With Chinese New Year early this year (January 23rd), the predictions are in earlier than usual and it’s time to ask the experts as to what may happen in this Year of the (Black) (Water) Dragon.

Dragon years are generally auspicious, a time for big ideas and projects and ambitions. However, it is a Black Dragon year and opinion is divided as to whether that’s a good thing or not so good. We will see.

Given that last year’s horoscopes weren’t middling bordering on inaccurate, I’ve sacked the last lot of diviners and asked new astrologers to give their predictions for what seems like an auspicious year. And as we should always try and look on the positive, I’ve gone for the more optimistic predictions in distillling what might lie ahead. So, here goes:

RAT: The ability to adapt to change will serve you well this year. Avoid the temptation to chase easy money and shoddy deals. Work hard in the first half of 2012 in order to reap the rewards in the second half. Love beckons for single Rats in 2012. Overall, a good year.

OX: There will be problems early in the year but with determination, you should be able to overcome them. Your watch words are ‘hard work’, ‘charity’ and ‘discretion’. Do not neglect ethics. Love may come in the Spring. Overall, not a bad year.

TIGER: 2011 was a tough year for sure. Unfortunately, the workload won’t get any easier but you should be able to derive sufficient reward for it. Cultivate relationships, especially with your partner. A good year for new projects. Spring or autumn might see love for single Tigers. Overall a good year.

RABBIT: The positive vibes from the year just past should continue into 2012 with a focus on your career or education. Mistakes will be corrected and learned from but problems must be tackled early. Autumn may yeild a providential meeting with a loved one. Overall a good year.

DRAGON: 2012 is definitely your year ! An excellent year for those involved with the arts, culture or creative activities. While you will inevitably triumph, be cautious not to take on too much or overwork. Spring is defintiely a turning point for many Dragons in a good way as you rise through the ranks or make a fundamental change. Love comes early for single Dragons in 2012. Overall a very good year.

SNAKE: You will encounter many difficulties during this year. But you can overcome these with careful thought and planning. Be careful, however, not to get too caught up in detail and principles and being a stick-in-the-mud. if you are looking for love, you need to make and effort and grab it with both hands. Overall, not a bad year.

HORSE: ‘Stay the course’ is likely your motto for 2012. Like the Snake, you will encounter problems during 2012 but you will be able to overcome them with your stickability. You are likely going to make good progress during the first half of the year and you might want to look at taking things a little easier in the second half of the year. Singles are not going to find 2012 easy, but things look up towards the end of the year. Overall, not a bad year.

SHEEP (or Goat): ‘Stay positive’ is definitely your motto for this year. Don’t look at every mistake as a personal failure or tragedy – keep at it. Seize opportunities that come your way, don’t ignore them. Be careful not to lose your temper or go off the rails – this could have major consequences, particularly at work. Be nice to your partner also. Single Sheep will do well this year. Overall, an ok year.

MONKEY: Challenge yourself this year with a new project or take up something new or unknown to you. Your problem-solving skills will serve you well this year, but maintaining harmony at work and at home is essential. If proposing marriage this year, do it in the Spring. Money prospects are good. Overall, a productive year.

ROOSTER: Smooth sailing early on in the year but you need to be consistent, especially at work. Make sure you complete all your tasks and not start new ones until everything has been sorted out. Good year for financial transactions on the whole. On the personal front, not so smooth sailing. Communication with your partner is vital during 2012. Overall, an ok year.

DOG: Hmmm. While it should be generally speaking an ok year, there will be conflicts ahead at work and possibly at home. Things could get messy. It’s a little all-over-the-place for you, I’m afraid. One minute you want to do this, next minute you want to do that, especially in your personal life. Things definitely sort themselves out towards the end of 2012 but I’d suggest more than a modicum of caution and discretion. Overall, not a bad year but not necessarily a good one either.

PIG: Material prosperity is writ large this year. Seize opportunities, especially early in the year and accumulate (rather than fritter away) your funds. Risky financial transactions are a no-no. The second half and end of the year will be particularly favourable for ambitious undertakings. Romance is definitely on the cards from the Spring.

Gong Xi Fa Cai ! / Gong Hey Fat Choy !

or more practically put…

10,000 hours = 250 work weeks = 5 years

1. Speed Dial – Direct access to your most visited websites
2. Gmail Manager – Manage multiple Gmail accounts and receive new mail notifications. Also, allows you to view account details including unread messages, saved drafts, spam messages, labels with new mail, space used, and new mail snippets.
3. FireFTP – a free, secure, cross-platform FTP client for Mozilla Firefox which provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers.
4. FireShot – a Firefox extension that creates screenshots of web pages
5. TinEye Reverse Image Search – TinEye.com is a reverse image search engine. The plugin adds a right-click menu item that allows you to search for an image to find out where it came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or to find higher resolution versions.
6. Wappalyzer – an add-on for Firefox that uncovers the technologies used on websites.

The settings for speed Dial, FireFTP, and Gmail manager can be exported to a file and imported into other machines easily allowing you to standardize your browser settings on several machines and operating systems.

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