that most studies to date on cell phone use and brain tumors have been mostly conducted with an insufficiently long latency period. This journal report gives excellent reviews of other studies and evidence of data entry errors, systematic bias and mathematical errors within those studies. 

Argument against studies which used short term recall of mobile phone use, is well argued by giving evidence that actual use of cell phones is usually underestimated by light users and overestimated by heavy users, reducing the data strength of interphone studies. In the same way, results showing increased risk for acoustic neuroma and glioma from various other studies on use of mobile phone for more then 10 years are given supporting their conclusion. 

Furthermore, another study published in 2006 completed by 3 scientists in Sweden also conform a increased risk for malignant brain tumors in groups with use of cellular and cordless phones for more then 10 years. Similar to the above study, the scientists associated with this report also mention the weakness of so-far studies to be their too short a latency period. 

Evidence of errors in other studies for example, Danish interphone study, in which many data entry errors had occurred due to problems in understanding words of Galioma patients due to paralysis has been well argued. They propose that their method of assessing the use of cellular and cordless phones by questionnaires to be more sensible. 

Moreover, interesting evidence brought up in this journal report about a completed REFLEX-study is important to mention here. The REFLEX-study which tested for genotoxic effects in cells exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic fields at SAR (whole-body Specific Absorption Rate) levels between 0.3 and 2 watt/kg showed evidence for. Increase in single and double strand DNA breaks finding of choromosomal aberrations were observed in fibroblasts and intracellular increase of free radicals in HL-60 Cells. 

Evidence from the REFLEX-study coupled with the evidence from their own study, the Swedish scientists concluded that the current allowed SAR of 2 watt/kg in Europe is inappropriate.

Conversely, it is important to make known to our readers that the maximum SAR level in United States and Canada has been capped at 1.6W/kg (FDA). 

Finally, a journal published in 2007 Mobile phone use and risk of glioma is 5 North European countries, show somewhat mixed results. This particular studies results were based on combined data from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Southeast England, where mobile phones have been widely used for at least a decade. This study looked at reasonably large group of people. Total of 2,530 glioma patients and 6,581 controls had participated in this study. 

Nonetheless, it is surprising to know that their conclusions are not as clear as in previous studies we mentioned. This study claims to find no elevated risk of Glioma among groups most exposed. Neither did they find any significant association across, categories with duration of use, years since first use, cumulative number of calls or cumulative hours of use. 

They also claim to find no increased risks when analogue and digital phones were tested separately. However, this study did find one set of analyses which indicates a possible connection. This connection was between, reported ipsilateral use 10 or more years ago associated with significantly increased risk of glioma and there was also an increasing tread with years since first use on the ipsilateral side.

Lastly, we recommend that consumers seek information about what SAR level their cell phone uses. SAR information is easily found in instructional materials that come with the phone or can be found on many web sites. We recommend consumers to use cell phones that operate at lowest possible value of SAR, and to try to limit the use of cell phones or invest in a hands free headset for cell phones until more absolute evidence is obtained.

Article Source: http://alishadhamani.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/the-harmful-effects-of-cell-phone-use-413085.html

How Technology Is Affecting Our Lives

Author: Thomas Pretty

Today's world is full of pieces of technology that we take for granted, the microchip has truly revolutionised the way in which we live and do business. The world we see would not be recognisable to people of a few generations ago and nowhere is this truism greater than in the world of computing. Hence it is important to stay up to date with technology news; while many may think that this type of news is purely for geeks it is clear that all of us should have at least a passing interest in news of technological developments.

Technology pretty much touches all of our lives in some way and hence technology news is a vital resource that can keep us up to date with developments and ways in which the world will be changing. For instance, the onset of digital television is something that will affect most people; news stories that inform us of the dates for the switch over are vital so the average member of public can understand when their analogue signal will be turned off. In the same way, news of technologies that may make our cars safer and more efficient is important to all those who drive on our roads. 

Anyone of a reasonable age will remember the BBC's 'Tomorrow's World; a technological news show that brought us stories of the latest developments and the ways life would be changed in the future. It was as sad day when this news show was cancelled; maybe it meant that people were no longer interested in new technology. If people are less interested they should not be; being up to date with what is coming around the corner is just as important as being informed on the politics of the nation and world affairs. 

Any lack of interest has been sidestepped by the internet, which has seen the creation of a platform for thousands of writers who feel it necessary to publish regular news stories on technological developments. It is not just the bedroom 'bloggers' however that is publishing detailed news stories. Major reporting institutions are now likely to have a technology dedicated page in order to cope with the huge demand for this kind of news. 

The fact of the matter is that technology now covers such a diverse range of subjects that it would be foolish for any reporting company not to write stories on the genre. Technology can apply to elements of the medical industry as well as the automotive industry. It is this diversity that makes technology news articles so interesting to read and why subscribers from all over the world regularly catch up theses stories. 

It can be argued that will now live in the 'computer age', whether this is true or not is a matter of conjecture but what can be assured is that we live a period where computers are becoming increasingly important to our way of life. Ultimately we are becoming evermore reliant on our computers and without them we would be lost; there are even news stories of some now being addicted to their computers and handhelds. This is the extent that technology has encroached upon our lives that people now do not feel the need to 'unplug'.

The phenomena is only set to continue, as computers become more powerful and have greater and greater applications it will not be long that we will plan our lives around the computer. This is not an attempt to act as a harbinger of doom, it is just theorising on ways in which technology will impact upon the human race. This is why keeping up to date with news stories about technology is so important, technology is about forward momentum and understanding what is at the crest of the wave is only half of the battle.

Article Source: http://thomaspretty.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/how-technology-is-affecting-our-lives-383883.html

How to Get Your Website Indexed in 7 Days or Less

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

If you have a blog or website then obviously you want people to come to your site for whatever reason. Here's a quick tutorial that will show you two ways how to get your site indexed in the big three search engines that won't get you into any trouble with other webmasters

Steps

1. First, create a blog. Popular blog hosting clients are WordPress, LiveJournal, and Blogger and start posting about anything on your mind. In a day or two make a post that pertains to the same topic as your website. So if your website is about dog training then make the post in your new blogger blog about dog training.
   
2. Somewhere within the post put a link to your website using the main keyword that you're trying to target. That's all there is to the first step of getting your site indexed fast. This works because all of the SE's like blogger blogs and crawl them frequently.
   
3. This next way will get your site indexed fast but will also drive visitors to your site. Go to EzineArticles.com and create a free account.
   
4. Write an article that pertains to your website and put a link to your site in the bio box of the article. The article will be reviewed and approved in a few days if you follow the guidelines. This works because ezinearticles.com is crawled on a daily basis by all of the SE spiders.
   

Tips

• Don't put too many links to your site in the ezinearticles.com article that you write. Also please don't take the advice of lazy people and try something like posting on craiglist.com just to get a link to your site. The post will probably get deleted anyway.
  
• Submit your blog URL to Google.
  

Understanding SQL Server Statistics

Author: Keith

"Statistics provides tools that you need in order to react intelligently to information you hear or read" – David Lane, 2003

If there’s an upcoming election and you are running for office and getting ready to go from town to town city to city with your flyers, you will want to know approximately how many flyers you’re going to bring.

If you’re the coach of a sports team, you will want to know your players’ stats before you decide who to play when, and against who. You will often play a matchup game, even if you have 20 players, you might be allowed to play just 5 at a time, and you will want to know which of your players will best match up to the other team’s roster. And you don’t want to interview them one by one at game time (table scan), you want to know, based on their statistics, who your best bets are.

Just like the election candidate or the sports coach, SQL Server tries to use statistics to "react intelligently" in its query optimization. Knowing number of records, density of pages, histogram, or available indexes help the SQL Server optimizer "guess" more accurately how it can best retrieve data. A common misnomer is that if you have indexes, SQL Server will use those indexes to retrieve records in your query. Not necessarily. If you create, let’s say, an index to a column City and <90% of the values are ‘Vancouver’, SQL Server will most likely opt for a table scan instead of using the index if it knows these stats.

For the most part, there *may* be minimal we need to do to keep our statistics up-to-date (depending on your configurations), but understanding statistics a little bit better is in order to help us understand SQL Server optimization a little bit more.

How are statistics created?

Statistics can be created different ways

- Statistics are automatically created for each index key you create.


- If the database setting autocreate stats is on, then SQL Server will automatically create statistics for non-indexed columns that are used in queries.

- CREATE STATISTICS

What do statistics look like?

If you’re curious, there’s a couple ways you can peek at what statistics look like.

Option 1 – you can go to your Statistics node in your SSMS, right click > Properties, then go to Details. Below is a sample of the stats and histogram that’s collected for one of the tables in my database

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/http://www.articlealley.com/understanding-sql-server-statistics-2350942.html

The Importance Of English As A Second Language

Author: Wolfgang Jaegel

English as a Second Language (ESL), alternatively known as English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL), refers to an intensive English language learning program or course taken by speakers of other languages.



In other words, ESL is a course that is designed to teach English to individuals whose native language is not English or who are not proficient in this language or who cannot fluently speak, write, or read English. People across the globe take ESL courses for a plethora of reasons.



Sometimes, it may be for the successful completion of high school education or to enter a graduation course. In some instances, it may be to join an occupational or a professional course. Apart from these, people take this course to enhance their career. In short, the primary purpose of an ESL course is to make an individual proficient in the use of the English language.



An English as a second language course is primarily designed with a range of techniques and methodologies to develop listening, speaking, reading, writing, and vocabulary skills with regard to the English language. The topics covered in English as a Second Language courses include grammar, use of idioms and phrasal verbs, picture dictionaries, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation. Mostly, the course is inclusive of a multitude of activities, which among many others are:



- Imparting effective classes along with seminars and workshops for individuals and groups

- Preparing and developing useful notes and other materials on the English language

- Scheduling schemes of work

- Tracking records of students

- Tailoring programs according to the skills and requirements of candidates

- Implementation of most modern tools for training, such as, multimedia and videoconferencing facilities



However, the duration of ESL programs are based on different levels, and range from few weeks to few months or sometimes even several years.



Depending upon the skills and requirements of people, different types of English as a Second Language programs are available. For instance, there are ESL programs specifically designed for non-native English speaker business professionals, with topics focusing on enhancement of verbal comprehension, improved readability, proper usage of grammar and punctuation for successful business writing, and effective editing and proofreading.



Specialized programs are also available for those engaged in such professions as airline services, hotel management, and nursing. Likewise, there are special courses for students engaged in advanced research programs.



Some advanced level ESL courses include topics that emphasize on preparation of some kind of exams, like, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing System), and the Cambridge Exam. This type of ESL programs usually cover classes on the English grammar, vocabulary listening, and writing and speaking skills vital for university admission. In addition, for those who want to enhance their language skills in a particular area of professional study, then taking ESL programs such as English for Specific programs would be beneficial.



Most popular ESL programs also include one to one instruction, independent study with the help of sophisticated learning tools, and group instruction. Advanced General English courses and Conversational English Course are the other prominent ESL programs. Let it be any type of English as a second language program, the curriculum starts with training on basic skills in the language. Then, the training is switched over to the development of communication skills as well as the other modules of language training.



One of the prime benefits of ESL programs is that it serves as a great way to fill in the missing gap in your knowledge or skills, since they are mostly inclusive of innovative classes and educational events. Another prime benefit of this program is that it helps you attain success in much desirable courses, such as TOEFL exam, which is vital in order to enroll or work in a US school or firm.



However, the benefits of an ESL programs are far beyond the educational and employment opportunities it renders. An ESL program can help improve an individual's linguistic skills, thereby making them adept in comprehending complexities arising as a result of the language's grammar as well as meaning. Also, included in ESL programs' advantages are improved social interaction skills and ability to work in a creative environment.



Nowadays, endless options are available to take courses on English as a second language, with a large number of reputable teaching centers and programs to choose from. With the introduction of the internet, there are superb alternatives to take ESL programs online.