Barmuda Triangle

You may find so many stories on Barmuda Triangle but most of them are based on imagination. Perhaps science can offer some answers about the Bermuda Triangle. Let’s find out about the Barmuda Traingle.

·         Barmuda Triangle is located in the Atlantic Ocean; it falls between Bermuda, Puerto Rico & Florida.
·         It has been believed that the site where a number of mysterious planes & boats incidents have occurred.
·         While it has become part of popular culture to link the incidents of Bermuda Triangle to the paranormal activities is the most investigations indicate bad weather & human errors are the more likely culprits.

• Researches have been suggested that many original reports of strange incidents in the Bermuda Triangle were overstated & that the actual number of incidents in the area is similar to that of other parts of the ocean.
• While its reputation may scare some people but the Bermuda Triangle is actually part of a regularly sailed shipping lane with cruise ships & other boats also frequently sailing through the area.
• Aircrafts are also common in the Bermuda Triangle with both private & commercial planes commonly flying through that air space.
• Stories of unexplained disappearances in Bermuda Triangle started to reach public consciousness around 1950 and have been over and over again reported since then.
• Some unverified supernatural explanations for Bermuda Triangles incidents have been included references to UFO’s.
• Other explanations have been included magnetic anomalies, pirates, deliberate sinkings, hurricanes, gas - deposits, violent weather, huge waves & human error.

Some famous reported incidents involving the Bermuda Triangle include:

• The USS Cyclops & its crew of 309 that went missing after leaving Barbados in 1918.
• The TBM nemesis bombers that went missing in 1945 during the training of flight over the Atlantic.
• A Douglas DC-3 airplane containing 32 people that went missing in 1958, no hint of the aircraft was ever found.

• A vessel was found in 1955 that had survived 3 hurricanes but was missing all of its crew.

Samsung will launch Note 5 with latest technology!

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is the next in line of Samsung's flagship Galaxy Note devices that rumored to be launched in upcoming months. New Samsung Note 5 has still not been announced officially but some specifications have been started to appear that give us a brief look at what's in store.

From the rumor we have heard so far that the Note 5 will feature a 5.67 inches Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560X1440. All glass back & the Exynos 7422 SoC system on the chip. The Exynos 7422 will be the first all in one SoC incorporating the RAM, CPU, GPU, storage & the LTE modem in a single Samsung smart phone package.

10 Tips & Tricks for Photoshop Beginners!!!

Nowadays, Photoshop is a heck of an amazing software which can really help your creativity express itself through a variety of useful tools. It is also excellent if all you want to do is re-touch a photo a bit before you post it on your website or anywhere else. If you are a new Photoshop user then only recently exposed to the wonders of this advanced design machine read on. We have gathered some tips & tricks that could really make a difference as you move forward with your next few images.

Note: The shortcuts are phrased for only PC users. Mac people  know what to do with them.

1. Transform

When you want to change the size of an photo or rotate or flip or distort it then you can always do so by clicking Edit; then click Transform & select the action you desire. To make life more easier, there is a shortcut that you can use. Simply press Ctrl + T on your keyboard & a bounding box will then appear around the image indicating transformation. This means you can now do resize your images. The best way to do so is by placing the cursor on one of the rectangle corners & then drag the corner while holding the Shift key. When you are finished just press Enter & you are done.

To flip your image vertically or horizontally press Ctrl + T & then right click on your mouses. A pop- up window will appear with a few options for rotating & flipping the image. Select the action you want & when you are done press Enter.

Similarly to distort or skew the images press (Ctrl + T) & then place the cursor on one of the corners you want to distorts. Press (Ctrl) while holding your mouse down on the corner & drag it down to wherever you want then press (Enter) to activate.

2. Change the Unit of Measurement

A short & quick way to switch between units of measurements is to place the cursor on one of the rulers (press Ctrl + R to show or hide the rulers) & right click then choose a new unit from the contexts menu . You have variety of unit  there from centimeters to pixels, millimeters, points & even percents.

3. Magnetic Lasso Tool

This is an easy selection tool that helps you trace & outline a part of an image & to separate it from the rest of the image in order to perform certain actions. For example; you can select & separate a product from its background.

The magnetic lasso tool detects the edges of an object so that it works best when you have a bold contrast between an object & its background with well defined edges. You can find this tool in the tool panel.

To access the Magnetic Lasso click & hold your mouse button down on the Lasso Tool until a fly out menu appear . The magnetic lasso is the last one with a small magnets on its icon. Select it & then go to your image & place your mouse on the edge of the part you want to select. Click your mouse once release & just go over the edges of the object you want to select (just like you do with scissors when you cut something out).

4. Magic Wand Tool

The Magic Wand is another selection tool which is ideal for when you are working with a background that is very monotone & consistent. If you have a clearly defined color that you want to choose in an image then this is the tool for you. For example the Magic - Wand is great when you want to select a white background or  a clear blue sky.

Choose the magic wand tool from the tools panel & click on the part of the image you want to select. Make sure that you toggled the 'add to selection' option on the top bar (icon of two squares) so that you can keep on adding colors & tones to your selection.

 5. Custom Shape Tool

The Tool Panel offers all kind of basic shapes you need like - squares, lines, circles, ellipses etc. However, if you would like to have extended options check out the custom shape tool. Represented by icons that kind of resemble  a roadkill but it is far from it! The custom shape tool is easy to find on the Options Bar. When you select it a world of shape options will reveal itself to you.

A shape preview thumbnail will appear to the right of the Custom Shape Tool icon. The selection is great & you can access even more shapes by clicking again on the small arrow on the right side of the panel. If you are looking for banner , speech bubble  or arrow  of all kinds this is just the tool for you.

 6. Adjustment Layers

As you use Photoshop for whatever purpose  like change color  of an image; make it sharper or improve the contrast; remember to always use the adjustment layer . The big advantages of the adjustment layers is that you do not make the changes on the image itself but on a separate layer, so that you can always change the settings to see which adjustment works best for you. You will find adjustment layer  in the bottoms  of the the Layers Panel (a black & white circle icon).

 7. Layer Styles

This is a simple and easy way to add some pizazz to your image. Layers styles are special effects that can be quickly applied to individual layer . All you have to do is do a double click on a layer & then choose the effect you like.

You can select from a whole variety of features, add a stroke or a glow, drop a shadow & much more with just a click of the mouse. Be careful you do not overdo it. These effects have a tendency to look cheap & sleazy when there is too much of them.

 8. Spot Healing Brush

This tool will make everything looks prettier!! If you have a spot blemish or a mole this tool will remove it instantly. It is can also be used as a pimples remover. Just place the brushes over the area you want to 'fix', make sure the brush is a bit bigger than  the blemish & click. Photoshop automatically  sample from around the retouched area so you really do not need to do anything else.

 9. Dodge Tool

The Dodge Tool lightens pixels where you like to use it. This is a great solution for the red 'tired eyes'. Set the Dodges Tool to a soft brush then go to range setting in the menu   bar pull   down &  choose highlights set Exposure on around 20%. Then carefully brush over the eyes area. Remember not to overdo it or your model will start to look like an alien. A few simple strokes that should do the job.

 10. Blur Tool

A simple & delicate way to remove small wrinkles is to blur them a little bit. Use the Blur tools to smooth out small imperfections like the wrinkles around the eye or mouth area & simply blur them into the background. Again be gentle & remember not to overdo it or instead of improving your image you will end up spoiling it. The Blur tool that can be used for repair as well as more artistic purposes so it is important to become friendly with it.

10 most expensive cars in the world till 2015

Lamborghini Veneno  Roadster

Country: Italy.
Engine: 750 hp, 6.5 liter, 12 cylinder
0-  62 mph:  2.9 s
Price: $4.5 M
Lamborghini said it has plans to build only nine copies of the Lamborghini  Veneno Roadster in  2014. Among many other innovations it has lightweight body design makes extensive use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer.

Bugatti Veyron  16.4 Grand  Sport  Vitesse

Country: France
Engine: 1,200 hp, 8-liter, 16-cylinder
0-62 mph: 2.6 s
Price: $2.5 M
Bugatti said its current model is the fastest production roadster in the world with having been driven 255.5 mph in April 2013. Bugatti declared earlier this month December 2013, it has sold its 400th car worldwide since its  introduction in  2005. Only 60 cars are available out of a total planned car production of  460 pcs.

Koenigsegg  Agera  S

Country: Sweden
Engine: 1,030 hp  twin turbo 5.0 liter V 8
Price: $1,520,000
Koenigsegg says it expects to ship its first Agera S to the USA. This belongs to the exclusive   1,000 hp+ club with a twin turbo V 8 which generates 1,030  hp. That speed up the car from 0 to 65 mph in 3 seconds only or 0 to  188 mph in 22.7 s.

Hennessey  Venom  GT

Country: United Kingdom
Engine: 1,244 hp, 7.0 liter, twin turbo V 8
0-60mph: 2.7 s
Price: $1.2 M
Hennessey Perfomance based in Sealy, Texas, said that its Hennessey Venom GT set a Guinness World record time of 14 seconds from 0 to 300 kph or 186 mph in January 2013. The company planned to build a total of only 30 cars. The  Venom GT is created from a base Lotus Elise / Exige & utilizes components including but not limited to the  roof , cockpits, door, wind screen, side glasses, dash,  HVAC system, wiper & head lamps. Hennessey Performance & the Venom GT are not associated with Lotus Cars.

Porsche 918 Spyder

Country: Germany
Engine: 887 hp , 4.6 liter V 8 with two electric motors
0-62 mph: 2.5 s
Price: $845,000
Besides Hybrid gasoline electric power train other innovations include rear wheel steering where the rear wheels adjusts slightly . It can  go up to  30 miles on  battery. The V 8 gasoline engine produces almost 610 HP. Porsche 918 Spyder is largely built of  lightweight with strong carbon fiber reinforced polymer.

Rolls Royce  Phantom Wheelbase Extended 

Country: United Kingdom
Engine: 453 hp, 6.75 liter V 12
0-60 mph: 5.8 s
 Price: $298,900

The Rolls Royce Phantom Extended Wheel base model is about 9 inches longer than the standard wheel base. That extra room is most noticeable in the  back seat where the owner presumably will spend a lot of his / her time being driven around. Rolls Royce’s current cars have hi tech features like cameras at 5 locations to watch out for obstacles when parking & to project the predicted path on a screen when reversing.

Ferrari F12 berlinetta

Country: Italy
Engine: 740 hp, 6.3 liter, V 12
0-62 mph: 3.1 s
Price: $315,888
The Ferrari F12 berlinetta has a top speed of over 211 mph the company said. Not only that it reaches 150 mp/h in only10 s. Ferrari said it has the fastest acceleration of any road going Ferrari as opposed to Ferrari racecars which are confined to the track.

Bentley  Mulsanne

Country: United Kingdom
Engine: 505 hp, 6.75 liter, twin turbo V 8
0-60 mph: 5.1 s
Price: $298,900

Bentley called the Bentley Mulsanne the grandest of grand   tourer. The interiors has the features like wood veneers & leather upholstery made from blemish free hides from herds raised in cooler climates where there are  fewer  insects.

Aston  Martin  Vanquish

Country: United Kingdom
Engine: 565-hp, 6.0-liter V-12
0-62 mph: 4.1 s
Price: $279,995
Aston Martin Vanquish is 2 door hardtop coupe which also comes as a convertible called the Volante. It is the 1st Aston Martin with light weight & strong carbon fiber body panels. Top  speed is 200 mp/h. Aston  Martin  offers a  long list of personalized options like matching a  favorite color to paint the exterior or custom leather. Aston Martin calls  customized collections of options Q by Aston Martin. Aston Martin  branding image is caught up with classic James Bond movies.

Mercedes Benz  CL65  AMG  Coupe

Country: Germany
Engine: 621-hp, 6.0-liter, bi-turbo V-12
0-60 mph: 4.2 s
Price: $215,500
The Mercedes Benz AMG division used to be a  separate company  that souped up stock Mercedes Benz models. The engine  in this Mercedes Benz   Coupe is a  handcrafted V 12. AMG tradition is that the individual master  craftsman who builds  each engine puts  his signature on it when he is finished. That is not to say the end product is some quaint relic. Top speed is 190 mph.

Nokia 1100 is coming back with Android Lollipop version !!

inShare42

Nokia 1100 is one of Nokia's most popular phones in the world and nowaday it is once again in the news. Recently Nokia 1100 has started using Google's latest Android version Lolipop with powered by a quad-core processor.

Nokia 1100 legendary phone has been spotted at benchmark with listing tipping details of the innards. This was first spotted by a Nokia Power User, the Nokia 1100 Geek bench browser benchmark results show that this handset running Android Lollipop version 5.0 with including a quad-core Media Tek (MT 6582) processor. The listed Nokia 1100 handset has been seen featuring 512MB RAM. Apart with the Android version processor & memory there is no details about other specifications.

With original Nokia 1100 the form factor we find it hard to believe that the Finnish  company might be testing & running any version of Android on it, forget the Android Lollipop. It is more likely a smartphone that the company is using the same model number again. Of course the spotted Nokia 1100 with Android Lollipop version is unlikely to debut before Q4  2016 as the terms of Microsoft acquisition of Nokia Devices & Services business stipulate Nokia can no longer use its brand on the smartphones till Q4  2016 & on feature phones for 10 years.

The Nokia 1100 was launched late in 2003 & is one of the company's biggest  milestones as it's owned by more than 250 million people worldwide according to the company. Nokia claimed that the Nokia 1100 was the world's most popular phone.

Last year Nokia bypassed the restrictions imposed by the Microsoft deal & launched the Nokia N 1 tablet pc. The company called it  the first Nokia branded Android tablet & was initially launched in China in  Q 1 2015 with a brand-licensing agreement  extending to an   OEM partner that will manufacture, distribute & sell it.

Internet safety tips

Learn 4 R for your safety
RECOGNIZE techniques used by the online predators to deceive
REFUSE requests from unknown persons for personal information.
RESPOND assertively if you  are in an uncomfortable situation online. Exit that program, log off or turn off your computer, tell your trusted adult, or call nearest police station.
REPORT to a trusted adult for any suspicious or dangerous  contact that makes you feel uncomfortable

For the Students
Most statistics tells that there are 77 million of students on the Internet! Students must protect themselves  from the pitfalls lurking online. To help students, i-SAFE America has come up with these tips below.

• Guard your all identifying information (Ex. name, sex, age, address, school/college, teams).
  It takes only a little information for a predator to identify you .
• Always remember that responsible adults never pursue relationships with kids and teens.
• Make your all username generic and anonymous with strong password.
• Make your all online/social profile generic and anonymous .
• Learn how to exit an inappropriate website .
• Always remember attachments in e-mails from any stranger can contain Viruses and Worms.
• Pictures might be great to hand to a friend, but it's not a cool idea to send them to an Internet 'friend.'
• Posting your photo on the Internet gives hackers the chance to doctor your picture & make fun of you to everyone on the internet.
• Chat room friends are not always trustable

Students & Meeting Online Friends

For the Parents
Our children are the first generation who are  growing up with the Internet. Technology changes the advantages kids & teens have. But it does not change the way you  parent. To help parents i-SAFE America has  come up with a list of tips to protect your child.

• Always keep your children's computer in an open area. Never allow a PC with Internet access in your kid's bedroom.
• Try to become a part of your children's online experience.
• Always respect your child's privacy.
• Regularly review your pc files.
• Teach your children the responsibility of use of online resources.
• Talk to your children about online danger. Let them know that you are there to help them to get out of a bad situation.
• Educate yourself on the Internet.
• Talk to other parents about your & their experiences.
• Let your children know that responsible adults do not purse  relationships with teen or kids.

Students & What Their Parents Know

 


 

Monitor your Webcam/Camera at home anytime anywhere from internet (Easy Steps with photo)

To setup remote access on your camera/webcam at home following steps are required:

1) Setup  port forwarding on your router: This step  is not required, if UPNP is enabled on your router . However occasionally even  if the UPNP on the router is enabled then the router may not allow the camera to setup  UPNP. To confirm if that UPNP has  been successfully  accepted by the router please logon to your camera and under  Settings > System, scroll down  to UPNP  Port Forwarding & confirm if the status says "Success", please see Figure 1.2..

Figure-2 : Systems  page: (UPNP Port  Forwarding)

However if the UPNP status says ‘No UPNP Gateway’ then port forwarding will  manually need to setup. See steps below on  how to manually  setup port  forwarding on your router:

a) Visit- http://www.portforward.com

b) Skip the  advertisements.

c) Select  Y-cam IP  Wireless camera

Note:  The http://www.portforward.com   site will  ask you to configure a port range of  8150 to 8350. However if you are planning to installing multiple cameras please assign the port 8150 ( to Start & End port).

2) Signup  for a free Dynamic  DNS service: Setting up a  dynamic IP address is a great  way to easily access your  camera if you have a static External / Internet address. However if your ISP has given a Dynamic  IP address then this step is required for you access your camera outside your network.

To setup your  DDNS:

a)      Sign up at  one of the DDNS  websites (Recommended  service providers -- DTDNS, DYNDNS, NO-IP & 3322.org)

b)      Enter  those  settings on your camera,  please  see Figure -3

Figure-3: DDNS  setup

Note: The username & password are for  the DDNS Service Provider Website.

3) Setup a local static  IP address on  your camera: This step is  optional because by default the  camera obtains  the IP address from the  router or a  DHCP server on the network. During Port forwarding  setup  on your router the local IP  address of the camera is  required. If  the local IP  address of  your camera changes due to router reboot or  any other reason,  the port forwarding  can be failed. For example during the port forwarding setup the  camera’s local IP  address is 192.168.1.3 & port number 8150, and you try to access your camera from outside your house, it will work. However, when the camera’s local IP  address change to 192.168.1.4 & you try to access the camera from outside  the network on port  number 8150, router would not know where to  forward  that request  to, as it does not automatically update the new IP address of the  camera.

Therefore it is  recommended to  setup a static  local IP address  on the camera. Before setting up your  static IP address, you  need that IP address automatically allocated to you by the router.  And this can be obtained  from the System  page of the  camera. Please make  note of  the following  settings IP  address, Subnet  Mask, Default  Gateway & Primary  DNS  server (Figure - 4).

To setup static IP address on the camera open  the Settings  page of  the camera then under  Network > TCP / IP Setup select   ‘Use the following IP address’ & enter in the settings obtained  from  the  systems page (Figure - 5).

 Figure - 4: IP address & other settings on  the systems page.

Figure - 5: Network TCP / IP setup default settings

Figure - 6: Setup static  local IP address

How can I view the camera from outside  my house?

Once the above steps are setup then you would be able to access the  camera from outside your house by typing the following address in the  Address bar of any internet browser.

http://YOURCAMERAIPADDRESS:PORTNUMBER (Example: http://89.223.123.123:8055)

Or for the  DDNS name, the  following

http://DDNSHOSTNAME:PORTNUMBER (Example: http://mycam.dtdns.net:8055)

Prevent your Facebook Account from being Hacked !

Following 3 Security Options makes your Facebook  Account Secure & Hack Proof.

1) You  can enable Login  Notifications so that whenever any body or a hacker tries to login with your User ID & Password, you will receive a Notifications on your cell phone & you will come to know that it is time to change your password right now because the hacker has got your password & is trying to log in to your Facebook Account.

To Enable  Login  Nofication
Go to  Home -> Account  Settings ->  Security -> Login  Notification. Put  a Check  Mark on your preferred option &

click Save Changes button.


2) Always check your  Active Sessions. If you  notice any  unfamiliar location or device, it means your  Facebook Account is at  risk. Just click on  End Activity & do not forget to change your password after that.

To Check  Active Sessions
Go to  Home -> Account  Settings -> Security -> Active  Sessions.

3) Enable  Secure  Browsing to make your  account more secure.
Go to  Home->  Account  Settings -> Security ->  Secure  Browsing.

Remove Shortcut Virus From Pen drive/Memory Card

Many of us  had & having this problem. We've some most important data in our  pen drives  what  will we  do  if  all  the  data are loss ?  At  some day  all   the  folders which  are  in

our drive is  just showing  as shortcuts in Windows ( as shown in the above figure ).

This  problem  may cause  not only in pen drives but also in memory sticks, phone memories, external hard disks etc. If we are trying to open those folders Windows will show an error that 'Shortcut missing' We  afraid of losing our data & somebody format the drive. But no need to afraid for this & format. Yes this  is a type of virus  affection. Just follow  the simple steps  to remove that shortcuts & retrieve your folders back.

NOTE: No need  of any antivirus software to perform  this operation.

1. After plug  in  your virus affected drive just press Win key + R to  open Run box & type “cmd” & press Enter key. (Without  double quotes)
2. In the opened command prompt, open  your drive by enter your drive letter   as shown in the below figure. For  example, if your drive letter  enters g: & press Enter. (To  find your drive letter just  open 'My Computer' & check your drive  icon)
3. Now  type “del  *.lnk” & hit  Enter.(without  double  quotes)
4. Finally  type the below  command &  hit Enter. (without  double quotes)

“attrib  -s  -r -h  *.* /s /d /l”

 That’s it , just  wait some seconds. Then open & check your drive. Your folders  will be retrieved.  I hope this  is useful for you. If  any doubt, comment  below. Share with  your friends. Do not forget to subscribe us freely.

Turn Your Smartphone or Tablet into a TV Remote

Are you ready to binge your favorite television shows ? Now think of all the  remotes living on your coffee table. one  for the TV,  DVD  player, cable,  gaming console. That is quite a collection you have got going there. Pare it  down a bit by learning how to turn your smartphone or tablet into a TV  remote.

1. IR  blaster

Many newer mobile devices, like  the Samsung Galaxy S® 5, HTC One® (M8) and LG G3, are equipped with  IR blasters the same infrared tech that your old TV  remote uses to communicate with your TV. If your phone has an IR blaster then download a TV remote app like Any Mote Smart IR Remote . Not only it  can control your TV but also do any device that receives an IR signal set top boxes, DVD & Blue ray players, stereo equipment & even some air conditioning systems.

2. Manufacturer  app

Todays Smart TVs have  accompanying manufacturer apps. Samsung  Smart TVs, for example, are compatible with  the Samsung TV Remote App. The  app allows your device & television to communicate over your Wi-Fi network. Chances are if you've a Smart TV, there is an app that will turn your device into a remote.

3. Get  the  hardware

If you are phone does not have an IR blaster, you are not out of luck. If you do not need to go channel surfing with a device like Google Chromecast  or  Belkin Miracast™ Display Adapter you can use compatible apps on your  mobile device to cast videos, pictures & other content on your TV.
The bottom line is, if you  want to know  how to turn your smartphone into a TV remote control & possibly even more there is an easy way.

Turn your Old Computer Into a Do-Anything Home Server with FreeNAS 8

You should have heard the word "server" thrown around a lot nowadays but usually in the context of websites or big companies that have a lot of data to store. In reality a server can be just as useful in your home also. In this guide, we'll walk through to how to create your own home server by an old or cheap computer that can do all your downloading, streaming, and backup tasks 24/7 & others.


What Does a NAS or Home Server can Do?

(Network Attached Storage) or NAS is basically a set of hard drives connected to your network, so any computer in your home can access them. This is great thing for bigger households or people with having multiple computers that all need to access the same data. They are also usually quite low power and low cost, they don't require a monitor, mouse, keyboard. Once you have installed the software then you can configure every aspect of your NAS from a web browser on your other PC/computers.

Home Server usually has a different connotation than NAS, but they are pretty similar. The main difference is that home servers can perform more tasks than just a storage. They can also do things like download files for you, stream media to  devices & so on.  NAS devices come with  more & more functionality out of the box. The terms NAS and home server are often used interchangeably. The device we make in this guide can be as basic or  as extreme as you want no matter what you call it.

You can buy a lot of great NAS devices but they'll come with their own good software. However, we are going to use some free, open source software which is called Free NAS to repurpose an old computer instead. You can just fill your old PC up with drives, stick it in the closet & forget about it without having to spend a lot of money. Alternatively, you can build your own quiet, low powered home server for pretty cheap & configure it in a bit more to your needs. Whatever kind of PC you use setting up the software is similar across the board. Here is the details how to do it.

What is the Difference Between NAS4Free and FreeNAS 8?

Free NAS 8 is the newest version of Free NAS but Free NAS 7 (now called NAS 4 Free) is still very popular among all the folks including myself (what I use on my server at home ). So which one should you use ? Each has their own strengths & weaknesses. In my experiences with each, here are some things that I have found that will help you to decide:

    NAS 4 Free is better for older hardware specifically those hardware that has less than 2GB RAM.

Free NAS 8 is easier to use when it comes to basic stuff like adding drives, sharing them over the network & adding plugins for torrenting, streaming media & so on. NAS 4 Free is a little simpler to troubleshoot particularly when you are installing programs outside the sanctioned system. Free NAS 8 has a lots of advantages if you're going to RAID your drives.

In general, I'd like to recommend Free NAS 8 if you just want to share drives across the network & maybe install a few of the pre built plugins. NAS 4 Free is better with old computers or those that want to install more advanced extras that are not available as plugins for Free NAS 8.

Both are good softwares but which one you will use depend on your specific needs. If you still are not sure then give them both a shot and see which one you like better.

What You will Need:

You can install Free NAS on different systems using a number of different methods but here are the things you will need for our method:

    A PC with  minimum of 2GB RAM. Free NAS recommends that you've at least 4GB for its ZFS filesystem but if your old computer is not loaded up with RAM, the older but more stable UFS filesystem will work fine for most people needs. Note also that some plugins like the Usenet ones are 64 bit only so you will need a 64-bit compatible computer to use them.

The Free NAS Installer Image available here. A 4GB or larger flash drive, network with DHCP reservations, static IP addresses. It's definitely preferred. If you do not have this then managing your NAS may get pretty annoying since its IP address will change whenever you reboot it.

Free NAS is  designed to run on a flash drive or compact flash card rather than one of the drives in your PC/computer. If your PC/computer does not have the ability to boot from USB, you will have to follow some slightly tweaked instructions here (& you won't be able to use one of your drives for storage). For this we will be booting from a 4GB USB drive.

Install Free NAS:

To install Free NAS you will need to grab a 4GB flash drive & the Free NAS installer image. You will want to grab the USB image not the live CD. If the computer on which you are installing Free NAS is 64 bit capable, grab the 64 bit image otherwise you will want to grab the 32 bit image from the 32 bit tab along the top.

Step One: Burn USB Drive

The first step is quite different depending on your operating system.

For Windows users: to install Free NAS on your flash drive, you will first need to download Win 32 Disk Imager & 7 Zip (if you do not have them already). Here what you need to do:

    Download the Free NAS image archive & open it up with 7 Zip. Copy the Free NAS IMG file to your desktop & exit 7 Zip.

Insert your flash  drive. Start Win 32 Disk Imager & click the blue folder icon. Browse your Free NAS IMG file you just extracted.Choose your flash drive from the drop down on the right  then click the Write button to write the image to your drive.

For Mac users: To install Free NAS on your flash drive, you will need an app called Keka, as well as a little command line work:

    Download the Free NAS image archive and right click on it. Choose 'Open With Keka' from the menu. It should be automatically extracted the Free NAS IMG file to the same folder as the XZ archive.

Insert your flash  drive. Open Disk Utility from /Applications/Utilities & select your flash drive in the sidebar. Click the Erase tab & format it, ensuring it only has one partition. It does not matter what you format it as, we are going to overwrite it in a minute. Unmounted the partition after its created.
Open a Terminal window from /Applications/Utilities & run the following command:

diskutil  list
   

Note the path of your USB  drive in the list. This will be something like / dev / disk1.

Run the following command:

dd  if =~/Desktop/Free NAS-8.3.1-RELEASE-p2-x86.img of=/dev/disk1 bs=64k <br>

Be SURE to replace the  'if' path & the 'of' path with the correct ones for your system (the first being the location  of your Free NAS image  the second being the path to your flash drive ). If you do this incorrectly then you can cause severe data loss.

Give it time to finish the copying  process. When it is done, you will get a message saying it completed successfully.

Step Two: Boot & Configure Free NAS

Now that you've your Free NAS flash drive ready to go, it is time to get Free NAS started. Here are the things we recommend doing to get it set up:

    Plug  the flash drive into your computer & turn it on. Make sure to boot from  the flash drive. You need to tweak a few BIOS settings in order to do so.

It will take a few minutes to start up. When it is done, it will give you an IP address at the bottom of the screen. Head back to your main computer & type that IP address in your browsers navigation bar. You should be greeted with the Free NAS web interface. Before you do anything else you will want to change your username and password for this web UI since right now it does not have a password which is very insecure. In the left hand sidebar, go to Account > Admin Account > Change Admin User. Give yourself a new username & click the 'Change Admin User' button. Next along the top of that pane click the 'Change Password' tab & give yourself a new password. This username & password only applies to the Free NAS web interface, so you will want to create a user for yourself as well. To do this go to Account > Users > Add User in the left-hand sidebar. Give your user a username, a primary group  (as the admin, I made my primary group "wheel") & a password. (Note: If you are adding drives from an old Free NAS 7 installation you may need to change your User ID to 1000 instead of 1001 in order to access those drives). Optional: If you've other people in your household that are going to access data on your home server you may also want to create a group for them at this menu. For more information on this  see our guide to file permissions. Lastly, go to System > Settings & change your protocol to HTTPS (for  enhanced security) & your timezone to your location. If you do plan on using your NAS to access the internet, you will also need to go to Network > Global Configuration & set your IPv4 Default Gateway to your router's IP address. I also like to change my NAS' host name to something other than 'freenas' (so I can easily spot it on the  network) but this is optional.

Take some time to poke around Free NAS configuration settings & tweak anything you see that you might want to change. The above steps should get most people going but if you have specific needs (like if you are using static IP addresses instead of DHCP reservations) you may have to tweak more.

Step 3: Add Your Disks

 Now that your Free NAS system is up & running, it is time to add your hard disks to its pool. Here is how:

    Go to Storage > Volumes > Volume Manager in the left hand sidebar to add a new, blank hard drive.

Give your  new hard drive a name, choose it from the list of connected drives & choose a filesystem. If you have a more powerful machine, ZFS is Free NAS' recommended choice but UFS is great for lower powered system. Click the 'Add Volume' button. This will wipe the drive so make sure you have backed up anything you need from it first. Once your volume shows up in the left hand sidebar, click on it & choose 'Change Permissions.' This part is up to you but I like to change the owner to my username. You can  also change the group if you desire I have created a group called 'family' as the owner of these drives so other members of my household can access them. Once again see our guide to file permissions for more details on what all this means.

Repeat this  process for all your attached hard drives. If you are using drives from an old Free NAS system, you will want to choose 'Import Volume' instead of 'Volume Manager' in step 1. Then just select what filesystem it is already using & you will be able to use your existing data.

Step 4: Share Your Disks

When your hard drives are all set up, it is time to share them over the network. We are going to use CIFS since its preferable for households with Windows machines or with multiple operating systems. If you have an all-Mac household look into AFP as an alternative.

    Go to Sharing > Windows (CIFS) Shares > Add Windows (CIFS) Share in the left-hand sidebar.
Give your share a name & click the Browse button next to Path. Navigate to the drive you want to share.Click OK. It will ask you if you want to enable the CIFS service. Do not do so just yet. Click No then go to Services > CIFS in the left-hand sidebar. Change your Net BIOS name to whatever you want & tweak any other settings you want. The defaults should be fine for most people.Repeat Steps 1-3 for the other drives you want to  share.When you are done, go to Services > Control Services & flip the CIFS switch to 'On.'
Now, go to your main computer. If it is a Windows machine, open Windows Explorer & click on the "Network" shortcut in the left hand sidebar. You should see  your Free NAS machine pop up, & from there you can navigate to any of your shared drives. If you are on a Mac, just open the Finder & go to Go > Connect to Server, & type smb://freenas (or whatever your CIFS share's netBIOS name is) & click Connect.
When prompted, enter your username & password (the  one we created from the FreeNAS "Users" settings earlier) & you should be able to create and edit files right  from your PC.
Congratulations, you've a fully operational file server.
 Now you can use these disks for  whatever you want. You can  store data on them, use  them for backup or even access  them directly from your home theater PC.

Run iPhone and iPad apps on your laptop, PC

Now I am showing you how to run i Phone- and i Pad apps on your any branded laptop or PC. Play exciting iOS applications on Windows, Mac, Linux & others.

There are no perfect ways available to run iPhone applications and iPad apps on your Windows or OS X PC. The best way to use your favorite iOS applications on your laptop or PC is by using a good simulator. The best way to do this is iPadian: a free Adobe AIR-based iPad simulator which allows you to run almost all iPhone- and iPad apps in an iPad-like interface on your any branded PC /desktops.


There are also some significant down sides like you can't access the Apple App store, so you're restricted only to iPadian's own custom app store. If any reader knows any iPhone- or iPad simulation software than that can run all apps I'd love to hear from you in the comment box below.
With simulator iPadian's own store there are plenty of apps available, but it's still quite limited.

There are interface issues also which will affect most PC & laptops running any simulator of this type. The iPad is designed for touch only. So using anything similar on a desktop with just a mouse and keyboard, is never going to be ideal. But you can find your way around by simply clicking on buttons. The program doesn't allow to use the mouse to simulate swipes (although spinning the mouse wheel will  do scroll occasionally).

iPadian also provides a complete iPad-like environment like: a web browser, email client, social networking apps, music, videos, photos and more, with plenty of different free apps to explore.

And surprisingly it is portable, so there is no hassle with installation (as long as your operating system is already equipped with Adobe AIR, anyway). iPadian works with Windows XP  / Vista, Windows 7/8, Mac OS X,Linux others.

How to run iOS apps on your PC

First of all download iPadian here. Then unzip the downloaded file, run iPadian.exe . Some security software may pings iPadian as malware. If you have downloaded from a reputable source such as PC Advisor Downloads then you don't need to worry. Just click through to download.

During the installation process you may need to install Windows .NET Framework. When prompted to do so then do so. You'll also be asked to update the latest version of Adobe Flash player. This is important for your security reasons.
At the end of the installation of iPadian will open up. You'll be taken to a desktop that is a cross between Windows and iOS icon. Key apps such as Facebook and  YouTube are already installed there. Go to the 'App Store' to install more apps.
Open and use apps as you would on your iPad.
When you want to return to Windows then click the Windows symbol in the bottom right hand corner. And that's it. iPadian is a good simulator. If you know of any better way of using iPad apps on PC or laptop, let us know in the comment box.