Let’s face it; today we live in an ever-shrinking world, one where international business is commonly practice by many different companies. From small firms exporting good across the globe to those opening offices in major cities in countries like China, understanding the rules, laws, and customs of a country is imperative for those who hope to be successful. Opening a business in China is slightly trickier than some other popular Asian countries, but for those willing to put in the time necessary to conform to the rules and regulations, China can be an excellent business base.

Customs

China has a culture that is entirely different from the western world. From digging up dragon bones to presenting gifts, the customs and practices in China are unfamiliar to most in the United States. Prior to opening an international business in China, it’s important to spend some time in the country, preferably with an informed guide, to begin to learn the customs. Failing to do so could lead to unintentional gaffes and insults that could quickly kill your new business venture in this exciting country.

Partners and Locations Count

Who and where you do business matters in China. In China, businessmen adhere to the cultural norm of driving expensive cars, wearing expensive clothing, and owning an expensive factory. Sadly, in some cases, this is little more than show. Be sure to perform credit checks and due diligence on any potential business partners to avoid finding out that what appears to be a competent and wealthy partner is instead a risky business choice at best.

Equally important is finding the best location for your new business in China. Some local government offices do offer preferential treatment to international business owners that can be significant. Be sure to check out the potential incentives and tax benefits of each area before deciding where to build your office or factory.

Paperwork, Paperwork, and More Paperwork
There are more rules and regulations in China than there are grains of sand in an hour glass, and it is your responsibility to follow each of them to the letter. Understanding how something as small as the language contained within your scope and business categorization can impact your ability to operate effectively in the country is critical. Tap into resources available at the United States Embassy, as well as business contacts within China, to make you are taking care of business the way you should be.

Opening a business in China can be lucrative, but this is not a journey to rush into. Make sure you fully understand all aspects of opening a business in China before spending any money. When you can answer the questions, “What is the cultural significance of a dragon bone?” and “What are your responsibilities in China as an employer?” you might just be ready.

If you’ve ever used a program like Microsoft Visio, you know how easy it is to create flow-charts, process flows and other decision trees. But, the problem with programs like Visio, is the hefty price tag and constant updates that require expensive software maintenance agreements. Thanks to a really great Open Source program called FreeMind, you can ditch Microsoft Visio and accomplish the same tasks in a nicer interface.

FreeMind is a very flexible mind-map tool that lets you create process flows, decision trees, outlines, processes, workflows and other visually related task lists. The interface is clean and simple to use. The program starts with a blank slate and you create a parent task. From that one parent, you can then add sub-tasks or other related tasks. FreeMind also comes with a large assortment of colorful icons and descriptive images that can be easily inserted into your mind-map project. Once you create and establish the links between layers, it is very easy to manipulate and move the items around the screen. FreeMind is flexible and works extensively on the drag and drop principles of other outrageously expensive software solutions. Since FreeMind is free and part of an Open Source project, you will never worry about software subscription fees or the need to license each and every computer in your environment.

Whether you need to work on a home project or a very complicated enterprise diagram and workflow, FreeMind is up to the challenge. The programs is used by all types of users looking to map out a process or decision tree. Once you try FreeMind and start using the program, you will instantly understand why so many trust it for their most important projects. Freemind will also correspond with Filezilla and Putty allowing users to have a secure connection between work and home computers. The Open Source community supporting FreeMind is also very helpful and they have created extensive documentation and are quick to respond to forum posts when there are issues with the software. Check it out today and you’ll be glad you did.

If you have an eBook reader or know someone that has an eBook reader, must download and check out an amazing, Open Source program called Calibre. This helpful utility works on Linux, Apple iOS and all current versions of Microsoft Windows. So, what does this amazing utility do for you? Calibre enables any eBook user to share books and convert them to any popular format for cross-platform sharing. So, if you download a book for your Kindle and want to copy it to a Nook eBook reader, Calibre will convert the Kindle file and encode it for use on the Nook!

Whether you have a Nook, a Kindle or the Sony eReader, Calibre is a program you can’t live without. The problem with all of these eBook platforms and devices has always been that it was impossible to share content between the devices. If a friend had a Nook and you had a Sony eReader, you could not swap books like you can do with traditional paper and ink texts. The amazing Open Source programmers surrounding the Calibre program have figured out the platforms and unlocked the mysteries between the proprietary devices. In addition, they have now enabled anyone to publish and convert any electronic text to your favorite eBook reader platform. So, if you have a manuscript or other document you want to put on your Kindle, open the file on Calibre, save it to the preferred format and then sync your eBook reader. Your own content is now on your device. The program couldn’t be simpler to use and the price is absolutely perfect; yes it is free. Many have struggled with which eBook reader to buy. Now, armed with Calibre, the device and platform don’t matter. You can save and copy eBooks between devices and platforms anytime you desire. This is one program eBook owners can’t live without.

You have upgraded your computer system to enhance your computing experience. You made sure to upgrade this system with the inclusion of the fastest internet connection and modem. This speed is important to anyone who uses his or her computer for surfing the web.

Now you are ready to truly experience what the Internet can offer — including sharing large files via peer-to-peer networks. Consider using a program called Cabos that can enhance this computing capability.

You’ve already spent plenty on your new computer platform and you probably don’t want to spend more. Great news! Cabos is a free Open Source, free piece of software. And don’t worry about Cabos coming with spyware, adware or malware that may in turn wreck your new computer. Part of its Open Source platform ensures that the program is free of any of these kinds of malicious code.

Based on the Acquisition and LimeWire peer-to-peer networks you will find the features to be plentiful and easy to use. You’ll be downloading those giant files with ease.

Cabos features a user-friendly tool bar, proxy and firewall-to-firewall transfers (for enhanced security). You’ll also find iPod and iTunes integration capabilities so you won’t be frustrated by transferring your downloads to your iPod.

Other great features of Cabos includes

-Support for universal plug and play capabilities
-IP2 country support
-Information about the network you are connecting to
-Information about individual searches
-Information about download and upload speeds and file information
-Minimal memory usage — about 7000k.

As with any download you should take the time to scan any file you download from the Internet. While Cabos is free of bad code, other download files may not be as safe unless they are also part of the Open Source community.

If you enjoy watching movies with the media player on your computer, you probably want to keep your system in tip-top shape. What, then, do you do if you start having quality issues? You may need to replace the video card, but, before you do that, you’ll want to check a couple other things.

1. Check your media player.

Sometimes issues occur because you are using a media player that has a limited codecs library. You’ll usually know this is the problem because you won’t be able to play a file you’ve downloaded, or you may get an error message from your media player.

Using an open source media player, such as Xvid, can correct this issue because it comes with nearly every codec in use today. If you aren’t using a program with an extensive codecs library, consider switching media players like VLC player or BS player.

2. Troubleshoot Your System

Sometimes, quality issues are a result of other programs interfering with your media player. You can begin by defragging your computer to repair programs. Perhaps the problem is a bad download. If so, you can use a program to check the download to determine whether it’s complete or missing pieces. You can also run optimization programs to see whether you can increase the efficiency of your operating system. Additionally, check your Internet connection speed if you are streaming videos.

3. Upgrade Your Video Card

If you try these things and still encounter problems, you may need a new video card. Check how much RAM you need to work with the card to ensure you get one that is compatible with your operating system. Once you install the card, you should notice an improvement in your video quality.

Upgrading your video card can be a good solution to improve quality, if it is in fact the problem. By checking your media player and system, you can make the right choice.

Professional photographers know the value of touching up a photo, and, in recent years, consumers have begun to catch on to the appeal. Part of this has to do with the accessibility and popularity of photo-editing software, like Adobe Photoshop. With a photo-editing program, it’s easy to correct color, remove wrinkles, whiten teeth, and do additional cosmetic touch ups.

However, not everyone can afford Adobe’s cost. Fortunately, individuals have an alternative to Photoshop: GIMP. This free and open source program has photo-editing features that rival Adobe’s. Since the first release of the program in 1996, GIMP has continued to expand its project, making the program available to a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Mac, and Windows. The program is so popular with Linux users that it often comes as a standard program on the operating system.

Here are a few advantages of using GIMP:

-The program supports a variety of file formats, including its own format, XCF.

-Users can modify the source code as they see fit, customizing the application to perform better.

-GIMP comes with a variety of plug-ins designed to expand its basic set of features.

-Beginners can find a wide selection of tutorials from GIMP and other sites to learn how to use the program.

While GIMP provides a variety of features in and of itself, you may enjoy the open source program so much that you want to combine it with other open source projects. If you need to create 3D animation, you can use Blender. You can send several photos at once by using a free zip utility, like 7-Zip, to compress your files into one attachment.

No matter what level of photo editing you want to explore, you can achieve your goals with open source software. GIMP makes it easy to turn your amateur photos into professional-looking pictures, as well as working well with other open source programs like Xvid when putting together presentations and new additions to websites.

Even though open source software has no direct effect on your systems, its common to have to configure a download or two to make it easy for use later on. Configuring PuTTY for optimal usage is as easy as following a few simple commands.

Session Options

Open the configuration options and select the Session tab. Enter the name of the computer you wish to connect to in the Host Name [Or IP Address] area. This is also the area you can specify a certain IP address if that is the host information provided to you.

Under protocol select the SSH option. This will automatically change the above port number to 22, which is the common port that SSH servers listen on.

Save the session name for convenience in opening the same SSH server later.

Windows Options

If you are planning to use the session for character-based editing, it will be helpful to set the default size of the terminal window by specifying the number of character columns and rows under the first set of options here.

Expand your session scroll back option by increasing the number here to around 2000. This will give you the ability to read back and cut and paste any previously entered commands that may need frequent repetition.

SSH Options

Be sure to enable the compression option if you are connecting on a fast network. Change the preferred SSH protocol to version 2. This format is supported by most servers that are up to date.

Under the Tunnels tab, if you are going to use Port Forwarding, you will need to enter the source port as well as the destination. Once added press the Add button which will then add to the forwarded ports in the box above.

Head back to the session tab and click the save button to save this session, it will now be added to the option under the Default Settings. From now on you can double-click the save session you would like to initiate a new session on that SSH server.

If your company has been shelling out money to send employees to training seminars, then it may be time for you to rethink your training methods. You may be able to offer the same level of training and include more employees for less than it would cost to send one person to a seminar.

What’s the secret to this cost-saving technique? Videoconferencing. This might sound like a great idea to you, but you may think it will cost thousands of dollars to get the equipment you need to implement the technique. If you were to purchase commercial software, that might be true. However, VLC media player is a free open source media player that works on multiple platforms.

VLC doesn’t require you to purchase a license or pay any hidden fees. Your IT department can set it up on as many computers as necessary, and your employees can even download the media player onto their home computers, tablets, or laptops. You may even be able to link one monitor to a larger screen so employees can gather in a conference room for the training.

Once you have the media player in place, you just need to determine what type of media file you want your employees to see. You can purchase training programs from national speakers, set up a web seminar, or record your own expert. Have your employees save the files so additional employees can access the information later.

If you have concerns about problems occurring during training, you can elect one person from each office or group to learn how to use the media player prior to the training. You can also schedule your IT team to be on call during training just in case problems arise.

With a little planning and free open source software, you can build a videoconferencing environment that will save your company time and money.

If you’ve been searching for a new online game, take a look at Assault Cube! Even more addicting than the Tower Defense apps, this first-person shooter, multi-player game will take over your life if you’re not careful. Just take one look at the realistic online environment, and you’ll begin to wonder what form of insanity has taken hold of everyone out there who’s paying for online play!

Assault Cube Will Play on Your Machine

As an open-source project, Assault Cube has been tested on every computer system its set of developers could find. It’s guaranteed to run on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, but the creators have provided instructions just in case you’re running a different OS flavor. Unlike many other games that actually cost a substantial amount to purchase, Assault Cube will run on older machines with slow CPUs. It does require a Pentium III or higher, but you’re probably still relying on your old Atari for fun if your chip is slower than the minimum requirements for this program. If your machine is rapidly aging, take a look at the recommended performance tuning instructions to improve a slow game.

Become Part of the Game!

Unlike the games sold in the local stores, open-source online games encourage their players to become part of the game. Assault Cube has a built-in map editor for gamers to use while they’re playing to create original environments for an unique look. If you’re a real team player, check out the cooperative edit-mode. This feature allows a group of Assault Cube players to work together in real-time to design a whole new world. Of course, if you don’t play well with others, you won’t be left out of the fun. Simply enjoy the game in solitude with the single-player mode.

Download Assault Cube today to feed your craving for online gaming excitement!

Hank Coleman is a staff writer for the Credit Score Blog.

China is, by far, the largest holder of United States debt. According to the latest numbers available, China owns approximately $900 billion worth of US Treasuries, T-Bills, and government bonds. Interest rates in the United States have been stagnant for the past several years on Treasuries. So, the question remains, how much longer will China who these bonds and sit idly by earning an anemic rate of return? The answer may be a good long while but only because there are so few other options for China.

China Appetite For U.S. Debt May Be Dwindling
For the past couple of years, many of America’s political leaders have been worried that one day China will not buy as much U.S. debt as they have in the past. America is a country that is run in the red, and it constantly needs people to continue to purchase or repurchase its debt in order to keep operations flowing. But, one day, China may not be there to buy the debt when America needs to sell. China has its own monetary worries at home that include stimulus bills, slow recovery, lagging tax revenue, and a slowing economy. There are also new roads and other projects ongoing in China that are diverting money from the potential to purchase U.S. debt. There is a diminishing appetite for US dollars and subsequently a declining desire for U.S. Treasuries.

The US Dollar Is Still The World’s Reserve Currency

The 10-year bond year bond yield is only 3.35% which is barely above the inflation rate. While that is not very appetizing, China would much rather have its money invested in a financial product valued in dollars rather than Euros or some other currency. The Euro has continued to fall against the U.S. Dollar since the recession and mortgage crisis began, and the fiscal policy of European countries have international investors on edge. The United States does have its own financial problems from a monetary aspect, but the currency is backed by a stable government and the American greenback is still a safe haven for other countries of the world.

It Is The Lesser Of Two Evils
One financial analyst recently called the United States and its currency the best house in a bad neighborhood. It truly is the lesser of two, three, or maybe more evils for China. And, being the lessor of two evils is why the Chinese government will continue to invest in U.S. debt until a better option comes along. For the Chinese government, it is better to earn a 3% return than to lose a lot of their money betting on a different world currency. The U.S. dollar has a history of being stable, and that is what China is looking for in an investment.

It all comes down to alternatives, and fortunately for American lawmakers, China does not have many good options for their money. China still has valid concerns about the low rates of return on U.S. debt, but the alternatives are even less appealing. So, until a better option for China comes along, the United States debt and the U.S. dollar will continue to be the investment of choice for China.