The Best Gaming Consoles Of All Time

There have been many The console wars have raged for decades, and naturally, there were winners and losers. In the age of fancy computer chairs and protective glasses, it can be easy to forget our favorite hobbys humble beginnings, and the hardware that pushed gaming into the mainstream. This is a list of some of the consoles that pushed our preferred past time into the forefront of pop culture.

Atari 2600

The Atari VCS originally launched in September 1977 and started the migration from arcades to the living room for gamers in the United States. By the time Space Invaders was released, the Atari V.C.S. was renamed the 2600 and bore its classic wood-paneled form and was responsible for the creation of Activision. It led the market until the disastrous launch of E.T.E.T. and its port of PacMan. Not only did Atari push the advent of home gaming, but it almost destroyed the market in 1983. Without this bad boy, gaming would have remained the domain of bars and arcades. While it did almost crash the game industry, it revealed the desire to play electronic games at home and opened up a brand new market for consumer electronics.

Nintendo Entertainment System

The future of consoles looked pretty bleak in the United States until Nintendos Famicom, rebranded as the Nintendo Entertainment System for North America, landed in 1986. Nintendos business model of licensing 3rd party developers and strict quality control almost singlehandedly saved the gaming market. With Nintendos savvy ability to wrangle American audiences with great advertising, and eye-catching console design, they brought gaming to an entire generation of kids and made them gaming diehards. Nintendos first-party software is still used to help guide new devs to make simple and compelling games to this day.

Playstation 2

Sony struck gold with the PS2. The console is still one of the best selling home gaming systems in the world, with around 150 billion units sold. Its tech was top-notch, and the third party developers flocked to the console to make some of the most iconic and enduring games of the last two decades. It also saw a massive boom for mid-tier developers that mostly stuck to the P.C.P.C. at that time. The console also had one of the longest life cycles that had been seen, producing units until 2013. Not many consoles can lay claim to some of the most popular franchises to ever grace gaming. God of War started on Playstation 2, the Persona franchise started there as well, and many more beloved franchises made their start on the Playstation 2.

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 also had a great time of it during its life cycle. While not as ubiquitous as the PS2, it really picked up with the competitive first-person shooter games market exploded in the early 2000s and into the 2010s. With its simple user interface, easy matchmaking, and party chat, the Xbox 360 made online gaming more convenient and streamlined the process of playing with friends. It also boasted a suite of apps for streaming music, movies, and offered its own digital storefront. The 360 was responsible for pushing a lot of current market practices forward and changed the way we game these days.

The Final Verdict

This is certainly not a comprehensive list, and the current generation is still ongoing, so who knows what the console market will look like after the next-generation launches in 2020. Its exciting to look back at gamings past and speculate on the future.



The Economic Benefits Of E-waste Recycling

Electronic gadgets are important in many industries. In one way or another, you are benefiting from the features of an electronic device. Televisions, GPS devices, MP3 players, computers, and cell phones are common in American and British households.

The electronic industry generates $2 billion per year. According to statistics, Americans own 3 billion appliances and gadgets. For each new device launched in the market, one or more become obsolete or outdated.

In 1997, surveys revealed that over 20 million personal computers became obsolete. In 2005, about 130,000 computer units were discarded in one day. According to CEA or Consumer Electronics Association, many monitors, cellphones, Televisions, and VCRs were removed from American households in 2006.

These are the reasons why methods and businesses were established for the purpose of recycling end-of-life electronics:

The Lifecycle of Electronic Products - Approximately 42 percent of the appliances and devices sold between 1980 to 2004 have been disposed or recycled, while 9 percent are in storage. - In 2005, about 180 million electronic products were stored. Another 460 million were reused. Computers account for 24 percent of recycled units. By weight, televisions account for approximately 52 percent of stored electronic products. - Between 2003 and 2005, about 85 percent of end-of-life electronics in the US were recycled. These statistics are based on the results of the surveys conducted by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Benefits of Recycling E-waste: Conserves natural resources Recycling recovers valuable materials like lead and copper from old electronics. These materials can be utilized to make new products. Consequently, you can save energy and natural resources and help reduce pollution.

You can also help in reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. When you recycle electronics parts, you prevent them from being burned in landfills and garbage processing plants.

Benefits of Recycling E-waste:

Environmental Protection Recycling e-waste, or electronic waste, promotes proper management and handling of harmful chemical substances such as cadmium and lead. E-waste stream contains the said toxic elements.

Creates jobs and business opportunities Recycling e-waste creates many business and job opportunities for professional recyclers and semi-skilled workers. It also supports the market for recycled materials.

According to GCLcevre, or GCL Refining and Recycling, a trading group specializing in precious metals and electronic waste recovery, the industry contributes to the growth of Turkey's economy. By recovering valuable metals like palladium, silver, gold, and copper, they reduce waste and support a million dollar industry.

Copper, in particular, is long-lasting and durable. Because of its thermal and electrical conductivity, copper is utilized in switches, transformers, and conductors production. Further, copper from old appliances can be reused in the manufacturing of new electronics products. Electronic circuit boards contain about 20% copper.

The Takeaway: The procedures involved in the recycling of end of life electronics paved the way for a growing industry. E-waste management requires the completion of several methods. These include refurbishing, shipping, and sorting of reusable electronics.

The field of e-waste recycling is a vast and growing industry. It demands thousands of workers. This creates lots of business and job opportunities, and in turn, it can boost the economy of a country. Recent studies have revealed that an e-waste recycling business produces more or less 30 jobs.

Choosing A Hosting Package – Understanding The Basics

This is why its very important that you understand the basics of web hosting. Having this knowledge will help you out when you're choosing a hosting package for your website. There are certain technologies that are needed for you to be able to post your website There are certain technologies that are needed for you to be able to post your website online. Web hosts provide you with these technologies.

You have four different hosting types to choose from, and here is an introduction as to what they are and what you can expect from them:

1. Dedicated Hosting

This type of hosting means that you gain access to your very own server. This is ideal for large companies that may have more requirements for the sites under their control. The bandwidth is larger to accommodate multimedia of all sorts, and you can even choose your server specs.

2. Reseller Hosting

Choose this if you want to become a web host yourself. You can sell hosting services to others with this system. Its also ideal for businesses that delve into multiple e-commerce pages in one go. It will provide you with multiple SSL certificates as well.

3. VPS Hosting

This is an option best suited for those who want to upgrade from a shared account. Aside from increased flexibility when it comes to managing new software and configurations, this type of service also accommodates emailing and media streaming. You can consider this a semi-dedicated type of hosting as your sites will have their private space within shared servers, allowing for expanded functionality.

4. Shared Web Hosting

What you have here is the simplest hosting package available. Its ideal for people who may be looking for basic services and are comfortable with using shared servers. Usually, companies can host more than one site with this option and receive 24/7 support from their service provider. The catch is that hosts can host sites owned by different people using one server, limiting your access to hosting resources.

Always remember to choose a hosting package that does not only fit your budget, but can accommodate the activities that you require on your page, for your users sake. Spend time understanding what each one entails and speak with professionals for an even better insight as to how each option varies.



The Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate Review

Video converter software is an integrated disk and easy digital video converter, which allows the user to convert any DVDs or videos from one format to another with light and swift conversion speed. In addition, the Wondershare video converter ultimate lets the users target exactly which device they wanted their videos to play on such as the most popular devices today like Windows media player and movie maker. In addition, it is an ultimate converter, which has great features to offer.

With the great features of this software, users can now achieve basic media conversion in a more advanced, fast and powerful video converter as well as getting better video conversion and DVD. Here are the great features of the Wondershare video converter software: - It supports both Mac and Windows application. - A flexible and easy converter, which supports AC3, AAC, WAV, WMA and many more. - It has the ability to remove digital rights management in order to convert DVDs into unprotected video files. - This best video converter program adds metadata to the media files for easy and fast retrieval. - It can convert and burn videos easier and faster. - It can burn video downloader that can download the video when users play a video in a different major browser. - It has the power to convert thirty times than other converters with Wondershare video converter APEXTRANS technology. - It has the DVD ripper capability/convert, which rips the content of the DVD. - Allows the user to convert videos into any popular devices and video format such as Nokia, Blackberry, Samsung, Apple and any devices suited to users phone. - You can also capture, download or record videos from other popular video sites such as You Tube.

Wondershare video converter ultimate has a great number of features and has a user-friendly interface. Even though you are only a beginner in using this program, you will find so easy to manage. In addition, as compared to any other video converter software, this one is one of the top video converters everyone can use and it is considered as the best video converter program in the market.

When it comes to the advantages of this video converter, it is designed for every user to easily burn or convert DVDS or videos. In addition, users can also use this to convert any portable media devices and video format. This software also enables users to easily convert and download videos from those popular and top video-sharing sites. Besides, Wondershare video converter ultimate can also be used to create a video tutorial and to record activity from the desktop.

Conclusion: This is a Great and Reliable Video Converter The video converter by Wondershare is truly a great piece of software. In fact, this software has been highly rated by many software review sites as it truly contains excellent features with fast conversion speeds capabilities. Plus, you can expect a great support if you encounter any problem with the application.



Should You Work With An Affordable Web Developer Or Use Free Website Templates?

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How to Protect your Computer from Hackers

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Hackers can do the unthinkable. Just when you thought you are safe behind your computer someone else holds you hostage. They seek out your weaknesses and ensure that they use them to their advantage. It is therefore important to do all you can to keep yourself safe.

Update your OS and other software frequently, if not automatically. This keeps hackers from accessing your computer through vulnerabilities in outdated programs. For extra protection, enable Microsoft product updates so that the Office Suite will be updated at the same time. Consider retiring particularly susceptible software such as Java or Flash.

Download up-to-date security programs, including antivirus and anti-malware software, anti-spyware, and a firewall (if your OS didn’t come pre-packaged with it). To trick even the most villainous hackers, consider investing in anti-exploit technology, such as Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit, so you can stop attacks before they happen.

Destroy all traces of your personal info on hardware you plan on selling. Consider using d-ban to erase your hard drive. For those looking to pillage your recycled devices, this makes information much more difficult to recover. If the information you’d like to protect is critical enough, the best tool for the job is a chainsaw.

Sourced from: https://blog.malwarebytes.com/101/2015/10/10-ways-to-protect-against-hackers/

No one should assume that they are safe from hackers. Hackers keep on improving their tactics hence they need to improve security measures for your computer. Do not disable updates on your computer. Ensure that you are using the latest browser.

 Use the latest version of your web browser

Web browsers are vital applications, but just like other software, they can contain bugs. Hackers are quick to capitalise on these and create bogus (or infect genuine) web sites with data designed to exploit them. Once a web browser has been compromised in this way, a hacker can monitor everything you type, including passwords to credit card numbers. That’s why it’s vital to use the latest version of your web browser - anything other than this may be a security risk.

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox will also update themselves automatically, but don’t ignore their requests to restart the browser when such an update has been downloaded and is ready to be installed.

Don’t fall for phishing emails

Emails that appear to be from a recognisable online service asking you to log into a site to confirm some personal details are always fake.

These emails are usually caught by your email application’s spam filter, but if one does slip through and you click its link, your web browser should detect and block the site it takes you to.

Sourced from: http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/computing/seven-easy-tips-to-protect-your-pc-from-hackers-and-malware-11363942012065

Most of the times computer users believe that having an antivirus is enough but unfortunately an antivirus is not enough. You need to find out how authentic a malware is.

Fake antivirus messages

In slight decline these days, fake antivirus warning messages are among the surest signs that your system has been compromised. What most people don't realize is that by the time they see the fake antivirus warning, the damage has been done. Clicking No or Cancel to stop the fake virus scan is too little, too late. The malicious software has already made use of unpatched software, often the Java Runtime Environment or an Adobe product, to completely exploit your system.

Unwanted browser toolbars

This is probably the second most common sign of exploitation: Your browser has multiple new toolbars with names that seem to indicate the toolbar is supposed to help you. Unless you recognize the toolbar as coming from a very well-known vendor, it's time to dump the bogus toolbar.

Sourced from: http://www.infoworld.com/article/2612634/security/security-11-sure-signs-you-ve-been-hacked.html