MS Excel 2007 Basic Tutorial Lesson 2

MS Excel 2007 Tutorial Lesson 1

Alexandra Stan Lemonade HD

List of Top 5 Hollywood Movies to Watch of All Time

Every year thousands of movies in Hollywood are released. So for our movie fans it's not an easy feat to narrow decades of outstanding Hollywood movies into a single top 5 list. 

here we've compiled the top 5 Hollywood movies considered the best of all time..

1. Titanic: A 1997 American epic romantic disaster film directed by James Cameron. Upon its release on December 19, 1997, the fourteen Oscar awarded movie achieved critical and commercial success and is described as a glorious Hollywood epic and the greatest disaster movie ever made. Its 3D version was released on April 4, 2012, pushing Titanic's worldwide total to $2.18 billion, becoming the second Hollywood movie to gross more than $2 billion worldwide after Avatar.

1. Initial release: November 18, 1997 (London)
2. Director: James Cameron
3. Running time: 3h 14m
4. Featured song: My Heart Will Go On
5. Budget: 200 million USD

2. Avatar: A 2009 American epic science fiction action film also directed by James Cameron, and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, etc. The film is set in the mid-22nd century, telling about a paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home. Avatar is the most expensive film ever made with speculation that it cost $280 million but is also taken for one of the top 10 movies emanated from Hollywood.

1. Film series: Avatar Series
2. Budget: 237 million USD (2009)
3. Director: James Cameron

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part2: A 2011 fantasy film distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The Hollywood movie joins in the top 10 list for it received the best reviews of 2011. It is and is the fourth highest grossing film of all time as of 2013 and the highest grossing film in the Harry Potter series.

1. Initial release: July 7, 2011 (London)
2. Director: David Yates
3. Running time: 2h 10m
4. Film series: Harry Potter
5. Production company: Heyday Films

4. The Godfather:  A clash between good and evil awaits as young Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) prepare for a final battle against Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Harry has grown into a steely lad on a mission to rid the world of evil. The friends must search for the Horcruxes that keep the dastardly wizard immortal. Harry and Voldemort meet at Hogwarts Castle for an epic showdown where the forces of darkness may finally meet their match.

1. Initial release: March 15, 1972 (New York City)
2. Director: Francis Ford Coppola
3. Film series: The Godfather
4. Music composed by: Nino Rota
5. Featured songs: Speak Softly Love, I Have But One Heart

5.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: A 2006 American fantasy adventure film and the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Despite its plot and running time criticism, it set several records in its first three days, with an opening weekend of $136 million in the United States, and it was, at the time, the fastest film ever to gross over $1 billion in the worldwide box office, which cannot be missed from our top 10 Hollywood movie list.

1. Release date: August 6, 2006 
2. Director: Gore Verbinski
3. Running time: 2h 31m
4. Film series: Pirates of the Caribbean
5. Budget: 225 million USD

How to make a professional video for YouTube in home

In the era of YouTube, home videos are as popular as family photos. Even if all you have is a video camera on your phone or digital camera, you still can create good videos. However, a dedicated video camcorder, such as a Flip Camcorder is a much better option.
No matter which video camera you have, these 10 simple tips on how to record home videos and make home videos look professional.

#1: Plan Your Production

No matter what event you videotape, have a plan. Write down or make a mental list of shots you will want to include. For example, if you’re videotaping a birthday party, your list might include:

1. Decoration of the cake
2. Guests arriving at the party
3. Guests being welcomed
4. The presentation of the birthday cake
5. Blowing out the candles and reactions from guests
6. Cake cutting
7. Shots of presents being opened
8. Interviews of guests
9. Entertainment and dancing
10. Guests leaving

If there’s an agenda for the event, you can use it to prepare you shot list. The more you know about what is going to occur in the event, the easier it will be shoot your production.

#2: Use a Tripod

Whenever possible, make use of a tripod. I realize it’s a hassle to set up a tripod, but using one makes a big difference in your video production. If you’re not going to be moving around, hand-holding your camcorder, using a tripod will help you keep your shots steady and clean. There’s nothing more distracting than to view videos in which the camcorder is constantly shaking and moving in and out of focus. Using a tripod, you can easily pan your shots for smoother recording.

Opening Establishing Shot

Nearly all movies and scenes in them begin with what is called an establishing shot. It’s a shot of the location where the action is going to take place. In the case of the party, it might be a panning shot of the party setup, or an outdoor shot of where the house or place where the birthday party is being held.

Shoot Close

Just as with photography, you should typically shoot close on your subjects. Fill the LCD monitor of your camcorder with the main subject being shot. The more background distractions you have in your shots, the less appealing it will be. Typically, there are four types of shots used in videography: wide, medium, close-up and extreme close-up. You can recognize these type of shots in well done movies you watch.

Shoot Cutaway Shots

All good videos and movies use what is called cutaway shots. A cutaway shot is usually a related shot to the main action. For example, when shooting a birthday party, you will have a shot of the birthday girl blowing out her candles and cutting her cake. But you will also want to include cutaway shots of the guest singing the birthday song or clapping after the candles are blown out.
Another example: when the birthday girl is opening her presents, you might cutaway to a shot of the person from whom a presents was given.  Here’s a good how-to video that explains cutaways.

Shoot Wide then Close

Similar to cutaway shots, you will want get in the habit of shooting medium to close range shots. For example, you start with a medium shot of the birthday girl opening her presents. Then you shoot in close on her hands as she opens the present, adding to the dramatic effect.

Change angles and positions

Get in the habit of shooting from different angles and positions. If you shoot every shot from the same position or angle, your viewers will easily get bored. You don’t need to change your position with every shot, but you also don’t want to be stuck in the same place for the entire recording.

Shoot to Edit

Whether or not you edit your movie after it is recorded, try to do what is called in-camera editing. For example, your camcorder may have a built-in fade-in and fade-out feature which means that each time you start and stop a recording, the shot will automatically fade in and fade out. That can help make for cleaner and more appealing shots.
If you don’t plan to do post-editing, you will want to keep in mind the timing of your shots. Before the event, determine how long you will want your video production to be. If you’re shooting a birthday party, your production might only be 15 to 30 minutes long, even though the party itself might be a couple of hours. Remember, Hollywood movies are typically no more than 90 minutes. Viewers will not want to watch a two-hour video of a birthday party. So plan your shots and make them purposeful. When capturing guest arrival shots, for example, each of your shots might be about 10 seconds long for recording each guest. Your camcorder should include a timer that you can monitor for the length of time of each shot.

Check Sound and Recording

Shooting video is not like shooting with a still camera. It’s quite easy to have your camcorder on and see action in the LCD screen, but that doesn’t mean you’re making a recording. Learn to recognize when your camcorder is actually recording and when it’s not. Also check the sound level. If your camera has a way to manually monitor and adjust the level of audio coming into the camera, be sure to constantly check that audio level to make sure it’s not too high or low. If possible, use a set of closed-headphones to monitor the audio levels coming into your camera.

Edit Your Production

Editing your video shots using what is called a nonlinear editor, such as Apple”˜s iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or Adobe Premiere Elements, is simply the best way to make better video productions. The process is not as difficult as you think, but it does require extra time. With a movie editor, you can get rid of poor shots, tighten the editing; add smooth transitions, background music, and titles to make your production worth watching. There’s also a website called Jaycut.com that allows you to edit movies online. I have not used Jacycut yet, so I can’t vouch for how good it is, but it is a free option you might give a try, especially for say five-minute videos. You could also take a look at other video editor MakeUseOf has covered in the past.

I will be sharing some more tips on video productions in future articles. If you have questions about this topic, be sure ask them in the comment section.

famous historic buildings in UK

London

Tower  of  London
 

The Tower of London – known as The Tower - has been a Castle, Palace, Prison, Museum and a place offering a secure repository for the keeping of valuables. Spanning back to the 11th century its history started with the death of Edward the Confessor who died childless in 1066.  Edward’s brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, was crowned king but William, Duke of Normandy, a distant blood relative, claimed he had been promised the throne. This led to William invading England and the defeat of Harold at the Battle of Hastings.  

William then set about securing his position by the construction of defensive structures and the construction of the White Tower on the site of what was to become the Tower of London. The Tower was built between 1078 and 1098 by Norman masons who brought some of the stone from Normandy.  The Tower was also built to impress, 90 feet tall and 118 x 106 feet in plan. The walls were 15 feet thick at ground level decreasing to 11 feet as it ascended. The walls on the upper floors had narrow slits positioned in wide splays. On the southern side, four pairs of the original double slits remain. In late 17th and early 18th centuries all others were replaced by Sir Christopher Wren with the windows seen today. The original single entrance was on the south side and it was reached by an external staircase. There were no doors at ground level. On the first floor of the White Tower is the Chapel of St John the Evangelist where the royal family and the court worshipped.  The White Tower is one of the most perfect examples of Norman architecture in Britain.  Today it houses exhibits of arms and armour.  Originally it was protected by the Roman walls on two sides. It also had ditches to the north and west 25 feet wide and 11 feet deep and an earthwork topped by a wooden palisade.

The next stage of construction was instigated by Richard the Lionheart (1189-99) before leaving for the Crusade. He left the Tower in the hands of his Chancellor, William Longchamp, Bishop of Ely who added significantly to its defenses, doubling the Tower in size. While Richard was away his brother John besieged the Tower, and Longchamp held out until lack of supplies forced him to surrender. Richard regained control on his return to England in 1194, forgiving John and naming him as his successor. When John became King he often stayed in the Tower.

A major extension of the Tower included the building of the Wakefield and the Lanthorn Towers which were undertaken by John’s son Henry III (1216-72). Henry had to take refuge from his rebellious Barons at the Tower in 1238 and set about building defensive walls which he reinforced by nine new towers. He also surrounded it with a moat. In 1240 Henry moved into the Tower on a permanent basis and further developed it with additional buildings, including a church and a great hall, and turned the White Tower into a Palace.

When Edward I (1272-1307) came to the throne, he carried out major alterations by filling in the moat and constructing another wall enclosing the existing wall before creating a new moat.

In 1381, in the reign of Richard II, the Tower was stormed during the Peasants' Revolt. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Royal Treasurer, a tax official, and a doctor were taken and subsequently executed. Richard and his brother managed to hide, although Richard was eventually thrown into the dungeon at the Tower and forced to give up the throne to Henry IV.

One of the most famous stories of the Tower relates to the two princes - Edward V and his brother, Richard, who were the two sons of Edward IV. They were placed in the Tower by their uncle Richard, their Protector. A short while later they disappeared and many believe that Richard was responsible for their deaths, with Richard becoming Richard III.

When Henry VII moved into the Tower in 1485 after killing Richard III in a battle,  he formed a personal bodyguard called the Yeoman Warders, whom to this day still guard the tower and act as guides for tourists.

Henry VIII (1509-47) commissioned a range of timber-framed buildings for the use of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, but they were rarely used and the Tower ceased to be a royal residence. After Henry’s break with Rome, the Tower was extensively used for the imprisonment of religious and political prisoners.

The future Elizabeth I was imprisoned in the Tower for two months in 1554, on the order of Queen Mary - her half-sister - as she felt that her throne was being threatened by Elizabeth. Also held in the Tower was Lady Jane Grey, the nine day queen, before being executed for treason at the age of 16. Anne Boleyn was also held in the Tower before she was executed. Other residents included Guy Fawkes, famous for his part in the Gunpowder Plot; Sir Thomas Moore and Sir Walter Raleigh who spent most of his 13 years of imprisonment in the Bloody Tower with his wife and two children, and his rooms can be seen on a visit. The Bloody Tower was originally known as the Garden Tower due to it being next to the constable's garden. The square-shaped structure at one time served as a gateway to the Inner Ward.  It gained its present name in the 16th century because of the events which took place there, including the killing of the two princes.

The last execution at the Tower was that of German spy Josef Jakobs by firing squad in 1941. The last prisoners were the Kray twins for a few days in 1952 for failing to report for National Service.

Today, visitors enter the Tower along a short causeway to the Middle Tower built in the late 13th century.  The archway, together with those of the Byward Tower and the Bloody Tower, were defended by portcullises, two of which remain. Passing through the Byward Tower archway you enter Water Lane. Leading from Water Lane is Mint Street, which is where until 1810, the Royal Mint stood. Along Water Lane is St Thomas Tower built by Edward I between 1275 – 1279 to provide accommodation for the King and a new water entrance to the Tower. This became known as Traitors Gate as prisoners accused of treason were brought to the Tower via this gate. 

Tower Green was used for the execution of those whose public beheading on Tower Hill might have incited unrest.  Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey were beheaded privately on Tower Green. At the side of Tower Green is the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in Chains). This is where most of those who were executed on Tower Hill and some from Tower Green, were buried under flagstones.

Also at the side of Tower Green is the Queen's House, built around 1530, probably for Queen Anne Boleyn, she lived there for 18 days while awaiting her execution. The last prisoner to stay in the Queen's House was Rudolf Hess, the Deputy Fuhrer of Nazi Germany. 

Within the Tower are eight ravens, and legend has it that if the Ravens ever leave the Tower, England will fall; consequently their wings are clipped to prevent them from flying away. They are cared for by the Raven Master, a duty of one of the Yeoman Warders.

Visitors are able to see the Crown Jewels which are housed in Waterloo Barracks, built when the Duke of Wellington was Constable of the Tower. Next to that is the Museum of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, which was the first Regiment to be armed with an improved musket, called a fusil.

The Tower of London has played a significant part in English history; it has in the past been seen as a symbol of royal power but is now an instantly recognisable symbol of England.

The Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster is perhaps better known as the Houses of Parliament and the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The history of the site started in Roman times when a temple dedicated to Apollo is believed to have stood on the site. Although its present development began in the 8^th century when a Saxon church dedicated to St Peter was constructed and became known as the West Minster. In the 10^th century it became part of a Benedictine abbey and was used as the Royal church, it was its association with the Kings that resulted in the expansion of the site, something that was started by King Cnut (1016 – 1035).

The sites development over the centuries resulted in two palaces, the Old Palace, which was a medieval building constructed in the 11^th century and the New Palace constructed after the Old Palace was destroyed by fire.

The Old Palace became the primary residence of the Kings of England from 1049 with Edward the Confessor (1042 – 1066) until 1532 when Henry VIII (1509 – 1547) acquired York Place from Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and converted it to become the Palace of Whitehall.  The Royal Council, the predecessor of Parliament, met in Westminster Hall from the 11^th century. From 1295 it was the venue of the Model Parliament, the first official Parliament of England. This consisted of clergy, aristocrats and representatives of the counties and boroughs of the Kingdom. It was also the venue for the various Royal Courts of Justice. The commons were given permanent use of St Stephen’s Chapel (now St Stephen’s Hall) in 1547 having previously used various parts of the palace or Westminster Abbey for their meetings.

The Palace underwent a number of alterations from the 18^th century onwards, as more buildings were added including a new west façade between 1755 and 1770 in order to provide more document storage and committee rooms.

On 16 October 1834, a fire broke out in the Palace due to an overheated furnace which set fire to the House of Lords Chamber. This then spread to the Commons Chamber and most of the other parts of the complex, with the exception of Westminster Hall, the Cloisters of St Stephen, the Jewel Tower and the Chapel of St Mary.  King William IV (1830 – 1837) offered Buckingham Palace as an alternative though this was deemed to be unsuitable and was therefore declined.

In 1836, 97 design proposals for the new palace had been submitted for consideration and the Gothic style design by Charles Barry was accepted.  In 1840 work started and the Lords Chamber was completed in 1847, the Commons Chamber in 1852 and most of the other buildings by 1860; although it took over 30 years to finish the work completely, delays occurring due to cost increases and by the death of Barry in 1860.

Built on the neo-classical principle of symmetry it contains over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) of passageways, spread over four floors. Its façade stretches for 266 metres along the bank of the River Thames. Although mainly completed by 1870 work on the interior decoration continued intermittently well into the twentieth century.

During the Second World War the Palace was hit by bombs on fourteen separate occasions. One bomb fell into Old Palace Yard and severely damaged the south wall of St Stephen's Porch and the west front. The statue of Richard I (1189 – 1199) the Lionheart, was blown from its pedestal, another bomb destroyed much of the Cloisters. The Clock Tower was also hit blowing out all the glass on the south dial although the hands and bells were not affected and the Clock continued to keep time.  The worst incident however, was on the night of 10/11 May 1941, when the Palace took twelve hits killing three people.  An incendiary bomb hit the chamber of the House of Commons setting it on fire; while another caused the roof of Westminster Hall to catch fire causing significant damage.

In 1975 the Palace space has extended to allow MPs to have their own office when it acquired the Norman Shaw Building and in 2000 the custom-built Portcullis House was completed. Portcullis House is accessed by a secure tunnel running from the Palace under Bridge Street.  The building contains a glazed covered courtyard with a cafeteria with meeting rooms on the first floor and offices above.

A visit to the Palace will normally follow a prescribed route which includes the main rooms. Unfortunately photographs are not permitted other than in Westminster Hall so none of the other rooms are shown in the video below although the official site of the Palace of Westminster does include some excellent photos and virtual tours. Passing through security visitors enter Westminster Hall which was constructed in 1097 and is the oldest existing part of the Palace of Westminster, which at the time of construction was the largest hall in Europe. The roof was originally supported by pillars, but this was changed during the reign of Richard II (1377 – 1399) to the hammerbeam roof which looks like an inverted ships keel. 

Westminster Hall has served numerous functions including housing the main judicial courts of the land. It has also housed a number of important trials, including that of King Charles I (1625 – 1649), Sir William Wallace, Guy Fawkes and Sir Thomas More whose commemorative plaque can be found on the floor of the hall, along with some of the famous who lay in state after their death.

From the Westminster Hall you will enter St. Stephen’s Hall which then leads to the Central lobby lying below the Central Tower. From this lobby lead corridors to both chambers of the house, the libraries and committee rooms. Through the House of Lords Chamber the Royal Gallery leads to the Robing Room which the Sovereign uses prior to the state opening of Parliament. Their entrance is through the Sovereign’s entrance in the Victoria Tower with its wrought iron gates. The Victoria Tower consists of twelve floors, which on its completion in 1858 was the tallest secular building in the world. It is used as an archive containing over three million Parliamentary records dating back to 1497.

The Tower which most people are aware of is the Clock Tower known as “Big Ben” after the name of the largest of its five bells. It dates from 1859 and has become one of the world’s iconic buildings. Visitors are allowed, although special security clearance is required and they have to climb the 334 steps.

The Palace of Westminster has been a Grade I listed building since 1970 and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 yet it remains very much a working building with significant influence on the United Kingdom and its people.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey started as a Benedictine monastery established during the period of 960-980, although it is believed that an abbey - known as St Peters - was founded on the site in the 7th century. Between 1042 and 1052 King Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) began to rebuild and develop the abbey as a royal burial church. Although it was consecrated in 1065 shortly before Edwards’s death, it was not completed until the 1090’s. It was the first church in England to be built in the shape of the cross.

Henry III (1216-1272) started to develop the building in 1245 when he chose it as the place for his burial. Construction took place progressively as Edwards’s church was demolished Henry’s new Gothic building replaced it. At the time of Henry’s death the sanctuary, quire and first bay of the nave had been completed but then work came to a standstill. In 1376 the foundation stone was laid for a new nave, the construction of which took place over 140 years, finally being completed and dedicated in 1516. 

Henry VII (1485-1509) added the Lady Chapel where he and his wife, Elizabeth of York are buried; their remains are in a vault beneath their tombs which are located behind the altar and surrounded by a metal grille.  Also buried in the chapel is James I (1603- 1625) although he has no monument depicting his resting place. After World War II an altar and window to commemorate the fighter pilots and crew who died during the Battle of Britain in 1940 was added.

Over the years the abbey was the usual place of burial for the Kings and Queens until George II (1727-1760), with the exception of Henry VIII (1509-1547) and Charles I (1625-1649). The burial place of seventeen monarchs the abbey is also the resting place of many distinguished people including many famous musicians, writers and scientists as well as political figures.

The Abbey was also the place of the monarchs’ coronation, this started with William I, the Conqueror (1066-1087) in 1066.  Every coronation since 1308 has used King Edward’s Chair which houses the Stone of Scone (also known as the Stone of Destiny). This is a block of red sandstone used for the coronation of Scottish Kings. The stone was captured by Edward I (1272-1307) in 1296 and placed in the chair.  The stone was returned to Scotland in 1996 although provision exists for its return for any future coronation:  The chair can be seen in the Abbey.

In 1540 Henry VIII (1509-1547) granted the abbey the status of a cathedral but it was to retain that status only until 1550 when it was returned to the Benedictine monks by Mary I (1553-1558). They were however to lose it again in 1579 when Elizabeth I (1558-1603) re-established the abbey as a Royal Peculiar, which is a church that falls directly under the control of the Monarch.

The abbey suffered during the civil war with damage being sustained by the statues, the organ and religious images, although it was protected by Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth Period (1649-1659). Cromwell in fact was buried in the Lady Chapel, which is marked by a plaque, although his remains were removed on the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

At the sides of the aisle of the Lady Chapel are the tombs of Mary I and Elizabeth I who share the same tomb, Elizabeth’s coffin resting on top of that of Mary. On the other side of the aisle is the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots. 

The architecture of the abbey underwent a major change between the years of 1722 and 1745 when the two west towers for which the abbey is famous were constructed. The abbey contains some magnificent architecture from its Gothic vaulting with the nave reaching over 31 metres (100 feet) - the highest vault in Britain - to its flying buttresses supporting the exterior of the building and the many tombs and statues. Today the walls look drab but they would have been adorned with brightly coloured paintings.  In front of the altar is a mosaic of over 30,000 pieces of porphyry, glass and onyx laid in marble and dating back to 1268.

A visit to the abbey will also take you into the cloister, used by the monks for meditation and exercise and to the museum. The octagonal Chapter house has its original tile floor dating from 1250 and some 14th century murals.

Located by the abbey is St Margaret’s church, built in the late 11th century to enable people to hear mass without disturbing the monks from carrying out their devotions in the abbey. The present church is the third on the site. The second was constructed in the reign of Edward III (1327-1377).  The third church was started in 1482 but was not consecrated until 1523. In 1614 it became the church of the House of Commons. It continues to be used for worship and also music recitals. While the abbey itself still plays a significant part in the history and life of the nation.

Kensington Palace

Built in 1605, the Jacobean property that was originally known as Nottingham House was acquired by William (III) and Mary (II) in 1689 for the sum of £20,000. They embarked on an expansion programme under the supervision of Sir Christopher Wren, which was to make the Palace the residence of the British Monarchs until the death of George II in 1760 when it became used as apartments by a number of the Royal Family. Today it still accommodates the offices and private apartments of a number of members of the Royal Family. The State Apartments were opened to the public in 1899 and visitors are still able to visit them and gardens.

The Palace has witnessed a number of sad occasions, in 1694 Queen Mary II (1662-1694) died there of smallpox while William III (William of Orange (1650-1702)) died following a fall from his horse in 1702 and a subsequent chill. The rooms display personal items and tell the story of the their occupants and their lives enabling visitors to learn of its history and the people involved

Leading to the King’s State Apartments is the King’s Staircase which includes the Presence Chamber with a gilded armchair; the Privy Chamber with a beautifully painted ceiling; the Cupola Room which houses a monumental musical clock at the centre of the room; the Council Chamber which displays the dress used by courtiers; and the Kings Gallery with is row of windows, red wall covering and paintings and its beautiful ceiling.  The other main staircase, known as the Wren Staircase, leads to the Queen’s Gallery; Closet; eating, drawing and bedroom and the rooms that made up the Queen’s State Apartments which were added by Queen Anne (1665-1714).

The orangey was also added by Queen Anne in 1704.  But it was George I (1660-1727) who spend a considerable amount of money from 1718 renovating and improving the property including the Copular Room which was to become the principal state room. It was here that Princess Victoria was christened, following her birth at Kensington Palace in 1819. Victoria was to spend 18 years at Kensington Place and it was there that in 1836 she was to meet Albert who was to be her consort. The exhibits trace the events of Victoria’s life and show the rooms and possessions that marked her connection with the Palace.

When Victoria became Queen In 1837she held her first meeting of her Privy Council in the Red Saloon at Kensington Palace. It was Queen Victoria (1819-1901) who was to move to Buckingham Palace making that the official Residence of the British Monarch.  

In 1981 following the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer the couple moved into an apartment in the Palace that was to be the home of Princess Diana until her death in 1997 when the palaces gates were to become the focal point for the public's mourning. The palace contains a collection of dresses of Princess Diana, Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II. 

Following their wedding in April 2011 Kensington Palace became the home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Kensington Palace is managed by Historic Royal Palaces and is furnished with items from the Royal Collection. From 2010 to 2012 it underwent a £20 million restoration project to make it appealing to visitors and one of the London’s major tourist attractions. 

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren to replace the cathedral destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.  Constructed during the years from 1675 to 1710 it is the fourth religious building on the site. The first was built in 604 which was destroyed and rebuilt following Viking raids and subsequent fires. It was around 1087 that Bishop Maurice, the Chaplain to William the Conqueror started the construction of what was to become known as Old St Paul’s. This was completed in 1240 although was subsequently enlarged finally being completed in 1300. Over the years the building gradually fell into disrepair until in 1633 under the supervision of Inigo Jones restoration work was carried out which included the addition of a portico to the west front. The work was stopped with the English civil war (1642 - 1651) and it wasn’t until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 that work was once again to start on the cathedral. However, before any major work could be carried out the Great Fire of London destroyed two-thirds of the city and made the cathedral so unsafe that in 1668 it had to be demolished. Prior to the fire Christopher Wren had produced plans for its renovation and he was asked to produce a design for the new building. These were accepted and work commenced in 1675 construction was to take 35 years with 9 years in the planning.

St Paul's Cathedral is of significant importance in the county’s identity and has been the location of the thanks giving services at the end of the First and Second World Wars and for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations and Queen Elizabeth’s 80th birthday and her Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees. It was also the place where the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place. It has been the location for the funeral services for Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, both who are buried in the Crypt as well as Margaret Thatcher and Sir Winston Churchill who is commemorated in the Crypt by the set of iron gates stretching across the crypt and separating it from the restaurant. Numerous other tombs and memorials are scattered throughout the Cathedral including that of Sir Christopher Wren, Florence Nightingale, T.E. Lawrence, Lord Kitchener, Sir Alexandra Fleming and the clergy from the cathedral over the years. It also has a number of memorials dedicated to specific conflicts such as the Falkland and the Gulf War.

Although St Paul's Cathedral is still a working church, with regular services, visitors are able to visit most of the cathedral which includes a number of chapels around the cathedral at ground level while the crypt contains the Knights Bachelor Chapel and the OBE Chapel. 

Built in the shape of a cross visitors enter to see the nave stretching before them. Within the Nave are a number of memorials including the one for the Duke of Wellington who is mounted on Copenhagen his horse from the Battle of Waterloo. At the end of the nave is the lectern in the shape of an eagle. Just passed this is the  Transepts with the crossing stretching between them, this in St Paul’s is known as the Dome Area which is directly below the dome and provides views of the interior of the dome.

The dome consists of three structures which enable the inner dome to be proportional to the internal architecture. Visitors are able to visit a number of levels.  The first is the Whispering Gallery set at 30 metres above the floor and taking 257 steps to reach it. It is so named due to the perfect acoustics which enable a person whispering on one side, to be clearly heard on the other side.  A further 23 meters and 119 steps takes you to the Stone Gallery while the more adventuress can go up the total of 528 steps taking them up 82 meters to the Golden Gallery, which provides panoramic views over the City of London.

Leading from the Dome area is the Quire which is where the choir and the clergy sit during a service. On the north side of the quire is the cathedra which is the place where the Bishop sits and what gives the cathedral its name. The one in St Paul’s as completed in 1697 and is embellished with carved wooden flowers, plants and cherubs. The mosaics decorating the walls and ceiling of the quire where installed following a remark by Queen Victoria that the St Paul’s was “dull, dingy and undevotional”. The high alter and baldacchino (canopy over an altar) were installed in 1958 to replace those destroyed by bomb damage during the Second World War. At the top of the baldacchino are gilded statues of Jesus and angels. In the North Quire aisle is the sculpture of the Mother and Child by Henry Moore. 

Photographs within the Cathedral visitors are not allowed which explains their absence in the video below, with the exception of the All Souls’ Chapel and the Kitchener Memorial by the entrance.

Mac vs Windows PC - which is best?

answer by jomalik

What is best: Mac or PC? Here we examine five key areas, and help you to decide if you should buy a Mac or a Windows PC or laptop. (Answer: get a Windows machine.)
How I miss the old days. In a past life I was the editor of PC Advisor, and I knew where I stood. For everything Windows, and against everything Mac. Of course the world has changed and things these days are much more nuanced. In a world with iPhones, iPads and all the other smartphones and tablets, our reliance on Macs and Windows PCs has reduced. And this makes the differences seem less key.
At the same time as smartphones and tablets have brought variety to the world of personal computing, Macs and Windows PCs have never been more similar. Apple even uses Intel processors. So the battle beetween Windows and Mac is both less important and less clear cut than once it was. But there are significant differences.
And so it was that one morning in December Macworld editor Karen Haslam and I debated the hoary old Mac vs PC issue. Putatively we set out to establish which is best: Mac or Windows PC? But really we just wanted to have a good old natter about the state of the desktop and laptop computer market in 2014. I was taking the part of the Wintel world, defending and promoting Microsoft's products.
Watch the video above for the full debate (if for some reason it isn't working a YouTube embed can be found at the bottom of the page). Below is the gist of my argument as to why Windows PCs and laptops are better than are Macs. I'm right. (See also: Android vs iPhone vs Windows Phone vs BlackBerry - what's the best mobile platform?)
(For the opposite viewpoint, read Macworld UK's piece: why Macs are better than PCs.)

Why Windows PCs and laptops are better than Macs

Why PCs are better than Macs: Devices

Only the Windows world offers true variety.
The simple fact is that Apple produces only five kinds of OS X computer. Two types of laptop, the Mac mini, the iMac all-in-one and the Mac Pro. They are all fine products, and they will satisfy plenty of people's needs. But not by any means all of them.
Missing from that list of Apple products: convertible laptops and tablets, tablets themselves (iPads don't run OS X software), and gaming rigs. You don't get tabletop slabs like the Sony Tap 20. There's no equivalent to the Surface Pro 2 or the Asus Transformer Book T100T.
More importantly, you can't buy a Mac for less than £499 inc VAT, and that's the Mac mini - hardly a workhorse for everyone. By contrast you can pick up a perfectly decent Windows PC or laptop from a big-name maker such as Dell, HP or Lenovo for as little as £350 inc VAT. Less if you are prepared to shop around.

Why PCs are better than Macs: Games

Where do we start? Yes, lots of big name game franchises have ports that work on Mac, and yes since the move to Intel there is no inherent reason for Macs not to run demanding games. You can also access Steam from a Mac, so this is the golden age of Mac gaming. And it sucks.

Face facts, Mac fans: no serious gamer is going to be trapped into Apple's walled garden. There are infinitely more games available for Windows PC, from casual games up to the biggest, baddest games on the planet. And you'll pay for the privilege of playing those relatively few games the Mac supports: you could get a decent Windows gaming rig for the cost of a Mac mini - and with onboard graphics the mini is useless for playing all but the simplest games.
You can game on a Mac, but if you consider yourself a gamer the options in the Windows world are much greater - not least because you can customise a PC to fit a gaming-specific spec. And for every type of gamer the choices offered in the Windows world are greater.

by jomalik

Why PCs are better than Macs: Security

This is where Mac fans get smug. 'There are no viruses in the OS X world', they say. And 'you don't need antivirus on a Mac'. The first statement is palpably untrue, the second is debatable. There is no doubt that you are less likely to be infected by a computer virus if your computer is a Mac. This is partly because OS X - as a UNIX-based system - is compartmentalised in such a way that it is harder to infect than a Windows PC. And it is also true that fewer criminals attempt to hack Macs because there is a smaller user base and it is harder to do. Criminals don't become criminals because they have a great work ethic.
But Macs are not inherently secure. They do get malware, and that is likely to become a bigger deal as Mac market share grows. Moreover the vector of attack these days tends to be social rather than technical. You are more likely to be phished for bank details, or persuaded to click a dodgy link on Facebook, than you are to hit by a driveby malware exploit. (This is one reason why security software companies are desperately trying to get people to install pointless AV on smartphones.)
Windows is very far from perfect. It is inherently insecure. But at least Windows users know that. The herd immunity is far from perfect, but as a percentage Windows users are more likely than their Mac brethren to run security software. Windows 8 comes with antivirus baked in. It is, as Kylie once sang, better the devil you know. All internet use exposes you to threat: at least Windows users know they cannot be complacent.

Why PCs are better than Macs: Value

We have covered this before, but let me say it again: the cheapest Mac is the basic no thrills Mac mini. It has integrated graphics and limited storage. And  without a keyboard or display it costs five hundred quid.
Most Macs are actually decent value, but they are not cheap. And they cater to a wealthy, high-end clientele. If you want a true value computer you need to look to the Windows world. You can pick up a decent family or office PC or laptop for £350 or even less. And that's value.

Why PCs are better than Macs: Software

And finally - software support. Windows software is like Windows games, and the same is true on the Mac side. There are plenty of programs to run on your OS X Mac. And most major programs have Mac versions. But that's most, and not all. And they are often ports of software originally developed for Windows.
The most popular productivity suite for Mac? Microsoft Office. It's good, but it's never quite up to date with the Windows version (as you might expect).
The Windows world is a feast of free- and shareware, free downloads that do just about anything. On the Mac side you have to change the settings to install anything that isn't approved by Apple itself. It means the software all works well, but the choice is limited.

Why PCs are better than Macs: The verdict

That's as good a place as any to stop: go for a Mac if you have money to burn, aren't a serious gamer, and value a controlled experience over freedom of choice. Go for Windows for variety, value and the option to customise. Basically, get a Windows PC.