❏This vs That ❐:The BlackBerry Z10 vs. Galaxy S3 and Others

Welcome to Thursday's

Since everyone is talking about it, I won't be going on about it.  A comparison chart should suffice.

Now that BlackBerry has finally managed to get some new hardware out the door, it's time to put it up against the others and compare...

Resource(s):  Image and article - androidcentral.com/

❏This vs That ❐: Virus vs Worm vs Trojan

I know you've all heard of them at one time or another - or even worse - experienced them.  The term "computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, even those that do not have the reproductive ability. Malware includes computer viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, etc.  Viruses are sometimes confused with worms and Trojan horses, but there are differences among the three:


Computer Viruses
A computer virus is a small program written to alter the way a computer operates, without the permission or knowledge of the user. A virus must meet two criteria:

• It must execute itself. It often places its own code in the path of execution of another program.
• It must replicate itself. For example, it may replace other executable files with a copy of the virus infected file. Viruses can infect desktop computers and network servers alike.

Some viruses are programmed to damage the computer by damaging programs, deleting files, or reformatting the hard disk. Others are not designed to do any damage, but simply to replicate themselves and make their presence known by presenting text, video, and audio messages. Even these benign viruses can create problems for the computer user. They typically take up computer memory used by legitimate programs. As a result, they often cause erratic behavior and can result in system crashes. In addition, many viruses are bug-ridden, and these bugs may lead to system crashes and data loss.


Computer Worms
Worms are programs that replicate themselves from system to system without the use of a host file. This is in contrast to viruses, which requires the spreading of an infected host file. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the capability to travel without any human action. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which is what allows it to travel unaided.  Although worms generally exist inside of other files, often Word or Excel documents, there is a difference between how worms and viruses use the host file. Usually the worm will release a document that already has the "worm" macro inside the document. The entire document will travel from computer to computer, so the entire document should be considered the worm.   W32.Mydoom.AX@mm is an example of a worm.


Computer Trojan Horses
Trojan horses are impostors—files that claim to be something desirable but, in fact, are malicious. A very important distinction between Trojan horse programs and true viruses is that they do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they replicate themselves. Trojan horses contain malicious code that when triggered cause loss, or even theft, of data. For a Trojan horse to spread, you must invite these programs onto your computers; for example, by opening an email attachment or downloading and running a file from the Internet. Trojans are also known to create a backdoor, (an undocumented way of gaining access to a program, online service or an entire computer system) on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised.

Tips to Combat Viruses, Worms and Trojan Horses on Your Computer

Keep The Operating System Updated

The first step in protecting your computer from any malicious there is to ensure that your operating system (OS) is up-to-date. This is essential if you are running a Microsoft Windows OS. Secondly, you need to have anti-virus software installed on your system and ensure you download updates frequently to ensure your software has the latest fixes for new viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Additionally, you want to make sure your anti-virus program has the capability to scan e-mail and files as they are downloaded from the Internet, and you also need to run full disk scans periodically. This will help prevent malicious programs from even reaching your computer.

Use a Firewall

You should also install a firewall. A firewall is a system that prevents unauthorized use and access to your computer. A firewall can be either hardware or software. Hardware firewalls provide a strong degree of protection from most forms of attack coming from the outside world and can be purchased as a stand-alone product or in broadband routers. Unfortunately, when battling viruses, worms and Trojans, a hardware firewall may be less effective than a software firewall, as it could possibly ignore embedded worms in out going e-mails and see this as regular network traffic.

For individual home users, the most popular firewall choice is a software firewall. A good software firewall will protect your computer from outside attempts to control or gain access your computer, and usually provides additional protection against the most common Trojan programs or e-mail worms. The downside to software firewalls is that they will only protect the computer they are installed on, not a network.

It is important to remember that on its own a firewall is not going to rid you of your computer virus problems, but when used in conjunction with regular operating system updates and a good anti-virus scanning software, it will add some extra security and protection for your computer or network.



Conclusion
In a nutshell, a Worm will attack your computer by itself, whereas a Virus requires you to install it by downloading it from the network or storage device. A Trojan Horse is a malicious program that presents itself in an interesting or entertaining manner (e.g a free game, beautiful screen saver, mp3 song etc), but it harms the computer.





Resource(s):  symantec.com, webopedia.com, wikipedia

❏This vs That ❐: Internet vs World Wide Web (WWW)

Welcome to Thursday's

The terms Internet and World Wide Web are often used in everyday speech without much distinction. However, the Internet and the World Wide Web are not one and the same. The hardware and software infrastructure of the Internet establishes a global data communications system between computers. In contrast, the Web is one of the services used to gain access to and through the Internet. It is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs.

One of the greatest things about the Internet is that nobody really owns it. It is a global collection of networks, both big and small. These networks connect together in many different ways to form the single entity that we know as the Internet. In fact, the very name comes from this idea of interconnected networks.

The Internet

Simply, the Internet is a network of networks -- and there are all kinds of networks in all kinds of sizes. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet.  It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail.

You may have a computer network at your work, at your school or even one at your house. These networks are often connected to each other in different configurations, which is how you get groupings such as local area networks (LANs) and regional networks. Your cell phone is also on a network that is considered part of the Internet, as are many of your other electronic devices. And all these separate networks -- added together -- are what constitute the Internet. Even satellites are connected to the Internet.

WWW's "historical" logo,
created by Robert Cailliau

The World Wide Web (WWW aka Web)

The World Wide Web (abbreviated as WWW or W3, and commonly known as the Web) is a system of interlinked hypertext documents, (text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references (hyperlinks) to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence) accessed via the Internet. With a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, one can view web pages that may contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them via hyperlinks.

Using concepts from earlier hypertext systems, British engineer and computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee, now Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), wrote a proposal in March 1989 for what would eventually become the World Wide Web.  At CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, Berners-Lee and Belgian computer scientist Robert Cailliau proposed in 1990 to use hypertext "... to link and access information of various kinds as a web of nodes in which the user can browse at will", and they publicly introduced the project in December.

"The World-Wide Web was developed to be a pool of human knowledge, and human culture, which would allow collaborators in remote sites to share their ideas and all aspects of a common project."

Conclusion
So, to better understand the difference between internet and web, think of it this way:

Consider the internet to be the highway and you are driving through the city looking for access to this highway/internet.  In order to get on the highway/internet, you will have to be able to access it through the exit/ramp/world wide web.

Resource(s):  howstuffworks.com, wikipedia, webopedia.com, wikipedia

❏This vs That ❐: Front-Wheel vs Rear-Wheel Drive

Ok, so I bought me an old 2005 Chrysler 300 a few months ago, (since I couldn't afford a new one) and decided to show my parents.  They liked it alot - until they found out it was a rear-wheel drive.  Then they started to worry.

My dad gave me a quick lecture on the dangers of driving in the snow with a rear-wheel drive.

 
Anyways, all this had me wondering - what IS the difference between a FF or FWD (front-wheel drive), and a FR or RWD (rear-wheel drive)?  Is there a BIG difference and is one BETTER than the other?

Well, I decided to research this hoping to find answers that I could use to eventually put my parents' minds at ease.  In order for me to understand the differences between the two, I first needed to understand the layout of the two and how their performance was affected by it. 



The 1970s...

The fuel crises of the 1970s  and the success of small FF/FWD cars like the Mini, Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Tercel, and Honda Civic, changed the way manufacturers made cars.  Less weight meant less fuel, improved acceleration and braking which in turn meant economical cars for the consumers as well as and especially, lower production costs for the manufacturers - FWD systems are cheaper to manufacture and install than RWD systems. There is no driveshaft or rear axle housing to build. The transmission and differential are located in one housing and less parts are needed. It also makes it easier for the designers to locate other parts beneath the vehicle, such as brake lines, fuel lines, and exhaust system.  Hence, manufacturers adopted assorted variations of the front-engine/front-drive layout. With all of the drivetrain components under the hood, cars became smaller and lighter and still had adequate interior room. Plus, with the engine over the drivewheels, traction improved too. Today, the majority of family cars are front-drive but does it mean it's better?


Front-wheel Drive (FF or FWD), Layout and Performance
Front-wheel-drive layouts are those in which the front wheels of the vehicle are driven. The most popular layout used in cars today is the front-engine, front-wheel drive, (FF/FWD or FWD), with the engine in front of the front axle, driving the front wheels. This layout is typically chosen for its compact packaging; since the engine and driven wheels are on the same side of the vehicle, there is no need for a central tunnel through the passenger compartment to accommodate a prop-shaft between the engine and the driven wheels.

As the steered wheels are also the driven wheels, FWD cars are generally considered superior to FR (front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout or RWD) cars in conditions such as snow, mud or wet tarmac. However, powerful cars rarely use the FF/FWD layout because weight transference under acceleration reduces the weight on the front wheels and reduces their traction, putting a limit on the amount of torque which can be utilized. Electronic traction control can avoid wheelspin but largely negates the benefit of extra torque/power.
A transverse engine (also known as "east-west") is commonly used in FF/FWD designs, in contrast to FR/RWD  which uses a longitudinal engine. The FF/FWD layout also restricts the size of the engine that can be placed in modern engine compartments.  This is another reason luxury/sports cars almost never use the FF/FWD layout.

Advantages

• Interior space: Since the powertrain is a single unit contained in the engine compartment of the vehicle, there is no need to devote interior space for a driveshaft tunnel or rear differential, increasing the volume available for passengers and cargo. Instead, the tunnel may be used to route the exhaust system pipes.
• Weight: Fewer components usually means lower weight.
• Improved fuel efficiency due to less weight.
• Cost: Fewer material components and less installation complexity overall. However, the considerable MSRP differential between a FF/FWD and FR/RWD  car cannot be attributed to layout alone. The difference is more probably explained by production volumes as most rear-wheel cars are usually in the sports/performance/luxury categories (which tend to be more upscale and/or have more powerful engines), while the FF/FWD configuration is typically in mass-produced mainstream cars. Few modern "family" cars have rear-wheel drive as of 2009, so a direct cost comparison is not necessarily possible. A contrast could be somewhat drawn between the FF/FWD Audi A4 and the FR/RWD BMW 3-Series, both which are in the compact executive car classification.
• Improved drivetrain efficiency: the direct connection between engine and transaxle reduce the mass and mechanical inertia of the drivetrain compared to a rear-wheel drive vehicle with a similar engine and transmission, allowing greater fuel economy.
• Assembly efficiency: the powertrain can often be assembled and installed as a unit, which allows more efficient production.
• Placing the mass of the drivetrain over the driven wheels moves the centre of gravity farther forward than a comparable rear-wheel drive layout, improving traction and directional stability on wet, snowy, or icy surfaces.
• Predictable handling characteristics: front-wheel drive cars, with a front weight bias, tend to understeer at the limit, which (according to e.g. SAAB engineer Gunnar Larsson) is easier since it makes instinct correct in avoiding terminal oversteer, and less prone to result in fishtailing or a spin.
• A skilled driver can control the movement of the car even while skidding by steering, throttling and pulling the hand brake (given that the hand brake operates the rear wheels as in most cases, with some Citroen and Saab models being notable exceptions). A small car with the FF/FWD layout is superior for motor sport events focusing on manouvreability such as Autotesting.
• It is easier to correct trailing-throttle or trailing-brake oversteer.
• The wheelbase can be extended without building a longer driveshaft (as with rear wheel driven cars).

Disadvantages 

• Torque steer is the tendency for some front-wheel drive cars to pull to the left or right under hard acceleration. It is a result of the offset between the point about which the wheel steers (it is aligned with the points where the wheel is connected to the steering mechanisms) and the centroid of its contact patch. The tractive force acts through the centroid of the contact patch, and the offset of the steering point means that a turning moment about the axis of steering is generated. In an ideal situation, the left and right wheels would generate equal and opposite moments, canceling each other out; however, in reality, this is less likely to happen. Torque steer can be addressed by using a longitudinal layout, equal length drive shafts, half shafts, a multilink suspension or centre-point steering geometry.
• Lack of weight shifting will limit the acceleration of a front-wheel drive vehicle. In a vehicle, the weight shifts back during acceleration, giving more traction to the rear wheels. This is one of the main reasons why nearly all racing cars are rear-wheel drive. However, since front-wheel drive cars have the weight of the engine over the driving wheels, the problem only applies in extreme conditions.
• In some towing situations, front-wheel drive cars can be at a traction disadvantage since there will be less weight on the driving wheels. Because of this, the weight that the vehicle is rated to safely tow is likely to be less than that of a rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicle of the same size and power.
• Traction can be reduced while attempting to climb a slope in slippery conditions such as snow- or ice-covered roadways.
• Due to geometry and packaging constraints, the CV joints (constant-velocity joints) attached to the wheel hub have a tendency to wear out much earlier than the universal joints typically used in their rear-wheel drive counterparts (although rear-wheel drive vehicles with independent rear suspension also employ CV joints and half-shafts). The significantly shorter drive axles on a front-wheel drive car causes the joint to flex through a much wider degree of motion, compounded by additional stress and angles of steering, while the CV joints of a rear wheel drive car regularly see angles and wear of less than half that of front wheel drive vehicles.
• Turning circle — FF/FWD layouts almost always use a Transverse engine ("east-west") installation, which limits the amount by which the front wheels can turn, thus increasing the turning circle of a front-wheel drive car compared to a rear-wheel drive one with the same wheelbase. A notable example is the original Mini. It is widely misconceived that this limitation is due to a limit on the angle at which a CV joint can be operated, but this is easily disproved by considering the turning circle of car models that use a longitudinal FF/FWD or F4 layout from Audi and (prior to 1992) Saab.
• The FF/FWD transverse engine layout (also known as "east-west") restricts the size of the engine that can be placed in modern engine compartments, so it is rarely adopted by powerful luxury and sports cars. FF/FWD configurations can usually only accommodate Inline-4 and V6 engines, while longer engines such as Inline-6 and 90° big-bore V8 will rarely fit, though there are exceptions. One way around this problem is using a staggered engine.

Rear-Wheel Drive (FR or RWD), Layout and Performance
Rear-wheel drive (RWD) typically places the engine in the front of the vehicle and the driven wheels are located at the rear, a configuration known as front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout (FR/RWD  layout). The front mid-engine, rear mid-engine and rear engine layouts are also used. This was the traditional automobile layout for most of the 20th century.  Nearly all motorcycles and bicycles use rear-wheel drive, either by driveshaft, chain, or belt, since the front wheel is turned for steering, and it would be very difficult and cumbersome to "bend" the drive mechanism around the turn of the front wheel.

All the disadvantages of FF/FWD systems are advantages of RWD vehicles. With some of the mechanical parts removed from the front and installed at the rear, vehicle balance and handling are much improved. Using the rear tires for acceleration traction takes the load off the front, so drivers accelerating out of a corner have much more lateral grip. RWD is used on all the world’s fastest road course race cars and many performance production vehicles for this reason.


Advantages

• Even weight distribution — The layout of a rear-wheel drive car is much closer to an even fore-and-aft weight distribution than a front-wheel-drive car, as more of the engine can lie between the front and rear wheels (in the case of a mid engine layout, the entire engine), and the transmission is moved much farther back.
• Weight transfer during acceleration — During heavy acceleration, weight is placed on the rear, or driving wheels, which improves traction.
• No torque steer (unless it's an all-wheel steer with an offset differential).
• Steering radius — As no complicated drive shaft joints are required at the front wheels, it is possible to turn them further than would be possible using front-wheel drive, resulting in a smaller steering radius for a given wheelbase.
• Better handling in dry conditions — the more even weight distribution and weight transfer improve the handling of the car. The front and rear tires are placed under more even loads, which allows for more grip while cornering.
• Better braking — the more even weight distribution helps prevent lockup from wheels becoming unloaded under heavy braking.
• Towing — Rear wheel drive puts the wheels which are pulling the load closer to the point where a trailer articulates, helping steering, especially for large loads.
• Serviceability — Drivetrain components on a rear-wheel drive vehicle are modular and do not involve packing as many parts into as small a space as does front wheel drive, thus requiring less disassembly or specialized tools in order to service the vehicle.
• Robustness — due to geometry and packaging constraints, the universal joints attached to the wheel hub have a tendency to wear out much later than the CV joints typically used in front-wheel drive counterparts. The significantly shorter drive axles on a front-wheel drive car causes the joint to flex through a much wider degree of motion, compounded by additional stress and angles of steering, while the CV joints of a rear wheel drive car regularly see angles and wear of less than half that of front wheel drive vehicles.
• Can accommodate more powerful engines as a result of the longitudinal orientation of the drivetrain, such as the Inline-6 and 90° big-bore V8, making the FR/RWD  a common configuration for luxury and sports cars. These engines are usually too long to fit in a FF/FWD transverse engine ("east-west") layout; the FF/FWD configuration can typically accommodate at the maximum an Inline-4 or V6.

 

Disadvantages

• Under heavy acceleration, oversteer and fishtailing may occur.
• On snow, ice and sand, rear-wheel drive loses its traction advantage to front- or all-wheel drive vehicles, which have greater weight on the driven wheels. Rear-wheel-drive cars with rear engine or mid engine configuration do not suffer from this, although fishtailing remains an issue.
• Some rear engine cars (e.g. Porsche 911) can suffer from reduced steering ability under heavy acceleration, because the engine is outside the wheelbase and at the opposite end of the car from the wheels doing the steering although the engine weight over the rear wheels provides outstanding traction and grip during acceleration.
• Decreased interior space — Though individual designs vary greatly, rear wheel drive vehicles may have: Less front leg room as the transmission tunnel takes up a space between the driver and front passenger, less leg room for center rear passengers (due to the tunnel needed for the drive shaft), often no seat for a center rear passenger, and sometimes less boot space (since there is also more hardware that must be placed underneath the boot). Rear engine designs (such as the Porsche 911 and Volkswagen Beetle) do not inherently take away interior space.
• Increased weight — The components of a rear wheel drive vehicle's power train are less complex, but they are larger. The driveshaft adds weight. There is extra sheet metal to form the transmission tunnel. There is a rear axle or rear half-shafts, which are typically longer than those in a front-wheel drive car. A rear wheel drive car will weigh slightly more than a comparable front wheel drive car (but less than four wheel drive).
• Improper weight distribution when loaded — A rear wheel drive car's center of gravity is shifted rearward when heavily loaded with passengers or cargo, which may cause unpredictable handling behavior.
• Higher initial purchase price — Modern rear wheel drive vehicles are typically more expensive to purchase than comparable front wheel drive vehicles. Part of this can be explained by the added cost of materials and increased complex assembly of FR/RWD  layouts, as the powertrain is not one compact unit. However, the difference is more probably explained by production volumes as most rear-wheel cars are usually in the sports/performance/luxury categories (which tend to be more upscale and/or have more powerful engines), while the FF/FWD configuration is typically in mass-produced mainstream cars.
• The possibility of a slight loss in the mechanical efficiency of the drivetrain (approximately 17% coastdown losses between engine flywheel and road wheels compared to 15% for front wheel drive — however these losses are highly dependent on the individual transmission). Cars with rear engine or mid engine configuration and a transverse engine layout do not suffer from this.
• The long driveshaft (on front engine cars) adds to drivetrain elasticity.  The driveshaft must also be extended for cars with a stretched wheelbase (e.g. limousines, minivans).
• When shifting down at high RPM, rear-wheel drive vehicles tend to oversteer if the clutch is not released correctly.

Conclusion
Ok.  I'm obviously no mechanic so alot of this was a bit too complex for me to grasp, to say the least.  But what I did understand was: 

• Front-wheel drive vehicles transmit power through the front wheels. Rear-wheel drive vehicles transmit power through the rear wheels. 
• Front-wheel drive offers an advantage in slippery conditions such as ice or snow as more weight is over the drive wheels reducing slipping during acceleration. But since most of the weight is up front, a FWD car is not as well balanced therefore it doesn't handle quite as well.
• Rear-wheel drive has advantages for traction under acceleration and with rear-wheel drive, the steering function is separated from power delivery. The front wheels steer, the rear wheels drive.
• By having the front wheels do the steering, and the rear wheels driving the car, you get a better-balanced vehicle. This eliminates torque steer and improves acceleration. Rear wheel drive offers better weight distribution (much closer to 50/50 than FWD), which in turn offers more predictable handling.

As for which one is BETTER - Neither!  It all depends on the purpose and use of your vehicle.  If you want space, better fuel economy and less concerned about speed - front-wheel is the way to go.  If acceleration and handling are of greater importance to you and space is the least of your concern - rear-wheel drive is for you.

As cars become more powerful it is difficult to have one set of wheels doing the steering and the accelerating. Today's sophisticated traction and stability control systems are so good they can mask or enhance the true driving dynamics of a vehicle - the front wheel drive advantage in slippery conditions has been significantly reduced.

Ultimately, you've got more choice, and when more choice is offered we all win.

As for me...
I bought this Chrysler 300 without even knowing anything about front-wheel rear-wheel drive.  Quite honestly, I bought it simply because I liked how it looked and I liked the size - not too small, not too big.  The extra 'comforts' were a bonus such as the heated leather seats, dual temperature control etc. (all things I could live without, actually).

Getting in and out of a car was another important thing for me (since I'm tall), and the 300 offered a greater ease of this. 

As for traction in the winter months - I have that covered by buying snow tires!  It's becoming mandatory soon (if it isn't already), in Canada for all cars to have snow tires during winter anyways.

The only thing I never thought about was the fuel economy.  Unlike most people, fuel consumption was never an issue for me (probably because I rarely go anywhere besides work and back).  But the fuel consumption - 12.2 L/100km (23 mi./gal.) in the city and 8.1L/100km (35 mi./gal.) on the highway - is not the greatest - but it's not the worse either and compared to the 2011 Ford Fusion (the other car I was thinking of getting), with a smilar engine (3.5L/V6) that consumes 12.6L/100km in the city - I think I'll sacrifice fuel economy for comfort and style.




Resource(s):  autos.ca, wikipedia, popularmechanics.com, all-about-car-selection.com

❏This vs That ❐: Dog Years vs Human Years

Welcome to Thursday's

It's common knowledge that dogs age faster than people but there is a popular belief and conventional wisdom which states that one dog year equals seven human years.  So a two year old dog corresponds to a fourteen year old human teenager in the terms of this aging processes.

This oversimplified calculation, however, is completley incorrect and inaccurate.  That's kind of like saying a one year old dog can give birth and so can a 7-year old child!   In fact, determining the exact age of a particular dog, relative to a human scale, is much more complex than that with the ratio of dog years to human years varying with the weight, breed, and health condition of the dog.    The ratio is higher during first years of the dog’s life and decreases as the dog ages.   In fact, dogs reach adulthood within the first couple of years meaning they have a very short "childhood" and a very long middle-age.  
Hence, dogs mature more quickly than children in the first couple of years. As it turns out, for many breeds, the human equivalent of a one-year-old dog, or the first year of a dog's life is between 10 and 15 years - not seven. 

Later, depending on the dog's size in pounds typical for its breed, the same number of actual years corresponds to different number of human years, with this scale varying greatly from breed to breed.


Chart Example:

There are four main groups of dogs each having a different ratio of translating dog years to human years: small dogs (20 pounds or less), medium dogs (21-50 pounds), large dogs (51-90 pounds) and giant breeds (more than 90 pounds). 
Large dogs mature more slowly but at the age of five they will be considered elderly, while small and toy breeds are not considered seniors until the age of ten.

There is actually a simplified generic formula used by many canine experts for determining dog age: 10.5 dog years per human year for the first 2 years, then 4 dog years per human year for each year after.

Online Conversion - Dog Years Calculator

Breed specific calculator:

 

Pedigree Dog Age Calculator

No one formula for dog-to-human age conversion is scientifically agreed on, although within fairly close limits they show great similarities.

Conclusion:

So overall, when a dog reaches the age of two, he is roughly, (give or take a year), 24 in human years - not 14 as commonly believed.
After that, add four years to every year after age two.  For example, a three-year-old dog is equivalent to 28 in human years; a four-year-old is 32, a five-year-old, 36, a six-year-old, 40--and so on.
Of course, you must take the dog's size into consideration, since smaller dogs generally have longer life spans than larger dogs, with toy breeds tending to live the longest and giant breeds, the shortest.
For example, according to the above method, a six-year-old dog is considered 40 in human years, when in fact a larger dog may actually be closer to 42. However, veterinarians consider this a good general chart to follow for all dogs. 

Resource(s):
misconceptionjunction.com, webmd.com, wikipedia, e-how.com

❏This vs That ❐: Rent vs Lease

Welcome to Thursday's

Rent is defined as:

1. a payment made periodically by a tenant to a landlord in return for the use of land, a building, an apartment, an office, or other property.
2. a payment or series of payments made by a lessee (user) to an owner in return for the use of machinery, equipment, etc.

Lease is defined as:

1. a contract calling for the lessee (user) to pay the lessor (owner) for use of an asset.

So right off the top you can see one major difference between renting and leasing is the contract.

Rent and Lease are terms used mostly in regards to real estate or auto. The two differ in terms of the time period, payment and type of contract.

Rent vs Lease - HOME

In terms of residency, standard rental agreements are usually month-to-month, and there is no set period of residence. Both the landlord and tenant are free at the end of each 30-day period to make changes to the rental agreement, subject to any rent control laws.
A lease has a finite term, which is often a long period of time, generally in years. During this time period, also known as the duration of the lease, the tenant and the landlord are bound to uphold the terms of the written agreement.

A lease may not automatically be renewed after the expiry of the time period, unless specified in the agreement. Rental agreement, on the other hand is automatically renewed every month unless either parties give notice to vacate the place.


Summary of Residential Renting vs Residential Leasing

1. Renting is flexible, leasing is not.
2. Renting is usually short-term, leasing is long-term.
3. Renting agreements are usually oral/written, leasing agreements are always written.
4. Rental agreements are automatically renewed every month unless either parties give notice to vacate the place, a lease agreement, on the other hand, may not automatically be renewed after the expiry of the time period, unless specified in the agreement.

Rent vs Lease - AUTO

Car rental companies exist to fulfill the short-term automobile use needs of traveling business people, vacationers, or those who might need a particular type of vehicle for temporary use.

Rental cars are owned by a rental company and are made available to customers for relatively short-term use. The company maintains and services its vehicles and carries basic insurance. Customers agree to not damage the vehicle, to buy gas, to purchase additional insurance if personal auto insurance is not applicable, and to return the vehicle within a specified time. All maintenance is handled by the rental company.

Rent rates are determined by the car rental company, based on a daily or weekly fee, and includes either unlimited mileage or an additional mileage rate. The method by which rates are determined is not revealed to customers and can vary widely, even within the same rental company, based on various discount schemes.

Rental companies make money by renting the same car over and over again.

Car renting is not a form of financing, as is leasing.

Car renting is much the same as apartment renting or leasing.

On the other hand, leasing a vehicle is very similar to loan financing. A lease company — or manufacturer's finance company – only gets involved after a customer decides he wants lease financing. The lease company buys the car from the dealer at the customer-negotiated price and loans it back to the customer.
The "loan" in this case is not money, but a vehicle. Since the lease company has invested money in the vehicle, they expect to be paid interest on that money. Since all cars depreciate in value, they also want to be compensated for the reduced value of the vehicle as the customer adds miles to it and as the vehicle becomes older. It will not be worth as much when it's returned to them as when it was new.

At lease-end, vehicles are returned to the lease company as the final payment of the "loan." Lease payments are easy to calculate using a well-defined formula used throughout the leasing industry, unlike car renting for which there is no way for customers to calculate rental rates.

In short, lease payments are determined by the negotiated selling price of the vehicle, anticipated depreciated value at lease-end (residual value), term (length of lease), and the money factor (financing rate, similar to interest rate).

A leased vehicle is usually only leased once, when it's new, not over and over again like a rental car.


Summary of Car Renting vs Car Leasing

1. Leasing is a form of 'loan' financing; renting is not.
2. Leasing is usually long-term dealing in years, renting is always short-term and can be for as little as a day or less.
3. You may be able to swap cars in the middle of a rental; not so with leasing. Since leasing is a form of financing, customer credit scores, income, and debt are important; not so with renting.
4. Leasing appears on your credit report just like a loan; renting does not. Defaulting on a lease damages your credit score; defaulting on a rental does not.
5. With renting, you choose your vehicle from rental companies' available makes and models. With leasing, you can lease any new vehicle make and model you want.
6. With renting a vehicle, you can simply return it when you want to.  On the other hand, returning a vehicle before the end of a lease can be very costly, since it's a long-term contract.

For the same length of time, renting a vehicle would be much more expensive than leasing a vehicle.  When you've leased a vehicle you've paid 30%-60% less than loan payments for the same car, and you have specifically paid for your car's depreciation, and only the depreciation, not the entire vehicle cost.

The money you've lost to depreciation is exactly the same money that is lost by someone who has purchased the same car with a loan. His car depreciates exactly the same amount as your leased car, but he pays for the entire vehicle. He therefore has nothing to show for that part of the money that is lost to depreciation if he sells or trades. That money is gone, for both a buyer and a leaser.


Conclusion
Overall, renting or leasing both have their advantages and disadvantages and all depends on your needs.

• Renting is more flexible than leasing and requires no long-term contract.   A lease — usually written for one year or more, although it can be shorter — is a binding legal contract between two parties.  However, when you sign a lease contract for say, a year,  the monthly payment cannot be increased at anytime throughout the lease period, whereas with renting - the landlord can increase the monthly rental payment  at anytime he feels the need to if improvements were made to the building.  
• Renting a car is only good if it is needed for a short term, otherwise leasing it would be much better financially in the end.

Resource(s):
leaseguide.com, defen.com

☑PC-Tips and Tricks: OK vs APPLY

OK vs APPLY

So have you ever wondered when making changes to the settings of programs why they have an OK button and an APPLY button?  Is there a difference between the two and if so what is the difference?

Well, I've always wondered myself why they didn't have just one or the other - not both, until I discovered why.

Basically, both buttons perform the same function in regards to making the same changes you require.  However, the main difference is that when you click the OK button the settings are applied and the window is closed. However, when you click the Apply button the settings are applied and the window remains open. This way, you have the option to make changes until you are happy with what you want without actually closing the settings window each time a change is made.  Capisci?  Good!

Resource:  windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows/home

❏This vs That ❐: FAKE Boobs vs. REAL Boobs

Welcome to Thursday's

When it comes to breasts, some men (and women) prefer 'home-grown' while others.. well, want the best technology and science has to offer, lol.  Whatever the choice, the trick is to know how to spot the difference.  So being as I am naturally so curious.. in order to do this post, I had to ask myself some questions:

How do they look?
How do fake breasts look compared to real breasts?  Is there a natural shape to natural breasts?  I know it's sometimes difficult to tell when it's holsted or hoisted in a bra but...

Well, the answer is yes!  There is a shape to natural breasts that distinguishes them from the fakes.  Real breasts are or should be more teardrop shaped or like a pear shape - not perfectly round and standing at attention at all times whether on duty or not!

Real breasts are also unidentical in size and one is usually bigger than the other.  They should be sloped down and more fuller at the bottom than the top...  pear shaped.

Mother nature rarely bestows big breasts on skinny, small-boned girls so if a size 0 girl is sporting Double-D's, they are probably store bought.

The average distance between a woman's nipples and her chin is approximately 10 inches depending on her height.  If the space is considerable less than that, it may indicate implants.

How do they feel?

How do fake breasts feel as oppose to the real ones?  Are the fake ones hard and rubbery?  This question was one of the hardest to find the answer to, scientifically that is.   There were alot of 'first-hand' experiences out there on forums and answer sites so basically that's all I had to go on.  As one person explained it:

"The first time I had a chance to feel a pair of tits with implants in them, they felt like two blocks of cement covered with a quarter inch of skin."

I've read elsewhere it felt like sandbags...

Then I found the answer from a real doctor, lol:

The feel of a breast implant varies from person to person. Many factors come into play. Some factors include the amount of breast tissue a person already has to cover the implants, whether or not the implants will be on top of the muscle, entirely under the muscle, or partially under the muscle; whether they are saline implants or silicone implants; the quality and thickness of the skin, etc... In general, silicone implants will feel more "natural" than saline implants.  - Sanjay Grover MD

How Do They Move?

Do fake breasts move the same as real breasts when performing different actions?

Watch them in action..

When a woman moves, her breasts move with her. If she’s walking fast, they bounce. When she lies down, they flop to the side, not remain on top!   If she bends over, they become more conical.  Real breasts contains more fat therefore more 'jiggle'.  Fake ones stay still and maintain their round shape....  always standing at attention.

By the way...
Some high-quality implants today are designed with intentional sag to make them look more like the real thing.

Ok, so I don't get it.  If they try to make them feel like the real thing, sag like the real thing... why don't you just keep the REAL thing??!!

Do They Float?

Ok, maybe that's not a legitimate question in regards to spotting the difference... or is it?

Well, it just so happens real breasts do float, but fake breasts do not!  Why you say?  According to research, both the saline and the silicone sacs will sink just on their own so therefore they will sink also even when implanted.   The real breasts on the other hand, is made up of 90% fat and.. fat floats.

Do They Freeze-up like an Eskimo's Kiss on a Cold Arctic Night?

Neither saline or silicone implants will freeze - at least not while you are alive! It seems the body's internal heat is enough to keep the implants relatively warm even in extreme cold. The implants are placed under the pectoralis muscle and therefore it would be at your body temperature. However, many women will tell you that in very cold weather when they are cold, their implants do feel somewhat cool. This difference between body temperature and implant temperature will be greater in those with thinner skin and minimal fat and breast tissue present.

So, no, your breast implants will not freeze in cold weather. They can become slighly cooler but not to that extreme.


How Long Do They Last?  Do They Last as Long as the REAL Thing?
So they feel good, look nice and bounce ok, but do the fake boobs last forever?

A 'guesstimate' for the product life is 15-20 years -- averaging at 16 years (Institute of Medicine). Implants do not need to be changed unless there is a deflation. Although one may consider changing a silicone-filled implant out after this amount or more time has passed to decrease the chances of a rupture which would necessitate a silicone gel/oil removal procedure.

There is a 2% rate of deflation in the first 10 years. Although wear and tear will be different in each individual depending upon implant surface type (textureds may rupture sooner or more often than smooths). However there are women who have had implants in over 25 years with no problems. There is no definite answer, but do expect to replace implants at last once in your life. - breastimplantscentral.com

Deflation, wear and tear, oil removal... are we still talking about boobs here or cars???

Conclusion:

So, they look great, feel great and all but that's in the beginning...  Eventually,

all breasts relax as time passes, because the weight stretches the skin, elasticity is lost with age and the amount of breast tissue often decreases as the person gets older. These three factors mean that breasts can be expected to relax and sag whether or not there are implants present. The implants add some weight to the breast, which may increase the rate of relaxation, and yet implants and surrounding scar tissue can provide some internal support for the breasts. The overall result is that usually the breasts sag less -- but more so if you wear a properly fitting bra regularly. A patient cannot expect to go without a bra for the rest of their life once they get implants. Especially since with larger cup sizes as you will be returning to your plastic surgeon's office consulting for a breast lift (mastopexy).

But in the end, if you can live with all this and you really want the fake boobs to boost self-esteem or for whatever reasons...  what the hell!... Go for it!  If worse comes to worse, all you have to do is trade it in for a newer model!

  

Just make sure they're really part of the female anatomy.. fake or not! LoL

Or just real fakes period!

Of course, when it's all said and done, and you still really want those implants..  but can't afford it, you can always go to Invest In Breasts!

Read more from my blog here !

 

Resource(s):

askmen.com, yahoo.com, howcast.com, realself.com, breastimplantcentral.com