The Anatomy of a perfect login page

In this article I will analyze what a perfect login page or login form should have. Also you are able, the Pure CSS3 login form for free download.

Login forms are very easy on the required elements. When it comes to forms, not is easier. But some of the items that your users (or potential members) could be useful are often neglected.

You take a look at what I think are necessary elements.

See the login page or download the demo

I think that each form a prominent title that should have explained briefly what is form. If you use login page, it is important to mention the name of your website here so that random visitors who know where you are as in my example.

Non-members may stumble on your login page one way or other visitors. Why think of you and offer you a direct link to the registration page. It will save some time and increase your chances of more new member sign up.

Although login forms usually contain two fields, it is important that you are nicely formatted so the tags are readable, and there is no one thing that I often notice on the various websites is lack of clickable labels. For attribute labels use "Connect to relevant field". It is such a small effort by encoding and it can be a big difference in terms to make, if usability.

This is also very important. Many users have can not remember often many accounts and passwords, and you used on your site. The best position for this link is close to the password field.

This should be the most prominent thing in the form of course. For best results (results I think best user experience) it should look like a button.

Very useful function that will appreciate your returning users. If your application supports it, contain this option and your members will be grateful.
One thing I think that is very important, is the check box and wrap the text in the same label. Checkboxes are small and therefor hard on click. If all the text in the label wrap, enlarge the clickable area and in this way, users make life easier for your.

Have you must allow full login pages, then users, think about logging in change and give a link back to your home page.

Although form JavaScript validation alone leave should not, I think that JavaScript based validation scripts are important. Offer instant filtering of valid data allowing to correct users to your information immediately and also ensure that the valid data on the server-side will be sent.

I have downloaded a demo site for you (free) prepared. The login page is a pure CSS3 styled form and contains a simple validation script, ideal for learning purposes. Hope you will enjoy it!

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Look Under The Hood: Photoshop Color Settings

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Co.Support.US

Everyday refrigerator is updated with the best new sites and Web design resources, the I hand-hundreds of links pick, by the industry incurred, and sometimes (when I a free minute) I at my desk to sit and write an article.

Subscribe to recieve updates via Twitter RSS feeds

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59 Best flyer design illustration inspiration

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Clinton renews call for Internet freedom (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP)-erneuert US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for Internet freedom on Tuesday, Nations, to suppress their online activities pays to say riots in Egypt and Tunisia an economic cost and risk.

Clinton, in a speech at the George Washington University, pointed to China, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, Syria and Viet Nam impose on countries, censorship, Internet access or arrest bloggers restrict to criticize the Government.

Described the publication of the secret diplomatic U.S. cables of WikiLeaks as a result of a "Act of theft" and said U.S. criticism of the website clash actions with Washington's commitment to an open Internet.

Clinton announced Twitter feeds in Chinese, Russian and Hindi to start Farsi feeds just days after Twitter Arabic.

She said the U.S. would people still "repressive Internet environments" with censorship circumvention technology help, but "There is no simple solution in the fight against Internet repression."

"There is no"app"for that," she joked.

Make your second major speech Internet freedom last year, Clinton said the United States supports the "Freedom of expression, Assembly and Association online" and invited to other countries to do the same.

"This is a critical moment," she said. "Determines what looks like the Internet in the future the decisions we make today."

Clinton described in the Internet as a "public space in the 21st Century--worldwide square, classroom, marketplace, Cafe and nightclub."

She said fuelled protests in Egypt and Iran of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube reflects "The power of connection technologies as a Accelerant of political, social and economic change."

"Stop was what happened in Tunisia where online economic activity was an important part of the country during online censorship on par with China and the Iran attachment to Europe," she said.

"Efforts to the economic Internet parts from the 'all' Internet in Tunisia not continue." In particular young people, through connection technologies found on the organize and use share of complaints.

"This helped, a movement, the revolutionary change fuel, led," she said.

"Those who below stall Internet freedom may be able to hold back the full expression of the longings of your people for a while, but not always," she said.

Clinton said efforts bring in the Internet "a variety of cost-moral, political and economic."

"Countries may be able to absorb these costs for a time, but we believe you are unsustainable in the long term," she said. "Countries curb Internet freedom, placing limits on their economic future."

She said that China has been cited as a country "where censorship is high and economic growth is strong" but restrictions "have long-term costs, one day, a sling to be that restrains growth and development threaten."

"We believe that Governments, the obstacles to the built Internet freedom... Finally are boxed," she said. "You?" LL face a dictator? "s dilemma, and choose between the walls falling or pay the price to keep."

On WikiLeaks, Clinton said the U.S. Government no role in the decision of a number of US companies including Amazon, MasterCard, PayPal and visa services on WikiLeaks had cut off.

"Any business decisions that private companies can have taken to your own policies on WikiLeaks force was management, in the direction or the stimulation of the Obama," she said.

"WikiLeaks our commitment to Internet freedom challenge", she added.

Clinton's speech came on the same day as U.S. judge U.S. Government about the Twitter accounts of people who receive relating to WikiLeaks in a trial hearing in Virginia instead.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange described U.S. movement on Monday as "outrageous attack by Obama administration of the privacy and free speech of rights Twitter's customer-many of you American citizens."

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Inspirational websites of the week VI

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Armani

Design, art, architecture, fashion, photography, Web design and style. | Archive

My Web designs strike the perfect balance between professional high quality graphics, functionality, usability and performance. Read more.

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Google chrome extension blocked Web sites from search results (PC World)

If you tired crappy little with Google search results with websites, the content or filled to get, you do not value something about it. A new Google chrome browser extension, called personal block list to these websites on your results appear, stop and you will help Google out to the same. The plugin created fighter Matt Cutts of Google's web spam, allows to create personal black from specific Web sites to see in your search results.

Their black lists are sent to Google, where the search giant will consider using the data to adjust its search algorithm and rank lower offensive websites. It is not clear what privacy protection with Google introduces data sent by personal block list.

Let's hear your clicks.

To get started, install personal block list in chrome here. Then start looking just as you normally have been. At the bottom of each search result will be a small link that says "Block crappysite.com." All sites that blacklist immediately disappears from your search results page. The sites appears never in the results if you will remove your list or use another browser, without the extension installed again. Keep in mind that you blacklist cannot individual Web pages with personal block list. You can just wipe out (Google.com) domains or subdomains (crappysearch.google.com). Personal block list you can edit your list of blocked sites from subdirectories such as 'Google. com / images.' Customize not

However, you can control some your black list. Say, for example, generally like results for about.com, but you don't want the website video content to 'videos.about.com', to jump up in your search results to keep. To stop, that happens, the personal block list icon (a red circle with a white sheet) and then blocked then click 'next to the about.com domain or subdomain you originally edit'. Open a text edit box, change the subdomain on anything you like for example 'baking.about.com', 'videos.about.com.' You can also the subdomain field that remove to block entire Web site from your searches.

Google, your results may wish to you ever displayed the sites from "display" click on the link at the bottom of the first page of search results.

It is not clear how much weight which will give the data Google collects from the personal block list. The search giant says it will "explore data usage [] as potential ranking signal for our search results."

That being said, you have to questions, how fool proof this site will be blocking method. Many site owners have already proven to be sent in the gaming Google search results by using the so-called black hat SEO (search engine optimization) and other sneaky techniques. So what is used to install the extension hordes of Web searchers to a content farm and go blacklisting competition to stop on the Web?

It is not the most practical solution because you can add only sites by adding a link in Google search results as opposed to just a couple of websites directly to your black list. Nevertheless, farms in the Web I would put it on some of the more unscrupulous (and well funded) content over.

Personal block list is a blessing for the blocking of Web sites you don't want to see but for the average user. But thought personal block list might not be for everyone. In his blog post announcing the extension Cutts asked specifically for "Tech savvy" chrome users to download the extension.

Personal block list is available only on the chrome browser. Firefox users can try-on, which claims the similar features called feature OptimizeGoogle; the Firefox extension has however no connection to Google or their content blocking experiment.

Connect with Ian Paul (@ Ianpaul) and Today@PCWorld on Twitter for the latest tech news and analysis.

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Verto Studio 3D: 3D models on iPad design

16 February 2011 |  Levent OZLERVerto Studio 3D is an innovative, full-featured 3D modeling program designed with desktop Studio programs to compete.

It is committed, the limits of what is able, on an iPad and the users who use it.

Use this quick 3D mockups or create a fully functional environments for mobile applications.

Verto Studio is ideal for mobile 3D content generation because it bridges the gap between design and mobile testing.

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PA teacher strikes nerve with 'lazy whiners' blog (AP)

FEASTERVILLE, PA - a high school English teacher in suburban Philadelphia become a symbol of daring in no delicate terms questions: why the current students are unmotivated - and what is called you wrong?

Profanity-laced, was suspended from your job in the mid-range Central bucks school district for your blog thirty Natalie Munroe since has been taken down.

In it she called her students "resolved lazy whiners" and complained against, you are "just generally annoying" and "disobedient, irreverent Oafs."

Online commentators welcome you for a tough love approach or excoriating you for insults. Attracted the attention of the media and the people behind started a Facebook group.

Do not use your full name or its students or school to identify Munroe. A school official has returned a message not Tuesday.

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Wallpapers of the month: January

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Wallpapers of the month: January

# Inspiration #steampunk #Wallpapers

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30+ Highly Needed CSS Based Navigation and Button Tutorials

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An insight into Website Accessibility and its evaluation tools

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EBay's Telefonica 02 in Smartphone app deal in UK (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) laureates EBay Inc would be preinstalled on Tuesday that Telefonica 02 sold its mobile shopping application on Smartphones's unit in the UK.

EBay has been a big boost in mobile said it was his first pre-install deal anywhere in the world. Other Telefonica markets around the world will follow, said eBay without providing a timeframe.

Mobile app of company can consumers to buy and sell were on their phones. The value of all goods sold on mobile at eBay, which includes online payment unit PayPal is expected this year from almost $2 billion in 2010 to double.

Telefónica, the euro-zone's largest telecommunications carrier services around 22 million u.k. customers through its 02 unit.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage;) (Editing by Bernard Orr)

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Creating an Effective Online Portfolio: 40+ Tips, Tools & Inspirations

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Daily inspiration #3

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Daily inspiration #3

# adidas #Ads #blog #commercial #nike #sport

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Inspired Giveaway – Win a Pro and 2 Basic Monitorius Accounts for a Year

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Google CEO talks to potential mobile (PC World)

Google CEO Eric Schmidt took the stage at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Tuesday to the Android OS for tablets and phones in addition to nods to speak chrome, search and YouTube.

Schmidt said it activated 300,000 Android devices daily and 150,000 apps in the Android app store-a number that has tripled in the last nine months. Developers start now with mobile applications, as where he added growth, say that is that smartphone sales PC sales last quarter exceeded.

There are a number of trends at work, Schmidt said: cloud computing, the been there for a long time; the fact that increasingly more making the devices are packaging; and the fact that the networks are always more powerful. Claims about 98 percent of the mobile operator megabytes per second speeds provide it. About LTE, the latest technology for mobile broadband, it is important that make the opportunity for a different set of applications that we can only imagine, said Schmidt.

This new Android apps shown by a Google employee onstage is one movie Studio, an app that for tablets built to edit videos with people. The demo showed how a user drag a title to an image, and can the elements in the video timeline to rearrange, drag and drop. Also adding a pan and Zoom effect and by pinching two fingers users zoom into the photo can make the video.

Schmidt said that the increasing penetration of mobile phones offers hope for communicating with people around the world are currently not online, and some of the largest in the world, including terrorism and global warming to solve problems.

Referencing Google said Schmidt, participant in the browser wars that it 120 million active users of chrome.

Meanwhile, the company's YouTube video site remains a force, to be reckoned with: Schmidt said that 35 hours video every minute on the website is uploaded. Sales doubled 2010, he said, and Google is money making with professional content.

Schmidt fragmentation, refused to a question from the audience on Android a concern for some developers are drawn.

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30 Poster Designs Inspiration

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China is the Internet "the dictator's dilemma: Clinton (Reuters)"

WASHINGTON (Reuters-China, Syria and other face a "dictator's dilemma" about lag Internet control and threat, said the world embraced new technologies, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday.

Clinton, make your second major speech on Internet policy, said the recent Internet-fueled fall of rulers in Egypt and Tunisia and protests in Iran, showed Governments not long could choose which to grant freedoms of its citizens.

"We believe that Governments, the obstacles for the Internet freedom-built, no matter whether you technical filters or censorship regime or attacking those who exercise their rights of freedom of expression and Assembly online - find themselves in boxed," Clinton said in a speech at the University of Washington, DC.

"They face a dictator's dilemma and decide to drop between the walls or pay the price to withstand," she said, say, including more oppression and the opportunity cost would miss the new economic and political ideas.

Clinton said, would push America projects avoid Government for Internet access, helping people, adding $25 million this year to $20 million, already by technologies, tools and training can help dedicated barriers imposed on repressive Governments.

Under Clinton the Foreign Ministry has promoted Internet freedom as a fundamental human right, although it has struggled with the consequences because attempting to control the damage that causes the WikiLeaks release of thousands of classified U.S. diplomatic cable.

Clinton acknowledged tensions over how the Internet is used, says he threw new questions about how balance these competing priorities such as transparency, privacy, free speech and security.

She stressed that while it was right to find a code of conduct for Internet activity, this by no means, but should compromise commitment to free and open exchange of technology platforms such as Twitter and Facebook that are essentially neutral.

Is "Iran not horrible, because the authorities Facebook used to shadow and capture members of the opposition;" "It is terrible because it's a Government that routinely violated the rights of his people", she said.

THE RIGHT TO

Clinton's forceful U.S. stance on the Internet led to friction with China and other countries including Syria, Burma and Cuba, which accuses the United States censorship of online information and disrupt "the right to connect."

This collision was in stark relief thrown last year when search giant Google Inc threatened to China's market amid charges of hacking and censorship to stop, although it later developed a work-around, it said the Chinese law and its own commitment to users met.

Clinton said China now able Internet controls with high economic growth, to marry, but that your censorship policy is "One day threaten a sling to be limited growth and development."

"Governments that can limit their access to the Internet and to arrest bloggers involved in peaceful activities of its citizens require security search." You can even mean. "But take the wrong path," Clinton said.

"Those who below stall Internet freedom may be able to hold back the full expression of the longings of your people for a while, but not forever."

Despite Clinton's championing of the Internet, the State Department criticized but not fast enough to secure your rhetoric with action move.

Senator Richard Lugar, senior Republicans in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tuesday released a report saying that despite his rhetoric, State Department has not fast enough for the financing of censorship busting applications moved.

"Recent delays in receiving existing funds and the inept handling of untested technology, have strengthened the hands of Governments including China," says the report.

Dan Baer, the State Department's Deputy Assistant Secretary for democracy, human rights and labor, said there was no delay and assigning new money carefully, were as the United States with their Internet agenda moves forward.

"From our perspective, things are on schedule," he said in an interview.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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Similarities between a Client and your Valentine – Handle with Care!!

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30 beautiful websites using WordPress as a CMS

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Microsoft has to hold a change of heart Internet (PC World)

Should ISPs be those, keep that hacked PC from the Internet? Microsoft's chief security Executive used to think, but now he has a change of heart.

Speaking at the RSA Conference Tuesday, Microsoft Corporate Vice President for trustworthy computing Scott Charney said that he no longer thought it was a good idea for service providers on the hook for keeping the rest of the Internet PCs infected to be.

"Last year at RSA I said ' you know we need considering ISPs is the CIO for the public sector, and we must consider you scan consumer machines and ensure to isolate, perhaps from the Internet you are clean and you '", he said. "But in the last year as I much more this thought I realized that there many errors with this model".

Consumers can security scans as invasive and invasion of privacy, and with more and more people on the Internet as your could be someone's 911 service phone, isolating a PC performance, he said. "You see the scenario right: a heart attack, I run on my computer it says, must install four patches and reboot before you can access the Internet." "This is not the experience, we strive for."

Then there is still the biggest problem of all. ISPs would have to bear the costs. "It much strain puts on the ISPs because they are the ones, gating the access to the Internet," said Charney.

Provider experimented with ways to reduce infected computers. Comcast, guard, the customer has a service called constant alerts if you have a security problem.

Infected clients is an expensive affair but cut off. "It to lose just a phone call from a consumer for you your profit margin for the year takes on this user," said Craig Labovitz, Chief Scientist with network monitoring company of Arbor Networks, in a telephone interview.

Labovitz said that technology companies free opportunities from the world of the infected hosts over two decades now, comes with no avail was have. He said "Even if we do, force, end users to keep their patches updated there is still a large number of zero days," unpatched software vulnerabilities that can be used to reference PC through a fully patched. "It's an arms race that keeps." "There is certainly no single bullet."

Charney still thinks that there are ways to improve things.

He thinks that Internet companies take a page from organisations such as the World Health Organization and find new ways to infected PCs from the rest of the Netzes-- "Goodness, enforce" could keep, he said.

Perhaps is the solution for consumers, trusted certificates on the health of your PC-including data, whether it is complete or running antivirus gepatcht-- Charney suggested to share. He called these "collective defence". An example? A bank could login questions customers for a program that would like to scan your PC for signs of infection during online sessions. If it could be a problem, the Bank then restrict what the customer-topping transactions off at US$ 2,000, for example could do.

Up to finish could be a workable model for the Internet, said Charney. "The user remains in the control." "The user can not say I, passed by a health certificate wants", he said,"it can have consequences for this decision, but you can do it."

Robert McMillan covers computer security and General technology of breaking news for the IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @ Bobmcmillan. Robert's email is robert_mcmillan@idg.com

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Remarkable abstract designs

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When applying for a job, a designer’s résumé is of utmost importance. This is precisely what should be attention-grabbing and creatively designed. This portrays the level of creativity and also aids in standing out from the rest who also happen to be applying for the same position. We hope that these creative résumés will inspire and encourage you to think out of the box and redesign your application papers with sucess.

To help you get ready for your job interview, you can read here to find out how to prepare well. Don’t forget to stay creative. Good luck!

Curriculum Vitae by Jonny-Rocket
Attraction is the standard. This quote fulfills the requirements of attraction and represents a gorgeous work of art:

Matthew Villalovos
What a catalogue of foods. Are you inspired from it? Of course this menu style résumé is full of lavishness and offers a thorough presentation:

Francis Homo
This unique style of a résumé shows the human mind supremacy of thinking out of the box. If truth be told this unique résumé is full of smart veins and fresh blood:

Chuck D Lay Résumé
Incomparable style of work which shows the worth and skills of the artist:

Joe Kelso presents…!
Here the artist presents a wonderful job hunting style in this résumé. This unique kind of résumé is a masterpiece of work:

Résumé by Pau Morgan
Creatively designed résumé that looks eye-catching and attracts the whole attention of all:

Google Earth Résumé
This is a Google earth oriented résumé. It is spread on the earth map and shows the density around the globe:

Résumé by Arianedenise
What an album! This best style résumé is a masterwork of stylish thinking:

Wakuda Studio Résumé
This is a Wakuda Studio résumé and shows the irresistible uniformity of military cloak. Looks very appealing:

Visual Résumé
Infographics are the used most when trying to portray smart representations. In this résumé an infographic is used to show all the contents in an instant:

Résumé by Adam Stephenson
This résumé has been created by Adam Stephenson and shows the beauty of vintage style:

Résumé by Anna Yenina
This is a combination of affectionate letters and presents the lovely thoughts of artist in a visual nutshell:

Personal Résumé Draft by Steven Duncan
This is one of the most creative styles of creating your résumé. This elegant résumé represents the artistic approach of the artist and gives you the idea what level of creativity you can expect from him:

Curriculum Vitae by 802.11
A unique way to describe the whole professional life and growth in a visual nutshell. This resume not only gives the employer visual treat but also inform him about the learning ladder of the artist he is going to hire:

Work Résumé
A simple yet very comprehensive and detailed résumé that lets the employer know all the capabilities and skills of the designer. This résumé also demonstrates the level of creativity the artist possesses:

Tudor Deleanu’s Résumé
This is the perfect example of an eye-catching and attention grabbing résumé. This résumé represents the life of the artist in different blocks that is easy for the employer to skim through:

2004 Résumé
Machines embody the perfection and this résumé and shows the employer that s/he can expect nothing else but initiative ideas from the artist:

Stepl Am Knotts
Another visually compelling, detailed artistic résumé explaining the key attributes of the artist:

Origami Résumé
This origami résumé looks visually stunning representing the irresistible compactness of the artist throughout their work:

Joshua Drummond
This comic book résumé is a unique way to produce the simplicity of style and shows the best depiction in its kind:

F. J. Garcia
This is a comic strip résumé that leads to Spanish art. The artist made good effort to show his denseness:

Visual Résumé by Oona
This is a rough draft résumé on paper representing the creative approach and innovative thinking of the artist:

Sean McNally
This masterpiece résumé is created in gaming character style and shows the creative connotation of the artist:

Federico Moral
Creativity is the most significant part of any design. This unique résumé shows the creativity of the artist. This is truly a work of creativity:

Jonathan Kaczynski
This transit style map is very stylish and shows the artist know-how about the transit significance. This precise résumé illustrates the transit of life as well:

Facebook Replica Résumé
What a unique format that is full of style and loveliness. This facebook replica résumé is a powerful presentation of the artist’s approach of the candidate:

T-shirt Résumés
Here is a really artistic approach.In this résumé the artist has created a unique style of representation:

Life Chart Résumé
The artist shows his worth in shape of a chart. What a movement! You cannot ignore it at all:

Curriculum Vitae by Mistis
No escape from vintage! This vintage style résumé is best for hunting any job and shows the artist’s density as well:

Urban Art Résumé
This urban art résumé is a masterpiece which is exactly an album of the artist’s potentials as well:

H. SercanTunali Résumé
The Earth is round and if someone keeps trying to find a job, he will meet his success again and again. This global representation of a résumé is a masterpiece:

Aamir Shah Résumé
What a style of mechanic thinking. This beautiful résumé is a folder which is a great approach by the artist:

Jean Francois Résumé
A gorgeous design that shows the beauty of the thoughts by its creator:

Christiano Pires
A résumé which has been created with the help of personal belongings and shows the abilities of the artist:

Curriculum Vitae by Fransanchez
Power of red can be demonstrable and so the artist produces a sharp colored résumé to hunt the job:

2009 Résumé SID Santos
This unique style résumé is created on a paper cup and illustrates the diversity of the artist’s mind:

Résumé Passport
A passport styled résumé which is full of contents and shows the concrete official style of work:

Résumé by Kelly Haller
What a classy résumé! One can’t ignore this unique and creative style:

(ik)

Tags: resume

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How to create an advanced dark web layout.

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How to create an advanced dark web layout.

# layout #psd2html #Tutorial

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A Guide to Web Hosting Security Issues and Prevention

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How to build page applications with jQuery

16 JanPosted by Ray CHEUNG as information free license

AddyOsmani has written a really the whole article on building single Page-Applications(SPAs) with jQuery's best friends. DocumentCloud's Backbone.js, Underscore.js, LAB.js and jQuery templating.

SPAs are Web applications or sites are persistently running on the same page without reload for more navigation needed. All access code for your first store in these applications by either controlled local data or data retrieved may from a Web server on demand, like any additional data required from your app, controlled by user actions.

Requirements: jQuery, Backbone.js, Underscore.js, LAB.js
Demo: http://addyosmani.com/resources/backbonegallery/
License: License free

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Apple introduces digital media subscription service (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP)-Apple in a move that long awaited by publishers, finding new sources of income, reveals a subscription service on Tuesday for digital newspapers and magazines, which through its online app store bought.

Subscription music and video services such as Rhapsody or Netflix will be available in the app store and are under the same conditions as newspaper and applications for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Owner of the popular Apple devices, had to buy every issue of the journal, for example, individually.

Apple said publishers set the price and the duration of the subscription-pro, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-yearly or Jährlich-- and customers are automatically calculated by your iTunes account.

As struggling newspapers and magazines are looking for new ways to fees for digital content and increase seeking revenue from mobile devices, are probably not good to sit with all publishers of Apple terms.

Apple takes an average of 30 percent of revenue for subscriptions that featured sold by applications in the app store.

There are no revenue sharing for digital subscriptions that are sold through a Publisher's own website.

But the Cupertino, California-based company said "The same subscription offer, must be exposed to the same price or less customers", who want to subscribe to from within an application.

Apple said also publishers no longer links in your applications to external Web sites may offer to allow customers to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the application.

"Our philosophy is simple," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement.

"If Apple app brings a new Subscriber, Apple earned 30 percent;" If the Publisher the app brings a new or existing Subscriber, the publisher holds 100 percent and Apple deserves nothing, said jobs.

"All we need is that, if a Publisher is to offer a subscription outside the app the same (or better) offer within the app be made so that customers can easily subscribe with one click right in the app," he said.

Jobs, since medical was suspended last month, said the subscription service "publishers offer a new opportunity to expand digital access to your content on iPad, iPod touch and iPhone."

Apple addressed the difficult issue of how much data to subscribers would be shared, with Verlegern--details important publications, because it helps you your readership and craft to identify advertising strategies.

Apple said customers who purchase a subscription via the app store will be able providing publishers with your name, e-Mail address and zip code when you subscribe to.

"Publishers can seek additional information from the app store customers those customers given a clear choice and be informed to treat additional information under Apple's rather than the Publisher's privacy policy," Apple said.

Apple's subscription service was first with the daily, a digital newspaper for the iPad tablet computer started earlier this month by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. offered.

With print advertising revenue and traffic decline the iPad and the Web to increase revenue Murdoch and other newspaper and magazine publishers are looking for.

Most major U.S. newspapers and magazines have created already paid or free versions of your publications for the iPad, and the New York Times plans, soon charge readers for full access to NYTimes.com to start.

Allan mother, a veteran media Executive, said Apple's subscription service "Contains some serious disadvantages for publishers."

"While Apple publishers will let keep 100 percent of the revenue when customer is subscription to the website of the publisher who buy reality, that most people continue to buy subscriptions via the app" the mother said.

"This means that most subscription revenues received a reduction of 30% Apple most still," he said in a post on his blog, reflections of a Newsosaur.

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The Two Functions Of Type: Readability And Legibility

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What Makes Blog Posts Great And Unique

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Why You Need a Business Logo?

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The top 10 singles and albums on iTunes (AP)

iTunes top 10 selling singles and albums of the week end February 14, 2011:

Singles:

1. "Born that way" Lady GaGa

2. "Fireworks," Katy Perry

3. "F (asterisk) (asterisk) kin' perfect, ' P! NK

4. "Time (dirty bit)," black eyed peas

5. "Black and yellow," Wiz Khalifa

6. "Hit the lights (feat.)" Lil Wayne), "Jay Sean"

"You, your 7th" CEE Lo Green

8. "I do" Colbie Caillat

9. "S & M," Rihanna

10. "What the hell" Avril Lavigne

Albums:

1. "Sigh no more," Mumford & sons

2. "Greatest Hits.So far!," P! NK

3. "Say never again (the remixes)," Justin Bieber

4. "My world acoustic," Justin Bieber

5. "Love," the Beatles

6. "Loud," Rihanna

7. "Recovery," Eminem

8. "I and love and you," the Avett brothers

9. "My World 2.0," Justin Bieber

10. "Is me," the pretty reckless

___

iTunes is the property of Apple Inc.

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The Importance of Copywriting for Designers

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27 Stunning Illustrations

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Toms shoes

Everyday refrigerator is updated with the best new sites and Web design resources, the I hand-hundreds of links pick, by the industry incurred, and sometimes (when I a free minute) I at my desk to sit and write an article.

Subscribe to recieve updates via Twitter RSS feeds

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What’s New for Web Designers – February 2011

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SUPSI interaction design workshop 2011

16 February 2011 |  Levent OZLERLaboratory of Visual culture and interaction design lab SUPSI - University of applied arts and Sciences of Southern Switzerland - announced the 2011 edition of interaction design workshops.

The workshops are now organized in the activities of the master of advanced studies in interaction design, the new MAS program offered by SUPSI, next September 2011.

Processing digital environments workshop proposes the implementation of a digital environment featuring widgets creatures developed by participants by the processing software.

Designing responsive objects and the design and prototyping dedicated spaces workshop to interpret the Arduino platform, systems, the sense and respond to the real world by the user with information or Visual, real and metaphorical experience.

Mixed media installations workshop is aimed at providing basic concepts and tools for designing and implementing interactive installations using Max/MSP-jitter.

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10 Funny Type and Typography Tools

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10 Funny Type and Typography Tools

# funny fonts #type tools #Typography

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Atlantic records

SiteInspire showcase and CSS gallery featuring best Web design today, conceived, designed and curated by Kulör | Follow us on Twitter

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Jules Mordovets by Marcus Ohlsson

Design, art, architecture, fashion, photography, Web design and style. | Archive

My Web designs strike the perfect balance between professional high quality graphics, functionality, usability and performance. Read more.

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Play eyes change in online revenue (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters)-British PC and video games retailer game (GMG)(L) said it aims to revive its fortunes by increasing sales over the Internet and convert more visitors to their shops to paying customers.

Update on strategy on Wednesday the company which detailed trades, over 1,300 stores in nine European countries and Australia one multichannel retailers plan to maximize the objective, new revenue opportunities and offer new payment options.

Game needs to develop because of the $40 billion global video games market gaming fast and with existing formats as well as social and mobile, digital and online marketing change in innovation and growth.

The company said it confident that his three-year plan to increase profit, would, even though it shows, show that its gross margin would decrease, since online and digital sales revenue mix more of had become.

It forecast a margin impact of around 100 basis points in 2011 / 12, as the business is repositioned.

Game said it would invest all of the 15 million pounds, the cost savings it expected to 2011 / 12 on their plans to achieve.

Shares in the company at 72 pence Tuesday assessment of the business closed, £ 248 million ($ 400,2 million).

(Reporting by James Davey, editing by Paul sandle)

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9 Tools for managing your freelance design business

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Being organized is not something creative types are necessarily known for. However, in managing your freelance design business, it’s a must. In fact, with the exception of one or two, every successful freelancer I know (design or otherwise) has this one thing in common. Organization. Of course there are a lot of different ways to organize your projects, clients, potentials, leads, invoices, etc. And none of them is the definitive, “correct way.” However, I’ve found that having a few select tools can go a long way in making the process a lot easier and even enjoyable. So I’ve rounded up a short, but what I hope is a very helpful, list of tools for managing your freelance design business.

1. – 4. Zoho CRM & Google Apps

Let’s get started with the “suite” of apps I recommend the highest, and happen to use the most – Zoho CRM, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs. Or, numbers one through four respectively. And just in case you’re not familiar with the term CRM, it stands for Client Relations Management. This type of application is used for keeping track of and even taking notes on new leads/project inquiries, existing and past clients, potential clients, project opportunities, sales you’ve closed, sales you’re working on closing, and of course, tasks to be completed. It does a lot more than that of course, but it really just depends on your business needs as to how you will use and customize this online software.

The main benefit to using CRM software is it’s one place that gives you a birds-eye view of where you’re at with all your clients, the ability to easily track how much money your marketing efforts are bringing in, and it provides features you need to nurture and grow your client base. The usefulness of such a tool only increases when you’re able to combine it with other apps that you use in the daily life of your business.

When a new project inquiry pops into you inbox from someone who’s either responding to an ad you’ve placed, the contact form on your website, or any other way that you attract business – it’s now possible with the marriage of Zoho CRM and Google Apps to check your database of clients, leads, etc. and if they’re not someone you’ve already talked to or worked with, add them to Zoho from within Gmail. You can also attach Google Documents, sync up appointments on your Google Calendar, and even add contact specific tasks…all from the universal navigation bar at the top of your Google Apps. In other words, these tools keep your business organized so that you don’t lose or squander a single lead and yet spend most of your time doing what you do best, designing.

For a more detailed review of Zoho CRM, check out this link to watch a customer video review that walks you through the service. You can also click through the image below for an overview of how Zoho CRM works with Google Apps.

5. StudioCloud

“StudioCloud is free desktop software that provides an integrated system including Client Management, Scheduling, Point-of-Sale, Bookkeeping, Reporting, Marketing Campaigns, Project/Event/Order Management and much more!” Basically, it’s a pretty nifty all-in-one package. For me, the only draw-back to this approach is that it’s desktop. I personally really like having my stuff in the cloud, which in this case happens to be an extra fee. But if you don’t want to deal with the set-up involved in patching together several free apps to do all of this for you, then this is probably a good option. Not to mention that this application goes beyond the sales and CRM features I was praising above and allows you to manage both creative and business elements in one place. Very nice indeed.

6. Doolphy

As opposed to StudioCloud or the combination of Zoho CRM and Google Apps, Doolphy is simply concerned with managing your projects and their associated tasks. Doolphy also puts a premium on collaboration, allowing you to have as many users as you want associated with one account. On the downside, the free account only allows for one project at a time with limited storage. But if all you’re really after is an attractive place to keep tabs on your project tasks then this is the tool for you

No set of business management tools would be complete without at least a few of them being dedicated to making it as easy as possible for you to collect the money you’ve worked so hard for.

7. FreshBooks

Next up we have Freshbooks, the self proclaimed painless way to do billing. I have to hand it to them too, they’ve built a fantastic product. Freshbooks has made it incredibly easy to track your time, create and send custom branded invoices, as well as accept online payments that it’s no wonder they’re the service of choice for millions. The one thing that you need to know about the free version though is that while it has every major feature of the paid versions, it only allows you to manage 3 clients at once. However, if you’re the type of freelancer that does regular work for a few companies, Freshbooks could be the time and hassle saving tool for billing you’ve been looking for.

8. Square

First up we have Square, which makes it unbelievably simple to collect credit card payments both in person and over the phone (or email). This is great for when you deal locally and actually meet face to face with your clients. You can bring along the free reader that attaches to your android handset or iphone and process the payment right there. Or, if you want to take the payment later they can read you the card number over the phone or send it to you via email and you can manually punch it in. Within seconds your client has a digital receipt and you have the money in your account. So simple. So awesome!

9. Paypal

And finally, the ever popular Paypal. Is it new and pretty? No…but almost everyone is familiar with it and like them or hate them, Paypal makes it pretty easy to send out an invoice and receive payment. Sometimes, that’s all you really want or need.

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Yahoo Preps 'Digital Newsstand' (PC World)

Yahoo has announced a "digital newsstand" called Livestand for tablet devices and cell phones that has been designed to deliver content from the company's various sites and online publications.

Livestand has been designed for portable devices, so that articles, photos, videos, graphics and ads are optimized for the screens and interfaces of mobile phones and tablet PCs, the company said Thursday.

Livestand will tailor content delivered to users based on a variety of factors, including their interests, their location and the time of day, and will draw from Yahoo properties like Sports, News, Finance, OMG and Flickr.

The platform will have embedded social media capabilities that publishers can take advantage of to engage readers and foster interaction among them, Yahoo said.

Livestand will be initially available as an application for Apple's iPad and Android tablet devices in the first half of this year. Versions for mobile phones and for browsers will be delivered later.

"Livestand brings the best of magazines and the best of the Web," said Irv Henderson, vice president of product management for Yahoo Mobile and Connected Devices, during a press conference.

Although Yahoo officials only showed Livestand featuring content from Yahoo properties during the press conference, they said the company is already working with an initial set of external publishers, whom they declined to name.

"It's a digital platform and we're its first customers," Henderson said.

Livestand will let publishers generate revenue both from advertising and from subscriptions.

The current user experience for publications on tablet devices leaves a lot to be desired for readers and advertisers, said Blake Irving, executive vice president and chief product officer for Yahoo.

Tablet versions of digital magazines and newspapers are "mostly PDFs" that aren't as engaging and interactive as they should be, Irving said.

Livestand has been designed to make content truly personalized and interactive, and advertising to combine the impact of television and the precision and richness of digital, he said.

"At Yahoo, we see tablets as a catalyst that will allow advertising dollars to shift from TV and print to digital," Irving said.

Yahoo has been working on the product for more than a year, and it has been designed to be "agnostic" to operating sytem platforms and devices, so that it can be deployed widely, officials said.

Although Yahoo is currently working with a select group of publishing partners, its long-term plans are to make Livestand available to publishers of all sizes, they said.

Gartner analyst Allen Weiner had been skeptical about Yahoo's ability to deliver a strong publishing platform for mobile devices, but after getting a demo of Livestand he gives it a thumbs up.

"It's a very logical extension of Yahoo's content strategy and a really good sign that Yahoo understands this future market opportunity," he said.

Weiner views Livestand as stronger and broader in scope than other tablet publishing applications, like Aol's Editions or The Daily from Apple and News Corp., Weiner said.

Livestand incorporates Yahoo communication products, like Mail and Messenger, and leverages the company's global infrastructure for delivering and personalizing content, he said.

"I was waiting for Yahoo to come up with a [digital publishing] solution for mobile devices, especially given that Yahoo has been slightly behind the curve in the world of mobile content, " Weiner said. "This looks like a strong effort to take advantage of that opportunity and in a very visually compelling way."

Now Yahoo needs to follow through on its vision and deliver on the promise. "There is a lot of promise here. Yahoo now has to show us some execution and bring together high-level partners," Weiner said.

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Online Dating for Nerds: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Postings (PC World)

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal and Alex Wawro Sarah Jacobsson Purewal And Alex Wawro – Thu Feb 10, 9:30 pm ET

online dating might sound like a viable option.

Armed with nothing but our shining personalities and sexy photos, the PCWorld team took a look at some of the Web's best (and geekiest) dating Websites. In order to test them, we created a female profile (Sarah) and a male one (Alex), and sent out some messages to see what would come back to us. Here's what we found.

Geek2Geek

Who you can expect to find: Geeks galore!

How much it'll cost you: The site has three tiers of membership, ranging from free to $31/month.

Geek 2 Geek calls itself "the best place on the net to meet geeks." It boasts over 200,000 members, growing by about 6000 members each month. Its three levels of membership--free, "silver," and "gold"--allows different levels of communication. While a free membership lets you browse unlimited profiles and receive unlimited messages, you can't send any out (except to paid gold members) until you upgrade to a silver account.

Geek 2 Geek does have a matchmaking service. Signing up is quick and easy, and you don't have to answer all of the questions right away (though you certainly can). A picture is also not a profile requirement. Matchmaking questions include everything from "type of sense of humor" to "areas of interest," and similar geeks are delivered to your "My Matches" inbox.

As for whether you'll actually find geeks on this site, well, a quick look-through says yes. It helps, of course, that the "areas of interest" are all geek-oriented, and include options like "online gaming," "Star Trek," "Tolkien," and "Monty Python." The site itself is decently easy to navigate, though it's rather busy-looking (it looks a lot like a Web hosting site that's trying to sell you something) and not as conducive to browsing as some of the other sites we reviewed.

Sarah's take: This site isn't really limited to geeks--it looks like just about everyone is on here. That makes me think a lot of the profiles are probably outdated and/or not being used. Plus, it takes way too much information to complete your profile.

Alex's take: Yeah, "geek" in this case seems synonymous with "anyone who owns a computer." That's not necessarily a bad thing, and neither is the surplus of seduction toys like video, quizzes, and live chat; just know that Geek 2 Geek is a full-on social network, not just a dating service.

OtakuBooty

Who you can expect to find: Fans of anime, manga, gaming, and cosplay.

How much it'll cost you: Sign-up and browsing are free, but full features (including messaging options) start at $4/year.

OtakuBooty is part online dating and part social networking. The name comes from a Japanese slang term for "nerd" (okay, it's more of a derogatory term), and focuses on a less traditional type of geek--the anime/manga/Japan-fan type.

Signing up is free, and you can receive unlimited free messages--you just can't see who sent them until you sign up for a paid membership. Luckily, paid membership is only $4 per month or $15 per year, and allows you full access to the site.

OtakuBooty keeps the nerd factor alive throughout the site: On the initial sign-up page, required fields are marked with an invincibility star; on the payment page there's a bogus "send ham" option for a "recurring ham subscription."

Unfortunately, this epic nerdiness carries over to the site's layout. OtakuBooty is sort of like the Android OS--a little too rough around the edges. The good news is that this will probably scare off the ungeeky types who are unwilling to deal with anything less than a perfect user interface. The bad news is that there are just so many tabs. The site looks a lot like a bad wiki--and hey, there's even a site wiki.

As for the types of users you'll find, well, they're definitely nerds. And they're all a little weird. Case in point: Last time we checked, a "featured member" on the front page had three moustaches descending down his face (just sit there for a moment and imagine that).

Sarah's take: OtakuBooty's user interface is awful. It really is. It might deter the nongeeks from signing up, but it'll also deter the geeks. It's impossible to navigate the site--I couldn't even contact OtakuBooty, because I couldn't find their contact page.

Alex's take: I'm not into otaku culture, but I really wanted to like OtakuBooty. Sure the wiki-like layout is ugly, but I found its quirky style endearing, and the news, deals, and quasi-legal torrent sections are handy if you're passionate about anime. If you're not, you should probably join me in giving this site a pass.

Cupidtino

Cupidtino describes itself as the first (and only) "Mac-inspired" dating site. That's right--if you love Apple products and the people who love Apple products, this site is for you. (The name is a play on "Cupertino," where Apple has its headquarters.) The philosophy behind this dating site is that people who like Apple products often have a lot in common--they tend to be creative types, such as designers, musicians, and writers, and more likely to be compatible with other creative types.

Sweet on Geeks' tagline is "a space where gray matters." The site's owner, Joyce Dales, created the geek-specific dating site in 2007--she was inspired to do so by her own story, in which she met a geek online and noted that it was hard to find geeks on the Internet (of all places!). The 27,000-member site is particularly balanced in the male-to-female ratio, unlike a lot of places on the Internet, and Dales makes sure she actively markets the site to women.

Sweet on Geeks features a simple, basic layout that's reminiscent of an early (circa 2000) HTML page. Although signing up is free, you'll need a full membership to take advantage of the site's messaging features, and fairly quick, even though a picture (or an avatar of some sort) is required. The initial sign-up sheet puts it all out there, and allows you to enter as much or as little the profile information as you like.

There are no toggles for some of the basics (such as whether you're a drinker/smoker or not), just text boxes for you to describe how you feel about the issues. In other words, Sweet on Geek is less of a matchmaking site--it doesn't give you compatibility scores--and more of a social networking site. Accordingly, profiles can be customized with status updates, blog posts, and friend feeds.

Searching for geeks is basic, and you are able to search within X miles of a zip code. You can also search for geeks by keywords. As for the people you'll find here--the good news is that most of them fill out their profiles, so you'll know a lot about their personalities (or lack thereof). The bad news is that a lot of them also use avatars as their pictures, so if you're shallow...well, perhaps you shouldn't be on a geeky dating site in the first place.

Sarah's take: It's much more about social networking than matchmaking or dating. I think it's weird that you can't filter out searches by, say, nonsmokers.

Alex's take: There's something very charming about Sweet on Geeks; it's a small social network in which the founder still actively participates, and the absence of checklists in favor of text fields seems like an earnest attempt to encourage meaningful discussion. If you're looking to dip your toe in the online dating pool but feel intimidated by the size of a free site like OKCupid (see below), Sweet on Geeks might be the perfect fit.

OKCupid

Who you can expect to find: Just about everyone, and then some.

How much it'll cost you: Free.

OKCupid is full of young singles--about 70 percent of its users are between the ages of 18 and 35. Sure, this is at least partly because of the site's features other than online dating--tests, quizzes, and match-up questions that are created by both the staff and the users.

OKCupid has more steps than Cupidtino, yet it's still relatively easy to create a profile and start browsing matches. OKCupid won't start proactively sending you matches until you upload a photo and answer at least 25 personality questions, but you'll still be able to contact and chat with people.

The site is easy to navigate, and there are multiple ways to find matches. You can do a detailed search, or you can do a "Quick Match." Quick Match is sort of like Hot or Not--you rate users based on their photos and profile, and they're eventually sent an e-mail with a grid of user photos. If they rate you highly (and you rated them highly in the first place), OKCupid connects the two of you.

As for what you'll find on OKCupid, 55 percent of the users are men. Also, users seem to run the gamut and are much freer with instant messaging and e-mailing (probably because it's free). In her few days as a member, Sarah received messages from guys who wanted to talk, pay her bills, and, of course, meet up. The good news is that most of the OKCupid users seemed to be there for the dating aspect--not just the quizzes and fun articles, such as the recent "Best Questions to Ask for a First Date."

Sarah's take: This place is surprisingly hoppin' for an online dating site--there are lots of guys (and cute ones, at that) sending messages and making the first move. Also, I love the quizzes--those keep me around for a long time.

Alex's take: I couldn't care less about the quizzes or the cute guys, but OKCupid still seduced me with an intuitive interface and quick personality tests that get straight to the point. If you have a thick skin, I encourage you to submit a photo to OKCupid's experimental MyBestFace engine and crowdsource the eternal question, "Am I hot or not?"

Match.com

Who you can expect to find: Serious online daters.

How much it'll cost you: Free to look around, full benefits start at $18/month.

When people think of online dating, they often think of Match.com. (If you've been on Match.com for a while, you might also think "lawsuit.") Match.com is a popular site for the more serious online dater. The majority of Match.com's users are between the ages of 30 and 49 (51 percent), though the 50-plus demographic (20 percent) is the fastest-growing.

It's free to sign up for Match.com, search for matches, and browse other people's profiles, but any message exchanges require a paid membership. Paid memberships start at $18 per month (for a six-month minimum) and go up to $35 per month (one month minimum). You don't need to complete your profile right away, but you won't show up in Match.com search results until you've finished it (complete with photo).

Match.com has a very comprehensive search engine--you can narrow down your results by faith, languages, pets, salary range, amount of exercise, and interests, among other things. In case you're having a hard time sorting through all of the prospects (even after you narrow it down), Match.com also offers up potential matches in the form of a "Daily 5." Match.com submits five potential matches to you and asks you to say whether or not you're interested--the site then modifies its matches based on your answers.

Sarah's take: I hate to say it, but all of the matches that Match.com sent me as potentials were just so ugly.

Alex's take: Either I registered too late or I'm just not that compatible, because Match.com didn't send me any matches at all. I guess that's a blessing in disguise? Either way, OKCupid pretty much blows Match.com out of the water in every meaningful way.

eHarmony

Who you can expect to find: People who are looking for a serious relationship. Seriously.

How much it'll cost you: Varies, but a popular subscription is $30/month for six months.

eHarmony is not a dating Website--rather, it's an online matchmaking service. Unlike other sites, which allow users to browse and search for potential matches, eHarmony does all of the legwork for you. That's right--there's no way for you to browse the database of 33 million users, because (let's be serious), if you knew what you wanted, you wouldn't be on eHarmony in the first place.

eHarmony is also a little more complicated to sign up for than other dating sites: Instead of answering a few questions and being paired up with potential matches, each user must fill out a comprehensive relationship questionnaire. The questionnaire helps in the matchmaking process and also indicates that a user is serious about finding a serious relationship (in other words, the questionnaire is in-depth enough that you're not going to just fill it out for fun). And yes, the matchmaking that eHarmony does is based on scientific research of what makes a long-term relationship last.

According to a 2008 study conducted by Harris Interactive, an average of 542 people marry every day in the United States as a result of eHarmony's matchmaking skills. eHarmony doesn't just sit around and wait for its users to meet up, either--they also offer various matchmaking-related services, such as profile advisement (professional writers who will help your profile shine) and secure calling services so users can safely get in touch with each other.

If you're looking for a very serious long-term relationship, eHarmony is the place to be...but if you're looking for anything less, perhaps OKCupid is more your style.

Sarah's take: Well, eHarmony isn't a dating Website--it's a matchmaking Website. This isn't the place to go if you're playing around. Seriously, their questionniare is really long and not for the faint of heart.

Alex's take: So many questions! Online matchmaking is a booming business, and nobody is better at transmuting you into a statistic than the algorithmic alchemists at eHarmony.

So there you have it: no matter what you're looking for, whether it's a serious relationship, a Mac-lovin' honey, or some "OtakuBooty," there's a dating Website out there just for you. That means you have no excuses when February 14 rolls around.

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Republicans Question Broadband Stimulus Program (PC World)

Two government agencies handing out more than US$7 billion for broadband deployment should reexamine grants to projects that overlap existing broadband service, and they should return any funds that go unspent, several Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives said Thursday.

The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Rural Utilities Service (RUS) should return to the federal treasury any broadband deployment money that is eventually unspent or withdrawn by the agencies, Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's communications subcommittee said during a hearing. Administrators of those agencies now have the option to reallocate unspent funds to other broadband projects.

The agencies should look at overlapping efforts because the U.S. government faces a $1.48 trillion budget deficit this year, said Representative Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican and subcommittee chairman. "We have a responsibility to cut costs," he said.

The Republican complaints about the broadband stimulus program came the same day that President Barack Obama called for Congress to spend $18.7 billion to subsidize 4G mobile broadband deployment to 98 percent of the country within five years and to build a nationwide mobile broadband network for emergency response agencies. The programs would be funded through spectrum auctions.

Republican subcommittee members pointed to complaints by broadband providers in five states, including Illinois and Maine, that the funding from 2009's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was being used by competitors to compete against existing service. Walden and other Republicans repeated old criticisms that the Recovery Act pushed out the broadband money before a national broadband map was complete.

The RUS provided $101 million in grants and loans to Rural Telephone Service (RTS), with part of the money used to overbuild existing broadband in Hays, Kansas, said Gary Shorman, president and CEO of broadband provider Eagle Communications.

"We're wasting government dollars, taxpayer dollars, my dollars, to provide a competitive service in the markets that we serve, markets that have multiple broadband providers," Shorman told the subcommittee. "There has to be a fair playing field. If one provider has a boatload of government taxpayer money, it makes it very hard for a private, small company like ours."

Without a broadband map, duplication was likely, said Representative John Shimkus, an Illinois Republican. "We messed up royally when we didn't go buy the broadband map," he said.

But some Democrats on the subcommittee questioned whether Shorman has a legitimate complaint. RTS didn't return a message seeking comment, and RUS Administrator Jonathan Adelstein didn't testify at the hearing, but Representative Michael Doyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said the RUS sent employees to Kansas to review the RTS application for funding and found it valid.

The RTS broadband proposal would cover 4,600 square miles, and the overlap with Eagle Communications is less than eight square miles, Doyle said. Less than 20 percent of the RUS award would be spent in Hays, where there would be overlap, he added.

But Hays, with a population of about 20,000, represents about half of the population the RUS project would serve, Shorman said. "We're not serving square miles," he said. "We're serving customers."

Democrats on the subcommittee called for more funding for the inspector generals overseeing the broadband programs at the two agencies.

Congress needs to ensure that the programs are efficient and effective, said Representative Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat. The U.S. is falling behind other countries in broadband deployment, she said.

"We need significant investment from both the public and the private sectors," she said.

Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantGross. Grant's e-mail address is grant_gross@idg.com.

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Salesman: Hackers use Chinese company's servers (AP)

BEIJING – A Chinese man cited by a U.S. security firm as being linked to cyberspying on Western oil companies said Friday his company rents server space to hundreds of hackers.

The disclosure highlighted the pervasiveness of both professional and amateur hacking in China, a leading source of Internet crime. But it also left open the possibility that the hackers cited in a report Thursday by McAfee Inc. might be non-Chinese who concealed their identities by routing thefts through computers in China.

The man cited by McAfee, Song Zhiyue, is a salesman for a company in the eastern city of Heze that rents server space. He said he has heard of Chinese hackers targeting U.S. oil companies but he declined to comment on McAfee's report. It said Song provided crucial infrastructure to the hackers but wasn't believed to be the mastermind.

"Our company alone has a great number of hackers" as customers, Song said in a telephone interview. "I have several hundred of them among all my customers."

Song said hackers using his company's services had an estimated 10,000 "meat computers" controlled remotely without the owners' knowledge. He said "yes" when asked whether such activities might be improper but he said Chinese authorities never have contacted him about them. He hung up the phone when a reporter asked for other details.

McAfee said the hackers broke into computers of oil and gas companies in the United States, Taiwan, Greece and Kazakhstan and stole sensitive information about bidding on oil and gas fields, operations and financing.

McAfee's report gave no indication that China's state-owned oil companies benefited from the spying. But Chinese energy companies are expanding abroad and such information could be useful as they compete for access to oil and gas resources.

Spokesmen for several American, British and Greek oil companies said they either were unaware of the hacking or could not comment on security matters.

A vice president of Taiwan's biggest oil company, Chinese Petroleum Corp., said it had detected no hacking of its computers. The executive, Paul Chen, said it would investigate.

China's police ministry did not immediately respond Friday to questions about whether it knew of the attacks or was investigating them. Taiwan's computer crime office was not aware of the attacks, said a police official. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to talk to reporters.

Security experts say China is a center for Internet crime, including espionage against major companies. The government denies it is involved but experts say the high skill level of some attacks suggests the Chinese military, a leader in cyberwarfare research, or other agencies might be stealing technology and trade secrets to help state companies.

McAfee said the attacks in its report began in November 2009. It said extraction of information occurred from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beijing time on weekdays, suggesting those involved were working a regular job, not freelancers or amateurs. It said they used hacking tools of Chinese origin that are prevalent on Chinese underground hacking forums.

The hackers expressed a strong interest in financial information, according to Dmitri Alperovitch, McAfee's vice president of threat research.

Thousands of Chinese computer enthusiasts belong to hacker clubs and experts say some are supported by China's military to develop a pool of possible recruits. Experts say military-trained civilian hackers also might work as contractors for companies that want to steal technology or business secrets from rivals.

China has the world's biggest population of Internet users, with more than 450 million people online, and the government promotes Web use for business and education. But experts say security for many computers in China is so poor that they are vulnerable to being taken over and used to hide the source of attacks from elsewhere.

Last year, Google Inc. closed its China-based search engine after complaining of cyberattacks from China against its e-mail service.

That case highlighted the difficulty of tracking hackers. Experts said that even if the Google attacks were traced to a computer in China, it would have to be examined in person to be sure it wasn't hijacked by an attacker abroad. Beijing has yet to respond publicly to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's appeal last year for an investigation of the Google attacks.

___

Associated Press Writer Annie Huang in Taipei and AP Business Writer Chris Kahn in New York contributed to this report.

___

Online:

McAfee Inc.'s report: http://bit.ly/hvV38n

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Facebook mulls $1 billion employee share sale: report (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook may let its employees sell up to $1 billion of their shares to institutional investors at a price that values the company at about $60 billion, an influential industry blog reported.

Facebook is pondering the move after entertaining approaches from a number of major institutions interested in investing in the world's largest social network, the All Things Digital technology blog cited sources as saying on Thursday.

That valuation would surpass previous measures. Last month, the company founded by Mark Zuckerberg in a Harvard dorm room raised $1.5 billion of financing in a round led by Goldman Sachs, which valued it at $50 billion.

Facebook, whose online service counts more than a half a billion users worldwide, is expected to possibly go public around 2012.

A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.

Investors have been eager to buy shares of Facebook before then and have gone to private exchanges, where shareholders like venture capitalists and former employees have put some of their stock up for sale.

Facebook tightly restricts current employees from selling their shares on private exchanges, making it difficult for them to cash in on the company's success.

In 2009, Facebook arranged for Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies to purchase at least $100 million of common shares from its employees. DST was also part of the deal led by Goldman Sachs in January.

Last year, Facebook overtook Google Inc to become the most visited website in the United States, according to online analytics firm Experian Hitwise.

The company is generating profits at a faster-than-expected rate, according to a document distributed by Goldman Sachs last month.

Facebook is among several fast-growing privately held Web companies, including Twitter, Zynga and Groupon, that investors have been anxious to buy into ahead of potential public listings.

But liquidity on private exchanges has been low and since Facebook so far has not been forced to publicly report its earnings there is little transparency for investors.

(Reporting by Edwin Chan and Noel Randewich; Editing by Maureen Bavdek and Richard Chang)

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Obama Goal: 98 Percent of US Covered by 4G Broadband (PC World)

Ninety-eight percent of U.S. residents would have access to high-speed mobile broadband service within five years under a plan that President Barack Obama detailed Thursday.

Obama's proposal, which he alluded to in his State of the Union speech last month, would free up 500MHz of wireless spectrum over a decade by offering to share spectrum auction proceeds with current spectrum holders, including television stations, that have unused airwaves.

The cost of the proposal is likely to raise questions from lawmakers, and some backers of government broadband spending have already raised concerns that the plan would give money and spectrum to large mobile carriers.

The voluntary incentive actions, also advocated in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's national broadband plan released last March, would raise an estimated US $27.8 billion over the next decade, the White House said in a fact sheet.

Obama would also spend $10.7 billion to build a nationwide broadband network for public safety agencies, including police and fire departments. Some lawmakers and public safety officials have been calling for a national network since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.

Obama's plan would include a one-time outlay of $5 billion to bring mobile broadband to areas unlikely to be served by commercial providers without subsidies. Another $3 billion of the spectrum auction fees would go to wireless broadband research and development.

The $5 billion for mobile broadband would be focused on 4G technologies, the White House said.

"America's businesses are building out 4G networks to much of the nation," the White House said in a statement. "Nevertheless, absent additional government investment, millions of Americans will not be able to participate in the 4G revolution. This investment will ... extend access from the almost 95 percent of Americans who have 3G wireless services today to at least 98 percent of all Americans gaining access to state-of-the-art 4G high-speed wireless services within five years."

About $9.6 billion of the auction proceeds would go toward the U.S. government's budget deficit, the White House said.

Obama, in a speech at Northern Michigan University, said government funding is needed to bring broadband to rural areas. He compared his mobile broadband proposal to government-supported build-outs of railroads, interstate highways, and the electric grid in past centuries.

"This is a new century," Obama said. "We can't expect tomorrow's economy to take root using yesterday's infrastructure."

While about 90 percent of South Koreans subscribe to broadband service, only about 65 percent of U.S. residents do, he added. "When it comes to high-speed Internet, the lights are still off in a third of our households," he said.

Several groups focused on improving broadband praised the president's plan.

"As many have observed, wireless Internet access is the wave of the future and a source of jobs and innovation," Harold Feld, legal director of Public Knowledge, said in an e-mail. "The investments promoted by the administration would, if implemented, go a long way to bringing next generation wireless service to areas which may not receive it any other way."

Feld, however, questioned the administration's estimates of revenue from spectrum auctions. The proposed incentive auctions do not yet have approval from Congress.

"It is not at all clear that incentive auctions or reverse auctions will take place," he said. "Even under circumstances of familiar auction procedures, estimates of revenue can [vary] greatly from what is actually achieved. Important spending for our future should not depend on the vagaries of auctions."

Free Press, another supporter of broadband improvements, questioned whether the auctions would supply spectrum to the small number of current mobile providers. Obama's plan focuses on the wrong goal, Free Press Research Director Derek Turner wrote in a Politico opinion piece Thursday.

Instead of focusing on mobile broadband deployment, when nearly all U.S. residents have mobile service available now, Obama should focus on improving broadband adoption and providing competition to the large mobile and broadband providers, Turner wrote.

This week, the FCC released a proposal to fund broadband deployment by redirecting billions of dollars from a fund that now subsidizes traditional telephone service.

"The president's message Thursday, coming on the heels of this costly proposal, highlights a disconnect in our policy thinking," Turner wrote. "Why should taxpayers fund the build-out of broadband networks, when the government could just require that profitable wireless companies pay for it -- in exchange for use of public airwaves?"

Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantGross. Grant's e-mail address is grant_gross@idg.com.

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Ebay points to PayPal momentum, pledges innovation (Reuters)

SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) – EBay Inc thrust its PayPal business into the limelight on Thursday, saying the online payments unit would surpass its main marketplaces division within three to five years as executives cast the Web company as an innovator.

Shares of eBay, which over the past two years has sought to shed an image of an Internet has-been, jumped nearly 8 percent during an investor meeting at eBay's San Jose, California headquarters, after executives said PayPal revenue could double by 2013.

"PayPal is the star of the company and people we talk to are investing in eBay for the PayPal aspect," said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.

Although eBay has pointed to PayPal as its prime growth driver in recent years -- fueled by more new consumers and businesses adopting the service and using it more frequently -- questions about competition and the regulatory environment for payment processors are still a concern among investors.

At the same time, many investors remain underwhelmed by the more familiar marketplaces unit, a high-margin unit that connects online buyers and sellers but is largely mature.

Executives sought to allay those concerns on Thursday, focusing on innovation and eBay's position at the forefront of shopping and payments.

Those efforts would send adjusted earnings per share up between 10 percent and 14 percent by 2013 on total revenue of $13 billion to $15 billion, the company said.

Chief Executive John Donahoe said eBay was at an "inflection point" in e-commerce that the company would exploit, as consumers use smartphones -- a "store in their pocket" -- to shop and pay in one go.

"This shift is creating new global opportunities for our company," said Donahoe. "We are driving the next generation of e-commerce."

UBS analyst Brian Pitz said eBay's financial targets for 2013 exceeded Wall Street expectations.

"There are more bears than bulls and the guys that are negative will have to raise their numbers," Pitz said.

"They sound good, they're excited and they're making progress," he said of the company.

EBay was the pioneer of the Web auction during the dotcom boom, but the novelty of its marketplaces business eventually waned and growth faltered.

But due to ongoing improvements in search technology and trust and safety that has made shopping in eBay marketplaces easier and more secure, that unit is set to grow into a $7 billion to $8 billion business by 2013 from $5.7 billion in 2010. Operating margins will be 38 percent to 42 percent, executives said, compared with 40 percent in 2010.

At PayPal, revenue is expected to reach $6 billion to $7 billion by 2013, PayPal President Scott Thompson said, from $3.4 billion in 2010. PayPal revenue rose by 23 percent from 2009 to 2010.

Operating margins in PayPal will rise to 24 percent to 26 percent by 2013, up from 21 percent in 2010, Thompson said.

MOBILE OFFENSE

Despite the promise of continued growth at PayPal, eBay investors are anxious to feel reassured that marketplaces can still grow and be relevant in today's competitive environment -- especially as prime competitor Amazon.com, an online retailer, has enjoyed double-digit growth.

"I know the question that's on your mind: 'Can eBay compete in the U.S. market?' I believe we can," said Christopher Payne, vice president of Marketplaces North America.

EBay also has made a big gamble on mobile. Consumers can use eBay's mobile app with its scan technology to compare prices on smartphones while shopping, and use PayPal's app to make speedy purchases. At PayPal, total payment volume from mobile is expected to double to $2 billion this year, Thompson said.

Improvements, along with a strengthening economy and more consumer confidence, helped eBay post better-than-expected profit in its most recent fourth quarter when it reported results in January.

EBay shares are at about half the value of their all-time high in late 2004 despite improvements since 2009.

EBay is valued below other Silicon Valley tech giants, at 16.7 times estimated 2011 earnings. Google and Yahoo, meanwhile, are valued at 18 and 21.6 times forward-looking earnings, respectively.

EBay shares traded at $34.31 after hours on Thursday after closing at $34.49 on Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; Editing by Tim Dobbyn, Matthew Lewis and Carol Bishopric)

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Google CEO sees signs of Internet bubble: report (Reuters)

ZURICH (Reuters) – There are clear signs of a new Internet bubble in corporate valuations, Google's chief executive Eric Schmidt said in an interview with a Swiss magazine on Thursday.

Asked about the high valuations being put on companies such as social network company Facebook and game developer Zynga, Schmidt said in an interview with Bilanz: "There are clear signs of a bubble ... But valuations are what they are. People believe that these companies will achieve huge sales in the future."

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Google, Facebook and others have held low-level takeover talks with Twitter, valuing the company as high as $10 billion.

Asked whether he planned to stay another four years at Google to collect stock awards worth $100 million, Schmidt said: "Yes, that is my plan."

Google said last month co-founder Larry Page would take over as chief executive from April 4 while Schmidt would assume the role of executive chairman.

(Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

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Obama rolls out 18 billion dollar Internet plan (AFP)

MARQUETTE, Michigan (AFP) – US President Barack Obama on Thursday traveled to a remote corner of frigid Michigan to roll out an ambitious plan to offer high-speed wireless Internet coverage to 98 percent of Americans.

"We can't expect tomorrow's economy to take root using yesterday's infrastructure," said Obama, who unveiled the broadband Internet push as part of his plan to "Win the Future" in his State of the Union address last month.

"We've got to think about what's the next thing and make sure that we're at the forefront, just like we were in the last century," Obama said, comparing the web infrastructure growth to the economic jolt delivered by the railroads.

Obama chose to deliver his remarks at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, which partnered with communications firms to establish an off-campus wireless network, to help students in rural locations.

"Within five years, we want to make it possible for businesses to put high-speed wireless services in reach of virtually every American."

Obama's 18-billion-dollar plan, to be detailed in his next budget to be unveiled on Monday, is intended to create jobs and help rural businesses develop new products and markets.

It includes five billion dollars to help the development of a 4G wireless network by providers in rural areas.

Some 10 billion dollars would be used to help develop a national wireless network for first responders and emergency services, and there would be a three-billion-dollar investment in research in emerging wireless technologies.

The measure will be financed by the government's sale of freed up sectors of the wireless spectrum which the government says will raise up to 27.8 billion dollars.

Conscious of the political battle looming with Republicans over the budget, the White House says 9.6 billion dollars left over from the sale will be used to pay down the deficit.

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