We hear quite a bit these days about Google Apps and OpenOffice and how Microsoft is losing touch with mainstream consumers who are now more tech savvy. We hear all of that, and then we hear that Microsoft controls 94% of the global office software market – and that number has remained unchanged over the last 3 years. So, clearly, Microsoft is still running the show when it comes to office software, despite what some may think.

Microsoft is about to launch a free online version of Office, in conjunction with an updated Office package that is available for purchase at up to $500. The free online version will be supported by ads, but will integrate seamlessly with the standard versions that are not free. In much the same way that Google Apps allows users to save their work on the web and enables numerous users to access the same documents and save their work, the online version of Office will have the same type of functionality.

Analysts are predicting a strong near-future surge for Microsoft with its upcoming introduction of new and shiny Office software. With Windows 7 getting strong reviews in most areas, analysts are predicting that many companies will choose now to upgrade their computers as well as their operating systems and business software. Many companies have held off as Microsoft introduced a string of underwhelming versions of Windows in recent years. Most firms are still using Windows XP or Windows 2000 as their primary operating systems.

A DVD burner software helps copy files onto a CD, this is referred to as burning of files. For the burning of files, the right computer hardware for a particular software is a must. These files can vary from audio files to digital photography. Many operating systems provide built in support functions for the burning of files. Many of them are also available in the form of free DVD burner software downloads. Mentioned below are of some of the best DVD burner software reviews.

Roxio Creator
This DVD burner software comprises of an interface, which helps you to place the tools where you want, so that it can be easy to use them. It also offers help for people who are using it for the first time, and also during the start up of a project. With this DVD burner, you can create on-line slide-shows of your photos, music and videos, which can be shared with your friends via a secure web page. This DVD burner can also help you rip audio books present on the CD, and import it into your iPod or any other portable audio device. It can also help you organize and edit media files, and also upload them on media sharing sites, such as YouTube. It also has provisions for a backup software for data storage.

DVD Suite Ultra 7
The size of this burner is 87.5 MB. It is compatible with Windows Vista, 2000, XP, 9x and ME operating systems, and comes embedded with an un-installer. This computer software supports writing as well as video playbacks. Burning the files,requires just a simple drag and drop of the respective file into the correct window displayed on the computer screen. It is embedded with PowerStarter, an application used to update software and access tasks. The task of editing videos is made simpler by this software. It, digitally formats and saves all the data. This software provides ten different applications. You can also create disc labels and cover inlays.

DeepBurner Pro
It has a function called AudioCD recording. With this application, you can directly copy data from one disk to another, and also create CD/DVD albums. A provision for data storage backup is made. It also supports the usage of multiple simultaneous DVD recorders. A program wizard called AutoRun, makes effective autoruns for your CDS. This DVD burner will also help you to create your own cover, booklet or case inlets. The size of the drive buffer can be adjusted dynamically. Information about drive and media utility is included. It supports three writing methods namely; DAO, SAO and TAO.

Nero 9
This best aspect of the Nero 9, is its ability to perform multiple functions. With this software, you can experience digital media in a new and innovative way. It can transform digital photos to animated slide shows. This software helps you with the following:

• create a backup of all your valuable data
• search media files
• edit photos and videos
• create DVDs embedded with menus
• stream files over media servers, and also compress them

It is easy to use, efficient and is quick in performing its tasks. The software helps you burn all kind of files onto a CD/DVD.

Cheetah DVD Burner
The file size of this software is 8.5 mb and its licensed version is available at $ 25. This software can run successfully on Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000, and includes an un-installer. It also has the ability to burn blu-ray discs, and multi session data with all types of media. This software does not utilize many system resources.

With one of best DVD burner software mentioned above, you can burn your favorite songs onto a CD and make a collection. You can also burn your family photos onto a CD, which will always keep your precious moments alive.

A programmable thermostat can be a 7-day model, in which you can have different temperature settings for each day. It can also be a 5+2 day model, in which temperature can be set separately for weekdays (from Monday to Friday) and weekends (Saturday and Sunday). It can also be a 5-1-1 model, in which you have one temperature setting for weekdays, another for Saturday, and a third one for Sunday. The RiteTemp 6080 and the Honeywell RTH7600D are programmable thermostats with a 7-day model. The Honeywell RTH230B has a 5+2 model. The RiteTemp 6022 and the Honeywell RTH6400D are 5-1-1 models. If price is not a factor, the best programmable thermostat is the 7-day model. Both the RiteTemp models are lockable, which means unauthorized persons cannot change the temperature, while the Honeywell models are not lockable. The Insteon 2491T1 allows the temperature to be changed by a remote control.

How a programmable thermostat works

With a programmable thermostat, you need to enter the start and end times of the period, and the thermostat automatically changes the temperature during the period. You can specify up to 4 periods per day, named ‘morning’, ‘day’, ‘evening’ and ‘night’.

The recommended temperature settings are between 70^oF and 78^oF, so that the occupiers of the house are comfortable. The temperature can exceed this range, when you’re outside the house or sleeping. The thermostat has a vacation feature which allows you to set a constant temperature in the house, when you are on a holiday. An adaptive recovery thermostat may start cooling or heating the house, so that the temperature is reached by the set time.

There are many factors that a programmable thermostat is designed to check for, before starting to heat or cool the house:

• The temperature of the furniture.
• The temperature of the wall, which depends on the construction of the building and the materials used.
• The weather patterns during the summer, winter and other seasons.

A programmable thermostat may be digital or electromechanical. An electromechanical thermostat uses a dial or a slide to regulate the temperature. Some thermostats automatically compensate for daylight savings time. Keep the programmable thermostat away from direct sunlight, or other sources of light such as bright lamps or skylights. Don’t place it near doorways or windows, so as to keep it away from wind draft.

You may have more than one programmable thermostats in the house. The benefits of thermostats are most obvious in moderate climates than in extreme climates. A programmable thermostat should not be used with a heat pump.

You may need to call a HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) contractor to install your programmable thermostat. If you’re looking to install a new CAC (central air conditioning) system, you should install a programmable thermostat with it. If your old thermostat contains mercury, take extra care while uninstalling it.

Installing a programmable thermostat

The first step in installing a programmable thermostat is switching off the power. While removing the old, manual thermostat, make sure that the wires don’t go back into the wall. This can be done by wrapping the wires around a pencil. Next, drill holes in the wall for the anchors that came with the programmable thermostat.

Then, place the mounting plate of the programmable thermostat on the wall. Now, join the wires to the terminals. The new thermostat may have a configuration with two, three, four or five wires. Connect the red wire into the red nut, and the white wire into the white nut, and so on.

Then insert two double A batteries into the new thermostat, ensuring that the polarity is correct. Attach the new thermostat to the mounting plate. Press the reset button of the new thermostat to clear the program memory. Finally, turn on the power, and your new thermostat should function properly.

A programmable thermostat is an energy saving device that will help cut down on your energy use in the home, by reducing the difference between the outdoor and indoor temperatures. It will lower your energy bills, which is especially important with soaring energy prices. It also helps protect the environment, because it reduces the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. When choosing a programmable thermostat, make sure that it has the Energy Star logo, so it contributes to making your home energy efficient.

When you compare programmable thermostats, you can choose one that does only heating or does both heating and cooling. Don’t forget to read reviews that mention whether the thermostat is easy or difficult to use, because the best programmable thermostat should have simple functionality.

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The first thing before choosing a web hosting provider is that you should be fully aware of your hosting requirements. If you are a beginner wanting to host a personal web site, then your only concern is that you get a decent amount of disk space for your web site with a host that is as cheap as $5 per month. However, if you are a developer, an online entrepreneur or an online business looking for e-commerce capabilities or advanced scripting technologies, then you can determine your requirements in the following order.

(1) Whether you need Shared Hosting or Dedicated Hosting:

This depends mainly on two major requirements, the traffic your web site is expected to receive and the degree of administrative privileges you need. If you expect your web site to receive huge amounts of traffic, then you will need to have a Dedicated Server which definitely has a much greater bandwidth offering. Also you should select Dedicated server hosting if your web site requires customized options, secure information or complex applications i.e. e-commerce, dynamic content, database and multimedia applications.

(2) Whether you need Linux Hosting or Windows Hosting:

If you’re going to use server technologies such as ASP, JSP etc or intend to run Microsoft applications like Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL database on your server, then you should use a Windows hosting provider. Although ASP can be run on the Linux platform using some commercial applications, there are security and reliability concerns related to it. However, if you want to use ColdFusion, it can run on both Linux and Windows platforms.

(3) What are your Space and Bandwidth requirements:

Many web hosting providers nowadays offer generous amounts of disk space from 1 GB to 3 GB. However, if your web site mainly acts as a download resource, then your disk space requirements may be 5 to 10 times greater than this. The second consideration is how much traffic your web site is expected to receive which will let you estimate your bandwidth requirements.

(4) How many Parked Domains and Subdomains do you need:

Parked domains are very advantageous and can significantly increase the amount of traffic to your web site. Similarly, subdomains can help with your search engine rankings by pointing to specific directories of your web site. Parked domains and subdomains occasionally come free with certain web hosting packages. However if you need more, you will have to pay an additional price per month.

(5) FTP Accounts and Anonymous FTP Requirements:

You may need more than one FTP account if you have coworkers working on your web site project at different locations. The Anonymous FTP permits the general public to access certain directories on your web server to whom they have been granted permission by you. In most cases, you will need a dedicated IP address for Anonymous FTP to function.

(6) Whether you need e-commerce Features:

If you need e-commerce features, you should choose a web hosting provider that provides e-commerce functionality such as shopping carts and the ability to accept credit cards. You should also check whether their server is SSL secure.

In addition to your own hosting requirements, the following considerations must be kept in mind when looking for a quality web hosting provider.

(1) More than 99.5% uptime:

Choose a web hosting provider that has an uptime greater than 99.5% and if there is an uptime guarantee, it’s even better. If your web site is for business purposes, it’s very crucial that your site stays online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

(2) Fast Servers:

The level of connectivity of your web hosting provider to the Internet is very important. So you should choose a web hosting provider with at least a T3 connection to the major Internet backbone. Analysis has shown that the average web visitor waits for about 30 seconds before your web page loads. So if your web site takes more than 30 seconds to load, chances are that you will loose a lot of visitors and consequently sales.

(3) Server Backups:

To make your data secure, your web hosting provider must have a power backup system and should backup the data to an external device in order to prevent the data loss due to failure. Check how frequently the web hosting provider backups the data, i.e. daily or weekly.

(4) Disk Space and Bandwidth:

Choose a web hosting provider that meets your disk space and bandwidth requirements. Most web hosting providers offer 1 GB to 3 GB of disk space, so if your web site is not mainly a download resource, then this factor is not that important for you. However, as regards the bandwidth, it should be as much as possible because your traffic can increase in the future thereby requiring more data transfer. Also check that you have the option of buying more disk space and bandwidth when required.

(5) Unrestricted CGI, SSH, FTP access & Anonymous FTP:

If you have a professional web site, you will need to run CGI scripts, have SSH (Secure Shell) access and FTP access. CGI and FTP access is provided by most web hosting providers whereas SSH access is provided by a few. You may also need to check if anonymous FTP access is provided.

(6) Software/Scripts:

Choose a web hosting provider that has an extensive script library that you can use to add guestbooks, forms, surveys, newsletters etc to your web site.

(7) E-commerce capabilities and SSL:

Choose a web hosting provider that provides you with e-commerce capabilities with shopping cart software and also merchant accounts. The web hosting provider must also have an SSL secure server for safe and risk-free transactions.

(8) Web-Based Administration:

Almost all web hosting providers nowadays provide a control panel to access and manage web site features. Ask for a demo of their control panel if possible and check to make sure that it is simple as well as comprehensive. The control panel should provide access to FTP, e-mail, databases, e-commerce and all other functions for effective web site management. VDeck 2.0 and CPanel are the leading brands of administration control panels.

(9) Full e-mail services:

Choose a web hosting provider that provides both POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts, web-based e-mail, autoresponders, mailing lists, forwarding accounts and antivirus and spam filtering software.

(10) Moneyback Guarantee:

If the Web hosting provider gives a moneyback guarantee, it’s even better because it makes you absolutely risk-free.

(11) 24/7/365 Customer Support:

The web hosting provider should provide as many support channels as possible including an FAQ section, a knowledgebase, video and flash tutorials, toll-free support, e-mails support, live chat support and a community forum. Try e-mailing the web host a couple of times to check how quickly they respond to your request. The customer support should be as prompt as possible and should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. This is crucial because if you run into problems and the support staff is not receptive or knowledgeable, you will be helpless.

Michael Smith is an expert web hosting analyst. His site Web Hosting Provider reviews and rates the leading web hosting providers.

Antivirus program is a must in every computer. Every computer should be equipped with a good antivirus program that protects the machine against virus, spyware, malware and other threats. To protect your personal desktop or laptop, it is important you select the best antivirus program, to ensure the safety of files, music, movies, pictures and other valuable data. There are many antivirus softwares available today, and it can get confusing to select the best one. Here are top 5 recommended antivirus for Windows 7, out of which you can select and install any one antivirus program to ensure safety of your valuable data.

Top Windows Antivirus for Windows 7 Reviews

Here, is a list of the best antivirus for Windows 7 and their advantages.

Norton AntiVirus 2010: Norton antivirus software is a very popular software among anti computer virus programs. It offers a complete lineup of robust features and has a whole new approach to online security. This software continues to improve, and thus offers better security. Norton has been in the antivirus market for long, and has gained a lot of popularity but also with some criticism. The Norton Anti Virus 2010 has new advanced features, which include the proactive reputation scanning, and download utility and insight, also the software maintains a light footprint. Though, the performance issues of the past are gone, this software still doesn’t play nice with other software as it can’t be completely uninstalled. It starts with a price of USD 39.99.

Kaspersky AntiVirus 2010: Kaspersky AntiVirus program has become popular, and continues to become more popular. This is one of the best available antivirus for Windows 7. Kaspersky antivirus program offers a complete antivirus solution, that has real time protection from number of threats which include viruses, bots, worms, Trojans and spyware protection. In 2010 version some new features are added which help to combat new threats. Kapersky comes with a 3 user license offer, which starts at a price of USD 59.95. This is a cost effective antivirus to protect all your home computers against threats.

Avira AntiVir Version 9: Avira antivirus program is always present among the top 5 free recommended antivirus for Windows 7 list. Avira AntiVir version 9 is compatible with three Windows 7 editions which are personal, premium and business. The personal edition provides basic AV functionality and is free, the premium edition includes an email virus scanner, antiphising, and WebGuard. You can try the premium version for a month free.

Panda Antivirus Pro 2010: The new Panda Antivirus Pro 2010 is very easy to use program, and is a set and forget computer security software. This antivirus protects the computer from viruses, spyware, rootkits, hackers, online fraud and identity theft. One can surf the Internet with complete peace of mind, with the Panda Antivirus program protecting your machine. It has features like a USB Vaccine, that protects the USB drives from infection. The improved Panda Antivirus Pro 2010 starts at a price of USD 39.95 a year, and with 10 dollars extra you can buy it for additional 2 PCs.

AVG Anti-Virus 9.0: AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 9.0 is among the top 5 best free antivirus softwares available. It provides essential anti-virus and antispyware security. It also includes Free AVG LinkScanner, which helps the machine from fraudulent sites. However, if you want more security then you can go for the normal AVG Anti Virus 9.0 program which comes with anti-rootkit functionality and Webshield that safeguards your downloads. It is priced around USD 34.99 per year, which includes free support.

These were the best antivirus for Windows 7. You can try the trial version of each software, or upgrade your old antivirus with the new version, for better protection. Most of the antivirus softwares for Windows 7 work with Windows Vista and Xp. Though, the antivirus softwares provide good security, 100% security does not exist, hence keep taking a backup of your files regularly to be on the safer side.

Sydney Hotels for Airport Stops

Want to cut down on cost and travel time between the airport and your hotel?There are a few Sydney hotels located within five minutes of, or a kilometer to, the domestic and international airport terminals. Accommodations rated 3-star are ideal for the budget traveler or passenger in transit. These hotels provide modern basic amenities you need to stay comfortable during a quick stopover between flights without breaking your budget. If you need to catch up on some sleep, consider staying in one of the few four-star hotels around the area. Make sure to ask for rooms that have double-glazed windows and black-out curtains that will keep the sun out to help you sleep better. Most 4-star hotels provide first-class amenities such as fine dining, bars and gyms, as well as business conference facilities and on-site parking. More hotels are located a little further away but will provide a shuttle service to and from the airport.

Sydney Hotels and Flights for Visitors from Southeast Asia

Sydney has become a favorite destination city of visitors from Southeast Asia. The city’s main attractions are appealing to adventurous vacationers, while its temperate climate has become a welcome reprieve for tourists looking for a cooler alternative to the scorching Southeast Asian summer. Sydney hotels and flights are easy to book from Southeast Asia. Many airlines that fly direct to Kingsford Smith Airport are offering seasonal deals, including cheap vacation packages from Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Royal Brunei, Philippine Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, and Vietnam Airlines. Jetstar Airways is a budget airline that flies from Southeast Asia to Sydney via Darwin or Melbourne. When looking for a hotel in Sydney, decide on a budget and set your online search to show the lowest price. Before making reservations, look at hotel reviews. Read stories on personal travel blogs and travelers’ forums – they are usually more credible than reviews published on travel websites.

Sydney Hotels and Popular Attractions

Sydney is home to many of Australia’s famous attractions. Every year, more than 7 million domestic visitors and over 3 million international visitors visit Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales. Start planning your trip to Harbour City by finding information on Sydney hotels and attractions. Hotels that are within walking distance of major attractions and popular landmarks are definitely more expensive than those located far from the action but, for some tourists, the convenience is worth the higher tab. Stay at a hotel within the Sydney central business district if you plan to visit Government House, the Museum of Sydney, and the Sydney Opera House. Hotels located up north can house visitors to Manly beach and Oceanworld. On the eastern seaboard you will find hotels near Bondi beach, Watsons Bay, Fox Studios and Centennial Park. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is famous for its exhilarating activities, which you can easily access from hotels within the Rocks district on the southern side of Sydney Harbour.

Book Sydney Hotels for a Fun Sydney Day Tour

Australia has so many attractions you can view within a day. Before booking Sydney hotels, decide on a day tour you plan to join and choose a hotel that’s conveniently located near your starting point. There are several day tours in Sydney, one of the most popular being the Jervis Bay trip, where tourists will experience going on a two-hour cruise that includes dolphin-watching, a visit to the Kiama Blowhole, and a drive to Kangaroo Valley. To experience the best of Australian wildlife, sign up for the Hunter Valley day tour which will take you to a park featuring koalas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, wombats, platypus, and echidnas. As Hunter Valley is known as wine country, you will witness how the best Australian wines are made, and you will also get to sample the region’s best cheeses, chocolates and olives. For the younger travelers, there’s the Blue Mountains Eco Tour, which offers a full-day hike through the Blue Mountains National Park and the Grand Canyon.

Stay at cheap hotels to see the famous Opera House. Book early to avail of great vacation deals on Sydney hotels.

The sleek and stylish Kodak EasyShare P720 7-Inch Digital Frame hosts a suite of features including the innovative Quick Touch Border(that enables users to operate them by just a touch or slide of their finger and at the same time they will notice a fingerprint and smudge-free screen.) as well as accessories for enhancing your home. With the P720 control of the frame has never been easier with Quick Touch Border that allows for simple operation with a touch or slide of your finger, while leaving the screen fingerprint and smudge-free. Users will be able to view images in HD format at 16:9 aspect ratio along with vibrant colors and pleasing skin tones-displaying pictures in brilliant color. You can start viewing your pictures right away just insert a memory card or USB flash drive and enjoy

One of the cool features is that Kodak Easyshare P720 Digital Picture Frame has 2 slots for memory cards and a USB port. This feature lets you copy photos from one card to another right on the frame.

Technical Details of Kodak Easyshare P720 Digital Picture Frame
• Image file formats JPEG, EXIF
• Dimensions 8.9 6.2 1.2 in. (22.5 15.8 3.2 cm)
• Display size 7 in. (17.8 cm) diagonal
• Display resolution 480 234 pixels
• Aspect ratio 16:9
• Display backlight LED
• Display brightness 200 NITs
• Contrast ratio 300:1
• Display area 6.1 3.4 in. (15.4 8.8 cm)
• Memory cards supported 2 slots – Secure Digital (SD), Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC), Multimedia Card (MMC), MEMORY STICK (MS), XD-Picture Card (xD)
• 1.69 W (power off)
• 5.04 W (power on)
• 1.69 W (standby power)
• 100120 V AC, 60 Hz (US)
• 100240 V AC, 5060 Hz (WW)
• 5 V DC
• Operating temperature 32 to 122 F (0 to 50 C)
• Storage temperature -4 to 140 F (-20 to 60 C)
• One Year Warranty
• WINDOWS
• WINDOWS XP or higher
• INTERNET EXPLORER 6.0 or higher
• 600 MHz processor or greater
• Hardware
• 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
• 200 MB hard disk drive space available
• CD-ROM drive
• Available USB port

Accessorize your pictures
• Complement your home decor with 6 unique looks using the included faceplate and decorative mattes
• New sleek design makes any room more exciting
• Display your frame on a tabletop or on a wall—vertically or horizontally
• Discreet cord design—barely visible

Kodak Easyshare P720 Digital Picture Frame is really a good digital photo and the user’s reviews for this digital photo frame are good.

If you are the one searching for good information on Windows 7, visit Windows 7 News & Tips. We are the top rated people rendering proven tips and tweaks and detailed information on Windows 7. Our website provides you the best buying guidelines for your windows 7 purchase.

Majority of people are not having adequate information on Windows 7. They are just installing Windows 7 as per their goals and purposes. If they get good information on new versions of Windows 7, they could effectively maintain their windows. Getting suitable Windows 7 version for your PC fastens and secures your system.

You can find thousands of service providers offering information on Windows 7, but if you are looking for authenticity and competence, Windows 7 News & Tips are here to help you. Being the leading service provider in the field, we strive to offer unquestionable information and details. Our professionals bear in-depth knowledge and sufficient experience in all aspects of Windows 7. Take a glance to our Windows 7 buying guidelines. You will feel amaze and wonder!! We write reviews on each version after examining the pros and cons of all versions in detail. Though there are several versions has launched in Windows 7, we mostly prefer Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional.

These 3 versions are excellent and outstanding as they include all those features and characteristics that Windows 7 has to offer. We provide well established tips and tweaks for you to make your PC more secure and faster than before. You can find magnificent, eye catching wall papers, desk top themes from our website. If you wish to embellish your desk top with our wall papers, download it from our site. We provide all the latest news and information on Windows 7 which make our users up to date and well informed. We run a Windows 7 Forum which let registered users to post and respond on the comments made on Windows 7. Our Forum holds around 4000 users round the globe.

If you wish to know more information on Windows 7 or any other software field of computer, never hesitate to interact with us. Our help desk is active for 24/7. You won’t need to wait for long period to get your doubts clarified. Our professionals will clarify your doubts at a rabbit speed. Take our help to tweak your windows 7 version. For more about Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Professional , visit our web site.

By Benjamin Black
Published by Henry Holt and Co.
March 2007;$25.00US/$31.00CAN; 978-0-8050-8152-7

Quirke and Malachy Griffin were raised as brothers, though Quirke — rescued from an Irish orphanage by Malachy’s father, the eminent Judge Garrett Griffin — was always the favored son. But Malachy married the American girl Quirke loved, and Quirke settled for her sister, who died in childbirth soon thereafter. Malachy went on to become a prominent obstetrician and Quirke a hard-drinking pathologist, and for the past twenty years the two have coexisted uneasily as brothers-in-law as well as rivals.

Then one night, after a few drinks at an office party, Quirke shuffles down to the morgue and discovers Malachy altering a file he has no business even reading. Odd enough in itself to find him there, but the next morning, when the haze has lifted, Quirke begins to suspect that his brother-in-law was in fact tampering with a corpse — and concealing the cause of death. It turns out the body belonged to a young woman named Christine Falls. And as Quirke reluctantly presses on toward the true facts behind her death, he comes up against some insidious and very well guarded secrets of Dublin’s high Catholic society — which includes members of the Griffin family. But when he is urged — at first subtly and then with considerable violence — to probe no further, he nevertheless finds himself drawn inexorably down a trail that leads him across the ocean to Boston, and deep into his own past.

The first novel in the Quirke series brings all the vividness and psychological insight of Booker Prize winner John Banville’s fiction to a thrilling, atmospheric crime story. Quirke is a fascinating and subtly drawn hero, Christine Falls is a classic tale of suspense, and Benjamin Black’a debut marks him as a true master of the form.

Reviews“Christine Falls is a triumph of classical fiction — finely, carefully made, not a single false move or wrong word. Why oh why don’t they write books like this anymore?”
–Alan Furst

“In Christine Falls, [Banville's] style is still there, immaculate, not a cliché in sight, but you read it at speed because it is, in that old phrase, a real page-turner . . . One can only welcome both Christine Falls in particular and Quirke in general. May he have a long life.”
–Tom Rosenthal, The Independent

“It would be absurd to suggest that Banville writing as Black is better than Banville writing as Banville, but in a different and yet fascinatingly similar way he is every bit as good, and deserves to win a new, broader readership with this fine book . . . If there’s any justice, Banville should be able to add the CWA Gold Dagger to his heap of trophies.”
–Michael Dibdin, The Guardian

“A one-sitting read, an all-night enticement.”
–Tom Adair, The Scotsman

“Superb . . . Christine Falls is by no means an ordinary crime novel: it is a book about sin . . . attaining an intensity worthy of any Greek tragedy.”
–Mark Sanderson, Evening Standard

“Will certainly invite comparisons with [Graham] Greene’s thrillers . . . There is enough of the thriller in Christine Falls to ensure that Banville (as Benjamin Black) gains a lot of new readers and enough pure writing to ensure that he loses no old ones in this memorably original seizing of a genre by the throat. Enjoy.”
–Dermot Bolger, Sunday Independent (Ireland)

“Banville may have swapped the literary novel for crime, but he hasn’t abandoned writing with elegance and beauty, to which he has added an absorbing plot, beguiling characters and evocative settings. He may well be the first author to add to his Man Booker a Gold Dagger.”
–Marcel Berlins, The Times

1

It was not the dead that seemed to Quirke uncanny but the living. When he walked into the morgue long after midnight and saw Malachy Griffin there he felt a shiver along his spine that was to prove prophetic, a tremor of troubles to come. Mal was in Quirke’s office, sitting at the desk. Quirke stopped in the unlit body room, among the shrouded forms on their trolleys, and watched him through the open doorway. He was seated with his back to the door, leaning forward intently in his steel-framed spectacles, the desk lamp lighting the left side of his face and making an angry pink glow through the shell of his ear. He had a file open on the desk before him and was writing in it with peculiar awkwardness. This would have struck Quirke as stranger than it did if he had not been drunk. The scene sparked a memory in him from their school days together, startlingly clear, of Mal, intent like this, sitting at a desk among fifty other earnest students in a big hushed hall, as he laboriously composed an examination essay, with a beam of sunlight falling slantways on him from a window somewhere high above. A quarter of a century later he still had that smooth seal’s head of oiled black hair, scrupulously combed and parted.

Sensing a presence behind him, Mal turned his face and peered into the shadowy dark of the body room. Quirke waited a moment and then stepped forward, with some unsteadiness, into the light in the doorway.

“Quirke,” Mal said, recognizing him with relief and giving an exasperated sigh. “For God’s sake.”

Mal was in evening clothes but uncharacteristically unbuttoned, his bow tie undone and the collar of his white dress shirt open. Quirke, groping in his pockets for his cigarettes, contemplated him, noting the way he put his forearm quickly over the file to hide it, and was reminded again of school.

“Working late?” Quirke said, and grinned crookedly, the alcohol allowing him to think it a telling piece of wit.

“What are you doing here?” Mal said, too loudly, ignoring the question. He pushed the spectacles up the damp bridge of his nose with a tap of a fingertip. He was nervous.

Quirke pointed to the ceiling. “Party,” he said. “Upstairs.”

Mal assumed his consultant’s face, frowning imperiously. “Party? What party?”

“Brenda Ruttledge,” Quirke said. “One of the nurses. Her going-away.”

Mal’s frown deepened. “Ruttledge?”

Quirke was suddenly bored. He asked if Mal had a cigarette, for he seemed to have none of his own, but Mal ignored this question too. He stood up, deftly sweeping the file with him, still trying to hide it under his arm. Quirke, though he had to squint, saw the name scrawled in large handwritten letters on the cover of it: Christine Falls. Mal’s fountain pen was on the desk, a Parker, fat and black and shiny, with a gold nib, no doubt, twenty-two karat, or more if it was possible; Mal had a taste for rich things, it was one of his few weaknesses.

“How is Sarah?” Quirke asked. He let himself droop sideways heavily until his shoulder found the support of the doorjamb. He felt dizzy, and everything was keeping up a flickering, leftward lurch. He was at the rueful stage of having drunk too much and knowing that there was nothing to be done but wait until the effects wore off. Mal had his back to him, putting the file into a drawer of the tall gray filing cabinet.

“She’s well,” Mal said. “We were at a Knights dinner. I sent her home in a taxi.”

“Knights?” Quirke said, widening his eyes blearily.

Mal turned to him a blank, expressionless look, the lenses of his glasses flashing. “Of St. Patrick. As if you didn’t know.”

“Oh,” Quirke said. “Right.” He looked as if he were trying not to laugh. “Anyway,” he said, “never mind about me, what are you doing, down here among the dead men?”

Mal had a way of bulging out his eyes and drawing upward sinuously his already long, thin form, as if to the music of a snake charmer’s flute. Quirke had to marvel, not for the first time, at the polished luster of that hair, the smoothness of the brow beneath, the untarnished steely blue of his eyes behind the pebble glass of his specs.

“I had a thing to do,” Mal said. “A thing to check.”

“What thing?”

Mal did not answer. He studied Quirke and saw how drunk he was, and a cold glint of relief came into his eye.

“You should go home,” he said.

Quirke thought to dispute this — the morgue was his territory — but again suddenly he lost all interest. He shrugged, and with Mal still watching him he turned and weaved away among the body-bearing trolleys. Halfway across the room he stumbled and reached out quickly to the edge of a trolley to steady himself but managed only to grab the sheet, which came away in his hand in a hissing white flash. He was struck by the clammy coldness of the nylon; it had a human feel, like a loose, chill cowl of bloodless skin. The corpse was that of a young woman, slim and yellow-haired; she had been pretty, but death had robbed her of her features and now she might be a carving in soapstone, primitive and bland. Something, his pathologist’s instinct perhaps, told him what the name would be before he looked at the label tied to her toe. “Christine Falls,” he murmured. “You were well named.” Looking more closely he noticed the dark roots of her hair at forehead and temples: dead, and not even a real blonde.

He woke hours later, curled on his side, with a vague but pressing sense of imminent disaster. He had no memory of lying down here, among the corpses. He was chilled to the bone, and his tie was askew and choking him. He sat up, clearing his throat; how much had he drunk, first in McGonagle’s and then at the party upstairs? The door to his office stood open — surely it was a dream that Mal had been there? He swung his legs to the floor and gingerly stood upright. He was light-headed, as if the top of his skull had been lifted clear off. Raising an arm, he gravely saluted the trolleys, Roman-style, and walked stiffly at a tilt out of the room.

The walls of the corridor were matte green and the woodwork and the radiators were thick with many coats of a bilious yellow stuff, glossy and glutinous, less like paint than crusted gruel. He paused at the foot of the incongruously grand, sweeping staircase — the building had been originally a club for Regency rakes — and was surprised to hear faint sounds of revelry still filtering down from the fifth floor. He put a foot on the stair, a hand on the banister rail, but paused again. Junior doctors, medical students, nurses beef to the heel: no, thanks, enough of that, and besides, the younger men had not wanted him there in the first place. He moved on along the corridor. He had a premonition of the hangover that was waiting for him, mallet and tongs at the ready. In the night porter’s room beside the tall double doors of the main entrance a wireless set was quietly playing to itself. The Ink Spots. Quirke hummed the tune to himself. It’s a sin to tell a lie. Well, that was certainly true.

When he came out onto the steps the porter was there in his brown dust coat, smoking a cigarette and contemplating a surly dawn breaking behind the dome of the Four Courts. The porter was a dapper little fellow with glasses and dusty hair and a pointed nose that twitched at the tip. In the still-dark street a motorcar oozed past.

“Morning, Porter,” Quirke said.

The porter laughed. “You know the name’s not Porter, Mr. Quirke,” he said. The way that tuft of dry brown hair was brushed back fiercely from his forehead gave him a look of permanent, vexed surmise. A querulous mouse of a man.

“That’s right,” Quirke said, “you’re the porter, but you’re not Porter.” Behind the Four Courts now a dark-blue cloud with an aspect of grim intent had begun edging its way up the sky, eclipsing the light of an as yet unseen sun. Quirke turned up the collar of his jacket, wondering vaguely what had become of the raincoat he seemed to remember wearing when he had started drinking, many hours ago. And what had become of his cigarette case? “Have you a cigarette itself to lend me?” he said.

The porter produced a packet. “They’re only Woodbines, Mr. Quirke.”

Quirke took the cigarette and bent over the cupped flame of his lighter, savoring the brief, flabby reek of burning petrol. He lifted his face to the sky and breathed deep the acrid smoke. How delicious it was, the day’s first searing lungful. The lid of the lighter chinked as he flipped it shut. Then he had to cough, making a tearing sound in his throat.

“Christ, Porter,” he said, his voice wobbling, “how can you smoke these things? Any day now I’ll have you on the slab in there. When I open you up your lights will look like kippers.”

The porter laughed again, a forced, breathy titter. Quirke brusquely walked away from him. As he descended the steps he felt in the nerves of his back the fellow’s suddenly laughless eye following him with ill intent. What he did not feel was another, melancholy gaze angled down upon him from a lighted window five stories above, where vague, festive forms were weaving and dipping still.

Drifts of soundless summer rain were graying the trees in Merrion Square. Quirke hurried along, keeping close to the railings as if they might shelter him, the lapels of his jacket clutched tight to his throat. It was too early yet for the office workers, and the broad street was deserted, with not a car in sight, and if not for the rain he would have been able to see unhindered all the way to the Peppercanister Church, which always looked to him, viewed from a distance like this down the broad, shabby sweep of Upper Mount Street, to be set at a slightly skewed angle. Among the clustered chimneys a few were dribbling smoke; the summer was almost over, a new chill was in the air. But who had lit those fires, so early? Could there still be scullery maids to haul the coal bucket up from the basement before first light? He eyed the tall windows, thinking of all those shadowed rooms with people in them, waking, yawning, getting up to make their breakfasts, or turning over to enjoy another half hour in the damp, warm stew of their beds. Once, on another summer dawn, going along here like this, he had heard faintly from one of those windows a woman’s cries of ecstasy fluttering down into the street. What a piercing stab of pity he had felt for himself then, walking all alone here, before everyone else’s day had begun; piercing, and pained, but pleasurable, too, for in secret Quirke prized his loneliness as a mark of some distinction.

In the hallway of the house there was the usual smell he could never identify, brownish, exhausted, a breath out of childhood, if childhood was the word for that first decade of misery he had suffered through. He plodded up the stairs with the tread of a man mounting the gallows, his sodden shoes squelching. He had reached the first-floor return when he heard a door down in the hall opening; he stopped, sighed.

“Terrible racket again last night,” Mr. Poole called up accusingly. “Not a wink.”

Quirke turned. Poole stood sideways in the barely open doorway of his flat, neither in nor out, his accustomed stance, with an expression at once truculent and timid. He was an early riser, if indeed he ever slept. He wore a sleeveless pullover and a dicky-bow, twill trousers sharply creased, gray carpet slippers. He looked, Quirke always thought, like the father of a fighter pilot in one of those Battle of Britain films or, better still, the father of the fighter pilot’s girlfriend.

“Good morning, Mr. Poole,” Quirke said, politely distant; the fellow was often a source of light relief, but Quirke’s mood this early morning was not light.

Poole’s pale gull’s eye glittered vengefully. He had a way of grinding his lower jaw from side to side.

“All night, no letup,” he said, aggrieved. The other flats in the house were vacant, save for Quirke’s on the third floor, yet Poole regularly complained of noises in the night. “Frightful carry-on, bang bang bang.”

Quirke nodded. “Terrible. I was out, myself.”

Poole glanced back into the room behind him, looked up at Quirke again. “It’s the missus that minds,” he said, lowering his voice to a whisper, “not me.” This was a new twist. Mrs. Poole, rarely glimpsed, was a diminutive person with a furtive, frightened stare; she was, Quirke knew for a fact, profoundly deaf. “I’ve lodged a strong complaint. I shall expect action, I told them.”

“Good for you.”

Poole narrowed his eyes, suspecting irony. “We’ll see,” he said menacingly. “We’ll see.”

Quirke walked on up the stairs. He was at his own door before he heard Poole closing his.

Chill air stood unwelcoming in the living room, where the rain murmured against the two high windows, relics of a richer age, which no matter how dull the day were always somehow filled with a muted radiance Quirke found mysteriously dispiriting. He opened the lid of a silver cigarette box on the mantelpiece, but it was empty. He knelt on one knee and with difficulty lit the gas fire from the small flame of his cigarette lighter. With disgust he noted his dry raincoat, thrown over the back of an armchair, where it had been all the time. He rose to his feet too quickly and for a moment saw stars. When his vision cleared he was facing a photograph in a tortoiseshell frame on the mantelpiece: Mal Griffin, Sarah, himself at the age of twenty, and his future wife, Delia, laughingly pointing her racquet at the camera, all of them in tennis whites, walking forward arm in arm into a glare of sunlight. He realized with a faint shock that he could not remember where the picture had been taken; Boston, he supposed, it must have been Boston — but had they played tennis in Boston?

He took off his damp suit, put on a dressing gown, and sat down barefoot before the gas fire. He looked about the big, high-ceilinged room and grinned joylessly: his books, his prints, his Turkey carpet — his life. In the foothills of his forties, he was a decade younger than the century. The 1950s had promised a new age of prosperity and happiness for all; they were not living up to their promise. His eye settled on an artist’s articulated wooden model, a foot high, standing on the low telephone table beside the window, its jointed limbs arranged in a prancing pose. He looked away, frowning, but then with a sigh of annoyance rose and went and twisted the figure into a stance of desolate abasement that would better suit his morning gloom and burgeoning hangover. He returned to the chair and sat down again. The rain ceased and there was silence but for the sibilant hiss of the gas flame. His eyes scalded, they felt as if they had been boiled; he closed them, and shivered as the lids touched, imparting to each other along their inflamed edges a tiny, horrible kiss. Clearly in his mind he saw again that moment in the photograph: the grass, the sunlight, the great hot trees, and the four of them striding forward, young and svelte and smiling. Where was it? Where? And who had been behind the camera?

Copyright © 2006 by Benjamin Black

Author:
Benjamin Black is the pen name of acclaimed author John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, most recently the Man Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea. He lives in Dublin.

7 Free Antivirus Programs to Protect Your Netbook

Like any other personal computer netbooks are vulnerable to a wide array of malicious and disruptive programs encountered while utilizing the Web. Trojans, viruses, and other types of malware seriously degrade system performance and put your data at risk of being lost or stolen, and that’s a headache none of us need. However the streamlined system specifications of most netbooks make choosing an antivirus a slightly challenging task. Full-power programs intended for PCs will use too many resources and leave you little better off than the viruses would have. On the other hand, you do still want to know you’re getting good quality and not wasting your time.

Fortunately, there are a number of anti-virus and cleanup applications targeted to the netbook user in particular, with an eye toward efficient use of system resources. Even better, many of these applications are available free of charge.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

AVG has become one of the most popular free security suites since its launch. Essentially a slimmed down version of the subscription package, the Free Edition does still offer the most important features. AVG Free can protect your netbook against adware, spyware, and viruses with very little impact on system resources. The usual peripheral tools are also available, such as setting a regular time for scans, or the order in which you want drives and devices scanned. This version’s efficiency does mean that it must omit email and im protection, as well as safe download features from the full version, but by and large AVG offers solid up front performance.

Avast!

Specifically intended for the noncommercial home user, Avast is also a popular choice for netbook antivirus. The site boasts that over 100 million users have registered Avast for their computers, putting the user in good company. In addition to the same features offered by AVG, Avast includes email and chat protection as well. Users must complete a registration form during their initial trial to get a full year of Avast service for free.

Microsoft Security Essentials (formerly Morro)

Replacing their previous security services is Microsoft’s new MSE. A freeware security suite, MSE has been released to initially very positive reviews. It is compact, quick to install, and easy to update. It provides protection against all types of malware, and checks for updates three times a day. It does adjust your windows updater settings when installed, so be aware if you want to change them back. Also, it only works with a genuine copy of Windows, so again be aware before you install.

Avira AntiVir

Another well-known name in free malware protection, AntiVir offers a limited number of services but works efficiently on lower resource machines. It offers protection from rootkits, phishing, and viruses, but neglects email or chat protections.

Immunet

Immunet is an interesting change from the previously mentioned security programs in that it is a cloud-based system. It doesn’t download definitions to your machine, but rather gathers relevant information from the web during a portential scan. This limits the amount of resources your security suite has to take up, while offering all the traditional protections an antivirus or security suite comes with.

Panda Cloud Antivirus

Another off-site/cloud option, Panda has a massive userbase updating and referencing the protection files. It’s one of the more popular cloud-based choices, and as with all such options offers excellent performance for minimal system impact, taking up a small amount of space and very little CPU capacity during a scan.

AdAware

Lavasoft’s AdAware is a more limited option out of the security suites available for free, but a more targeted one as well. Focusing exclusively on spy and adware malware, AdAware can be installed in a much smaller space than a more comprehensive suite, and runs more efficiently. This is the option for those whose machine came with a native anti-virus that they’re comfortable with, but that they want to supplement with malware security.