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1. The question of morality

The question of morality can be easily banalized by asking yourself the question ‘Am I a coward?’ If your answer is positive, then you definitely shouldn’t be a hacker. Your conscience will trouble you whenever you do something wrong.

Here are a few techniques how to get rid of moral principles and appease your conscience.

• Imagine that the man whose password you should break is making fun of you before your friends and family. Everybody is laughing their heads off and saying ‘oh, what an amusing fellow’. As a result of his being so funny and the amusement he is causing, your wife leaves you, marries him and has ten children with him.
• Convince yourself that he is an evil man and that he would do the same thing to you if he knew how
• When you were children he called you a blind pig

2. The question of intellect

Intelligence is something that you don’t need at all!

Now, you are ready to become a Hacker - stupid, immoral person with no conscience!

Breaking admin user/pass-given by countries

1. India

Let’s start from the easiest enemy:

The inventors of chess are well-known for their numeracy skills, but they are far from that when it comes to passwords. So, this is what you should try:

• Username: admin
• Password: 123456

This combination will do the trick in 70% of cases, but in case the administrator is a cunning old fox, try this:

• Username: admin
• Password: 123456789

Pay attention to the ‘789′ part, by adding 789 the cunning administrator provided far more security

2. The USA

Oh, this is far more dangerous opponent. They use alphanumeric passwords, which can have up to 7 characters. They are known for propagating username into password, which was brought by the Europeans when settling in this continent. Here is the combination that works in most cases:

• Username: admin
• Password: admin123

If, by any chance, the combination above doesn’t work, try this:

• Username: test
• Password: test123

3. Europe

And we got to the last and the most dangerous enemy of ours, Europeans! A little something that makes things easier here is the syndrome of the propagation of username into password. Technically, when settling in America, they brought the propagation syndrome with them and the indigenous people adopted it.

Shrewd Europeans use their names or nicknames for usernames, and later create the password using these patterns:

• P = username_123
• P = 123_username
• P = username123
• P = 123username

At this point you must be asking yourself: ‘How, for God’s sake, can I know the name of the administrator?’
Here are two links that might help you with that:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_Europe
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_popular_given_names#Europe

The idea of creating moods surrounding your particular product or service may seem a little far-fetched to some, but it has been proving to be very effective. Moods are created by the colors or groups of colors used in the overall design scheme. In addition, choosing colors that work well together is also important to the overall attractiveness of the site. With that being said, there is no reason to feel apprehensive about the process of choosing colors for your website. There are, however, a few simple things to keep in mind.

No matter what kind of website that you are creating, the overall goal should be the same: to generate a great deal of traffic while also accruing a number of repeat visitors. Having a site that offers a great deal of valuable content is only the beginning. The design of your site can have a tremendous impact on your readers and followers, and choosing the right color scheme is key to an effective design. In order to gain a better sense of direction, there are a few things that you should ask yourself before starting to design your website and pick a color scheme.

Purpose

First, consider the purpose of creating the website in the first place. What is it that you hope to accomplish with the site? Consider whether the site is an e-commerce site or an information portal, such as a blog or e-zine. Will this be a corporate site for your company, offering a description and information to consumers, or is the site for a non-profit organization? These are things that you probably already know, but they still play a role in the overall design of the site as well as the colors that should be chosen. The purpose of the site helps determine what kind of mood you want to set for site visitors.

Image

Think about the kind of image that you want to portray to visitors, and the kind of ideas about your company, organization, or product that you want them to leave the site with. When it comes to business, image may not be everything, but it matters a great deal. Do you want to convey to your potential customers that your product or information will provide them with financial security, wealth, or greater peace of mind? Do you want your website to portray how professional your business or corporation is and that you are loyal to your customers? Or is your blog, e-zine, or e-commerce site centered more around the holidays and seasonal events? Each aspect of your business has an effect on the mood created by your website for your readers and clientele.

Colorful and fun color scheme

Simple corporate color scheme

Eco-friendly color scheme

Color Meanings

Now that you have established what the purpose of your website is and the type of image that you want to convey, it is time to get a better understanding of how colors influence your visitors. Each color tends to generate certain kinds of moods and have been deemed to have a considerable impact on business, especially business conducted over the internet. Of course, these color meanings can also be helpful when creating brochures, flyers, and even business cards or promotional gear. The same overall color scheme that is used on your website should also be incorporated into your company logo.

Yellow is a color that is rarely used in design, but it can be added to a number of other colors to help boost the overall effect. Yellow speaks of joy and happiness and can leave viewers with an overall feeling of warmth and satisfaction. Brown is another color that seldom stands alone, but is can add credibility to your professional or personal website. Brown is a color used to emit feelings of comfort and stability. Red is frequently incorporated into many websites and marketing material and can add a sense of energy and enthusiasm to any business. Other shades of red can also be used to create a feeling of passion or power.

Of course, white is included in almost every website, but it is still a very important color to consider that can have a profound effect on customers. White speaks of faith, purity, youth, and peace. White can also sometimes offset the impact of bolder, brighter colors. Blue is another color that is frequently used in design, but not quite as frequently as the many shades of red. Blue symbolizes freedom, tranquility, and coolness. It also is a reminder to many of vacations, the beach, or water. Black also speaks of power, but is can symbolize elegance and mystery as well. Black is another color that is usually found in nearly every website as well, and can offset some of the calmer effects of a white background.

If you look closely, you may notice that green is commonly found in the color scheme of many business and money-making websites. Naturally, this make a lot of sense, since green is the color that speaks of money, wealth, and prosperity. Pink is not used a whole lot in design, except for when it comes to businesses, websites, and products that are intended specifically for women. This is because pink usually symbolizes femininity and romance. Purple is a very powerful color, and it can usually be found in small amounts in many websites, logos, and other products of design. Purple implies wisdom and sophistication, and can also be used to symbolize knowledge and loyalty. Additionally, purple works well as a celebratory color. Gray is a common element of many sites that are geared towards the senior population, but it can also be a powerful element of a professional company website or logo. Grey reminds of reliability and maturity, and helps to establish a sense of trust among customers.

The Grand Scheme of Things

Once you have a basic understanding of the kinds of emotions conveyed by certain colors, it is time to decide on an overall color scheme. Most websites utilize three to four colors. Websites have a background color, a text color, a link color, and a “hover” color. However, in some cases, the link color and the hover color are the same. This is perfectly acceptable and has more to do with preference and aesthetics than anything else. You can also choose a lighter shade of the same color to use as either the link color or the hover color. For websites that have sidebars, designers can opt to use a different background color for the sidebars, but in most cases, the background color selected should remain consistent with the overall site design.

The term color scheme refers to the group of three or four colors that are chosen for the website. The color scheme is also sometimes referred to as a theme, but in some cases, a theme can refer to something else entirely. When choosing a color scheme, there are a few things that should be kept in mind. One of the first rules of thumb with regards to web design is that lighter backgrounds with darker text are much easier on the eyes than darker backgrounds with a lighter text. There are always exceptions to this rule, and some darker backgrounds are now becoming more popular, but it is important to keep this in mind when choosing a background color.

Second, if you are using inline text ads or want to draw attention to hypertext links on the page, brighter link colors always work better. This is also true when drawing attention to certain key phrases on the page. Also, it is important to remember that there are often many different kinds of people that may be reading information on any given web page. People with vision problems are more prone to eye fatigue, and having a site that is both easy on the eyes and easy to read is essential. Choosing colors from the natural color palette instead of less traditional variations like hot pink or lime green can greatly reduce eye fatigue and allow readers to absorb all of the information that you have to offer.

You should now have a decent understanding of the colors that you want to use for the design of your website. You can choose colors that are closely related to emphasize one particular image that you would like to convey or you can use opposite colors that complement each other to bring together two or three different moods or concepts. The choice is ultimately yours, but if you have never designed a website before, it is always a good idea to play around with several different color schemes first. For beginners, it can sometimes be tempting to want to use a different color scheme for other pages of the website, it is important to stick to the same color scheme throughout the entire site. This not only also reduces eye fatigue, but can also aid in branding by further promoting your overall image.

Online Color Tools Coming to the Rescue

After all this theory it’s time to get down to business and choose the right color scheme for your website that will present your brand to the masses the right way.

There are a lot of online tools that can help you out in finding the perfect colors or at least a starting point for your web designer so he can understand the look and feel you are after.

The best practice is to find some good looking websites of your competition (if there are any good ones in your opinion) or some established brands you come across daily to see how they have done it and start creating your own color scheme by using the online color tools like Adobe Kuler or Colour Lovers that have a thousand of color schemes uploaded by their users on daily basis. Those are growing galleries where you can find search find the right ones for your business or blog.

Adobe Kuler

Colour Lovers

This can be a good starting point for creating a memorable website you’re trying to create. Give these online tools a try by using the color wheels or predefined color schemes.

I cruised up with Edwin Lap, CEO / Cofa Media, and Gilberto Cortez, eVisability. We arrived at the headquarters around 6:58 PM, 2 minutes before the “Mix and Mingle” and grabbed our specialty name tags along with some cool Magento stickers. Magento’s workspace was incredible. I immediately fell in love with the bright colored walls and the whole “warehouse” vibe it gave off. Pizza and sodas were offered and more people started showing up.

7:30 rolled by and everyone slowly followed the people in front of them up the stairs into a nice little space that had a projector with Magento’s logo displayed on the screen. Everyone chose their spots and quietly waited for the introduction to the presentation.

Dmitriy Soroka, Magento’s Lead architect, started the presentation with a greeting and went straight into his slideshow. The topic of the evening was “Methods and Best Practices for High Performance eCommerce”. He talked about everything from caches to database information to handling media queries. There was a ton of information that was projected which made the hour go by fairly quick.

More networking went on afterwards as the night was coming to an end. Guests started to slowly disappear and the headquarters that was once filled with curious developers and like-minded business people faded away. We left Magento with huge smiles on our face and a handful of new knowledge.

It was great meeting different developers, people from other companies and of course, the Magento staff. We would like to thank the Magento team for hosting such a wonderful event and Andrea Cannistraci for organizing the entire thing. We look forward to more events like this in the future!

The growing need for new HTML5 standard

One example of great technological strides involves the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). HTML makes using the Internet way easier, and it helps to decipher a lot of the code that is online that, as humans, we can’t interpret alone. Anytime that people go on the Internet, they use HTML to connect to different pages and link to different applications and programs. However, as time goes on, our current technology becomes increasingly insufficient, and the need to find something better becomes increasingly paramount. HTML 5 is one of the solutions that have been thought up to make browsing the web easier and more user-friendly. This new “Internet language” plans to reduce the need for plug-in-based rich Internet applications (RIA), providing people with a more continuous flow of great performance by their computer, and removing the time needed to load up excess applications. By doing this, people can surf the web and not have to worry about using plug-ins such as Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe AIR. However, these other formats do provide sufficient reason to stay competitive with this new format. Programmers from all over are in heated debate on whether or not these other markup languages will be obsolete when HTML 5 is fully operational. Many big- time players on the Internet (such as Google, Mozilla, and even YouTube) are already congratulating this new platform as revolutionizing Internet browsing. Then there are some who argue that HTML 5 will take too long to really get running, and formats like Adobe AIR will have become more mainstream by then. Considering all of this, we must remember that all of these formats can serve a function different from any of the other formats; trying to select one format to be superior over the others might not be the best thing to do. Still, the important aspect to consider is the ease of compatibility that HTML 5 offers, and how these other formats will be able to adapt to it.

More features as standard in HTML 5

HTML 5 has a variety of new elements that not only give it the potential to become a very successful markup language, but also allow users to surf the web without as much interference with other programs that may need to be loaded. For example, many audio/video enhancements are provided with HTML 5 that are now set within a standardized interface, so the language can group and decipher information that is probably going to interact in upcoming online processes. This makes the process of encoding simpler, because embedding video and other “bigger” files can be just as simple as including a picture file on a page. Platforms such as Silverlight and Adobe Air will probably wind up using different plug-ins to accommodate for different actions in the program, which can be tedious if you’re programming with a lot of different applications. This new language also has compatibility features that allow it to use older versions of HTML and other markup language without having to convert and save new data (which can sometimes have an effect on performance). This proves to be more efficient because users can refer back to the same program they are using to access the Internet to find old information. Not having to look all around your computer for data is one of the benefits that come with using HTML 5. New APIs (application programming interfaces) make this new language even more convenient; it provides new elements such as offline storage data space, timed media playback, cross-document messaging, as well as document editing.

HTML 5 pros & cons - C#, Flash, Silverlight and RIA

Competition between the new HTML 5 and other web page formats, such as Silverlight, has been tense, to say the least. Some argue that there is no way to compare the two formats, claiming that different jobs promote the use of different page formats, kind of like apples and oranges. This usually proves to be the case when programming is concerned; no matter which format you may feel is better, different jobs promote different tasks, so sticking to only one platform may not be the best decision. For example, to make full use of HTML 5, programmers still have to use JavaScript, while Silverlight uses C#, a type of static language, which is commonly integrated in programs for its basic syntax. HTML 5’s convenience is still questionable here; some feel that it shouldn’t have to include JavaScript to run certain programs, and that this takes away from some of the flare that this new markup language has built up. Errors can arise in either case; compilation errors can come up in C# programs, but the inconvenience of using JavaScript can hold back later programming ventures. Some people are also concerned about how the new platform acts when using different browsers. HTML tends to have different performances in different browsers, while Silverlight utilizes Internet Explorer settings to act the same in different browsers. Again, some people wonder about some of these inconveniences that may come out of using this new technology, yet this doesn’t put too much of a blemish on the new markup language. It doesn’t come without its holdbacks; people are accustomed to the problems that may come up when using Internet Explorer, and if a format has poor performance in its most basic form, using it in different browsers doesn’t seem to give it much of an advantage. Others like to point out that Adobe Air uses flash quite efficiently currently, whereas HTML 5 is still trying to become supported in all aspects of Internet. Again, HTML 5 is still a work in progress. Presently, it is still a rough draft of what it should be, which makes learning its functions kind of frustrating because they keep changing. Experts project that it may take some years for this platform to get to its full potential, but technology correlates with time, which stops for nothing. Some believe that by the time HTML 5 has become standard, flash application will have become more integrated with the Web.

Advantages for HTML5 over existing RIA standards

These other formats have good reason to compete against HTML 5, and they do have features that seem to deal closely with issues that HTML 5 can’t comply with yet. However, we must remember that HTML 5’s features will close many of the gaps we sometimes come across while browsing. Its features make surfing more convenient, which in reality is what people are looking for. Adobe Air is a very convenient platform, but people are too well aware of its hindrances to overlook some of the simplicity of using HTML 5. What some people don’t consider is the work that is involved in making HTML 5 a milestone in Internet. Companies such as Apple, Mozilla, and Microsoft are coming in junction with WHATWG and W3C HTML WG to make HTML 5 revolutionary. Features like HTML 5’s document representation give it the foundation to browse the web more easily and process/display information. With this feature, documents can be represented using the Document Object Model (DOM). DOM trees make processing much simpler; they use two different Syntax languages to represent the information: HTML serialization (HTML 5) and XML serialization (XHTML 5). HTML serialization makes information representation easier because it contains code similar to that of existing browsers. When programming, users find that some tags are optional and implied automatically. This convenient way of programming makes it easier to get through a program if simple mistakes are present, thus letting programs run the way they are designed.

HTML5 already adopted by Google, Youtube, Apple…

HTML 5 does have many people hopeful for the future of the Internet. Optimistic visions of browsing the Internet and using media online without the frustrations of add-ons and other applications are feasible with this new technology, and it is already starting to blossom. As we speak, common applications and preferences we use over the Internet are being integrated with HTML 5, and it is also being used in new places. The new, innovative Ipad doesn’t provide Flash support, but with HTML 5, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem, because all browsing would be under the same umbrella of compatibility with this new platform. This applies to the use of the iPhone as well as the iPod Touch; these all use Wi-Fi Internet, and browsing on them can be quite opportune if you are in a situation where you need to use the Internet and all you have is your phone or iPod. With HTML 5, surfing the Internet will be much easier, since you won’t have to use plug-ins to view certain information not otherwise available through these devices. Google also used this new markup language with a couple of its new apps, such as Google voice, and it was said that HTML 5 could put the OS-specific application out of business. Even YouTube advocated its use over that of Flash, saying that it could revolutionize web video. The ability to embed video into a page as if it were a JPEG image leaves no wonder about the hype that HTML 5 has caused in the world of Internet browsing.

Conclusion, Expand the boundaries of Internet usage with HTML5

There is no such thing as perfect Internet browsing, but HTML 5 promises to meet the standards of all those who use it. Compatibility is one of its greatest assets, as well as the convenience it offers to programmers with its simple syntax. Put that together with the ability to write code in short-hand, and the great recommendations HTML 5 is getting from different sources that use it, and this could really be the next best thing in Internet. The ease this platform promises to apply to Internet browsing is utterly enticing; Internet users all over the world are wondering if this could be the breakthrough in browsing that everybody has been looking for. Our Internet experience has improved dramatically over the years; from having to wait for RealPlayer to buffer site information into streamable video, or waiting for a QuickTime application to initialize. Now, we can depend on RIA to get us what we need more efficiently than we could previously, and for the time being that is getting us from point A to B. However, it is 2010, and people are anxiously awaiting something better. This new platform may not make Silverlight and Adobe Air obsolete, but in any event, the luxury of simplicity it ensures its users is more than enough for it to be tested by Internet users as well as programmers. Time will tell if this platform will truly be what everybody is looking for, and the determination of whether HTML 5 can “walk the walk” will also be addressed in the future. Ultimately, we must not fall victim to relying on one mode of surfing the Internet just because of propaganda and talk. This new technology has the potential to expand the boundaries of Internet usage far beyond what they are now, but we can’t forget about RIA completely (at least not until this new markup language is fully operational).

We’ll keep you posted about their progress.

So the Fifa World Cup is only 10 days away and I am an avid Football (you call it soccer) fan from Holland. Actually that is probably an understatement, I am a die hard fan.

I am also a respectful fan and have always been intrigued by the National Anthem for each team. When the Dutch national Anthem is played in a stadium of 80,000 people and the whole stadium sings along, it just gives me an adrenaline rush.

I know my own national anthem, but always was intrigued by what the other countries were actually singing, so I decided to contact the guys at Web Design Beach and collaborate on one of my passions, soccer and combine it with their awesome design skills to create a super simple iPhone application for the World Cup.

We decided to call it World Soccer Anthems. The initial idea was to call it 2010 Fifa World Cup Anthems, but we ended up having to change it due to Trademark and copyright issues with the App Store. In addition, one of the guys from WB mentioned to incorporate mp3’s. I loved this idea, but we tried finding nothing that we could use without having to go through the legal mumbo jumbo.

We spent some time researching each of the 32 countries national anthems and found some easier than others. Add to that that the each national anthem is shortened for any sporting event and you have a interesting mix from a very short Japanese anthem to the super long Italian and Mexican anthem.

We ended up finding all of them, created a cool little Icon for the App store and submitted in hopes of getting approved quickly. It actually took us 3 tries due to the World Cup copyright issue and even WC was trademarked by Fifa, go figure.

We ended up in the App Store early May. “Onion” created a cool design around the www.worldsocceranthems.com - This guy really has a great touch for simple, but clean design.

The Irony is that 3 days after we released our app, a bunch of “copycats” followed suit, including paid apps with MP3’s.

In conclusion, was our idea good? Absolutely! Are the other ones better? Maybe. See for yourself and download which one you like best.

That is of course if you are a Football, oops Soccer fan.

–

Edwin Lap

In 1996, Macromedia launched its famous vector-based animation software, Macromedia Flash – now Adobe Flash with the acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe in 2005. While JavaScript was introduced by Netscape in 1995, it wasn’t until Microsoft incorporated it into the 1997 version of Internet Explorer 4.0 that JavaScript started to get real recognition as a notable programming language for the web. However, JavaScript was incredibly slow back then and browsers simply did not have the processing power to cope with advanced use of the language.

Now, over a decade since its inception, JavaScript has grown by leaps and bounds to become intrinsic to web development. With the advent of AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) techniques and the proliferation of JavaScript libraries and frameworks such as jQuery, JavaScript is poised to dominate the web development world.

And dominate it will. In the previously uncharted realm of JavaScript animations, jQuery is becoming a force to reckon with. It is giving web developers the power to create low-level animations and widgets, formerly the forte of Macromedia Flash and, before Flash, animated GIFs (graphics interchange format).

There are several advantages of using jQuery for low level animations, navigation (tabbed menus, dropdown menus, etc), widgets (date-pickers, accordions, etc) and interaction (drag-and-drop, auto-complete, etc). These are listed below:

1. Flash content requires a Flash Player plug-in, which needs to be downloaded from Adobe.com. On the other hand, jQuery does not require any plug-in as all modern browsers have JavaScript engines. Granted, jQuery components may not be viewable with JavaScript disabled on the user’s browser. However, it is less likely that a user will have disabled JavaScript than it is for him or her not to have installed the Flash Player plug-in. Furthermore, the Flash Player plug-in is not available for the iPhone and many other cell phones. Thus, it is most probable that a website featuring jQuery will be viewable by more users than one that employs Flash.

2. While the Flash Player plug-in is free, Flash authoring tools are not. The current version, Adobe Flash CS4 Professional, retails at $699. JQuery is available for free from JQuery.com. Although some jQuery plug-ins are not free for commercial use, none costs as much as $699.

3. JQuery affords the web developer more convenience in creating accessible yet interactive websites. While accessibility can still be achieved in Flash-powered websites, techniques for making this possible are complex and time-consuming.

4. JQuery is more suitable for SEO (search engine optimization) than Flash. Flash content is heavier on images than text, and search engines mostly rely on text to index web pages.

That being said, jQuery is still not ready to take over from Flash as the premier platform for web visual effects. JQuery cannot handle 3D animations, and some complex 2D animations are smoother when done in Flash. Flash is also the best platform for video on web applications.

In the end, the onus is upon the web developer to make a smart decision on where jQuery would be more suitable than Flash. Many high-profile companies are using jQuery on their web applications – the likes of Google, Dell, Netflix, CBS, NBC, etc. Using jQuery for simple visual effects in your web applications is definitely a smart move.

Short summary (not included in the word count)
Since its inception in the 1990s, JavaScript has grown by leaps and bounds to become intrinsic to web development. With the advent of AJAX web development techniques and the proliferation of JavaScript libraries and frameworks such as jQuery, it is now possible to create low-level animations, widgets, navigation and website interaction using JavaScript. This article sums up the advantages of creating simple visual effects using jQuery instead of Adobe Flash.

We all know how boring is to add new background image and change colors via  Twitter admin, so you can’t do this from our website automatically. All you need to when you find the background you love is to enter your Twitter user name and password and hit “Make this my background!” button. Making your life easier, isn’t it?

Our main focus is on quality, not quantity but I’m sure anyone can find something for themselves since there are 18 different categories of Twitter backgrounds. Our gallery is growing each day so be sure to bookmark it and check out every time you get bored of  your Twitter background. Change is good

Also, there are Twitter buttons (icons) that you can place on your blog, myspace page or website. There are codes provided to simply just copy code for the button you want and paste a link at your website and attract more people to follow you on Twitter.

So hop on to Twitterevolutions for some free twitter backgrounds and feel free to look around.

Or if you need a custom Twitter backgrounds to really stand out from the crowd you can always contact us about that service.