part I, Utilizing an off the shelf PC as a CNC controller

There are two main groups that can take advantage of todays low cost PCs as an effective and inexpensive CNC controller.

Retrofits to existing CNC machines with outdated or proprietary controls in need of service.

Shop built and home built CNC machines.

Inexpensive PCs can cost as little as $150.00 and yet provide a dependable and effective CNC machine controller. Some sources to consider for obtaining such a system are outpost.com and dell.com. Oupost.com is an outlet for Frys electronics. They have one PC on sale ranging from $150.00 to $199.00. Several have successfully used this PC in conjunction with MACH2 CNC controller software.

Tradeoffs: price vs. Quality. With the lowest cost PCs there a tradeoff in performance, quality, and reliability. The manufacturers of these machines use low cost hardware in their manufacture and they make compromises in the design of the systems to keep their costs down. Inexpensive hardware translates directly to a higher failure rate and more difficult to obtain manufacturer support. This can be a deciding factor by itself if you rely on this machine for production.

design compromises which are common in low cost PC have an impact on performance. The primary concerns are: insufficient memory, the use of shared memory, and on-board graphics devices. The primary hardware requirements for a PC based CNC controller are sufficient memory, and sufficient processor speed. You can see that the compromises present in these systems are in direct opposition to the requirements for CNC controller.

At the bottom end of the Inexpensive PC market there are off the self solutions that will function well as a PC based CNC controller. As with all things, you tend to get what you pay for, so the buyer is advised to be aware of the requirements and limitations that are in play.

part II in this series of articles will examine an alternative to buying an off the shelf solution and explore building a PC to meet your specifications.

Keep your knees locked! Hold your arms straight until they hurt! If you feel pain, good for yousomething is happening

Ah, the soft and tender words coming from my militant hot-yoga instructornot exactly soothing. Isnt yoga supposed to be relaxing, you ask? Not the kind Ive been doing for a while. I prefer to think of it as bootcamp yoga: an hour and a half dripping with sweat in a very hot room, often practising next to someone who had too much garlic at dinner last night, contorting myself into positions that make my head want to explode, while feeling murderous towards the teacherwelcome to my form of heaven.

Do I enjoy torturing myself this way three times a week come rain or shine? NO. Do I often get into the hot room and want to run out the door screaming? YES. Do I pay a lot of money to go through this torture? YES. Am I glad I do it? ABSOLUTELY.

You may be scratching your head in confusion at this point and I totally understand why. But when I tell you the real reason I do this exercise regime three times a week religiously, suffering and cursing the entire time, youll understand where Im coming from.

At the age of 36, Ive gotten a bit wiser when it comes to health and taking care of my body. Gone are the days of starving myself or overeating and then punishing myself through exercise. Believe it or not, I absolutely LOVE exercise now. Not because it makes me skinny (nothing will do that due to having the pulchritudinous physique of my shapely Jewish female ancestors which I have come to learn is purely genetic). However, regular exercise does keep me at a healthy weight for my size and stops me from obsessing about my body and food (except during PMS when my body and mind are overtaken by some form of alien life who temporarily makes me think that chocolate is in itself, an entire food group and that excess water in the tummy area is a must-have).

The reason I love exercise now is how it makes me feel AFTERWARDS. You see, after I leave an exercise class, I am transformed. No matter how crappy, miserable, sad, or angry I am feeling before I exercise, for some incredible reason, I consistently feel energized, positive, relaxed, and peaceful after a good workout. And so do many of the women I know. Now we know from brain research that exercise boosts serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter in our brains, increases endorphins; chemicals in our bodies that make us feel happy and neighbourly, and relaxes our muscles, which in turn, relaxes our mind.

I encourage all of my clients to follow a regular, three-times-a-week exercise regime of their choice as the first step in improving their mental health. I have not met one single person who has adopted this healthy lifestyle habit who has not greatly improved their mood, productivity, and reduced stress in their lives as a result. I know we hear it over and over again about exercising regularly, but being the stubborn self-willed person that I am, I have finally accepted that other people are wise when they espouse this concept and its not a conspiracy to make me conform to some strange cult.

I have witnessed countless womens mental health improve vastly from including regular exercise into their lives including recovery from depression, anxiety, disordered eating, post-traumatic stress, and many other issues.

I especially recommend regular exercise for women who are suffering from the effects of being in any kind of abusive relationship where they were systematically stripped of their dignity, sense of worth, and faith in their abilities. Vigorous exercise in this case, especially something like kickboxing, can be extremely empowering and help you to overcome feelings of worthlessness and toxic shame. through the act of exercising, you can transform a negative self-concept into one of power, strength, and awareness of your abilities and gifts.

In my therapy practise, I have discovered that many women are weighed down with depression or anxiety and that what is often underneath those labels is suppressed anger and/or grief. Being in our bodies and expressing ourselves physically through regular exercise is a fabulous way of releasing emotions that have been stuffed down for a long time.

Exercise can be extremely helpful in moving our feelings up and out of the body and can thus free up energy and leave us feeling lighter, stronger, and more peaceful and in control of our destiny.

There are so many wonderful, exhilarating, and enjoyable forms of exercise out there. Check them all out, try them out, and find the one(s) that you feel the best doing. Experiment and have fun!

To end, Ill leave you with some very inspiring reasons for working out regularly

Esthers Top Ten Reasons to Exercise regularly:

1.Time for yourself- you get to leave all the people and things that you feel responsible for behind for a time and just focus on yourself

2.Lifts your mood and helps you feel more positive

3.Stops you from obsessing about your body size and shape (in most cases- if you are really prone to this, try a form of exercise that focuses on how you feel on the inside; not how you look on the outside- focus on becoming strong and feeling good emotionally).

4.Gives you a sense of routine which can help you feel more grounded emotionally

5.Gets you out into the world connecting with people you may not meet otherwise

6.Increases your self-esteem as you grow stronger and feel fit

7.Normalizes metabolism which helps you gain or lose weight depending on what is best for your body

8.Improves your sex drive- not a bad side effect, huh?

9.Makes you nicer to be around because youre happier, healthier, and calmer

10.Helps you get out of your head and into your body; this is great for us thinkers and analyzers

So go hop on a bike, take the dog out for a walk, or crank up the stereo and boogie up a storm in the living room - youll feel better as a result!

Esther Kane, MSW, Registered Clinical Counsellor, is the author of Dump That Chump: A Ten-Step Plan for Ending Bad Relationships and Attracting the Fabulous Partner You Deserve http://www.dumpthatchump.com, and What Your Mama Cant or Wont teach You: Grown Womens stories of Their Teen Years http://www.guidebooktowomanhood.com Sign up for her free monthly e-zine, Womens Community Counsellor, to uplift and inspire women at: http://www.estherkane.com

please consider this article for publication in your newsletter or website. Permission is granted to reprint for free with resource box and byline intact. please send me a copy of your publication if you choose to include my article.

Much hype surrounds trendy workout machines, as seen in infomercials. There are so many to pick from, and while the various systems offer different exercises, they all promise the same thing: the body you've always wanted, as well as an overall improved lifestyle.

There's a hurdle to climb, however: some systems may not be practical for the way an individual wants to work out.

Nautilus has been producing Bowflex systems for about 20 years as of this writing, and these systems are extremely popular. They are not cheap, though, so be prepared to part with considerable cash when buying a new machine. While the company has a trial period and will refund your money if you're not satisfied, they won't refund the shipping charges, which can be immense for products the size of exercise machines. So, it can be helpful to try out the product you're interested in, if possible, before buying it.

Is there any merit to a home workout machine? Only if used as directed, as often as specified, and stuck to as a habit. That is what most consumers just won't do. One reason could be that the exercise is never enjoyable or convenient enough to become a likely habit. Another could be laziness. Yet another could be that the equipment is so large and cumbersome that it takes up too much living space, creating resentment, and would actually get more use if the person were to go to the gym to use it.

Bowflex has a system that mimics traditional weights through the use of various discs with built-in tension coils, as opposed to bars. When purchased new, this system, the Bowflex Revolution home gym, comes with 220 pounds of discs and is capable of around 100 exercises. How many people will actually take advantage of all 100? Probably very few. Most will probably do the basics: bench, leg extensions, curls, etc. It can definitely do some good, although there is no real sense of weight balance because everything works through two pulleys. The Bowflex Revolution works off resistance, so it's not as specific a workout as you would get from free weights, or a machine with a fixed bar.

Revolution is also not meant for tall people. Those over 6' will very likely find it to be too small. There just won't be quite enough extension to do proper leg presses, for example.

There are pros and cons to any equipment, and no product is entirely perfect. The Ab Lounge for example is highly coveted for what it can do for abdominal strengthening, but some people find it to be so comfortable that they end up using it as a chair to watch television from instead of working out. It's good that it's comfortable -- that's the whole point, to make it comfortable to do crunches -- but that comfort may signal to some that they need to kick back instead of work out. So, it's impossible for every machine to be a winner for every person.

The bottom line: do your homework and take opportunities to try out equipment before you buy it. You know yourself better than the infomercial writers do, so do what is best for you and will serve your ultimate fitness goals.

kathy Hildebrand is a professional writer who is easily bored with her "day job" assignments. So, she researches anything and everything of interest and starts writing. Writing about an extremely wide variety of subjects keeps her skills sharp, and gives her food for thought on future paid writing assignments.

More of her research and articles can be found at www.lasertargeted.com/bowflex and other sites around the internet.

Well over the past week or so I have had plenty of time to sit back and take a critical look at the new nintendo Revolution controller. Initially, when I first saw the teaser I was excited about the possibilities the new controller offered. However after some more reflection and further reading, though I am still enthusiastic, I think there are some serious questions that need to be asked.

nintendo has been an innovator in the video game industry since the early 1980s. From the very beginning, nintendo engineers have had to prove themselves. The introduction of the analogue controller and even the rumble pack was met with a great deal of skepticism, yet are considered industry standards today. However, a single hand remote style controller is arguably a much larger innovation and is met with even more skepticism.

It has been reported on several websites that the Nintendo Revolution will be compatible with gamecube titles. Of course this raises questions on how the new controller will function with these games

What we are telling people right now is that there are several peripherals in the works that will be used for the older games, said Perrin Kaplan, vice President of Marketing and Corporate Affairs for nintendo. Of course, people will be able to plug their gamecube controller right in and use that, but if they want, they can use the Revolutions peripherals for an entirely new and fresh experience.

Will gamers be able to adapt to a single hand controller? I think the answer to this question will depend on game developers. The success of the controller and the console for that matter depends on whether-or-not game developers will be able to produce games which compliment the new controller.

This also raises questions over game cross-over from one system to another. With the introduction of a whole new controller, effectively changing the way we play games, well we see a drop in big title games available for multiple systems?

With the release of the new teaser and a slew of new images, people are forgetting that the new nintendo Revolution controller is not at the final design stage.

No, this is not the final design. You wont see that until the release is here, but we are getting much closer, explained Kaplan.

Over the next several months, more information will become available. Information which will either put much of the skepticism to rest, or more likely, create even more. With a product like the nintendo Revolution controller, apprehension and skepticism are natural, making this a critical time for nintendo. With the release of the Xbox before the end of 2005 and the processing power of the Playstation 3 Nintendo really does have to come up with something revolutionary to compete in the next generation game console market. Does Nintendo really have something special for us? only time well tell.

The internet has created opportunities for golfers to save money on discount golf equipment in many different ways. Would you like to check out clones of famous (and expensive) brand names, which can be purchased for a fraction of the price? You can even order a set of custom made golf clubs that have been fitted specifically for you. How about sell your old clubs online and put the cash toward a new, updated set? Maybe you want demo clubs shipped to you so you can try them without ever leaving home. All this is possible. There are more choices, and better prices, available to golfers than ever before. And dozens of online retailers are fighting for your business, creating even more opportunities for you to save.

You can find discount golf equipment on ebay of course, but there are lots of other alternatives. You can try on golf shoes at your favorite sports store and then order the brand and model online. If your heart is set on a specific make of golf clubs you can easily find a number of sites that offer exactly what you want for less money than you might have thought.

need motivational tapes to improve your golf game? You can find them. Or what about instructional videos from some of the top pros in the game? Use search engines to find what you need when you need it. Sometimes shipping is even free. The internet means you don't have to pay retail ever again if you don't want to. You can find discount golf equipment, discount golf clubs and discount golf clothing.

want to know more about cheap green fees, discount golf equipment, and budget golf vacations? Check out Golf on a Budget, tricks and tips to save money on golf.

Are you an nfl fan? Then you'll love the novel Over Time Money, love, and Football: All the important things in life. Find out more about Brian hill, the author, at his Capital Connection