Beckham back in the groove

Manchester United go joint top with a win against West Ham.

People on the go to get satellite TV

A Tokyo venture company is preparing to launch a digital satellite broadcasting service that can be received on mobile phones and monitors aboard moving vehicles, the first service of its kind in the world.

'We have had engine failure'

Dean Rawle pulled his window blind down to block the glare of the late-morning sun so he could see the inflight entertainment on his small business-class TV screen. He had just watched a speed boat skim along the blue sea leaving a white stream behind...

North Korea seeks an end to nuclear scrutiny

Pyongyang yesterday attempted to hide its controversial nuclear programme from international scrutiny, escalating its brinkmanship with the US over the security of the Korean peninsula.

New-Look Sennaya Ploshchad Draws on Past

While stone-layers were still hurrying to complete the paving work, Sennaya Ploshchad was officially reopened on Wednesday after four months of renovation work.....

Missing Vicky found

Victoria Stephenson, a university student who went missing on Tuesday, has been found safe and well in Dublin.

Judge's Order Bars New York Transit Strike
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE with ANDY NEWMAN
A New York State Supreme Court justice issued an order Friday evening barring a strike by transit workers on Monday.

Post-polio syndrome debilitates survivors

Decades after public health declared defeat over a sad American epidemic, polio survivors are being revisited by a haunting new affliction: post-polio syndrome.

Consumers' Mood Brightens, Prices Muted
Fri December 13, 05:27 PM ET

By Mark Egan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumers became more optimistic in December, brushing away concerns about possible war with Iraq and a rising jobless rate and boosting retailers' hopes for a joyous holiday shopping season.

hmm...this is hard work, post whoring without anyone else

The Lowdown on Irritable Bowel Syndrome
March 12, 2002

What's second only to the common cold in causing lost work or school time? Few people know the answer, because it's an ailment that's not readily discussed. Yet research shows that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects over 15 percent of people in the United States and is prevalent worldwide. No definite figures are available for Singapore or the region, but it is known to be quite common.


People with IBS suffer from a decline in their quality of life, says Monica Jarrett, associate professor in biobehavioural nursing and health systems at the University of Washington School of Nursing.

"This can be explained by the unpredictability of their bowels and the discomfort. People manage by pulling back from social and work activities," Jarrett says.

"Some say the pain gets so bad that they have gone to the emergency room, thinking they had appendicitis."

Not only is IBS painful and embarrassing, but depending on the severity of symptoms, it can also be disabling. The ailment is twice as common among women as men, but this could partly be due to women being more open about health problems. Many people let IBS persist for several years before seeing a health-care provider. It might begin as early as childhood, or not until later in adulthood.

Though IBS tends to occur more often among people with stressful and emotionally distressing lives, that is probably only one of a number of factors that triggers IBS symptoms. Others include:

· infectious disorders such as gastritis during a stressful period
· hormonal influences. Increased oestrogen seems to influence the activity of the bowels - on average, women's symptoms worsen around menstruation, and
· food intolerance to dairy products and artificial sweeteners like sorbitol often exacerbate symptoms.


The symptoms that define IBS include abdominal pain that is relieved by a bowel movement; diarrhoea and constipation - sometimes both; a sense of urgency; incomplete passage of stool; and gas or bloating.

The symptoms are usually episodic, generally occurring from a few times a week to once a month, though IBS might go away for years and suddenly return. What distinguishes it from other gastrointestinal upsets is the frequency and severity of symptoms. However, it does not damage tissue or lead to colon cancer. Someone with the symptoms of IBS should tell their health-care provider.

There are a number of drugs to treat IBS, but there is no single cure. Some drugs affect the activity of the bowel while others affect the hormones that are released by the bowel. Anti-depressants can help those with psychological distress, and also can independently ease pain. People sometimes use herbal teas such as camomile and ginger, or increased fibre for constipation.

Jarrett and UW professors Dr Margaret Heitkemper and Dr Rona Levy are looking at ways to help women decrease the frequency and intensity of their IBS symptoms without medication.

"IBS can be a frustrating disorder. Sometimes something one eats triggers symptoms, but the next time it doesn't," Jarrett says. "The inability to manage the symptoms can lead to self-criticism, which may worsen symptoms. We work with women to identify factors that trigger symptoms and help the women to develop skills in how to lessen the impact through small changes in lifestyle and attitude."

Posted: 2002-12-03
Written By: Moto
Price: $29.99 - $399.99
Provided By: KNC Technologies

If you're like most power users, moving large files from one PC to another can be a thorny problem. Some new PCs, especially laptops, no longer come with a floppy disk drive anymore. And in any case, a floppy disk can hold only 1.4 megabytes of data which is fine for most word-processing files, but you'll never be able to store typical music files, PowerPoint presentations, or more than a few high-resolution photos.

If your PC has a CD-RW drive, you can burn the files onto a blank CD, but that can be a slow process even with the new high speed CD-RW (once you factor in all the work required to burn a CD), and most PCs still can't burn CDs. Another way to transfer large data is with a Zip drive; however, like CD-RW, most computers lack those as well (which is a good thing, IMO, as I have experienced the infamous click of death once too many times). Another thing you could do is e-mail the files to the other PC, but many e-mail providers limit the size of attached files and the total size of e-mail boxes.

This is where the Universal Smart Drive comes in. It doesn't require a disk drive at all, or any other hardware besides a USB port, which is ubiquitous in modern PCs. It doesn't need an Internet connection, or even any software -- not even the 'drivers' most other devices need. It works interchangeably on Windows PCs and on Apple Macintosh models. It fits in a pocket, can be reused again and again, and is practically indestructible, yet light as a feather. The Universal Smart Drive is roughly the size of a car key and allows the user to transport their files both securely and easily. The Universal Smart Drive can quickly synchronize vital personal files between computers at work, home, or school without hassle.

The Universal Smart Drive requires no software or drivers to operate. Because it utilizes the USB Mass Storage Compliance, the device is simply plug-and-play on Windows XP, ME, 2000, Mac OS 9-10X and Linux 2.4. The Universal Smart Drive will also operate on Win98SE, but because this OS does not fully support the USB Mass Storage compliance, a one-time installation of drivers is required. The Universal Smart Drive is available in sizes from 16MB all the way to 1 Gig.

Features

Portable USB flash memory drive (storage device / disk) - Universal Smart Drive.
No drivers required*, Plug-N-Play via USB port on PC, Mac and Linux. (* Drivers required when using Windows 98/SE)
Various capacity range: 16MB/ 32MB/ 64MB/ 128MB/ 256MB/ 512MB/ 1GB usb flash memory drive
Ideal for Transferring large data files between computers
Fantastic for Backing-up critical files
Great for taking data from office to home and back to office
Excellent for storing data, music files, pictures and important business presentations
Bundled Accessories: USB Extension Cable, Neck Strap, Windows 98 installation CD, user manual and warranty card for Universal Smart Drive

Using the Universal Smart Drive is super easy. Just plug it into any USB port and WinXP will detect it and load up the needed drivers. There is no software required on your part unless you're running an older OS like Win98. If your computer has front USB ports like many newer computer has nowadays, just plug it right in and you're up and running. If your USB port is at the back on your comp then you can use the supplied USB extension cable to route the signal to the front. Here is what my computer look like after I plugged in the Universal Smart Drive.

Windows XP detects the Universal Smart Drive as a "Removable Disk," which is it. You can treat the smart drive like any other drives. You can read and write to it, create folders and sub-directories, or even format it. There is a light at the end of the Smart Drive that flashes to show drive activities.

Since I started using the Universal Smart Drive I have found it to be an invaluable tool. It really is the best way to keep your data close to you. It even comes with a neck strap so you can wear the drive like jewelry. I use the drive to keep important back up data like my address book, emails, and contact information. I've also used it a lot to transfer data from the office comp to the home comp. Using the Universal Smart Drive sure beats burning a CD.

The only gripe I have with the Universal Smart Drive is that it's a USB 1.1 device and not USB 2.0. Because of this, it can take a while to transfer files from computer to smart drive. However the transfer rate is still much faster than a Zip or floppy drive. If you want a Universal Smart Drive that is larger than 256 MB then I would seriously consider getting the new USB 2.0 version that KNC Technologies just launched.

The Goods

Ultra portable
No software required
Easy to use
The Bad
Only USB 1.1
Rating: 8/10