How to Command Respect through Body Language:PART 5

Walking into the limelight…

Carrying yourself in a confident manner is key to commanding respect. Give the impression that you're walking with a purpose so that you'll be admired by others.

What to do:

1. Walk, don’t run. Take even strides.

2. Look ahead or in front of you, not at the floor when you walk.

What not to do:

1. Don’t walk with a swagger; it indicates that you’re cocky and have an attitude.

2. Be careful not to shove people aside as you move across a crowded place: no one respects a rude person.

3. Similarly, avoid stepping on others' toes.

How to Command Respect Through Your Body Language:PART 4

Heading for victory…

The position of your head, the frequency of your breaths, even yawning are indicators of your level of interest in a conversation. Take care to avoid looking as if you're bored or disinterested. If you seem to be involved in what others have to say, they will naturally offer the same to you and build mutual respect.

What to do:

1. Tilting your head to one side during a conversation shows you’re interested and thinking about what's being said.

2. Take regular, even breaths. Heavy breaths are a sure sign that you’re nervous.

3. Be sure to nod your head so the person you're speaking with knows you're listening and interested.

What not to do:

1. Massaging your temples shows you’re either at your wits’ end or that you have a severe headache.

2. Don’t swallow too often; it gives away the fact that you’re not comfortable with the situation.

3. Yawning is an involuntary sign from your body saying that your brain’s bored. You may not have much control over it, but yawning in the middle of a conversation will give away the fact that you’d rather be somewhere else.

4. A blank face conveys either disinterest or a lack of understanding.

Heading for victory…

The position of your head, the frequency of your breaths, even yawning are indicators of your level of interest in a conversation. Take care to avoid looking as if you're bored or disinterested. If you seem to be involved in what others have to say, they will naturally offer the same to you and build mutual respect.

What to do:

1. Tilting your head to one side during a conversation shows you’re interested and thinking about what's being said.

2. Take regular, even breaths. Heavy breaths are a sure sign that you’re nervous.

3. Be sure to nod your head so the person you're speaking with knows you're listening and interested.

What not to do:

1. Massaging your temples shows you’re either at your wits’ end or that you have a severe headache.

2. Don’t swallow too often; it gives away the fact that you’re not comfortable with the situation.

3. Yawning is an involuntary sign from your body saying that your brain’s bored. You may not have much control over it, but yawning in the middle of a conversation will give away the fact that you’d rather be somewhere else.

4. A blank face conveys either disinterest or a lack of understanding.

How to Command Respect Through Your Body Language:PART 3

Sitting pretty…

Your posture while sitting is just as important as standing. Your level of interest in a conversation can be easily read by the position you sit in. Be careful to position yourself in a way that shows you're powerful and actively engaged in what others have to say.

What to do:

1. Sit straight so that your shoulders touch the back of your chair. Slouching promotes the image of laziness.

2. Rest your hands on the arms of your chair, place them on your knees, or fold them on your lap so that they are not a distraction.

3. Make sure your chair is positioned so you’re facing the person you’re talking to. This will show that you're engaged in what they are saying.

4. Lean slightly forward to appear interested in a conversation and stress what you’re saying.

What not to do:

1. Don’t cross your ankles. Some people think it’s a sign that you’ve got something to hide. Sit with your feet on the floor to minimize distractions.

2. Don’t tilt your chair back so that it’s standing on two legs. This shows a very casual, laid back attitude and does not earn you respect. You also run the risk of looking silly when you accidentally fall backwards.

3. Don’t cross your arms across your body. You may come across as disinterested.

4. Stretching your legs out shows you're too relaxed and may also invade others' personal space.

5. Never put your feet up on the desk in front of you. You don’t want to come across as condescending.

6. Ladies, be cautious when crossing your legs. If you'll expose things that are better left to the imagination, refrain from doing so.

How to Command Respect Through Your Body Language:PART 2

Eye contact…

When holding a conversation, the person you're speaking with should focus on your eyes. They indicate your emotions and can show whether you're paying attention or not. Be considerate of what your eyes tell about you: show others respect and you'll get respect in return.

What to do:

1. Look directly at the person you are talking to in order to exude confidence.

What not to do:

1. Don’t shift your attention to other people or things in the room. It shows deceit.

2. Be careful not to glare at the person talking to you. You may think you look intensely interested, but you just look mad.

3. Don’t blink excessively. People will be distracted and wonder if there's something wrong with you.

4. If you wear glasses, don’t look over the rim. It makes you look condescending.

5. Never wear sunglasses inside, especially during a meeting. Others will wonder if you have something to hide.

6. Don’t look at your watch unless you want to appear as if you're in a rush.

7. Don't rub your eyes with your hands: it signals disbelief at the situation.

8. When you pinch the bridge of your nose with your eyes closed, you'll come across in a negative manner.

9. Keeping your eyes on the door will show that you’re ready to leave the room.

How to Command Respect Through Your Body Language:PART 1

Some people are the center of attention wherever they go. They’re not glamorous movie stars, just ordinary people with excellent command over their body language. Here are some pointers to help you emulate these confident people and command respect from those around you.

Improve your standing…

Posture can say a lot about a person. Confident people seem to naturally stand tall, while those who slouch look like they're down on themselves. Be sure that you're presenting yourself in a way that commands respect.

What to do:

1. Stand tall, even if you’re the shortest person in the room. Keeping your shoulders pushed back will lend you an air of confidence.
2. Spread your weight evenly on both feet instead of leaning on one. You don’t need to stand at perfect attention, just keep your feet apart so you balance well.
3. Take your hands out of your pockets, or you may be seen like you've got something to hide. Hold them loosely by your side.
4. Stand with your arms crossed behind your back. Your shoulders will get pulled back automatically.

What not to do:

1. Don’t stand with your hands on your hips if you don’t want to come across as confrontational.6. Don’t shuffle your feet. Pick your feet up and move like you know where you're going.

2. Don’t fidget with your feet. Drawing patterns with one foot on the floor shows you’re not interested in what’s going on.

3. Don't lean against walls or tables. You'll appear tired and lazy.

4. Don’t turn away from the person you’re talking to in the middle of the conversation, otherwise you'll show you’re not interested in continuing it.

Windows uses PIRATED software????

Has it ever crossed your mind to use the editor to open a WAV file installed with Windows XP? Nobody will do that - that's what Microsoft probably thought. After all, countless WAV files are stored on a computer, and they are to be heard, not to be watched, right?

No, not exactly. Our colleagues over at Macwelt gave us the idea. We tried it and examined some WAV files that are stored on a drive with a newly installed Windows XP. And we made a stunning discovery. In fact, we didn't even have to search for very long, as coincidence lent us a helping hand. In the Windows system directory, we had our first find, in the directory

"Windows\Help\Tours\WindowsMediaPlayer\Audio\Wav".

Located there are exactly nine WAV files, with a size between 80 and 360 Kilobytes. They serve as background sound during the Windows Media Player Tour. When you open one of these files with the notepad, you at first only see scrambled letters. Of course, you think, it's a sound file, after all.

But things become interesting when you scroll down to the very bottom in notepad. Located there is a type of watermarking, which records the software that the Microsoft musician used to create the WAV files.

We found the following text there:
LISTB INFOICRD 2000-04-06 IENG Deepz0ne ISFT Sound Forge 4.5

At first, that sounds anything but spectacular. It seems as if the Microsoft musician or the freelance musician commissioned by Microsoft used the Sony-made software " Sound Forge " (formerly Sonic) in its 4.5 version. Sound Forge is a tool for professionals and enables users to create WAV, AIFF, MP3 and other music files priced at $400.

On its face, all that's not unusual: Microsoft uses professional software. Who would've thought? But wait a minute, who or what is "DeepzOne"?

Bingo!

DeepzOne is (or at least was) member of the Warez group Radium that had specialized on cracking music software. Along with a person using the alias "Sandor," he was also co-founder of this group, which was established in 1997( see in this interview ). In addition, it was DeepzOne who started circulating the cracked 4.5 version of Sound Forge a few years ago.

A few years back, the group "Radium" caused quite a stir. It cracked the original Fraunhofer MP3 codec in order improve the limited MP3 codec that comes along
with Microsoft. To listen to MP3s, the Windows codec was solid, but it offered only limited encoding functions. The Radium codec, by contrast, boasted an improved encoder (up to 320 Kbit/s). During this Warez release, then, the name DeepzOne" surfaced. But what is the name "DeepzOne" doing in nine WAV files in Windows XP? Nothing more than a coincidence? One has the suspicion that that the files were generated with the cracked version of Sound Forge 4.5. It's difficult to say whether Microsoft itself did that or one of the freelancers. Only the Redmond-based employees in charge of the Windows Media Player will know that for sure. It seems, though, as if someone wanted to get around filling out an investment order to buy a software worth $400.

The topic still raises a moral problem, though, as Microsoft is quick to report every oh-so-minor success in the fight against piracy. In the wake of that move, the company also joined the BSA (Business Software Alliance), which has devoted itself to the "fight against software piracy" and persecutes violaters around the globe. But maybe BSA knows which office door it should knock on

Microsoft has yet to issue a statement. It will be interesting to get the company's position on this issue.