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The origins of snowboarding are closely tied to one man: Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards.

Originally a skier, Jake owned one of the first types of snowboards, called the 'Snurfer'.

Jake took his Snurfer, removed the metal foot-bindings and replaced them with thick strips of rubber. The rubber allowed more freedom of movement which meant that the snowboard could twist and turn, the birth of the freestyle snowboarder.

Todays most well known snowboarder may be Olympic free-styler, Todd Richards. Richards took part in the first Olympic snowboarding event in Nagano, japan in 1998.

The Sport developed in the united States during the 60s and 70s, it's all about being out in the wild with good friends having the time of their lives and is rapidly becoming an increasingly common winter sport throughout the world.

Most people who try freestyle snowboarding are either drawn to it by the excitement or are familiar with it due to skateboarding.

The major muscles used during snowboarding are your quads (thighs), and your lower leg muscles (calf and tibia).

Snowboarding is a free sport which means that as long as you are enjoying yourself then you are doing the right thing whether on the easy greens or steep in off piste powder snow.

But like any sport the right clothing and protection are all important.

Most falls in snowboarding are on the hands, buttocks and head and cause only bruises and soreness.

But it can be high-risk. Colliding with obstacles such as jumps, barriers, trees and other snowboarders has resulted in more and more snowboarders buying helmets..

Another item that has high risk for snowboarders is exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the correct eye gear is essential, as is the wearing of comfortable, warm boots that fit snugly and support your ankles.

A good pair of gloves or mittens (mittens are usually better for those susceptible to cold hands). Wear snug-fitting clothing because loose outerwear can tangle in lifts and rope tows. Always wear wrist guards made for snowboarders or in-line skaters.

weather can change rapidly in the mountains so layering is your best option instead of wearing one big jacket. Know the area, wear a helmet, and ski with a partner.

If all of the foregoing has wetted your appetite for snowboarding then follow the link to get trained properly at the online Snowboard Academy CLICK HERE

The racing Wheel - A New Addition for the xbox Crowd

People who enjoy racing games on their Xbox 360s will love what we are about to say , xbox has came out with a new wireless racing wheel that you can use when playing racing games. All you need to do is go out and buy them racing wheel and start playing. Even though it may be expensive it will be worth it to play with a new racing wheel that is wireless.

All gamers will love the new racing wheel when they see it. You can play any type of racing game now and you do not have to use a joystick anymore when you play. All you need to do is go out and buy your new racing wheel and you are set to go. Any gamers who have used racing wheels before will think that they are useless and don't really work. This new racing wheel is different it is wireless which gives you the advantage to sit as close to the TV or as far away from the TV as you want and still be able to play the game flawlessly. So if you are a gamer that loves to race then you should go out and buy a new xbox 360 racing wheel it will be all worth the money and time to go out and buy it.

After you buy your new racing wheel you will be able to either race with it on the ground on top of your lap or you will be able to mount it on a table top and be able to race and use it without it falling off your lap. This new racing wheel can turn up to 270 degrees and that is pretty good for an xbox racing wheel. Where as other racing wheel just turned a little bit they were not as life like. With this new racing wheel you don't have to worry about it falling off your lap either it was made so that you could either play with it on your lap or on a table top. Once it is on your lap you don't have to worry about falling off and losing your race.

If you had played racing games in the past you probably know how bad those racing wheels are from the past. All the flimsy foot pedals that slide around are over with the new xbox racing wheel its different you don't have to worry about anything sliding around. The new racing wheel is made so that when you play with it, it doesn't slide around on you or where you are playing with it. So if you don't have one and you own an xbox 360 you need to go out and buy yourself a new racing wheel because it will make you feel like you are actually in the race. So if you like to race and you own an Xbox 360 you need to go out and get yourself one of these wireless racing wheels.

basic levels of password protection on laptops are easily overcome by the experienced thief and this is causing considerable concern within the industry.

There are two things you should do:

1. Physical security - Don't let your laptop out of your sight. Never leave it unattended in a public place. Never leave it in the boot of your car overnight at hotels. Always use a steel cable to attach it to a firm structure when in use outside your normal environment.
2. Electronic security - Don't have sensitive data on a hard disk in the first place. Use a complex password and if possible second level authentication, such as a token or other device. When the laptop is on but is not being used, use the electronic lock facility to activate the password entry facility. Use a password on any screensaver.

That takes some account of security for the laptop, but with attached devices such as SD cards and usb pen-drives the situation is different:

Anyone stealing the SD Card or pen-drive can read the data on any computer loaded with similar software. This is clearly a point of vulnerability; the best method to protect this type of device is to encrypt it so that it is useless without the decrypt key.

This protection is not the expensive option it used to be, with open source software freely available. The best of these encrypt and decrypt on the fly and are transparent to the authorised but render the device useless to the thief and in may cases appear to be a blank device.

ISO27001 and laptop security

Chris Eden FIBA, MISSA, AIQA is a director of Quality Matters Limited, an established consultancy specialising in quality (ISO9001), Environment (ISO14001), information security (ISO27001) and IT service management (ISO20000).