TechnicaMag.com

Social gaming is a popular online past time, and allows people to have fun whilst they interact with each other, and make new friends in a common, interesting environment. Some of the top social games at the moment are:

• Sociotown – this is a huge 3D virtual city environment, and is one of the most sophisticated browser based social games currently online. You can have fun creating your own character, and do all kinds of urban things like buying your own apartment, shopping for clothes, visiting friends and neighbours at home in their apartments and also going to parties. There is a real time chat function, as well as dynamic speech bubbles so you can see exactly who is talking and what they are saying, and you can also listen to and even compose music.
• Rock band – the original rock band video game was a console gaming phenomenon, and in 2007 was released as an extensive community website, which was originally designed to widen the games parameters and extend its console features. The most recent version of the online game allows for leader boards, customizable band profile pages, band blogs, online forums, and customizable avatars (you can even actually order the clothes you wear in the game and real life figurines of your avatar.). Rock Band lets you perform in a virtual band playing either lead guitar, bass guitar, drums or singing vocals, using related devices that are plugged into the intermediary consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 etc).
• Secondlife – this is another game based in a virtual ‘real life’ world, and members are called ‘residents’ and can create their own avatars, which are then used to explore and interact with others in the 3D environment. Residents can take part in group activities, buy and sell virtual property and also travel around the world within the game and the 3D modeling ensures a complex and vibrant environment in which to socialize in. Second Life has its own currency the Linden Dollar (L$) which can be used to trade for goods and services, and as the popularity of the game has increased land and property had become increasingly valuable within the virtual world, and the main bonus is that you can also use your Linden dolllars to pay your subscription fees, so they have value in the real world as well.

Social sites such as Facebook also include gaming additions to encourage users to socialise and have fun, and you can compete with friends at skill games like ‘Cubes Crash’ and ‘Bricks Breaking’ or just have a quick go alone on ‘Scarab Solitaire’. Facebook games are updated daily to keep things fresh, and you can also embed your favourite games into your profile and get your friends to join in.

One of the top makers of online social gaming is Kramaley Games who are based in London, UK. They run Metropolis, which is another excellent city simulation game, but also the best thing is that they also run games with a ecological slant, such as the ‘Stop Global Warming’ game which has raised $2,600 for charities and also the ‘Flora’ game which encourages people to protect and save areas of endangered rainforest.

There is a whole range of promotional gadgets you can get to advertise your business including the standard pens, mugs and PC mousemats, but one of the most popular promotional items at the moment is the silicone wristband. These bands have become a quirky fashion statement in the last few years, and many businesses and charities use them for promotion as they are high quality, visible, long life and durable, and also very reasonably priced. Custom wristbands are made from 100% silicone, which is non-allergenic and also hygienic, and there are almost limitless options such as:

• Debossed and embossed messages and logos
• Screen printed patterns and colours
• Limitless colour choices
• Limitless patterns including marbled, striped, transparent etc..
• Double linked (two wristbands combined into one item)
• Glow in the dark
• Glitter and metallic effects
• Scented

Companies like 24HourWristbands.com will create any custom design for you, whether you want to promote your website, business name and logo, charity/organisation or simply want your own personal design to give to friends and family.

Bands can be made in a range of different sizes, adult, medium and child, and the technological process involves mixing raw silicone with a base colour, which is then poured into wristband molds (that have the relevant debossed/embossed deign and logo) and then heated to 200 Celsius. Once cooled the wristbands are removed and then packaged ready for shipping.

Because custom silicone wristbands are reasonably straightforward and easy to process orders can be printed and shipped very quickly, and you should receive your items within 14- 21 days. There are some great offers and discounts on bulk orders, and with SiliconeBand.com you also get free molding and shipping on all orders over 500.

Custom silicone bands are a modern, funky and fashionable way to promote a business or simply get a personal message across, and they can also be great for groups of friends, members of small clubs and associations and also school events and outings.

Computer Operating Systems run a number of automatic programs to maintain the smooth and efficient running of your computer, and these are called ‘executable files’ (EXE).

These files are able to run without the intervention of the user, and this makes them vulnerable to exploitation by hackers, as once loaded onto your system EXE files can run without your knowledge and can be used to extract personal information from your computer and send it to another source. You must be careful when opening any new EXE files to ensure they are not malicious programs in disguise, and never open any EXE attachments sent to you via email unless you are sure they are from a legitimate and secure source.

EXE files do serve very important functions though, so if you see them on your systems directory you should not try and delete them without checking them thoroughly first. For example the filename SVCHOST.EXE is an important host process for linking DLL files with other software applications, and facilitates the stability and security of your operating system.

SVCHOST.EXE creates multiple instances of itself throughout your system, so you may see it repeated in a few different folders. It is important to note that malicious programs can sometimes masquerade as legitimate EXE files, so you should always scan your computer regularly for viruses and spyware, to ensure all your EXE files are authentic and performing legitimate functions.

Another important EXE file is CCSVCHST.EXE, which belongs to the company Symantec, and is loaded onto your computer when you install Norton Antivirus Software. CCSVCHST is well known for causing severe run time problems when it is updating the Antivirus software, and users have found in some cases it can use 100% of the CPU, making the computer unusable until it has finished. If this problem occurs then it is recommended that you uninstall Norton Software, and replace it with another antivirus program as soon as possible.

The Polaroid camera was a very cool gadget back in its day, allowing you to take and print pictures almost instantly, but the quality was never really that good and digital cameras soon eclipsed any of its unique benefits.

However the Japanese company Tomy Co have been working on a 21st Century update to the Polaroid, and have now just released the first digital camera with a built-in printer, that can take and produce instant photographs at the touch of a button. What is even better is that these cameras are light and compact (the product name ‘Xiao’ actually means ‘little’ in Cantonese) and unlike the original Polaroid you can also edit photos before you print them out.

The Xiao is currently being sold in a five megapixel version, and the printed photos measure about 5cm by 7cm, and a major bonus is that the integrated printer is of a thermal crystal design, meaning that it does not require ink. Current prices are 34,800 yen which is about £240, and the printing paper for the camera is about 880 yen or £6 for a pack of 20 sheets.