DVD Duplication - What You Should Know

Have you been trying to get a grasp of DBD duplication and just what it is really all about? Well, you're not alone as many people have to same questions. While it is most often thought of as simply copying a DVD, in actuality duplication is more involved. Here is a look at some of the basics of DVD duplication.When you go about duplicating a CD or DVD you are actually copying the optical media from the master onto the new disk.Most people only want to copy or duplicate a new movie from a master disk, but others use duplication in business proposals or other means.There are several different types of DVD disks available and not all are suitable for every case. You'll need to know the differences before planning any DVD duplication.One good thing about duplicating a DVD is that the quality of the new copy will be as good as the master. Unlike cassette tapes from years past, DVD's are designed in a way to optimize quality. It's kind of like sending a forwarded email from one computer to another.There are also DVD duplication companies available to help do the process for you if you wish. They have the equipment and software to do a professional job in any situation.Finding a duplicating company is as simple as doing a search online. Just be sure to check them out a bit and how long they have been in business. Not all companies are the same. A DVD duplication company is ideal for business proposals and marketing materials. Whether it is 10 DVD's or 1,000, you can find companies that will provide you with top quality work at very reasonable rates.DVD duplication is a great way to save time and preserves quality for your project. By understanding the facts and educating yourself you will be able to make your best decision on what route to take.

The Evolution of the Adult Content Genre

The adult industry has been losing the stigma that has been attached to it for so long. It has become a mode of general entertainment. Porn has been existent and is probably as old as civilization itself, starting from the early erotic art of the Roman Empire.

Base reliefs on buildings and on various artifacts depicting images of copulation and other sexual acts have been excavated and serve as proof that the concept of porn is not something new. Though it is difficult to pinpoint an exact period as to when it all started, the modern understanding of porn started during the early nineteenth century, when the Victorians unearthed erotic artifacts from the ruins of Pompeii and suppressed them from being exhibited in public.

This was done in order to not allow the 'obscenities to deprave and corrupt those whose minds are open to particular immoral influences.' The established nature of the porn industry is the not the result of an unimpeded journey. However, the adult industry has battled many odds and emerged strong. The estimated net value of all forms of adult material, including those which are available online, was somewhere between $2.6 billion and $3.9 billion in the United States alone in 2001.

This industry has also been a major deciding factor in establishing the video format wars in the early 70's between Betamax and VHS, and has consequently staked its part in the Blu-ray and HD-DVD format debates.

Of course, in such a strong industry, an underground offshoot is bound to develop. As a result, we are now seeing the rise of a lot of amateur porn. Besides the usual print and video formats, the Internet has played a major role in serving this end, since practically everything is leaked and posted on the Internet and is available to almost anyone with basic browsing knowledge.

The adult industry has broken cultural taboo barriers and is challenging well established norms of the current status quo by crossing over to media which has only recently become accessible to almost any willing individual.

Nowadays, there is a movement towards various niches in the genre for adult content. Thus, there is a tendency to catering to varying audience tastes now. You may type a search word related to porn on a search website and get an exhaustive list of links featuring every variation of the sexual act, whether it is concerned with fetishes, interracial sex, sex between all combinations of sexual orientation, and various other subtypes which defy labeling.

A lot of porn has become increasingly mainstream. Now a lot of soft-porn content is available which caters to a wider variety of audiences. These depictions usually are successful in straddling legal boundaries and restrictions, provided that they comply with regulated requirements, such as keeping material which are too explicit from being obtained by minors.

Probably the best indicator that the adult industry has fully matured has been the legalization of the sex industry in countries such as Holland. Similar measures have been observed elsewhere, particularly in the United States and Europe in the form of red light districts. Even though various factions have been opposing the industry of adult content, this industry has been growing in leaps and bounds.

Teeja Hivsbob

Violence In Media

In the news, we hear and see an increasing number of reports about violence among children. This goes from rude fights on the playground to armed incidents in schools that result in injuries or even casualties.

Now asking ourselves where this behaviour is originated, we quickly come to media as a scapegoat: TV violence, computer games and the Internet. Often we lack overview of what our children experience while dealing with these influences.

And there lies the root problem. Various scientist groups have tried to prove the influence of visual violence on children's behaviour. There has been proof and counter-proof - so what we can conclude from this is that the connection between observed violence and violent behaviour depends on more circumstances than can be applied in a experimental environment. (links)

An observation that we can make ourselves is that children tend to imitate behaviour. Aside from what's experienced in media, they're influenced by their parents, their friends and idols.

If we are realistic, we have to admit that as soon as our children start going to school, we lose overview on their experiences and are often astonished or shocked about the new ideas they're coming up with. Now here comes the parent's part. The fact that our children are going to school doesn't mean they're grown-up and their character is stabilized. Trend and group force are strong against the learned attitudes and behaviour patterns from childhood, so we need to stay in touch with our children and try to understand what's on their minds.

It's far too easy to say that a child's violent behaviour is caused by media. That's only an excuse, because this way parents don't have to blame themselves for neglecting their duty of education.

For sure there is a negative influence of visually explicit violence to a child's mind. But what influence it is, if our child is considering it "cool", following possibly their friends' attitude towards it, or if it's scared or even repelled, that's up to us to teach. Parents have to guide their children with their experiences, and that includes violence, no matter where experienced.

So take your time to share the experience, show real interest and add your opinion. Avoid prohibition as much as possible, because that will just make it much more interesting. For example, if you ban your child from seeing a popular, violent cartoon series, it will probably see it anyway - with a friend or when you're not there. But with simply banning it, you stripped yourself of the chance to influence the conclusions your child will draw - surely it won't consult you afterwards regarding the forbidden.

And, as with all other things, be a paradigm - if you present verbal or even physical violence in your family, then you don't have to be surprised if your child copies that behaviour.

Brigitte Meier

Reposition on New Media Article

Old media and new media

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media

Old media are, for example, typewriters, vinyl record albums and eight-track magnetic tapes.analog processes - ones which directly sample a continuous recording onto a physical medium, as opposed to new media which sample media as a numerical representation in binary code. These media involve

The distinction between "new media" and old media is often indistinct due to the homogeneity of the term, which can conflate media where computers are the transmission medium and media where digitisation occurs to facilitate a new way of distributing a pre-existing medium. Whereas the Internet clearly marks a departure in terms of user experience and possibility, transferring a betamax tape onto DVD involves a far less dramatic change as the content of the media remains either identical, or slightly enhanced through digital manipulation of - for example - colour.

The term 'new media' gained popular currency in the mid 1990s as part of a marketing pitch for the proliferation of interactive educational and entertainment CD-ROMs. One of the key features of this early new media was the implication that corporations, not individual creators, would control copyright. The term then became far more widely used as the mass consumer internet began to emerge from 1995 onwards. The term 'new media' can be traced back to the 70s when it was described more as an impact on cultural studies of different aspects such as economic as well as social, it is only within the last 25 years that the term has taken on a more advanced meaning.

Top Ways of Backing Up Business Data

business data is one of the most crucial forms of data that can reside on a computer. Loss of data can destroy a business completely especially when businesses are completely reliant on this data. It is for this reason that all business owners should carry out frequent backups of their data. These backups may take place on a daily or weekly basis depending on their schedules and what they feel comfortable with. With all the backup options that are available a business owner may easily feel very confused about which choice to make. Certain backup options function better than others but some are much easier to use than those that are usually referred to as convenient. If you own a business you would normally prefer a backup solution that offers you reliability as well as convenience. The rest of the article explores various data and backup options that are available to you and how you can implement them properly.

The primary option that can be used to back up data is hard disk imaging otherwise referred to as cloning which can easily be carried out with disk imaging software. Most people usually think of it as the best backup solution because its saves every little bit of data that you have stored on your hard drive. This is great because if you should have any need of restoring your data from scratch due to data loss you can get everything back. Furthermore it is also the quickest and easiest means of backing up your data especially for a person who doesn't really know that much about computers and can't spend a whole day just trying to back up their data.

Another solution for data backup is the remote online backup. What this means is that your data can easily be saved on a server that is quite secure and in a place that is far away from your current location. This is a great idea for so many reasons; the most important of these reasons is that it protects you from losing out in case a disaster occurs which may affect where you work or where you live. If you back up your files online you also achieve what you intend to achieve cheaply and affordably. Online backup companies also make use of various forms of professional hardware and software in order to ensure that you data is stored securely in a digital vault that is very secure.

One other business backup method you can use to secure business data are external storage devices. These devices are rather simple to use and are very useful too. External devices which are capable of data storage come in many different forms. Most of them are usually external hard drives and memory devices called memory sticks. Most people prefer to use memory sticks because they hold a lot more data and can plug into your USB port very easily. They also tend to hold larger amounts of data which is usually sufficient space for whatever it is that you have which requires backup and storage.

by Kelly Hunter

Maps of Cyberspace

by Sam Vaknin

"Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts...A graphical representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkablecomplexity. Lines of light ranged in the non-space of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding..." (William Gibson, "Neuromancer", 1984, page 51) At first sight, it appears to be a static, cluttered diagram with multicoloured, overlapping squares. Really, it is an extremely powerfulway of presenting the dynamics of the emerging e-publishing industry. R2 Consulting has constructed these eBook Industry Maps to "reflect the evolving business models among publishers, conversion houses, digital distribution companies, eBook vendors, online retailers, libraries, library vendors, authors, and many others. These maps are 3-dimensionaloffering viewers both a high-level orientation to the eBook landscape and an in-depth look at multiple eBook models and the partnerships that have formed within each one." Pass your mouse over any of the squares and a virtual floodgate opens - a universe of interconnected and hyperlinked names, a detailed atlas of who does what to whom. eBookMap.net is one example of a relatively novel approach to databases and web indexing. The metaphor of cyber-space comes alive in spatial, two and three dimensional map-like representations of the world of knowledge in Cybergeography's online "Atlas". Instead of endless, static and bi-chromatic lists of links - Cybergeography catalogues visual,recombinant vistas with a stunning palette, internal dynamics and an intuitively conveyed sense of inter-relatedness. Hyperlinks are incorporated in the topography and topology of these almost-neural maps. "These maps of Cyberspaces - cybermaps - help us visualise and comprehend the new digital landscapes beyond our computer screen, in the wires of the global communications networks and vast online information resources. The cybermaps, like maps of the real-world, help us navigate the new information landscapes, as well being objects of aesthetic interest. They have been created by 'cyber-explorers' of many different disciplines, and from all corners of the world. Some of the maps ... in the Atlas of Cyberspaces ... appear familiar, using the cartographicconventions of real-world maps, however, many of the maps are much more abstract representations of electronic spaces, using new metrics and grids." Navigating these maps is like navigating an inner, familiar, territory. They come in all shapes and modes: flow charts, quasi-geographical maps, 3-d simulator-like terrains and many others. The "web Stalker" is an experimental web browser which is equipped with mapping functions. The range of applicability is mind boggling. A (very) partial list: The Internet Genome Project - "open-source map of the major conceptual components of the Internet and how they relate to each other" Anatomy of a Linux System - Aimed to "...give viewers a concise and comprehensive look at the Linux universe' and at the heart of the poster is a gravity well graphic showing the core software components,surrounded by explanatory text" NewMedia 500 - The financial, strategic, and other inter-relationshipsand interactions between the leading 500 new (web) media firms Internet Industry Map - Ownership and alliances determine status, control, and access in the Internet industry. A revealing organizational chart. The Internet Weather Report measures Internet performance, latency periods and downtime based on a sample of 4000 domains. Real Time Geographic Visualization of WWW Traffic - a stunning, 3-d representation of web usage and traffic statistics the world over. WebBrain and Map.net provide a graphic rendition of the Open Directory Project. The thematic structure of the ODP is instantly discernible. The WebMap is a visual, multi-category directory which contains 2,000,000 web sites. The user can zoom in and out of sub-categories and "unlock" their contents. Maps help write fiction, trace a user's clickpath (replete with clickable web sites), capture Usenet and chat interactions (threads), plot search results (though Alta Vista discontinued its mapping service and Yahoo!3D is no more), bookmark web destinations, and navigate through complex sites. Different metaphors are used as interface. Web sites are represented as plots of land, stars (whose brightness corresponds to the web site's popularity ranking), amino-acids in DNA-like constellations,topographical maps of the ocean depths, buildings in an urban landscape, or other objects in a pastoral setting. Virtual Reality (VR) maps allow information to be simultaneously browsed by teams of collaborators, sometimes represented as avatars in a fully immersive environment. In many applications, the user is expected to fly amongst the data items in virtual landscapes. With the advent of sophisticated GUI's (Graphic UserInterfaces) and VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language) - these maps may well show us the way to a more colourful and user-friendly future.

About the Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, United Press International (UPI) and eBookWeb and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com.

Dusit Declaration

A Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue on the theme 'Buddhists and Muslims in Southeast Asia working towards justice and peace' was held at the Suan Dusit Place of Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, Bangkok from June 26-28, 2006. It was organised jointly by the Santi Pracha Dhamma Institute (SPDI), International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) and International Movement for a Just World (JUST).

A total of 35 participants from eight countries attended the three-day Dialogue. Most of the participants were Buddhists and Muslims from Southeast Asia. A number of them were socially-engaged scholars and grassroots activists.

The Dialogue was part of a continuous process of interaction and engagement among individuals from the two communities that had begun ten years ago. Since Buddhists and Muslims constitute the overwhelming majority of Southeast Asia's 550 million people, dialogue aimed at enhancing understanding and empathy between the two communities is vital for peace and harmony in the region. In view of the critical situation in Southern Thailand, the Dialogue on this occasion assumed special significance. Apart from Southern Thailand, the Dialogue also reflected upon issues of concern pertaining to the two communities in a number of other Southeast Asian countries.

The Dialogue observed that for most of history relations between Buddhists and Muslims have been relatively harmonious. This has been due largely to a certain degree of mutual respect and a willingness to accommodate differences. This historical backdrop should provide the two communities with the strength and resilience to overcome the challenges that confront them today.

In order to overcome these challenges, the Dialogue made the following proposals:

- Civil society groups should utilise to the fullest various information and communication channels with the aim of increasing knowledge and understanding among Buddhists and Muslims of the principal teachings of their respective religions. Towards this end, SPDI, INEB and JUST undertake to produce a series of monographs in all the Southeast Asian languages which will emphasise the fundamental values and principles in Buddhism and Islam that give meaning to justice and peace. An attempt will also be made to disseminate documentaries on inter-religious harmony that embody real life episodes through various local communication channels as well as via webcasting, podcasting and broadcasting.

- The mainstream print and electronic media should highlight those moral values and ethical standards that Buddhism and Islam share in common, and at the same time explain differences in doctrines and rituals with sensitivity. It should also regard it as a duty to eradicate stereotypes and prejudices about the two religions. The media should not aggravate inter-religious ties by distorting and sensationalising events that have implications for religious harmony. In this regard, the media should not allow itself to be manipulated by opportunistic politicians and public personalities who abuse religion and nationalism for their own agendas. Civil society groups should establish 'media watches' to monitor media reporting on matters pertaining to inter-religious ties.

- Schools and universities should introduce and expand courses that seek to promote better understanding between Buddhists and Muslims. Since both religions are committed to justice and peace, it would be worthwhile to increase peace studies programmes at all levels of formal education which focus on non-violence in conflict resolution. School and university curricula should not contain materials which create animosity and perpetuate prejudice between religious and ethnic communities. Civil society groups can help to initiate the development of curricula that reflect Buddhism's and Islam's concern for justice and peace. At the same time, they should monitor school and university curricula to ensure that they do not have a negative impact on inter-religious ties.

- Buddhist and Muslim religious leaders should within the context of their respective faiths emphasise those ideas and values which conduce towards inter-religious harmony and the celebration of our common humanity. They should discard the tendency to be exclusive in their outlook and consciously cultivate a more inclusive and universal orientation towards religion. Differences between the two religions should not be allowed to create cleavages between their followers. Buddhist monks and the ulama should work together to eliminate prejudices, hatreds and misconceptions that sometimes tend to separate the two communities. Both should adopt a principled position against violence, especially the killing of civilians, and the destruction of places of worship regardless of who or what the target is. In this connection, civil society groups should engage with religious leaders in order to encourage them to become more inclusive and universal in outlook and more positively orientated towards justice and peace.

- Government leaders and politicians should consciously nurture harmonious relations between Buddhists and Muslims and among people of other faiths through both their public pronouncements and policies. It would be utterly irresponsible of government leaders and politicians to exploit religious sentiments for narrow political gain. They should instead initiate meaningful reforms to existing political structures which would protect and strengthen the rights and dignity of the different religious communities. In certain situations it may even be necessary to devolve political authority through the empowerment of disenfranchised religious communities. To endow substance to the empowerment of the community, government and political leaders should adhere to moral principles such as transparency and accountability. Civil society and the media should not hesitate to expose irresponsible leaders who divide the followers of different religions in pursuit of their self-serving political agendas.

Apart from looking at the challenges facing Buddhists and Muslims in Southeast Asia as a whole, the Dialogue also addressed immediate and urgent issues obtaining in specific country situations. The focus was of course on Southern Thailand.

- In the case of Myanmar, there was concern over attempts by the government to control religious activities to the detriment of the communities in question. The state itself appears to be a purveyor of prejudice against certain religious communities. In Indonesia, the adverse socio-economic and socio-political situation has had a negative impact upon inter-religious relations. Unethical methods of proselytisation by groups within a particular religious community allegedly supported by foreign elements have led to a further deterioration in majority-minority ties. There is also a need for the Malaysian state to be more sensitive to some of the legitimate interests of its non-Muslim minorities. -

- The Dialogue was of the view that the recommendations of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) established to study the situation in Southern Thailand deserve the wholehearted support of the nation. It is significant that the NRC declared in unambiguous terms that religion is not the cause of the violence in the South. Injustices arising from the existing judicial process and administrative system and poverty and deprivation are more important contributory factors. Historical and cultural conditions have also played a role in prodding militants to resort to violence which has been met with excessive force by the state. The NRC recommends a whole gamut of measures to overcome the violence. Among them is the establishment of a Peaceful Strategic Administrative Center for Southern Border Provinces (PSAC) which inter alia would seek to promote understanding of the situation and methods to solve the problem in all government agencies among people in the region in Thai society at large and in the international community. There is also a proposal for the state to engage in dialogue with the militants and to act decisively against state officials who abuse their power. There are also other recommendations for solving the unemployment problem, building confidence in the judicial process and improving the education system.

- The Dialogue also proposed that civil society undertake to ascertain the sentiments of the people in the three troubled provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala about the form of local governance that they prefer. A petition with at least 50,000 signatures on the form of governance they opt for should then be presented to Parliament for deliberation. This would be in accordance with the Thai Constitution and would reflect the democratic will of the people of the three provinces.

- Monks and the ulama and Buddhist and Muslim religious leaders in general in the three provinces should make a concerted effort to break down barriers that have created a wide chasm between Buddhists and Muslims and instead build bridges of understanding between the two communities. This process would require honest and sincere introspection on the part of the religious leaders and others about their own flaws and foibles. Critical self analysis should go hand-in-hand with Buddhist-Muslim dialogue in the three Southern provinces.

- INEB and other NGOs should initiate efforts to form a "People's Watch" comprising both Buddhists and Muslims drawn from various sectors of society whose primary purpose would be to protect and safeguard places of worship, institutions of learning and hospitals among other public institutions. A "People's Watch" would not only ensure the safety and security of these institutions but more significantly, it would also help foster a spirit of togetherness among Buddhists and Muslims.

- Both Buddhists and Muslims from neighbouring countries especially those representing the influential strata in religion, politics and the media should assist in whatever way possible in the process of dialogue and reconciliation in southern Thailand. More specifically they should try to strengthen a more inclusive and universal approach to both religions informed by values of justice, compassion and forgiveness.

Enhancing understanding and empathy between Buddhists and Muslims in Southeast Asia has become imperative in view of the overwhelming power and influence of contemporary global capitalism rooted in global hegemony. The hegemonic power of global capitalism is the new 'religion' which threatens to undermine the universal, spiritual and moral values and world views embodied in Buddhism, Islam and other religions. This is why Buddhists, Muslims and others should forge a more profound unity and solidarity which will be able to offer another vision of a just, compassionate and humane universal civilization.

It is with this mission in mind that we hereby announce the launch of a permanent Buddhist-Muslim Citizens' Commission for Southeast Asia.