The genesis of dual-core technology

The road to dual-core processors really began when Intel and AMD discovered that the goal of improving processor efficiency and performance by increasing the clock speeds towards the 3-GHz mark and beyond was actually having the opposite effect. The faster clock speeds were producing more heat and consuming more energy, both of which were hindering the efficiency and performance of the processors. Both companies realized that they needed to move towards dual-core processor technology in order to continue to improve processor performance.

Dual-core processors contain two processor cores on one chip; consequently, they can simultaneously perform calculations on two streams of data, which increases efficiency and speed when running multiple programs. This is especially true when running new, multi-threaded software, such as video and audio editing applications.

excerpt from techrepublic

SSL

What does SSL mean? Well, to begin, it stands for Secure Socket Layers and it is basically what makes secure sites secure. Here's how it works.

When you log into a secure server, it communicates with your Web browser for a few seconds. During this communication, it sends your browser encryption information, that only it and your browser can read, out. Once this encryption is set, it acts like a normal Web page, except that all the information coming or going is encrypted. This encryption makes it extremely difficult for any third party (anyone who would intercept the transaction) to decipher it. All this extra protection is why secure servers seem to run slower than their unsecured counterparts.

Secure connections only protect the information as it's coming and going, not when it's just sitting on the server. With that being said, you probably have a better chance of getting ripped off by a sales clerk copying your credit card number at a department store than getting your information stolen over the Internet. Also, you can tell if a site is secure by the first part of its Web address. If it starts with https:// rather than http://, it's secure as can be. Stay safe!

~ Quoted from Steve