Living happily ever after needn’t only be for fairy tales. Australian researchers have identified what it takes to keep a couple together, and it’s a lot more than just being in love.

A couple’s age, previous relationships and even whether they smoke or not are factors that influence whether their marriage is going to last, according to a study by researchers from the Australian National University.

The study, entitled “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” tracked nearly 2,500 couples — married or living together — from 2001 to 2007 to identify factors associated with those who remained together compared with those who divorced or separated.

It found that a husband who is nine or more years older than his wife is twice as likely to get divorced, as are husbands who get married before they turn 25.

Children also influence the longevity of a marriage or relationship, with one-fifth of couples who have kids before marriage — either from a previous relationship or in the same relationship — having separated compared to just nine percent of couples without children born before marriage.

Women who want children much more than their partners are also more likely to get a divorce.

A couple’s parents also have a role to play in their own relationship, with the study showing some 16 percent of men and women whose parents ever separated or divorced experienced marital separation themselves compared to 10 percent for those whose parents did not separate.

Also, partners who are on their second or third marriage are 90 percent more likely to separate than spouses who are both in their first marriage.

Not surprisingly, money also plays a role, with up to 16 percent of respondents who indicated they were poor or where the husband — not the wife — was unemployed saying they had separated, compared with only nine percent of couples with healthy finances.

And couples where one partner, and not the other, smokes are also more likely to have a relationship that ends in failure.

Factors found to not significantly affect separation risk included the number and age of children born to a married couple, the wife’s employment status and the number of years the couple had been employed.

The study was jointly written by Dr Rebecca Kippen and Professor Bruce Chapman from The Australian National University, and Dr Peng Yu from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Lying here with you
Listening to the rain

Smiling just to see the smile upon your face

These are the moments I thank God that I’m alive

These are the moments I’ll remember all my life

I found all I’ve waited for

And I could not ask for more

Looking in your eyes

Seeing all I need

Everything you are is everything to me

These are the moments

I know heaven must exist

These are the moments I know all I need is this

I have all I’ve waited for

And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together

I could not ask for more than this time with you

Every prayer has been answered

Every dream I have’s come true

And right here in this moment is right where I’m meant to be

Here with you here with me

These are the moments I thank God that I’m alive

These are the moments I’ll remember all my life

I’ve got all I’ve waited for

And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than the love you give me
‘Cause it’s all I’ve waited for

And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more

To Cheska, light upon my world.. I love you sweetie.

In my daughter’s eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter’s eyes

In my daughter’s eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter’s eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It’s hangin’ on when your heart
has had enough
It’s giving more when you feel like giving up
I’ve seen the light
It’s in my daugter’s eyes

In my daughter’s eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she’ll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I’m gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I’ll be there
In my daughter’s eyes

by Christopher Null

If you haven’t experienced a computer virus yet, just wait — you probably will.

Fortunately, you missed the real heyday of computer viruses when anti-virus software wasn’t very widely used, and virus attacks caused millions of dollars in damages overnight. Today’s viruses can still be nightmarish, but for the average user, cleanup is considerably easier than it was just a few years ago, when the only solution in many cases was reformatting your hard drive and starting from scratch (and even that didn’t do the trick sometimes).

So join me on a trip down memory lane as we revisit some of the worst viruses of all time and count our blessings that our computers are still up and running despite it all. (Though, please note, "worst" is a matter of considerable debate in the security industry, as the number of infected machines and amount of financial loss is always estimated. If you think another virus was worse than these, please post it in the comments to remind us!)

The worst viruses of all time

Brain, 1986
It all started here: Brain was the first "real" virus ever discovered, back in 1986. Brain didn’t really hurt your PC, but it launched the malware industry with a bang and gave bad ideas to over 100,000 virus creators for the next 2 decades.

Michelangelo, 1991
The worst MS-DOS virus ever, Michelangelo attacked the boot sector of your hard drive and any floppy drive inserted into the computer, which caused the virus to spread rapidly. After spreading quietly for months, the virus "activated" on March 6, and promptly started destroying data on tens of thousands of computers.

Melissa, 1999
Technically a worm, Melissa (named after a stripper) collapsed entire email systems by causing computers to send mountains of messages to each other. The author of the virus was eventually caught and sentenced to 20 months in prison.

ILOVEYOU, 2000
This was notable for being one of the first viruses to trick users into opening a file, which in this case claimed to be a love letter sent to the recipient. In reality, the file was a VBS script that sent mountains of junk mail and deleted thousands of files. The results were terribly devastating- one estimate holds that 10 percent of all computers were affected, to a cost of $5.5 billion. It remains perhaps the worst worm of all time.

Code Red, 2001
An early "blended threat" attack, Code Red targeted Web servers instead of user machines, defacing websites and later launching denial-of-service attacks on a host of IP addresses, including those of the White House.

Nimda, 2001
Built on Code Red’s attack system of finding multiple avenues into machines (email, websites, network connections, and others), Nimda infected both Web servers and user machines. It found paths into computers so effectively that, 22 minutes after it was released, it became the Internet’s most widespread virus at the time.

Klez, 2001
An email virus, Klez pioneered spoofing the "From" field in email messages it sent, making it impossible to tell if Bill Gates did or did not really send you that information about getting free money.

Slammer, 2003
Another fast spreader, this worm infected about 75,000 systems in just 10 minutes, slowing the Internet to a crawl (much like Code Red) and shutting down thousands of websites.

MyDoom, 2004
Notable as the fastest-spreading email virus of all time, MyDoom infected computers so they would, in turn, send even more junk mail. In a strange twist, MyDoom was also used to attack the website of SCO Group, a very unpopular company that was suing other companies over its code being used in Linux distributions.

Storm, 2007
The worst recent virus, Storm spread via email spam with a fake attachment and ultimately infected up to 10 million computers, causing them to join its zombie botnet.

by Christopher NUll

The last time I wrote a piece on how to remove spyware from your computer was in 2006. Time for an update, I think. Here’s my perennial "How to Beat Spyware" howto, revised and updated for 2008 (and combined into a single file instead of two parts).

Here’s what to do if you suspect an infection on your Windows PC. (Please note these steps apply to both Windows XP and Vista.)

1) Are you sure it’s spyware or a virus? Windows pop-ups and alerts can often seem invasive enough to be viruses, especially with Vista. Try searching the web for the exact text you see on the screen to make sure you aren’t dealing with an aggressive Windows message. (Many of these can be turned off, so try whatever instructions you find.) On the other hand, some viruses masquerade as Windows alerts, so tread lightly.

2) Boot in safe mode. If you have a virus, first step is to try booting in safe mode. You can get to safe mode (a simplified version of Windows that disables a lot of extra gunk, possibly including some spyware apps) by restarting your PC and tapping F8 during boot. Soon you’ll get a menu of options. Select "Safe Mode" (it’s at the top of the menu) and wait for the machine to fully boot. The system will look funny (with a black background and larger icons, probably), but don’t worry about it. This is only temporary. (Also note that many spyware applications can disable safe mode, so if you find this doesn’t work, just boot normally.)

3) Run your antivirus application. This is of course assuming you have an antivirus application. (Need one? Check here.) You’re in safe mode now, so run a full scan of your PC at maximum security levels (include the option to scan within compressed files, for example). This will probably take an hour or more, so be patient. Fix any problems the virus scan turns up. Then reboot into safe mode again using the procedure in step 2.

4) Run one or two anti-spyware applications. I used to recommend running multiple anti-spyware apps, but virtually all antivirus apps now do a pretty good job at getting rid of spyware too, so you don’t need an army of additional applications just for spyware. Also, I now recommend starting with AdAware (which is free) and moving on to Spyware Doctor (free as part of the Google Pack) if you feel you need additional help. (Please note that recent versions of Spyware Doctor and Norton Antivirus have some trouble with each other.) You can try other apps too, but the once-recommended SpyBot Search & Destroy is no longer very effective, sadly. (Neither is Microsoft’s own Windows Defender.) Of course, fix anything and everything these apps find.

5) Reboot normally. (Not in safe mode.) Now take stock. Still got spyware? It’s time to move along to my more advanced techniques for removing the nasties.

6) Run HijackThis. HijackThis is a free software tool that scans your computer to find malware that other apps might miss. Scroll down to "Official downloads" to download the tool. Next, simply open the ZIP file you downloaded, extract the application, and run the tool (you don’t need to install it). Click the "Do a system scan and save a logfile" button. You’ll receive a large text file as well as a dialog box which gives you a list of active software processes, which you can then choose to delete. Unfortunately, this list includes both helpful and unhelpful software, so don’t just start deleting items. Continue in step 7 to figure out how to fix your spyware infection.

7) Post your log file online. Visit this page, which offers a list of forums staffed by volunteers who can help you interpret your HijackThis log. The SWI Forums are especially busy, but most of the forums on the list are equally apt. Go to SWI and visit the "Malware Removal" forum which has over 50,000 topics listed: Those are all people like you who are seeking help getting rid of spyware. Register for an account, read the FAQ, then visit that Malware Removal forum, and post a new topic. Paste the content of the text file you created in step 5 into this topic and (politely) ask for help. You will get a response from a volunteer helper, typically within 3 days. You’ll be given specific advice on what entries to remove with the HijackThis tool, and you might be pointed to additional software to run to help remove common spyware infections. Follow all the instructions and keep working with the forum helpers until either you or they give up. (And no, don’t send your log file to me or post it here. I am not nearly the spyware removal expert that these guys are.)

7a) Alternately: Paste your log file into an automated tool. Don’t have three days? Try simply pasting your HijackThis log file into this form. It does a pretty good job at auto-analyzing what’s wrong with your machine, with no waiting. As well, if that doesn’t work, you can search for the items you find in the HijackThis log by name to see what they are and how to remove them, if they’re spyware. This can be quite time consuming, though.

Try System Restore. If that doesn’t work, you might try running Windows System Restore to roll back your OS to a time before the infection happened. This isn’t foolproof: You might not have System Restore turned on, or the spyware might have shut System Restore off, as well. But it’s worth a shot. With either XP or Vista, System Restore can be found under Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.

9) Give up and wipe your hard drive. At this point, you’ve exhausted all the options I know of. You might try again at steps 6/7 to make sure you’ve done everything you can to salvage the PC. Forum helpers will often work with you for weeks to help fight a spyware infection, but there are tens of thousands of possible variants out there, with new ones cropping up every day. It’s just not possible to clean them all, every time. Sometimes the only thing you can do is call it quits, reformat your hard drive, and reinstall your OS. Again, make sure you have your backups ready and verified. Once you’re up and running, reinstall your antivirus and anti-spyware applications, and stay vigilant against infection. Good luck.

In the ever fast-paced growing technology today, Jesus and Satan were arguing over who was better with using computers.

Finally, God suggested a way to settle it: Each would spend two hours using spreadsheets, designing web-pages, making charts and tables.

The two sat at their keyboards and began typing furiously. Just before the two hours were up, the power went out. Once it came back on, they booted up their computers.

" Its gone! It’s all gone!! " Satan screamed. " My work was destroyed! "

Meanwhile, Jesus began printing out his work.

" Hey, you must have cheated! " Satan yelled. " How come your stuff wasn’t lost? "

God shrugged and said simply, " JESUS SAVES. "

Buy the best laptop to meet all your needs

Laptop Selection: Due to the technology development, the latest gadgets become outdated very quickly.  As the purchase of laptops involves a lot of money, a guide to find the best laptop to suit the needs of the individuals can be very useful.

First let us consider the advantages of owning a laptop computer instead of a desktop computer:

The main advantage of a laptop is that it is portable and can be taken wherever it is needed.  The smaller size of the laptop makes it easy to be carried with ease and doesn’t occupy more space where space is a real concern. The next important reason is for the ease of expansion of laptops.  They are very quiet when operated.  Nowadays the laptops are available with TFT monitors, which make the clarity crystal clear.  An average laptop display is very superior when compared to the desktop display.

Choosing the right kind of an operation system for laptops:

While choosing an operating system for laptops one needs to think of which might be important to you is it for the ease of use or availability of the product? Is it the stability or the cost? Or can have a combination of both.  Widely preferred operating system for laptops are windows operating systems and the next to it is Apple macintosh as they both are compatible with internet related work.

There are many varieties of laptops from very smaller ones to bigger ones.  The types of laptops available are:

Ultralights – these are so small that there is no room even for a CD drive.  Although the size fascinates, the number of accessories needed to be carried along with it defeats the purpose of owning a ultra light. 

Notebooks:  These are very similar to the laptops weighing 4 to 6 lbs only. This has built-ins too, there is a opening in the side of the notebook where one can plug a CD drive or a floppy drive or a battery according to the need of the person.  But if someone is looking for a bigger screen then standard laptops are the available option.

Standard laptops:  This is bigger than the notebooks and can have all the required features in it.  The laptops are available at very competitive prices due to the great performance it offers.

Big laptops:  These are bigger than the standard laptops with big screens and bigger keyboard, hence the price is also more.

It is wise to check the audio and sound systems in case of the laptops used to hear to MP3s or watch movies from a DVDs while traveling.

One should also look into the convenience of operating the touchpad, mouse, keyboard etc.

It is very important to choose a laptop battery which will support the laptops for more hours without having the need to recharge quiet often.

The laptop parts like the hard drive, floppy drive, DVD drive, memory required to work on and the speed of the processor needs to be checked before purchase.

Also the ports needed for external devices need to be present so that any device can be added on.  Also a wireless modem will help in working with the laptops with ease.

Before buying and getting the price, it is very important to select and choose the right kind of add-ons and the correct price for the available features in a laptop.

How to Buy Cheap Laptops

Cheap Laptops: Shopping for a cheap laptop doesn’t mean that one needs to sacrifice on the great features available in a laptop or doesn’t need to purchase a machine which crashes within very few uses.  If one intends to buy a good performing laptop and yet to buy at a cheaper price should follow the mini-guide listed below:

The first thing to do is to list down what model and brand of the laptop you would like to purchase. And then list out the necessary features it should have according to the work intended to be done on it. After prioritizing one has to look for various outlets it is available for purchase.  It becomes easy once the prices offered by these outlets are compared with the features and services available for the laptop. 

The careful and intelligent approach to buying cheap laptops is to check why the outlet is offering for a very less price.  Sometimes certain features might not be included and there might be a catch like if you buy a desktop you can get a laptop for a cheaper price.  One needs to be double sure before purchase, if not able to understand from the offer or dubious about it, the customer service personnel can throw some light on it or from the help counter.  It is not considered to be wise to purchase a cheap laptop and then spend huge amounts on the add-ons required to go with it.   Some times there are sales gimmicks like this feature is not included in very small letters with the picture of the feature displayed leading to misunderstanding or may contain conditions apply term which not visible to naked eyes. Also care needs to be taken to find out if any after purchase service is offered especially from online merchants.

One can trust the offer on laptops for a less price if the outlet is having a clearance sale, or when the outlet is very big owing to bulk purchase which results in lower price purchase and the same with less margin profit is passed onto the customers.

The next method is to only shop for the required features, the money spent on the unwanted features might save huge money, resulting in cheaper laptop price.

The third method of obtaining cheaper laptops is to be patient enough until technological changes happen.  This is the key secret to get cheaper laptop.  When the technological advancements happens, people will only resort to the latest technological machine and the ones which is one step lesser performance becomes cheaper although functionally it might be as good as the new machine.  One needs to keep his eyes and ears open to such deals and offers which happens once in a while.

The next method is to buy a refurbished laptop.  The laptops sent to the manufacturer to be renewed might be as good as a new performance laptop and can be got at rock bottom prices.

The last but not the least method to get a cheap laptop can be through the second hand purchase either from an individual who has opted for a newer machine or from a company selling their old machines and from people who likes to change or upgrade their machines often.  Before purchase one needs to find out why the machine is being sold, if  the machine is sold for poor performance, there is not point buying one. By following the above tips one can strike a deal in obtaining acheaper yet efficient laptop.

Used laptops: The Advantages and Cost Factor

Used Laptops:  The decision to buy a used laptop is a wise one as it will benefit us a lot cost wise.  The cost of the used laptop is very low as compared to the new one.  Used laptops are sold for a number of reasons,  one of the reasons might be due to purchase of a higher configuration laptop, or might be tired of using the laptop for some time and would like to go for a newer one.  Whatever might be the reason, as long as the laptop computer works perfectly and fits the budget there is no reason to avoid buying a used laptop computer.

Advantages of buying a used laptop computer:

• If a person is on a shoe string budget and yet would like to purchase a laptop computer can go for buying a used laptop computer.
• A used laptop computer is 30 percent cheaper than that of a brand new laptop computer, so why should anyone pay more.
• When a used laptop computer is still covered under the factory warranty and available at a cheaper cost, why not get it?
• Due to the great demand of used laptop computers many online retailers are now stocking used laptop computers which are usually in a very good condition with a warranty of course.

The only concern about buying a used laptop computer is that it is not available brand new with a unique smell and the person not able to be proud of owning a brand new laptop computer.  The other concern is that the used laptop computer might not be of the latest model.  But apart from these concerns, as the laptop computer intends to meet the need of the individual, it is fine.

Shopping tips for buying used laptops:

Used laptops can be purchased from any one of the following sources such as from the friends, or relative, or colleagues, or from a local computer store, or from online retailers.
The main points to be considered while buying a used laptop computers are:

First it is important to determine why one needs a laptop:  It is very essential to determine for what purpose the laptop computer is required.  A laptop computer with latest configuration and with a high speed might not be required for a person who is into designing, whereas a person with huge data to store and who requires a high speed laptop computer cannot go for a very old version which is not compatible and might be of no use. 

Secondly it is important to consider the money involved in buying.  A used laptop cannot be bought just for the reason it fits the pocket, the features necessary for work should be checked or else one might end buying the additional accessories for more money than he intends to spend on a used laptop computer.

Thirdly the used laptop computers should be bought from either reputable dealer, or online retailers, or from refurbished laptop market, or from online auction.  Unless and until you are technically good and get the necessary warranty for the used laptop computer, it is hard to strike a deal.

Refurbished Laptops for Affordability

Let us first understand what a refurbished laptop is all about:

Refurbished laptop computers are the ones which are resent to the manufacturer in the case of the specifications are not met and up to the mark.  These resent laptop computers are inspected and checked thoroughly, in case of any discrepancy restored according to the original specifications, tested, repackaged and sent for resale.  They are sold under the name of refurbished laptop computers and cannot be sold at the brand new price. 

Refurbished laptops actually are double checked and have undergone more than the required detailed examination, which makes them more dependable than a brand new laptop computer. 

A laptop can be branded as refurbished one for various other reasons too. It can be due to piling up of laptops and not able to sell, which are sold with a marketing trick of branding them as refurbished laptop computers to justify the lowering of prices.  This of course is not a technical issue but a marketing gimmick to sell the overstocked laptop computers.  Or it can be due to slight defects found in the laptop parts.  The defective parts are replaced by the manufacturer, again tested and checked and sent as a repackage and sold.

The laptops used as a demo piece, although in a good condition undergo the refurbished treatment and sold at cheaper prices.

A laptop which might have got defaced or dented are also get treated, corrected and sold as a brand new computer.

Refurbished laptop computers can be 30 percent lesser than the brand new laptop computers.  If anyone who would like to buy a laptop computer with a shoe string budget can get the refurbished laptop computers whose performance is on par with the new laptop computers?  Any reputed retailer will sell a refurbished laptop computer lesser than the new laptop computer, if you want to determine if it is correctly priced, the price of the refurbished laptop computer can be compared with that of a newer laptop computer.

The refurbished laptop computers have a fair chance to be purchased due to the following reasons:

Since the refurbished laptop computers are on par with the brand new laptopsin terms of the same quality and performance, why not take advantage of it by purchasing the refurbished laptop computers at a lesser price than the new one.  Lot of people spend more money on brand new computers when they are able to get the same quality at a lesser price, this remains a secret for smart shopping.

The refurbished laptop computers apart from the splendid performance as that of the brand new laptop computers also makes it possible to get the same warranty period, after sales service.  This is not with the case of purchasing a second hand laptop computer.

Those who are apprehensive of second hand purchase, even for a lesser price can go for a refurbished laptop computer.

Choosing  the Right Laptop Backpacks

Laptop Backpacks: A laptop owner might be a student, or a software professional, or a backpacker, or anyone who owns a laptop and needs to carry with them when required.  There are many varieties of backpacks to suit individual’s taste and needs.  Nowadays no one uses the boring black color bags.  Previously the bags were intended to carried either in the left shoulder or right shoulder, due to preference changes of the individuals and to satisfy their needs bag manufacturers have come out with lot of varieties to choose from by the laptop computer owners. 

Laptop backpacks are gaining popularity in the recent years with the owners who are always on the move.  Many laptop owners are forced to carry their laptop computers wherever they go in this fast paced world in the fear of left behind by others who capitalize on this latest technological invention called laptops.  Backpacks are the ideal choice for such people as the weight is evenly distributed on both the shoulders.
Previously people were identified as software professionals due to their one-sided bent walking (due to the weight exerted on one shoulder), all though this seems to be a joke, it was of a serious concern.  The back packs are a great relief for people who own laptop computers.

If the laptop owner is a student, the laptop backpack gives enough room for carrying a laptop, books and other necessary things which is used in day to day student life.  The backpacks for students are designed to look trendy yet functional to secure all the contents in it.

If the laptop owner is a travel buff and doesn’t want to lose the luxury of having his laptop all the times can go for a back pack which is of very strong nature in order to cope with the extensive traveling and for security reasons.  The backpacks make it easy to be carried even while climbing mountains, traveling greater distances and for walking with it too.

For a business professional who needs to carry his/her laptop computers for making presentations, taking notes, document typing etc needs a back packs which are comfortable for carrying, stylish yet gives a formal look.  Being a professional, he cannot afford to carry a backpack in fluorescent color or of an informal style.  The accessories and bags he carries make an impact on his persona and might hinder his image.  It is very important for a business man to look more professional to get orders and strike deals.  Due to the strain taken by the bag manufacturers nowadays backpacks are available to suit a business professional to carry his laptop computer.  This doesn’t make it necessary for the business professional to maintain a dull, or maroon or a rigid look.  The present and future times requires accessories which are comfortable, satisfies the need, yet being trendy and stylish.

Why do we welcome the New Year with a Bang and not a whimper? Why Do we make merry instead of grieve? Or why do we try to rejoice even when we may not have too many reasons to do so? The answer is simple: HOPE.

HOPE

Those who find themselves without a job as the New Year comes are probably in a more challenged position than those who simply move on with their careers. This is because they must look for a job in the incoming year. They must join the ranks of jobseekers like themselves, whether retrenched, fired, resigned, or just graduated from school, returning entrants to the workforce or retirees seeking new careers. Those who have to look for jobs in the New Year must compete in a highly competitive marketplace and hold their own against countless others claiming their stake in the world of work just like themselves.

OPTIMISM

A key component of Hope is Optimism, the ability to view things in a positive light and to see good in all things. Optimism makes it possible to bounce back after being derailed by setbacks and obstacles. To the optimists, problems are not considered hindrances but opportunities for learning and growing. In that sense, obstacles are welcomed rather than avoided. In his book “Learned optimism: How to Change your Mind and Your Life,” Martin Seligman notes three components which differentiate optimists from pessimists in the way they understand adversity and failure:

PERMANENCE

Optimists see adversity as impermanent, temporary, fleeting. Pessimists, however, see failure as a forever thing. Pessimists will say: “I will never find a job”, while optimists will say, “I didn’t get this job. I have four more leads to pursue.”

PERVASIVENESS

This component describes the extent to which people allow failure to affect them. “All companies are looking for younger people” is a pessimistic sweeping view of the entire employment scenario. On the other hand, optimists will say: “This particular company wants younger people but there are others who want more mature and experienced workers like me.” This statement rightly limits the specific failure to its proper scope and reach.

PERSONALIZATION

Pessimists consider failure to be negative and internal. They believe that there is something wrong with them as persons, making them unacceptable to employers. “I am not marketable,” pessimists will say. Optimists, on the other hand, view failure as positive and welcome. “I have competencies other companies need which this particular company which has rejected me does not.”

OPTIMISM IN THE JOB SEARCH

Optimistic jobseekers stand a better chance of viewing the job-hunting process as life-giving and worthwhile. They can take rejections at face value, never allowing failure to diminish their innate goodness, capabilities and worth as persons and workers. They allow themselves to feel upset and to mourn their loss, then use their setback to be the launch pad from which they leap forward and take control of their future. They keep things in perspective and confine the effects of adversity to their appropriate space and time.

Jobseekers who nurture their optimism and use it to propel them through difficult and trying challenges of looking for a new job in the new year will survive and thrive. They will grow with every experience and be grateful for what they learn from each one. And because they have the ability to convert the most dismal to the brightest of experiences, they will also be those workers that companies would love to have among their ranks. It may be a matter of time before they are “discovered”, but it will come. The New Year is probably the best time to start anew. A new optimism, a new hope and a new year go well together. And so does the tug at the heartstring that tells us that even in times when all is well, it is best for us to fail and rise again and again, and again because it is there where real success has its definition and meaning.

What’s My True Talent?...

Kiko, your true talent is abstract reasoning.

Your ability to look at information abstractly means you have a rich imagination. You’re one of those rare people who can mix two unrelated ideas together to come up with a great new one. Most people aren’t as skillful as you are at applying knowledge outside of its usual context.

How do we know that’s your true talent? While you were taking the test, we calculated your responses to each test question and rated your skills in 5 areas. You scored highest on abstract reasoning.

Your combination of strategic thinking and creativity can be an incredible value in both business and social environments.

Which Sense is Strongest in You?…

Kiko, your strongest sense is Humor.

Always good for a laugh — that’s most likely how friends describe you. With your quick wit, you can easily bring a welcome smile to someone’s face or lighten a situation with some much-needed comic relief. You’ve got an ability to laugh at yourself and help others not take things too seriously.

Your instincts tell you that nothing does a body good quite like a hearty laugh. That’s why having fun is your number one priority when it comes to parties, vacations, and even the daily grind. Injecting a little humor into each day keeps you and everyone around you smiling. Nice job!

Your IQ score is 131. This means that you are smarter than 89.0% of all other Super IQ test takers.

This number is the result of a scientifically-tested formula based on how many questions you answered correctly on the Tickle Super IQ Test.Your test results indicate that the way you process information makes you a Concrete Thinker.

You have unusually strong verbal and numerical skills. This dynamic combination gives you an exceptional aptitude for solving equations and then communicating those solutions to others in lay terms. Your intelligence is grounded and based on a very clear interpretation of what is happening around you. Because you are so realistic, most things are crystal clear to you, while others may get confused by this or that.

Your objective is to make things real and clear. People count on you to find and give the sober, cold-hard facts. You learn most easily when things are explained in numbers and words and so you enjoy the education you get through books and lectures. Unlike others, you do not have to experience something first-hand to understand it, nor do you have a lot of interest in how things work mechanically. On the other hand, if you find the information in your books or lectures too abstract, you might tend toward first-hand experience as you’ll get nothing but the facts that way.

Numerical Ability

  You scored 96 out of 100. You use numerical ability when you spot a numerical pattern or solve a numerical equation. 
Compared with others, your numerical ability is very high. This means that you have no problem processing numbers.

Spatial Ability

  You scored 95 out of 100. You use spatial ability to judge the relationship between objects and physical space, like a parked car and the width of the road. It is also what helps you visualize a room when you are decorating or rearranging furniture. In every-day life, you use this ability when you drive or even when you are walking through a packed crowd (so that you don’t run into other people!). Some people actually use this ability to help them with non-physical things. If they are trying to understand a situation, they might think of the words as shapes that they need to negotiate.

Compared with others, your spatial abilities are very high. This means that you have a very strong sense of how things exist in physical space.

Organizational Ability

  Your organizational ability score is 91 out of 100. Organizational ability is what allows you to organize and arrange information effectively, be precise, and proofread carefully. In every-day life, organizational ability is what you use to proofread a paper or organize a messy desk. Coming up with an organizational system for keeping track of things comes easy to those who are high in this ability. It is a highly practical skill.

Compared with others, your organizational ability is high. This means that you have a strong organizational ability.

Visual Ability

  Your score is 92 out of 100. Visual ability allows you to accurately visualize all aspects of an object for the purposes of recreating it, the way painters do. It’s also what you use to imagine a scene from a novel or a story someone tells you — the ability to accurately reproduce reality in the mind’s eye. In every-day life, visual ability is what you use when creating original art. In order to reproduce an object on canvas (as painters do) you have to be able to accurately represent the dimensions of those objects in the picture. Getting the accurate perspective and depth is easiest for someone with a strong visual ability.

Compared with others, your visual ability is high. This means that you have a strong visual ability.

Abstract Reasoning Ability

  Your score is 90 out of 100. With abstract reasoning you can think on multiple levels and see relationships between ideas that are not easily apparent. When you’re using your abstract reasoning skills, you draw on both external logical and creative sources of information to come up with your solution. In every-day life, abstract reasoning ability is used to understand complex, multi-layered situations, sometimes involving the associations and relationships between two seemingly different sets of information.

Compared with others, your abstract ability is high. This means that you have a strong abstract ability.

Logical Ability

Your scored 90 out of 100. Logical ability is what you use when determining whether or not something makes sense. You rely on logic when analyzing an argument, step-by-step. This ability also contributes to your aptitude for recognizing underlying patterns. In every-day life, you might use this ability to figure out the best route to the store, or to figure out the best deal when choosing between a couple items to buy. Everyone has a certain ability to use logic to solve problems.

Compared with others, your logical ability is high. This means that you are a pretty consistently logical person.

Mechanical Ability

You scored 87 out of 100. Mechanical ability is what helps you understand how machines and tools work. Someone with a good amount of mechanical ability probably has an innate understanding of physics. High mechanical skill is also associated with a high degree of precision and practical thinking. In every-day life, mechanical ability comes in handy when anything in the house breaks, or when you have to purchase something that requires physical assembly. It is also helpful in finding solutions to physical problems, such as determining how to build a pulley to bring water out of a well.

Compared with others, your mechanical abilities are high. This means that you have a strong mechanical ability.

Verbal Ability

Your verbal ability score is 88 out of 100. Verbal ability means having an expansive range of vocabulary, being able to use it, and feeling a desire to add to it. It is also what allows you to comprehend the relationships and subtle difference between words. In every-day life, verbal ability is essential to being able to interpret written materials. It’s also valuable for communication — the more vocabulary words you know, the more precisely you may be able to convey your point.

Compared with others, your verbal ability is high. This means that you have a strong verbal ability.