Vedic Maths (Truely amazing)

Use the formula ALL FROM 9 AND THE LAST FROM 10 to perform instant subtractions.

• For example 1000 - 357 = 643

We simply take each figure in 357 from 9 and the last figure from 10.

So the answer is 1000 - 357 = 643

And thats all there is to it!

This always works for subtractions from numbers consisting of a 1 followed by noughts: 100; 1000; 10,000 etc.

• Similarly 10,000 - 1049 = 8951
  
• For 1000 - 83, in which we have more zeros than figures in the numbers being subtracted, we simply suppose 83 is 083.

So 1000 - 83 becomes 1000 - 083 = 917

Try some yourself:

1) 1000 - 777	=
2) 1000 - 283	=
3) 1000 - 505	=
4) 10,000 - 2345	=
5) 10000 - 9876	=
6) 10,000 - 1101	=
7) 100 - 57	=
8) 1000 - 57	=
9) 10,000 - 321	=
10) 10,000 - 38	=
Total Correct	=

---

Tutorial 2

Using VERTICALLY AND CROSSWISE you do not need to the multiplication tables beyond 5 X 5.

• Suppose you need 8 x 7

8 is 2 below 10 and 7 is 3 below 10.
Think of it like this:

The answer is 56.
The diagram below shows how you get it.

You subtract crosswise 8-3 or 7 - 2 to get 5,
the first figure of the answer.
And you multiply vertically: 2 x 3 to get 6,
the last figure of the answer.

That's all you do:

See how far the numbers are below 10, subtract one
number's deficiency from the other number, and
multiply the deficiencies together.

• 7 x 6 = 42
  
  Here there is a carry: the 1 in the 12 goes over to make 3 into 4.

Multply These:

1) 8 8 x	2) 9 7 x	3) 8 9 x	4) 7 7 x	5) 9 9 x	6) 6 6 x
Total Correct =

Here's how to use VERTICALLY AND CROSSWISE for multiplying numbers close to 100.

• Suppose you want to multiply 88 by 98.

Not easy,you might think. But with
VERTICALLY AND CROSSWISE you can give
the answer immediately, using the same method
as above.

Both 88 and 98 are close to 100.
88 is 12 below 100 and 98 is 2 below 100.

You can imagine the sum set out like this:

As before the 86 comes from
subtracting crosswise: 88 - 2 = 86
(or 98 - 12 = 86: you can subtract
either way, you will always get
the same answer).
And the 24 in the answer is
just 12 x 2: you multiply vertically.
So 88 x 98 = 8624

This is so easy it is just mental arithmetic.

Try some:

1) 87 98 x	2) 88 97 x	3) 77 98 x	4) 93 96 x	5) 94 92 x	6) 64 99	7) 98 97 x
Total Correct =

Multiplying numbers just over 100.

• 103 x 104 = 10712

The answer is in two parts: 107 and 12,
107 is just 103 + 4 (or 104 + 3),
and 12 is just 3 x 4.

• Similarly 107 x 106 = 11342

107 + 6 = 113 and 7 x 6 = 42

Again, just for mental arithmetic

Try a few:

1) 102 x 107 =

1) 106 x 103 =

1) 104 x 104 =

4) 109 x 108 =

5) 101 x123 =

6) 103 x102 =

Total Correct =

---

Tutorial 3

The easy way to add and subtract fractions.

Use VERTICALLY AND CROSSWISE to write the answer straight down!

• 

Multiply crosswise and add to get the top of the answer:
2 x 5 = 10 and 1 x 3 = 3. Then 10 + 3 = 13.
The bottom of the fraction is just 3 x 5 = 15.
You multiply the bottom number together.

So:

• 

Subtracting is just as easy: multiply crosswise as before, but the subtract:

• 

Try a few:

Total Correct =

---

Tutorial 4

A quick way to square numbers that end in 5 using the formula BY ONE MORE THAN THE ONE BEFORE.

• 75² = 5625

75² means 75 x 75.
The answer is in two parts: 56 and 25.
The last part is always 25.
The first part is the first number, 7, multiplied by the number "one more", which is 8:
so 7 x 8 = 56

• Similarly 85² = 7225 because 8 x 9 = 72.

Try these:

1) 452 =

2) 652 =

3) 952 =

4) 352 =

5) 152 =

Total Correct =

Method for multiplying numbers where the first figures are the same and the last figures add up to 10.

• 32 x 38 = 1216

Both numbers here start with 3 and the last
figures (2 and 8) add up to 10.

So we just multiply 3 by 4 (the next number up)
to get 12 for the first part of the answer.

And we multiply the last figures: 2 x 8 = 16 to
get the last part of the answer.

Diagrammatically:

• And 81 x 89 = 7209

We put 09 since we need two figures as in all the other examples.

Practise some:

1) 43 x 47 =

2) 24 x 26 =

3) 62 x 68 =

4) 17 x 13 =

5) 59 x 51 =

6) 77 x 73 =

Total Correct =

---

Tutorial 5

An elegant way of multiplying numbers using a simple pattern.

• 21 x 23 = 483

This is normally called long multiplication but
actually the answer can be written straight down
using the VERTICALLY AND CROSSWISE
formula.

We first put, or imagine, 23 below 21:

There are 3 steps:

a) Multiply vertically on the left: 2 x 2 = 4.
This gives the first figure of the answer.
b) Multiply crosswise and add: 2 x 3 + 1 x 2 = 8
This gives the middle figure.
c) Multiply vertically on the right: 1 x 3 = 3
This gives the last figure of the answer.

And thats all there is to it.

• Similarly 61 x 31 = 1891

• 6 x 3 = 18; 6 x 1 + 1 x 3 = 9; 1 x 1 = 1

Try these, just write down the answer:

1) 14 21 x	2) 22 31 x	3) 21 31 x	4) 21 22 x	5) 32 21 x
Total Correct =

Multiply any 2-figure numbers together by mere mental arithmetic!

If you want 21 stamps at 26 pence each you can
easily find the total price in your head.

There were no carries in the method given above.
However, there only involve one small extra step.

• 21 x 26 = 546

The method is the same as above
except that we get a 2-figure number, 14, in the
middle step, so the 1 is carried over to the left
(4 becomes 5).

So 21 stamps cost �5.46.

Practise a few:

1) 21 47 x	2) 23 43 x	3) 32 53 x	4) 42 32 x	5) 71 72 x
Total Correct =

• 33 x 44 = 1452

There may be more than one carry in a sum:

Vertically on the left we get 12.
Crosswise gives us 24, so we carry 2 to the left
and mentally get 144.

Then vertically on the right we get 12 and the 1
here is carried over to the 144 to make 1452.

6) 32 56 x	7) 32 54 x	8) 31 72 x	9) 44 53 x	10) 54 64 x
Total Correct =

Any two numbers, no matter how big, can be
multiplied in one line by this method.

---

Tutorial 6

Multiplying a number by 11.

To multiply any 2-figure number by 11 we just put
the total of the two figures between the 2 figures.

• 26 x 11 = 286

Notice that the outer figures in 286 are the 26
being multiplied.

And the middle figure is just 2 and 6 added up.

• So 72 x 11 = 792

Multiply by 11:

1) 43 =

2) 81 =

3) 15 =

4) 44 =

5) 11 =

Total Correct =

• 77 x 11 = 847

This involves a carry figure because 7 + 7 = 14
we get 77 x 11 = 7₁47 = 847.

Multiply by 11:

1) 88 =

2) 84 =

3) 48 =

4) 73 =

5) 56 =

Total Correct =

• 234 x 11 = 2574

We put the 2 and the 4 at the ends.
We add the first pair 2 + 3 = 5.
and we add the last pair: 3 + 4 = 7.

Multiply by 11:

1) 151 =

2) 527 =

3) 333 =

4) 714 =

5) 909 =

Total Correct =

---

Tutorial 7

Method for diving by 9.

• 23 / 9 = 2 remainder 5

The first figure of 23 is 2, and this is the answer.
The remainder is just 2 and 3 added up!

• 43 / 9 = 4 remainder 7

The first figure 4 is the answer
and 4 + 3 = 7 is the remainder - could it be easier?

Divide by 9:

1) 61 = remainder

2) 33 = remainder

3) 44 = remainder

4) 53 = remainder

5) 80 = remainder

Total Correct =

• 134 / 9 = 14 remainder 8

The answer consists of 1,4 and 8.
1 is just the first figure of 134.
4 is the total of the first two figures 1+ 3 = 4,
and 8 is the total of all three figures 1+ 3 + 4 = 8.

Divide by 9:

6) 232 = remainder

7) 151 = remainder

8) 303 = remainder

9) 212 = remainder

10) 2121 = remainder

Total Correct =

• 842 / 9 = 8₁2 remainder 14 = 92 remainder 14

Actually a remainder of 9 or more is not usually
permitted because we are trying to find how
many 9's there are in 842.

Since the remainder, 14 has one more 9 with 5
left over the final answer will be 93 remainder 5

Divide these by 9:

1) 771 = remainder

2) 942 = remainder

3) 565 = remainder

4) 555 = remainder

5) 777 = remainder

6) 2382 = remainder

7) 7070 = remainder

Total Correct =

Stroustrup's Interview Leaked...

On the 1st of January, 1998, Bjarne Stroustrup gave an interview to the IEEE's 'Computer' magazine.

Naturally, the editors thought he would be giving a retrospective view of seven years of object-oriented design, using the language he created.

By the end of the interview, the interviewer got more than he had bargained for and, subsequently, the editor decided to suppress its contents, 'for the good of the industry' but, as with many of these things, there was a leak.

Here is a complete transcript of what was was said,unedited, and unrehearsed, so it isn't as neat as planned interviews.

You will find it interesting...

---

Interviewer: Well, it's been a few years since you changed the world of software design, how does it feel, looking back?

Stroustrup: Actually, I was thinking about those days, just before you arrived. Do you remember? Everyone was writing 'C' and, the trouble was, they were pretty damn good at it. Universities got pretty good at teaching it, too. They were turning out competent - I stress the word 'competent' - graduates at a phenomenal rate. That's what caused the problem.

Interviewer: problem?

Stroustrup: Yes, problem. Remember when everyone wrote Cobol?

Interviewer: Of course, I did too

Stroustrup: Well, in the beginning, these guys were like demi-gods. Their salaries were high, and they were treated like royalty.

Interviewer: Those were the days, eh?

Stroustrup: Right. So what happened? IBM got sick of it, and invested millions in training programmers, till they were a dime a dozen.

Interviewer: That's why I got out. Salaries dropped within a year, to the point where being a journalist actually paid better.

Stroustrup: Exactly. Well, the same happened with 'C' programmers.

Interviewer: I see, but what's the point?

Stroustrup: Well, one day, when I was sitting in my office, I thought of this little scheme, which would redress the balance a little. I thought 'I wonder what would happen, if there were a language so complicated, so difficult to learn, that nobody would ever be able to swamp the market with programmers? Actually, I got some of the ideas from X10, you know, X windows. That was such a bitch of a graphics system, that it only just ran on those Sun 3/60 things. They had all the ingredients for what I wanted. A really ridiculously complex syntax, obscure functions, and pseudo-OO structure. Even now, nobody writes raw X-windows code. Motif is the only way to go if you want to retain your sanity.

[NJW Comment: That explains everything. Most of my thesis work was in raw X-windows. :)]

Interviewer: You're kidding...?

Stroustrup: Not a bit of it. In fact, there was another problem. Unix was written in 'C', which meant that any 'C' programmer could very easily become a systems programmer. Remember what a mainframe systems programmer used to earn?

Interviewer: You bet I do, that's what I used to do.

Stroustrup: OK, so this new language had to divorce itself from Unix, by hiding all the system calls that bound the two together so nicely. This would enable guys who only knew about DOS to earn a decent living too.

Interviewer: I don't believe you said that...

Stroustrup: Well, it's been long enough, now, and I believe most people have figured out for themselves that C++ is a waste of time but, I must say, it's taken them a lot longer than I thought it would.

Interviewer: So how exactly did you do it?

Stroustrup: It was only supposed to be a joke, I never thought people would take the book seriously. Anyone with half a brain can see that object-oriented programming is counter-intuitive, illogical and inefficient.

Interviewer: What?

Stroustrup: And as for 're-useable code' - when did you ever hear of a company re-using its code?

Interviewer: Well, never, actually, but...

Stroustrup: There you are then. Mind you, a few tried, in the early days. There was this Oregon company - Mentor Graphics, I think they were called - really caught a cold trying to rewrite everything in C++ in about '90 or '91. I felt sorry for them really, but I thought people would learn from their mistakes.

Interviewer: Obviously, they didn't?

Stroustrup: Not in the slightest. Trouble is, most companies hush-up all their major blunders, and explaining a $30 million loss to the shareholders would have been difficult. Give them their due, though, they made it work in the end.

Interviewer: They did? Well, there you are then, it proves O-O works.

Stroustrup: Well, almost. The executable was so huge, it took five minutes to load, on an HP workstation, with 128MB of RAM. Then it ran like treacle. Actually, I thought this would be a major stumbling-block, and I'd get found out within a week, but nobody cared. Sun and HP were only too glad to sell enormously powerful boxes, with huge resources just to run trivial programs. You know, when we had our first C++ compiler, at AT&T, I compiled 'Hello World', and couldn't believe the size of the executable. 2.1MB

Interviewer: What? Well, compilers have come a long way, since then.

Stroustrup: They have? Try it on the latest version of g++ - you won't get much change out of half a megabyte. Also, there are several quite recent examples for you, from all over the world. British Telecom had a major disaster on their hands but, luckily, managed to scrap the whole thing and start again. They were luckier than Australian Telecom. Now I hear that Siemens is building a dinosaur, and getting more and more worried as the size of the hardware gets bigger, to accommodate the executables. Isn't multiple inheritance a joy?

Interviewer: Yes, but C++ is basically a sound language.

Stroustrup: You really believe that, don't you? Have you ever sat down and worked on a C++ project? Here's what happens: First, I've put in enough pitfalls to make sure that only the most trivial projects will work first time. Take operator overloading. At the end of the project, almost every module has it, usually, because guys feel they really should do it, as it was in their training course. The same operator then means something totally different in every module. Try pulling that lot together, when you have a hundred or so modules. And as for data hiding. God, I sometimes can't help laughing when I hear about the problems companies have making their modules talk to each other. I think the word 'synergistic' was specially invented to twist the knife in a project manager's ribs.

Interviewer: I have to say, I'm beginning to be quite appalled at all this. You say you did it to raise programmers' salaries? That's obscene.

Stroustrup: Not really. Everyone has a choice. I didn't expect the thing to get so much out of hand. Anyway, I basically succeeded. C++ is dying off now, but programmers still get high salaries - especially those poor devils who have to maintain all this crap. You do realise, it's impossible to maintain a large C++ software module if you didn't actually write it?

Interviewer: How come?

Stroustrup: You are out of touch, aren't you? Remember the typedef?

Interviewer: Yes, of course.

Stroustrup: Remember how long it took to grope through the header files only to find that 'RoofRaised' was a double precision number? Well, imagine how long it takes to find all the implicit typedefs in all the Classes in a major project.

Interviewer: So how do you reckon you've succeeded?

Stroustrup: Remember the length of the average-sized 'C' project? About 6 months. Not nearly long enough for a guy with a wife and kids to earn enough to have a decent standard of living. Take the same project, design it in C++ and what do you get? I'll tell you. One to two years. Isn't that great? All that job security, just through one mistake of judgement. And another thing. The universities haven't been teaching 'C' for such a long time, there's now a shortage of decent 'C' programmers. Especially those who know anything about Unix systems programming. How many guys would know what to do with 'malloc', when they've used 'new' all these years - and never bothered to check the return code. In fact, most C++ programmers throw away their return codes. Whatever happened to good ol' '-1'? At least you knew you had an error, without bogging the thing down in all that 'throw' 'catch' 'try' stuff.

Interviewer: But, surely, inheritance does save a lot of time?

Stroustrup: does it? Have you ever noticed the difference between a 'C' project plan, and a C++ project plan? The planning stage for a C++ project is three times as long. Precisely to make sure that everything which should be inherited is, and what shouldn't isn't. Then, they still get it wrong. Whoever heard of memory leaks in a 'C' program? Now finding them is a major industry. Most companies give up, and send the product out, knowing it leaks like a sieve, simply to avoid the expense of tracking them all down.

Interviewer: There are tools...

Stroustrup: Most of which were written in C++.

Interviewer: If we publish this, you'll probably get lynched, you do realise that?

Stroustrup: I doubt it. As I said, C++ is way past its peak now, and no company in its right mind would start a C++ project without a pilot trial. That should convince them that it's the road to disaster. If not, they deserve all they get. You know, I tried to convince Dennis Ritchie to rewrite Unix inC++.

Interviewer: Oh my God. What did he say?

Stroustrup: Well, luckily, he has a good sense of humor. I think both he and Brian figured out what I was doing, in the early days, but never let on. He said he'd help me write a C++ version of DOS, if I was interested.

Interviewer: Were you?

Stroustrup: Actually, I did write DOS in C++, I'll give you a demo when we're through. I have it running on a Sparc 20 in the computer room. Goes like a rocket on 4 CPU's, and only takes up 70 megs of disk.

Interviewer: What's it like on a PC?

Stroustrup: Now you're kidding. Haven't you ever seen Windows '95? I think of that as my biggest success. Nearly blew the game before I was ready, though.

Interviewer: You know, that idea of a Unix++ has really got me thinking. Somewhere out there, there's a guy going to try it.

Stroustrup: Not after they read this interview.

Interviewer: I'm sorry, but I don't see us being able to publish any of this.

Stroustrup: But it's the story of the century. I only want to be remembered by my fellow programmers, for what I've done for them. You know how much a C++ guy can get these days?

Interviewer: Last I heard, a really top guy is worth $70 - $80 an hour.

Stroustrup: See? And I bet he earns it. Keeping track of all the gotchas I put into C++ is no easy job. And, as I said before, every C++ programmer feels bound by some mystic promise to use every damn element of the language on every project. Actually, that really annoys me sometimes, even though it serves my original purpose. I almost like the language after all this time.

Interviewer: You mean you didn't before?

Stroustrup: Hated it. It even looks clumsy, don't you agree? But when the book royalties started to come in... well, you get the picture.

Interviewer: Just a minute. What about references? You must admit, you improved on 'C' pointers.

Stroustrup: Hmm. I've always wondered about that. Originally, I thought I had. Then, one day I was discussing this with a guy who'd written C++ from the beginning. He said he could never remember whether his variables were referenced or dereferenced, so he always used pointers. He said the little asterisk always reminded him.

Interviewer: Well, at this point, I usually say 'thank you very much' but it hardly seems adequate.

Stroustrup: Promise me you'll publish this. My conscience is getting the better of me these days.

Interviewer: I'll let you know, but I think I know what my editor will say.

Stroustrup: Who'd believe it anyway? Although, can you send me a copy of that tape?

Interviewer: I can do that.

How To Save On Tax

What's special about January? Lots of things, actually. But from a tax point of view, it will be that time of the year when a lot of you will actually start figuring what your tax saving avenues should be. Little wonder that mutual funds report the highest inflows into equity linked savings schemes (ELSS) and life insurance companies record their highest sales in the first three months of the calendar year.

Guilty as charged? Well, here's some help. Here's the first part of our special section dedicated to tax saving. We start right now with the absolute basics.

You would have noticed that the tax department is more partial to women and specially, senior citizens. But those rates are the maximum you would have to pay if you did absolutely no tax planning.

The very first step that you have to follow is to figure out what Section 80C (of the Income Tax Act) is and how you can use it for your benefit. Any individual, irrespective of how much s/he earns, can reduce his taxable income by up to Rs 1 lakh, which is the limit under this section. You can decide how much you want to invest in each of the options or whether you intend putting the entire amount in just one of them. For instance, someone may choose to invest Rs 1 lakh in tax saving mutual funds, while another may fulfill his limit by making the payment towards his home loan. There are no sub-limits on any one of them except the Public Provident Fund (Rs 70,000 per financial year). And, tuition fees are limited to two children.



So if you are a salaried individual, check the exact amount of your contribution to the Employee Provident Fund (EPF). Also check your existing life insurance policies and pension plans. If it totals up to Rs 1 lakh, then you are done. If not, then you have to figure out where to put your money.

When making a decision on which investments to opt for under Section 80C, there are three factors to consider: time horizon, risk appetite and tax on interest.



A lot of these investment avenues have lock-in periods that extend for a number of years. For PPF, it is 15 years, for NSC, 6 years. The ones with the lowest lock-in period are ELSS (three years) and infrastructure bonds which generally start at three years. You will have to simultaneously also consider the risk factor. ELSS are the riskiest since they are diversified equity mutual funds. On the other hand you have PPF and NSC which are the safest since they are backed by the government. Finally, look at the tax implication on the return on your investment. For instance, the interest you earn on PPF is totally tax free. Not so in the case of NSC or your bank fixed deposits. But the capital appreciation on your ELSS will be totally free from any capital gains tax and the dividends you earn are tax-free too.

But there is more to tax saving than just Section 80C. If you are servicing a home loan, you would get a benefit on the principal amount being repaid under Section 80C. But you also get a tax exemption on the interest paid on the loan under Section 24. And under this section, the limit is Rs 1,50,000 in one financial year.

You would definitely be familiar with Section 80D. Under this section, you can claim an exemption on the premium you pay for your medical insurance, popularly known as mediclaim policy. There is a ceiling here though - Rs 15,000. Add Rs 5,000 to that amount if you are a senior citizen. The good news is that you can claim it not only for your own policy but also for your dependents, provided you are paying the premium.



And, if you have a charitable bent, then Section 80G is meant for you. Donations made under this section are eligible for a 50 per cent tax relief. To get a 100 per cent tax benefit, your donation will have to go to specified organisations/trusts like the Prime Minister's Relief Fund, CARE and Help Age India.

DifferentTypes of Computer Viruses

There are Different Types of Computer Viruses could beclassified in (origin, techniques, types of files they infect, where they hide,the kind of damage they cause, the type of operating system or platform theyattack) etc. Let us have a look at them…

Computer Virus is a kind of malicious software writtenintentionally to enter a computer without the user's permission orknowledge, with an ability to replicate itself, thus continuing to spread. Someviruses do little but replicate others can cause severe harm or adverselyeffect program and performance of the system. A virus should never be assumedharmless and left on a system. Most common types of viruses are mentionedbelow:

Resident Viruses
This type of virus is a permanent which dwells in the RAM memory. From there itcan overcome and interrupt all of the operations executed by the system:corrupting files and programs that are opened, closed, copied, renamed etc.

Examples include: Randex, CMJ, Meve, and MrKlunky.

Direct Action Viruses
The main purpose of this virus is to replicate and take action when it isexecuted. When a specific condition is met, the virus will go into action andinfect files in the directory or folder that it is in and in directories thatare specified in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file PATH. This batch file is always locatedin the root directory of the hard disk and carries out certain operations whenthe computer is booted.

Overwrite Viruses
Virus of this kind is characterized by the fact that it deletes the informationcontained in the files that it infects, rendering them partially or totallyuseless once they have been infected.

The only way to clean a file infected by an overwrite virus is to delete thefile completely, thus losing the original content.

Examples of this virus include: Way, Trj.Reboot, Trivial.88.D.

Boot Virus
This type of virus affects the boot sector of a floppy or hard disk. This is acrucial part of a disk, in which information on the disk itself is storedtogether with a program that makes it possible to boot (start) the computerfrom the disk.
Boot Sector Viruses are an older type of virus and not so common. They used toinfect a computer's startup program so that the virus would become active assoon as the computer started up.

The best way of avoiding boot viruses is to ensure that floppy disks arewrite-protected and never start your computer with an unknown floppy disk inthe disk drive.

Examples of boot viruses include: Polyboot.B, AntiEXE.

Macro Virus
Macro viruses infect files that are created using certain applications orprograms that contain macros. These mini-programs make it possible to automateseries of operations so that they are performed as a single action, therebysaving the user from having to carry them out one by one.

Macro Viruses use commands (macros) embedded in othersoftware to infect and spread to other files viewed by that software. E.g. Wordand Excel have macros and macro viruses can spread by exploiting thesecommands.

Examples of macro viruses: Relax, Melissa.A, Bablas, O97M/Y2K.

Directory Virus
Directory viruses change the paths that indicate the location of a file. By executinga program (file with the extension .EXE or .COM) which has been infected by avirus, you are unknowingly running the virus program, while the original fileand program have been previously moved by the virus.

Once infected it becomes impossible to locate the original files.

Polymorphic Virus
Polymorphic viruses encrypt or encode themselves in a different way (usingdifferent algorithms and encryption keys) every time they infect a system.

This makes it impossible for anti-viruses to find them using string orsignature searches (because they are different in each encryption) and alsoenables them to create a large number of copies of themselves.

Examples include: Elkern, Marburg,Satan Bug, and Tuareg.

File Infectors / File Viruses

This type of virus infects programs or executable files(files with an .EXE or .COM extension). When one of these programs is run,directly or indirectly, the virus is activated, producing the damaging effectsit is programmed to carry out. The majority of existing viruses belong to thiscategory, and can be classified depending on the actions that they carry out.

File viruses attach themselves to other software. When thesoftware is run, the virus first loads itself into memory so that in canfurther infect other files or begin damaging the computer.

Companion Viruses

Companion viruses can be considered file infector viruseslike resident or direct action types. They are known as companion virusesbecause once they get into the system they "accompany" the otherfiles that already exist. In other words, in order to carry out their infectionroutines, companion viruses can wait in memory until a program is run (residentviruses) or act immediately by making copies of themselves (direct actionviruses).

Some examples include: Stator, Asimov.1539, and Terrax.1069

FAT Virus
The file allocation table or FAT is the part of a disk used to connectinformation and is a vital part of the normal functioning of the computer.
This type of virus attack can be especially dangerous, by preventing access tocertain sections of the disk where important files are stored. Damage causedcan result in information losses from individual files or even entiredirectories.

Worms
A worm is a program very similar to a virus; it has the ability toself-replicate, and can lead to negative effects on your system and mostimportantly they are detected and eliminated by antiviruses.
Worms duplicate themselves and use communications such as email to spread. Theycan look at your email address book and send themselves to users in youraddress book.
Examples of worms include: PSWBugbear.B, Lovgate.F, Trile.C, Sobig.D, Mapson.

Trojans or Trojan Horses
Another unsavory breed of malicious code are Trojans or Trojan horses, whichunlike viruses do not reproduce by infecting other files, nor do theyself-replicate like worms.
Trojan Horses are programs that claim to perform a particular function but infact do something different. E.g. they could infect your computer with a virusor erase your files.

Backdoor Trojans: Backdoor Trojans are programs thatallow other computer users to remotely control your computer via a local areanetwork or the Internet.

Logic Bombs

They are not considered viruses because they do notreplicate. They are not even programs in their own right but rather camouflagedsegments of other programs.

Their objective is to destroy data on the computer once certain conditions havebeen met. Logic bombs go undetected until launched, and the results can bedestructive

Adware: Is to internet browsing as spam isto email Adware can profile your online surfing and online shopping habits andor placing annoying pop-up adverts, installing additional IE menu helper bars.Often Adware revolves around targeted advertising based upon the web sites youfrequent and you may not even be aware that the pop-ups are not coming from theactual web site visited itself but from the Adware software running locally onyour machine. Quite often these applications are installed by stealth or bydeliberately misleading users to install software that is not required.

Spyware: Is potentially a higher threatthan Adware as it often collects user details, such as software installed andoften sensitive information such as passwords and even credit card detailswhich are then sent to via the internet to a central collection point. Spywareis often installed covertly or by accident via pop-up windows with active-xcontrols which report that they are doing something benign whilst secretlyinstalling this malicious software.

Malware is software that damages yoursystem, causes instability, or exhibits antisocial behavior such as changingsettings or interfering with a computer's registry and security settings.Typical examples include computer viruses or worms.

Page Hijackers: Are applications that redirectlinks to specific web pages, such as a request to go to a search engine forexample, and instead redirect the web browser to a designated address, relatedto the initial link but often containing advertising or adware. Whilst not ashigh a threat as Spyware, it is often a sign that your computer has somespyware or adware components installed on it which will undermine its operation.

S

Face Moles and what they say about you

The Chinese Almanac, also known as the Tung Shu, is commonly known as a book of auspicious and inauspicious dates, but there is so much more to the Tung Shu than that. It is a vast mine of information relating to astrology, codes and symbols, derived by the wise sages and philosophers of ancient China. In this issue, we bring to you the secrets from the almanac regarding moles on your face and what they mean depending on which part of your face they appear.

First, check your face for any moles, and then look at the diagram above to identify the number(s) that are a closest match to the moles on your face. Usually, the moles only hold meaning for you if they are prominent and they are the only one. If your face if full of spots, acne or "little" moles, they do not count. When you've ascertained which position corresponds to the mole on your face, look up the meanings listed by numbers below.

Position 1 to 3
As a child, you are somewhat rebellious and a free spirit. You have an innate creativity and work best when you are given a free hand. Generally, your superiors like your avante garde approach to life. If you have a mole here, you are far better off in business and being your own boss rather than working for somebody. What is promising is that you have the luck to be your own boss.

Position 4
You are an impulsive person, often acting with a flamboyance that gives you charisma and a sparkling personality, but you can be difficult when there are too many opinions. You tend to be rather argumentative, but never to the point of holding grudges. This mole tends to give you an explosive temper and should you decide to remove it, you will find yourself becoming calmer and more at peace with the world.

Position 5
A mole above the eyebrow indicates that there is wealth luck in your life, but you will need to earn it and work harder than most people. All the income you make must be carefully kept as there are people who are jealous of you who might attempt to sweet talk you into parting with your wealth. Be wary of those who try to interest you in get-rich-quick schemes. If you have a mole here, it is advisable not to be too trusting of others. Follow your instincts and be cautious. And never allow other people to control your finances.

Position 6
A mole here indicates intelligence, creativity and skill as an artist. Your artistic talent can bring you wealth, fame and success. It also indicates wealth luck, but this can only be fully realized if you follow your heart rather than stick to conventional means of making a living. Success will come if you are brave.

Position 7
Moles under the eyebrows indicate arguments within the extended family that cause you grief and unhappiness. This will affect your work and livelihood. It is advisable to settle any differences you have with your relatives if you want peace of mind to move ahead.

Position 8
This is not a very good position for a mole. Your financial position will constantly be under strain because of a tendency to overspend. You also have a penchant for gambling. The only thing is you must know when to stop. Meanwhile, someone with a mole here has a tendency to flirt with members of the opposite sex as well as with the same sex. Better be a little discerning where you exert your charms, or you might get into trouble.

Position 9
This mole position suggests sexual and other problems. It is an unfortunate mole and you are well advised to get rid of it. It brings a litany of woes and a parade of problems.

Position 10
A mole here just under the nose indicates excellent descendants luck. You are surrounded by family at all times and will have many children and grandchildren. You have the support of those close to you and will be both materially and emotionally fulfilled.

Position 11
Moles here suggest a tendency to succumb to illness. It is a good idea to have this mole removed especially if it is a large, dark-coloured mole. Otherwise use lots of foundation to cover it.

Position 12
A mole here foretells a successful but also a very balanced life. You are likely to be not just rich, but famous as well. But although you have every opportunity to live the high life, you will have a satisfying home and family life as well. Women with moles here are particularly lucky and tend to be beautiful and glamorous as well.

Position 13
Your children will be a big worry in your life. Your relationship with them is not good. There is nothing much you can do about this except to learn some tolerance.

Position 14
A mole here suggests a vulnerability to food which can be a big problem in your life. You may have allergies against certain foods or you may simply be eating too much.

Position 15
You are a person always on the move and constantly renovating and redesigning your house. You like to be introduced to new things and see new places. You are not happy if you remain in one place for long. You enjoy travel and adventure, and have a very observant eye.

Position 16
You need to be careful when it comes to eating, and also when it comes to your sex life. These are your two biggest problems. You tend to have weight issues which can make you depressed. You enjoy romance, sometimes with more than one person, but because you are a person with some morality, you will feel guilty about it and this will cause you much stress.

Position 17
You will be someone of great social prominence. You are active on the social scene and an excellent conversationalist. There is a tendency to become bigheaded about your success, which could lose you your good name. This will affect you deeply because you draw your confidence and self worth from what others think of you.

Position 18
You are a person always on the move. There is a great deal of overseas travel in your life, but you should take extra care each time you cross the great waters, as your mole prefers you to stay at home.

Position 19
You have money luck and many good friends, so this is a good mole to have. Your weakness is that you tend to succumb to the charms of the opposite sex. In your life, it is this that could get you into hot water, so do cool your ardour!

Position 20
A mole here can be very lucky or very unlucky. If you have a mole here, you are destined either for extreme fame or infamy. You have great flair for creativity and are also highly intelligent, but your talents can be used for both good and bad. You are not a person to be trifled with for you are no pushover and do not forgive and forget easily. This mole is a mark of someone who will go down in history either as a great or as a tyrant.

Position 21
This is a good mole, as it suggests plenty to eat and drink throughout your life. This mole also brings fame and recognition.

Position 22
Your life is always happy and things go smoothly for you. You could well become a sports superstar if you have the passion for it. Moles at the end of eyebrows also suggest a person of authority and power, so if you are the CEO of a company, you will do very well.

Position 23
You have a high IQ, and you are both brain smart and street smart. You have a highly-developed survival instinct and will lead a meaningful and long life. You will be active until a very old age and will have friends and family around you till the very end.

Position 24
You will achieve fame and fortune in your young age and you are advised to use this period to safeguard your old age, as people with moles here tend to have a harder life as they get older.

Position 25
You will enjoy good prosperity and recognition luck, but do be careful of excesses. Stay traditional in your attitudes and you will have a long and fruitful life.

Bill Gates Profile

Bill Gates Profile -

Name : Bill Gates
Nickname : Trey
Date of birth : 28 October 1955
Place of birth : Seattle, Washington, USA
Birth name : William Henry Gates III
Height : 5' 10

Family and Early Childhood -

On October 28, 1955, shortly after 9:00 p.m., William Henry Gates III was born. He was born into a family with a rich history in business, politics, and community service. His great-grandfather had been a state legislator and mayor, his grandfather was the vice president of a national bank, and his father was a prominent lawyer. [Wallace, 1992, p. 8-9] Early on in life, it was apparent that Bill Gates inherited the ambition, intelligence, and competitive spirit that had helped his progenitors rise to the top in their chosen professions. In elementary school he quickly surpassed all of his peer's abilities in nearly all subjects, especially math and science. His parents recognized his intelligence and decided to enroll him in Lakeside, a private school known for its intense academic environment. This decision had far reaching effects on Bill Gates's life. For at Lakeside, Bill Gates was first introduced to computers.

First computing Experience -

In the Spring of 1968, the Lakeside prep school decided that it should acquaint the student body with the world of computers [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. Computers were still too large and costly for the school to purchase its own. Instead, the school had a fund raiser and bought computer time on a DEC PDP-10 owned by General Electric. A few thousand dollars were raised which the school figured would buy more than enough time to last into the next school year. However, Lakeside had drastically underestimated the allure this machine would have for a hand full of young students. Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and a few other Lakeside students (many of whom were the first programmers hired at Microsoft) immediately became inseparable from the computer. They would stay in the computer room all day and night, writing programs, reading computer literature and anything else they could to learn about computing. Soon Gates and the others started running into problems with the faculty. Their homework was being turned in late (if at all), they were skipping classes to be in the computer room and worst of all, they had used up all of the schools computer time in just a few weeks. [Wallace, 1992, p. 24]

In the fall of 1968, Computer Center Corporation opened for business in Seattle. It was offering computing time at good rates, and one of the chief programmers working for the corporation had a child attending Lakeside. A deal was struck between Lakeside Prep School and the Computer Center Corporation that allowed the school to continue providing it's students with computer time. [Wallace, 1992, p. 27] Gates and his comrades immediately began exploring the contents of this new machine. It was not long before the young ha©kers started causing problems. They caused the system to crash several times and broke the computers security system. They even altered the files that recorded the amount of computer time they were using. They were caught and the Computer Center Corporation banned them from the system for several weeks.

Bill Gates, Paul Allen and, two other ha©kers from Lakeside formed the Lakeside Programmers Group in late 1968. They were determined to find a way to apply their computer skills in the real world. The first opportunity to do this was a direct result of their mischievous activity with the school's computer time. The Computer Center Corporation's business was beginning to suffer due to the systems weak security and the frequency that it crashed. Impressed with Gates and the other Lakeside computer addicts' previous assaults on their computer, the Computer Center Corporation decided to hire the students to find bugs and expose weaknesses in the computer system. In return for the Lakeside Programming Group's help, the Computer Center Corporation would give them unlimited computer time [Wallace, 1992, p. 27]. The boys could not refuse. Gates is quoted as saying "It was when we got free time at C-cubed (Computer Center Corporation) that we really got into computers. I mean, then I became hardcore. It was day and night" [Wallace, 1992, p. 30]. Although the group was hired just to find bugs, they also read any computer related material that the day shift had left behind. The young ha©kers would even pick employees for new information. It was here that Gates and Allen really began to develop the talents that would lead to the formation of Microsoft seven years later.

Roots of Business Career -

Computer Center Corporation began to experience financial problems late in 1969. The Company finally went out of business in March of 1970. The Lakeside Programmers Group had to find a new way to get computer time. Eventually they found a few computers on the University of Washington's campus where Allen's dad worked. The Lakeside Programmers Group began searching for new chances to apply their computer skills.

Their first opportunity came early the next year when Information Sciences Inc. hired them to program a payroll program. Once again the group was given free computer time and for the first time, a source of income. ISI had agreed to give them royalties whenever it made money from any of the groups programs. As a result of the business deal signed with Information Sciences Inc., the group also had to become a legal business [Wallace, 1992, p. 42-43]. Gates and Allen's next project involved starting another company entirely on their own, Traf-O-Data. They produced a small computer which was used to help measure traffic flow. From the project they grossed around $20,000. The Traf-O-Data company lasted until Gates left for college.

During Bill Gates' junior year at Lakeside, the administration offered him a job computerizing the school's scheduling system. Gates asked Allen to help with the project. He agreed and the following summer, they wrote the program. In his senior year, Gates and Allen continued looking for opportunities to use their skills and make some money. It was not long until they found this opportunity. The defense contractor TRW was having trouble with a bug infested computer similar to the one at Computer Center Corporation. TRW had learned of the experience the two had working on the Computer Center Corporation's system and offered

Gates and Allen jobs. However thing would be different at TRW they would not be finding the bugs they would be in charge of fixing them. "It was at TRW that Gates began to develop as a serious programer," and it was there that Allen and Gates first started talking seriously about forming their own software company [Wallace, 1992, p. 49-51].

In the fall of 1973, Bill Gates left home for Harvard University [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. He had no idea what he wanted to study, so he enrolled as prelaw. Gates took the standard freshman courses with the exception of signing up for one of Harvard's toughest math courses. He did well but just as in high school, his heart was not in his studies. After locating the school's computer center, he lost himself in the world of computers once again. Gates would spend many long nights in front of the school's computer and the next days asleep in class. Paul Allen and Gates remained in close contact even with Bill away at school. They would often discuss ideas for future projects and the possibility of one day starting a business. At the end of Gates's first year at Harvard, the two decided that Allen should move closer to him so that they may be able to follow up on some of their ideas. That summer they both got jobs working for Honeywell [Wallace, 1992, p. 59]. As the summer dragged on, Allen began to push Bill harder with the idea that they should open a software company. Gates was still not sure enough to drop out of school. The following year, however, that would all change.

The Birth of Microsoft -

In December of 1974, Allen was on his way to visit Gates when along the way he stopped to browse the current magazines. What he saw changed his and Bill Gates's lives forever. On the cover of Popular Electronics was a picture of the Altair 8080 and the headline "World's First Microcomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models." He bought the issue and rushed over to Gates's dorm room. They both recognized this as their big opportunity. The two knew that the home computer market was about to explode and that someone would need to make software for the new machines. Within a few days, Gates had called MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), the makers of the Altair. He told the company that he and Allen had developed a BASIC that could be used on the Altair [Teamgates.com, 9/29/96]. This was a lie. They had not even written a line of code. They had neither an Altair nor the chip that ran the computer. The MITS company did not know this and was very interested in seeing their BASIC. So, Gates and Allen began working feverishly on the BASIC they had promised. The code for the program was left mostly up to Bill Gates while Paul Allen began working on a way to simulate the Altair with the schools PDP-10. Eight weeks later, the two felt their program was ready. Allen was to fly to MITS and show off their creation. The day after Allen arrived at MITS, it was time to test their BASIC. Entering the program into the company's Altair was the first time

Allen had ever touched one. If the Altair simulation he designed or any of Gates's code was faulty, the demonstration would most likely have ended in failure. This was not the case, and the program worked perfectly the first time [Wallace, 1992, p. 80]. MITS arranged a deal with Gates and Allen to buy the rights to their BASIC.[Teamgates.com, 9/29/96] Gates was convinced that the software market had been born. Within a year, Bill Gates had dropped out of Harvard and Microsoft was formed. by - John Mirick

• 1955 - William Henry Gates III is born on October 28th in Seattle, Washington. Popularly known as Bill Gates, his family called him "Trey" when he was little.
• 1967 - Bill enrolls in the Lakeside School in Seattle and met Paul Allen.
• 1969 - Bill and Paul (a.k.a "Lakeside Programming Group") reports bugs in exchange for computer time.
• 1972 - Bill and Paul forms Traf-O-Data and develops hardware/software to record highway traffic.
• 1973 - Bill Gates graduats from Lakeside High and enrolls in Harvard University, where he majors in pre-law.
• 1974 - Bill Gates and Paul Allen forms Micro-soft.
• 1975 - Bill and Paul writes the first computer language called BASIC and license it to MITS.
• 1976 - Bill writes software routines for BASIC on the Altair to use diskettes for storage. Gates writes his famous "Open Letter to Hobbyists", accusing them of software piracy. Bill Gates drops out of Harvard.
• 1977 - Bill Gates and Paul Allen officially registers a partnership, and Micro-soft becomes Microsoft.
• 1980 - Tim Paterson begans writing an OS for use on Seattle Computer Products' (SCP) 8086-based computer. IBM repesentatives meet Gates and Steve Ballmer to write the OS for their upcoming computer. They meet again and IBM showed the "Acorn" computer running on an 8-bit 8080 processor. Gates recommends the use of a 16-bit 8086 processor instead and promises an operating system. SCP ships QDOS 0.10 (Quick & Dirty Operating System). Paul Allen approachs SCP and purchased the rights to resell to an unnamed client for $50,000 - IBM. Microsoft propose to be in-charged of IBM's entire software development and convert DOS for IBM's PC.
• 1981 - Microsoft buys all the rights to SCP's DOS and renames it MS-DOS.
  IBM introduces its first desktop, Datamaster, which runs on the 16-bit 8086 CPU and Microsoft's MS-DOS.
• 1983 - Microsoft announces Windows 1.0.
• 1985 - Bill Gates gives keynote speech at Comdex. Microsoft releases Windows 1.0.
• 1986 - icrosoft is taken public at an IPO price of $21/share. Bill Gates became a billionaire at 31 years old - the yougest person to do so.
• 1990 - Microsoft releases Windows 3.0 and Microsoft's sales top $1 billion for the first time.
• 1994 - Bill Gates and Melinda French gets married in Hawaii on January 1st. Bill Gates becomes the richest person in America later in the year.
• 1995 - Microsoft releases Windows 95 and Bill Gates becomes the richest person in the world.
• 1996 - Jennifer Katherine Gates is born on April 26th.
• 1998 - Bill, Melinda and Jennifer move into their new multi-million dollar house in Medina, Washington. Microsoft releases Windows 98.
• 1999 - Bill's fortunes swell to $90 billion and maintains his position on Forbes list as the wealthiest person alive.
• 2000 - Microsoft releases Windows 2000 and Windows ME.
• 2001 - Microsoft releases Windows XP.
• 2002 - Stocks and lawsuits bring Gates' net worth down to $53 billion - still good enough for #1 on Forbes list.
• 2003 - Microsoft releases Windows Server 2003.
• 2004 - Microsoft announces a new OS, codenamed Longhorn.
• 2005 - Longhorn is officially named Windows Vista.
• 2006 - After numerous delays, Windows Vista is finally released to business users. Microsoft also RTMs Office 2007.
• 2007 - Bill Gates officiates the public release of Windows Vista in New York's Times Square at midnight on January 30th.

Attitude is everything

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it!

You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood."

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

He continued, "..the paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."


After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

10 tips to improve the way you speak English

0 tips to improve the way you speak English

Part I: Want to 'neutralise' your accent?

Many deserving candidates lose out on job opportunities because of their vernacular accent.

Yes, you can. All you need to do is train yourself to speak English as comfortably and perfectly as you speak your mother tongue.

How do you train yourself? By inculcating certain practices in your daily lifestyle. These will get you closer to sounding like a native English speaker and equip you with a global accent -- and you will speak not American or British English, but correct English.

This is the first step to learn any other accent, be it American or British or Australian.

Lisa Mojsin, head trainer, director and founder of the Accurate English Training Company in Los Angeles, offers these tips to help 'neutralise' your accent or rather do away with the local twang, as you speak.

i. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them.

When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.

ii. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.

If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you.

Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that everything you say be understood.

iii. Listen to the 'music' of English.

Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way of 'singing'.

iv. Use the dictionary.

Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.

v. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.

Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.

vi. Buy books on tape.

Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape.

vii. Pronounce the ending of each word.

Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.

viii. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.

Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.

ix. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.

Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.

x. Be patient.

You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.

Quick tips

Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the clarity of your speech.

~ Focus on removing the mother tongue influence and the 'Indianisms' that creep into your English conversations.

~ Watch the English news on television channels like Star World, CNN, BBC and English movies on Star Movies and HBO.

~ Listen to and sing English songs. We'd recommend Westlife, Robbie Williams, Abba, Skeeter Davis and Connie Francis among others.

Learn Twice as Much in Half the Time

Knowledge isn't power; competence is power. (James C. Georges)

Everyone learns differently, and learning from reading is not the ideal method of learning for all people. However, reading is one of the most cost-effective ways of learning. It also allows you to choose your own materials & learn at your own pace. Most big companies and their consultants love to brag about what they do ("it's good PR"). Therefore, if you know how to read, for the mere price of a book you can learn from the best practices of the world's leading companies and benchmark your own performance against the best in the world. So whether or not reading is your preferred style of learning, make sure you are continually developing your reading skills.

There are two approaches to learning from reading. The first is to read something over and over and over until it becomes part of the way you think and part of the way you see the world. At that point you will naturally & automatically begin using the new ideas because you now see the world in those terms. The second approach-described in the six steps below-is more strategic & efficient insofar as it allows you to customize your learning plan to your own learning needs (you can of course use both approaches simultaneously) :

Step 1: Read the book or article once to get a firm understanding of the central idea(s) and the way the author thinks-also to make sure the book is worthy of further investment of your time and effort.

Step 2: Read the book again to look for (and make note of) the most interesting or useful ideas. (When you get really good, you can combine steps 1 & 2 by marking the most interesting passages as you read.)

Step 3: Make a list of the most interesting or useful ideas, and prioritize them. Which ideas or skills will be most useful to your most important work objectives or career development goals? If you want, start with a few quick wins to generate some immediate results and build some momentum, and then tackle some more ambitious improvement projects.

Step 4: Take one or two of the most important ideas and map out a multi-step plan to test & implement the idea or learn the new skill. Make sure to use the new skills or test the ideas on your current projects whenever possible. Use the new ideas and new skills to help you tackle your critical business objectives and improve performance in your key result areas. Use the SMART goal format: your goal (or each step of your plan) should be Specific, Measurable (or observable), Achievable (challenging but realistic), Relevant (important), and Time-based (can set a deadline to it).

Step 5: Review your progress regularly (set deadlines or review dates), and readjust your goal or plan based on your progress, the situation, the reaction of others around you, etc.

Step 6: When you have been successful with your first project (i.e., when your first new idea has been successfully implemented, or your first new skill has become part of the way you do things), repeat Steps 4 & 5 with the next idea or two on your list of priorities. One good book can give you twenty ideas. As LeBoeuf says: "Choose only one new technique at a time and practice it for three weeks."
The six-step process above can be applied to many learning media: books, articles, videos, cassettes, workshops…

Summary: do one thing at a time; work on it until you've got it right; then move on to the next idea. Or in other words, set a goal; make a plan; review results; adjust plan… The "after action review" is a great tool to help you adjust & refine on the fly. As always, you get out of it what you put into it!