Yahoo Domains

What is Yahoo! Domains?

Yahoo! Domains provides a place for individuals and organizations to register a new web address. A Yahoo! Domains account includes the following features:

• web address (e.g., learn2yoga.com or my-business-name.com)
• starter web page or domain forwarding
• email forwarding (e.g., myname@learn2yoga.com)
• advanced DNS records

If you already own a domain name, you can use it with a Yahoo! plan (a process called redelegation). When you redelegate your domain to Yahoo!, keep in mind that you'll continue to pay your original registrar to manage and renew your domain. Yahoo! will not renew your domain. Learn more

Getting Started with Yahoo! Domains

Welcome to Yahoo! Domains! This brief guide will help get you started setting up and managing the features of your new web address. If you have any questions along the way, see our Yahoo! Domains Help.

About Your Domain

When you signed up for your plan, you chose a web address, or domain, for your business. Your customers will use this domain, such as learn2yoga.com, to find your business online.
If you recently signed up for Yahoo! Domains, your domain may still be pending. Pending means that your domain is not yet active across the Internet; don't worry, this is normal for all domain registrations and changes, and can take up to 72 hours. The effects of a pending domain:

• Web address: If you are registering a new domain, visitors who visit your web address will get a Page Not Found error. If you are using a domain you registered elsewhere, visitors will see the page or web site that is currently active, depending on the settings you have made at your registrar.
• Email: Any email messages sent to your domain name may not be delivered while your domain is pending. If you are using a domain you ordered through another provider, your email may be delivered to your registrar until your domain becomes active.

We'll notify you as soon as your domain becomes active. In the meantime, you can begin familiarizing yourself with your Yahoo! plan features!

Using a Domain You Already Own

To use your existing domain name with your Yahoo! plan, you'll need to contact the company where you originally registered your domain, such as Network Solutions, and request a name server change to redirect your existing domain name to Yahoo!

You don't need to understand name servers to make the switch. Just provide your registrar with this information about your new service (be sure to replace learn2yoga.com with your own domain name):

I would like Yahoo! Small Business to host my domain name. Please make the following changes for learn2yoga.com:

Primary name server: yns1.yahoo.com

Primary IP address: 66.218.71.205

Secondary name server: yns2.yahoo.com

Secondary IP address: 216.109.116.20

After you've done this, the change may take up to 72 hours (during this time, your domain will appear as pending).

Note: This process is not a registrar transfer. Your current provider will continue to renew your domain, and you'll pay any associated fees to that provider. Yahoo! will not renew your domain. Learn more.

Your Domain Control Panel

To begin exploring your new domain features, sign in to your account:

1. Visit your Business Control Panel. (If you haven't entered your Yahoo! ID and password, you'll be prompted to do so here. If you forget your password, click the "Forgot your password?" link and follow the prompts to retrieve it.)
2. Click "Domain Control Panel."
3. From here, you'll see a list of tasks, where you can manage all of your Yahoo! Domains services:

Starter Web Page: Create or edit a basic web page for your web address.

Forward Your Domain: Send visitors from your domain to another web site.

Set Up Email Address: Set up your domain name email address.

View/Edit Your Domain Registration: Review and update your WHOIS contact information.

Manage Advanced DNS Settings: Set up CNAME, A Records, and MX records (for advanced users only).

Starter Web Page

When you purchase a Domains, Custom Mailbox, or Business Mail plan, we automatically create a placeholder "Under Construction" web page for you at your web address. To customize this page, you can use our starter web page feature, which allows you to add your name, contact information, and details about your business, as well as change the page design. A starter web page is a great way to establish a presence at your domain until you're ready to build a more comprehensive web site. Learn more.

Note: Do you already have a web site? You can forward traffic from your new domain name to your existing site. Learn how.

Email Features

If you have a Domains plan, you'll also get one free email address! You can specify an email address at your domain, such as linda@learn2yoga.com, and retrieve these messages from your free Yahoo! Mail account (for example, youryahooID@yahoo.com).

You can also take advantage of our "catch-all" feature, which allows any email sent to misaddressed, misspelled, or nonexistent addresses at your domain to be redirected to your Yahoo! Mail account. You can activate this feature in the "Set Up Email Address" task from the Domains Control Panel. Learn more.

Other Settings

From your Domain Control Panel, you can edit both your domain registration information and your advanced DNS settings:

• Domain Registration Information: At any time, you can visit this task to edit your registrant and administrator contact information. We recommend keeping this information up-to-date in the event that your domain name registrar or another third party needs to contact you regarding any technical or legal issue with your domain name. Learn more.
• Advanced DNS Settings: If you're an advanced user, you can customize your domain name to work with other services. You can add A or CNAME records, or change MX records or your name servers. However, we recommend changing DNS records only if you're an advanced users, as making such changes can prevent your services from functioning properly. If you've made changes and would like to revert to the old settings, you can reset the advanced DNS settings to their default values.

Next Steps

What's next? We'll email you as soon as your domain becomes active. To test this domain, visit your web address at http://www.yourdomain.com (be sure to replace "yourdomain.com" with your own domain name). You should see an "Under Construction" page, or, if you set up a starter web page, your business and contact information in the template you selected. (If you forwarded your domain, you should be redirected to the web address you specified.)

If you need more help setting up or managing the features of your new web address, explore our Domains Help or our Glossary.

How do I sign up for a Yahoo! Domains account?

It depends whether you're a new customer, adding another domain to your existing account, or planning to use a domain you registered elsewhere with a Yahoo! plan.

To sign up as a new customer for a Yahoo! Domains account:

1. Visit Yahoo! Small Business Domains.
2. Enter a domain name under the "Find a domain name:" box, and click the "Search" button.
3. If your domain is available, click the "Sign Up" button. To search for a new domain, click the "Search Again" button.
4. Confirm the plan you'd like to purchase, then click "Continue."
5. Enter or confirm your payment information, and click "Continue."
6. Review your plan details, then click "Place My Order" to complete your order.

If you're an existing Small Business customer and would like to purchase an additional domain name:

1. Sign in to your account.
2. Click the "Change Plan" link for the account you wish to edit.
3. Click the "Add New Service" link in the "My Service Options" box in the upper-left corner.
4. Select Yahoo! Domains.
5. Enter your preferred domain name, then click "Search."
6. If your domain is available, click the "Sign Up" button. To search for a new domain, click the "Search Again" button.
7. Confirm the plan you'd like to purchase, then click "Continue."
8. Enter or confirm your payment information, and click "Continue."
9. Review your plan details, then click "Place My Order" to complete your order.

To use a domain you already own with a Yahoo! plan:

Note: When you use your existing domain with a Yahoo! plan, you are not transferring your domain to Yahoo! Your current provider will continue to renew your domain, and you'll pay any associated fees to that provider.

1. Visit Yahoo! Small Business Domains.
2. Click the "Already have a domain name?" link.
3. Enter your current domain name, then click "Continue."
4. Review your domain information to confirm this is your domain, then click "Continue."
5. Confirm the plan you'd like to purchase, then click "Continue."
6. Enter or confirm your payment information, and click "Continue."
7. Review your plan details, then click "Place My Order" to complete your order.

After you've placed your order, you'll need to associate your domain name with your new hosting and email services. Learn how.

Yahoo! Domains Key Features

24-Hour Toll-Free Customer Service
Get answers anytime you need them from extensive online help sources and our 24-hour toll-free customer support.

Domain Management
Set up and manage your domain with our easy-to-use control panel.

Private Domain Registration
Help protect yourself from spammers and telemarketers with private registration. For an extra $9 per year, you can keep your domain contact information private.

Starter Web Page
Publish basic information on a placeholder web page — until you're ready to upgrade to a full web site.

Domain Locking
Safeguard your domain from hijacking and unauthorized transfers with domain locking. Yahoo! Domains secures your domain for you — and only you.

Domain Forwarding
Point your new domain name to a web site you already have with domain forwarding. This is a useful feature if you own multiple domain names.

Complete Domain (DNS) Control
Advanced users: You can easily edit your name servers and MX, A, and CNAME records for complete control over your domain.

Email Forwarding
Unlimited forwarding of messages sent to your new domain name into your free Yahoo! email account.

Room to Grow
It's easy to add more services as you need them, such as email that matches your domain, a full web site, or an online store.

Windows XP Tips & Tricks

Delete Files That Are Undeletable

Open a Command Prompt window and leave it open. Close all open programs. Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR.EXE Go to the Processes tab and End Process on Explorer.exe. Leave Task Manager open. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory the AVI (or other undeletable file) is located in. At the command prompt type DEL where is the file you wish to delete. Go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the GUI shell. Close Task Manager.

Increase The Speed Of The Internet

A nice little tweak for XP Pro. Microsoft reserve 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..)

Here's how to get it back:

Click Start-->Run-->type "gpedit.msc" without the quotes

This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:

Local Computer Policy-->Computer Configuration-->Administrative Templates-->Network-->QOS Packet Scheduler-->Limit Reservable Bandwidth

Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the 'Explain' tab. I am Quoting it for Reference:

"By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."

So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO.

This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.

works on XP Pro, and 2000

Create Your Own IP Address For Your System

This is a process of assigning a Static IP Address...

To assign a Static IP Address to your network connection follow these steps:

1. Open Network Connections

2. Right click the connection you wish to assign a Static Address to and choose Properties.

3. In the Properties box that comes up select "Internet Protocol TCP/IP" and click the Properties button beneath.

4. In Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties place a dot in "Use the following IP Address".

5. Enter the IP address you wish to use and OK the change. Click OK on Local Area Connection Properties.

6. Reboot

Speed Up Web Browsing!

If you are in a networked environment and browse via network neighborhood, this tweak is for you. It speeds up your network browsing experiance.

Click Start Run Then type Regedit

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace

Locate and delete this key {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}

Reboot.

Lock Your Folders Without Any Software

Suppose you want to lock the folder games in d: which has the path D:\Games.In the same drive create a text file and type
ren games games.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Now save this text file as loc.bat

create another text file and type in it
ren games.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} games
Now save this text file as key.bat

Now you can see 2 batch files loc and key.Press loc and the folder games will change to control panel and you cannot view its contents.Press key and you will get back your original folder.

Hey do not forget to change games to your folder name.

Yahoo Multiple Login

Here is a simple trick to multiple login to yahoo

1. Go to Start ----> Run . Type regedit, then enter.

2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_ USER --------> Software --->yahoo ----->pager---->Test

3. On the right page , right-click and choose new Dword value .

4. Rename it as Plural.

5. Double click and assign a decimal value of 1.


It’s done!!

Now close registry and restart yahoo messenger and try Multiple Login.

Mobile Quality

Would you like to know your mobile is original or not?!!

Type - *#06#

After you enter the code you will see a new code contain 15 digits:
4 3 4 5 6 6 1 0 6 7 8 9 4 3 5

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 02 or 20 that mean it was Assembly on Emirates which is very Bad quality Sad

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 08 or 80 that mean it¢s manufactured in Germany which is not bad

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 01 or 10 that mean it¢s manufactured in Finland which is Good

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 00 that mean it¢s manufactured in France which is the best Mobile Quality ...

Ckeck it out..................

Nokia Codes Tips and Tricks

To Check The IMEI (International Identity) Mobile Equipment
Type- *#06#
Information you get from the IMEI-
*b XX *b X
TAC FAC SNR SP

• TAC = Type approval code
• FAC = Final assembly code
• SNR = Serial number
• SP = Spare


To Check The Phones Software Revision

Type- *#0000#
Information you get from the Software revision-
V 05.31
18-02-99
NSE-3
• 1ST Line = Software revision
• 2ND Line = The date of the software release
• 3RD Line = Phone type


To Enter The Service Menu
Type- *#92702689# (*#WAR0ANTY#)
• Serial number (IMEI)
• Production date (MM/YY)
• Purchase date (MM/YY) You can only enter the date once.
• Date of last repair (0000=No repair)
• Transfer user data to another Nokia phone via Infra-Red


Clock Stopping

To check weather your SIM Card supports clock stopping
Type- *#746025625# (*#SIM0CLOCK#)


Revealing The Headphone And Car-Kit Menus

Please note that if you do these next tricks, the new menus can't be erased without restoring the factory default settings. To do these tricks you need to short-circuit the pins on the bottom of the phone next to where you plug in you charger.

1. To activate the "Headset" menu, you need to short-circuit pins "3" and "4". After a short time the word "Headset" will be shown in the display. Menu 3-6 is now enabled.
2. To activate the "Car" menu, you need to short-circuit pins "4" and "5". After a short time the word "Car" will be shown in the display. Menu 3-7 is now enabled.


THE REBOOT TRICK

This should work on all software versions of the 6110.
1. Go to the Calendar (Menu-
2. Make a note or reminder.
3. Enter some text into the edit box.
4. Hold "Clear" until the whole text is cleared, then press "Back".
5. Press "0". The main screen will now be showing but a space appears on the screen. (you can't see it)
6. Enter 4 digits (e.g. 1234).
7. Use the down arrow to move the cursor to the left side of the numbers and the space (Down arrow twice).
8. Now enter 6 digits and press the call button.

Wait for a few seconds, the screen should start to flash and reboots. It should also work on other menus like the "Profiles" menu.


EFR CALL QUALITY

To activate EFR (Enhanced Full Rate)
Enter the code- *3370#
This improves call quality but decreases battery life by about 5%
To deactivate it,
Enter the code- #3370#


THE JAMES BOND TRICK

If you short-circuit the left middle and right pins on the bottom of the phone with all connections touching each other, the Nokia software hangs! The profile "Headset" will be activated. Before you do this just activate the "Automatic Answer" in the headset profile and set the ringing volume to "Mute". Now you can use your phone for checking out what people are talking about in a room. Just place it under a table in a room and call it. The phone receives the call without ringing and you can listen to what people are saying.


NETWORK MONITOR

There is a hidden menu inside your Nokia phone. If you want to activate it, you'll have to re-program some chips inside of your phone.
1. Check your software version. You can only continue if you have v4.33, v4.73 or v5.24.
2. Take apart the phone.
3. De-solder the EEPROM (ATMEL AT 24C64).
4. Read out the data with an EEPROM programmer and save it to a file (Backup).
5. If you have v.33 or v4.73, change the address "03B8" from "00" to "FF".
6. If you have v5.24 then change the address "0378" from "00" to "FF".
7. Write the new data to the EEPROM and solder it back to the phone,
8. Power on your phone and you should have "Netmonitor" enabled.
The Network Monitor gives you the following information.

• Carrier number
• MS RX Level in DBM
• Received signal quality
• MS TX power level
• C1 (Path loss criterion, used for cell selection and reselection). The range is -99 to 99.
• RTL (Radio link timeout).
• Timeslot
• Indication of the transmitter status
• Information on the Network parameters.
• TMSI (Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity).
• Cell identification (Cell ID, Number of cells being used).
• MCC (Mobile country code)
• MCN (Mobile network code)
• LAC (Location area code)
• Ciphering (On/Off)
• Hopping (On/Off)
• DTX (On/Off)
• Discard cell barred information


CHECK SIM-LOCK

Note - If you bought your Nokia on UK Vodafone or UK Cellnet you do not need to check this because they both transmit on GSM900, and they don't lock the phones. However if you bought your phone on UK Orange or UK One2one your phone may be blocked. The reason is that they both transmitt on GSM1800. To make a call on GSM1800 you need what is known as a "Dual band" phone. A dual band phone is able to transmit on both GSM900 and GSM1800, so they lock the phones so you can't use it with any other network simcard. If you find that your phone is locked you can try different software to unlock it. (we havn't found one that works yet), or you can ask your service provider who will gladly exchange the 10 digit code for about £35.
This is how to check the status of the 4 different locks. Aslo don't try entering the wrong number, because after 3 times it will block the phone for good.

There are 4 different locks on your Nokia phone.
• COUNTRY-LOCK
• NETWORK-LOCK
• PROVIDER-LOCK
• SIMCARD-LOCK
The code to read out the sim-lock status of your phone is

#PW + (MASTERCODE)+(Y)#
• # = DOUBLE-CROSS
• W = PRESS "*" THREE TIMES
• P = PRESS "*" FOUR TIMES
• + = PRESS "*" TWO TIMES
• MASTERCODE = 1234567890
• Y = NUMBER 1 TO 4

The master code is a secret code. The code has 10 digits, To read out the sim-lock status you can enter every combination you want!
"Y" Shows the status of the network-lock. Here you can enter a number from "1" to "4". The "4" is for the sim-card lock.


SIM-LOCK CHECKS

• #PW+1234567890+1# = GIVES PROVIDER-LOCK STATUS
• #PW+1234567890+2# = GIVES NETWORK-LOCK STATUS
• #PW+1234567890+3# = GIVES COUNTRY-LOCK STATUS
• #PW+1234567890+4# = GIVES SIM-CARD-LOCK STATUS.

Mesothelioma

What Is Mesothelioma?

Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon, but no longer rare, cancer that is difficult to diagnose and poorly responsive to therapy. Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases.

A layer of specialized cells called mesothelial cells lines the chest cavity, abdominal cavity, and the cavity around the heart. These cells also cover the outer surface of most internal organs. The tissue formed by these cells is called mesothelium.

The mesothelium helps protect the organs by producing a special lubricating fluid that allows organs to move around. For example, this fluid makes it easier for the lungs to move inside the chest during breathing. The mesothelium of the chest is called the pleura and the mesothelium of the abdomen is known as the peritoneum. The mesothelium of the pericardial cavity (the "sac-like" space around the heart) is called the pericardium.

Tumors of the mesothelium can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A malignant tumor of the mesothelium is called a malignant mesothelioma. Because most mesothelial tumors are cancerous, malignant mesothelioma is often simply called mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma was recognized as a tumor of the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium in the late 1700's. However it was not until much later, in 1960, that this particular type of tumor was described in more detail and even more importantly, its association with asbestos exposure was recognized. The first report linking mesothelioma to asbestos exposure was written by J.C.Wagner, and described 32 cases of workers in the "Asbestos Hills" in South Africa. Since then, the relationship between mesothelioma and asbestos exposure has been confirmed in studies around the world.

The incidence of mesothelioma in the United States remains very low, with 14 cases occurring per million people per year. Despite these numbers, the noticed threefold increase in mesothelioma in males between 1970 and 1984, is directly associated with environmental and occupational exposure to asbestos, mostly in areas of asbestos product plants and shipbuilding facilities.

Although the disease is much more commonly seen in 60-year-old men, it has been described in women and early childhood as well. The cause of the disease is not so well understood in these latter two groups, but there is some evidence of possible asbestos exposure for some of these cases as well.

Malignant mesothelioma is divided into three main types. About 50% to 70% of mesothelioma occurrences are the epithelioid type. This type has the best prognosis (outlook for survival). The other two types are the sarcomatoid type (7%-20%), and the mixed/biphasic type (20%-35%). Treatment options for all three types are the same.

About three-fourths of mesothelioma occurrences start in the chest cavity and is known as pleural mesothelioma. Another 10% to 20% begin in the abdomen and is called peritoneal mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma, starting in the cavity around the heart, is very rare. The covering layer of the testicles is actually an outpouching of peritoneum into the scrotum. Mesothelioma that affects this covering of the testicles is quite rare.

Who Is At Risk for Mesothelioma?

The only known cause of mesothelioma is previous exposure to asbestos fibers. Often times workers are not told they are working around asbestos, and even single exposures to very low doses of fibers can produce serious long-term consequences.

Asbestos diseases are said to follow the trail of exposure. That means that wherever people have received asbestos exposure, regardless of their trade, age, sex or race, they are at risk of cancer and other diseases.

Almost anyone who has inhaled asbestos dust is at risk. Even a worker's families and friends can be at risk, because asbestos can often be carried on clothing.

Exposure to asbestos dust can occur at major construction job sites, in shipyards, in industry, and during construction or renovation of commercial buildings. See the list at right for certain occupations that are known to be those where risk of exposure to asbestos is great, and the numbers of people in such occupations contracting asbestos disease are high.

The period between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma is generally 35-40 years. Usually, people who develop mesothelioma have been exposed to asbestos for a prolonged period of time; however, some people with only brief exposures have also developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are heavily exposed develop mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Causes

Asbestos

The major known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. A known history of asbestos exposure is present in 70-80% of all cases of mesothelioma. Asbestos likely causes cancer by physically irritating the cells. When asbestos fibers are breathed in, they reach the ends of the small airways and penetrate into the pleura (lining of the lung). These fibers may then injure mesothelial cells of the pleura and eventually cause mesothelioma.

The risk of developing mesothelioma rises with the quantity of asbestos exposure. However, genetic factors also play a role in determining who develops the condition. This is probably the reason why all people exposed to high levels of asbestos do not develop mesothelioma.

Smoking

Although smoking has not been associated with the development of mesothelioma, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing pleural mesothelioma.

Other Causes

Mesothelioma also has been linked to the following:

Radiation: Mesothelioma has been reported to occur in few people following exposure to therapeutic radiation using thorium dioxide (Thorotrast).

Zeolite: Zeolite is a silicate mineral (chemically related to asbestos) commonly found in the soil of the Anatoli region of Turkey. A few cases of mesothelioma reported from this region may have been caused by zeolite.

Simian virus 40 (SV40): The role of SV40 in the development of mesothelioma has also been suggested. This virus has been identified in human mesothelioma cells. In studies conducted in animals, it has been shown to induce the development of mesothelioma. However, further research is needed to confirm the link.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. The onset of symptoms is gradual, and a person often experiences symptoms for four to six months before the diagnosis is made.

You should see a health-care provider if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty in breathing (dyspnea) is the most common complaint
  
• Chest discomfort
  
• Chest pain
  
• Cough
  
• Easy fatigability
  
• Fever
  
• Weight loss

The above listed symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious diseases. Only a health-care provider can make a diagnosis with the help of various exams and tests.

Web Links

Mesothelioma Aid, available at http://www.mesothelioma-aid.org/
Mesothelioma-net, available at http://www.mesothelioma-net.com/
Mesothelioma Web, available at http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/
Mesothelioma Information, available at http://www.mesoinfo.com/
Mesothelioma Information and Research Group, available at http://www.mirg.org/
Asbestos Update, available at http://www.mesothel.com/
Mesothelioma Facts and Information Newsletter, available at http://www.mesothelioma-facts.com/
Mesothelioma News, available at http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/news.htm
OncoLink, What is Mesothelioma? available at http://www.oncolink.org/types/article.cfm?c=9&s=32&ss=249&id=8411
National Cancer Institute, Malignant Mesothelioma, available at http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cancernet/201071.html
American Cancer Society, What is Malignant Mesothelioma? Available at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_malignant_mesothelioma_29.asp
American Lung Association, Mesothelioma, available at http://www.lungusa.org/diseases/mesothelioma.html
Cancer Information Specialists, Online Assistance, available at http://cancer.gov/common/popUps/liveHelp.aspx

Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike (commonly abbreviated to CS) is a tactical first-person shooter video game which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe, and features real-world weapons. The game has been expanded into a series since its original release, which currently includes Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, Counter-Strike: Source, Counter-Strike: Anthology and Counter-Strike on Xbox.

Counter-Strike pits a team of counter-terrorists against a team of terrorists in a series of rounds. Each round is won by either completing the mission objective or eliminating the opposing force. The latest incarnation of the game, Counter-Strike: Source, is based on the Source engine developed for Half-Life 2.

Signs of Counter-Strike's wide influence can be found in mods for games such as Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament, and other standalone shooters such as Global Operations, America's Army, Call of Duty, True Combat Elite and many more.

Popularity

As of May 2006, Counter-Strike is still the most widely played online first-person shooter in the world. In 2002 there were over 30,000 populated Counter-Strike servers on the Internet (second place was Unreal Tournament with about 9,800). In 2004, GameSpy statistics showed over 85,000 players simultaneously playing Counter-Strike at any point in time, and in 2006, Steam regularly shows over 200,000 players for Counter-Strike[1] (this includes Counter-Strike: Source, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Counter-Strike). According to statistics gathered by Valve's content-delivery platform, Steam, these players collectively contribute to over 6.177 billion minutes of playing time each month, as of February 5, 2007[1], solidifying its position as the most popular online first-person shooter.

Steam and the WON Gaming Service

Counter-Strike was originally played online through the WON gaming service, which was shut down in 2004, forcing players to switch to Steam (to which a section of players responded by creating their own WON network, dubbed WON2).
In March 2007, Valve implemented mandatory advertisements through Steam in official maps and in the game's GUI overhead. This unprecedented move took place without reparations for Counter-Strike or Half-Life customers and Valve did not offer refunds for the original price of the game. Customers have expressed frustration with the ads, saying that they violate original terms of service and distract from the game.

Gameplay

Counter-Strike is a first-person shooter in which players join either the terrorist or counter-terrorist team. Each team attempts to complete their mission objective and/or eliminate the opposing team. Each round starts with the two teams spawning simultaneously, usually at opposite ends of the map from each other. A player can choose to play as one of eight different default character models (four for each side, although Counter-Strike: Condition Zero added two extra models, bringing the total to ten). Each player generally starts with $800 (although this amount can be modified), two magazines of ammunition, a knife, and a pistol: a Heckler & Koch USP .45 Tactical for counter-terrorists, and a GLOCK 18 for terrorists. Players are generally given a few seconds before the round begins (known as "freeze time") to prepare and buy equipment, during which they cannot attack, be attacked, or walk/move. They can return to the buy area within a set amount of time (90 seconds is the default) to buy more equipment (some neutral "buy zones" can be used by both teams). Once the round has ended, surviving players retain their equipment for use in the next round; players who were killed begin the next round with the basic default starting equipment.

The scoreboard displays team scores in addition to statistics for each player: name, score (kills), deaths, and ping (in milliseconds). The scoreboard also indicates whether a player is dead, carrying the bomb (on bomb maps), or is the VIP (on assassination maps), although information on players on the opposing team is hidden from a player until his/her death, as this information can be important. Killed players become "ghosts" for the duration of the round; they cannot change their names until they spawn (come alive) again, text chat cannot be sent to or received from live players; and voice chat can only be received from live players and not sent to them (unless the cvar sv_alltalk is set to 1). Many of the new FY (fun yard; basically team deathmatch) maps allow dead players to communicate with living players. Ghosts are generally able to watch the rest of the round from multiple selectable views, although some servers disable some of these views to prevent dead players from relaying information about living players to their teammates through alternative media (most notably voice in the case of Internet cafes and Voice over IP programs such as TeamSpeak or Ventrilo). This technique, known as "ghosting", is considered cheating in many tactical shooters.

Realism

Counter-Strike is meant to be more realistic than futuristic first-person shooters such as Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament, but is also built to keep the action flowing faster than more realistic tactical shooters such as the Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon series. Relatively few hits are required to kill a player, and shots to different parts of the body inflict varying amounts of damage. However, damage has no permanent bearing on ability to run or jump, allowing a player with just a few hit points remaining to keep fighting just as well as any other player. Movement and running speed, however, are momentarily restricted for about a second after taking damage from enemy attacks.

Maps

The maps in Counter-Strike determine the gameplay and mission objectives. There are three official types of maps in Counter-Strike:

Hostage rescue maps, identified by "cs" before the name (eg. cs_militia, cs_office), where the counter-terrorist team's objective is to free several non-player characters that are present near the terrorist base.
Bomb defusal maps, identified by "de" before the name, (eg. de_dust, de_aztec), where the terrorist team must try to plant explosives at specific sites in the map and protect it for a set amount of time while the counter-terrorists attempt to defuse it. In earlier beta versions of the game another official type called Terrorist Escape also existed and, prior to commercial release, there was a racing map, where player-controlled vehicles were tested and eventually discarded.
Players also have the ability to create their own maps using the Valve Hammer Editor.
Assassination maps, with an "as" prefix, (eg. as_oilrig), in which one member of the counter-terrorist team becomes a VIP, and must be protected from assassination until he reaches an escape zone. This game mode is not present in Counter-Strike: Source.

Weapons

One of the features of the original incarnations of Counter-Strike was that it did not feature fictional weapons like most games, instead using only existing firearms used the world over by real terrorist groups, counter-terrorist squads, armed forces, and law enforcement officials. The weapons are, however, only semi-realistic: many of them are incorrect in small details such as the caliber of ammunition or in their naming. Others do not operate their firing movement quite as their real-life counterparts do, and many of them are inaccurately 'mirrored', wherein the spent cases are ejected from the wrong side of the weapon. This is attributed to the fact that one of the designers was left-handed, and modeled the weapons being held in the left hand. They were then mirrored to the right side, resulting in these inaccuracies. The Counter-Strike team acknowledges that "not every weapon will be perfectly accurate or realistic".

When early versions of the mod were released, the weapons were presented in the menus with their actual names and manufacturers such as Colt M4A1 and GIAT FAMAS, but versions from 1.6 on featured fictional manufacturers (and some models) instead, such as "Maverick M4A1" and "Clarion 5.56" respectively. However, the internal names used by the console, key bindings and macros were not changed and thus often preserve the original designations; for example, the "Bullpup" (Steyr AUG) is still named "aug" internally, and so is the M4A1.

Counter-Strike: Source features the same weapons as Counter-Strike:

Pistols: USP, Glock, Desert Eagle, P228, dual Beretta .40s, and the FN 5-7.
Shotguns: Benelli M3 Super 90, and XM1014.
Sub-Machine Guns: MP5 navy, Steyr TMP, P90, MAC-10, and the UMP.
Rifles: Galil, FAMAS, AK-47, SG-552, M4A1, Steyr AUG, Scout, AWP, G3-SG1, and SG-550.
Machine Gun: SAW

Culture

Counter-Strike is famous for the culture surrounding it, which includes everything from professional gamers and leagues, to excessive cheating and disruptive behavior. Certain professional teams (such as SK Gaming, Team 3D, and fnatic) have come to earn a living out of it, while other clans such as Counter-Strike Syndicate and similar community based groups neither lose nor earn money via member donations which are self sustaining in return for administrator rights in servers involved in the community. Cheating groups, such as myg0t and JAPS have been known to create a disturbance in the game by spamming the microphone, radio commands, using various publicly or privately released hacks, or even killing the whole team in one round. This is also known as raging or griefing.

Legacy

Counter-Strike remains extremely popular to this day. There are currently professional online leagues supporting Counter-Strike, such as the Cyberathlete Amateur League (CAL), and CyberEvolution, a pay-to-play league. Various LAN tournaments are held throughout the United States and Europe, with the largest being the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC), the World e-Sports Games (WEG), and the World Cyber Games (WCG). Championship matches in these events are televised with commentary and analysis.


Half-Life and other contemporary games took full advantage of the advent of hardware graphics acceleration in the late 1990s, replacing earlier software-rendered games such as Quake. The continued popularity of Counter-Strike has meant that older video cards such as the 3dfx Voodoo3, ATI Rage 128, and NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 remain useful.

However, as criticism of Condition Zero showed, many players feel that the GoldSrc engine has reached its limits in its capacity to evolve and to stay updated.[citation needed] Even Counter-Strike: Source has been criticized for not progressing the gameplay enough and failing to take full advantage of the Source engine

There have been a multitude of games claimed by their developers, reviewers and fans to be "Counter-Strike killers," but none have seriously been able to dent its overall popularity. Server statistics in 2002 showed that Counter-Strike servers outnumbered their Battlefield, Unreal Tournament 2003 or Quake III first-person shooter counterparts at least 3 to 1.

Mods and Scripts

Though Counter-Strike is itself a mod, it has developed its own community of script writers and modders. Some mods add bots, while others remove features of the games which some players found annoying, while yet others create different modes of play. Some of the most popular mods give server administrators more flexible and efficient control over his or her server. "Admin plugins", as they are mostly referred as, have become very popular (see Metamod, AMX Mod and AMX Mod X). There are some mods which affect gameplay heavily, such as Gun Game, where players start with a basic pistol and must score kills to receive better weapons, and Zombie Mod, where one team consists of Zombies and must "spread the infection" by killing the other team (using only the knife). Other mods provide new weapon skins.

Cheating

Counter-Strike has been a prime target for exploitation by cheaters since its release. In-game, cheating is often referred to as 'hacking' (though this is technically incorrect - it is the programmers, not the users, of the cheats that might be regarded as hackers).

Typical cheats are:

• Wallhacks, which allow the player to see through walls. These work by altering the display driver to display objects that are normally obscured.


• Speedhacks, which give the player increased speed. These work by sending false synchronisation data to servers.
  
• No recoil, which keeps the players gun shooting straight without a kickback by removing gun physics.


• Aimbots, which help the player aim at enemies. These work by moving the player's view to anticipate an enemy's position.


• ESP, which shows textual information about the enemy, such as, health, name, and distance


• Barrel hack, which shows a line that depicts where the enemy is looking


• Anti-flash and anti-smoke, which remove the flashbang and smoke grenade effect.


• Grenade Dodger, which moves player farther or closer to a grenade, depending on settings.

Valve has implemented an anti-cheat system called Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC). Players cheating on a VAC enabled server risk having their account permanently banned from all VAC secured servers.

With the first version of VAC, a ban took force almost instantly after being detected, and the cheater had to wait 2 years to have the account unbanned. Since VAC's second version, cheaters are not banned automatically. Rather, they are banned according to a delayed banning system, and bans are never lifted. Many cheats are still not detected by VAC, and often the only effective anti-cheat device is a human administrator watching an online game, however; it can be very difficult to differentiate between skill, luck and cheating and server admins only have the power to ban users from their server.

In Popular Culture

The ever-growing popularity of Counter-Strike has resulted into being referenced or being parodied extensively in popular culture.

• The online Mockumentary Pure Pwnage features an avid Counter Strike: Source fan, fps_doug, who is often shown "pwning n00bs" with headshots, in which he yells "BOOM! HEADSHOT!" after achieving them. The catchphrase has since become popular in internet forums, chat rooms, and by the players on Counter Strike.


• The web-comic Concerned which is based on the adventures of Gordon Freeman in the world of Half-Life 2 has a recurring gag involving Counter-Strike: Source.


• In the TV show "Mythbusters" an episode briefly mentioned "Now Tory can live out his Counter-Strike Fantasies"

History

In 2004, original Counter-Strike developers Minh Le and Jess Cliffe, along with members of Valve and the Day of Defeat team, brought Counter-Strike into the Source engine as an obvious choice for the multiplayer component of Half-Life 2. The game was first rolled out to cyber-cafe owners, and then selected beta-testers a week later, before going gold on October 7, 2004, when it was officially released and available through Steam (Valve's online content delivery system).
Early screenshot of CS: SourcePre-loading of Counter-Strike: Source to cybercafe owners (as part of the Cyber Cafe program) began on 9 August 2004, being released for play two days later. Vouchers for the pre-release game were available with the purchase of ATI Radeon video cards and with Counter Strike: Condition Zero; the pre-load for these users began on 16 August 2004, with the game again becoming available two days later.

The game was also bundled along with Half-Life 2 on Steam, and was sold along with the boxed retail version of that game. It is currently available in the Source Multiplayer Pack. In the physical retail form, it is either available with Half-Life 2 or in a Counter-Strike branded box that mirrors the contents of the Source Multiplayer Pack. In essence, one can either choose between the Half-Life 2 story game or Day of Defeat: Source when purchasing the game through retail.

Only days after the initial cyber-cafe release Valve began what would become the first in their long line of updates for CS: Source. By the time of its official release almost two months later, Valve had eliminated numerous bugs and added several updates and patches.

The betas and official release versions shipped with only two player models (one per team) - the "Phoenix Connexion" terrorist (a member of the fictional Phoenix Faction) and the Seal Team 6 counter-terrorist. Being an early version, the player models were low quality and out of proportion, giving rise to being commonly described as having "peanut-heads". Valve released several successive versions of the two original characters.

AroundChristmas 2005, an update was released for CS: Source, adding two new player models - the GIGN and Guerilla[5]. This was followed by the addition of the Leet and SAS player models on March 1, 2006, and the GSG9 and Arctic models on April 12, 2006. The Midwest Militia and Spetsnaz characters from Condition Zero have not been brought into CS: Source.

Changes from Counter-Strike to CS: Source include the improvements inherent to the Source engine (such as better graphics and physics), as well as updated models, animations, maps, sounds, and some small gameplay changes.

Lung Cancer

A disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the lungs. Lung cancer was first described by doctors in the mid-19th century. In the early 20th century it was considered relatively rare, but by the end of the century it was the leading cause of cancer-related death among men in more than 25 developed countries. In the United States it has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of death from cancer among women. This rapid increase is due mostly to the increased use of cigarettes since World War I.

Causes and Symptoms

Lung cancer occurs primarily in persons between 45 and 75 years of age. In countries with a prolonged history of cigarette smoking, between 80 and 90 percent of all cases are caused by smoking. Heavy smokers have a greater likelihood of developing the disease than do light smokers. The risk is also greater for those who started smoking at a young age.

Passive inhalation of cigarette smoke (sometimes called secondhand smoke) is linked to lung cancer in nonsmokers. In the early 1990s it was estimated that passive smoking caused some 2,500 to 3,300 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States, or about 2 percent of all U.S. lung cancer deaths. Other risk factors include exposure to radon gas and asbestos; smokers exposed to these substances run a greater risk of developing lung cancer than do nonsmokers. Uranium and pitchblende miners, chromium and nickel refiners, welders, and workers exposed to halogenated ethers also have an increased incidence, as do some workers in hydrocarbon-related processing, such as coal processors, tar refiners, and roofers. Lung cancer is rarely caused directly by inherited mutations.

Tumours can begin anywhere in the lung, but symptoms do not usually appear until the disease has reached an advanced stage or spread to another part of the body. The most common symptoms include shortness of breath, a persistent cough or wheeze, chest pain, bloody sputum, unexplained weight loss, and susceptibility to lower respiratory infections. In cases where the cancer has spread beyond the lungs, visible lumps, jaundice, or bone pain may occur.

Diagnosis

Lung cancers are often discovered during examinations for other conditions. Cancer cells may be detected in sputum; a needle biopsy may be used to remove a sample of lung tissue for analysis; or the large airways of the lungs (bronchi) can viewed directly with a bronchoscope for signs of cancer. Noninvasive methods include X rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Most cases are usually diagnosed well after the disease has spread (metastasized) from its original site. For this reason, lung cancer has a poorer prognosis than many other cancers. Even when it is detected early, the five-year survival rate is about 50 percent.

Types Of Lung Cancer

Once diagnosed, the tumour's type and degree of invasiveness are determined. There are two basic forms: small-cell carcinoma, which accounts for 20 to 25 percent of all cases, and non-small-cell carcinoma, which is responsible for the remainder.

Small-Cell Carcinoma

Small-cell carcinoma (SCLC), also called oat-cell carcinoma, is rarely found in people who have never smoked. It is characterized by cells that are small and round, oval, or shaped like oat grains. SCLC is the most aggressive type of lung cancer; because it tends to spread quickly before symptoms become apparent, the survival rate is very low.

Non-Small-Cell Carcinomas

Non-SCLCs consist primarily of three types of tumour: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large-cell carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma accounts for some 25 to 30 percent of cases worldwide, but it is the most common type of lung cancer in the United States. Cells of adenocarcinoma are cube- or column-shaped, and they form structures that resemble glands and are sometimes hollow. Tumours often originate in the smaller, peripheral bronchi. Symptoms at the time of diagnosis often reflect invasion of the lymph nodes, pleura, and both lungs or metastasis to other organs.

Some 25 to 30 percent of primary lung cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, also called epidermoid carcinomas. This tumour is characterized by flat, scalelike cells, and it often develops in the larger bronchi of the central portion of the lungs. Squamous cell carcinoma tends to remain localized longer than other types and thus is generally more responsive to treatment.

About 10 percent of all lung cancers are large-cell carcinomas. There is some dispute as to whether these constitute a distinct type of cancer or are merely a group of unusual squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. Large-cell carcinomas can begin in any part of the lung and tend to grow very quickly.

Treatment

As with most cancers, treatments for lung cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The choice of treatment depends on the patient's general health, the stage or extent of the disease, and the type of cancer.

Surgery involves the removal of a cancerous segment (segmentectomy), a lobe of the lung (lobectomy), or the entire lung (pneumonectomy). Lung surgery is serious and can lead to complications such as pneumonia or bleeding. Although removal of an entire lung does not prohibit otherwise healthy people from ultimately resuming normal activity, the already poor condition of many patients' lungs results in long-term difficulty in breathing after surgery.

Radiation may be used alone or in conjunction with surgery—either before surgery to shrink tumours or following surgery to destroy small amounts of cancerous tissue. Radiation treatment may be administered as external beams or surgically implanted radioactive pellets (brachytherapy). Side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, or additional damage to the lungs. Chemotherapy uses chemicals to destroy cancerous cells, but these chemicals alsoattack normal cells to varying degrees, causing side effects that are similar to radiation therapy.

Prevention

The probability of developing lung cancer can be greatly reduced by avoiding smoking. Smokers who quit also reduce their risk significantly. Testing for radon gas and avoiding exposure to coal products, asbestos, and other airborne carcinogens also lowers risk.