Hanover  - Whether you prefer novels, poetry, academia or non-fiction, it's now easier than ever with book-on-demand services to track down that long sought-after book and finally get a copy.

These services allow any author access to a market by printing only pre-ordered samples of books. But, while it helps bring authors and readers into contact with each other, it does not guarantee a bestseller.

"Thanks to affordable digital printing systems, it can be profitable to print just one copy," said Tim Gerber of c't, a German computer magazine.

Hanover  - Anyone looking to buy a new family PC should not get caught up in the hype surrounding quad core computers. The quad core machines offer far more brawn than really needed for household applications, says the Hanover-based c't magazine.

A PC with dual core processors is a better choice. Normal users will see little benefit from quad cores, c't's editors say. A PC with a quad core processor also makes more noise and consumes more power than comparably priced twin-core machines.

Hanover  - Anybody can learn to program. The key is to set small goals along the way. Good programming languages to start with are C# and Java, says programming how-to book author Helmut Erlenkoetter. These languages, known as object-oriented, are clearly structured and easy to understand, he says.

Another good entry level candidate is the newer version of Visual Basic .NET, says Hajo Schulz from the Hanover-based computer magazine

c't. While Visual Basic and C# are designed for the Windows operating system, Java works with both Linux and the Mac OS.

Hanover, Germany - Midfielder Jan Rosenthal won't be used in the Hanover 96 go

Hanover, Germ

Hanover, Germany - German investigators sought Wednesday to find out how a fire began in the toilet of a coach and quickly spread through the vehicle, killing 20 pensioners on a day's outing.

Uwe Schuenemann, interior minister of Lower Saxony state, stressed the cause of the Tuesday evening inferno, on a highway just outside the northern city of Hanover, had not been discovered yet.

Prosecutors opened a criminal inquiry to establish if any person had caused the fire, which gutted the passenger space but left the lower half of the coach largely untouched. The bus was towed to a police compound during the night with the remains still inside.