What is the Software Freedom Day?

Software Freedom Day (or simply SFD) is an annual celebration of free software. The main goal of SFD is to increase public awareness of various types of free software, as well as to encourage people to use free software as much as possible.Software Freedom Day

Close to 500 teams from 90 different countries celebrate SFD all around the world. SFD is held on the third Saturday in September (at least since 2006). The event is organized/overseen by Software Freedom International, which is a non-profit organization.

How does it work?

Every team has complete control over what events they want to organize to celebrate SFD. These events often vary from open source workshops and demonstrations, to speeches that explain the uses and advantages of Open Source Software. Each team gets a dedicated page on the SFD wiki where they can provide more details about their plans, events times and so on.

The event has attracted quite a few high caliber sponsors, including Linode, Joomla and Google. The primary sponsor is Canonical Ltd. SFD gets a lot of coverage in open source software magazines, such as the Linux Magazine and Ubuntu User.

People from all around the world can join their local SFD teams or even register one of their own. Every year, local SFD teams are looking for people who can help them take event photographs, spread the word about the event, create marketing material, and host workshops/presentations about the benefits/uses of Open Software. If helping out your local SFD team sounds like something that you might want to do, check out their website for more information.

How to Recover Overwritten Files

While most computer users believe that deleting a file gets rid of it for good that is not exactly true. The same can be said for files that have been overwritten: even if you replace an existing file with a completely new file with the same filename, the contents of the original file are not lost for good. In this article I will look at a few different ways to get deleted and accidentally overwritten files back.

Alright so the first thing that you must understand is this: when a file is deleted, it is simply marked as “no longer needed” and made invisible by the operating system. This frees up memory for future files/data. Now, if you get to these “invisible” files before they are replaced with some new data, you should have no trouble recovering them.

The above principle is also true for most overwritten files. There are likely several “shadow” versions of each file hidden deep inside the hard drive and the only way to get to them is by using specialized recovery software.

Mac Data recoveryNow, there are many free and paid tools that can scan these hidden memory sectors and dig out any invisible files that have been discarded. Some of the free software works great, but for best results I would always recommend using a professionally built paid tool such as this software that can recover overwritten files on Mac.

Here’s how it works:

  • The first thing that you must do is download your file recovery software. Go for a trial version if one is available.
  • Now, scan your hard disk to see if there are any “invisible” files that can be retrieved. Choose whichever files you need and finalize the recovery process.

As you can see, the whole process is very simple. So, the next time you lose and important file – don’t panic! Go online and look for a suitable recovery solution instead.

Tarot Card Readings – The Basics

Tarot cards are extremely popular among real psychics as well as hobbyists who simply enjoy reading Tarot cards for fun. These special cards are often used to explain various events in life as well as to predict what might happen in the future. In this article, I’m going to discuss how tarot cards work.

First thing that I wanted to mention is this: becoming a professional tarot reader is extremely hard work. Do not expect to be able to make accurate predictions after just a few months of practice! In fact, it can take years to master just one of the many tarot reading techniques, so be patient and enjoy the process.

Getting started

TarotAlright so the first thing to do when learning tarot is to actually memorize the meanings of all different cards. There are several approaches to this: learn the “basic” meaning of each card or do it the right way and learn how to interpret each and every tarot card individually. Most basic guides adopt the first approach, mostly because there are so many different cards to study that even learning the very basics of every card can be overwhelming.

Once you gain a little more experience and become more confident in your tarot reading skills, you should begin interpreting every deck of cards (and every card individually) depending on the situation at hand. This means that the exact meaning of tarot cards depends not on some rules that are set in stone, but on the actual reading that is being performed. For instance, tarot card meanings will normally vary in different contexts such as love, career, health, and so on.

Now, most experienced tarot readers have the ability to assign new meanings to cards. This intuitive ability comes with time and a lot of practice – new readers should not engage in these practices.

Want to learn more about tarot cards and psychic services in general? Then visit best psychic – a site dedicated to exposing psychic scams and providing safe and reliable services.

Wedding Abroad – a Great Way to Save Money?

Did you know that getting married abroad is not only an amazing, unforgettable experience, but it can also save you a lot of money? Depending on your chosen destination, the size of your guest list and any special requirements that you may have, an overseas wedding package can be significantly cheaper than a comparable offering in places like the UK.

Why get married abroad?

get married in GreeceEveryone has a different reason for getting married abroad. Some couples want to have a simple, hassle-free ceremony together with their friends and relatives, while others want to experience a traditional Italian or Greek wedding first-hand. No matter whether you decide to get married in the Italian Alps or have a beautiful beach wedding in Zante, you are guaranteed to have an unforgettable experience.

Is it really cheaper?

Well, that depends on your idea of a wedding. With average wedding ceremony costs in the UK rising every year, most specialist wedding planners (such as weddingingreece.co.uk) estimate destination wedding to be as much as two times cheaper than a similar ceremony at home.

So, how do you get the most bang for your buck? First of all, make sure that you know exactly how many people will be attending the ceremony. Group booking are always significantly cheaper and, depending on the number of people on your guest list, you may also qualify for various promotions, gifts and special discounts.

Secondly, plan your wedding in a destination where you would like to spend your honeymoon. This way you don’t have to travel extra and may also qualify for additional savings when going through a single company to sort out both your wedding and honeymoon plans!

And remember to always opt for an established and experienced wedding planning company with a stellar reputation! The last thing you want to worry about on your wedding day abroad is missing paperwork or wrong booking dates.

How to Tell If Your SEO Firm is Worth the Money?

So you’re trying to choose which SEO firm to work with, but everyone seems to be charging different amounts and there’s no easy way to tell who would be the best choice for your business. In this article, I’m going to give you some pointers on choosing a good SEO provider.

1. A good SEO company will always focus on optimizing content for visitors. If whoever you are working with places too much emphasis on off-page factors while completely ignoring things like load times, user experience, navigation and adding great content to your site – they are focusing on the wrong things. While off page SEO is no doubt very important, no long-term SEO campaign can produce good and lasting results without focusing on user first, search engines second.

SEO services2. Every good SEO agency/consultant should know all about the most recent Google search algorithm updates. And by that I mean all of them, not just the most obvious ones (Panda and Penguin). Search for a list of these updates, read through their descriptions and see if your SEO firm knows about them and why they matter. Most “professionals” won’t be able to answer this question.

3. SEO is a long-term game. Beware of companies that make promises which are clearly too good to be true. This can be anything from really cheap and effective link building offers to guarantees of fast results (a good SEO will tell you that it can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months for a decent SEO campaign to start showing results).

4. If you (or your hired SEO firm) are actively building backlinks to your site, make sure that every backlink comes from a website that has real value to users. There are tons of shoddy link exchange networks and low quality web directories out there – you don’t want links from there! Newspapers, blogs that share good information and sites that provide real services as well as get real traffic is where you want your links to be placed.

5. Always ask to see real life examples of past work. A good SEO company will gladly walk you through a number of successful case studies and even tell you how some of those techniques could benefit your website, too.

As you can see, finding a worthy provider for SEO and other marketing services isn’t easy. It really helps to actually know a thing or two about SEO and online marketing yourself.

Personal Loans: a Guide to Saving Money

So you need to take out a personal loan, but want to ensure that it doesn’t land you in any future financial trouble? The best way to protect yourself when borrowing money is to do tons of work upfront: get the best rates, plan out all repayments, and so on. Let’s look at these in a little more detail.

saving on loans1. Have a clear repayment strategy. It doesn’t matter whether you are applying for online payday loans or a secured bank loan – this advice applies to everyone who must make regular loan repayments. Having a clear and structured repayment strategy is very important for two reasons:

  • It will help ensure that you don’t risk ruining your credit score by missing a payment/being late.
  • It can make you reconsider getting the loan in the first place. That’s because most people don’t realize that loans are a serious, continuous financial commitment which leads to various problems down the road.

The way to go about this is very simple actually. When applying for loans you should always ask the loan agent to provide you with a sample repayment/payment outline that includes all charges, fees, interest and the total amount paid. This outline should include clear payment dates as well. Now, in many cases we focus so much on the fact that we will be getting a large sum of money that we completely forget about repayments. The truth is that most short-term loans have to be paid back within months and will not give you the financial freedom that you so desire!

2. Shop around for better offers. There are so many loan providers out there today that finding a trustworthy and respectable lender can be difficult. Luckily, there is also a large number of independent price comparison websites that offer instant quotes for loans and other financial products. Never sign up for a loan without checking with at least 2-3 different providers first. If you already have an offer – let other companies know about it and ask them to make you a better one.

And remember that comparing loan rates is not just about the APR’s. Fees, application/processing charges and other expenses can add up quickly – always ask about these and make sure to read the fine print that comes with every loan offer!

What to Consider When Taking Out a Loan

So you’re thinking about getting a personal loan, but can’t decide whether it’s worth the risk? Let me give you a quick list of things to think about when applying for financing.

money and finance1. Is getting a loan really the best way? Loans are debt and debt tends to build up unless repaid rapidly (but then it’s probably better to save up for a few months and buy whatever you want to buy with cash). If you’re finding it difficult to save up money, take a very good look at your daily budget and try making some changes first. Loans should always be your last resort and only used when you either really need the money or need it to make even more money (invest, start a business, etc).

2. Use trusted lenders. Not all lending companies are made equal. Always double check that your lender has all required certifications, offers good customer support, etc. Remember to check online reviews as well. Don’t forget to read the fine print and ask them to explain exactly what would happen if you were a. to default on your loan and b. to miss a repayment. Ask for real world examples using a fictional sum like $1000.

3. If you are in a bad place financially and need the money to pay your rent/bills/some other vital expense – see a debt counselor first. Most cities have free debt hotlines that help people get out of whatever financial trouble they’re having. Remember that if you are already in debt and need to borrow more money, things will not get better on their own. You do not have control of the situation and should seek outside help.

Want to learn more? Then check out http://personalloanplus.com.

ID Card Design and Printing Online

Getting beautiful ID cards done is no longer a hassle – you can design your own cards online, have them printed professionally and delivered right to your door! Let’s have a look at how online ID card design tools work.

Design

It’s actually much simpler than you might thing. All you need to create your own beautiful ID cards is a computer and an internet connection. There’s absolutely nothing to download and most services are so easy to use that you don’t even need to have an eye for good design to make beautiful, professional ID cards.

make ID cards onlineWhen you sign up for an online ID card creator the application will launch in your browser. There you’ll be able to customize practically every aspect of your ID card: pictures, text, colors, and so on. You can either create your own design from scratch or choose one of the pre-made professional templates to get you started.

Next it’s time to add any specific details – barcodes, card upload data, etc. Some of these services are only available when ordering ID cards to be printed and shipped.

Printing

Right, when you are done with your design and are happy with preview results, you have two options: either download and print the cards yourself or get them printed professionally. Printing your own cards is actually very easy, but they won’t look as good as a professionally prepared card. Plus, some features such as storing access code data and other information on the card are only available when you choose to have your cards printed professionally.

Services like idcreator.com use state of the art printing facilities that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Plus, most orders are shipped out same/next day so there are no long waiting periods and you should have your cards ready for use within just a few days. Want to learn more about how online ID card design/printing works or get a quote for custom ID cards? Then check out idcreator.com.

Psychic Scams and How to Avoid Them

Psychic scams are, unfortunately, a very popular way to coin unsuspecting and trusting people out of their hard earned money. While there are definitely some trustworthy and genuinely helpful physics out there, the majority of widely advertised services/offerings are in fact designed to make the biggest amount of money possible with very little consideration given to the needs of the consumer.

The truth is that the majority of people who turn to physics for help are going through a rough time. They might be looking for help after a loved one’s death or looking for advice on how to save their failing marriage or turn around a career that seems to be going nowhere. These people need genuine help and so they turn to a physic for advice and support. Sadly, this also makes them the perfect victim – they are in desperate need for answers to their problems.

scams1. Psychics that ask too many questions are most likely trying to scam you. A good reader should be able to tell a lot about you from just a few basic bits of information. If when you visit a psychic you’re met with a whole bunch of questions (often designed to confuse you) – leave.

2. Another common scam is also known as the “curse scam” (although it can be any bit of very important news, not necessarily a curse). It’s really simple actually: a psychic may offer you a free “test” reading and tell you that you are cursed (or that someone very close to you has a message for you or that you’ve just recently made a huge mistake… you get the point) and try to tick you into paying for further sessions in order to reveal the mystery or free you from the curse. Use common sense and do not fall for these scams.

3. Psychic readings over the phone are usually a scam. The person on the other end is likely not a psychic at all and is simply trying to keep you on the line for as long as possible (these calls are usually very pricey).

There are many more psychic scams some of which you can read about here: http://www.psychicliving.net/psychic-scams-to-avoid. However remember that most scams are pretty obvious – just use your common sense and if something doesn’t feel right – never visit that place ever again!

Accidentally Reset Your iPad? No Problem!

Accidentally resetting any device back to factory settings can do a lot of harm, especially if you’ve been using it for ages and have a ton of important files on it.

Let’s take the iPad for instance. When you reset it back to factory settings, the only way to get your old data back is through your iTunes backup. Now, when you download this backup, any data currently on the device gets deleted. But what should you do if, let’s say, you are on vacation abroad an accidentally reset your iPad while on the road. If you have no access to iTunes, your only option is to continue using the device until you get back home and then restore it from your iTunes backup (subsequently losing all of the files you collected while on your trip).

iPad resetNow, there is actually a way to perform a partial iTunes backup using one of the many tools that are designed to recover iPad data after reset. The way this works is very simple:

  • Download and install the backup tool on your laptop. Make sure that this laptop has iTunes installed and configured.
  • Connect your iPad to it and select how you want to restore it (using iTunes).
  • Now select which files you want restored and continue.
  • Wait until the restore is complete – that’s it!

As you can see the whole process is very simple and straightforward. The same or similar techniques can be used to create offline backups, transfer files from an iOS device to an Android device and even recover accidentally deleted files.

Bored at Work? Use These Tips to Pass Some Time

Being bored at work is not good. It will lower your overall job satisfaction and can even make you look like a time-waster (in the eyes of your employer), even though you have already finished all your daily tasks and have nothing else left to do. If you often find yourself feeling totally bored at work, use the below tips to get through it.

Do something productive. The best thing to do when you’re bored is to work on your own self-development. Is there an online course that you’d like to take or a book you need to read? If you have the chance, use this unproductive time to do something worthwhile. With the rise of online learning sites such as coursera and edx there are literally hundreds of high quality university level courses available to anyone completely free of charge. Some sites like udacity even allow people to work through these courses at their own pace, meaning that you don’t have to stick to set schedules and can work on the course whenever you have time.

bored workerDo something fun. If you only have a few minutes to kill and simply can’t think of anything else to do at work – go online and do some random browsing. Sites like the oatmeal have tons of fun comics to read. Or check out these very demotivational posters if you want a good laugh.

Another great way to pass time is to play various games in your browser. These range from simple Facebook applications to in-browser tower defense (TD) and similar games. Most of these do not require any downloads and can be played on any computer that is connected to the internet.

Take on more responsibility. If you find yourself constantly running out of things to do it is likely time for you to either start looking for a new job or ask your current employer to give you more responsibilities at work (just don’t forget to negotiate a higher pay rate!). After all, boredom is often the first sign that you may have peek at your current position and should probably aim a little higher. Unless, of course, you’re a student simply trying to earn some extra cash on the side.