Amazon Cloud to Back Up Your Phone System?

Did you every think that your company would be physically unavailable, the building not accessible and the phone system unmanned? The issue of business continuity and disaster recovery is on your 'to do' list and hopefully you can get to it before it gets to you. Recently, we had the experience of having to resuscitate a client from near death when their physical facility became unavailable. Clearly, the phone system was very high on the list of "must have" operational now.

Here is the solution we employed with amazing results. First, we signed in and created a brand new account at the Amazon EC2 cloud offering. This itself was an amazing experience. Once your account is open, which can take a couple of hours if you do not already have an Amazon account (is that possible?), you can create and access a server with the OS of your choice within minutes. We already had an Amazon account so adding the AWS functionality took less than 30 minutes. We then created a Microsoft 2008 SP2 32 Bit Server and provision RDP access in less time than it is taking to tell this story. The AWS service provisions and assigns a DNS public IP address, creates a security instance ('firewall") and candidly, that took more time to make operational then it took to build an "instance" of our Windows based HQ server!

Once the sever was provisioned, we were able to make "firewall" changes to meet our security requirements. This is all accomplished through the AWS management console. Then the fun started, we downloaded our favorite PBX system! All of this is taking place in the cloud and under a time constraint, but we were able to provision our PBX and get in a configuration mode very quickly. Using our preexisting ITSP SIP account we were able to provision a multi-channel SIP "peer", obtain a DID number and have dial tone in and out of the system within 15 minutes!

From then on it became near Childs play and basically the same as any other deployment. We brought up the most urgent User profiles first, established remote call forwarding and even enabled several SIP softphones. We were able to get the phone company to call forward the clients main BTN to the newly provisioned DID number and we had this client back to worrying about business issues that had nothing to do with phone service pronto quick. The entire process from account setup, to first phone call took two and a half hours to commission!

Clearly, not the carefully conceived business continuity and disaster recovery plan that should have been in place, but a success story none the less. We keep a pre-paid ITSP account available at all times which enables us to bring up 4 channel SIP peers in a heart beat. It seems we never know when we are going to need a new DID and Peer. The Amazon AWS is mind boggling in terms of what you can do and you are billed on a metered basis. Currently they have a program that bundles some 750 hours of usage a month for free. They also have some canned AMI's (Amazon Machine Images) that cost literally penny's an hour to operate.

Not that we needed another reason to have a software based VOIP iPBX but this is an example of just how powerful these tools can be to create and deliver viable telecommunications solutions on demand! AskDrVoIP and we will provide you the list of software solutions we used to accomplish this emergency deployment and we are planning to recreate the entire experience for a another DrVoIP video cheat sheet.

http://youtu.be/ZAB8wCg9MyE

Visit the DrvoIP.Com site for a wealth of information and video tips on VoIP! Find technical support or post your project for Free!

Time to Re-Think Social Issues and Go Back to Financial Ones

I believe the problem we face today is people are more concerned about social issues then financial ones. We've been brainwashed in thinking more about environment, sexual preference, and from my perspective over done on being healthy. If you don't have enough cash how can you eat right, or reduce stress wouldn't that be more of a health risk? Rather then citizens going protesting for better wages, job creation, and reducing the way over taxation we fight for social issues. I am a very compassionate person, but bringing in 30,000 immigrants who don't have a shot at getting a decent well-paying job either is not prudent. It turns into more of our tax dollars to support them, while there are thousands of citizens who can't afford a place to live or food in their mouths. It just seems we have our priorities really mixed-up in these uncertain times. Here is what I mean by this statement.

Obtaining an education today means taking on serious debt, and then not being able to find a well-paying job is financial suicide. No matter what fair waged job or not our greedy government expects to be paid back. It is no concern of theirs they aren't generating job creation and taxing people into bankruptcy. It's all about giving away our tax dollars to people from other countries. The burden gets even worse here because those who can find jobs end up on welfare, or get mentally ill living on disability. The part of population going to their crappy jobs pays for those people too. What about new entrepreneurs can they still exist in this country?

The truth is Government decided to let in major corporations from other countries in, then actually investing in their own talented citizens. A corporation like Wal-mart is very hard for small Mom and Pop business to compete against. These corporations offer minimum wage which is substandard to cost of living, and no job security including set hours. They're not doing anything wrong, it is our government who sets the minimum wage, and labor board who determines what they can and can't do. Our wonderful government has also allowed them to be one stop shops. An entrepreneur wanting to open up a shoe store can't compete, dead in the water before the doors open. The government knows this, so that is why getting a business loan is almost unattainable. Just consider how many small businesses have been destroyed in smaller towns by companies like Wal-mart, and everyone buys into the trip. Better pricing but no well enough paying jobs for consumers to buy step-up quality. There has been so many horrendous financial mistakes done by our governments over the decades it's ridiculous. Free trade took away our manufacturing jobs, belonging to O.P.E.C took away low-cost fuel pricing, and now the Government taxes that even further.

Maybe we should re-think how much time, effort, and money is being thrown into social issues. How about stop taking one for the team living on credit cards to supplement our incomes. Focusing on fighting for the things that will provide our children with a bright future instead. Fair wage jobs, money, and reasonable taxation might be the first direction. Here's the truth for the majority of us no one will remember we even existed in a 100 years. Worrying about our Great Grandchildren environmentally is a smoke screen the governments and activists take away hiding real issues which is financial. Maybe it is also time to bring home the troops stopping the financial bleeding we are experiencing here. No more bringing refugees until all our ducks are in row. That means every child gets a proper education, health care, and possibility of an amazing future with our tax dollars. This also includes the right for their parents to buy homes at reasonable pricing, not purchasing a shack they can't afford because it so over priced, and then the hydro costs effect how the purchasing power for the necessities.

I am very fortunate to have a well-paying job, so this article is not about me but injustice I see everyday. I watch people taking about the environment because they can't deal with the reality of their own lives. I see our Government being so careless with our hard earn tax dollars it makes me ill. The problem is anyone like me who speaks up is considered aggressive, not caring when I do!! It's time for all us to lobby the Government to provide all of their citizens with being able to have a quality of life!

Why You Should Avoid Fake Mobile Phones

When you splash out on a new mobile phone you need to ensure that you are buying the real thing as copies and fakes simply will not last! Phones and other mobile devices should only ever be bought if they have been made by genuine companies such as Vodafone, Sony or Nokia. This way you can ensure that you get good value for money as they will come complete with guarantees and you can sure be that they have been made properly!

Check out these top reasons why you should never buy fake mobile phones:

Mobile Phones need to be Reliable!

We heavily rely on phones as part of our everyday lives from work through to casual conversations and without one we often feel somewhat lost! With over 40 million Brits owning a cell phone in the UK and more phones than people with 62.5 million handsets and only 60 million people; it is obvious that we are all mobile crazy.

Many people rely on mobile phones to stay in contact with clients or employers and those who work in sales or logistics will understand how important it is to be in regular contact. If you need to be accessible to others then you need to ensure that you have a genuine handset that will not decide to stop working just when you need it most!

Genuine Mobile Phones are Affordable!

There is no need to pay less to get less as there are so many great value for money deals available that you can buy the real thing for an affordable price. If you choose to get a contract, many companies will provide you with a free handset so why risk using a sub-standard phone that is cheap to buy that will only fall apart in a few months?

Usually batteries will need to be replaced before the phone itself and it is just as important to ensure that you buy genuine batteries as fake batteries for mobiles will be as useless as your old one after a short time.

Mobile Phones are Readily Available!

Statistics show that 57% of US teenagers view their phone as being a central part of their social lives and 80% claim that their mobile offers them a sense of security. How secure would you feel if your fake handset failed on you when you need to make an emergency call? There is no excuse to buy a fake mobile when there are so many available which are 100% genuine. You can buy mobile phones all over the world from reputable companies with ease so why settle for less with a fake?
By Louise Goldstein

A-Z on Body Arts: Tools, Materials, Techniques, Health Hazards and Prevention

Body art is an ancient but populous form of body enhancement. There are various reasons why people engage in body art such as coiffure, body painting, body markings and the like. Some are done for purely aesthetic or decorative purposes while others are for medicinal, spiritual, entertainment, identification or symbolic reasons.

A wide of tools can be used for body enhancement. These include dabbing tools, painting tools, incising tools, smearing tools, tattooing tools, etc. Materials used for body arts include tattooing dyes, special cleaning agents etc. Drawing and writing inks, such as Indian ink, Pelican ink and printer inks are popularly used for amateur tattoos. Other colourants that can be used include pigments and dyes. Other materials used include plant extracts, soot, carbon and ochre. Henna, which is a natural plant, is also used for the production of temporary tattoos.

There are several causes of health hazards in body arts. Majority of them are as a result of contamination of the instruments used. Examples of these are the skin penetrating tools such as lances, electrolysis needles and extractors. When these instruments are not effectively cleaned and sterilized before use on another person, or when single-use instruments are not discarded immediately after use.

There are also allergic and toxic reactions which are due to impurities from the production process of the pigments and dyes used for tattooing. Tattoo inks can contain aromatic amines with carcinogenic potential (can cause cancer). Some tattoo products have been seen to cause mild forms of skin cancer. Tattoo dyes especially red, green, yellow and blue dyes can cause allergic skin reactions, such as an itchy rash at the tattooed area. This can occur even years after you get the tattoo.

Moreover, skin problems such as bumps called granulomas form around tattoo ink. Tattooing also can lead to keloids or raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue. It may cause blood borne diseases. For instance, if the equipment used to create the tattoo is contaminated with infected blood, the person can contract various blood borne diseases including tetanus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C or even HIV/AIDS.

These health-related cases can be prevented by taking some practical steps. For instance, the tools and equipment used for the production of body arts must be sterilized. Washing hands is the single most important factor in preventing infection.

Also, chemicals used in body arts must be properly labeled so that there will not be any substitutions. The chemicals must be properly cared for. They must be kept in well secured containers etc. The instructions on how to use and care for them must be meticulously followed.

Moreover, all working surfaces used, for example, procedure couches/chairs, benches and tables, should be washed with warm water and detergent, rinsed and dried using a clean lint-free single-use cloth. Additionally, at the end of each working day, wash all visibly soiled surfaces with warm water and detergent. Rinse and dry the cleaned surfaces using a clean lint-free single-use cloth.

There are a lot of techniques that can be employed in body arts. The commonest technique is painting. It involves the application of the paint, dye or pigment by the use of brush. After drawing the sketch or layout of the design on the skin surface, brush is used to apply the paint on the body surface. Printing, whereby designs are sometimes printed on the body surface is also used. Sometimes papers with permissible ink are transferred onto the body surface. Laser printers are also used to transfer computerized designs onto the surfaces of skin. Paint can be dabbed on the body surface using sponge or foam to transfer designs onto skin surfaces. Sometimes, the ink or paint can be spread over the surface of the skin to create the design or impression on the surface of the skin.

Other techniques include incision, thus, cutting into the surface of the skin to create a design. This is used in scarification and some forms of tattooing. The interlocking of the hair strands to form decorative forms referred to as braiding or plaiting falls under body arts.

Body art is gaining much fame today in the art industry. Artists must be weary of the health hazards in the use of tools, materials and instruments. They must endeavor to keep healthy practices while engaging in this interesting form of artistic expression.

If you want interesting information on visual art education, history of art click the link below:
https://ezinearticles.com/expert/Dickson_Adom/2315408
http://www.bodypiercingmarket.com/

Protect Your Computer From Being Hacked!

The thought of people being concerned that NSA is listing and monitoring their activities is a hysterically funny concept to me. Whatever you think of Edward Snowden, know that he is a day late and a dollar short. Most of these very same people that worry about the NSA, have a "Tracebook", Twitter, Instagram or a half a dozen other social media accounts that should be significantly reducing the NSA operating budget. In fact, let's just disband the NSA and hire Google! It seems that most of us have no issue publicly posting our most intimate details on Facebook including everything short of our Social Security numbers. Posting our current location and "checking in" so that the entire planet knows not only where we are, but what we are doing seems to be an absolutely essential public service and should also include pictures of the meal I am about to eat. How many of these same individuals are aware that every picture posted contains Meta Data that also memorializes the GPS co-ordinates and the camera type used to take the picture? I know you want to share picture of the family, but do you really want ISIS to know exactly where they live?

As everyone is so willing to publicly disclose these personal details, it explains why so many remain ignorant of the data mining that goes on that you do not knowingly consent to. I assume we all know that Google is in the business of selling digital user profiles to advertisers? Every type an email to a friend about planning a trip to the Italy only to find your inbox now populated with travel agency "hot deals"? If your email does not fill up with travel deals to the Italy, you can bet your internet browser will now display a travel agency advertisements, "learn to speak Italian" and top Italian Restaurants on every page you view fin! Now ask me what we think about using Google Docs! We suggest that you consider DoNotTrackme extensions to your Chrome and Firefox browsers. We also recommend that you install "self-destructing cookies" and watch how many cookies are exchanged with your browser each use. Remember, we really don't need your username and password, we need your cookies all of which are transmitted in clear text over that Starbucks wireless you have been using! All available using FireSheep!

Now if this is a vulnerability that effects individuals, what vulnerability effects enterprise level environments? Forget the notoriously leaking Windows Operating system and your hopelessly porous laptop, in the wake of the 55 Million credit card numbers stolen from Home Depot and the 45 million stolen from Target, we now have to worry about the credit card machines at the checkout counter. Actually the TJ Maxx heist was in many ways much larger! You might be considering how did the hackers get through the Firewall? As we have pointed out before, most computer network security exploitations are not executed through the firewall, they are executed by "social engineering" with the assistance of an ignorant employee or paid hit man. It is suspect that at least one of the above break ins was assisted by a third party trusted partner like the heating and air conditioning service company. Nothing like a starving janitorial night service crew to earn a few extra bucks plugging a USB device into any desktop computer releasing a new and improved malware version of BlackPOS! Most of these stolen credit card numbers can be purchase here or on the Darknet using a Tor browser to reach silk road type websites.

It seems you can't turn on an electronic device today without it alerting you that a software update is available for download. From the TV set, to the mobile phone, tablet and now even your car, all are subject to software updates. Do you even question what is being downloaded to your device when you do a software update? You just assume you are connecting with Apple, Amazon or Samsung? What if some evil doer was really just spoofing a software update and you just willingly downloaded a super basket of spy goodies that turn on your phone camera, activate your microphone and email snapshots to back to the mother ship. NSA, are you kidding? You would never know if it was your spouse, or employer would you? Yet millions of people do this without care, day after day and think nothing more about it. If you want to be tracked everywhere you go, risk having your most intimate communications published (just ask Jenifer Lawrence and the other celebrity Nude hack victims) just carry your Smartphone with you at all times!

Cyber-crime, next to the Ebola virus and violent terrorism is the single most economically destructive phenomenon to threaten the American way of life since the Cuban missile crisis. Yet the average business owner winces at the cost of engaging a computer network security audit and thinks that penetration testing is lovemaking foreplay. When the IT team asks for a Firewall upgrade or an increase in budget to cover a subscription to virus, spam and bot net filtering they somehow can't justify the added expense. Educating your employees on the safe use of the Internet over WiFi should be part of the healthcare preventive medicine program, but most business will ignore "social engineering" vulnerabilities until a major data thief publicly embarrasses them.

Earrings as Art

We like to decorate our ears. Try to forget that you had your ears pierced in a mall just as soon as you could talk your mother into letting you do it. Try to forget that you have given away as gifts more earrings than there are margaritas in Cabo. Consider from the perspective of an alien visiting our planet for the first time:

"They decorate their auditory receptacles with small bits of shiny metal and colorful rocks."

In our fast-paced modern cultures our ears provide one of the easiest and most prominent body parts to adorn. We express ourselves, our moods, our attitudes through the jewelry we affix to our ears.

Earrings have been around forever. Well, ok, as near as we can tell, a really really long time. The oldest known earrings are the Lunate earrings. The Lunate earrings were excavated in Ur in Mesopotamia, what is now Iraq (of all places). These gold crescent hoops are approximately 4,500 years old. The earliest designs of earrings were hoops and pendants made of precious metals, most commonly gold, and sometimes bone.

The popularity of earrings rose and fell throughout the ages in direct relation to hairstyles. For example, the adornment of our ears fell out of favor during the Middle Ages. It was considered immoral for respectable married women to be seen in public with their heads uncovered. Then in the mid-1500's women began wearing their hair up, exposing their ears. Earrings resurged.

Today earrings thrive with as many different variations as there are people wearing them. We wear dangles of all sorts, hoops and posts and spirals and swirlies, made from all kinds of materials including silver and gold and sea shells, pearls and gems and glass beads. We wear earrings as art.

By Serene Chong, Eleworth

By Topher ZiCornell, Eleworth

Eleworth offers an increasingly wide selection of artistic, hand-made earrings.

When Serene isn't busy with coursework for her computer science master's degree, she's busy daydreaming about her next meal. As a Chinese-Malaysian in California, she loves to try new foods, and equally loves to try new jewelry. Serene is always looking for new ways to express cuteness, and jewelry is one of her favorite things to play with.

Integrated Services Digital Network - An Overview

Originally, analog telecommunication services, also known as a Plain Old Telephone System (POTS), were the only source of telecommunication worldwide, before the coming of age of ISDN. POTS was the originally acronym for Post Office Telephone System or Service, but changed when post offices stopped offering telephone services and it comprised mainly of copper wires which linked the subscriber's home to the central switch office. This type of telecommunication had its limitations. Long distance calls had to be routed through operators and switchboards, which made them highly unreliable and time consuming and there was also the issue of static inference known as line noise, which disturbed communication. ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network and is a fully digital telephone line that can carry voice, image, video and digital network services. ISDN transceivers facilitate full fidelity and two-way communication between different locations. ISDN voice-overs are of excellent quality, extremely clear and free of background noise. As a user, you can feel assured knowing that your voice-overs will sound just as good as those recorded in your own studio. The benefits of using ISDN for internet connections is a lot greater compared to using the old telephone dial up service as an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The ISDN dial-up connection offers speeds equivalent to that of a broadband connection. There are a number of additional benefits of using ISDN connections, as follows: Multiple Devices In the past, you needed an individual phone line for each device, including service, fax, computers and video conferencing. All that has changed with the advent of ISDN, which comes with a host of functions, including: • Voice, data and video have no interference or noise, corrupting the quality of service, since data is sent via packets or groups • Simultaneous transfer of services is possible with the same ISDN line, such as making calls, receiving fax and connecting to the internet all at once • Each service has a signal which works with the ISDN network to ensure there is more history and fewer errors with multiple connection. Speed Having multiple digital channels means you can compress all channels and come up with bandwidths of up to 128 Kb/s. This is due to the 2 B-channels, each 64 Kb/s respectively. It allows you to accomplish a lot of things which were previously unavailable on normal modems, including: • Faster, direct connections, with no dialing issues and downtime • Video conferencing and streaming without disruptions • Video conferencing with multiple recipients • Uninterrupted gaming due to faster connections

What Is a PRI Line, What Are the Advantages and Limitations of PRI Circuits?

In an ISDN system, there are two types of services: Basic Rate Interface (BRI) and Primary Rate Interface (PRI). While the first one is installed at home or small business organizations, the later one is for large organizations which have their own telephone exchange systems. There are number of B-channels and D-channels in the system which carries data, video, voice with several control and signaling information. But, what is Primary Rate Interface and how does it work?

What is PRI Line?

The Primary Rate Interface comprises of a 64 Kbps D-channels and 23 Kbps B-channels. Here, it uses T-1 line. It also consists of one D-channel and 30 Kbps B-channel, which use an E1 line. If a user accesses the Primary Rate Interface on a T-1 line, he can get internet speed up to 1.544 Mbps. On the other hand, an E1 line user can get services up to Mbps. PRI utilizes Q.931 protocol over D-channel.

There are some countries where this system is carried on a T-carrier system line while E-carrier line is available worldwide. The users of the system are directly connected with the telephone company's central office.

Advantages of PRI Circuits

1. The service provider gives almost 500 numbers for each line. Therefore, it becomes easier for the outsiders to call the extension straight without going through the PBX Auto-attendant.

2. Through a PRI line, it is possible to have voice and data access. There are also some service providers which offer free data transmission for certain period of time.

3. Call hunting is also easy with a Primary Rate system. But for the analog trunks, the service provider needs to extend the facility and also include additional cost.

4. What are the other benefits of this system? It can be utilized for voice connectivity, video conferencing, data connectivity, faxing, etc. And all these can be done simultaneously.

5. This circuit is anytime better than the analog trunks as it is an end-to-end digital system.

6. Due to the fiber optic materials, the wire is far more redundant than analog trunks. Also, you will face less troubleshooting here than other systems.

7. Tapping your digital phone lines and listening to your conversation is almost impossible now.

8. You don't have to wait long to start a call here.

9. As there are several service providers who comes with flexible plans, this system also become economical for small companies.

Limitations of PRI Circuits

1. If the minimum rental is less than the average value of calls in an analog system, then installing PRI circuit is not that much economical.

2. If you have to make international calls, this system is not cost-effective. You can choose SIP or ITSP services at lesser rate to make such calls.

3. You have to pay for Inter branch communication if you install this line. If you install VOIP systems, you can make inter branch communication over internet at much lower cost.

4. You can buy Primary Rate lines only if you buy those from your EPABX vendor.

Prepaid phone cards

Manners

So Houston made the top ten in some ranking of the nation's best-mannered cities. I'm more than a little suspicious of these things - I mean, how do you decide who has good manners?

People are pretty polite here, at least compared to Washington - but then, that's like saying someone is pretty smart, compared with a rock. Top ten? Who knows.