The Most Sensitive Listening Device Ever

In January this year, the surveillance world received some interesting news that no one seems to have picked up on. Scientists in Germany have created the most sensitive listening piece ever invented: a gold sphere just 60 nanometres in diameter. Incredibly, this is the equivalent to 60 billionths of a metre!) The creation reacts to soundwaves and detects noises down to minus 60 decibels, and is just sensitive enough to hear the sounds made by bacteria suspended in water.

There is no need to go into the scientific details and implications here; there are plenty of articles around already doing that. What we will say, however, is that this is a huge leap forward in nanotechnology, and such technology has always been linked to a range of fields other than medical – surveillance included.

Covert equipment like listening recorders, bugs and video cameras have taken huge leaps forward over the past decade, thanks to technological advances like the ability to cram hugely powerful processors into smaller and smaller chips. For example, you can find high-definition surveillance cameras that measure in at less than a centimetre long and half a centimetre wide. The proliferation of fast wireless technology has made it possible for conversations to be overheard from cities and continents away.

Imagine taking the incredibly powerful, sensitive technology we have now and scaling it down to the size of a human blood cell. It seems nanotechnology is not so far off doing exactly that. At SCIA, we look to the future and wonder about what corporate security and surveillance implications might come from this amazing new technology.

Counter-surveillance is an ever-changing industry. Although listening devices the size of dust mites are probably a long way off, at SCIA we believe in keeping up to date on any changes that might be heading our way.

About Author :  Click here

Avoid Bad Credit and Keep Your Finances in Good Shape

Acquiring credit is not a bad thing as long as you know how to manage debt and repayment. In this post, let us discuss some tips on how you can manage three important aspects of debt more effectively.

Managing Home Loan

Missing your monthly loan payment even just once can get you into trouble. Some lenders will immediately send a foreclosure notice if you fall behind your payment by two consecutive months. Thus, rather than wait until you missed your second or third month of payment, the best thing to do is get in touch with your mortgage lender. Do not wait until a debt collection notice arrives.

If you're having problem keeping up with your monthly loan payments because of your current financial situation, you should discuss your situation with your lender. Did you just lose a job? Or did someone in the family got sick? Whatever your reason is for struggling with your debt payments, you should never ignore your due dates or wait until your lender contacts you about past due debts.

Many lenders are willing to modify the original terms of the home loan to help a borrower experiencing financial crises. For instance, your lender may agree to reduce your monthly loan rate or extend your repayment term to lower your monthly fees. The sooner you can speak with your lender about the problem, the sooner you can come up with a solution.

Managing Credit Card Debt

If you own more than one credit card, it's very important to pay attention to your spending. Credit cardholders can save a great deal of money if they can avoid the monthly interest rate charges. The secret is paying your monthly balance in full, instead of keeping a revolving balance.

Before charging anything to your card, ask yourself, "Will I be able to pay the amount in full before the due date?" If you have doubts as to whether you can pay in full or not, it's best not to use your credit card and simply use cash.

Another important step is to check your monthly statement of account before posting your payment. Errors may occur and if you do not take the time to review your bill, you could end up paying for charges that you did not owe. In case you discover incorrect charges in your credit card bill, call up your issuer immediately to dispute the charges.

Managing Your Personal Finances

Do you have a definite budget plan for the month? If you do not follow a financial plan, it is recommended that you start to create one. Make a list of all your expenses for the entire month and compare the total amount to your monthly earnings. Are you spending more than what you earn?

Based on the list, it will be much easier to see your spending pattern. You might need to make some adjustments or changes with your spending style but doing so can save you from the trouble and pain that bad credit can bring.

Melanie Mathis is a credit analyst and a writer for 8 years. She has been participating in the programs of http://www.newhorizon.org such as their continuous effort in giving out Free Credit Repair and Building Ebook. NHBS also has a list of recommended Credit Cards for Good Credit.

2 Offline Methods For Getting Website Traffic

Website traffic is the core of any successful internet business. You can't just build a website and expect people to show up. You have to put some marketing behind it. This may work in the offline world where location is everything, but in the online world, if you want people to know about you and your business, you have to be proactive with your approach.

There are many ways to get traffic to your website. In today's lesson, I want to focus on some "offline" means of getting traffic to your site. Believe it or not this is quite easy, and the people that you find offline are more highly converting than the leads that you acquire from online. Here's the first offline marketing tactic that you should be using in your business:

1) Business cards

Business cards get passed around everyday like it's nothing. But for most online business owners, their business card is bland and doesn't compel anybody to visit their website at all. You only have a few seconds to get someone interested in what you have to say. After the few seconds are over, they will either make the decision to visit your site, or just store your business card into their collection of documents on their desk.

You don't want this happen. On your business card, you will want to include the essentials: name, address, phone number, email address, fax number, and website address. But you can't just stop there. Make them an offer, and tell them that they can only get this offer if they go online and sign up for your free email newsletter. This is a proven way to market your online business with your business card. Here's another way:

2) Advertorials

Advertorials are simply ads that looks like it belongs inside of a publication. The people who get this right know that their advertorial should match the design, tone, and style of the original articles in the publication. Some of the most common places that you will find advertorials are in newspapers and magazines.

Before you run your advertorial, you will want to check out a publication, and try to emulate the writing style of the articles inside there. At the end of your advertorial, make sure you mention your website information in the same way that the publication would mention your name and website.

It's important NOT to deviate off the path when writing your advertorial. Don't start off sounding like an original article, and then 3/4 way down the page make it sound like a sales pitch. So you should write your advertorial up, and have someone critique it for you. This is very easy to do.

These 2 offline marketing methods can drive a lot of targeted traffic to your website simply and easily. The more offline leads you get, the more you will see your conversion rates increase by a lot - so don't neglect this proven form of marketing a website. It's very effective, and doesn't take a lot of time out of your day to do so.

Good luck with marketing your online business offline.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Randall Magwood is one of the most respected and highly-regarded online marketing experts on the internet. He has a website about internet marketing that helps small business owners learn how to market their business online simply and easily. To learn more, simply visit his website here: http://www.internetmarketing-rules.com