One of the most frustrating things in life is a slow computer.
Every few years, we buy an expensive new PC and love how fast it starts up, runs programs, and loads websites.  Inevitably though, it starts to slow down until eventually we are pulling our hair out waiting for it to do routine tasks.

Why is this?  It turns out the answer is actually quite simple and you don't even need to be "technical" to understand the causes and solutions.

The good news: It's not the computer hardware that's the problem.  In most cases, the hardware you have is perfectly capable of being restored to its original glory and kept in fast running condition with minimal effort.

Rather, the problem lies with changes that occur to the PC's software.  The two most common causes of slowdown (along with easy solutions) are:

1. The most common problem: registery errors

Every time you (or your kids) load a program, game, or file, your PC's software registery is updated with new instructions needed to operate that item.  However, when the item is removed, these instructions usually remain on your PC.  Every time you run your computer it tries to execute these instructions but, because the related program can't be found, it causes a registry error.  Your PC is doing a lot more work than it should be and the result is a significantly slower computer.

One of the best ways to manage this is with a neat little tool from Support.com, a Silicon Valley based company.  It's called ARO 2011 and it scans, identifies, and fixes registry errors--resulting in a computer that's a lot more like it was when you first bought it.  On top of the amazing results it offers, it's so easy to install and use that it was recently awarded a coveted 4.5 star rating (out of 5) by CNET's editorial staff and has been downloaded more than 30 million times.

You can now get a free working version of the software which will quickly scan your entire PC and identify all of the registry errors that may be bogging it down.  The free version also scans for junk and checks your PC's baseline security status.  It will eliminate the first 100 errors for free, and if you have more errors that you want to clean up or want to set the program to run on a regular basis (which is recommended), you can easily upgrade to the full version for just $29.95.  After that, registry errors will no longer be a problem.

To get the free version simply click here.

2. Spyware and viruses

Spyware and viruses are software programs that are loaded on your computer without your knowledge or permission.  They have various purposes, including:

• Changing the default search engine in your browser.
• Tracking your Web surfing habits and showing you targeted advertising.
• Using your email program to send out spam to other email addresses.
• Stealing your personal information.

Most spyware and viruses get onto our computers through files that we download from the Internet or as attachments to emails.  They tend to take up a lot of computing power and, as a result, will significantly slow down your computer.

The simple rule of thumb to follow is to never download any free software programs from companies you do not know and trust, especially screensavers, emoticons, and the like.  In addition, you should never open any attachment to an email unless you are 100 percent certain you know and trust the sender.  In addition, make sure you have a good anti-virus/spyware removal software running at all times.

Follow the above advice and your PC should stay fast and safe.

A study published in 2008 revealed that there is a link between heavy hookah smoking and incidence of cancer. And yet, the Sindh Assembly’s decision to outlaw the smoking of shisha has been met with much skepticism.

Twenty year old Hassan* says:

• “It is rubbish. They should ban cigarette smoking first!”

But will arresting the frequency of cigarette smoking make the ban on shisha more acceptable?

“Banning cigarette smoking will show that the government has a clear policy against smoking,” Hassan asserts. “Prohibiting shisha will only affect a small portion of the general population.”

The question of acceptability looms like a specter, putting a match to numerous contentious – and somewhat unsolvable –debates. Zahra*, a student in Karachi says:

• “I find Bachal Shah’s statement – ‘not only boys, but teenaged girls also go to restaurants to smoke shisha’ – to be extremely derogatory and sexist. It takes the stereotyped image of woman and distorts it even more. I feel it could have been phrased better. It would have had a stronger impact.”

Hookah smoking has been deemed a popular activity in most South Asian countries and in the Arab world. Is it then apt to consider a ban of this nature as an assault on human liberties? Afsar*, a Lahore-based business student says:

• “I think it should only be enforced in public places. This way, people who want to smoke shisha – in spite of the health risks involved – will have the freedom to do in the privacy of their own homes.”

Hookah smoking is also perceived as a predominantly elitist activity. It has become a fixture for various social gatherings and events.

Will this interdiction on shisha significantly alter people’s mindsets?

Fine arts student in Karachi, Farima* says:

• “The shisha ban is rather absurd. There are countless other issues that are in need of potent attention and consequent action. The hazards created by shisha are insignificant in comparison.”

It is vital to analyze the impact this will generate in society. Rahman*, a twenty-one year old argues:

• “I feel this ban will curb opportunities youngsters have to hang out and chill out. The youth in particular will feel deprived and may start using shisha underground. On the other hand, it’s good to see people taking such initiatives to promote health concerns.”

Although the ban on shisha is a stepping stone for change, there is still an inkling of resistance for it. Perhaps this can only be remedied if a tangible change in mindsets is propagated. But exactly how can this change be initiated? Zain* says:

• “I don’t think the tactful use of advertising helps. There is no guarantee that it will work. I remember when cigarette ads were followed by public services. Did that stop people from smoking?”

Perhaps the government should consider marketing this new policy. Most people who smoke shisha – which comprises a large section of the youth – are unaware of the health risks it entails. They only perceive it as a pleasurable pastime and thus find the ban to be a violation of inalienable human rights.

It is only through an innovative awareness campaign that the government can convey its standpoint to the naively unacquainted youth.

*Names have been changed to preserve the identity of the respondents.

Of the 80 member team that was deployed to take down bin Laden, few draw more speculation than the one on four legs.

Most likely a Belgian Malinois (though officials say it could also have been a German Shepherd), there was one non-human member of the SEAL team that raided Osama bin Laden's compound, according to the New York Times. The heroic pooch was strapped to a Navy SEAL as they were lowered from a hovering helicopter.

Belgian Malinois

The news of the dog's use in the raid broke Wednesday, but like the other members of the team that was deployed, its identity remains unknown.

While the dog is known for its bomb-sniffing prowess, it has other capabilities that make it a wonderful dog-of-war. According to the Atlantic, the dog may have been trained to "sniff out enemy troops from up to 2 miles away."

The sensory perception brought by these dogs in a wartime situation is unparalleled. “The capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine,” General David H. Petraeus said last year, calling for more use of dogs.

But the coolest thing about these guys? Many SEAL dogs come equipped with "titanium fangs capable of ripping through enemy protective armor," at a cost of "about $2,000 a tooth," according to the Daily. That'll get the job done.

Flexible future: Forget the iPhone, here's the smartphone made out of 'paper' that will shape with your pocket

The PaperPhone's flexible display makes it more portable that any current mobile computer

In an industry where unbreakable and smaller are best, the world's first interactive paper computer looks set to dominate for years to come.

The PaperPhone has a flexible electronic display that is set to herald a new generation of computers.

Extremely lightweight and made out of a thin-film, the prototype device can do everything a smartphone currently does.

Scroll down for video.

Inventor Roel Vertegaal, the director of Queen's University Human Media Lab in Kingston, Ontario, said: 'This is the future. Everything is going to look and feel like this within five years.

'This computer looks, feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper, meaning that when users are reading they don't feel like they are holding a sheet of glass or metal.

'You interact with it by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages, or writing on it with a pen.'

Its display consists of a 9.5cm diagonal, thin-film flexible E Ink display.

The flexible form of the display makes it much more portable that any current mobile computer - it will shape with your pocket.

Being able to store and interact with documents on larger versions of these light, flexible computers means offices will no longer require paper or printers.

'The paperless office is here,' said Dr Vertegaal. 'Everything can be stored digitally and you can place these computers on top of each other just like a stack of paper, or throw them around the desk.'

Dr Vertegaal will officially unveil his paper computer on Tuesday at the Association of Computing Machinery's Computer Human Interaction 2011 conference in Vancouver.

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Japanese researchers have developed technology to let you "kiss" over the Internet. A machine is affixed with a straw that you can move with your tongue, and someone across the world can own a similar unit across the world and "feel" that kiss.

Kissing Transmission

Yet unnamed, the device looks like a box with a straw sticking out its top. It lets you move the straw with the tongue, and via a PC it can translate that same movement to a similar unit anywhere in the world, as long as it's connected online.

Researchers at the Kajimoto Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications in Japan say the two users, no matter where they are in the world, can feel each other straw movements, which can replicate a kiss.

Fast Company writes the researchers plan to fine-tune other elements of a liplock, including "sense of taste, the manner of breathing, and the moistness of the tongue."

One of the researchers, Nobuhiru Takahashi, notes in a promotional video how the technology can be used by celebrities to give fans "virtual kisses", an idea that has not been proposed before.

He also adds, "Right now the values are handled by one PC, but if a system is put together to handle the values over a network, then it would be easy for this operation to be conducted remotely."

There aren't any details on when this device would be mass-produced and released.

NO ONE LIKE SALLU

Age is just a number and beauty not just skin deep. The maxim holds true for a number of stars in their 40s in Bollywood. Of them, Salman Khan has been voted the handsomest in the new poll by ApunKaChoice. 

Even as the young turks cement their toehold in B-Town, there are a number of actors who, though yet not over the hill, are certainly not in the prime of their youth. The likes of Shahrukh Khan (45), Salman Khan (45), Aamir Khan (46), Akshay Kumar (43) and Saif Ali Khan (40) still continue to romance PYTs on screen and pass themselves off as much younger than their birth certificates would reveal. 

So we decided to ask our readers to vote for the handsomest in the 40s brigade, and it was a close fight between Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan. 6853 votes were cast and the two Khans pretty much hogged all the votes, while the others were unceremoniously shunted to the sidelines. 

After an almost neck-to-neck fight, Salman Khan emerged the handsomest with 49 percent votes. 

Pakistan’s dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi and former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori have been named to lead two provincial sides in Sri Lanka’s Premier League Twenty20 competition (SLPL).

Afridi will lead Nagenahira while left arm spinner Vettori has been chosen to captain Uthuru, representing the North Eastern provinces which were isolated from the sport because of the three-decade old war.

Vettori is captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL tournament which also features Sri Lankan stars Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and Tillekeratne Dilshan.

The event organisers, Somerert Entertainment Ventures (SEV) have found a window for the IPL-style tournament between Sri Lanka’s tour of England and Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka, according to the ‘Daily Mirror’.

Six national captains, including four from Sri Lanka - Sanath Jayasuriya, Jayawardena, Sangakkara and Dilshan - will lead seven Provincial teams in the upcoming tournament.

The seventh will be former Sri Lanka vice-captain, Chaminda Vaas. The Sri Lanka T20 Premier League will feature almost 35 international cricketing stars and will be the first of its kind in Sri Lanka.

The 18-day event will kick off on July and will feature 24 matches, including the semifinals and final, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Dilshan will lead Basnahira, Sangakkara (Kandurata), Jayawardane (Wayamba), Jayasuriya (Ruhuna) and Vaas (Uva).

Five overseas players could be registered to a provincial team but only four will be allowed to play in a match. Sri Lankan national selectors and cricket authorities have agreed to blood as many youngsters and almost 70 Sri Lankan cricketers will be registered in the seven team tournament.

Almost all Pakistani national cricketers will be invited to play in the SLPL.

In addition to that, Chris Gayle and the Bravo cousins (Dwayne and Darren) from West Indies, Pathan brothers (Irfan and Yousuf) from India, Herschelle Gibbs, David Warner and Shaun Tait will be seen in action on Sri Lankan soil.

The availability of retired great Muttiah Muralitharan is not yet confirmed but some unconfirmed sources revealed that he is eager to play in the series.

Milind Rege, the tournament manager of the 2011 cricket World Cup will be in charge of all cricketing matters of the tournament. Rege is a former Ranji Trophy captain for Mumbai and recently retired from TATA corporation as a managing committee member.