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Most of the world’s Internet users lost access to YouTube for several hours after an attempt by Pakistan’s government to block access domestically affected other countries.

The outage Sunday highlighted yet another of the Internet’s vulnerabilities, coming less than a month after broken fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean took Egypt off line and caused communications problems from the Middle East to India.

An Internet expert explained that Sunday’s problems arose when a Pakistani telecommunications company accidentally identified itself to Internet computers as the world’s fastest route to YoutTube. But instead of serving up videos of skateboarding dogs, it sent the traffic to oblivion.

On Friday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority ordered 70 Internet service providers to block access to YouTube.com, because of anti-Islamic movies on the video-sharing site, which is owned by Google Inc.
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The year about to pass began inauspiciously with the ASEAN summit in Cebu, postponed from December 2006 due to threatening typhoons, then marred by accusations of corruption when it finally pushed through.

But perhaps 2007 will be best remembered as the year when terror – whether caused by extremists or faulty septic tanks – crept right to the doorsteps of Metro Manila, with two explosions on either side of town in the last quarter of the year.

It was also a time for deposed presidents to be convicted and pardoned, the opposition to win the midterm polls, and the local currency to hit its highest level in years, which according to economists was both boon (cushioning the impact of high oil prices) and bane (for overseas workers and exporters).

The top stories for 2007:

• Two blasts in Metro Manila. At Glorietta 2 on Oct. 19, and at the Batasang Pambansa on Nov. 13. Eleven dead in the first, six in the second. The first, according to an official investigation, was caused by an accumulation of deadly gases in the basement of the high-end mall; the second was caused by a bomb planted on a motorcycle allegedly by political rivals of Akbar clan in Basilan. Police and mall owners dispute the cause of the first blast; political rivals of the Akbars deny involvement in the second blast. But police said the first blast was more complicated to solve than the second.
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There is this new toy known as the flying kite. It can be flown using a remote control. The flying kite is decorated with a lot of colored lights. It looks especially stunning and beautiful when you fly it against the dark sky.

Maybe you are wondering why I am talking about the flying kite. Well, the flying kite accidentally ended in one of my photos taken during a particular night shoot. Yes, I was angry because it had spoilt my photo. I was snapping the fireworks display when this flying kite appeared out of nowhere and flowed into the scene that was being captured.

After my anger was gone, I examined the photo again. I found that there is a ‘trailing blurred effect’ of the flying kite. This effect gives an impression that the flying kite is in flying motion.

You can conduct a simple experiment to see the effect for yourself. Firstly, find a road where there is a lot of traffic during the night. Secondly, set up your camera on a tripod at the side of road to capture the vehicles that are passing by the road. Thirdly, snap a number of photos on the vehicles that are passing by the road. Please ensure you are at a safe location while doing the experiment. You may also conduct the experiment during day instead of the night. But the ‘trailing blurred effect’ is more apparent during the night shoot.
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Computers today are currently overpriced and still in an experimental phase well out of reach of the typical consumer. Computers seem to be designed to waste our time by unnecessary loading redundant data and shockingly slow components made by improvement of archaic concepts. This is standard on most computers. On the other hand, computers today are much more user friendly. Most computers will run virtually their entire productive lives without needing any regular maintenance at all. Computers are not like cars,which need oil changes, tune-ups, and similar maintenance work. The problems which do crop up with computers are almost always software-based, and those are the very problems which it’s virtually impossible for a maintenance technician to fix.

Computer
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Sharing favorite webpages has become popular recently. Social bookmarking sites allow visitors to let everyone else know where they found important or just plain interesting information. With the popularity spreading we are seeing more sites offering social bookmarking. Listed below you’ll find information on ten of the popular bookmarking sites.

blinklist.com–This site allows you to bookmark sites with the click of a button on your toolbar. You can keep your lists private or share them with the world.

del.icio.us– One of the first social bookmarking sites to spark the world’s attention is still a favorite.

digg.com– Digg has several categories for the 8.7 million visitors it gets monthly to browse through to find the information and statistics they need quickly. Digg also allows its members to post to their blog through this site when a visitor wants to leave a link to a webpage or article on their blog.

fark.com– With categories such as sports, politics, music, and business on the main page, this site allows users to browse others bookmarked sites by topic to help you easily find what you are looking for.
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When I was young, I dreamed to become a photographer someday. Now at my right age, taking into it is a difficult as I never thought so before. So from this point, I will be sharing an article tackling the basics of photography by John Eva from the site articlefirm.com.

Give a camera to anyone and more then likely, that individual will figure out a way to use it. However, tell the photographer to take a skilled photograph, and not everyone will know what to do. There are basic guides to photography that is easy enough for anyone to understand, and will have many people up and running with their various photography projects in no time.

One of the most important aspects to photography is to always take care of the camera that is being used. This means that the camera needs to be placed into a protective case, and kept in a cool, dry, and dark atmosphere, if possible. Exposing the camera to direct heat or sunlight can warp the film, if there is any, inside of the camera. With digital cameras, there is also a need to keep the camera in the shade, as heat can ruin the camera. Harsh conditions to the weather, such as rain and cold, should also be avoided.

Another important factor when it comes to photography is to let the imagination run free. Often times, we are too consumed with the right and wrongs of everything. With art, however, there are no limits to what can be created. Sometimes, the rarest occurrence can be captured with a photo. Photos can certainly speak a thousand words, and even the quietest of moment and emotions can be captivated on a photo instead of the spoken word. It is also important to keep a camera in tow when possible. This is because there are always one-chance opportunities that will appear in photography. Without a camera, many people will miss out on the chance to capture something that is truly great.
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Local Visa cardholders flying out of Hong Kong and overseas Visa cardholders1 travelling to Hong Kong will have a chance to win a dream vacation to any destination in Asia Pacific or worldwide and receive a special gift when they spend with their Visa cards at Hong Kong International Airport during the festive Christmas and New Year season.

The “Heart-Warming Winter” promotion runs from November 28, 2007 to January 8, 2008. During the period, Visa cardholders can instantly redeem rewards from a series of specially designed “heart-warming” gifts when they spend HK$500 or above with their Visa cards at Hong Kong International Airport’s Terminal One or Terminal Two. The eighth lucky traveler to redeem rewards at Terminal Two will receive a special prize – as will the 18th, the 28th, and that of subsequent numbers that end with 8. All overseas cardholders will also receive an additional gift upon each redemption.

In addition, for every HK$800 spent, Visa cardholders will receive one entry to the weekly lucky draw and will also be entered into the Grand Prize lucky draw. Weekly travel prizes include a five-day, four-night Asia Pacific travel package worth HK$50,000, while the Grand Prize will be an eight-day, seven-night travel package worth HK$200,000 to any destination worldwide. The Grand Prize drawing will be held on January 15, 2008.

Cardholders travelling with a Visa card can reduce the hassle and risk of carrying cash. Now, they can also have a chance to win instant prizes, and enjoy a dream vacation to any destination in Asia Pacific or worldwide.

Monday, December 31, 2007 PhilStar News