Now is the time to act if you want to be one of the lucky ones to witness the opening of the Olympics at China National Stadium on the evening of August 8, 2008. The first phase of ticket reservation for the Beijing Olympics started on April 15. More than 7 million tickets were opened for sale to the public, 75 percent of which will be sold in China, and 25 percent overseas.

It was reported that on that first day, more than 50,000 people submitted ordering forms successfully on the official website www.tickets.beijing2008.cn, placing orders for 250,000 tickets. The website received 18 million person/time visits in two days.

Luckily, everybody is likely to have the same chance to the most popular tickets if applying before the first phase ends on June 30, 2007. A computer-operated draw will determine who gets tickets for oversubscribed events.

So you still have two months’ time to get a chance to enter the draw. And who knows, maybe you can get your tickets directly if the ones you book are not oversubscribed. more…

Foreigners who intend to buy a house in Beijing need a certificate issued by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau to prove that they have stayed in China for at least one year for reasons of work or study, according to a statement jointly issued by six ministries led by the Construction Ministry.

The rule required that foreigners only use and dwell in the house themselves and not buy a house for other purposes.

Foreigners were also required to use their real names when buying a house in China.

Residents from China’s Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Taiwan and overseas Chinese should also be in possession of proper certificates when buying a house. more…

Three weeks ago we’ve showcased some of the most beautiful, creative and user-friendly 404 Error Pages; we’ve collected some interesting ideas one can use to help out the visitors once they got lost ony your page. We’ve also asked our readers to design their own 404 pages and promised to present the best solutions afterwards.

We’ve received over 100 entries. The choice wasn’t easy, so evaluating the quality of the entries we’ve considered - among other things - the communication with visitors, precise and clear navigation, the use of graphics, creative ideas and some outstanding solutions. Some of the solutions presented below might not be as helpful as they could or should be, however they include some creative approaches you should be aware of designing your 404 error pages.

We’d like to thank to everyone who participated, your input means a lot for us and for web-designers worldwide. You help to improve the quality of the Web. Don’t underestimate it.

So here is what you’ve come out with: over 40 working examples of user-friendly, creative and outstanding 404 error pages - in a brief overview. more…

It is a portable gaming system, PSP - PlayStation Portable which is highlighted by a wide-screen display with PS2 graphics quality, built-in Wi-Fi, the ability to play music and videos, store images and a Web browser.

The device itself measures 6.7 inches wide by 2.9 inches high and by 0.9 inches deep. It weighs 6.2 ounces, including the removable battery. In the center is a 4.3 inch wide-screen display with 480 x 272 pixels, that is 16.77 million colors. At the sides of the screen are the directional keypads and an analog joystick which isn’t raised much but it gives the feel of a conventional joystick. more…

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST

Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out. more…