Let’s be honest, fluorescent tubes aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, yet do a very good job in the proper environment, most usually in commercial or industrial applications, as well as in the family home.  Probably the biggest downside of the fluorescent tube is that they tend to be more expensive in the initial outlay stage, but more than compensate with their lower energy costs, as well as lasting sometimes twenty times longer than other equivalent types of bulbs. The only condition that is required for the longevity of fluorescent tubes is that they are not switched on and off so often, which largely rules them out for most home applications, and makes them a much more attractive proposition for factories, offices and shops.  In recent years, a more compact form of fluorescent light bulbs have begun to hit the market, bringing with them an increasing degree of popularity, as well as increased cost effectiveness.

In warmer climates than that of the UK, fluorescent tubes can be found in much more general use, especially in the home, because they give off less heat than other types of strong lights.  Companies and individuals who are followers of fluorescent tubes as a means of providing inexpensive yet strong lighting have added a few refinements to make them even more efficient. One of these methods is to place an aluminium reflector above the tube inside the light fitting, which reputedly will essentially double the light output of the actual fluorescent tubes; something that is very important in factories, office buildings and retail outlets which need strong light, sometimes 12- 5 hours a day.

The good old-fashioned fluorescent tube has been around for a long time and has been written off by many as old-fashioned and cumbersome. Now leaner and meaner, the fluorescent tube can also be tweaked a little to provide a lot of light, as well as major energy cost savings.

Tags: British Gas, energy companies, Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency Advice, Fluorescent tubes

Do more. Do it faster. Meet The iPhone 3GS. With new features like a remarkable video camera, Voice Control and more, it’s the best iPhone yet. With 32GB, there’s also room for your favourite music and movies.

Thats right people, Vodafone have finaly released the iPhone to their customers. There are currently 5 models available;

• The Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB White
• The Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB Black
• The Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB White
• The Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB Black
• The Apple iPhone 3G.

With prices starting from £30 per month and loads of contracts to choose from weather you are ready for an upgrade or just thinking about a change there is sure to be something to suit your individual needs

Chech out all the latest deals now

Tags: Apple, Apple iPhone 3G, Apple iPhone 3GS, Compare Mobile Phones, Gifts, Gifts For Others (And Yourself!), Home Electricals and Computers, iPhone, Mobile Phone, Vodafone

People who earn their living in the software industry probably comprise the most innovative group of people in the world with, sadly, some of them working on the “wrong side of the tracks”.

There is a constant war going on against cybercrime, which seems to pop up in the most original of formats, with one of the latest to rear its ugly head being “rogueware” which, for the common man, means scam anti-virus products.

It’s a funny thing about anti-virus programs, where so money people are prepared to spend hundreds of pounds on upgrading their computer, increased bandwidth and all the latest accessories yet are very reluctant to spend more than £50 to protect their computer, with all the data contained in it, as well as that of their friends, family and colleagues. 

Those who lurk in the shadows of cyberspace are well aware of this characteristic and have found yet another way of exploiting it, with the launch of a never-ending stream of Rogueware, with which they tempt the less responsible and easily influenced, with prices of between thirty to fifty pounds for full “anti-virus” protection. Sounds cheap enough, till you discover that these programs at best do nothing and, in most cases, invite all kinds of malware into the innocent victim’s computer. The unbelievable truth is that  a large number of computer owners have had no form of virus protection on their computer till recently, They only become aware of the need for anti-virus protection when a pop up appears on their computer, advising them to immediately purchase a rogueware product.

Statistics show that there are now 200 different versions of rogueware available online, some of which are very sophisticated. Unfortunately, not in virus protection, but by creating variants programmed to make detection by anti-virus vendors difficult, and also stubbornly refuse to be removed from a computer system, using background processes to protect un-installation or tampering.  To date, Windows has introduced an uninstall set-up to deal with just 27 of the 200 rogue anti-virus software programs from the computer system, through their Malicious Software Removal Tool which is updated every second Tuesday of the month, as part of  the Patch Tuesday set up.

Rogueware is becoming a serious problem for the innocent and an increasingly big earner for cyber criminals, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) estimating that fake anti-virus programs have raked in more than $150 million (£100 million) for scammers so far in 2009.

Tags: Anti Virus, Digital Download Products, FBI, Fraud, Malicious Software, Mcafee, Rogueware, Trojan Horses, Viruses

The Your Family website is bursting with news and information for parents and caregivers this month.

Articles include tips on protecting your children from cyber bullying, how to encourage boys to talk about their feelings and information about new government plans to teach school children how to protect themselves from violent relationships. Check it out!

Related Websites

Your Family website

Tags: child protection, Child Safety, Cyber Bullying, helping children, NSPCC

Thermostats have been around for a long time, but the programmable version is fairly new on the scene. And what an asset it has turned out to be in the battle to reduce energy costs. Before the programmable thermostat era, we were more dependent on our memory or self-discipline to remember to switch the thermostat on or off, in order to reduce our heating bills. The truth was that many heating systems or water heaters would run on for hours because the owner could not be bothered getting up from a warm bed or comfy armchair to switch them off, or simply forgot about this important task. After all, they had nothing for comparison on how much a programmable thermostat could save them, so they were remained unaware. However since this simple but highly effective energy saving tool has hit the market, comparisons are being made, and the fact is that a programmable thermostat will represent a total return on investment in just a matter of weeks!

With a programmable thermostat, it is now possible to create either a heating or even a cooling schedule that can be automatically turned on or off to suit the average family’s daily needs. With just a few moments of thought and planning it is now possible to pre-program the functions of water heaters, central heating systems and even air-conditioning units to switch on or off whenever the timing suits you.

Think about it: You are on your way home from a long day’s work or pleasure. As you ease through the traffic, with the rain beating down on your windshield, you daydream about opening the front door of your warm and welcoming home, having a hot bath and an early night. With a programmable thermostat all that awaits you.

If we already moving into the world of plausible fantasy, let’s take it a step or two further. In the not-too-distant future it will be possible to install programmable thermostats that can be activated from a distance. In other words, if your plans change and you wish to alter your thermostat accordingly, you will be able to do so by sending a message through your mobile phone. And while it may be a bit too much for most people to take in, this innovation is already in common use in the US. So as we enter deep into the digital age, it’s comforting to know that the trusty thermostat has not been left behind.

Article sourced from www.britishgasboilers.co.uk/

Tags: air-conditioning units, Boiler, Boiler Replacement, British Gas, central heating systems, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, energy costs, heating systems, Home Electricals and Computers, programmable thermostat, thermostat, water heaters

Very few UK families actually take the trouble to find out but if they did, they might be shocked to discover that they spend around £1400 a year on their gas and electricity bills: Quite a lot when you consider that the average disposable income per family is around £23,000 a year, meaning around 6 percent. Although the UK is feeling the effects of global warming more and more, there are still ways to reduce the burden of utility bills. They can be reduced by up to 25% with a little effort and diligence, by finding the cheapest gas and electric operating methods, with the money saved being put to a much better use.

To begin with, an average UK household spends around £150 a year on lighting. This is too much when you consider the developments in lighting technology in recent years. The new linear fluorescent bulbs not only use less energy but will also last around ten times longer. These compact fluorescent light bulbs have been designed to fit most standard fixtures, so there is no real need to replace any fittings in the short term. Estimates are that each bulb can save more than £30 in its long life span.

Another item of electricity wastage that needs to be placed under close scrutiny is the large number of fairly sophisticated electronics that even the average family has in use. These include televisions, DVDs and home computers. It is a common misconception that these items don’t use too much electricity and none when they are in use. Plasma screen televisions are reputed to use tremendous quantities of electricity in return for the tremendous quality that they provide. However money can be saved by switching them off when no one is watching. Also, when TVs and DVDs are in standby mode they use up energy and should be switched off.

As far as using gas is concerned, the equations are slightly different. People generally invest in gas equipment for the long term, to heat their home or their hot water. It doesn’t have to look too glamorous as long as it does the job, especially in the case of water heaters or boilers. Outlay on installing or updating a system can scare a lot of people away from the investment, which is very false economy. The savings made will be returned consistently over a couple of years, and the equipment will remain in place for years, if not decades longer.

Whatever you do and how far you take it, either diligence or wise investments will help the average UK family both reduce their outlays on heating and lighting their home while making the money that they spend on these important utilities stretch as far as they can.

Tags: Boiler, British Gas, combi boiler, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, condensing combi boiler, DVDs, electricity bills, fluorescent light bulbs, Gas, gas bills, Gas Boiler, home computers, Home Electricals and Computers, Plasma screen televisions, Televisions

Each winter in the UK between ten and fifteen people lose their lives by inhaling carbon monoxide fumes. These highly poisonous fumes leak into their homes through gas appliances and flues, and without exception, particularly those which have not been properly installed. The number of people, usually the elderly and infirm who become ill due to breathing these fumes, cannot be measured, but are estimated to run into the thousands. The symptoms of the poisoning are hard to trace and can often be confused with a dose of the flu or a virus that can occur in the winter months. Although it is difficult to believe, these people are actually lucky because they are more than likely being exposed to very low quantities of the gas. However someone who is exposed to the gas in its undiluted form can succumb to it within just a few hours. Sadly, most people who pass away from carbon monoxide poisoning do so in their sleep, and have no idea that they are at risk.

Everyone who has even one gas appliance in the home should take great care to protect themselves and their family from the risks that exposure to the gas can bring. It is not a difficult task to carry out and basically involves the following simple checks:

• Your gas appliance was poorly installed and not by a British Gas (Corgi) registered installer;
• Any gas appliances in your home which are not functioning properly and the matter haven’t been taken care of.
• Any gas appliances in your home have not been checked to meet recognized safety standards and are being used on a regular basis.
• Fresh air is not being allowed to circulate, even at the most minimum of levels, in a room of the house;
• If a chimney or flue in the house has been allowed to become blocked up, and is not cleared.
• Even if your gas appliance has been installed by a British Gas (Corgi) registered installer, if you later allow an engineer who is not on the Gas Safe Register to tamper with your appliance, they may cause damage that will allow the lethal gas to leak into your home.
• You continue to use a gas appliance, even if you fear that it is not functioning properly. A sure sign that the appliance may be faulty is that if the flame becomes orange or yellow. Another sign of a faulty appliance is soot beginning to appear around the appliance which shows that the outlet may be beginning to block.

In addition to these measures, it can be a worthwhile investment to fit a carbon monoxide alarm. The alarm, which must meet current safety standards (BS EN 50291) and carry a BSI Kitemark, will sound an alert if carbon monoxide levels

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, British Gas, BS EN 50291, BSI Kitemark, carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide alarm, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, combi boiler, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, condensing combi boiler, Corgi, Corgi registered, flue, Gas, Gas Boiler, Gas Safe Register, Home Electricals and Computers

In these troubled times every penny counts and there is no shame involved in getting down to details to cut back on costs. By taking care of the fine points and comparing the cost of your electricity bills amongst potential suppliers, a typical family stands to save themselves a few hundred pounds a year, money that can be well spent somewhere else. Service suppliers, and electricity suppliers are no exception, tend to get complacent about the customers they have. It is perfectly legitimate to inform your existing supplier that you are unhappy with their price tariff (even if you aren’t) and begin to shop around for better price.

Electric suppliers also live in the same cruel, hard world that we do and they are very aware that there is lots of competition around these days. They tend to concentrate their marketing efforts on enticing new customers to the fold while at the same time doing their best to keep existing customers, without necessarily offering them the keenest rates available. That’s why people who consume electricity are well advised to shop around at regular intervals for the best tariffs.

The steps involved in doing an electricity price comparison are very straightforward. They should run as follows:

• Find one of the many electricity price comparison sites online.
• Enter your postcode on the customised form. Doing so will enable the site to find all the potential suppliers in your area, as well as each one’s tariffs.
• You would be well advised to enter details about your current supplier, as well as the tariff that you are currently paying. The site will usually ask you to enter your monthly usage as well as payment you make. If you don’t have this information readily available, you should carry out a physical read on your meter and calculate both your usage and calculate the sum according to your tariff. These days, meters are rarely physically read, with the electricity supplier working on an estimated average charge. This practice is often not in favour of the consumer.
• The interactive form on the electricity comparison site will often ask you to fill in an ideal tariff that you are willing to pay. They will also ask if you want to pay at a fixed rate, or green energy (energy generated in more energy efficient ways).
• The interactive form on the electricity comparison site will also ask you how you want to pay your account, and supply you with a list of alternatives.
• After that, all you need to do is sit back and wait until the electricity tariff comparison site runs through the suppliers in your region and comes up with the best deal for you.

In many cases it can turn out that your existing supplier is still the most competitive in your region and that the tariff you have been paying is as good as it gets. A situation can also arise where your existing supplier quotes a tariff that is lower than what you have been paying, which will give you an ideal opportunity to ask for a retrospective discount. If another supplier offers a lower tariff, then you have achieved your objective. However, it always worthwhile taking a close look at the potential new supplier before switching, and even asking your existing supplier if they can match the tariff. Often the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know, and if you have been happy with your supplier and they have been happy with you, then you might find that they will be reluctant to let you go so quickly.

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, British Gas, combi boiler, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, condensing combi boiler, electricity suppliers, fixed rate, Gas, Gas Boiler, green energy, Service suppliers, tariff comparison

One of the most dangerous sites to visit which runs the risk of computer virus infiltration is the so called "torrent" web sites. These are sites where computer owners go to download music, videos and even full-length movies and are known to be a hot-bed of just about every form of virus imaginable. Often computer owners are unaware that a member of their family or a colleague at work or even a roommate at university is using the computer to surf these kinds of web sites. One thing is for sure, nothing is worth the risk that visiting torrent web sites can present, and any money spent on installing the most powerful and up-to-date virus protection software makes for a very wise investment.

The viruses that hover in the background on torrent web sites are the most awkward to deal with that you will encounter online. They look very like a real folder, text file or even a MP3 clip. However, the only way that they can be readily identified is by a tell-tale arrow situated on the lower left-hand corner of the clip. Downloading clips from torrent websites can be appealing, since the money saved can be considerable, despite the copyright issues involved. However, any money saved will soon be forgotten if irreparable damage is done by allowing a virus or even several viruses to infiltrate your computer in the process.

There are still hundreds of thousands of computer owners out there who haven’t seen fit, for various reasons, to install anti-virus software. There are still at least the same number who have installed a freeware antivirus program, which does nothing but lull them into a false sense of security regarding the safety of their computer, especially in that they or other people who have access to the computer are inclined to even visit illegal torrent sites, and especially if they download from them.

A professionally programmed and designed piece of antivirus software, such as the ones produced by MacAfee, is the most powerful and best-equipped to provide real time protection against all forms computer viruses, worms and Trojan horses and to catch them before they infect the computer. They do so by employing the most advanced worm-stopping and script-stopping technology, as well as the scanning of incoming and outgoing email and instant messages.

Viruses are being updated and created all the time and software publishers have to be on their toes to update their detection database on a frequent basis, as well as releasing regular updates, which MacAfee carries out automatically, but with the computer owner’s approval.

So why leave the backdoor open on your computer? Keep yourself protected from the torrent with MacAfee.

Tags: Anti Virus, anti-virus software, antivirus software, Computer virus, Computer Viruses, Digital Download Products, freeware antivirus, Home Electricals and Computers, MacAfee, torrent, Trojan, Trojan horse, Virus, virus protection software, Worms

Computer viruses come in a number of formats, yet all with the same intention: To attack your computer and make life difficult. Some viruses are designed to do malicious damage to your computer, simply because they can. This harm that they can do begins and ends on your computer’s hard disc. And when this kind of damage occurs on your computer and vital files have not been backed up, the effects can be fairly disastrous, leaving the person whose computer has been attacked in such a way that the questions begs to be asked: " Haven’t these people got anything better do with their time and their abilities?"

Another and more powerful form of malicious virus is the worm form of a virus. Computer worms are especially unpleasant because they have been programmed to replicate themselves and never contain themselves within one computer. In fact, the opposite applies. The worm is totally self-contained and can spread itself without being part of a host program. Once a worm has found itself in a computer, it will place itself in a position where it can be rapidly spread throughout the internet, usually through e-mails. The worm will simply infiltrate the victim’s e-mail address book and this spreads to the addresses that appear there, and forever onwards and outwards through the system. While they bear a strong similarity to the "simple" computer virus, worms are potentially more damaging and much more difficult to get rid of. It can appear several times on the same computer, running in a seemingly never-ending loop.

Apart from the damage they can cause worms, more than any other of the forms of viruses, have brought about the end of the age of innocence on the internet. Nowadays people have learned to be very suspicious about opening e-mails, and especially attachments, even from people that they know very well, for fear that they may be "contaminated". The spread of viruses in the last five to ten years has been considerable, and has even been responsible for inspiring a whole sub-industry within the internet world: anti virus software.

Nowadays, anyone who leaves their computer unprotected from viruses does so at their own peril entirely, and is risking not only their own computer but those of their friends and colleague: An irresponsible act within itself. Too many times, under pressure, computer owners who don’t take the threat of malware as seriously as they should will rush to the internet to download the first "free" software that they can find. And while there are many excellent "freewares" available on line, they are often not powerful or all-encompassing enough to handle the increasingly sophisticated threats being thrown at it.

Once the computer owner realizes that the threats that computer viruses in their various forms present to the computer, and hopefully not before it is too late, he will rush to invest in a top level Anti-Virus from one of the well-known and reputable publishers. The cost in terms of money is totally negligible in respect to the important work that it does. Anti-virus protection from MacAfee means that the computer owner or operator has done all that can be done to protect themselves and those within their circle, from the never-ending threats which malware presents.

Tags: Anti Virus, anti-virus software, Computer virus, Home Electricals and Computers, MacAfee, Malware, Phishing Scams, Worm