The tactic has reduced the intensity of the fighting in the eastern Donbas region and allowed Ukraine to make small gains there, fighters say.
Source link
Author Archives: Joshua King
MISO surprises with FERC Order 2222 implementation date
The importance of pipe cleaning
Disinfecting your pipes regularly is the key to keeping them in good condition and avoiding expensive repairs and constant blockages Αποφράξεις Πειραιάς. So at this point, we will discuss how your ducts get filled with grease or many other substances that eventually wear and clog them as well as some first instructions to do your own disinfection.
How do I know my pipes need cleaning?
You will know something is wrong with your drains if, when you turn on the faucet in your bathroom or kitchen, you smell a rotten egg or feces. This means that your ducts have accumulated gases, bacteria and all kinds of sewage that give off that bad smell. But how did this smell come about?
Over time, non-degradable organic matter such as hair and food debris builds up on the walls of the pipes. This organic matter is a focus for the growth and multiplication of bacteria. As the bacteria grow and multiply, they produce gas, which often smells like rotten eggs or feces.
These gases are heavier than air, so as long as the faucet is turned off, they remain in the pipe. But when the water runs down the pipes, these gases are compressed and have to go somewhere, so they are released in your bathroom or kitchen. So it’s not the water that smells, it’s your pipes. Therefore, regular disinfection of your ducts minimizes the risk of such odors.
How do I treat bacteria in my pipes?
Not only your pipes need disinfection, but also your water heater. This is because another cause of the development of foul-smelling gases is the bacteria that grow in the water heater, especially if it has been turned off for a long time. To eliminate this problem, the bacteria in your ducts must be eradicated.
An environmentally friendly option to clean and disinfect your pipes is the baking soda and vinegar method: Pour some baking soda into the basin or sink, then add an equal amount of white vinegar. Let the mixture act for a few minutes and pour hot water. If the smell persists, repeat.
Frequency of pipe cleaning
It is necessary to do such simple disinfections at least once a month. Regular disinfection of pipes reduces odors and at the same time protects your plumbing system itself: Accumulated masses of bacteria can, in the long run, clog your pipes and then you have to deal with odors and stagnant water or even flooded bathrooms. And then, a professional technician is essential. And since pipe blockages are not the easiest – and cheapest – process, with disinfection you can avoid them!
Why is pipe inspection with a camera important?
It points out the exact nature and location of trouble spots. This way you know the exact diagnosis so you can make the right decisions.
It can spot small problems before they become big ones.
You may be surprised at what you are likely to discover. Over time, things that go down the drain can stay there forever like small coins, rings, earrings and who knows what else?
Will vinegar damage PVC pipes?
The answer is that vinegar will not harm the pipes if used in small doses, as recommended in many of the recipes you find online. No matter what your pipes are made of, pex, pvc, copper, etc. vinegar will not damage the pipes.
Can salt unclog clogged pipes?
Salt is an excellent cleaning ingredient due to its abrasive and antiseptic properties. There is a possibility that mild clogs can unclog the drain with salt.
Make a 50/50 solution of salt and water, heat to almost boiling, then pour the salt water down the drain. Repeat this a few times and then flush the drain with cold water. CAUTION: Do not use boiling water if you have plastic (PVC) pipes, because water above 80C (Celsius degrees) can soften some types of PVC pipes.
See more about Αποφράξεις Πειραιάς:
What to consider when choosing a web hosting company
When it comes to choosing a web hosting company, there are many things you need to take into account. In this article, we will go over some of the most critical factors you need to consider when making your decision. We hope that after reading this, you can make an informed decision on which company is right for you.
How to choose the best web hosting provider for you
Choosing the best web hosting provider for your needs can be daunting, especially if you are not familiar with the different types of web hosting available. To help you, we have compiled a list of things to look for when choosing a web hosting provider.
Reliability and uptime: One of the most important considerations when choosing a web hosting provider. Research the company’s past uptime record to understand its reliability. In addition, find out what kind of guarantees they offer in terms of uptime.
Customer support: Another important consideration is customer support. Find out what kind of support the company offers and how easy it is to get in touch with them. In addition, find out what hours they are available and whether or not they offer 24/7 support.
Features: When choosing a web hosting provider, check what features they offer. You should look for unlimited storage and bandwidth, free domain name, email accounts, website builder, and ecommerce platform features.
Pricing: Of course, pricing is also essential when choosing a web hosting provider. Make sure to compare the different plans offered by the various providers to find one that fits your budget. In addition, don’t forget to factor in additional costs such as domain registrar and SSL certificates.
Types of web servers
Shared servers are the most common and affordable server type on the market. A shared server shares its resources with other websites, such as CPU, RAM, and disk space. Shared servers are a good option for small businesses and personal websites that do not receive a lot of traffic.
A dedicated server is a physical server reserved for your website only. Dedicated servers provide more power and flexibility than shared servers but are also more expensive.
A virtual private server (VPS) is a hybrid of a shared server and a dedicated server. Like a dedicated server, a VPS provides your resources, such as CPU, RAM, and disk space. However, these resources are divided between several different websites, so you don’t have complete control over the server.
A cloud server is a type of VPS that uses resources from a network of servers. This allows for more flexibility and scalability than a traditional VPS, as you can add or remove resources as needed.
Pros and cons of building your own website
Of course, the most prominent benefit to building your own website is the price. Sitting behind a laptop, choosing a service and taking to building the site yourself is without a doubt the cheapest option, although this does vary depending on what you want your site to do.
One of the most frustrating things about building your own website is the fact that it can be quite a complicated process. Where some providers may state you could be up and running in less than an hour, realistically, to get your website working well and effectively portraying your brand in a unique way, this will take time and patience.
Aside from the aforementioned points, there are other pros and cons to building your own website, which include:
Pros
– You have complete control over your website and its content
– You can save money by building your own website
– You can choose the design, layout, and overall look of your website
– You can add or remove features and functionality as you see fit
– You can track visitors and see how they interact with your site. This information can be used to improve the user experience on your site
Cons
– Building your website can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially if you’re unfamiliar with web design and development
– You need technical skills and knowledge to build a website from scratch
– If you make changes to your website, there’s a chance that something could go wrong and break the site. This is why it’s essential to have a site backup before making any changes
– Depending on the type of website you want to build, buying the necessary hosting, domain name, and software can be expensive
– You need to spend time and effort updating and maintaining your website regularly. Otherwise, it will start to look dated and neglected
– There’s always a risk that your website could be hacked or attacked by malware. This is why it’s essential to keep your site secure and up-to-date
5 things to consider before picking a web hosting provider
Hosting your site with a web hosting provider is an essential step to ensuring your site is available to your audience. There are many things to consider when choosing a provider, but these five considerations are some of the most important:
Reliability
You want to choose a reliable web hosting provider that will keep your site up and running. You don’t want to choose a provider with frequent downtime or unreliable downtime.
Customer Support
Customer support is vital in case you have any issues with your hosting account or if you need help with something.
Pricing
Pricing is important to consider when choosing a web hosting provider. You want to find a provider that has a reasonable price for the features and services you need.
Features
Features are important to consider when choosing a web hosting provider. You want to ensure the provider has the features you need for your website. If you need specific features like unlimited storage or bandwidth, make sure the provider offers those features.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is important when choosing a web hosting provider. You want to choose a provider that is easy to use and has a good control panel.
These are just a few things to consider when choosing a web hosting provider. When you take the time to consider all your options, you can choose the best web hosting provider for your needs.
Choosing free web hosting
Many web hosting providers are vying for your attention, and it can be hard to decide which is suitable for you and your website. One option you may be considering is free website hosting. While there are some advantages to this hosting, there are also some potential drawbacks that you should be aware of before making your final decision.
Pros
Cost: This is the biggest advantage of free web hosting. If you are on a tight budget or just starting with your first website, free hosting can help you get started without breaking the bank.
No long-term commitment: Many free web hosting providers do not require a long-term contract like most paid providers. This means you can cancel at any time without penalty.
Easy to set up – Free web hosting providers typically offer easy-to-use control panels that make it simple to get your website up and running with just a few clicks.
Cons
Limited storage and bandwidth: One of the biggest downsides of free web hosting is the limited storage space and bandwidth you receive. This can be problematic if you have a lot of images, videos, or other large files on your website or get a lot of traffic to your site.
Ads – To subsidize the cost of free hosting, many providers will place ads on your website. This can be distracting and annoying for your visitors and make your site look unprofessional.
Limited features – Another downside of free web hosting is that you often have access to fewer features and tools than you would with a paid provider. This can limit what you can do with your website and make it more challenging to grow your business online.
Poor customer support: Since free web hosting providers are not making money from you, they may not offer the same level of customer support as a paid provider. This means you may have to rely on online forums or other users for help if you encounter any problems.
Large national web hosting providers
When it comes to choosing a web hosting company, there are a lot of things to consider. But one of the most important factors is finding a provider to offer you the best possible price for your specific needs. And that’s where large national web hosting providers come in.
These companies have the buying power to get discounts from Internet service providers (ISPs) and pass those savings on to you. They also have the resources to invest in infrastructure and support staff. That means you’re more likely to get reliable service and support when you need it.
Pros of choosing a national provider
Reliability: National companies have the resources to invest in reliable infrastructure.
Support: National companies usually have better support because they can afford to hire more support staff.
Scalability: National companies can afford to invest in infrastructure that can scale as their needs grow.
Cons of choosing a national provider
Cost: National companies tend to be more expensive than local providers.
Inflexibility: National companies may not be as flexible as local providers when customizing plans and services.
Lock-in – You may be locked into a long-term contract with a national provider, making it difficult to switch to another provider if you’re unhappy with the service.
Small local web hosting providers
Small local web hosting providers are an excellent option for businesses that want to keep their web presence local.
Pros of choosing a small local web hosting provider
You can get personal service and support.
Small local web hosts often offer lower prices than larger national or international companies.
They may offer additional services such as website design, development, and marketing.
Small local web hosting providers often have a good understanding of the needs of small businesses and can tailor their services to meet those needs.
Cons of choosing a small local web hosting provider
Limited features.
They may not have the same level of experience or expertise as larger companies.
Poor customer service or support.
They may not offer a money-back guarantee or another type of satisfaction guarantee.
An exception to the above
There are, however, exceptions to what has already been said. There are a few UK web design companies out there that fall into the ‘large national provider’ category; however, like to stand out from the rest thanks to being a web design franchise (opens in new tab) meaning they having a network of regional consultant which makes everything much easier and personal when it comes to getting your website built.
So, the key takeaways are to decide if you have the time and skillset to build you own website and then decide which company to use to get your online presence established.
Be sure to do your research and check out any reviews about the companies your considering working with.
Conclude on the right web hosting service
It is important to do your research when choosing a web hosting company. Make sure to read reviews and compare pricing. Be sure to ask about uptime guarantees and customer support options.
Also, find out what kind of security measures are in place. Choosing a reputable and reliable web hosting company is essential for ensuring that your website runs smoothly and reliably. Do your research before making a final decision.
Sri Lanka Live Updates: President Has Not Surfaced After Report of Resignation
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to step down, an ally said. Local media reported that Mr. Rajapaksa ordered cooking fuel to be distributed, but the statement could not be immediately verified.
Source link
Duke Energy aims to double renewable energy capacity by 2030
Goodbye, Internet Explorer. Thanks for the memories (and the malware)
The end of an era is upon us, as Internet Explorer is finally retired after more than 26 years of service, both good and bad.
Announced last year, the official retirement of Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022, comes 26 years and 10 months (9,801 days, to be exact) after its release on August 15, 1995, back when the public-facing Internet was in its infancy.
From almost the very beginning, it courted controversy. After the launch of Windows 95 (also in August 1995), Microsoft started bundling Internet Explorer with OEM versions of the operating system.
This meant that if you bought a new computer at a time when everyone was buying a new computer, you almost certainly booted it up with a copy of Microsoft’s web browser already installed and set as the default program for interacting with the Internet.
This, of course, is what got Microsoft into trouble with the US government, who lodged a successful antitrust action against the company (United States v. Microsoft) that ultimately forced Microsoft to allow OEMs to install the web browsers of their choice on the machines they shipped.
That strategy was nonetheless successful, and by the turn of the millennium, if you weren’t using some legacy intermediary like AOL, Internet Explorer was how almost everyone else entered the internet, and it was unfathomable that this could change.
Microsoft Internet Explorer loses its edge
Internet Explorer 6 was released in 2001 around the time of the final settlement of Microsoft’s antitrust case, and it didn’t receive a major feature updated for several critical years thereafter.
Internet Explorer was by then the dominant web browser the world over, so Microsoft probably thought it could rest on its laurels. This proved consequential for two reasons: ActiveX Controls and Mozilla Firefox.
ActiveX Controls were a feature of Internet Explorer since 1996 that allowed web pages to package executable code into HTML that would run on client-side machines (i.e., your computer) without any user intervention. While this arguably made the internet a richer experience than simple web pages could produce, it also became a security nightmare almost immediately — one that Internet Explorer could never shake off.
Then in 2004, Mozilla Firefox, one of the first major open-source projects on the internet, was released, offering tabbed web browsing, extension support and no ActiveX Control vulnerabilities. As users flocked to Firefox, and a few years later to Google Chrome, Internet Explorer offered little in the way of updates until 2007, with Internet Explorer 7, but by then it was pretty much over. Firefox, and then Chrome, would eventually come to overshadow Internet Explorer and drive down its once dominant market share to once unthinkable lows from which it never recovered.
Microsoft Internet Explorer slouches towards retirement
By 2015, when Microsoft released the new Microsoft Edge browser, it was all but begging Internet Explorer customers to switch, especially those still running Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6, which were mostly businesses and institutions, despite it being riddled with unpatchable vulnerabilities in the evolving, modern Internet.
Finally, after announcing it was axing Windows XP support to get hold-outs to switch, Microsoft announced last year that it was pulling the plug on Internet Explorer as well.
That time has finally come. As of now, Internet Explorer – that once all-powerful ruler of the internet – is no longer being supported on most operating systems, with very limited extended security updates for certain enterprise services with extended support agreements Microsoft is contractually obligated to honor. But even those will be done by the end of 2023.
It’s done. It’s over. You don’t have to go to Edge, but you stay with Internet Explorer at your own risk.
It’s wasn’t all bad times, though
Internet Explorer deserved the reputation it earned for security vulnerabilities. You could click on a URL in a Something Awful forum in the early 2000s and have your computer completely bricked, or worse, by someone who just delighted in watching the world’s computers burn.
Next to Adobe Flash, there is nothing on your computer that you should avoid more than Internet Explorer. It was unnecessarily careless with security, something that internet security professionals were screaming about into the Redmond Void before internet security professionals was even really a thing.
Microsoft had to have known better, but they pressed ahead with a web browser that literally let someone else install and run a program on your computer with just a careless click on a webpage and forced hundreds of millions of people to use it. There’s no getting around the fact that it was an atrocity of a program, and even Microsoft is glad to be rid of it.
But, for a time, Internet Explorer was all there really was, and coming from the original Walled Garden of the internet, America Online, using Internet Explorer was like moving out of my parent’s house for the first time when I went away for college.
There was an enormous amount of danger I could encounter and a whole lot of trouble that I narrowly avoided, and even fell into, because I was stupid. But it was also the best time of many of our lives, when life is full of possibilities and we thought ourselves immortal.
Internet Explorer was where many of us first found out that we could find anything, and I do mean anything, on the internet. From Ebaums World to CD-Key cracking sites to the entire wide world of emulators. Are game emulators illegal? We sure as hell didn’t care. The entirety of the Internet was open to me in all its full-but-often-disgusting glory.
There are things I did with Internet Explorer that I would blanche at if I saw someone doing it today with even a secure browser like Edge, Chrome or Safari. We were all innocents abroad on the internet back then and Internet Explorer was built for a time when the internet was truly a frontier.
That time has passed, and so too must Internet Explorer. It was the digital version of riding down I-35 in Texas with my friends in the bed of someone’s pickup truck to go to wherever underage college kids went to drink beer. I’m grateful I made it through both experiences safely. I would never do either again, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a hell of a time.
TechRadar sounds off on Internet Explorer
Everyone here at TechRadar has an opinion on Internet Explorer, whether it was their first browser in the 1990s or the browser that turned entire family computers into digital petri dishes for malware. I asked the team what they thought about Internet Explorer finally being retired, and for better or worse, it stirred up lot of feelings in just about everyone.
“I remember getting my internet crash course from my techie dad in the late ’90s/early 2000s and one of the earliest things I did outside of his guidance was to search for games,” said Josephine Watson, TechRadar’s deputy managing editor. “Bejewelled, Neopets, Miniclip and Runescape all became my best friends in the absence of real ones.”
As fond as that memory was though, it wasn’t all Neopets and sunshine. “SO. MANY. VIRUSES.” Watson added. “Every other site would somehow download a trojan onto my computer. Or I did. I can’t remember.”
“I can’t remember too many problems, but then again, they’d just invented the internet when I started and being able to download an image, or an MP3 at 4kb/s, was just a dream to me,” said TechRadar’s global editor in Chief, Gareth Beavis.
“I still have a fond nostalgia for the grey icons and blocky refresh button, although when I upgraded to Firefox, I felt like I was sneaking out of school and into a rebellious zone,” Beavis added.
Internet Explorer also has its defenders, like Désiré Athow, managing editor of TechRadar Pro.
“It was the rabbit hole that allowed me to explore a world that was hitherto unknown to me, learn more about the ‘information superhighway’ and hang out with friends at cybercafés where we rented out computers by the hour,” Athow said.
“Internet Explorer’s flaws shouldn’t hide the fact that it was a great springboard for newcomers to the web,” he added. “It’s a shame that Microsoft didn’t embrace it the way Google did with Chrome.”
“I was in college when the University of Illinois released NCSA Mosaic, an enormous pivot from the Archie and Veronica services available at the school library (look it up, kids!) and the Fetch app we had all been using to pirate software off the internet,” confesses Jeremy Kaplan, TechRadar’s content director. “Then my mom bought a new computer, and I convinced her she had to buy this new program called Netscape Navigator. A boxed version, for $49.99 … it was the only way to get such a large program at the time.”
“When Internet Explorer came out,” Kaplan said, “it seemed very much a me-too app. Microsoft steadily honed it, and improved it, and weirdly started coming up with ‘extensions to the Internet’ to ensure people used their browser.
“On the one hand, it made sense to just offer that app with a computer; after all, we had to buy apps before that,” Kaplan added. “But it felt weird, and really bifurcated the market. Lawsuits later, IE still felt a little tainted, a little corporate, a little me too. It had no Edge. I stayed with Netscape, picked up Chrome when Google released it, and never looked back.”
Ukraine Live Updates: Russia Wields Greater Firepower in East, but Signs Emerge of Discord in South
There are some indications that Moscow is struggling to govern areas in southern Ukraine that its forces occupy. The U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd J. Austin III, said the war offered “a preview of a possible world of chaos and turmoil.”
Source link
California PUC adopts plan to add 25.5GW of renewables by 2023
Forget the metaverse, the Meetaverse is where your next meeting might be at
Walking around my own private convention hall, marveling at my own mostly minuscule accomplishments, I thought, “I could get used to hanging out here in the Meetaverse.”
Nope, that’s not a misspelling. Meetaverse, from Allseated, is a browser-based 3D meeting platform. Meetaverse builds these bespoke 3D spaces for conferences, companies, and meetings. Or it will, after the platform launches this week. The company told me it already has a catalog of hundreds of venues that they’ve 3D scanned and rendered and 10,000 3D objects they can drop into the 3D environment.
As the name suggests, the finished Meetaverse spaces have a metaverse flavor. They are 3D, virtual environments that include avatars, activations like articles you can dive into and read, videos you can watch, and, as I saw in my own space, details about the brand. To make me feel more at home, Meetaverse filled my space with details about me: there were walls with my photos, my social media stats, and articles I’ve written.
The avatars – including mine – looked like a cross between EVE from Pixar’s WALL-E, and a 1960s TV set. The top half of each avatar is filled with a screen featuring a live video feed for each meeting participant. There were also a bunch of NPC avatars floating around just to fill up the virtually cavernous space. Off to the left of my browser screen was a more traditional foursquare live video feed of me and the three Meetaverse representatives: Chief Marketing Officer Cal Nathan, Marketing Director Nick Borelli, and Project Facilitator Manager Lauren Holley.
Unlike the metaverse, Meetaverse is designed for browsers and not VR headsets (though Meetaverse did work on Oculus-friendly versions for a while). They want it to work on any browser, but told me that, for now, the experience is best on Chrome. Watching the platform build my 3D Meetaverse space reminded me of VR 1.0 meeting rooms of the late 1990s. Still, the graphics and movements through those spaces were never this good.
While not exactly a realistic rendering of a conference hall, the Meetaverse does look good and well-laid out. There was an entry space, a welcome section, breakout rooms with semi-translucent glass walls, and a large presentation space.
First, I tried using the on-screen navigations buttons and then my mouse to move about but it was difficult to control my movements. At the Meetaverse exec’s suggestion, I switched to the arrow keys on my laptop and found movement intuitive and relatively smooth. I didn’t like, though, how after you let go of an arrow key, you kept moving a virtual step or two – the execs insisted this was by design.
Even though you can walk through solid objects (again, another conscious design decision), there’s no way of quickly teleporting from one spot in the Meetaverse to another (you can dial in and out of entire Meetaverses events or meetings, though). I wondered if, in the case of a busy Meetaverse trade show, you could hit the tab key and jump from one booth to another. Borelli insisted that will kill some of the serendipity of the system.
While my demo space was a conference hall, Holley told me the first use case is just meetings, much like the ones you might have in Zoom or Google Meet. I asked them if their approach is overkill.
“It is more on the line of experiential than other platforms you mention. Adding more experiential elements facilitates more of the oasis away from those types of atmospheres [ike static Zoom and Google Meet].” said Meetaverse’s Nick Borelli.
Okay, sure. I can see Meetaverse making a meeting more fun, but all that 3D and oddball avatars can get a little distracting.
Meetaverse can build an environment in three-to-four weeks and will charge $15 a head (with a minimum of 500 users). The per-seat price drops if you sign up for more than a year.
In the meantime, I need to find out if I can start giving tours of my own Meetaverse.