Computer Technology Support

Do you have a video game console in your home? If you do, no doubt your child has brought home a game from a friend, rented a game from the local video store or they are pressing you for a few bucks to buy one at the store. How do you know if the game is suitable for your family? A quick glance at the video game ratings on the boxes can be a big help.

The ESRB or Entertainment Software Ratings Board was founded in the mid 90’s to help guide users by assigning content ratings to computer and video games.

Video game ratings have two different aspects to them, an age rating which is listed on the front and a content description that is listed on the back.

There are six age ratings symbols that could be listed on the front. The following is a listing of the different age ratings.

EC (Early Childhood) - Games with this rating are intended for ages 3 and older and do not contain inappropriate material.

E (Everyone) - Games with this rating are intended for ages 6 and older and may contain minimal cartoon or mild violence or may contain very small amounts of mild language.

E10 (Everyone 10 and older) - Games with this rating have content suitable for those 10 and older and may contain mild violence, mild language or some suggestive themes.

T (Teen) - Games with this rating are intended for ages 13 and older due to violence, suggestive themes, minimal amounts of blood or some strong language.

M (Mature) - Games with this rating have content suitable for those 17 years of age or older due to intense violence, blood, sexual content and/or strong language.

AO (Adults Only) - Games with this rating are only intended for those 18 years of age and older due to prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

If you see a game with an RP it stands for Rating Pending and the game is waiting for a final rating prior to the games release.

In addition to the age appropriate ratings on the front of the box, there is a content description on the back of the box. There are over 30 content descriptions to help you determine what your child is being exposed to. Some example descriptions are Blood, Comic Mischief, Edutainment, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Real Gambling, and Use of Drugs.

It is important to note that even though a game receives a rating, that rating is for single player gaming. One of the more attractive aspects of today’s video games is the ability to play them online with others from all over the world. Many games allow use of a headset or even a video camera. Whenever you play a video game online (just like when you play a group game at school or a board game at a party) your child may be subjected to things out of your control such as inappropriate language.

As a parent, video game ratings can be a great help to you, however it is important to not just rely on ratings on the side of the box. Also make sure to spend time watching or better yet playing the game with your child or participating in an online game to better determine what is appropriate for your child.

For more familyhometheaterguide.com/Video_gaming_guide_for_parents.html familyhometheaterguide.com/Video_gaming_guide_for_parents.html

The Family Home Theater Guide is an informative guide to home theater, with a particular emphasis on family entertainment. Jared has a wife and three children that love to experience the magic of the big screen in the comfort of their own home.

Mechanical energy is an area of science that is making strides every day. The study of how actuators produce mechanical motion by converting various forms of energy into mechanical energy is a source of great exploration. Science finds new ways to make use of actuators every day including for medical purposes. Many scientists believe that the more they study these seemingly simple machines, the more they will discover ways of helping mankind.

The way in which a linear actuator works is that there is a motor that rotates a drive screw using a synchronous timing belt drive. Some linear actuators can also use a worm gear drive or direct drive. Which ever the choice, the turning of the screw pushes a drive nut along the screw, which in turn pushes the rod out and the rotating the screw in the opposite direction will retract the rod. According to the Association of Sciences, the drive screw is either an ACME or ball thread or is belt-driven which is what gives the machine its motion. A cover tube protects the screw nut from environmental elements and contamination thus allowing for the machines use continually without the chance of it getting gummed up. Radial thrust bearings permit the screw to rotate freely under loaded conditions and gives the linear actuator its strength.

Linear actuators usually serve as part of motion control systems. These days most are run by computers. Control systems, a device that you find linear actuators in, move or control objects. This is made possible by the actuators.

There are various forms of energy that run actuators. These forms of energy include, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical and electrical. Linear actuators are used a lot in robotics and factory automation.

Linear motion is when an object moves in a straight line. This is the basic concept that drives the linear actuator. One has to stop and consider when choosing a linear actuator which type they need to fit the purpose of their project. Some things to keep in mind are the speed, stroke length and load rating of the actuator. Programmability of the actuator is also a factor especially when the application will be one that requires specialized detail. A linear actuator can be used in just about any forum. Ask yourself some questions when attempting to choose the right one for your project such as are there particular safety mechanisms required, environmental concerns to be addressed or space issues?

Oh my… I can see the rotten tomatoes flying my way already. But I have a confession to make. I’ve tried Firefox on numerous occasions but I’m sticking with Internet Explorer, at least for now…

“I Use Internet Explorer, And I Feel Fine!”

Why? There are a bunch of reasons. First off, I’m just not convinced that Firefox is any guarantee of better online safety. Sure, there have been some nasty bugs in Explorer, but if you run Windows Update on autopilot, along with up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software, there are no serious exposures that I’m aware of.

And Firefox has not proven to be immune to security breaches. If you’re not running the very latest version, you could be at risk. As Firefox grows in popularity, it will become a more interesting target for hackers and crackers. In other words, as more people begin to use Firefox, there will be more security bugs uncovered.

RELATED NEWS: hotnews360.com/computer-security-news.html hotnews360.com/computer-security-news.html

Another biggie: There is no way to combine toolbars. With IE, one can conserve screen real estate by putting two more more toolbars on a single line. In Firefox, toolbars that only consume a portion of a line have to be there all alone. It’s a waste of screen space.

I also am annoyed that the fonts display differently on Firefox. Come on… Arial 11-pt should look the same no matter what program is running. And CSS elements just don’t render correctly in some cases. Oh, I hear the shrill cries. “But Firefox is 100% CSS compliant! It’s IE that has all the CSS bugs.” Sorry, do a little searching and you’ll see there are plenty of CSS rendering (not compliance) anomalies on both sides of the browser fence.

I’ve also had numerous problems installing plugins. Firefox keeps telling me to install Internet Explorer, the Windows Media Player and other stuff I already have, just to make some silly plugin work. (And ummm, isn’t the whole idea of using Firefox to GET AWAY from Explorer?) And then there’s the “Firefox uses 100% of the CPU” problem, which remains unsolved.

By all means, give Firefox a try, if only to prove to yourself that you can live without Microsoft owning everything on your desktop. I don’t deny that Firefox is an excellent browser, and it has some cool features like tabbed browsing that you may love. And I’ll admit that it may be a better choice for some users. For not me, at least not yet. If it’s any consolation, I did switch from Outlook Express to Thunderbird.

BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the LowfatLinux.com LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and AskBobRankin.com free tech support.