Aly & Fila

01. ID (vocals by Tiff Lacey, sound from Aly & Fila)
02. Jonas Steur – Silent Waves (Tiddey 2009 Remix)
03. Simon Patterson – Miss You (Original Mix)
04. Arctic Moon – True Romance
05. Barry Jay – Infused (Aly & Fila Rework)
06. Manuel Le Saux & Astuni Pres Elexis – Blind Rage (Oliver Brooks Remix)
07. Ferry Corsten pres. Moonman – Galaxia (Aly & Fila Rework)
08. Neptune Project – Aztec (Aly & Fila Remix)
09. Greg Downey – Global Code (Club Mix)
10. ID
11. Philippe El Sisi feat. Aminda – You Never Know (Aly & Fila Remix)
12. Sly One – This Late Stage (Aly & Fila Remix)
13. Static Blue & Oliver P – Crimson Skies (Bjorn Akesson Remix)
14. ID (Philippe El Sisi)
15. Vast Vision feat. Fisher – Everything (Aly & Fila remix)
16. ID (new A&F???)
17. Aly & Fila – Lost Language (Original Mix)

Download & Comment @ URTranceZone

The following guide will show you how to make Mozilla Firefox extremely streamlined without there being any loss of functionality.

If you follow this guide through, you're Firefox will end up looking similar to this (the only difference might be the theme you decide to use):

1. Right-click on the menu-bar in Firefox and un-check 'Bookmarks Toolbar'. Underneath 'Bookmarks Toolbar' it says 'Customize…'; click on this. When the box shows up, put a check-mark beside where it says 'Use Small Icons'. When you're finished putting a check-mark beside 'Use Small Icons', drag and drop Firefox's search-box into the 'Customize Toolbar' box, which will remove the search-box from Firefox (don't worry, later on in this guide I'll show you how to perform Google searches directly from the address bar). Once you're finished, click on 'Done'.

2. Right-click on the menu-bar, and click on 'View'; under the context-menu, make sure that 'Status Bar' is un-checked.

3. Download and install the following Mozilla Firefox extensions:

Hide Caption Titlebar Plus (this will hide the caption titlebar at the very top of your web-browser. Don't worry, the minimize, restore and close buttons will still show up.)
Hide Menubar (this will obviously hide the menu-bar. Simply press the Alt key to make the menu-bar come up when you have to use it.)
Smart Stop/Reload (this will combine the Stop and Reload buttons, making them one; this is what it's like in Google Chrome.)

4. Since you removed the search-box in Firefox, you'll want to have Firefox still be able to perform Google searches without leaving the page you're on, right? To be able to perform Google searches using the address-bar in Firefox, you simply have to do the following:

Type 'about:config' in the address-bar. You'll get a warning message; ignore it and click on 'I'll be careful, I promise'. In the filter box, type 'keyword.URL'. Modify the string to http://www.google.com/search?btnG=Google+Search&q=

After doing this, you'll be able to perform Google searches directly from your address-bar without having to use the search-box. This is similar to how Google Chrome functions.

5. Install a good compact theme of your choice from addons.mozilla.org

You're done! I hope you enjoy your new streamlined Firefox setup.

PS. I understand that some people out there may find this setup to be overly minimalistic; you're free to change/not change whatever you wish/don't wish to change.

Posted via email from HikiCulture – A Forum For Reclusive People (and Hikikomori) {HikiCulture.Com Site Blog}

Manchester United chief David Gill and ex-Birmingham director Karren Brady are among six members to stand down from England’s 2018 World Cup bid team…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: statistic football. The blog is also related to: portuguese soccer.

The weather has been strange and unpredictable.  As it gets colder and we move our lives indoors, we say goodbye to outdoor patio dining on a Friday night like this.   We want a cosy place where a healthy balance of work, play and just living can take place.

There is one piece that I would love, love, love to have by Martin Holzapfel.

I can see myself concentrating a lot better with such a minimalistic, clean and streamlined bureau.  As a person who is working on the lengthening of his attention span, distraction is not a good cooperator on a project due at 8 in the morning.  I would be more enticed to keep such a piece tidy, keeping away little distractions in the shape of analog cameras, literature, magazines and the like.  I can only imagine how embarrassing a coffee stain would be on any of its matte white surface.

My band-aid for such a hankering: rearranging my room.

Ever since the Apple iPhone came out, it has been very handy for people. You can play games, update your Facebook and Twitter, use it as an iPod, post blog posts, and go to LOLCATS.com . Although Peek, another handy device, is practically the polar opposite: you can only manage email. The question is, which kind of device is better? An “omni-device”, which can do practically everything, or just a streamlined device with only one capability?

The benefit of a multifunction device is that you don’t have to buy one separate device for each function. Take the computer, for example, basically the first modern multifunctional device, where you can watch DVDs, play video game, Photoshop, and doodle when you’re bored. The most dominant form of the computer is the laptop, as you can take it anywhere and still get multifunction. But then this thing from Asus, called the “netbook” came out. It’s small, lightweight, and later models had webcams, similar to the popular laptops. Though it focuses on only one function: surfing the web. It even has less than five or ten gigabytes of hard drive space and no DVD drive. Somehow, a lot of people liked that, and bought it. But why? Because it focuses on only surfing the web.

Laptop manufacturers were astonished, as they were really just passing it off as another fail in the computer world when it was announced. They were left wondering why it could be so successful with only one capable function. The answer was that it was a simple, streamlined gadget.

Though, there’s also a problem with simple gadgets. People with netbooks wanted to download stuff from the ‘net, though their hard drives were small. The processing power of early netbooks were comparable to snails, sometimes hindering the performance of web browsing. Their screens and keyboards are so small, that some netbooks caused users to have cramped fingers and left people squinting. And I’m sure some people cursed at the old Windows XP operating system, commonly installed in netbooks, and swore they would get a Mac.

Then there’s some netbook lovers that can’t just let go of their netbooks. They were fine with the crappy hardware, and made netbooks part of their daily lives.

So, want to be able to do everything on one thing, or be simplistic and have one device per capability? Answer the poll below.

One of the biggest trends for this season is bright, solid colors. And a classic coat that will last you multiple seasons is the perfect way to flaunt it.

This is a great trend because it’s one that will never really go out of style. All the top designers right now are making these great coats that, even in 2100, nobody will be able to tell came from 2010. It’s a very versatile look; you could take this coat to a family dinner or a business meeting and still look perfectly suitable. The best part is, you can pair this with funky accessories or stick with the streamlined, clean-cut look that so popular right now, and still look great.

Coat by Louis Vuitton

- Margaret Westenhoff

1938 Cleaver heater trailer

Here’s a photo of something that shows why I like the late ’30s time period. It’s a streamlined Cleaver car heater trailer. It was used to connect to a railroad tank car containing viscous fluid such as heavy road oil. As long as the liquid was thin enough to drain from the car, the car heater would raise the temperature to as high as 350 degrees F before pumping it into a tank truck.

The photo and a description were in “The Highway and Street Manual” 1939 Edition published by Public Works Magazine. It’s an annual publication compiling the latest in road construction equipment, material and techniques. I bought it from a seller on ebay.com for about $10 including postage. The 98 page booklet contains a wealth of photos and information about the subject. Often, I just copy photos from ebay listings without buying the item. By searching for, say, 1939, I’ve found a lot of interesting stuff in the past ten or so years.

My specialty is southern California in 1939. If you are looking for something in this time period, I may be able to help. You can post your request by clicking the “comments” link below.

CIE Train

Well, it’s another new year, another set of fare hikes for CIE. Everything’s going up, as usual: Bus, train and Luas users are all going to have to cough up that little bit extra for the luxury of these public services. Of course, this is nothing new – it’s been happening every single new year for at least the last decade. It’s as regular as the services themselves are not.

During the Celtic Tiger years, the excuse used by CIE for putting up prices was rising fuel costs, the added pressure on services to cater for immigrant commuter workers to the country, etc etc. Well, we can see now that those excuses were a load of rubbish – the workers are leaving Ireland in droves, fuel costs are at their lowest in years, and yet the fares still make their annual leap. Not only that, but many routes are going to have their services reduced, and some will be cut altogether.

This time, the explanation is that the CIE have made massive operating losses in the last year, due to a drop in demand for services.

So, let’s be clear: This company’s reaction to making operating losses is to increase fares. Now, I’m no business acolyte, but I am familiar with the concept of common sense. And there is no common sense in CIE’s explanation. It goes against even the most basic rules of commercial interaction. You attract customers by lowering the cost to them, right? But no, this insular, state-mollycoddled service can keep putting up  fares while issuing statements that defy logic outright. Why? Because they have a monopoly. Because so many people have no choice but to use them. (And like all good monopolies, CIE hate criticism. A few years back, I wrote an article for a college magazine that lambasted their quality of service. CIE promptly contacted the college’s students union and informed them that if they continued publishing this type of disparagement, measures would have to be taken. Legal action was not directly threatened, but the state of affairs was made very clear.)

CIE Logo

It’s actually cheaper now to run a small car on a week to week basis than it is to use the bus regularly. Certainly, for longer trips, there is no comparison. The fact is that in a world suffering an environmental crisis, where almost every other first-world nation is actively encouraging its citizens to get out of the car and use public transport, Ireland is swimming furiously against the tide. Increased fares, less routes and no improvement on what is, let’s be honest, a shite service…. what are they playing at? Our Government seems determined to put more people on the already-congested roads.

Also, despite CIE’s claims that they are hemorrhaging customers, we still see comments and headlines like these:

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/cie-fare-hikes-cant-be-justified-1595255.html

or

http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2008/sep/28/irish-rail-enough-empty-trains-to-get-to-the-moon/

in which we see a glimpse of the astonishingly wasteful practices of the company. When you read reports that say “…almost 20% of the empty mileage is attributable to Iarnród Éireann’s refusal to decentralise drivers to commuter centres…”, it’s difficult to feel sympathy for the huge losses that they manage to incur. These people have no idea how to run a streamlined business, and have no incentive to learn, either. Why should they? They know that no matter how much they run the company into debt (and the national transport infrastructure into the ground) that they will be bailed out in the new year. The commuter will pay the price, simply because they have to. No heads will roll, no individual will be held accountable, and no competition will be allowed to show them up for the shambles they are.

And all of this is occurring in the most difficult economic climate the country has seen in decades, where people are struggling to even find work to pay off their debts, and in which Fianna Fail responded to a national financial crisis by rolling out a Sheriff-Of-Nottingham budget that specifically targeted the middle classes, students and the elderly – the people least likely to fight back. But these would-be-victims surprised the whole country by organising their collective anger and making a difference. Specifically, the ageing population of the country took to the streets in their droves because of the withdrawal of free medical cards. Rarely have I felt more proud to be Irish than when I read reports of government ministers being shouted down by OAPs who had had enough and were not going to take it anymore. Fianna Fail got very scared and made budget backtracks faster than anyone had anticipated.

OAP Protests

But that was a rare high point in a situation that has seen Fianna Fail try to claw money back from the most vulnerable; the very money that the government wasted in the first place and continues to waste. Instead of blatant theft, the government has simply adopted a strategy of “testing the waters”. They see how far they can go before people freak out and protest. And yes, the OAPs and students put up a fight, but look at what wasn’t protested or repealed: A new ‘levy’ of between 1 and 2% on all incomes. Increased air travel tax, now a huge 10 Euros per flight (over 300km).  Alcohol tax is up there with the highest in Europe, and general VAT rates went up. So, when huge crowds of Irish shoppers crossed the border to the North to do their shopping with the much fairer UK rates, they were rebuked by Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, who said:

“When you shop in Northern Ireland, you’re paying Her Majesty’s taxes, you’re not paying taxes to the state that you live in.”

That’s right, folks – it’s your patriotic duty to get robbed. Forget about the myriad bank executives who receive little more than a slap on the wrist for deeply irresponsible – and often, illegal – financial activities. Forget the black hole of public funding that is the Health Service Executive. Forget the fact that Hoffa-esque unions have held this country to ransom for decades, and that noone in government has the guts to do a thing about it. Forget all that, because once you cross the border to actually get value for your money, you become a veritable dissident.

Funnily enough, “patriotic duty” was also the weak reasoning behind Fianna Fail’s campaign to get the Lisbon Treaty passed. Rather than present any cogent arguments, they told the country that it was our civic obligation to (a) not ask questions and (b) tick the ‘yes’ box. This “just shut up and do it” attitude extended to the point where Cowen admitted that he had not read the entire text of the Treaty.

And yet, in this catalogue of monumentally selfish and cavalier actions, the worst still seems to me the CIE price hike. Why? Because it targets the people who have no choice. Because CIE can’t come up with a single good excuse for their actions. Because every other country in Europe has a transport system that is at least somewhat affordable and dependable. Because, as someone told me the other day, the ticket machine in Cork Bus Station does not accept 50 Euro notes – and often, neither do the drivers. Because it’s an insult those of us who do our bit for the environment. Because it exemplifies the quagmire of bureaucracy and non-responsibility that has helped send this country into a recession. Because this shambles of a company, this paradigm of wastefulness and arrogance, continues to exist only because it exploits the people who have no choice but to use it. Worst, because it seems the most like a  slap in the face.

How can a government expect the citizens of a country to do anything for them in the name of ‘Patriotic Duty’ when there is so little patriotism being shown by the government themselves?

f

Search engines are the gateway to the Internet; they are
the first tool that potential customers use to find the
products and services they need. This is why link
popularity is so imperative. If the customers do not find
your website, you have no possibilities of making any
sales.

You’re probably wondering what the blazes is popular about
a link! Well, in a word plenty! Link popularity refers to
the ranking assigned to your website by the search engines,
and it determines the ranking your page gets when keywords
are entered into a search engine. So, you’re probably
wondering, how do I make my link popular?

Search engines are discretionary, giving status and ranking
to sites that have links to their pages from related,
quality sites. It’s a simple formula, but a very important
one. Google created the system, and now virtually all the
most popular search engines employ it to rank your web
pages in their indexes.

The more commonly used your keyword is, the harder it will
be to achieve link popularity, but without achieving this
step, it is almost certain your site will never rank highly
on any search engine. But don’t be discouraged; there are
tried and true ways of achieving link popularity using the
most competitive keywords.

There are a few things you should be aware of. The first is
that just linking up with a large number of other websites
will not achieve link popularity. In fact, it may have
quite the opposite effect. This is particularly true when
pertaining to websites that are nothing more than “link
farms” – pages containing line after line of indiscriminate
links. Search engines may aggressively discriminate against
your website if you are associated with a link farm, so
steer clear of them!

The next thing to bear in mind is the quality of the site
you are linking to. Never link to a page you have
reservations about your visitors seeing. The last thing you
want your website to appear as is indiscriminate and cheap.
Linking to sites of poor quality will only lessen your link
popularity, if not completely destroy it.

So let’s get to what you need to do to achieve supreme link
popularity and improve your rankings to stellar status on
all the popular search engines.

The first step, and the fastest way to get your foot in the
door, is to get a listing in a popular directory, such as
Open Directory Project and Yahoo. If your site is
business-related, you will want to be listed on Yahoo, and
despite the fact that it will cost you around $300 a year,
it will be money well spent. If your site is
non-commercial, the listing will be free, but it will take
time and follow-up to actually get it listed. Open
Directory is gives you a free listing whether you are
business-related or non-commercial, but be prepared to make
a lot of follow-up inquiries before you see your site
listed.

You are aiming to get listed in the highest level of
appropriate category, and this just takes some common
sense. For example, if your company ships Alpaca wool from
an Alpaca farm located in the middle of Nowhere, Tiny
State, do NOT submit your listing to “Retailers from
Nowhere, Tiny State.” Big Mistake”! All you have to do is
look a little deeper – and submit your listing to the “Fine
Alpaca Wool” category. You will not only associate yourself
with culture and quality, but you will be listed in a
national category.

The next step after you have attained directory listings is
to locate other quality sites that will increase your link
popularity. Try to find sites that are in some way related
to yours, so not only will your link popularity increase,
but your customer base may also be expanded. You want to
avoid your competitors and look for sites that are useful
to your site’s visitors. Let’s look at the Alpaca Wool site
example. Linking up to a site that sells knitting supplies
would be helpful to your visitors, and the chances of the
knitting supply site wanting to link up to your site are
also greater. By linking to a related site that will be
relevant to your website’s traffic, you are increasing both
of your site’s business prospects and both of your sites’
link popularity.

Not all sites want to link to other sites, so you will have
to do some research when you are looking for possible
linking partners. Google is an excellent starting place for
your search. Make sure you enter keywords that you think
quality customers will also enter to find your own site.
Remember, your criteria are quality, highly ranked,
non-competing websites that have a links or resources page.
Go to these sites and objectively assess them. Look at the
quality of the product, the graphics, and the ease of use.
Then check out the other sites they are linked to, and
determine if your own site would fit in with the crowd.

When you decide you have found a good prospect, you must
set out to woo them. The first thing to do is to add a link
on your own links page to their site. This is an essential
first step; it shows good faith, and ups your chances
significantly of their reciprocity. After you have added
their link, you must contact the webmaster of their site.
Since this is almost always done by email, you want to make
sure it is immediately clear that your message is not junk
mail. This requires that you tell them right off the bat
that you have added a link to their page on your site. A
hook like this almost always insures the reader will read
on.

Next, be sure to be flattering and let them know how much
you appreciate their website. Make sure you emphasize that
you have actually visited their site, and that their site
is not just a random pick. Give them the address of your
links page, and ask them to check out the link for
themselves. It’s a good idea to mention that they will not
only benefit from the increased traffic your website will
direct their way, but you will also increase their link
popularity. Briefly, explain why link popularity is so
essential, but do this in a sentence or two so you don’t
sound like a professor! Finally, tell them you would
greatly appreciate if they would reciprocally add a link on
their own links page to your website.

Go through this process with as many appropriate sites as
you can find, bearing in mind the criteria of quality and
non-competitiveness. After you have emailed all relevant
sites, be sure to check these website frequently to see if
they have added a link to your page. Give it about a month,
and if no link appears, try another charming email. Then
give it another month, and if your site is still absent
from their links page, it’s time to remove their link from
your own links page. The only time you want to pursue a
link further than this is if you believe a site is crucial
to your link popularity and your business needs. Just
remember to keep all your communications complimentary and
cordial.

Then set up a schedule to check your ranking in search
engines frequently to see if your link popularity has
improved. This is not achievable in the blink of an eye. It
will take some time and a good deal of work. There is no
way around the labor-intensive quality of improving your
link popularity, which is why search engines regard it with
such importance.

By the way – make sure you have a beautiful, streamlined
site or you will never persuade anyone to link up to you.
Be prepared to keep plugging away at this process, as long
as it takes, until you achieve link popularity stardom!

Frachers Diner – 2007

http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/search/artist_work_e.jsp?iartistid=4433