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Archive for June, 2007

Anything related to the Internet or computers is bound to introduce technical issues pretty soon. One that novice web site owners encounter fairly quickly is FTP, which is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol. Seeing it spelled out, it’s easy to see why those in the know quickly move to speaking in shorthand. Read the rest of this entry »

As a web site owner, you probably want visitors to have a way to contact you if they want more information about your product or service. Maybe you include an email link on your pages or on a “contact us” page. Read the rest of this entry »

For most web site owners, the primary focus is naturally on creating, maintaining and enhancing the site. That often is just part of managing an entire business, for which the web site is just the means to an end. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Database’ is one of the most commonly used terms that one encounters in web site design. Yet, what they really are and whether they’re essential is often not clear to novices. Read the rest of this entry »

There are some things that as a beginning site owner you’ll not have to deal with. But, as your site grows and your popularity among web visitors grows, there are aspects of site ownership you’ll want to know more about. Read the rest of this entry »

There can be any number of disasters than can happen to a web site. One of the worst is when a hosting company’s server fails due to a bad hard drive and all the files are lost. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so you have a web site hosted either on a server shared with other site owners or on your own dedicated server. That server is nothing more than a computer with a hard drive. A some point, managing the disk space for your site may become a concern. Read the rest of this entry »

As a web site owner you will, at some point, need to know about bandwidth and server load and how it relates to your site’s performance and hosting cost. Read the rest of this entry »

If all web hosts were the same, then deciding who to use based upon lowest cost would make good sense. But, hosts and capabilities vary greatly and price should only be one factor when deciding which hosting company to use. Read the rest of this entry »

The idea that you can get a free web site may appeal to you economically but sometimes “free” is much costlier than choosing a good hosting company and paying to have your site hosted.  Read the rest of this entry »

An operating system functions largely out of sight, or at least is supposed to. It doesn’t matter to non-geeks how a file gets stored, or how memory is used, or how simultaneous processes share the limited resources available on a computer. These are among the basic functions of any operating system. Read the rest of this entry »

It is usually much cheaper to share your web hosting server with other sites instead of paying for a dedicated server for your use only. But, just as sharing a house can have benefits and drawbacks, so too with a server. Read the rest of this entry »

Owners of very large web site may decide that their needs would be best met by hosting on a dedicated server. A dedicated server is one which holds your site(s) exclusively. It’s not shared with other sites. You then have the option to put one site or many on that piece of hardware. Read the rest of this entry »

The Internet is a large inter-connected set of networks which would be pointless without the one part that forms what is called their ‘end-nodes,’ or computers. Those computers often need to share information because the people who use them want to share information. Read the rest of this entry »

Most people will, at some point, decide to switch their web site to a new hosting company. It may be that they’ve found a more economical hosting company, one that provides better service, or one that supplies more extras. Read the rest of this entry »

Nearly everyone will want to change to a new web host at some point. It may involve just changing out old hardware for new. It usually means finding an entirely new web hosting company. When faced with that decision there are a number of issues to be considered. Read the rest of this entry »

Your own domain name sets you apart from those millions of web users who don’t have a domain name. Getting a domain name is simple and inexpensive. Choosing a good domain name takes a little more thought.  Read the rest of this entry »

New domain names are registered all the time, and ones previously registered may expire. Sometimes a domain name will expire because the owner neglected to renew it or chose not to. When a domain name is not renewed, for whatever reason, it becomes available for someone else to use.  Read the rest of this entry »

With so many different breeds of cats to choose from, it can be difficult to make the decision as to which breed is the right one for you and your family. Let’s take a look at various breeds of cats, some fairly well known and others that are more unique and somewhat rare. Read the rest of this entry »

From its magnificent bayside vistas to the intimate cafes, San Francisco offers a visit par excellence. Read the rest of this entry »

San Francisco is, intentionally no doubt, one of the most eccentric and mixed metropoli on the planet. The town is heavily populated with residents strongly opposed to anything commercial. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most popular tourist destinations in San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf alone has enough to see and do to consume the entire vacation. Read the rest of this entry »

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor is an art experience inside and out. Housing a fine collection, the museum is located on a stellar site with breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay. Read the rest of this entry »

In 1937, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in the White House. That simple action officially announced an event much of the world was already anticipating: the opening of The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Read the rest of this entry »

For a structure that served the purpose that made it famous for less than 30 years, Alcatraz is an enduring monument to a bygone era. Read the rest of this entry »

At over 1,000 acres Golden Gate Park is larger than Central Park in Manhattan. And, no less impressive too! Read the rest of this entry »

Visitors to San Francisco have a choice of three major options when seeking an aquarium. Fortunately, there’s no way to go wrong – all three are terrific. Read the rest of this entry »

There are over six million people in the San Francisco area, with 750,000 in the Bay Area itself. Nestled within that vast sea of individuals is a conclave known around the world as Chinatown. Read the rest of this entry »

Chinatown isn’t San Francisco’s only culturally distinct neighborhood. From an area uptown near the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets sprawls “The Haight”. Several blocks of record shops, restaurants, antique stores and more, it still bears the look and feel of the mid-60s ‘Hippie Revolution’. Read the rest of this entry »

Two of the “must see” experiences for visitors to San Francisco, and both that children as well as adults will enjoy are the exhibits at the Exploration and the amazing variety of animals at the San Francisco Zoo. Read the rest of this entry »

San Francisco is a tourist’s delight for those seeking a mixture of old and new. One of the best examples of that contrast is Union Square. Read the rest of this entry »

Madrid has a long and complex history. Center of power of a monarchy that for centuries ruled half the world, it is now one of the major tourist spots of Europe. Read the rest of this entry »

While perhaps not as well known for it as London or New York, Madrid has dozens of excellent places to shop. Whether you’re looking for a valuable antique or just a simple gift for someone back home, Madrid has much to offer. Read the rest of this entry »

The Plaza Mayor remains one of Madrid’s chief tourist attractions. Though called by many names over the centuries and subject to several fires, it retains its allure. Read the rest of this entry »

While Parque del Buen Retiro (at about 300 acres) is much smaller than New York’s Central Park (840 acres) it is nonetheless magnificent. Filled with beautiful sculpture and monuments, a peaceful lake and host to a variety of events, it is rightfully one of Madrid’s premier attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

Located at Calle Santa Isabel 52, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is just the ticket for fans of Picasso, Miro, Solana and other notable Spanish artists. Read the rest of this entry »

Spanish for ‘Gate of the Sun’, Puerta del Sol is one of Madrid’s most popular tourist destinations. At its center lies the paving slab just outside the Casa de Correos that marks the spot from which radiates the six main highways traversing Spain. It is a good point from which to begin to explore this delightful part of the city. Read the rest of this entry »

Second only to Versailles in size and splendor, the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in Madrid is an architectural marvel and a treasure trove. Nearly three thousand rooms, with 240 balconies and over forty staircases, this magnificent work is one of Madrid’s major tourist attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

The name may be a challenge for English speakers, but Madrid’s newest art museum is very easy to love for individuals of any nationality. Drawn from the possessions collected over generations of a wealthy family, the contents form one of the greatest gatherings of paintings in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most visited tourist spots in Madrid, the Prado Museum is home to over 7,000 paintings. Though the emphasis is heavily on the three most famous Spanish masters – Goya, Velázquez and El Greco – there are major and minor masterpieces from dozens of other artists. Read the rest of this entry »

Barefoot nuns might sound like the premise for a comedy skit, but rest assured these sisters are no joke. The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales is both a functioning convent and a treasure trove of art. Read the rest of this entry »

Going to a library isn’t most tourists idea of a good time. But if you visit Madrid and don’t stop in to the Biblioteca Nacional for at least an hour you’ll be missing out on one of the city’s finest attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

The church of San Francisco is one of Madrid’s most important buildings and offers a fascinating tour. With a dome larger than that of St. Paul’s Cathedral it is an architectural marvel. Filled with paintings and sculpture, it is also an art lover’s treat. Read the rest of this entry »

No matter what your interests, if you can’t find it in Chicago consider staying home. Whether your taste runs to Shakespeare or meerkats, food or Jazz, airy museums or dank coffee houses, this city has everything – in spades. Read the rest of this entry »

A mile of shopping! Now that’s something to set the heart a flutter. But the excitement doesn’t stop there, because this famed area has much, much more to offer. True, the shopping is first rate. But there’s sightseeing, dining and lots more. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you want to ride a ferris wheel or lean toward seeing some Shakespeare, Navy Pier has every kind of enjoyment you can imagine. Open to the public since 1916, the area was revitalized in 1995. Ever since, it has attracted visitors from all over the world – over 8 million in 2005 alone. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Lloyd Wright is justly regarded as one of the greatest architects in history. But it wasn’t always so. Early in his career, as with most artists, he struggled for recognition and commercial success. Read the rest of this entry »

For many years the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Sears Tower is really nine buildings combined into one massive structure. Completed in 1974, it was erected to consolidate offices housing 6,500 Sears employees from all over the city. Read the rest of this entry »

With over 500 parks to choose from in the Windy City you may have trouble deciding which to visit. But some of the major ones have gained their reputations from all the things they offer visitors. Read the rest of this entry »

Sited at the shore of Lake Michigan, the John G. Shedd Aquarium is widely acknowledged to be among the world’s finest. Home to more than 650 species of fish, reptile, amphibians, birds and mammals, they have over 8,000 individual animals from around the world. Read the rest of this entry »