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How to Get a Great Deal on an HDTV

May 9th, 2008

A few months ago I upgraded to a large screen high definition television. I did search the web for the best price, but was very hesitant to purchase something that would have to be shipped. I really wanted to deal with a local merchant so that I could easily return the product if it didn’t meet my expectations. Although the prices for HDTVs have dropped pretty dramatically over the past few years, the medium to high end gear is still pretty pricey.
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Best Add-ons for Mozilla Thunderbird

April 5th, 2008

Mozilla’s Thunderbird allows independent developers to add functionality to this very popular e-mail client through extensions called add-ons. Some users never use add-ons, while others use dozens of them. I prefer to only install an add-on when it adds a particular feature that is really useful. There are hundreds of add-ons available that can be very useful enhancements.
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Thunderbird Outgoing Email Problems - SMTP Configuration Scenarios

April 3rd, 2008

It is clear that several people are having problems with outgoing email with Mozilla’s Thunderbird. Most outgoing e-mail problems are related to improper SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) configurations. Sometimes an ISP’s server configuration changes. Sometimes the user may not select the proper SMTP server for an account. In this post I will attempt to cover some of the most common configurations that I find in the hope that one of them will work properly with your particular mail server or ISP (Internet Service Provider).
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PHP Shopping Carts Worth Looking At

March 1st, 2008

A shopping cart is an essential component of every e-commerce site. Although there are literally hundreds of shopping carts to choose from, only a few stand out. PHP is the preferred shopping cart language because it is the most popular web development language on the Internet. When combined with the MySQL database, PHP is unbeatable for cost effectiveness.
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Say Goodbye to HD DVD

February 18th, 2008

It looks like Toshiba is about to wave the white flag in the DVD format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD. According to numerous media sources, the company is planning to drop the HD DVD format.
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Upconverting DVDs to Achieve High Definition

February 18th, 2008

You really do not need to invest in expensive HD DVD or Blu-ray disks and players for your high definition television when upconverting DVD players (also called upscaling DVD players) are available at a fraction of the cost. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that the quality from the latest generation of upconverting/upscaling players is very close to that of full high definition players.
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How to Prevent Directory Listing

February 13th, 2008

I am finding that an increasing number of hosting companies appear to be configuring their servers to allow the file listings of web site directories to be viewed by users. I don’t know why they are doing this. It can be a serious breach of security that may allow a hacker to gain information about a site that can be used to hack the site. It is always a good idea to take steps to prevent the listing of directory files.
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What is an HDMI Cable?

February 2nd, 2008

HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. An HDMI cable is digital interface connector that transmits both video and audio signals. A single HDMI cable can be used to replace all of the cable connections between a high definition television and other high definition devices, such as a Blu-ray or HD DVD player.
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Using a MySQL Full-Text Search

January 18th, 2008

A full-text search allows a search of multiple text columns. If you are setting up a search of a series of articles or a site with lots of product-related content, a MySQL FULLTEXT search can make it very easy to find articles or products related to the keywords used by a searcher. This search method does exactly what its name implies–it allows a full search of large text fields. A FULLTEXT search is easy to set up if you just follow these simple instructions.
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The Blu-ray vs HD-DVD Debate May be Almost Over

January 12th, 2008

It looks like we could be nearing the end of the debate over which high-definition video format will prevail in the high definition DVD format war. Just a few days before the start of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Warner Brothers announced that they will be abandoning the HD-DVD format in May of 2008 and will offer high definition movie titles only on the Blu-Ray format. This could be the tipping point in the format wars that have been raging since the introduction of the competing high definition formats.
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