Top 10 Digital Cameras

Whether you want a simple point-and-shoot camera for family photos or you're a serious photographer who wants greater creative control, there's a digital camera that's right for you. We've rounded up 10 of the most popular and feature-packed models out there.

Top 5 Point-and-shoot Cameras



Canon PowerShot A620Packing a host of features into an easy-to-use, compact point-and-shoot, the Canon PowerShot A620 is tops in its class. This high-performance camera has a 7.1- megapixel CCD and customizable shooting settings that let you decide how much control you want and how much to leave on automatic. Its large 2-inch LCD screen has a grid option to help you line up and center your subject. You can also shoot movies up to 1GB in high-quality video mode or up to 60 seconds in fast-frame mode.



Canon PowerShot A610If you don't really need 7.1 megapixels, you can save money with the Canon PowerShot A610, which has the same features as the A620 but only 5 megapixels. That's still plenty for most people to zoom, crop and print richly detailed photos as large as 8 by 10 inches. Like the A620, the A610 offers 4X optical zoom, a 2-inch LCD and a number of shooting modes to make picture-taking simple, even if you're a novice.



Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P200Small camera; big LCD. The compact Sony DSC-P200 is only 4 inches wide, 2 inches high and 1 inch deep but has a high-resolution 2-inch LCD so you can instantly enjoy viewing and sharing photos. It also has a robust 7.2-megapixel CCD and a quick auto-focus, 3X optical zoom lens to help bring your subject closer. Pre-flash metering sets exposure and reduces red-eye for great flash shots. You can also shoot in movie mode, recording as much as your selected Memory Stick can hold.



Kodak EasyShare Z740If you want to shoot close-up subjects and still enjoy the simplicity of a point-and-shoot camera, consider the Kodak EasyShare Z740, which gives you a powerful 10X optical zoom. If that's not enough, there's also 5X digital zoom for a total of 50X zoom capability. The exclusive Kodak Color Science Chip gives your pictures vibrant color even under difficult lighting conditions. Choose one of 16 shooting modes to get your perfect shot, whether it's a beach scene or a self-portrait.



Fuji FinePix S5200Toeing the line between point-and-shoot and digital SLR is the Fuji FinePix S5200. It's larger and heavier than the average pocket-friendly point-and-shoot, but just the right size if you like to use a long lens and have more control than the typical weekend snapshooter. Its 10X optical zoom and 5.7X digital zoom give you a total of 57X total zoom range. Intuitive controls on the body allow you to set up shots quickly without navigating through menus.

Top 5 Digital SLR Cameras



Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTA great camera for amateur digital SLR photographers, the EOS Digital Rebel XT offers the easiest operation in its class. It features an 8.0-megapixel CMOS sensor, Canon's own DIGIC II Image Processor and compatibility with more than 50 EF Lenses. Improving on its predecessor, the Digital Rebel, the Digital Rebel XT has an all new lightweight and compact body, nearly as small as digital SLRs get, with the responsiveness of a bigger semi-pro model.



Canon EOS-5DThe new Canon EOS 5D boasts a full-frame 12.8-megapixel CMOS sensor in a relatively compact magnesium-alloy body. Canon's DIGIC II Image Processor provides outstanding image quality, and "Picture Style" color control gives you superior command of color balance, contrast and sharpness. Pictures look great from almost any angle on the large 2.5-inch LCD, and easy-to-use menus simplify shooting operations so you can focus on your vision.



Olympus EVOLT E-500Never worry about dust on the image sensor interfering with your pictures with the Olympus EVOLT E-500. This easy-to-handle digital SLR camera uses an exclusive vibrating filter to eliminate dust and produce spotless pictures no matter where you change lenses. It has an 8-megapixel CCD and 25 shooting modes so you can take great pictures with a minimum of effort. A high-resolution, 2.5-inch LCD lets you view and share your shots from a wide viewing angle. And it's all housed in a lightweight, portable chassis.



Konica Minolta Dynax 5DIt's called the Maxxum 5D in North America, the Dynax 5D elsewhere, but no matter which name it goes by, this is a great little digital SLR camera from Konica Minolta. It employs an exclusive built-in anti-shake technology, enabling blur-free shooting in just about any situation, even at slower shutter speeds. Its 2.5-inch LCD displays detailed, easy-to-read information about settings and exposure values. And it has a wide variety of customizable settings so you can control color balance, contrast, saturation and sharpness in every shot.



Nikon D50Compact and lightweight, the Nikon D50 can go anywhere you do, and its lithium-ion battery lets you shoot about 2,000 images before needing to be recharged. It has a high-performance 6.1-megapixel CCD and is compatible with Nikon's wide variety of high-quality Nikkor lenses. High-speed continuous shooting allows you to shoot for up to 137 uninterrupted frames, depending on the type of SD card used, and a new small-picture function lets you choose the resolution you want when saving each shot, maximizing your storage capability.

Source: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com

Top 10 mobile phones of 2007 we can't wait for

Everyone's been talking about it the last few weeks - the blogs haven't buzzed this much since the Lonelygirl15 scandal; the chippies are wrapping pieces of cod in newspapers' sycophantic gushings about it, heck, even your own Aunt has asked you how integrated the OS X will be in it. Yep, we're talking 'bout the iPhone. However, in the shadow of Steve Jobs's phallic phone, many worthy mobiles have been cast aside - until now. Take a look under the jump for Shiny Shiny's list of the Top 10 Mobile Phones Of 2007 We Can't Wait For. And, err, admittedly the iPhone is on the list, not just to sate the Apple fans' thirst for More, More, More Pictures of The Great Shiny Object, but because it's actually a pretty great phone once you ignore all the buzz. Read on, fellow mobile geeks!

1.) LG Shine. A favourite amongst us Shiny Shiny girls, and not for the obvious reasons, this Black Label mobile (our beloved Chocolate is also part of this range) features a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, 1GB of onboard storage space, and is also able to set user-recorded video as the phone's wallpaper. Pure bliss on a stick. Available in the UK 7th February, expect our full review shortly.

2.) Sidekick 3. Already available in the States, this baby descended on Blighty back in December, but sold out within days, since then it has been announced T-Mobile, the only UK stockist, had discontinued it. However we have hope another UK stockist will pick it up, due to its success in the States. Featuring all the goodies we're used to in Paris and Nicole's phone du jour, it's got email, a 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 player, miniSD slot, and T Mobile's Web'n Walk feature. Hopefully reissued again sometime in 2007, expect our full review shortly.

3.) Nokia N93i. The hugely-antipicated update to the N93, it possesses MPEG-4 VGA video capture at up to 30 frames per second, a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 3x optical zoom, 1 GB miniSD card (hurrah!), Wi-Fi, and an MP3 player. Thankfully, it's been on a diet, and is much slimmer than its predecessor. Available in 2007's first quarter.

4.) Apple iPhone. You knew it was going to be included in the top 5, but are you surprised it's not at number 1? As you no doubt know, it will have a 3.5 inch diagonal touch screen, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, and run Apple's Mac OS X system. There'll be two versions available, a 4GB, and 8GB, handy for all those tunes you're likely to store. Available in UK Winter 2007, if that.

5.) LG enV. Another phone which has been available in the US since November, we're including this on our list due to its smartphone capabilities - it's got a full qwerty keyboard, 2 megapixel camera, integrated GPS, wireless synchronisation for emailing purposes, and of course, Bluetooth. Check out our video of it at CES. No word on UK availability, but we guess around Spring 2007.

6.) LG KE850 Prada. The recently announced mobile from LG, made in conjunction with the fashion house Prada, will pip the iPhone to the post to being the world's first completely touch screen mobile. It's got a 3 inch display, with a 2 megapixel camera, LED flash, Bluetooth, and a player supporting MPEG 4. Due February 2007 in the UK.

7.) Sony Ericsson SO903iTV Bravia. Based on Bravia technology (you remember those telly ads with the bouncing balls, right?) the SO903iTV boasts a 3 inch screen, with a slide function for horizontal viewing. It's got a 2 megapixel camera, and microSD card slot for storing those all-important pics of your friend downing three Sambuca shots in a row. Available in Japan in June, let's hope it launches here sometime this year.



8.) Samsung Ultra Edition 12.9. Formerly known as the D900, this new model is only 12.9 mm thin, with a 3 megapixel camera, 2.1 inch screen, quad-band, and not only that, claims it's the world's slimmest slider phone with a 3 megapixel camera. Due out sometime late 2007.

9.) Google's Switch. Ok, so it hasn't been announced yet, but with shady photos cropping up all over blogs, and stories about it being made by Samsung, yet branded as Google, we will hold our breath for a 2007 launch UK-side. It's rumoured to have GPS with Google Maps based navigation features, a contact application using Gmail, Google Talk, and traditional messaging, and absolutely no internal memory, as everything will be served up over the network. No word on availability, as it's still just a rumour, d'oh!

10.) Samsung SCH-W559. It's the first touchscreen mobile to use Immersion's VibeTonz, a technology which provides tactile feedback for touchscreen interactions. This is good news, as there isn't a traditional keypad on the mobile, it's an LCD display, and with the VibeTonz feature, it ensures your touches will feel real, like actual keys. Not only that, it's got handwriting recognition, Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and audio and video playback. No word on availability, but it's sure to launch in 2007.

Top 10 Online Marketing Predictions for 2007

With 2007 in full swing, here are the predictions by "Ryan Buchanan" for the rest of the year to come. In prior years we have given you a mix of business and personal lifestyle predictions, but this year we're sticking to just the online marketing world.

10. Social networking will get more and more niche.
Social Networking has blanketed the news for the past 18 months because it works. YouTube and MySpace have built loyal communities through entertaining user-generated content and great tools for communicating with other like-minded people.

However, Social Networking is going NICHE. People use specific tools to connect, recommend, rate, and communicate within their niche groups. For this reason, there are many types of Social Media now and there will be five times this many by the end of next year:

B2C: MySpace, Facebook, Gaia, Friendster, Second Life
B2B: LinkedIn, Jigsaw
Search: Digg, Delicious, Wink, Technorati
Shopping: Wists, ThisNext, Woot
Expert Communities: Blogs, Wikis
Mapping: Geosearch
Video: YouTube, TurnHere, Splashcast
Images: Flickr

9. Viral campaign Web sites will have a purpose.
Over the past couple of years, I've been forwarded hundreds of quirky sites that are experimenting with viral marketing and have no further purpose whatsoever. There are no calls to action or indications as to why these sites exist.

A few examples of pointless viral sites: Patron's SimplyPerfect, eROI's WearShortShorts, and CareerBuilder's popular Monk-e-Mail. Next year will feature more substantial viral campaign sites, like Philips's ShaveEverywhere, PassportToFlavor from Kettle Foods, and Snakes on a Plane.

8. User-generated content will be a component on most new Web sites.
Many companies are just starting to realize the great potential of Web sites with user-generated content that enable customers co-create with their brands. Ultimately, allowing users to post their stories through text, images, and video helps to build community and long-term brand loyalty. In short, it works, and companies large (Diesel-U-Music) and small (Dunderdon Workspace) will employ this strategy much more frequently next year.

7. Email marketers will demand more strategy from their marketing agencies.
From the client-side email marketer's perspective, there are only minor differences between the top email marketing software platforms. Email marketers will demand to know more advanced strategies for their email programs by asking questions like these: How does this email render in the default settings of the different email environments (AOL, Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.)? What content shows up above and below the fold on the email preview? What content and call to action will really resonate with my target audience? How can I be a resource and still convert click-throughs into qualified leads?

6. Great content is king. Quality content is more important now than ever before.
Each of us receives dozens of email newsletters daily. There are over 100 million viewings daily on YouTube. One in twenty visits on the Web is to a social networking site where new content is generated every second. There is a glut of content, and it's only going to get more crowded.
The key point worth noting is that the few companies providing great content are huge winners because of all of the online and offline marketing channels that work together in a sort of crescendo effect, amplifying the messaging of well-positioned brands. Word-of-mouth spreads so much faster than it used to through blogs, iTunes, YouTube, MySpace, Web sites, and online press.

Fans of the TV program "Grey's Anatomy" can convert nonbelievers because the content of the show is good enough to keep them once they've heard about it. The opposite holds true of "Snakes on a Plane," which had a huge online following but bombed at the box office because the content sucked. Keep this in mind when strategizing and implementing your next viral marketing site or email campaign.

5. Most successful companies will become media companies.
Microsoft became a media company when it began its blogging program a couple years ago. The lawyers lost and marketers won; revealing the inside scoop at Microsoft was virtually the only thing that has healed the company's battered reputation.

More and more companies are starting their own blogs, helping them to become more relevant and newsworthy to a greater audience within their niche. Blogging has essentially forced companies to step into their customers' shoes and provide them with more industry knowledge and news rather than simply ramming products down their throats.

4. The Democrat majority in Congress swings the tide of online marketing.
Marketers will push the envelope far more aggressively in 2007 now that the fear of death by Republican firing squad has been reduced. Moral depravity will run rampant in advertising, and the largely Democratic online marketers will revel in the end-result of their twisted creative brains.

3. Greater integration of video into all Web sites.
When I last visited the homepage of CRM juggernaut Salesforce.com, I was immediately struck by how quickly the video flash piece engaged me. Video is not just for TV and YouTube anymore. The ShaveEverywhere site proved that the use of video within viral sites is hugely engaging and effective in converting sales.
We will see many more large, medium-sized, and small businesses integrate video into their primary and campaign Web sites in 2007. One trend we will likely see will be an increase in the use of "webisodes," 3-5 minute daily or weekly video clips that entice users to come back to sites for more all-Web programming.

2. Email mantra:
list segmentation + relevant content = improved results. eROI published an email study in early 2006 showing a direct correlation between smaller, more relevant lists and higher open and click through rates. Instead of sending all emails to a Main List of all of their contacts, marketers are starting to segment their lists into product categories, service categories, press lists, webinar lists, etc.

Marketers who fail to take the extra hour or two to do this list segmentation every 3-6 months will see continued email list fatigue and a resulting drop in performance. Emailers will learn that content needs to focus less on selling a product and talking at recipients, and more on talking with recipients. Updating email content and starting a conversation will be more important than ever as people move toward seeing their inboxes as sacred places that they don't want violated by one-way advertising messages.

1. Thoughtful, cause-related marketing is the biggest winner in 2007.
Pay attention. If you do this right, you will put your company on the map—and make the world a better place. This may just be the best business advice you get all year: Ask your coworker, your department, your entire company what one nonprofit they want to support—and throw a lot of energy behind it. Better yet, co-create a new program or new event with an existing, reputable nonprofit, and you'll see that your employees, customers, and prospects, as well as your kids and your spouse, will help you take this cause, and indirectly your company, to the next level.

The best example of this is a brand we used to take for granted: Dove. Dove launched "The Campaign for Real Beauty" and let the fact be known that the company no longer simply sells soap. Dove is now so much more than a set of commodity products. Dove sells real beauty; natural beauty; non-superficial beauty.

The Campaign for Real Beauty Web site features a one-minute film that shows the transformation of an average-looking woman into a strikingly gorgeous supermodel. Only by seeing this process can we truly comprehend the illusion of what are, essentially, fabricated dream girls.

The beauty of this site is that it doesn't end with just awareness of the problem. It launches immediately into an actionable item for 8-12-year-old girls to sign up for Dove's real beauty workshops. The workshops teach girls about the importance of identifying beauty within themselves in the pre-teen years, before the peer pressure to be like the mythical supermodel drives them to anorexia or bulimia.

A couple of years ago, eROI began its own partnership with Portland-based nonprofit, Friends of the Children, by co-creating an event called Friends Art Fair. In just two years, the event has raised $55,000 and has garnered 2.5 million media impressions thru email marketing channels, print media, and media sponsor KPTV Fox 12 News.

Top 10 Email Marketing Must-Dos

This time of year, every expert predicts the trends for the next 12 months, but we wanted to provide email marketers with something a bit more useful to help kick-start the year. While I believe all of our must-dos truly are critical, if you can focus on only one thing in 2006, put your resources toward our first point-- getting relevant.

1. Get relevant-- dive into personalization and segmentation.
The greatest capabilities of email marketing technology -- segmentation and personalization -- are likely the most underutilized by most companies. Your emails are competing for attention with an increasing number of messages in your subscribers’ inboxes. The emails that resonate most, through personalized subject lines, offers, articles, products showcased and follow-up emails based on recipient activity, will be the clear winners. It is crucial that you begin this process, even if it is simply personalizing the content of the subject line or sending modified emails to several different segments of your list. Once the process is started, you can then work toward the promised land of dynamic content and lifecycle-based messaging.

2. Resolve or minimize deliverability and rendering issues.
Always send pre-campaign test messages to uncover delivery problems before sending the actual message to recipients, and then monitor results after each message to spot potential ISP blocking, filtering and blacklisting. Test your email messages in different email clients (Outlook, Lotus Notes, AOL, and web clients like Hotmail/MSN, Gmail and Yahoo) and platforms (PC and Macintosh) and correct problems. Establish authenticity as an email sender by publishing SPF code in your DNS record.

3. Redesign email messages for the inbox and for users who view them in the preview pane and block images.
Redesign your emails to render properly and be easily read and acted on in a world of preview panes and blocked images. In 2006 Yahoo Mail and Hotmail will add preview panes to their web-based clients, adding to the significant usage of preview panes by Outlook and Lotus Notes users. Also, redo your message templates to deliver maximum information in the top two to four inches and increase creative use of HTML fonts and colors, while relying less on the use of images that ISPs or recipients' email clients might block.

4. Optimize the beginning of the email relationship.
Focus special attention on the beginning of the email relationship, because the most significant decline in email performance comes two months after recipients opt in. Engage your new subscribers immediately with an organized program that includes a welcome message sent out upon confirmation, followed by the current newsletter or promotion, and emails offering a set of best-of newsletter articles or an email-exclusive offer just for newcomers. Lastly, make sure you manage subscribers’ expectations from the start by adequately explaining the email program’s value proposition, frequency, type of content and privacy policies.

5. Get on the permission train.
Review your permission practices across your company’s websites and at all customer-contact points within the company. Convert any opt-out address collection (loading a subscription form with a checked box or sales offers emailed to prospects without permission) to opt-in. While not required by the CAN-SPAM Act, permission-based email has become the standard practice in the industry. Companies that send unsolicited email risk damaging their brand and losing customers.

6. Focus on metrics that matter.
Quit worrying about process-oriented metrics such as open and clickthrough rates. Email marketers need to focus more on their end goals by tracking conversion rates, revenue per email, whether specific desired actions were taken, et cetera. Newsletter publishers need to drill down and track which type of articles and format style motivate subscribers to click through to read more, and then adjust content and formats accordingly. Use open and click rates as indicators of trends and possible delivery and rendering issues rather than as stand-alone measures of program success.

7. Take better care of your long-term subscribers.
EmailLabs estimates that 30 to 50 percent of a company’s email list may be inactive, meaning that subscribers have not opened or clicked on a link over a reasonable series of messages or time period. Marketers need to wake up these dormant subscribers by trying different subject lines, frequency of mailings and new formats, sending them special offers or best-of newsletters, surveying them, and getting them to update their demographic, preference and interest profiles. Analyze these “inactives” to uncover potential trends such as how they opted in (sweepstakes offer, free whitepaper, et cetera) and their demographic profiles.

8. Maximize search with email.
Search is now a dominant means to acquire customers and leads, but if you don’t integrate your email programs with your search efforts then you are throwing search engine marketing dollars in the trash. Include an email offer as a secondary objective on the landing page. Invite visitors to opt in to a newsletter, download a whitepaper or try a product/service demo if they don't want to buy or take other desired actions. Then, use email to move your subscribers along the sales lifecycle.

9. Test, test, test and improve.
Things move and change quickly in email marketing. What works for a competitor or worked for you six months ago might not work today. Companies need to test variables continuously, including format, design, copy style and calls to action, subject line approach and offers, personalization, content types or product categories and more. Start with simple A/B split tests, and repeat the test at least a few times to verify results.

10. Create an email marketing plan and align resources.
Do you have an actual email marketing plan with specific goals, success metrics and action steps outlined? Because email marketing is still so new to many organizations, budget and resources for the channel are often not in line with the opportunity and potential ROI. Develop a plan that clearly demonstrates to management the value and ROI of a strategic and well-run email marketing program. Make sure your plan includes enough budget and resources to enable significant improvement in ROI through increased personalization and segmentation, better deliverability, continuous testing, analysis and improvement and use of advanced technology.
To sum this all up, yes, it's a long list, and it probably looks pretty intimidating if you haven't developed your email program beyond batch-and-blast. But remember that a profitable email-marketing program can't be developed overnight. You can't fix an underperforming program overnight, either.

10 best success models

1. Remember newsgroups are still pretty popular.You could post your ad in ones that allow it or youcan leave messages with your sig file included. Oneof the fastest ways to get your message noticed in anewsgroup is to ask a question. For example, "Howdo I..." or "Where do I…?" People have beenraised their whole lives to answer questions.

2. Spend money on targeted advertising instead ofmass media advertising. You don't want to wasteyour ad dollars on people who aren't interested.For example, you don't want to buy a businessopportunity ad in a football magazine unless it isrelated to sports. If you are sending your ad to ageneral audience, make sure they have a section foryour particular sub-set of that audience.

3. Increase your profits by concentrating on smalldetails. Improving small things like text size, color,or graphics can really make a positive difference.For example, if people can't read small text how arethey are going to buy your product? Anotherexample, why would somebody spend time at yourweb site if your colors are all bright ones and hurttheir eyes?

4. Keep your offers flexible. If you offer a set pricefor your product, you could offer the people whocan't afford it an optional payment plan. Forexample, you could offer a Gold Plan for $47, aSilver Plan for $37, a Bronze Plan for $27 and afree plan to give them a taste of your product orservice.

5. Offer your knowledge or consulting as a bonusproduct. You could offer a free 15- or 30-minuteconsultation. This will add value to your product.For example, you could say, "Get A FREE 30-Minute Marketing Consultation!" You could alsooffer it as a freebie to get them interested in buyingyour product.

6. Personalize all your e-mail messages so they getread. Include the recipient's name in the subject line.This will grab people's attention quickly. For example,wouldn't "(your name), Learn How To..." get yourattention more than just "Learn How To..."? Ifigured you would say that.

7. Keep your web site consistent. You don't wantthings on your web site that are unrelated to yourtheme. For example, if you went to a web site andone page was blue and the next page was pink, thenthe next page was green, wouldn't you think veryhard before purchasing their product? It would lookvery unprofessional to you.

8. Attract more subscribers to your free e-zine bygiving them free bonuses like e-books, software,online services and other incentives. For example,you could say, "Get A Free E-book For SubscribingTo Our Award Winning Marketing E-zine!" Anotherexample, "Receive A Free Ad In Our E-zine WhenYou Subscribe!"

9. Sell advertising space in your e-zine and on yourweb site. This will create an extra income streamfor your business. For example, if you publish ane-zine, you could sell classified ads, top sponsor adsand solo ads. You could also sell advertising onyour "Thank You for Subscribing" page or e-mail.

10. Make your web site ready for the public. Havean "About Us" page and clear descriptions of whatactions you want your visitors to take. For example,you could say "My name is (your name). I startedthis candy business back in 1975 with my brotherJim. In 1999 we brought our business to the weband now we ship our candies to 50 countriesaround the world."

To 10 yahoo searches

Top 10 Overall Searches

1. Britney Spears
2. WWE
3. Shakira
4. Jessica Simpson
5. Paris Hilton
6. American Idol
7. Beyonce Knowles
8. Chris Brown
9. Pamela Anderson
10. Lindsay Lohan

Top 10 Celebrity Searches

1. Britney Spears
2. Shakira
3. Jessica Simpson
4. Paris Hilton
5. Beyonce Knowles
6. Chris Brown
7. Pamela Anderson
8. Lindsay Lohan
9. Jessica Alba
10. Mariah Carey

Top 10 TV Show Searches

1. American Idol
2. Lost
3. Days of Our Lives
4. Family Guy
5. Deal or No Deal
6. Grey's Anatomy
7. The Simpsons
8. Dancing With the Stars
9. Smallville
10. South Park

Top 10 Sports Team Searches

1. New York Yankees
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Boston Red Sox
5. Manchester United
6. Arsenal FC
7. Detroit Tigers
8. Chicago Bears
9. Real Madrid
10. St. Louis Cardinals

Top 10 Song Lyric Searches

1. Hips Don't Lie
2. My Humps
3. Grillz
4. Unfaithful
5. Bad Day
6. Beep
7. Laffy Taffy
8. Buttons
9. What Hurts the Most
10. Unwritten

Top 10 News Story Searches

1. Steve Irwin death
2. Anna Nicole's son dies
3. Iraq
4. Israel and Lebanon
5. U.S. elections
6. Fidel Castro stroke
7. North Korea nuke
8. JonBenet confession
9. Saddam Hussein trial
10. Danish cartoon

Top 10 Celebrity Baby Searches

1. Suri Cruise
2. Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt
3 .Sean Preston Federline
4. Jayden James Federline
5. Kingston Rossdale
6. David Banda
7. Moses Martin
8. Grier Hammond Henchy
9. Barron William Trump
10. Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern

Top 10 Blog/Blogger Searches

1. Perez Hilton
2. The Superficial
3. Pink Is the New Blog
4. Huffington Post
5. TMZ.com
6. Daily Kos
7. Jossip
8. A Socialite's Life
9. Little Green Footballs
10. Gawker

Top 10 Politician Searches

1. George W. Bush
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger
3. Bill Clinton
4. Hillary Clinton
5. Dick Cheney
6. Mark Foley
7. John Kerry
8. Barack Obama
9. Nancy Pelosi
10. Tom Delay

Top 10 Movie Searches

1. Spider-Man 3
2. X-Men 3
3. Pirates of the Caribbean 2
4. Star Wars
5. Superman Returns
6. Transformers
7. Saw III
8. The Da Vinci Code
9. Talladega Nights
10. Borat

Top 10 Social-Travel Networks Sites

Planning a trip?
Those who love to travel know the essence of all travel is about you and the road. For a true traveler the destination is only a minor detail in planning a trip, experiencing and delving deeper into an unfamiliar culture is paramount. Before you begin to crack the travel guides, pick a destination or plan a travel itinerary, visit some of these off the beaten path travel sites. Whatever level of expertise you tout, whether it is international travel, student travel, discount travel or just plain old USA travel, these sites are guaranteed to expand your horizons:

Social-Travel Networks

1. IgoUgo.com

Honest advice to get you going.
It’s no wonder IgoUgo won the 2005 Webby Award for the Best Travel Site in
the U.S. It definitely stands apart from other online travel communities
that allow travelers to share photos and stories. Their newly added Travel
Deals provides the best bargains in the coming week from a variety of
travel sites, saving you the hassle of online booking research. IgoUgo
rewards contributing writers and photographers with GO points, which can
be redeemed at online retailers and used for frequent flier miles.

Cool Feature:
Have a favorite IgoUgo member? You can search for a member, view their
profile, and stay up to date on their travels.

2. Triporama.com

Plan Together. Travel Together.
Triporama enables you to plan a group trip and share the details with
your group. It’s like your own personal trip website. Tools on the
site include storing and sharing your research, manage invites, and posting
messages to your group.

Don’t Miss!
- Group Travel Guide’s Recommendations.

3. Tripadvisor.com

Get the truth, then go.
Tripadvisor.com has compiled over 5 million traveler reviews and opinions
on hotels, vacations and more. Here you can find the honest truth about
your destination, without feeling like you’re being 'sold'. Reviewers
have the option of uploading their own vacation pictures. The hotel website
may show you a room with a view, but the travelers pictures may tell a
different story...

Cool Feature:
goLists- Travelers create a list of what to see
and things to do in a certain destination.

4. Triptie.com

Tying Travel Together.
Triptie.com was created based on the idea that travelers make the best
travel agents. By allowing travelers to share personal vacation itineraries,
stories, and photos, everyone becomes someone else’s agent. Unlike
similar travel sites, you can easily pull pieces from other itineraries
and make them a part of your own.

Cool Feature:
Create your hometown Itinerary for when friends…or
travelers from around the globe come and stay.

5. Iagora.com

Connecting Internationals Since 1998
Looking to get away, and stay away? Iagora.com offers information on internships,
study abroad, and permanent positions available abroad. This site will
help you find housing, hotels, and provide tips for working and living
abroad. By signing up for premiere membership you can submit your resume
and network for job offers from around the globe.


Cool Feature:
iPeople- Browse through member profiles and contact information to get
personal information on others who are working and living abroad.

6. Bootsnall.com

The Ultimate Resource for the Independent
Traveler
BootsnAll features guides, stories, book reviews, and insiders from every
continent. The site also has message boards, blogs, and travel deals.
You can book flights, hotels, and even hostels through provided links….they
really do live up to the ‘nall when it comes to traveling.


Don’t Miss!
- 50 Most Recent Travel Stories.

7. Wayn.com

Where Are You Now?
Think Myspace, for travel lovers. WAYN.com (where are you now?) allows
users to keep a log of their travels…past, present, and future.
The idea is that you share them with other members, and maybe even meet
some of them along the way.


Cool Feature:
An integrated instant messaging program.

8. Planetware.com

Your Unlimited Travel Guide to the World
Many of the most popular travel sites provide little information on U.S
destinations. It may be hard to come across a site with detailed guides
for U.S cities. That is what sets Planetware.com apart from other destination
guide websites. Their ultimate goal is to eventually database every attraction
in the world.

Cool Feature:
Enter your Hobbies and Activities and it will bring up destinations that
can entertain them.

9. Realtravel.com

Real People, Real Advice, Real Experiences.
Voted as one of the 12 Best Travel Sites by Forbes.com, Realtravel is
an online community for all things related to travel. Featuring photos,
blogs, member profiles, and links to the latest in travel deals, it is
a great way for people to obtain and share advice on travel experiences.

Cool Feature:
Featured Destination Page

10. Hotspottin.com

Think Zagat-for international nightlife, without the attitude. Arranged
by city, users can submit a “hotspot,” rate it, and even upload
their own madcap photos from their night out.

Don’t Miss! Most Popular Hotspot-
because that makes it the hottest spot.

Top 10 Travel Insurance Tips

You spend hours and hours agonising over where to go on holiday, yet most people either book their travel insurance at the last minute or – horror of horrors - don't take it out at all Leave your travel insurance to the last minute and you will probably end up paying a lot more for your policy. And while no one likes to think that things will go wrong, unfortunately sometimes they do. You could miss your flight or ferry, lose your baggage or money, or, perhaps worst of all, become ill or injured while you are abroad.

Travel insurance can help you deal with these emergencies. For many people it enables them to continue their holidays. For those that have to curtail their holidays because of illness or injury, they have the peace of mind that they will receive the treatment they need and if necessary be brought home.

It has emerged recently that the terms and conditions of many credit cards contain clauses that mean many people are not insured when travelling abroad, even though they believe they are. It's vital to be insured and it's vital that you are covered for every eventuality. Here's 10 things to consider when choosing travel insurance:

1. Does the policy provide sufficient cover for any medical eventuality and repatriation? The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends that the level of cover should be £1 million for Europe and £2 million for the rest of the world.

2. Does the policy provide a 24-hour emergency service/assistance company?

3. Does the policy cover a full refund of your costs if the trip is cancelled or cut short for any reason?

4. Does the cancellation cover start immediately?

5. Does the policy cover all the activities and sports that you might do? Many policies do not cover various activities, particularly "extreme sports" such as bungee jumping and sky diving.

6. Does the policy cover personal liability, in the event that you accidentally cause injury or damage to others and their property and they sue you?

7. Does the policy offer reimbursement of legal expenses incurred if a damage claim needs to be made?

8. Does the limit for stolen, lost or damaged possessions sufficiently cover what the items are worth?

9. How many children are covered under a family policy?

10. If you are travelling regularly during the year, would it be cheaper to take out an annual policy rather than single-trip cover each time?

Source: MSN Money staff

Top 10 downloads of the past 10 years

Number 10
ICQ

Today instant messengers are ubiquitous, but when ICQ ("I Seek You") was first released in 1997, it was truly the first of its kind. Though competitors such as Yahoo Instant Messenger and AIM have since encroached on ICQ's territory, this chat client remains enormously popular with international users, and it has remained one of Download.com's most popular applications since its launch.

Number 9
Winamp

Arriving fast on the heels of the emerging MP3 digital format, Nullsoft's Winamp was one of the darlings of the burgeoning digital audio scene in the late '90s. This free audio player quickly gained popularity, becoming one of the most popular files on Download.com, and Nullsoft was eventually acquired by AOL in 1999.

Number 8
Napster

Who doesn't remember this controversial file-sharing kingpin? Developed by Northeastern University student Shawn Fanning, Napster was a groundbreaking application that enabled users to share MP3s painlessly for the first time through a peer-to-peer network. Napster has since been sued, shuttered, and reborn as a subscription music service, but its legacy remains.

Number 7
Firefox

Developed by the open-source Mozilla project in 2003, Firefox was the first browser to show the promise of breaking Microsoft's stranglehold on the browser market. Lightweight, secure, and packed with useful features, Firefox exemplifies the promise of the strengthening open-source movement.

Number 6
WinZip

When CNET Download.com launched in 1996, WinZip was among the first programs in the library, and in the past nine years, it has remained near the top of the Most Popular list. The reason is simple: For many years, WinZip was an essential utility. You couldn't download or send large files without it. Even the fact that Windows XP now has built-in ZIP support hasn't diminished its popularity. The keys to WinZip's success are its simplicity and its singularity of purpose: it does one thing--compressing and decompressing files--and it does it very well.

Number 5
iTunes

Apple's music player and organizer makes our top 10 list for the sheer beauty of its product design. iTunes is not only a full-featured media player and library in its own right, it's also the gateway for Apple's iPod and popular music store, creating an elegant and simple interface for buying and organizing music. If only all software were this easy to use.

Number 4
Ad-aware

Almost as soon as there was software to download, there was adware coming along for the ride. Lavasoft did its part to hold the line with Ad-aware, a spyware scanner and remover. Its simple interface and excellent results have gained the program acclaim over the past five years, including a recent monopoly on the No. 1 slot in Download.com's Most Popular list. We wouldn't download files without it, and apparently, neither would most of you.

Number 3
Skype

If Internet signals can travel over a phone line, then voice calls can travel over the Internet, right? With a Voice-over-IP (VOIP) program such as Skype, they certainly can. The prospect of making free calls to folks all over the globe has persuaded millions of people to install the software; the ease of use and surprising voice quality have earned Skype a loyal user base and accolades that include a CNET Editors' Choice and a Webby.

Number 2
RealPlayer

Ten years ago, the Web was full of static content. The 1995 debut of RealPlayer changed all that. Streaming audio and video in a free media player was a bold step forward into making the Internet a viable entertainment platform, and RealNetworks was there. Today the software plays almost every media format, and the online music store sells tunes compatible with most MP3 players--even the iPod. RealPlayer hasn't always been at the head of the class, but it was there first, and it keeps adapting to the developing world of online media.

Number 1
Adobe Acrobat Reader

Bridging the gap between print and Internet publishing, Adobe's portable document format (PDF) lets publishers distribute their articles, newsletters, and documentation online without worrying about formatting problems or unauthorized alterations. By giving away the Acrobat Reader early on, Adobe helped create a nearly unassailable market position. If you want to read magazine archives or software manuals online, you need Acrobat Reader--as its nearly seven-year occupation of the Most Popular list can attest.

Source: http://www.cnet.com/

Top 10 Broadband Phone Service Providers

Use your broadband internet connection to make phone calls.

1. Vonage : basic 500 ($14.99/mo); Premium Unlimited ($24.99/mo)
   
2. VoiceEclipse : basic plan ($12.95/mo); Premium ($19.95/mo)
   
3. EarthLink trueVoice : basic ($14.95/mo); unlimited ($24.95/mo)
   
4. SunRocket : limited ($9.95/mo); annual ($199/year)
   
5. VoicePulse : local unlimited ($14.99/mo); americal unlimited ($24.99/mo)
   
6. AT&T CallVantage : local plan ($19.99/mo); service plan ($29.99/mo)
   
7. Packet8 : freedom unlimited ($19.99/mo)
   
8. Verizon VoiceWing : VoiceWing 500 ($19.95/mo); VoiceWing Unlimited ($24.95/mo)
   
9. Lingo : Lingo Unlimited ($19.95/mo)
   
10. BroadVoice : unlimited in-state ($9.95/mo); unlimited world ($19.95/mo)
    

A few more Broadband Phone Service Providers

1. Speakeasy : broadband + voip combo ($83.90/mo)
   
2. VoxFlow : residential class ($24.95/mo)
   
3. QuantumVoice : regional ($19.99/mo); premier ($29.95/mo)
   
4. Cogeco : ($44.99/mo)
   
5. ViaTalk : vt_500 ($9.95/mo); vt_unlimited ($15.95/mo)
   

Top 10 Mysterious Diseases

There are many sicknesses doctors can cure with the swish of a pen across prescription pad. But for all we understand now about some illnesses, there are even more that still stump the pros, confound the public and rage on uncontested.

Number 10
Morgellons Disease

This mysterious illness, which has cropped up again recently, displays almost sci-fi symptoms. Sufferers complain of intensely creepy-crawly skin and odd fibrous strands which protrude from open wounds. Some in the medical community blame the “disease” on psychotic delusion, but others say the symptoms are very real.

Number 9
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue is a classic MUPS (medically unexplained physical symptoms) disease, with a diagnosis based only on the ruling out of other possibilities. More than just feeling a little tired, CFS patients are often bed-ridden for days at a time.

Number 8
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

One version of this rare brain disorder is better known—Mad Cow—and can be contracted by eating contaminated beef. “Regular” CJD is also always fatal, quick-acting and is the most common form, but develops in most patients for reasons doctors have yet to figure out and can not prevent.

Number 7
Schizophrenia

Experts consider this the most puzzling of mental disorders, one which robs the sufferer of the ability to logically distinguish between reality and fantasy. Symptoms range wildly between patients and include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, lack of motivation or emotion, but the disease has no defining medical tests.

Number 6
Autoimmune Disorders

A catchall term for a host of afflictions including Lupus and MS, autoimmune disorders treat the body’s organs and normal functions as enemy invaders. They’re usually chronic, always debilitating, and doctors can do little except ease their symptoms.

Number 5
Pica

People diagnosed with Pica have an insatiable urge to eat non-food substances like dirt, paper, glue and clay. Though it is believed to be linked with mineral deficiency, health experts have found no real cause and no cure for the peculiar disorder.

Number 4
Avian Flu

Humans have no immunity to the powerful flu virus carried by birds, which health official fear could mutate into a strain that can be transmitted between humans. Death rates for human infected are around 50 percent but, so far, humans have been infected mostly by direct handling with infected birds. A recent cluster of cases, however, appeared to involved its spread between people.

Number 3
The Common Cold

Even with an estimated one billion cases in the United States every year, doctors still know very little about the nose-running, cough-inducing cold, whose root causes number in the hundreds (some headway is being made). Time and chicken soup, not antibiotics, is often the only prescription that helps.

Number 2
Alzheimer’s Disease

Not to be confused with the forgetfulness that affects most everyone in their later years, Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disorder that manifests differently in each of its sufferers. The exact cause isn’t understood and it can’t be effectively treated.

Number 1
AIDS

Twenty-five years since it was first identified, there is still no cure for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS remains among the world’s most potent killers, especially in developing countries. The disease likely started with a chimp to human jump, recent research confirmed.

Top 10 players in the Soccer World Cup

Here are 10 players that may provide some compelling stories during and after the upcoming World Cup

Marvin Andrews
Last spring "Marvelous" Marvin rejected medical advice and chose not to have his injured right knee operated on. Rather, he opted for the power of prayer and in the process he has astounded the medical establishment. The powerfully built defender had moved from his native Trinidad in 1997 to join Scottish club Raith Rovers.

He then moved to Livingstone and turned down a move to Dundee United saying that God had told him that it was not the right move. In 2004 he joined Glasgow Rangers but before his first season was up he suffered a serious injury to the cruciate ligament in one of his knees.

Putting his trust in a greater power Andrews was back playing before the end of the season and he continues to be an important part of the Rangers defense. When he isn't stopping the opposition he spends much of his time as a preacher at a church in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.

Ronaldinho
In the history of world soccer, a select few names will stand the eternal test of time — Pele, Maradona, and Beckenbauer come to mind, but a new phenom from Brazil is giving the legends a run for their money. His name is Ronaldinho.

The dentally-challenged Brazilian superstar has already won a World Cup in 2002, and then added the world's most prestigious club title to his resume this month by winning the European Champions League with FC Barcelona at the Stade de France in Paris. His mastery of the ball at pace or simply standing still is awe inspiring, and there's not a single move he makes without an enormous grin on his face, as if he's in on the biggest secret in the world and no one else knows a thing about it.

lthough his wizardry with the leather is known the world over, the line was drawn when it was verified (by Ronaldinho himself) that a video stunt of the midfield maestro repeatedly passing a ball off a crossbar back to himself without it ever touching the ground was nothing more than a cleverly staged trick.
But few doubt that he won't provide some magic in Germany.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Swedish forward will never be considered a shrinking violet. He has been described as egotistical and arrogant with a hair-trigger temper — and these are some of his good qualities!

Zlatan Ibrahimovic plays with the ball before a friendly match against Finland
 
After a tough match against England in 2004, a reporter asked him, "You have some scars on your face there — what happened?"

"Well, I don't know. You'll have to ask your wife about that," Ibrahimovic responded.

The tall striker with the light touch took Italy's Serie A by storm after he arrived from Ajax in the late summer of 2004 after a series of impressive performances at Euro 2004. He scored 16 goals in his first season but the just completed campaign has seen his form dip and his scoring rate drop off. For Sweden to prosper at the tournament Ibrahimovic has to step up.

 
 
Luca Toni
Toni is a consummate late bloomer. During a career in Italy that has seen the 6-foot-4 Toni play for nine different clubs, it is only in the last three seasons that his goal-scoring exploits have singled him out as one of most dangerous strikers in Europe.

Luca Toni's movie star good looks should make him a fan favorite in Germany
 
Over his first nine seasons he managed just 64 goals in league play; in the last three seasons with Palermo and Fiorentina he has scored over 80 goals. This past season he became the first player to score more than 30 goals in Serie A since 1958-59 and finished as the winner of Europe's Golden Shoe.

With his movie-star looks he could become one of the most photographed players of the tournament and a reason why wives and girlfriends may take a sudden interest in when Italy play's next.

 
 
Oguchi Onyewu
Team USA's 24-year-old defender earns his living playing for Standard Liege in the Belgian league. After progressing through various U.S. age-group teams he first moved to France four years ago before settling in Belgium. He made his full international debut against Panama in the fall of 2004.

At 6-foot-4 he is hard to miss on the field and has become a firm favorite with American fans. If the USA is to progress to the knockout stage at this World Cup then the charismatic "Gooch" is likely to play a big part — literally and figuratively.

David Beckham
Arguably the most recognized footballer in the world, the devilishly handsome Beckham, who made his name with Manchester United in the English Premier League, is as famous for his exploits off the field as his performances on it.

Never one to shy away from an opportunity to increase his own brand or start a new trend in hairstyles, Beckham is a P.R. dream for any company or agency fortunate enough to have the cash to splash for his endorsement services.

When Beckham moved with Spice Girl wife Victoria to Spain in 2003 after signing for powerhouse club Real Madrid, the first-day sales of Beckham jerseys came out to nearly $1 million dollars, before he ever kicked a single ball.

 
Ronaldo
The birth certificate says that he is 29 but his body would disagree. Ronaldo was part of the 1994 World Cup-winning Brazil squad but he was taken to the USA mainly to gain experience. At the next tournament four years later he arrived as the best player in the world but left with a mysterious seizure just hours before the final. It's something that has yet to be fully explained.

A series of injuries put his career into doubt let alone an appearance at World Cup 2002. Brazil — and Ronaldo — arrived with few people picking them to do well after a largely lack luster qualifying campaign. They left as the winners and the best team in the tournament by a country mile. In the process Ronaldo reestablished himself as one of the world's top players by winning the Golden Shoe after scoring eight times including a final game double against Germany.

A transfer from Inter Milan to Real Madrid followed and although club success has largely eluded him over the last three seasons Ronaldo retains a talisman-type quality for the national team.

Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba signs autographs for fans 

The former midfield player converted to striker moved from Marseilles to Chelsea for $42M in the summer of 2004. Although his performances for Chelsea have failed to substantiate the transfer fee Drogba's performances for the Ivory Coast rank him as one of the most dangerous forwards in Germany this summer. His value to the "Elephants" is almost immeasurable both as a goal scorer — nine in World Cup qualifying — and as a leader. Back in the Ivory Coast a particularly strong one-liter beer is known as a Drogba and this summer he will be featured in an advertising campaign throughout Europe that promotes the use of cocoa produced in the African nation.

 
 
Paulo Wanchope
One of Costa Rica's greatest soccer exports Wanchope can look like one of the world's great players one moment and the next look like an absolute beginner.

He is still remembered for a spectacular solo goal that he scored on his debut for Derby County against Manchester United in 1997. After a spell at Derby he moved on to West Ham United and Manchester City. Two years ago he was transferred from City to Malaga of the Spanish league.

He has represented Costa Rica over 60 times and is Costa Rica's career goal-scoring leader. Even though he has bounced from club to club Wanchope is not yet 30 years-old and he has the ability to breakdown even the most organized of defenses with a style that is often awkward looking but one that can be extremely effective.

Goleo
The lion is the latest in a line of World Cup mascots that started in England in 1966 with "World Cup Willie".

Unfortunately, the 2006 mascot that was designed by the Jim Henson Company has so far proved to be a bit of a bust, particularly for a German toy company called Nici. The company supposedly paid out the equivalent of the price of a world-class striker for the right to manufacture a number of "Goleo" toys in Europe.

Sales have been disappointing and the company was forced to file for protection from creditors just a few weeks ago.

Top 10 Emerging Environmental Technologies.

Wasteful energy policies, overuse of resources, water supply shortages, global climate change, and deforestation are just some of the issues experts say need to be addressed for humans to achieve sustainable living on this planet. By the year 2025, an additional 2.9 billion people will strain tightening water supplies, and the world's energy needs will go up 60 percent by 2030, according to the United Nations. LiveScience looks at 10 technologies—some old, some new, some a bit offbeat—that might help make the future a little brighter.

Number 10
Make Paper Obsolete

Imagine curling up on the couch with the morning paper and then using the same sheet of paper to read the latest novel by your favorite author. That's one possibility of electronic paper, a flexible display that looks very much like real paper but can be reused over and over. The display contains many tiny microcapsules filled with particles that carry electric charges bonded to a steel foil. Each microcapsule has white and black particles that are associated with either a positive or negative charge. Depending on which charge is applied; the black or white particles surface displaying different patterns. In the United States alone, more than 55 million newspapers are sold each weekday.

Number 9
Bury The Bad Stuff

Carbon dioxide is the most prominent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. According to the Energy Information Administration, by the year 2030 we will be emitting close to 8,000 million metric tons of CO2. Some experts say it's impossible to curb the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere and that we just have to find ways to dispose of the gas. One suggested method is to inject it into the ground before it gets a chance to reach the atmosphere. After the CO2 is separated from other emission gases, it can be buried in abandoned oil wells, saline reservoirs, and rocks. While this sounds great, scientists are not sure whether the injected gas will stay underground and what the long-term effects are, and the costs of separation and burying are still far too high to consider this technology as a practical short-term solution.

Number 8
Let Plants and Microbes Clean Up After Us

Bioremediation uses microbes and plants to clean up contamination. Examples include the cleanup of nitrates in contaminated water with the help of microbes, and using plants to uptake arsenic from contaminated soil, in a process known as phytoremediation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has used it to clean up several sites. Often, native plant species can be used for site cleanup, which are advantageous because in most cases they don't require pesticides or watering. In other cases scientists are trying to genetically modify the plants to take up contaminants in their roots and transport it all the way to the leaves for easy harvesting.

Number 7
Plant Your Roof

It's a wonder that this concept attributed to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of Seven Wonders of the World, didn't catch on sooner in the modern world. Legend has it that the roofs, balconies, and terraces of the royal palace of Babylon were turned into gardens by the king's order to cheer up one of his wives. Roof gardens help absorb heat, reduce the carbon dioxide impact by taking up Co2 and giving off oxygen, absorb storm water, and reduce summer air conditioning usage. Ultimately, the technique could lessen the "heat island" effect that occurs in urban centers. Butterflies and songbirds could also start frequenting urban garden roofs, and like the king's wife, could even cheer up the inhabitants of the building. Here, a green roof is tested at Penn State.

Number 6
Harness Waves and Tides

The oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface. Waves contain an abundance of energy that could be directed to turbines, which can then turn this mechanical power into electrical. The obstacle to using this energy source has been the difficulty in harnessing it. Sometimes the waves are too small to generate sufficient power. The trick is to be able to store the energy when enough mechanical power is generated. New York City's East River is now in the process of becoming the test bed for six tide-powered turbines, and Portugal's reliance on waves in a new project is expected to produce enough power for more than 1,500 homes. Here, a buoy system capable of capturing the ocean’s power in the form of offshore swells is illustrated by researchers at Oregon State University.

Number 5
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

The biggest solar collector on Earth is our ocean mass. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the oceans absorb enough heat from the sun to equal the thermal energy contained in 250 billion barrels of oil each day. The U.S. consumes about 7.5 billion barrels a year. OTEC technologies convert the thermal energy contained in the oceans and turn it into electricity by using the temperature difference between the water's surface, which is heated, and the cold of the ocean's bottom. This difference in temperature can operate turbines that can drive generators. The major shortcoming of this technology is that it's still not efficient enough to be used as a major mechanism for generating power.

Number 4
Sunny New Ideas

The sun's energy, which hits Earth in the form of photons, can be converted into electricity or heat. Solar collectorscome in many different forms and are already used successfully by energy companies and individual homeowners. The two widely known types of solar collectors are solar cells and solar thermal collectors. But researchers are pushing the limits to more efficiently convert this energy by concentrating solar power by using mirrors and parabolic dishes. Part of the challenge for employing solar power involves motivation and incentives from governments. In January, the state of California approved a comprehensive program that provides incentives toward solar development. Arizona, on the other hand, has ample sunshine but has not made solar energy a priority. In fact in some planned communities it is downright discouraged by strict rules of aesthetics.

Number 3
The 'H' Power

Hydrogen fuel cell usage has been touted as a pollution-free alternative to using fossil fuels. They make water by combining hydrogen and oxygen. In the process, they generate electricity. The problem with fuel cells is obtaining the hydrogen. Molecules such as water and alcohol have to be processed to extract hydrogen to feed into a fuel cell. Some of these processes require the using other energy sources, which then defeat the advantages of this "clean" fuel. Most recently, scientists have come up with ways to power laptops and small devices with fuel cells, and some car companies are promising that soon we'll be seeing cars that emit nothing but clean water. The promise of a "hydrogen economy," however, is not one that all experts agree will ever be realized.

Number 2
Remove the Salt

According to the United Nations, water supply shortages will affect billions of people by the middle of this century. Desalination, basically removing the salt and minerals out of seawater, is one way to provide potable water in parts of the world where supplies are limited. The problem with this technology is that it is expensive and uses a lot of energy. Scientists are working toward better processes where inexpensive fuels can heat and evaporate the water before running it through membranes with microscopic pores to increase efficiency.

Number 1
Make Oil from Just about Anything

Any carbon-based waste, from turkey guts to used tires, can, by adding sufficient heat and pressure, be turned into oil through a process called thermo-depolymerization, This is very similar to how nature produces oil, but with this technology, the process is expedited by millions of years to achieve the same byproduct. Proponents of this technology claim that a ton of turkey waste can cough up about 600 pounds of petroleum.

Source: http://www.livescience.com