Top ten web designs inspired by nature

As we observe the trend in web design we will notice that the website designs are moving from those heavy graphics to light, vibrant colour designs. Many of such designs are inspired by Mother Nature. Nature inspired designs are extremely calm and install freshness to the website. In this blog post I will try to point to few of such beautiful designs spread across the web. These designs also remind us of the need to connect to nature. We humans have already destroyed a great deal of nature. Each passing day we are realizing just that. Designs based on nature are very inspirational have a look yourself.

1. 4DESIGN :

This is one of the best design out there. No wonder it is on the top of the list. Just look at the design it is so refreshing and inspiring. When was the last time we something as beautiful and fresh as this. In this design you will notice wild flowers, a king fisher near it’s nest and a hot air balloon. The navigation is on a wooden like strip. Great Design!

2. N-DESIGN STUDIO :

NDesign-Studio has one of the best looking theme for wordpress. This custom made theme has a peacock, mountains, rainbow and roses. This design is drawn using Adobe Illustrator. NDesign has won many awards and recognition for it’s design. The point to note here is even the best designers are inspired by nature.

3. VOS RESSOURCES :

This design focuses on the wild side of the nature. The design consists of a beautiful leaf and the header sports a waterfall. This design also has bamboo’s at the right top. Even the favicon used in the site has the leave which also acts as the logo for the site, background colour is a pale olive leave colour. This layout is calm but not as vibrant as 4DESIGN.

4. ARBUSTS PHOTOGRAPHY :

This web design is for a website that does photography on wedding occasion. In this design the designer has show bride and groom enjoying lonely time with nature. Design shows a large lake, ice capped mountain and a tree which is showering leaves over the bride. All these are spread on a grassy plain. Designer has tried to merge the love between two person along side nature. A job well done.

5. BELFLORA :

This website is completely dedicated to nature. The complete first fold of browser ( The view area of browser which we can see without scrolling ) is covered by nature. Lots of grass, flowers and a cute butterly make this web design as close to nature as possible. The website is in russian.

6. HYPJO :

This design shows the nature at night. Be it day or night nature looks beautiful anytime. This layout shows a tree with birds returning to there nest after days work, half moon and stars. This design has a very unique navigation , instead of the usual buttons the navigation are person at work, roll over the icons to see the effect. Impressive! The layout is one of the most simplest layout of all we saw till now.

7. STUDIO 7 DESIGN :

This is another vibrant colour design. This design sports a country side scenery with some fresh vegetables. For information arbust photography website is done by Studio7Design. The logo shows a mountain and sun setting at background. This design is as fresh as it can get.

8. OPEN SOURCE TEMPLATES :

This website offers free templates, again this website template is done by Studio7Design. The header shows sunrising from mountains some clouds and birds flying around. Layout scales 100% to the browser and is mostly gray. Pretty simple layout.

9. CSS ZEN GARDEN :

The most simple of all design, a very light coloured layout which shows violet colour lotus. This layout also has a tree with lots of flower. Pretty calm layout and very easy on eyes.

10. KULTURBANAUSE :

This is the layout where nature is shown in it’s mystical form. It shows dried tree and the landscape is spread with fog. Looks a bit scary, if we scroll down we find the layout has a waterfall which falls down. Layout is mostly violet coloured with mountain in the background. A more of fantasy land layout.

In this compilation we saw nature under various moods. This also shows some of the best looking layouts are inspired by nature. The main reason why nature based layouts look so connecting is because we all can associate ourself with nature. Just a tip, if you are planning to enter any contest for making templates or design try do it on nature as your chances of winning is much higher than others.

source: http://www.cooljeba.com

Top ten Most Common SEO Mistakes

source: http://www.web-hosting-newsletter.com

1. Using Wacky codes – When designing and coding your website it is important that you do not use spider-illegible JavaScript or other coding where legible code could do the same thing.

2. Keywords That Make Sense - Keywords are extremely important. You should figure out what keyword phrases mean the most to your website or offering, and to the people who are searching for your site. Try to focus on a small group of the most important keywords that customers may actually be searching for, and not every keyword combination under the sun.

3. No Smart or Solid Navigation Structure - Most optimal url’s contain relevant keywords with minimal slashes and dynamic characters. Keep the pages and names true to the content, and the engines will appreciate it

4. Title Tags Matter - Thinking that one title tag will work throughout your site won’t work. Each page should have a unique title tag to explain what the page is about. These titles show up in the Search Engine Results and help persuade visitors from clicking your site over the next person’s.

5. Splash Pages - Splash pages can sometimes leave your home page empty without much focus. If you insist on keeping a splash page, be sure to add relevant content and some form of navigation to keep search engines spidering through your site.

6. Thinking all search engines are the same - All search engines are on their own plan so that is why you may rank better with some than with others. Know that the top search engines bring the most traffic, so concentrate on them (ie Google, MSN and Yahoo).

7. I heard that links can now hurt you - Getting links from related (key point) sites is always helpful in the SEO world. You should always be on the look out for good quality links. Trading a ton of links a day with other webmasters is not necessarily helping you. It is NOT good to trade links with sites that are completely unrelated. Many webmasters trade too many links with sites that end up watering down your link credibility and turn into wasted efforts. Choose who you link with wisely.

8. Balancing Code and Graphics - Your site should consist of a healthy balance between code (HTML) and graphics. This is key both to search engine visibility and conversions.

9. The Customer has arrived, now what? - Make sure that your site is set up to provide whatever you are trying to rank for. You need to give the visitor what they are hoping to find to make it worth bringing the visitors to your site.

10. Thinking that SEO is everything - SEO is important but should be one part of a healthy online marketing plan.

Additional Points:

Having a website is not enough, you need a marketing plan - you need to know your customers and what they want. It is useless to bring traffic to a site that is not going to relate to your offering or convert customers.

Top 10 Reasons Why Iraq Should Be US 51st State

1. US spend over $5.6 billion dollars a month in Iraq, which is more Federal aid than any current state is receiving.

2. At $5.6 billion dollars, US could pay each and every Iraqi $215 a month, ten times what their average income is now. How could they complain?

3. With an estimated 250,000 American citizens currently residing in Iraq it is already nearly half the population size of Wyoming.

4. Fighting would have to stop because the U.S. cannot declare war on itself.

5. US saves time and money not having to draft up a separate Iraqi constitution since we already have one.

6. Baghdad is only 1400 miles further from Washington than Honolulu is.

7. Historically, US have added new states about every 50 years.
   

8. US reduces unemployment by creating jobs for English teachers.

9. Forget the oil. US needs a state with a “Q” in it!

10. US made Alaska and Hawaii states.

Top Ten Kosher Wines for 2007

Gamliel Kronemer, the New York Jewish Week’s wine writer, has just released his Top 10 kosher wines for 2007. While missing out on many of the great non-certified Israeli wines (Flam, Margalit, Pelter, Clos de Gat, Odem Mountain [going certified starting with the 2007 vintages] and many more), about half the list is Israeli wines. Also, with rare exception, most of those wines are available in the US so he leaves out (intentionally) some of the excellent wines not imported or barely available in America (Teperberg 1870, the many smaller boutiques, etc.).

But the list of top Israeli wines according to the NY Jewish Week:

Carmel, Limited Edition, 2003: This rich, dark-garnet colored, Bordelaise-style blend of 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 percent Petit Verdot, 17 percent Merlot and 1 percent Cabernet Franc has a delightfully perfumed nose of cassis, blackberries, cedar and oak, with floral overtones. Look for flavors of cassis, blackberries, cherries, tobacco, cedar and toasty oak, with hints of allspice and nutmeg. Finely balanced with supple well-integrated tannins, this wine is ready to drink now, but could cellar for another four to five years. Score A (non-blind tasting). $74.99. Available at Union Square Wine and Spirits, 140 Fourth Ave. (Manhattan).

Domaine du Castel, Judean Hills, Grand Vin, 2005: This dark and inky garnet-colored cuvée has a complex nose of cassis, cherries, blackberries, oak, cedar, and brown spices. Look for flavors of bing cherries, cassis and toasty oak, with a hint of bergamot, and a nice level of minerals and spices. This wine is still tight and overly tannic, and needs at least another year to fully integrate. Best 2010-2014. Score A (non-blind tasting). This wine has not yet been released in the United States.

Recanati, Special Reserve, 2004: This full-bodied, dark-garnet colored blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot has a rich nose of cranberries, blackberries, cherries and smoky oak, with a hint of eucalyptus. Look for flavors of blackberries, cherries and mocha, with hints of Mediterranean herbs. Best now-2010. Score A. $35.99. Available at Gotham Wine and Liquors, 2517 Broadway (Manhattan)

Yatir, Negev Desert, Forest, 2004: Made from grapes grown in the manmade Yatir Forest in the northern Negev, this dark and inky, full-bodied, Australian-style red has a fascinating nose of cassis, cherries, plums and toasted oak, with a hint of tobacco smoke. Look for flavors of blackberries, boysenberries, plums, cassis, and toasted oak, with hints of vanilla and allspice, and pleasant earthy undertones. Best now-2011. Score A. $64.99 Available at Gotham Wine and Liquors, 2517 Broadway (Manhattan),

Carmel, Galilee, Sha’al Single Vineyard, Late Harvest Gewürztraminer, 2005: Made from grapes grown in the Sha’al Vineyard in the northern Galilee, this light-gold-colored, medium-to-full-bodied, dessert wine has a bouquet of apricots, lichees, tropical fruits, heather and spices. Look for flavors of apricots, oranges, pineapples and heather, with hints of botrytis and rose petals, and a nice underlying layer of cloves and black pepper. The wine is well structured, with a bracing acidity to match its intense sweetness. Although ready to drink now it should be able to cellar until 2011. Score A/A-. $20.99. Available at Skyview Wine and Liquors, 5681 Riverdale Ave. (Riverdale).

source: http://israelwine.wordpress.com

Top 10 Giant Monster Attacks Movies

source: http://www.scene-stealers.com

Whether its guys in big rubber suits, stop-motion camera trickery, or computer generated effects, there is something exciting, terrifying, and sometimes unintentionally hilarious about movies that feature a giant monster let loose in a major urban city. With the much-anticipated release of this weekend’s “Cloverfield,” I take a look back at ten of the best in the very specific “giant monster attacks” genre. For variety’s sake, I haven’t concentrated solely on the Japanese kaiju films, which are certainly the dominant type of movie in this limited field. Also, for variety’s sake, I have removed all “Jurassic Park” movies and decided that the monsters need not attack only modern cities. Enjoy!

10. Gammera the Invincible aka Daikaiju Gamera (1965)

What in the world could be more frightening (or stupefying) than a giant fire-breathing turtle with tusk-like incisors that can hide inside its body and shoot sparks out its side, spinning like a flying saucer? Cold war tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union cause an American bomber to hastily shoot down a Russian bomber carrying hydrogen bombs. The impact awakens Gamera (as his name was spelled in all but the U.S. version of this first movie), a gigantic turtle that had been frozen in ice since prehistoric times. Guess where he’s headed? If you said Tokyo, you’re right on. The catch is—and this always made me like Gamera the best as a kid—he’s got a soft spot for children. As he destroys everything else in his path, he takes time to spare the little ones. This film was Daiei Studios’ challenge to Toho’s, which had a virtual monopoly on kaiju giant-monster movies, and was very successful, spawning scores of sequels. In one scene, as an inside joke, Gamera even destroys the New Toho Theater. In America, Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker were added a year later, along with some of the requisite bad dubbing. (Watch the U.S. trailer here.)

9. Clash of the Titans (1981)

Stop-motion animation legend Ray Harryhausen was called in as the head of special effects for this Greek mythology-inspired headscratcher, and it would prove to be his last film in that role. Unfortunately for him, his throwback creations, like the evil, snake-haired, glowing-eyed Medusa, were onscreen way too little to make room for Perseus—the most bland and unconvincing hero ever—played by Harry Hamlin (“L.A. Law”). Laurence Olivier is also on board as Zeus. As awesome and creatively animated as the gorgon Medusa and the winged horse Pegasus were, the only thing that qualifies this movie as a giant-monster film is the finale. The Kraken, a giant sea monster, rises from the sea demanding a virgin sacrifice. Andromeda is just moments away from a violent death at the beast when—well, you can guess, I suppose. As lame as Hamlin was in the role, it’s still an exciting climax to an overly-long movie that was smart enough to utilize Harryhausen and thus is fondly remembered by many. A remake is scheduled for 2010, with Stephen Norrington (“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”) directing. Ugh. (Watch the Kraken.)

Calibos: Release the Kraken!

8. Them! (1954)

Atomic paranoia was alive and well in America, what with all the testing in the Nevada desert, so is it any wonder that the radiation would cause a group of ants to grow to gigantic proportions and terrorize the citizens of the rural West? The ants keep getting bigger and bigger until they eventually overrun an ocean freighter and set up a nest in the Los Angeles sewer system. Despite its ridiculous premise (aren’t they all?), “Them!” actually has some fairly tense moments, as it gradually develops its unreal situation. Not to mention the fact that for its time, the special effects were pretty damned impressive. This movie used to be a Saturday or Sunday afternoon staple when I was growing up and it wasn’t yet old enough to be looked back on nostalgically. Even now, the efficient black-and-white giant-monster pic stubbornly refuses to not be taken seriously as science fiction, and credible turns by James Arness (“The Thing From Another World”) and James Whitmore (“The Shawshank Redemption”) help to keep audiences focused on the thrills. (The entire film is here, but it looks terrible.)

Dr. Harold Medford: When Man entered the atomic age, he opened a door into a new world. What he eventually finds in that new world, nobody can predict.

7. Ghostbusters (1984)

Okay, I know this is technically not a giant monster movie, but the huge Stay Puft Marshmallow Man that rumbles through the New York City skyline is so iconic that one of the Web’s most popular mash-ups of late features that same timeless personage inserted onto the “Cloverfield” trailer. When the ancient Sumerian God Gozer the Gozerian asks what form the Ghostbusters would like their destructor to take, Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) immediately thinks of the one thing that could never hurt anyone— the fictitious Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Our fearless heroes eventually must break the rules and cross streams (”huh uh huh hu huh…you said streams”) to defeat the smiling maniacal sugar-fiend, causing a total protonic reversal and saving the day. The unfortunate side effect? His destruction rains down a mass of white, sticky goo all over the city. When I was a kid, I thought the Stay Puft marshmallow man was real and immediately wanted to find and eat some of his gooey treats. McDonald’s eventually featured him on some of their Happy Meals, and Kenner released some toys, but it was still a letdown to find out that he was entirely a creation of the “Ghostbusters” script.

Gozer: The Choice is made! The Traveller has come!
Peter Venkman: Nobody choosed anything! Did you choose anything?
Egon Spengler: No.
Peter Venkman: [to Winston] Did YOU?
Winston Zeddemore: My mind is totally blank.
Peter Venkman: I didn’t choose anything…
Ray Stantz: I couldn’t help it. It just popped in there.

6. Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster aka Gojira tai Hedorâ (1971)

Out of all the Godzilla sequels and spawns, I’ve chosen this insane little oddity because it shows how far off the rails the series had gotten 17 years later. By now, of course, Godzilla was no longer the villain, but the hero of Tokyo. This film is an awful monster movie in the generally accepted sense, but wow, what a steaming pile of crap it is! Literally. Hedorâ, the smog monster, is a brown, corny steaming pile of pollution that grows larger every second until it splits into smaller crap-monsters, secretes a bunch of toxic acid, and hits the skies for a full-on attack on Mt. Fuji. If there ever was a psychedelic Godzilla movie, this is it (about four years after the craze hit America, of course). There are all kinds of colorful kaleidoscopic camera effects and a bunch of hip Japanese youngsters (who turn into drugged-out, lizard mask-wearing youngsters for a brief acid-tinged moment) signing an unintentionally hilarious eco-awareness song titled “Save the Earth” (watch video here) (”Animals, God’s animals/Don’t go away, don’t go/The sea has cobalt, it’s full of mercury/Too many fumes in our oxygen/All the smog now is choking you and me/Good Lord, where is it gonna end?/We’re movin’, we’re movin’, movin’ to the Moon now “). Somewhere across the ocean, an American Indian chief cried a solitary tear for the tainted legacy of poor Godzilla.

Yukio Keuchi: There’s no place else to go and pretty soon we’ll all be dead, so forget it! Enjoy yourself! Let’s sing and dance while we can! Come on, blow your mind!

Dr. Yano: It probably came from a sticky, dark planet far, far away. Now go to sleep.

5. Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)

The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl takes flight in New York City as a giant flying dragon in this freakish low-budget monster movie from writer/director/B-movie impresario Larry Cohen (”God Told Me To”). Instead of a typical heroic figure, Cohen gives us a shifty, neurotic crook named Quinn (played by Michael Moriarty from “Law and Order”) for a protagonist. What starts out as a police procedural featuring some ritualistic cult murders (people being skinned alive; pretty standard by today’s “CSI” standards) turns into to something even more bizarre—a noirish character study about a low-rung criminal who yearns to be a jazz pianist (Moriarty himself composed two of the film’s piano pieces). Quinn, being the upstanding citizen that he is, tries to extort money and a pardon from the city’s representatives for information on where the creature has laid his egg. Meanwhile, the giant stop-motion animated lizard bites the heads off of unfortunate New Yorkers for lunch. Eventually, everything leads to an all-out military attack on the Chrysler Building. David Carradine (”Kill Bill”), Richard Roundtree (”Shaft”), and Candy Clark (”American Graffiti”) round out an impressive B-movie cast. (Watch Q go fishing.) or (Turn down the sound and watch all the best attacks from the movie here.)

Jimmy Quinn: Stick it in your brain. Your tiny little brain!

Jimmy Quinn: Eat ‘em! Eat ‘em! Crunch crunch!

4. The Host aka Gwoemul (2007)

Taking a page from the social commentary of “Godzilla,” this South Korean creature feature from last year (released in 2006 in its home country) uses a ferocious mutated tadpole as a stand-in for the constant presence of U.S. military forces. Writer/director Bong Joon-ho mixes the quirky family road trip picture with the giant monster picture and comes up with a potent movie with unusual laughs, real emotion, and a biting attitude. An ugly American officer pours toxic formaldehyde into a river because they are “too dusty,” and after U.S. officials take control of the contaminated area, it turns out everything our scientists say about the virus is wrong. What’s worse, an American chemical weapon called Agent Yellow (again, not very subtle) is eventually used. “The Host” saves some venom for the South Korean government as well, however. Like the family portrayed in the film, they are a pretty inept and idiotic bunch altogether. The only thing worth counting on, it turns out, is family. Modern CGI is integrated seamlessly into the movie, and the monster’s first rampage down the riverbanks is impressively staged. A lull somewhere near the middle of the movie can’t stop “The Host” from being the best (and most intentionally funny) original giant monster movie in ages. (Watch the U.S. trailer here.)

3. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

More terrific Greek mythology stop-motion creations from Ray Harryhausen populate this fantasy/action/adventure film that’s sparsely populated by interminable to tolerable acting. An heir to the throne of Thessaly named Jason (a bearded and overdubbed Todd Armstrong) searches for the Golden Fleece to the amusement of the Gods at Mount Olympus. Along the way, he encounters some of master animator Harryhausen’s greatest creations. Jason is memorably plagued by winged female spirits known as harpies and a huge army of skeletons, but it’s Talos, the giant statue-come-to-life, and the impressively-animated seven-headed hydra that make this a kick ass giant-monster movie. “Jason and the Argonauts” took nearly two years to complete and, at a cost of $3 million dollars, it was the most expensive production for the Harryhausen up to that point. (Watch Talos come to life here.)

Zeus: For the moment, let them enjoy a calm sea, a fresh breeze and each other. The girl is pretty and I am always sentimental. But for Jason, there are other adventures. I have not finished with Jason. Let us continue the game another day.

2. King Kong (1933) (2005)

Yes, it is a cheat to include both the groundbreaking original and Peter Jackson’s epic remake together on this list, but I wanted to save room for other films. From Max Steiner’s score to Willis O’Briens’ amazing stop motion animation to detailed miniature sets to lifelike rear projection to its scenes of brutal, shocking violence, the 1933 “King Kong” is a true classic. Some scenes were so controversial that, upon its reissue in 1938, the Hays production code cut them out. The double-disc DVD from two years back features a beautifully-restored version of the original, and Jackson’s special effects team meticulously restoring a famous lost spider pit scene with old SFX techniques. There may be a lot of clunky dialogue (lovingly lampooned by Jackson in his remake), but the primeval primate still reigns supreme. In 2005, (we don’t talk about the 1976 version) Jackson amped up everything from running time to production value to super-extended action scenes, and somehow even managed to make the “love story” more convincing. In both pictures, the final scenes are desperate, tragic affairs that give the whole story its resonance. (Watch a modern remix of the 1933 trailer.)

Police Lieutenant: Well, Denham, the airplanes got him.
Carl Denham: Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.

1. Godzilla aka Gojira (1954)

Toho Studios brought the most famous giant monster in the world (The King of the Monsters) to the big screen with this infamous movie, directed by Ishiro Honda. The original black-and-white film, recently restored on DVD, is a powerful allegory for the post-atomic devastation that Japan suffered at the end of World War II. All of the original film’s anti-American sentiment was removed and the entire movie was badly dubbed (and Raymond Burr inexplicably added) for the release of “Godzilla” in America. But all of that nonsense was still not enough to kill the immense worldwide popularity of Godzilla. The spectacle of a 400-ft. tall, pissed-off mutant dinosaur (?) with radioactive breath tearing its way towards Tokyo was enough to secure a seemingly never-ending series of sequels. Unfortunately, like the American release of the movie, the sequels would further trivialize what started as a legitimate, if uncomplicated, statement about the immense human toll of nuclear warfare from the country that suffered through it.

Top 10 cities you should visit in 2008

Moscow

Bone-chilling winters, crooked cops, lousy customer service, and a truly painful exchange rate; of the many reasons (which are all debauched) to visit Moscow, its hospitality is not one of them. This unforgiving Slavic beauty has been ruining young foreigners for 875 years with easy access to sex, vodka and other things designed to accelerate moral decline. The air of danger and criminality surrounding everything she does only serves to entice us more.

In 2008, the excitement surrounding Russia’s icy capital is bound to heat up. When March’s presidential elections end the relatively stable Putin era, will Kremlin in-fighting send the country back to the lawless Animal Kingdom-esque early 1990s? Or will Russia, riding on a tidal wave of oil money, continue to prosper to the chagrin of the rest of Western civilization? Will the mighty Ruble continue to rise, putting Moscow on par with Copenhagen, albeit more depraved? Will Moscow’s CSKA win the European Champion League final, causing the streets to flood with soccer hooligans in raptures of ecstasy? Stay tuned to this dial because in Moscow life might be hard and cold, but it is never, ever boring.

San Diego

San Diego’s 2008 event calendar probably makes it the most fun city in America. Case in point: The city is hosting the International World Beer Cup (a bottomless tap of the best brews from around the world), the U.S. Open (one of the few sporting events that mandates short skirts) and Comic-Con (quite possibly the biggest comics convention in the universe).

These high-profile social activities make an already attractive vacation destination just downright sexy. As a guy, you can’t really go wrong with San Diego. It’s great for singles on the prowl or proud pops looking to show the wife and kids a good time. The glittering seaside city is rife with opportunity, from the sultry old Gaslamp Quarter to the world-famous San Diego Wild Animal Park. San Diego has great weather, snazzy bars, slamming clubs, and scrumptious food. It’s positively seductive, a perfect place for adventure, spicy nightlife or even some plain-old rest and relaxation. The weather is pretty much fantastic year-round, and there’s a modern cityscape as well as a naturally stunning beachscape. Surf’s up!

Oslo

Florence has art, Paris has food -- but Oslo, the capital city of Norway, has character. Often overlooked by American tourists craving a predictable jaunt through Europe’s southern states, Oslo has something different that every man can enjoy -- history, culture, nightlife, nature, and some of the most beautiful women in the world.

Oslo is a small urban oasis surrounded by a scenic, rugged environment that consists of fjords, mountains and islands. This natural beauty, coupled with Oslo’s trendy nightlife, fashionable (and attractive) people, unique culture and rich Viking history make Oslo a prime destination for any man looking to explore somewhere new in 2008.

In addition to the permanent attractions that make Oslo unique, 2008 marks the opening of one of the city’s most well-known landmarks, the Opera House. Perched on the Oslo waterfront, the Opera House -- long considered old-fashioned and out-of-date -- has been renovated and will re-open in April 2008 under the hand of Norway’s Kind Harald. The long-awaited opening is considered one of the biggest boosts in the history of Norwegian culture.

So, if you’re looking for something different in 2008, we’ve got the scoop on what to see, where to rest and how to party in Scandinavia’s hottest city.

Bombay

There’s no dearth of reasons why you should visit Bombay (also known as Mumbai) any time of year, and given by the number of Westerners moving there for corporate career upgrades, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t stay either. Bombay is a glorious, chaotic, Technicolor riot, whether the city is awash in torrential Monsoon rains or baking under the soil-cracking May sun. Sprawling slums rub up against skyscrapers spotting some of the world’s most expensive real estate at Cuffe Parade and Nariman Point.

So why make 2008 the year to visit Bombay? Because it’s likely to be Bombay’s best year yet. Mira Nair’s film Shantaram, based on the best-selling novel, is scheduled for release this year and it’s going to do for Bombay what The Motorcycle Diaries did for Latin America. Bombay is in a bubble of immense well-being, with superb established restaurants like Khyber, and new places like Origami -- a sushi restaurant that imports some of its seafood from Japan.

In March, a relatively cooler time to visit Bombay, is the festival of Holi, where masses of people get together, get high on an Indian hooch called “bhang,” and literally smear each other for hours in every powdered color of the rainbow. And during September’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations to mark the end of the Monsoon season, hundreds of thousands of devotees march massive painted clay idols of the elephant-headed god to the sea to the megaphonic tunes of Bollywood songs.

Vienna

Vienna has long been a bastion of elegance and culture, and 2008 will be a testament to this fact. Art connoisseurs will be thrilled by the Albertina museum’s Max Ernst, Monet, Picasso, Kokoschka, and Van Gogh exhibits. Enthusiasts can also visit Viennafair 2008, the international contemporary art festival. Equally promising is the Kings of Chrome: Cars with a History exhibit, showing in the Museum of Technology.

Music fans can bask in the classical music Vienna is famous for or opt for something modern, like the Rebellion Punk Music Festival. The Vienna Jazz Festival is guaranteed to please, as is the Music Film Festival. For something more romantic, try the Johann Strauss Ball on Valentine’s Day. And don’t miss the relatively new Haus der Musik, an incredible museum of sound.

Sports lovers can look forward to Vienna hosting Euro 2008, the European soccer championship. Avid runners will enjoy the Vienna Marathon, and those seeking thrills should check out Masters of Dirt, the Freestyle Motocross show. The famous Vienna Prater -- one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, which dates back to 1766 -- will see its renovations complete this year, boasting new attractions which include a flight simulator and special-effects theater.

Belgrade

While many Americans might imagine Belgrade to be a gray and dull place that’s best left to journalists and political correspondents, those who are adventurous enough to visit the largest city in Serbia have found what is fast becoming the party capital of the world. In 2008, Belgrade will host the Eurovision Song Contest in its newly built Belgrade Arena, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Each European country will be represented by a pop group in this competition, and pop fans from all over the continent will gather to see the most attractive live performances in the hemisphere.

For a more rugged experience, the annual outdoor Belgrade Beer Festival takes place in August. Spanning four days and nights, the festival features all the beer you can drink and is accompanied by live rock music.

If neither pop music nor beer are your thing, you can be one of the first to try your luck in the newly opened Casino Belgrade. The $44.5 million casino on the banks of the River Sava stretches over 30,000 square feet and features 25 gaming tables, 250 gaming machines and a staff of 300.

If you visit Belgrade in July, you will not want to miss a short excursion to the EXIT Festival in the nearby city of Novi Sad. The festival lasts for four days and nights and features partying and dancing along the walls of an 18th-century fortress.

Buenos Aires

Known as the Paris of South America, Buenos Aires is a city deep-rooted in culture and beauty. From its landscaped parks to its architecturally brilliant churches and cathedrals, this Argentinean city has much splendor to offer locals and tourists alike.

At the core of Buenos Aires is a city drenched in culture. Music, art and theater are esteemed parts of this city’s character. Consequently, marking a major event in Buenos Aires’ history is the reopening of the Teatro Colon on its 100th anniversary. The Teatro, one of the greatest opera houses in the world and the crown jewel of Buenos Aires, will be unveiled on May 25th after undergoing massive renovations.

Adding to the sultriness of this South American city and its love for music is the annual Festival Buenos Aires Tango, which features performances from the best tango dancers in the world. The closing night of the festival culminates in a huge dance on one of the city's grand boulevards.

New York City

New York -- it’s a hell of a town. It’s a smorgasbord of spectacles, it’s a chameleon of a city and it’s full of surprises and glorious hot spots. While some things may be priceless, New York is not among them and it’s no place for penny-pinching. Here then, are a few events that make New York an exhilarating place in 2008.

In addition to New York’s standard attractions, such as the Chinese New Year’s parades, the Belmont Stakes, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, be sure to check out the last few seasonal shows of Cirque du Soleil’s Wintuk in January at Madison Square Garden. If you happen to attend this modern circus, be sure to check out Brooklyn’s old-school circus in Coney Island for a shocking counterpoint.

When baseball season rolls around, New York will be a different kind of baseball mecca. Not to ignore the Mets, but Yankee Stadium will field a drastically different team: George Steinbrenner has handed the reigns over to his sons, Joe Torre is gone and Alex Rodriguez is an unrestricted free agent with no plans to return. 2008 will also say goodbye to The House That Ruth Built, but not before it hosts baseball’s All-Star Game.

To truly enjoy New York, you first need to know where to eat, sleep and meet women.

Manchester/Liverpool

Liverpool and Manchester are less than an hour apart on public transportation, but their historic rivalry (and incredibly different accents) has always made them seem worlds apart. 2008 might just be the best year to see the best of both these worlds by enjoying a trip to take in two of the most exciting cities in the United Kingdom.

Manchester is sports central: The city hosts the World Track Cycling Championships in March, the World Aquatic Championships in April, the UEFA Cup Final in May, and the World Squash Championships in October. You'll want to count yourself in for a little bit of art in Liverpool: It’s the 2008 European Capital of Culture and the Tate Gallery is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. The Liverpool Arena will be opening and, to celebrate this occasion, Liverpool’s prodigal son, Sir Paul McCartney, will be its first act.

Both cities are no longer the drab, bleak beacons of industrial England they used to be. London may be the biggest city in Britain, but it may not necessarily be the best. The North is not only cheaper, it’s also friendlier. From Manchester’s refurbished main square, with terrific shopping and restaurants, to Liverpool’s growing waterfront district, these two sexy, stylish, urban centers are just waiting to be discovered.

Beijing

Stadiums, subway stations and shopping malls are springing up overnight, grass is being planted on rooftops to tackle the smog and taxi drivers with smelly cabs have been lectured on cleaning up their act. For the last three years, seemingly everything in Beijing has been about the 2008 Olympics scheduled for August.

By spring 2008, Beijing will be well on its way to being the city the government wants visitors to see. The Forbidden City will have shed all its scaffolding, the national Olympic Stadium -- the Bird’s Nest -- will be hosting practice events and the futuristic national theater, hailed as the capital’s new architectural icon by some, will open for business. Even the language barrier is set to be demolished following the introduction of a multilingual information service accessible via mobile phone, which can recommend restaurants according to the whims of users’ stomachs.

But while Beijing is flung headlong down the development path, life in what remains of the city’s shrinking ancient heart, with its narrow alleyways known as hutongs and traditional courtyard homes, trundles along regardless. This is something visitors should appreciate while they still can.

source: http://www.askmen.com

Top 10 Things you should know about Office 2008 for Mac

With something as ubiquitous as office software suites, you can’t blame me for being cynical about reviewing Office 2008 for Mac. After all, there’s a high chance you’d already get it anyway, unless you’re some kind of open-source fanboy who only uses alternatives like OpenOffice, or for that matter Google Docs or Zoho.

Still, it’s been a good four years since we had a new Office for Mac, so I thought it’d be important to highlight some of the significant changes Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit has managed to cook up.

Top Ten Things about Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac:

Microsoft Word 2008

1. How’s the speed?
One of the most popular questions I got was on speed. The new Office for Mac is written in Universal Binary, which closes a blinding gap left in our universe of native Intel Mac applications. I tried timing the startup time of each application with its predecessor, but it got tiresome having to to flush the system cache for a truer test. I also figured that it wasn’t just the application start-up time which mattered as much as overall performance, such as when changing font in Word, performing complex formulas in Excel and so on. As with all monolithic applications, Office will take a while to start. However, you’d be please to know that on my MacBook Pro, startup time has visibly improved, saving a few seconds of launch time. The refreshed Office 2008 interface has more flair now, but isn’t bogged down in terms of speed at all. Verdict: Cuts Faster!

Office for Mac: Ribbon Interface

2. Ribbon interface for everyone!
It started with Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows, where the entire tool bar interface had been revamped with a simplified, though very different, graphical approach. While it threw off a lot of us veteran Office users, most of us eventually came to terms with it. Great for new users, a little relearning for veteran users. I personally like it, as the ribbon interface seems reminiscent of the iWork and iLife, plus it actually behaves like the Mac OSX dock, complete with icon magnification and drag ‘n drop functionality. Incidentally, you can collapse both the toolbar and ribbon menu to get more document work space. Earlier versions of Microsoft Word for Mac was infamous for numerous toolbars which took up too much screen real estate. Verdict: Pretty smart!

Office 2008 for Mac: Publishing Templates

3. Publishing Layout: Office 2008 pays compliment to iWork
The Microsoft Office 2008 can be said to be more Mac-like. The Publishing Layout workflow lets you build pretty documents quickly (much like iWork) through the use of themed documents. For instance, the newsletter above came as a neatly designed template, leaving you to simply replace the content with your own. Verdict: Microsoft’s own iWork

Office 2008 for Mac: Document Elements

4. Document Elements: The “Lego” of Paper Writing
Document Elements. Under this ribbon item, you get Cover Pages, Table of Contents, Header, Footer and Bibliographies. Some of these elements were available in earlier versions of Office, except that in this 2008 version, the organization of these elements makes using them much clearer and obvious. Verdict: Timesaver!

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac: 3D Charts

5. Slick 3D Charts (especially for Keynote fans)
If you’re an Excel addict or simply love presenting statistics visually with Powerpoint, you’ll love the bevy of charting features offered in the new Office for Mac. It almost mirrors Apple’s Keynote and Numbers in making it easy to generate visually pleasing charts. Under the Charts ribbon menu, you’ll get charts types including Area, Bar, Bubble, Column, Doughnut, Line, Pie, Radar, Stock, Surface, as well as X/Y Scatter plots. Verdict: See more, Read Less!

Office 2008 for Mac: SmartArt Graphics (omnigraffle anyone?)

6. Introducing SmartArt Graphics (especially for Omnigraffle fans)
As a reflection of my state of mind, I kept writing “SmartAss Graphics”. It might as well be, since is an addition I really like. Besides creating slick statistical charts, Office 2008 now lets you indulge in the use relational graphics to help get your points across. At first it reminded me of Omnigraffle, a popular Mac app for creating great flowcharts easily, but SmartArt Graphics is more structured, where it involves more fill in the blanks than drawing. There’s a lot to choose from in this department: Lists, Processes, Cycles, Hierarchies, Relationships, Matrices, and Pyramids. Verdict: Brings the Sexy Back!

Office2008_Bibliographies

7. For graduate students, there’s Citations (especially for EndNote fans)
The most popular reference manager application out there would be EndNote, If your involved with research writing, you’d love this new Citations feature. Two ways this shows up in your document: 1) Citations panel lets you add / edit and manage various lists of references, 2) Insert “Bibliographies” under Document Elements to dynamically display your citations. Simple to use and to good effect. Verdict: Built-in librarian!
Office 2008: My Day

8. Making it “My Day”…
My Day is a widget-like application which sums up your day in terms of events and to-dos. As this Ars Technica review noted, it should really should belong in the dashboard. Verdict: An out-of-place handyman!
Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac

9. Rejoice and Beware: Open XML file format
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac uses the same file format as Office 2007 for Windows: Open XML. I believe that this move is meant to future-proof how Office documents are saved, by making them more open-standards compatible. The price of this move is that the native file format won’t work with older versions of Office. Two solutions around that: 1) Save in an older compatible format (i.e. Office 97-2004 format), 2) Use Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac. Verdict: Pre-emptive thanks?

Office 2008: The Little Details

10. Little things that matter…
Among the big changes to Office 2008, there are little add-ons that matter to the rest of us. Powerpoint 2008 can now be controlled by the Apple Remote and exports slides to your iPod, while Entourage 2008 supposedly works reliably in Exchange environments, freeing you from Windows Outlook when working with your colleagues. There’s also Automator support so you now do nifty things, such as batch convert your Word documents to PDF, or listen to your Entourage email on your iPod. Verdict: Nifty!

Top Ten Hockey Bloopers

Top 10 Myths of Entrepreneurship

This is a post by Scott Shane as a follow up to his entrepreneurship test. He is the A. Malachi Mixon Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University. He is the author of seven books, the latest of which is The Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By. Many entrepreneurs believe a bunch of myths about entrepreneurship, so here are ten of the most common and the realities that bust them:

1.

It takes a lot of money to finance a new business. Not true. The typical start-up only requires about $25,000 to get going. The successful entrepreneurs who don’t believe the myth design their businesses to work with little cash. They borrow instead of paying for things. They rent instead of buy. And they turn fixed costs into variable costs by, say, paying people commissions instead of salaries.
2.

Venture capitalists are a good place to go for start-up money. Not unless you start a computer or biotech company. Computer hardware and software, semiconductors, communication, and biotechnology account for 81 percent of all venture capital dollars, and seventy-two percent of the companies that got VC money over the past fifteen or so years. VCs only fund about 3,000 companies per year and only about one quarter of those companies are in the seed or start-up stage. In fact, the odds that a start-up company will get VC money are about one in 4,000. That’s worse than the odds that you will die from a fall in the shower.
3.

Most business angels are rich. If rich means being an accredited investor –a person with a net worth of more than $1 million or an annual income of $200,000 per year if single and $300,000 if married – then the answer is “no.” Almost three quarters of the people who provide capital to fund the start-ups of other people who are not friends, neighbors, co-workers, or family don’t meet SEC accreditation requirements. In fact, thirty-two percent have a household income of $40,000 per year or less and seventeen percent have a negative net worth.
4.

Start-ups can’t be financed with debt. Actually, debt is more common than equity. According to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Small Business Finances, fifty-three percent of the financing of companies that are two years old or younger comes from debt and only forty-seven percent comes from equity. So a lot of entrepreneurs out there are using debt rather than equity to fund their companies.
5.

Banks don’t lend money to start-ups. This is another myth. Again, the Federal Reserve data shows that banks account for sixteen percent of all the financing provided to companies that are two years old or younger. While sixteen percent might not seem that high, it is three percent higher than the amount of money provided by the next highest source – trade creditors – and is higher than a bunch of other sources that everyone talks about going to: friends and family, business angels, venture capitalists, strategic investors, and government agencies.
6.

Most entrepreneurs start businesses in attractive industries. Sadly, the opposite is true. Most entrepreneurs head right for the worst industries for start-ups. The correlation between the number of entrepreneurs starting businesses in an industry and the number of companies failing in the industry is 0.77. That means that most entrepreneurs are picking industries in which they are mostlikely to fail.
7.

The growth of a start-up depends more on an entrepreneur’s talent than on the business he chooses. Sorry to deflate some egos here, but the industry you choose to start your company has a huge effect on the odds that it will grow. Over the past twenty years or so, about 4.2 percent of all start-ups in the computer and office equipment industry made the Inc 500 list of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. 0.005 percent of start-ups in the hotel and motel industry and 0.007 percent of start-up eating and drinking establishments made the Inc. 500. That means the odds that you will make the Inc 500 are 840 times higher if you start a computer company than if you start a hotel or motel. There is nothing anyone has discovered about the effects of entrepreneurial talent that has a similar magnitude effect on the growth of new businesses.
8.

Most entrepreneurs are successful financially. Sorry, this is another myth. Entrepreneurship creates a lot of wealth, but it is very unevenly distributed. The typical profit of an owner-managed business is $39,000 per year. Only the top ten percent of entrepreneurs earn more money than employees. And the typical entrepreneur earns less money than he otherwise would have earned working for someone else.
9.

Many start-ups achieve the sales growth projections that equity investors are looking for. Not even close. Of the 590,000 or so new businesses with at least one employee founded in this country every year, data from the U.S. Census shows that less than 200 reach the $100 million in sales in six years that venture capitalists talk about looking for. About 500 firms reach the $50 million in sales that the sophisticated angels, like the ones at Tech Coast Angels and the Band of Angels talk about. In fact, only about 9,500 companies reach $5 million in sales in that amount of time.
10.

Starting a business is easy. Actually it isn’t, and most people who begin the process of starting a company fail to get one up and running. Seven years after beginning the process of starting a business, only one-third of people have a new company with positive cash flow greater than the salary and expenses of the owner for more than three consecutive months.