Wedding Toasts: Only 3 Words Matter

A wedding toast can be a scary thing, especially if you aren't used to standing up and talking in front of large groups of people.

To make matters worse, you will probably be delivering your wedding toast when you are tired and you might have had a little too much to drink.

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Add this to the fact that the video camera is going to be zoomed in to catch every facial expression and every syllable you say and you've got one tough situation to deal with.

So how can you make sure your wedding toast will be one that will enhance the entire wedding experience and not make you look foolish? Three words are the answer:

Research, Preparation and Practice

Research - This means you need to check out many other toasts so you can pick something that matches your sentiments for the bride and groom.

Preparation - This is where you adapt a stock toast and personalize it for your bride and groom, parents, grandparents or whomever you want to honor.

Practice - This is the part where most people slack off. Your lips don't always go where your mind tells them and you certainly don't want to flub this up.

Plan in advance as far as you can and don't skip any of the above steps.

You'll rarely be the hit of a wedding because of your wedding toast and rightfully so. The bride and groom are the stars. But, poor preparation of your wedding toast certainly could make you the laughing stock.

Remember, you are going to perform your wedding speech live, but you'll be on video forever. Take the time to prepare.

Wedding Toasts: Only 3 Words Matter

Counter Intelligence: Accurate Words to Describe Our Dealings with Islamic Terrorists!

Introduction:

Although politicians and so-called "Intelligence Experts" are the ones appearing on TV, discussing and relaying the news on the War or Terror, they are far from the ones who actually have anything to do with the war on terror. As in the past so it is today, the real planning in the war on terror goes on in covert ops-rooms by the real "Spooks" from the three letter agencies: CIA, MIA, ISI, MI-5, MI-6, GRU and the FSB, just to name a few of the major players.

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The sad truth is that these spook agencies are in the large, responsible for the effectiveness' of the major Islamic terrorist groups. The tactical planning, the CQB skills and the weapon and explosive knowledge of these Islamic terrorists, are largely courtesy of the spook agencies.

I am not arguing that the spook agencies are directly responsible for the terrorist acts, carried out by these Islamic terror groups. But that with a bit of common sense and forward planning, they should have realized the future evils they where helping to create. Old wisdom say it all, "When you lie with dogs, you get fleas" translated into modern languages that even a mission-oriented spook should be able to understand, the old wisdom says "When you train terrorists, innocent civilians get killed"

Afghanistan:
Prior to and during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, the US spook agencies saw in their infinite wisdom the Mujahadeen, as a means to an end. The support of the Mujahadeen forces were initiated by the Carter administration, prior to the Soviet invasion and was increased by the Reagan administration. During both administrations, intelligence agents from the CIA and MIA went to Afghanistan by way of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, to make secret contributions in forms of funds, weapons and training to the Afghani resistance fighters.

The strategic plan was to stir up a rebellion against the Afghan government, which would result in the influx of Soviet troops. After the "Soviet Invasion" the purpose was to help the Afghani resistance fighting the Soviet forces. The objective of the plan was to ensure that the occupation would be very costly, for the Soviet army in funds and life's. This wisdom of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" was arguably not a new idea as it has been an ideology of warfare, from the dawn of time. Training and supporting your enemies enemy, was the big thing during the cold war, from Asia to Africa, from the Middle East to South America, is was the tactic favoured by the Super Powers, their allies and their foes.

However, the Intelligence agents were soon to discover that, the Afghanis where in general a untrustworthy ally, who would only follow a set plan as long as they did not have other plans on the sideline. Unfortunately, they always had plans on the side which had a tendency to become the most important plan, plans that at least most of the time came ahead of fighting the Russians. Inter-Tribal feuds where constantly flaring, this in turn led to an unstable situation where military and political alliances changed faster than a "prostitute" did sheets.

This is where the "spooks" came up with a solution which still haunts us today, they decided to direct the Pakistani ISI, to focus most of their training and supplies on the Arab Mujahadeen or jihadist's, who had more zeal for the fight against the Russians.

The Afghan warlords continued to receive the majority of the cash flowing from the spook agencies, but it was the radical Islamic Arabs that got the real training and in return they delivered. The mighty Red Army was forced to retreat in shame and defeat. Russia had met its Afghanistan, as Napoleon had met his Waterloo and the US had met its Vietnam; the spooks of the west had won the decade.

The Spooks success caused a stir in the Soviet "Empire of Evil", within a few years the Soviet Empire where defeated by stratagem and replaced by a "democratic" Russia. So one might say we owe the spooks congratulations on such a worthy contribution to human history. Had it not been for the minor fact, that the CIA/ISI trained Mujahadeen turned into the infamous terror groups, associated with Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda Group.

The Al Qaeda group has in its relatively short terrorist lifespan, turned into the "Olympic Champion" of terror. The Al Qaeda group has staged very few attacks compared to other known terrorist groups, however Al Qaeda has blown the scale when it comes to fatalities and injures caused by terrorist attacks. From January 1998 to December 2003, Al Qaeda only caused a measly 0,1% of all terrorist incidents, grotesquely though the 0,1% of attacks caused 29% of the fatalities and 22% of the injuries inflicted by all terrorist acts in the same time span!

Chechnya:
One would think that Russia's experience in the Soviet-Afghan war, would have taught it that radical Islamic fighters are neither just the enemy of your enemy, but also your enemy. However the GRU (Russia's military intelligence unit) fell prey to the same short sightedness as the CIA did, in 1994 they trained and funded mercenaries to fight in Abkhazia, among them where a number of militant Islamic Chechens. The purpose of the clandestine operation were to destabilize the Abkhazian region, in order to weaken the Government of Georgia who sought total separation from Russia. Among those militants were Shamil Basayev, a name the Russians will never again forget although they are more than willing to forget that they trained him.

Shamil Basayev started his guerrilla/terrorist campaign in 1991, when he masterminded the hijacking of a passenger plane from the town of Mineralnye Vody, the plane was flown to Turkey where the hostages where freed. An agreement ensured the Chechens free passage back to Chechnya. Bolstered by his hijacking success Basayev started his guerrilla campaign, gaining combat experience by fighting in the regions many conflicts with the Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh, against the Georgians in Abkhazia and against the Russians in Chechnya. In between the fighting,Basayev received training in terrorist camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

However, Basayevs real terror campaign began with the 1995, attack at the Budennovsk militia headquarters which evolved into the hospital siege. Shamil Basayev appears to be the mastermind behind all of the major Chechen terrorist attacks, carried out since 1995. His network of guerrilla/terrorist groups has several names, the Abkhaz battalion, Sword of Islam, Movsar Barayev Gang and Riyadh-as-Saliheen, the latter being the most notorious group. Since 1995, the network has carried out at least 13 successful terrorist attacks which has caused ca. 949 fatalities and injured a minimum of 1147. This is an enormously high fatality and injury rate for a single terrorist network.

The Shamil Basayev terrorist network has proven itself far more efficient and deadly, than other well-known terrorist groups, such as FARC, HAMAS and ETA. Although the Shamil Basayev network has not yet reached the horrific scale of the Al Qaeda attacks, the future may prove to be different.

Osama Bin Laden and Shamil Basayev are both Islamic militants, who not only fight with a religious zeal but also with sound tactics, learned through training provided by the CIA and GRU. These tactics combined with actual combat experience, has made a mock of the best of both US and Russia's elite forces. It is a tragic irony that these two most infamous terrorists where in part created by the superpowers, who now find them as their fiercest enemies. Mockingly, both carry out their operations dressed in US military uniforms and using Russian assault rifles as their primary weapons.

Guantanamo:
Lately, the US has been releasing several enemy combatants from the Guantanamo prisoner camp, this has been done due to mounting international pressure, to either convict or release the prisoners, of the original 680 enemy combatants who were brought to Guantanamo, only 4 have been charged so far. However, the choice of which prisoners to release clearly remains with the CIA and MIA, who are in charge of the investigations and interrogations. As in the past so in the present, the three-letter agencies seems incapable of understanding the absolute commitment to jihad, by the Islamic militants.

Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane, a half Danish, half-Algerian enemy combatant who was caught on the Afghan Pakistani border, was recently released from the Guantanamo camp. He had no sooner arrived in Denmark before he publicly stated that the Danish government where a legitimate target of Islamic terrorism, due to the Danish involvement in the war in Iraq. Subsequently, he publicly stated that the US "can use [my promise not to engage in warfare] as toilet paper." He next stated that he intends to continue Jihad by joining the Chechen militants in their fight against the Russian military.

Abdullah Mahsud, a Pakistani enemy combatant caught in Afghanistan, were also recently released from the Guantanamo camp. As soon as he arrived in the Waziristan region in Pakistan, he immediately reconfirmed his commitment to Jihad and met with his former Taliban allies, he planned and carried out a kidnapping of two Chinese engineers. The subsequent attempt by the Pakistani Special Forces to free the hostages, resulted in the death of one of the hostages and five of the kidnappers. Abdullah Mahsud, however managed to escape and is wanted by the Pakistani forces, obviously for more than just neglecting to keep his promise,to the US of not "to engage in warfare", hopefully a promise to not engage in terrorism was also included in his release conditions.

Conclusions:
The real problem with making agreements with Islamic militants is that they are devout Muslims, who have dedicated their life to Jihad which brings us to a problem, that the Israelis knows only to well. A Muslim does not have to honour his word, or even his signature as Muslims are permitted to lie to non-Muslims and break agreements with them, under the Koranic law of Hudaibiya.

The four examples of Osama Bin Laden, Shamil Basayev, Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane and Abdullah Mahsud should prove beyond doubt that, the consequences of dealing and negotiating with Islamic militants committed to Jihad, is not only foolish but also outright disastrous. For decades the Official stance by western Governments regarding terrorism, has been a firm strategy of "No negotiations with terrorists", a controversial strategy but clearly it is about time that someone explained to the Spook Agencies, that no negotiations also means no funds, weapons and training. They should also be reminded that the end does not justify the means.

When it comes to dealing with Islamic guerrillas and terrorists, the so-called counter intelligence operations undertaken during the last three decades, by the three-letter intelligence agencies have proven to be anything but intelligent, with hindsight these operations have proved to be absolutely "Counter Intelligent".

Counter Intelligence: Accurate Words to Describe Our Dealings with Islamic Terrorists!

Studying Common Japanese Words to Gain Fluency

Whether you are planning to work and live in Japan and are studying the Japanese language to gain fluency or just want to learn a few Japanese words to help you get around when you visit on vacation, the best place to start is learning the most common Japanese words and phrases.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of Japanese words that make up the Japanese language. However, it is only a very small percentage of these words that are used in everyday speech. In fact, it is an even smaller percentage that makes up the most commonly used Japanese words.

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The 20/80 rules states that only 20% of your actions will make up 80% of your results. This also works with languages. Only 20% of Japanese words will make up about 80% of the Japanese speech. This rule or concept makes learning a language seem much more obtainable. It may sound odd, but it really does work. If you think about your native language you will be surprised to find out that the majority of speech comes from reusing and remixing a small number of common words and phrases. Just as an example, imagine that there are a thousand words used in everyday speech. Using the 20/80 rule would mean that if you learned the most common 200 words (20%) then you would understand about 80% of everyday speech. Now this estimate of the number of words is a little low. However, if you learned a few hundred of the most common words in any language, it will give you a great head start and even allow you to communicate in basic conversation.

So how do you decide what are the right Japanese words to study? Probably the most important aspect of studying any language is to choose the right materials. This is especially true for the Japanese language because there are a lot of books and programs which contain outdated phrases and rare and unused words. Before joining a class, choosing an audio program, or purchasing books, it is very important to properly evaluate them.

Since your goal is more than likely to speak Japanese, you should focus on materials that cover the most common Japanese words and phrases used in everyday speech. If you are choosing a book then look through it and make sure that the words phrases sound similar to words and phrases that you would use in your own language. The phrase "I am a girl" (a common sentence to used for Japanese people learning English) helps to teach a sentence structure and words, but it is very unlikely you will ever use it to communicate. Stay away from materials containing these types of unuseful phrases. The best method is to get someone who is a native speaker to evaluate the materials. They will be able to tell right away if the words and phrases are outdated. The same thing goes for audio programs and computer programs. If at all possible try to get a demo version to evaluate before purchasing the full program.

Learning a language does take some time and requires some work, but offers some great rewards. Using the above methods will help save you a lot of wasted study time and learn the Japanese language much quicker. Ganbare!

Studying Common Japanese Words to Gain Fluency

The 15 Most Persuasive Words

You don't have to read a newspaper or watch TV for long to realise that there are certain key words that appeal to anyone. Some of these words are so effective that even when companies or salespeople overuse them, people still respond to them postively.

Advertisers are the jedi in this field. They've know for years how words can motivate, bring back memories, evoke deep feelings. They know which words to use to persuade, entice, cajole, entertain, and in the most honorable circumstances, educate. The fact is words can make people look at things in new ways and perhaps try things they've never tried before.

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The 15 word list below represents hours of effort and research studies. Over and over these words find new audiences or retain old ones. Remember them when you sell. Make these words part of your presentations, telephone calls or via written correspondance. These universal key words will evoke the same deep feelings toward your product as advertisers have been evoking so expertly for decades.

1. Discover
Like the credit card of the same name, this word generates interest, evokes a feeling of opportunity and suggests a better life. Tell a client that they will discover something and they'll feel the same.

2. Good
Good is not a high torque word, but therein lies its success. It evokes stability and security. If its good its not bad and everybody wants to buy or be associated with something good.

3. Money
Money, money, money, money....MONEY! Few people feel they have enough. Everybody wants more.

4. Easy
People want simplicity, and for things to happen easier. If a product or service can make something easier, they'll be more apt to buy it.

5. Guaranteed
Human beings fear risk. If they know that if the product doesn't work out, that they can get there money back, the risk goes away.

6. Health
If a product promotes financial, emotional or physical health, it offers a big plus. To many people this is even more important than money.

7. Love
Many companies make enormous amounts of money selling love. Whether its a dating service or vacations for singles, love is always a prime selling hook.

8. New
If its new, it must be better. Its a tried and tested concept that seems to be part of the the mystique in the western world. New is cutting edge and can even make something old fashioned, brand new.

9. Proven
New is good but reliability is good also. We want something that has been tested and proven not to be harmful in any way. We don't want something we'll doubt will work.

10. Results
Although we may mouth the words, underneath we don't care about trying hard and putting forth our best efforts if we don't see results. We want to know exactly what we're getting for our money.

11. Safe
A parallel of health. We value our lives, and if a product is safe, or it makes our assets safe, we trust it more.

12. Save
Saving money is almost as important as making money. Saving is better than spending.

13. Own
We all like to own things. Owning is better than buying, because it implies possession rather than spending. When presenting a product, talk about owning it not buying it.

14. Free
The big daddy of persuasion. We say you can't get nothing for free, but we don't believe it. Count today how many times you'll see the word free on junk mail, advertising, magazines or on TV or internet.'Free' is an instant eye catcher, and if you can point out to a customer that they'll something for nothing, you'll have their immediate attention.

15. Best
If you know that a product has been shown to be the best in some way, shape or form let your customer know about it. Possessing something proven to be the best exerts a very powerful pull.

The 15 Most Persuasive Words

Microsoft Word - How Good Is It?

Microsoft Word is the most premier word-processing software available. It is a part of Microsoft Office, an office suite of applications. Microsoft Word is a powerful tool that creates professional looking documents. It is able to create complex layouts for brochures or newsletters that print great to your desktop printer but it is not a true desktop publishing program. Microsoft Word is currently the most common word processor on the market. Many times, it is used to create a file that will eventually exist in another format.

Document

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You can also create web documents using Word. There is a tools menu that will check spelling and grammar in the active document for possible spelling, grammar, and writing style errors, and displays suggestions for correcting them. It can be used for complex documents normally designed in a dedicated page layout program. This easy-to-use software, allows business people to compose their thoughts in a fairly decent looking documents, complete with formatting and pictures. When Word is opened, a new blank document should automatically open. If not, then you can begin a new blank document in another way. First, find the "New Blank Document" icon, which looks like a blank sheet of paper, located underneath the menu bar in word in the standard toolbar. " Click on the icon to bring up a new blank document. To begin typing, just click the cursor anywhere within the new blank document.

Microsoft

The toolbars in Microsoft Word provide easy access to the user. To create a document based on one of the templates provided, select which one you would like to create and select OK. There are other services that will work with your Microsoft Word files, but in most cases Word documents are most suited to desktop printing or photo copying, and not for full-color or high-volume commercial printing. You can use the original Word file or save a Word document as a PDF or HTML file. If you export the Word document to another format, ensure it is accessible as well. There is only a very small number of programs that can save Word documents as properly tagged PDF files. If you use another program to save a Word document as a PDF file, do not be surprised if the exported PDF is not accessible to screen reader users. A document with complex tables or forms will probably need to have the tagging process completed in Acrobat. It is possible to convert a Word document into a properly tagged PDF if you can verify the following. The Word document has been appropriately tagged.

Microsoft Word - How Good Is It?

Word Games For Adults

Are you one spelling phobiac or a one who would enjoy using new words learnt or have a knack of picking up wordy words to enhance your vocabulary power? Either yes or a no to the question, you must/will love engage yourself in playing word games. There are several levels of word games and those that are word games for adults can really be of great help to boost your language skill and can be fun to play as well. For people who enjoy challenging their brains with newer information and thoughts, word games for adults can be the perfect choice.

Our brains can degenerate if not kept stimulated. It has been found that human brain fails to assimilate more and complex information, if not kept in use. To keep brain sharp and active, it needs to be challenged. Playing brain games help all to keep brain healthy with minimum investment.

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Traditional word games that are most popular are scrabble and solving different levels of crossword puzzles. These games have been pioneer in boosting your intelligence and to have a command over your vocabulary. Apart from these age old games, the gaming industry are in constant search to innovate games that would help people of all ages and can be played anywhere. With advanced technology and people turning to be netizens, word games for adults are so designed and formatted that it can be downloaded to your laptops, mobile phones and even in play stations. All you need to do is to play them anytime and anywhere.

One of the popular online word games for adults is Word Bubbles. By playing this game one can become more articulate and can develop greater verbal fluency. In this game you will be given a 3 letter string and you need to guess words that you can create beginning with those three letters. The length of the word will determine which numbered bubbles will go up on the screen. To make the bubble go absolutely out of water, you need to make three words of same length. So within a given time you need to complete as many words as possible.

Word games for adults can be great fun to play even when you are with a group of friends. Playing such games help improve your information processing capacity as well. Improved communication is an added benefit.

If you wish to connect with words and be the first to express your wit and intelligence with verbal fluency, do play the games and watch the difference.

Word Games For Adults

The Evolution of Word Wide Web - WWW

Introduction

World Wide Web (WWW) is the system of interlinked hypertext documents containing text, images, audio, videos, animation and more. User can view and navigate through these documents using hyperlinks or navigation elements which have references to another document or to the section of the same document. In a broader sense "The World Wide Web is the universe of network-accessible information, an embodiment of human knowledge."

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History of World Wide Web

WWW was first proposed in 1990 by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau while working at the CERN, the European Council for Nuclear Research. Both of them came out with their individual proposal for Hypertext systems and later on they united and offered joint proposal. The term "Word Wide Web" was first introduced in that joint proposal. The history of every invention has lot of pre-history. Similarly the World Wide Web has also lot of pre-historical gradual development of hypertext system and internet protocols which made the WWW possible. The gradual development started in the early 1945, with the development of Memex, a device based on microfilms for storing huge amount of documents and facilitating organizing those documents. Later in 1968 "Hypertext" was introduced, which made linking and organization of documents fairly easy. In 1972 DARPA (Defense Advance Research Project Agency), started project that connect all research centers to facilitate data exchange which later adopted for military information exchange. In 1979 SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) was invented to enable sharing of documents for large government project by separating content from the presentation and thereby enabling same document to be rendered in different ways. In 1989 Tim Berners-lee came out with Networked Hypertext system form CERN Laboratory. In 1990, joint proposal for hyper text system was presented and the term "World Wide Web" first introduced. In 1992 first portable browser was released by CERN, and that had picked up industry interest in internet development. Today web is so much popularized and has grown to be so invaded in to our lives; it becomes almost impossible to imagine the World without web.

Web Evolution - What and How?

Each technology has certain distinguished characteristics and features. Similarly web has certain features such as data, services, mess-up, APIs, social platform and more. These features are continuously and progressively evolving in distinct stages with qualitative improvements over the existing. Web evolution is categorized and hyped with some fancy marketing terms like "Web 1.0", "Web 2.0", "Social Web", "Web 3.0", "Pragmatic Semantic Web", "Pragmatic Web" and many more.

Yihong Ding, PHD candidate at Brigham Young University, in his article on "Evolution of Web" explained the development of Web by analogically comparing it with the human growth. Yihong Ding stated "The relationship between web pages and their webmasters is similar to the relationship between children and their parents. As well as parents raise their children, webmasters maintain and update their web pages. Human children have their normal stages of development, such as the newborn stage, pre-school stage, elementary-school stage, teenage stage, and so on. Analogically, web has its generations, such as Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and so on."

Along with technological advancement web design also changed over the period of time. Initial design was simple hypertext read only system which allowed users to read the information. User was just a viewer of what is presented on the web. Gradually images and tables added with evolution of HTML and web browsers, which allowed making better design. Development of photo-editing tools, web authoring tools and content management tools enabled designer to begin creating visually appealing website design layouts. In the next phase of development, web design changed with the change in usability and the focus is diverted on the users rather than the content of the website. User interaction and social touch is applied to the web design. Now user is not just a viewer. User can drive the web with feedback, information sharing, rating and personalization. Gradually we got the mature blend of function, form, content and interaction, called Read/Write Web. Continuing this evolution, meaning is added to the information presented on the web so that online virtual representatives of human can able to read and interprets the presented information. This kind of web where user agent imitating human behavior, can read and understand the information using artificial intelligence is called semantic web.

Web 1. 0 (Read Only Web)

World Wide Web is evolved in stages. First stage was the basic "Read Only" hypertext system also termed as Web 1.0 since the hype of Web 2.0. In fact in the original proposed web model, Tim Berners-Lee envisioned web as the Read/Write Model with HTTP PUT and HTTP DELETE method. These methods were almost never used just because of security reasons.

Some of the Characteristics of Web 1.0

1. In Web 1.0 web master is constantly engaged with responsibility of managing the content and keeps user updating. Majority of hyperlinks to the contents are manually assigned by the web master.

2. Web 1.0 does not support mass-publishing. The content on the website is published by the web master and thereby does not leverage the collective intelligence of users.

3. Web 1.0 uses basic hyper text mark up language for publishing content on the internet.

4. Web 1.0 pages do not support machine readable content. Only human who are web readers can understand the content.

5. Web 1.0 provides contact information (email, phone number, fax or address) for communication. Users have to use the off-line world for further communication with this contact information.

6. In Web 1.0, web pages are designed to react instinctively based on the programmed condition. Specific result or response is generated when the programmed condition is satisfied. Web 1.0 model does not understand remote request and can not prepare response for potential request in advance. To clearly understand above characteristics of web 1.0, Yihong Ding in his article on "Evolution of World Wide Web" has analogically correlated World of Web 1.0 with the world of a Newborn baby.

Newborn Baby : I have parents

Web-1.0 Page : Webmasters

Newborn Baby : Watch me, but I won't explain

Web-1.0 Page : Humans understand, machines don't

Newborn Baby : Talk to my parents if you want to discuss about me

Web-1.0 Page : Contact information (email, phone number, fax, address, ...)

Newborn Baby : My parents decide who my friends are. Actually, I don't care

Web-1.0 Page : Manually specified web links

Newborn Baby : Hug me, I smile; hit me, I cry (conditional reflex)

Web-1.0 Page : Reactive functions on web pages

Source: Analogy from the Article by Yihong Ding from http://www.deg.byu.edu/ding/WebEvolution/evolution-review.html#w1:1 "The web 1.0 pages are only babies.

Web 2. 0 (Read Write Web)

"Web 2.0 is the understanding that the network is the platform and on the network is platform roles for the business is different. And the cardinal role is user adds value. And figuring out how to built database and things to get better so that more people use that and it's the secret of web 2.0.

Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform."[4]

In Web 2.0 the idea of Consumer (Users) and Producer (Web Master) is dissolving. Web 2.o is more about communications and user interactions. Web 2.0 is all about participation. "Content is the King" often cited quote during early web 1.0 days, is now turned in to "User is the King" in Web 2.0. In web 2.0 users communicates through blogging, wikis and social networking websites. Everything on the web is tagged, to facilitate easy and quick navigation. Web 2.0 is also about combining it all in one single page by means of tagging and AJAX with better usability via lots of white space, and a cleaner layout. The API ability makes it possible for programmers to mash up data feeds and databases to cross reference information from multiple sources in one page. In contrast with web 1.0, web 2.0 has collective intelligence of millions of users.

Web 2.0 is all about improved version of World Wide Web with changing role and evolving business model where users learned to communicate with the other users instead of just communicating with the publisher of the content.

Some of the Characteristics of Web 2.0

1. Web 2.0 is the second version of Web providing RIA (Rich Internet Application) by bringing in the desktop experience such as "Drag and Drop" on the webpage in browser.

2. SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) is the key piece in Web 2.0. Buzzwords around SOA are Feeds, RSS, web services and mash up, which defines how Web 2.0 application exposes functionality so that other applications can leverage and integrate those functionalities providing much richer set of applications.

3. Web 2.0 is the Social web. Web 2.0 Application tends to interact much more with the end user. End users are not only the users of the application but also the participants whether by tagging the content, whether he is contributing to the wiki or doing podcast for blogging. Due to the Social nature of application end user is the interval part of the data for the application, proving feedbacks and allowing application to leverage that user going to use it.

4. In Web 2.0 philosophy and strategy is that "The Web is open". Content is available to be moved and changed by any user. Web site content is not controlled by the people who made the web site but by the user who are using the web site.

5. In Web 2.0 Data is the driving force. Users are spending much more time online and started generating content in their passive time. Web 2.0 requires some of the key technologies to be used in the development of web pages. One of the important technologies is the AJAX which supports development of rich user experience.

6. Web 2.0 websites typically include some of the following key technologies.

- RSS (Really Simple Syndication), which allows users to syndicate, aggregate and to set up the notification of the data using feeds.

- Mashups, which makes it possible to merge the content from different sources, allowing new form of reusing of the information via public interface or APIs.

- Wikis and Forums to support user generated content.

- Tagging, which allows users to specify and attach human readable keyword to web resource.

- AJAX - Asynchronous Java Script and XML, which is the web development technique, allowing exchange of interactive data behind the scene without reloading the web page.

To clearly understand above characteristics of web 2.0, Yihong Ding in his article on "Evolution of World Wide Web" has analogically correlated World of Web 2.0 with the world of a Pre-School Kid.

Pre-School Kid : I have parents

Web-2.0 Page : Webmasters (blog owners)

Pre-School Kid : Parents teach me knowledge (though often not well organized)

Web-2.0 Page : Tagging

Pre-School Kid : I understand but maybe imprecise and incorrect

Web-2.0 Page : Folksonomy

Pre-School Kid : I can deliver and distribute messages, especially for my parents

Web-2.0 Page : Blogging technology

Pre-School Kid : Who my friends are is primarily determined by my parents' social activities and their teaching

Web-2.0 Page : Social network

Pre-School Kid : Multiple of us can be coordinated to do something beyond individual's capabilities

Web-2.0 Page : Web widget, mashup

Pre-School Kid : I can do suggestion based on my communication with friends

Web-2.0 Page : Collective intelligence

Following table distinguish the difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0

Web 1.0 is about : Reading

Web 2.0 is about : Reading /Writing

Web 1.0 is about : Publishing

Web 2.0 is about : Feedbacks, Reviews, Personalization

Web 1.0 is about : Linking Content using Hyperlinks

Web 2.0 is about : mashup

Web 1.0 is about : Companies

Web 2.0 is about : CommunityCommunity

Web 1.0 is about : Client-Server

Web 2.0 is about : Peer to Peer

Web 1.0 is about : HTML

Web 2.0 is about : XML

Web 1.0 is about : Home Pages

Web 2.0 is about : Blogs and Wikis

Web 1.0 is about : Portals

Web 2.0 is about : RSS

Web 1.0 is about : Taxonomy

Web 2.0 is about : Tags

Web 1.0 is about : Owning

Web 2.0 is about : Sharing

Web 1.0 is about : Web form

Web 2.0 is about : Web Application

Web 1.0 is about : Hardware Cost

Web 2.0 is about : Bandwidth Cost

Web 3. 0 (Semantic Web)

Web is no longer linking and tagging of information and resources. With the advent of semantic web concept, special information is attached to the resources or information so that machine can understand and read just like human.

Timer Berner Lee envisioned

"I have a dream for the Web [in which computers] become capable of analyzing all the data on the Web - the content, links, and transactions between people and computers. A 'Semantic Web', which should make this possible, has yet to emerge, but when it does, the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy and our daily lives will be handled by machines talking to machines. The 'intelligent agents' people have touted for ages will finally materialize."

Semantic Web has derived from his vision of web as the universal medium for exchange of data, information and knowledge. Web 3.0 or Semantic Web is an Executable Phase of Web Development where dynamic applications provides interactive services and facilitates machine to machine interaction. Tim Berner Lee has further stated

"People keep asking what Web 3.0 is. I think maybe when you've got an overlay of scalable vector graphics - everything rippling and folding and looking misty - on Web 2.0 and access to a semantic Web integrated across a huge space of data, you'll have access to an unbelievable data resource." Semantic web is the an extension of World Wide Web in which web content is expressed in machine readable language, not just in nature language, so that user agents can read, process and understand the content using artificial intelligence imitating human behavior. In other words Semantic Web is an extension of the web where content expressed can be processed independently by intelligent software agents.

There can be several agents one can program within the context of vocabulary of the vertical domain.

For example

"Travel Agent", who keep searching chipset air tickets based on your criteria and notify you when it gets the perfect one.

"Personal Shopper Agent", who keeps looking for the specific product on the eBay and get it for you once it finds the one that match with all of your criterions.

Similarly we can have "Real Estate Agent", "Personal Financial Advisor Agent" and many more.

All user is doing is just creating their personal agent which talks with the web services which are exposed publicly and there by taking care of lots of repetitive tasks.

Precisely Web 3.0 = Every human + Every device + Every Information

Characteristics of Semantic Web

1. Unlike database driven websites, In Semantic Web database is not centralized.

2. Semantic Web is the Open System where schema is not fixed as it may take any arbitrary source of data.

3. Semantic Web requires using Meta description languages such as Web Ontology Language and the Resource Description Framework (RDF). Annotation requires lot of time and effort.

Web n.0 - a Glimpse of the Future

Let me add one more element to the previous formula

Web 3.0 = Every human + Every device + Every Information = Everything in the context of current technology advancement.

Web 3.0 is still evolving and it is going to encompass everything. One can not envision anything beyond web 3.0 in the current technology advancement.

Breaking all current technological capabilities Raymond Kurzweil, the inventor of OCR (Optical Character Reader) envisioned Web 4.0 as the Web OS with intelligent user agents acting parallel to human brain. Following figure illustrate the evolution of Web along with technology advancement and the semantics of social connections. Source: Nova Spivack and Radar Networks

Conclusion

The evolution of web has gone through phases as mentioned in this article and that has introduced numerous technologies and concepts in various areas; software, communication, hardware, marketing, advertising, content sharing, publicity, finance and many more.

In a way the World Wide Web has changed the way people were used to look at things earlier. I believe this evolution is never ending and moving towards excellence.

References:

The Evolution of Word Wide Web - WWW

Love Beyond Words

How do you love beyond words? This is a hard concept for a lot of people to understand, but when you finally get it, it all makes sense and you see the complete picture. No regrets, and love unconditionally with no strings attached in life.

So many people today take the words "I love you" and use them over and over again to where they have no meaning. How many times have you caught yourself saying "I love you" when walking out the door or at the end of a phone conversation. It comes out so naturally, but how often when this happens do we really mean it, listen to it or really feel it with our souls, not many I bet.

As Words

Have you ever had anyone in your life ever show you love in anyway without the use of words? Maybe they did something that no one else did for you just at the right time and you knew they really did love you. Maybe they said something you had been longing to hear but never heard until then, and it wasn't "I love you."

A lot of us do not appreciate the concept of love until it is gone or lost. What most of us do not even see or comprehend a lot of times, or sometimes it is simple as just that we forget, is that we are loved from the Universal Spirit, or your own interpretation of God.

You are loved for who you are. You are loved for your soul. You are loved in every possible way. And you are here also to share your love with others. Not just a simple "I love you" but to go beyond this to where you or the other person becomes this heart swollen love filled embodiment ready to burst with love energy. That is what loving beyond words is!

So next time you see your spouse, child, or friend really mean it from the heart and deep down in your soul when you tell them you love them. When you see the person working a fundraiser for charity, stop and give them your spare change and see how it lights their face up, and know you have spread some love even more. Or when you see the homeless person on a cold night, take them one of your spare blankets and see what kind of changes it makes not only in your own heart and soul but theirs as well. Love beyond words with the whole world and we can change it one random act of kindness at a time.

Love Beyond Words

Does Your Word (Personal Integrity) Mean Anything?

Probably not! As disturbing as it is, are you proud of it? Give me one reason why I should take your word about anything! Is your personal integrity at risk? Are there any people around that actually keep their word about something?

When you hear the words, "I'll call you right back," what are the odds that they never will. Experience in today's world tells us that one's "word" is useless, or at the very least, unreliable. Glenn Van Ekeren in his The Speaker's Sourcebook calls this antic "Famous Fibs." It seems we live in a world of excuses. Or maybe just call it what it is---lies!

As Words

Is it a fear of commitment when you give your word that you will do this or that?

Being raised on a small farm by my grandparents in the 1950s, gave me a real view of what it means to place value on one's word (it says--I promise). And how critically important the words are that come out of your mouth. Back then coming out of World War II was a time for reliance on one another. Farmers knew that relying on the neighbor's help baling hay before the rain depended on the neighbor's word that he would help--and he did!

Today, verbal promises are nothing more than tongue wagging appeasements to fill up the time when one should be speaking the truth. Wouldn't it do your heart good to hear the real truth once in a while?

If you are on a mission of self-improvement, this is a great place to start. Take a moment and think of the benefits derived from making your "word" count for something (a promise kept).

· You are known to be reliable. It means others trust you and know that they can depend on you. Is that important to you?

· You become known among friends, family, and work associates as dependable. It puts you ahead of everyone else as a leader. And it is perceived as a profound respect for others, their time, their planning, their efforts, and their life.

· You become highly respected. You don't have to earn it. It comes to you spontaneously as a result of your dependability and reliability--when you say something, you mean it.

· You become trusted. If there ever was a quality of a person that fuels the ego, stimulates the self-esteem, and brings others closer, it is being trusted.

· You find peace of mind that others never discover. Why? Because your mind and spirit are working together in harmony to let you understand that the qualities you are showing others, helps them--and they begin to see the value of keeping their word.

· You evolve into a role model. Oh yes! You may not want to assume that role--it isn't all that bad! It's a standard that others aspire to, a compliment to your integrity, and an honor that is associated with doing the right thing.

· Your integrity is multiplied. When that happens it brings with it favors, opportunities, and career levels that you never thought possible.

Maybe you can't handle all these powerful dividends? Fine, just expect to be trampled by those who are rushing to the front ahead of you. No one has an axe to grind here--except you. The standards that mentors and others hold you to are far below the standards you hold yourself to.

Meryl Runion sums it all up in a remarkable book that you will find inspiring. Her, "How to Use Power Phrases to Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say, & Get What You Want," is a clear presentation of how progress in our lives is stalemated by our lack of good communication, and indifference to what we mean when we say it.

It's your move!

Does Your Word (Personal Integrity) Mean Anything?

Words of Comfort When Someone Dies - A Personal Reflection on the Power of the Written Word to Heal

Watching someone you love die hurts.

No matter how much you pray or beg for them to live, your calls are fruitless and go unanswered. Even if your loved one is in pain, and gains relief from suffering - it still hurts.

As Words

Like you, I have grieved the loss of dear ones. Looking back, time does ease the sense of loss and sorrow. However at the time, it seems as if the darkness would continue forever and no matter what folks said, nothing could erase the sense of loss and anger I felt.

I recall friends sending me sympathy cards and letters sharing their distress, sadness and pain. Strange as it may seem, it was these cards, the quiet words written on scraps of paper which made sense. It was if the sender could feel my pain and sorrow and spoke directly to my soul.

At that time, I was not familiar with the word 'Affirmations'. My experience of reading inspirational quotes, prayers or poems sat squarely in the corner of former Religious Studies and English Literature lessons at school.

It was only during my first experience of grief that I realised just how powerful the written word is.

Can you remember the joy and elation you felt when you received a certificate for passing your exams or slip of paper to confirm you had passed your driving test?

There is something magical about a piece of paper with a message written on.

For me, when grieving and when I felt low, lonely or alone, I would pick up one of the sympathy cards or condolence letters I received and would sit and read them. Sometimes, tears would fall as I recalled happier carefree days spent with my brother and cousin; but generally, I would find a sense of grace, calm and comfort in reading and reflecting upon the higher meaning of the words.

Even today, I am still touched by the sentiments expressed, especially as the sender was going through their own grief yet still took the time and energy to send me a card or write a few words of sympathy. At the Service, the written words -poems or religious texts again came into their own. Preparing for my brother's funeral, I was not particularly conscious of my spirituality or devout follower of any religion. Yet, was moved by the beauty and simplicity of the Lord's Prayer and hymns and psalms sang at the grave side.

The sound, the quality and reverence of the texts struck deep and I felt "yes, everything is going to be alright." This is just the beginning and today is a new day.

Nothing can ever replace our loved ones, but in the process of grief and coming to terms with your loss, words can be a great source of comfort and inspiration.

If someone you know is mourning, drop them a line, send them a card and rest assured your message will be heard and deeply appreciated.

Words of Comfort When Someone Dies - A Personal Reflection on the Power of the Written Word to Heal

Resume Writing - 5 Words You Should Never Use on Your Resume

Human Resources professionals are inundated with resumes on a daily basis. Now, more than ever before, job seekers must learn to make their resumes stand out. One of the simplest and more effective ways to do this is by using power words and phrases. These words add muscle to your resume statements and exhibit intelligence. Search online for resume power words and you will be overwhelmed by the amount of websites that claim to 'provide' the complete list of resume power words.

Some power word sites list several words as power words that are NOT power words at all. Your resume can land up in the reject pile if you use the wrong phraseology.

As Words

Five words you should never use on your resume are:

A lot - This is probably the most obvious in the list. The problem with saying 'a lot' is that the phrase is entirely too vague. 'A lot' probably means something different to you from what the phrase means to me. There is no value in the phrase 'a lot.' One girl saying, "I eat a lot of chocolate," could mean something entirely different from another girl making the same statement. How much is 'a lot?'

Instead of saying, "I did XYZ a lot of the time," you could say, "I did XYZ 16 hours per work week." The more specifications you add to your resume, the better your chances are of getting an interview.

Creative - Should someone who boasts of being creative actually have to come right out and say they are creative? Probably not. The best way to show creativity is by accentuating accomplishments or skills you have that emphasize your creativity.

Flexible - Flexible is so overused that the word has lost all power. Flexible does not impress anyone. Flex that muscle on top of your head and come up with another power word that gets the same idea across.

If you are applying for a job where physical flexibility is critical (i.e. ballerina or yoga master) feel free to leave this word on your resume.

Interesting - Interesting as a power word is not interesting enough to grab or keep the attention of a human resources executive. Using stronger power words will create the idea that you are interesting and companies will be interested in calling you for an interview. Anyone truly interesting will never come right out and say that they are!

It - Using 'it' in place of actually telling what 'it' means confuses most readers.

Want another reason to cut 'it' out?

You automatically appear more intelligent.

Using power words can boost the effectiveness of your resume.

Resume Writing - 5 Words You Should Never Use on Your Resume

Competitions - How to Write a Winning 25 Words Or Less Answer

Not sure how to answer 25 word or less questions? Often the judges are looking for the most creative answer, so here are a few ideas of how to get started:

1. Use humor

As Words

Often judges are inundated with depressing answers on why someone should win, for example "My cat died, and the new car will help cheer me up". To set yourself apart from the rest, try using a funny answer. For example,

I need a new car I'm an unemployed actor, It's hard getting to auditions on my rusty old tractor.

2. Poetry

It doesn't matter if you were no good at poetry in high school. Creating a simple poem is easy, especially with the websites available today to help find rhyming words. Here are some examples of how you could use poetry to answer the question, "Tell us in 25 words or less why you want to win the holiday"

Kids are driving me crazy, Work is making me bored, The perfect solution to my problems? A fantastic holiday abroad.

Or you could try an acrostic poem:

H ~ Having fun
O ~ Overseas break
L ~ Lazing by the pool
I ~ Island Paradise
D ~ Dream's come true
A ~ Amazing food
Y ~ Yummy cocktails

It is also important to remember who you are writing for. For example, if the prize is tickets to a comedy festival, chances are that a funny answer will have a greater chance of success than other entries.

And remember the judges are human, so what appeals to one may not appeal to another. The best strategy is to try a variety of different answers for different competitions and to keep practising by entering as many competitions as possible.

Competitions - How to Write a Winning 25 Words Or Less Answer

The Power's in the Word - Unity Sand Ceremony Vows Affirm Love

The perfect wedding is more than just a stunning gown and a stellar guest list. For brides and grooms who have a strong Christian faith, the Lord is the center of the ceremony. Couples who want to show their unity in the Lord and their bond with each other can do so through the 21st century wedding sensation known as unity sand ceremony vows. Mixing tradition with innovation, the unity sand ceremony allows couples to demonstrate both their love for each other and their love for God.

You may have attended weddings where the bride and groom light a Unity candle. The unity sand ceremony follows a similar principle, but instead of sparking a flame, the couple creates an artistic masterpiece by pouring different colored sand into a unity vase. The wedding keepsake that results in a treasure that can grace the dining table in the couple's first home.

As Words

But this special ceremony involves more than just fashioning lovely artwork. During the ceremony, the couple and, in some cases, the relatives of the bride and groom, exchange unique vows. These are vows that go beyond the traditional, allowing the couple to articulate their vision for a unified future. As a result, they hold a special meaning that can enhance a traditional wedding ceremony and offer a fabulous memory for the couple involved.

For the Christian couple, the vows of the unity sand ceremony can be based upon the time-honored words of Scripture. There is good reason for this. As the Bible says, there is tremendous power in the tongue. As Proverbs 18:21 states, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." Our words have the strength to create or destroy...to enhance or to detract.

Speaking words of love, commitment, and hope breathe life into a relationship and form a strong foundation for a marriage. Studies have shown that couples who often compliment each other are far more likely to stay together than those who constantly complain. Words paint a portrait of a marriage; by exchanging life-affirming and relationship-affirming vows on the wedding day, couples create a habit that can last a lifetime.

Fortunately, many verses of Scripture can serve as the basis for unity sand ceremony vows. Consider Ephesians 4:2-3, which states, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Couples can easily adapt this verse to profess their personal desire to be patient with one another in love, and to maintain their unity in God through a peaceful marital union.

Another possibility - the Song of Solomon 2:16, which declares, "My beloved is mine, and I am his." Or Ephesians 5:31-33, which states, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." In fact, virtually any verse that promotes unity can be used as a basis for these special vows.

For today's couples, marriage is more than just the union of two people. It is also a celebration of the merging of two families, the blending of two clans. This is especially important when there are children from previous marriages involved. There is perhaps no better way to help smooth the transition for these children than to have them serve as active participants in a unity sand ceremony. They can recite their own unique vows as they pour bright-colored sand into the unity vase.

Blended families need special care; the exchange of unity sand ceremony vows enables them to proclaim the beauty of the new family that has been created. In some cases, couples might also want to include the mothers of the bride and groom or the maid of honor and the best man in the ceremony. What a wonderful way for families to pledge their support for a couple!

In the end, the unity sand ceremony is more than just a Technicolor treat. It is an event which honors faith, commitment, and love. The power of the ceremony lies not only in the visuals, but in the words, which speak to the heart of Christian marriage.

The Power's in the Word - Unity Sand Ceremony Vows Affirm Love