Differences between 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista

To use a 64-bit version of Windows Vista, you must have a computer that has a 64-bit processor. Also, you must have 64-bit device drivers for the devices that are in the computer.

You may want to determine whether the platform of Windows Vista is installed. To verify that you have the platform of Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
2. The operating system appears as follows:
   • For a 64-bit version operating system, "64-bit Operating System" appears for the system type under System.
   • For a 32-bit version operating system, "32-bit Operating System" appears for the system type under System.

Note Microsoft Win32 uses the x86 processor in 32-bit flat mode. Therefore, a x86-based version means a 32-bit version operating system.

The main differences between the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and the 64-bit...

The main differences between the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and the 64-bit versions of Windows Vista relate to memory accessibility, memory management, and enhanced security features. The security features that are available in the 64-bit versions of Windows Vista include the following:

• Kernel Patch Protection
• Support for hardware-backed Data Execution Protection (DEP)
• Mandatory driver signing
• Removal of support for 32-bit drivers
• Removal of the 16-bit subsystem

One of the greatest advantages of using a 64-bit version of Windows Vista is the ability to access physical memory (RAM) that is above the 4-gigabyte (GB) range. This physical memory is not addressable by 32-bit versions of Windows Vista.

Depending on the version of Windows Vista that is installed, a 64-bit version of Windows Vista supports from 1 GB of RAM to more than 128 GB of RAM. The ability to address more physical memory lets Windows Vista minimize the time that is required to swap processes in and out of physical memory. Therefore, Windows Vista can manage processes more efficiently. This memory management feature helps improve the overall performance of Windows Vista.

Advantages when you install a 64-bit version of Windows Vista

• Increased memory support beyond that of the 4-GB addressable memory space that is available in a 32-bit operating system
• Increased program performance for programs that are written to take advantage of a 64-bit operating system
• Enhanced security features

What to consider when you install a 64-bit version of Windows Vista

• 64-bit device drivers may not be available for one or more devices in the computer.
• Device drivers must be digitally signed.
• 32-bit device drivers are not supported.
• 32-bit programs may not be fully compatible with a 64-bit operating system.
• It may be difficult to locate programs that are written specifically for a 64-bit operating system.
• Not all hardware devices may be compatible with a 64-bit version of Windows Vista.

The main differences between the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and the 64-bit versions of Windows Vista

Architecture	Windows Vista, 32-bit versions	Windows Vista, 64-bit versions
System requirements	1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 64-bit (x64) processor, 512 MB of RAM	1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor, 1 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended)
Memory access	A 32-bit version of Windows Vista can access up to 4 GB of RAM.	A 64-bit version of Windows Vista can access from 1 GB of RAM to more than 128 GB of RAM.
Memory access per edition	All 32-bit versions of Windows Vista can access up to 4 GB of RAM.	Windows Vista Home Basic - 8 GB of RAM Windows Vista Home Premium - 16 GB of RAM Windows Vista Business - 128 GB of RAM or more Windows Vista Enterprise - 128 GB of RAM or more Windows Vista Ultimate - 128 GB of RAM or more
DEP	32-bit versions of Windows Vista use a software-based version of DEP.	64-bit versions of Windows Vista support hardware-backed DEP.
Kernel Patch Protection (PatchGuard)	This feature is not available in 32-bit versions of Windows Vista.	This feature is available in 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. Kernel Patch Protection helps prevent a malicious program from updating the Windows Vista kernel. This feature works by helping to prevent a kernel-mode driver from extending or replacing other kernel services. Also, this feature helps prevent third-party programs from updating (patching) any part of the kernel.
Driver signing	Unsigned drivers may be used with 32-bit versions of Windows Vista.	64-bit versions of Windows Vista require that all device drivers be digitally signed by the developer.
32-bit driver support	32-bit versions of Windows Vista support 32-bit drivers that are designed for Windows Vista.	64-bit versions of Windows Vista do not support 32-bit device drivers.
16-bit program support	32-bit versions of Windows Vista support 16-bit programs, in part.	64-bit versions of Windows Vista do not support 16-bit programs.

Anguilla - Caribbean

ONE OF THE TOP MOST BEACH IN THE WORLD

Anguilla offers breathtaking beaches, crystal blue water, luxury resorts and laid back environment. This 16 mile stretch of island has total 33 beaches all open for public. You can check all the beaches but it will be difficult deciding which one is the best. Over the years Anguilla has become most popular destination of wealthy and rich. Shoal bay a 2-mile of soft white sand is inviting with all the facilities for the visitors. Rendezvous Bay is another popular spot with the beachlovers.The island has beautiful coral reefs, colorful fishes and stingrays an eye-treat for underwater divers. The island has lot more to offer .For history buffs the sunken Spanish ship of 18th century at Stoney Bay Marine Park is a virtual treasure trove. A three minute boat ride from Island Harbor to Scilly Cay would be a life-time experience as the private island offers best options in sunbathing, snorkeling and seafood. For shopaholics a visit to French St.Martin is must for its innumerous small shops doting the landscape offering the best bargains.

You can visit Anguilla from other Caribbean destinations. You can take flight from San Juan or St.Maarten to Wallblake airport. A ferry ride from St Martin to Blowing Point ferry terminal would make your journey exciting and pleasurable. For inland travel cab would be the ideal choice but if you want to explore every nook and corner of the island then you must rent a car. Temporary license is however must for the drivers. The best season to visit Anguilla is from December to April when tourism is at its peak. You must do your bookings in advance to avoid rush as most of the resorts remain shut down in September and October.

Anguilla has emerged as a popular choice for movie-stars and other celebrities hiking the prices of the hotels and resorts. Cap Juluca offers luxury staying with its striking Moorish buildings, secluded rooms and some of the island's best beaches. CuisinArt Resort and Spa is steep for average travelers but offers cuisine which is literally lip smacking. The Arawak Beach Inn on Island Harbor Beach offers 17 bungalows for budget travelers. The rooms are well-equipped with kitchens where you can cook on your own. For the wealthy and rich there are resorts and private villa offering $ 30,000 for a week-end. Resort at Cove castles offer family type accommodation at reasonable rates.

Anguila's culinary delights include seafood and specialties prepared from mutton. Most of the restaurants offer multicuisines.Malliouhana restaurant is ideal for romantic French dinner with candle as ocean backdrop. Blanchard restaurant's sophisticated palate is highly recommended. Hibernia is a tiny cottage with 11 tables popular with couples. For budget travelers there are many restaurants including The Pump house Bar & Grill

The Darker Side of World War II

The level of human suffering in World War II was enormous. Some of the most notorious atrocities in modern history were carried out between 1939-1945, and the anguish of living with war devastated populations around the globe. The annihilation of humans through the holocaust and atomic weaponry, human medical experimentation by Nazi doctors, the torture of prisoners of war and displacement on a massive scale represent just part of the never-before seen scale of horror visited upon mankind during World War II.

Volcanoes Wiped Out All Forests 250 Million Years Ago

Massive volcanic eruptions wiped out the world's forests about 250 million years ago, leaving the planet teeming with wood-eating fungi, according to a new study. The finding confirms that even hardy trees didn't survive the Permian mass extinction, one of the most devastating losses of life Earth has ever known.

During the so-called Great Dying, more than 95 percent of marine species and 70 percent of land species disappeared, most likely victims of toxic gases spewed by a prolonged volcanic eruption centered in present-day Siberia.

The eruption produced acid rain on a global scale and depleted the ozone layer, allowing more of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays to hit the planet's surface.

Until now, researchers hadn't found much hard physical evidence for what had happened to plants during the mass extinction, so many had assumed that Permian forests survived relatively unscathed.

But the new study confirms that vegetation also suffered heavy casualties.

After the eruption, "the world would have been a strangely green place, with simple plants like club mosses, but also lots and lots of dead trees," said lead study author Mark Sephton, a geochemist at Imperial College London.

And trees remained a rarity for the next four million years.

But fungi, which could cope with the newly acidic world, survived.

Fungi Proliferation

Fossilized fungi spores in rocks dated back to the time of the Permian extinction show a global spike in a group of ancient organisms called Reduviasporonites. Scientists have debated whether the extinct creatures were photosynthetic algae or wood-eating fungi.

To settle the matter, Sephton and colleagues analyzed the different types of carbon and nitrogen in Reduviasporonites and matched the results to modern fungi.

The team found that the ancient organisms had a similar dietary chemistry to fungi known to feast on dead wood.

A sudden outbreak of Reduviasporonites would therefore mean that huge numbers of trees must have died during the extinction event—and provided a feast for fungi.

A modern-day equivalent of the fungi-dominated landscape exists in the Czech Republic, Sephton added.

That's because acid rain produced by burning large amounts of brown coal has killed vast tracts of woodland, allowing wood-eating fungi to proliferate.

On a global scale, human activity is altering the balance of gases in Earth's atmosphere "faster than anything we see in the geological record," Sephton added.

In addition, the drop in species diversity today mirrors the early stages of the Permian event.

"This is mankind's great unnatural experiment," Sephton said, "and we just don't know how it is going to end."

Tiniest Dinosaur in North America Found

October 21, 2009—The tiniest dinosaur in North America weighed less than a teacup Chihuahua, a new study says.

Seen above as an artist's reconstruction in front of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in California, the agile Fruitadens haagarorum was just 28 inches (70 centimeters) long and weighed less than two pounds (one kilogram).

The diminutive dinosaur likely darted among the legs of larger plant-eaters such as Brachiosaurus and predators such as Allosaurus about 150 million years ago, during the late Jurassic period.

Parts of the skulls, vertebrae, arms, and legs from four F. haagarorum specimens were found in the 1970s in Colorado and later stored at the Natural History Museum.

A recent analysis of the fossil leg bones showed not only that the dinosaur is a new species but that the largest of the specimens are full-grown adults.

The discovery knocks Albertonykus borealis, a chicken-size dinosaur identified in 2008, off its pedestal as the tiniest North American dinosaur.

(Related: "Smallest Meat-Eating Dinosaur in N. America Discovered.")

The newfound dinosaur also had an unusual combination of teeth for a reptile: canine-like teeth in the front of its jaws and molar-shaped teeth along its cheeks, according to the October 21 study, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

This arrangement and the creature's small stature mean it's likely that F. haagarorum ate plants, eggs, and insects.

The tiny dinosaur was found in Colorado's fossil-rich Fruita Paleontological Area. To find such an unexpected species in a well-studied area suggests it's "still possible to discover completely unique and remarkable [fossil] species," study leader Richard Butler, of the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology in Munich, Germany, said in a statement.

"If dinosaur ecosystems were that diverse, who knows what astonishing beasts are waiting for us to discover?"

Meenakshi temple, India

Meenakshi temple

Madurai or "the city of nectar" is the oldest and second largest city of Tamil Nadu. This city is located on Vaigai River and was the capital of Pandyan rulers. The Pandyan king, Kulasekhara had built a gorgeoustemple around which he created a lotus shaped city. It has been a center of learning and pilgrimage, for centuries. Legend has it that the divine nectar falling from Lord Shiva's locks gave the city its name - 'Madhurapuri', now known as "Madurai".

The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara temple and Madurai City originated together. The structures that are standing today date mostly from the twelfth to the eighteenth century. They occupy a vast space, 258-m by 241m. There are the two main shrines, no less than twelve Gopuras, a pool and innumerable Mandapas. At every turn there is superb sculpture, magnificent architecture.

The Meenakshi temple complex is one of the largest and certainly one of the most ancient. According to legend Madurai is the actual site where the wedding between Shiva and Meenakshi took place. The gigantic temple complex, the statues exploring the entire range of human emotions, everything here is larger than life. The soaring and exquisitely carved towers enclose thetemple dedicated to Meenakashi. The south gateway contains the twin temples of Shiva and Meenakshi and is about nine storeys high.

Once Dhananjaya, a merchant of Manavur, where the Pandyas had arrived after the second deluge in Kumari Kandam, having been overtaken by nightfall in Kadamba forest, spent the night in the Indra Vimana. When next morning he woke up, he was surprised to see signs of worship. Thinking that it must be the work of the Devas, he told the Pandya, Kulasekhara, in Manavur, of this. Meanwhile Lord Shiva had instructed Pandya in a dream to build atemple and a city at the spot Dhananjaya would indicate. Kulasekhara did so. Thus originated the temple and city.

In the 14th century an invasion by Malik Kafur damaged the temple. In the same century Madurai was under Muslim rule for nearly fifty years. The temple authorities closed the sanctum, covered up the Linga, and set up another in the Ardhamandapa. When the city was liberated, the sanctum was opened, and, tradition says the flower garlands and the sandalwood paste placed on the Linga were as fresh as on the first day, and two oil lamps were still burning.

Inside Meenakshi temple

Ashta Sakthi Mandapa :

This Mandapa is a convention in this temple, different from that followed in others, that the devotee offers worship first to Goddess Meenakshi. Therefore, while there are four other entrances into the temple, under huge Gopuras in the four cardinal directions, it is customary to enter not through any of them but through a Mandapa, with no tower above it. This entrance leads directly to the shrine of the Goddess.

This Mandapa is an impressive structure, with a hemispherical ceiling. It is 14m long and 5.5m wide. There are bas-reliefs all over the place. Over the entrance one of them depicts the marriage of GoddessMeenakshi with Lord Somasundara. The Mandapa derives its name, the "Ashta Sakthi", from the fact it contains sculptures of the eight Sakthis (also spelt as Shakti). Those of the four principal Nyanmars were added during renovation of thetemple in 1960-63.

Closer View, Meenakshi temple
Meenakshi Nayakkar Mandapam :

This hall 42.9m long and 33.5m wide is adjacent to Ashta Shakthi Mandapam. It contains 110 stone columns, each 6.7m high carrying the figures of a peculiar animal with a lion's body, and an elephant's head called Yalli.

Potramaraukulam (Golden Lotus Tank) :

This temple tank is an ancient tank where devotees take bath in the holy water. The corridors around the tank are rightly called the Chitra Mandapa, for the walls carry paintings of the divine sports of the Lord. The area around this tank was the meeting place of the Tamil Sangam - the ancient academy of poets.This academy judged the worth of any work of literature presented before it by throwing it into the tank. Only those that did not sink were considered worthy of attention. The tank is surrounded by a pillared corridor. Steps lead down to the tank, enabling worshippers to take bathe in it.

The Thousand Pillar Mandapam :

It is the 'wonder of the place', Actually the number of pillars count to 985. Each pillar is sculptured and is a monument of the Dravidan sculpture. There is aTemple Art Museum in this 1000 pillars hall where you can see icons, photographs, drawings, etc., exhibiting the 1200 years old history. There are so many other smaller and bigger mandapams in thetemple . Just outside this mandapam, towards the west, are the Musical Pillars. Each pillar when stuck, Produces a different musical notes.

Vasantha Mandapam :

This mandapam was built by Thirumalai Nayakkar. Vasanthosavam - the Spring festival-is celebrated in this mandapam in Vaikasi (April/May). Its pillars contain elaborate sculptures of Shiva,Meenakshi , scenes from their wedding as well as the figures of ten of the Nayak Kings and their consorts. This is also called Pudhu Mandapam.

Oonjal Mandapam :

Two Mandapas, the Unjal (swing) and the Kilikatti (parrot cage), are on the western side of the tank. On their ceilings are more paintings. The Kiliatti Mandapa has on its walls the carvings ofthe divine sports. The most ornamental of the temple's Mandapas, it was built in 1623.

Every Friday, the golden idols of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are seated on the swing in the Oonjal Mandapam and hymns are sung as the deities gaily swing to and fro. The parrots in the Kilikoontu Mandapam have been trained to repeatMeenakshi 's name. But more interesting are the 28 pillars of the mandapam which exhibit some excellent Sculptures of figures from Hindu mythology.

Swami Sundareswarar Shrine :

Lord Sundareswarar (Shiva) the consort of Goddess Meenakshi is to the north of Kilikoontu Mandapam . On your way you can worship a gigantic idol of Sri Ganesh called Mukkurini Pillaiyar. When the king Thirumalai Nayakar excavated atemple tank 3 km from Meenakshi temple he unearthed this idol of Vinayaka and erected the same here.

In the outer pragaram (corridor outside the main shrine) there is stump of the kadamba tree, which is said to be a part of the same tree under which Indra worshipped Shiva linga. Also in the outer corridor there are the Kadambathadi Mandapam and big hall called ' Velli Ambalam' . Here, An idol of Nataraja (Shiva as the Lord of Dance) is seen. This idol of Nataraja is covered with silver leaves. Hence this hall is named as Velli Ambalam (Silver Hall)..

The famous festivals held at Madurai, include Teppam festival, the annual Float Festival, wherein the images of Sri Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswara (also spelt as Sundreshwara) are mounted on floats, and taken to Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank, where for several days they are pulled back and forth across the water in the middle of the tank, on an illuminated raft embellished with flowers, before being taken back to the maintemple.

Meenaskhi Kalyanam, the wedding festival of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwar is celebrated for twelve days from the second day of the lunar month (i.e. two days after the new moon). This is a spectacular festival celebrated in the month of Chaitra (April-May). The festival is characterized with royal decorated umbrellas, fans and traditional instrumental music. Scenes from mythology are enacted and the deities of Lord Shiva, Goddess Shakti and Goddess Meenakshi are taken out in a colourful procession. Thousands of devotees from all over the country gather in the city of Madurai on this occasion.

Growth Of Nail Per D

It is said that "tectonic plates move about as fast as your fingernail grows." How fast is that?

I've made two "lines" in my thumbnail with a metal nail file. I'll measure the movement of these lines to find the rate of growth.

Day 0 5/14/2006	Day 8 5/22	Day 15 5/29	Day 24 6/7	Day 30 6/13	Day 38 6/21	Day 49 7/2	Day 60 7/13	Day 83 8/3

An estimate of the convergence along the Cascadia subduction zone in Oregon ranges from 1.3 in the south to 3.1 cm/year in the north. See: http://ees2.geo.rpi.edu/rob/www/gps/g0026.html#fig7

	The least-square slope is 0.10 mm/day, or 3.7 cm/year. It's interesting that the growth appears to vary with time, but this may be due to measurement errors. Graph shows data for May 14 - August 3, 2006.
	Over a period of 500 days, my fingernail growth has remained quite steady at 0.1 mm/day, or 3.7 cm/year.

The San Francisco Exploratorium newsletter recently pointed out:

"...that your fingernails grow at the rate of about one nanometer per second? A nanometer (nm) is one-billionth of a meter—about the width of an average molecule. For comparison, a human DNA molecule is about 2.5 nanometers wide, while a strand of human hair can be 50,000 to 100,000 nm in diameter."

If we divide 3.7 cm/year by the number of seconds in a year (Pi * 10^7 s/year) and convert to nm by multiplying by 10^7 nm/cm, it turns out that my thumbnail is growing 1.1 nm/s. Very interesting.

The following is modified from an E-mail message I wrote in 1997:

I have difficulty with the very slow processes of geology acting over very long time intervals, both within my own mind and in trying to convey these concepts to others. For plate motions, a helpful comparison is that the relative motions are similar to the rate at which a fingernail grows.

Indeed, an analogy that just occurred to me now, is that as a fingernail moves forward, new nail is being created along one edge and destroyed (by the nail clipper) at the other. On the average, oceanic plates are created by volcanism at oceanic spreading centers at the same rate that they are consumed by subduction at oceanic trenches.

How slow is this motion? This is where long intervals of time come in. I like to suggest visualizing a football player in the year zero. She (sports where well integrated then) catches a kickoff at her own zero yard line and now has to run 100 yards to make a touchdown. If she runs at the speed of a typical drifting plate (4 to 5 cm/a), she will score in the year 2000. The ability to outrun, and presumably outlive, the opposing team must also be presumed.

At a museum or school, one might label a crack in the floor "spreading center." A year later, paint a 3-cm wide band on either side of the crack and label it as the material created by plate motion during that year due to a 6-cm/a spreading rate. Add two 3-cm wide bands each year, so that after four years the floor would have this pattern, where the oceanic spreading center is marked by a v: