Technology | Digital Technology

Technology in the Wi-Fi and 3G World

Technology is a part of everyday life in the modern world. Children are learning how to use them at younger ages. Computers are part of the elementary school systems. My daughter’s school supply list for this year included an electronic dictionary and flash drive. Though these items were optional and not required, it still demonstrates the changing world, since these types of items were not on school supply lists a couple years ago. Before long they will be required items along with pens, pencils, notebooks, and erasers.

EReaders are becoming more popular and eBook sales are increasing. EReaders use Wi-Fi and 3G networks to wirelessly receive materials, which is quicker and more efficient than downloading to a computer and then transferring the publications to the eReader from the computer. Libraries are offering lending for digital publications as well as physical books. Magazine and newspaper subscriptions are also available, which is great news for people concerned with environmental issues associated with print publications.

Cell phones like a blackberry smart phone can do everything a computer can do. Many coffee shops, fast food restaurants, and even stores, especially bookstores, allow you to connect to the internet via Wi-Fi or 3G technology on your cell phone, IPad, or laptop. You can surf the web, download music and even play games at an online casino. Applications now make it possible to access and view information on a computer in another location, allowing you the freedom of mobility without losing access to any important information.

The downside to being connected all the time, no matter where you go, is that you are connected all the time. It is harder to get away from work, to go on vacation and escape the everyday when everything is will you in your pocket. If you are watching your child’s soccer game and texting or working via your portable device, are you really paying attention to your child’s activity or just there in body but not mind. When things are important remember to disconnect, leave your phone in the car during the game, unless you are an on-call doctor, most likely whatever is happening can wait one hour for your attention.

Filed Under: Devices, Technology Tagged With: E-book, Mobile phone, Wi-Fi

Software: The Necessity of Advancements

Image by xeeliz via Flickr

It’s a familiar warning — a message opens on your screen, citing software advancements and the need to claim them. You frown, uncertain if you can spare the time (or the hard-drive space). Downloading is tedious and seems to offer few rewards. Any attempts to secure supposedly better programs have failed: yielding indecipherable results and unimpressive new features. There’s nothing to gain from progress. You think it’s instead a mere sales tactic.

That sales tactic is essential, however — and you discover this when a virus infects your computer, old software allowing it to slither in. An update would have saved your system. Now you’re left with a blank screen and a battered connection.

Software is ever-changing. Progress defines source codes, allows them to perpetually transform. Such transformations aren’t fickle, though — offered for the sake of simply being different. Instead they’re meant to keep pace with the endless viruses and spamming Trojans. Advancements aren’t just given to computers. They’re instead claimed by hackers.

As of 2011, there are 1,000,000 unique strands of malware (with all of these shifting to new formulas, the algorithms mutating often). Users master these, shoving them into systems and stealing information. It’s necessary therefore to prepare for any possible invasion — and software updates offer such preparation.

Choosing every possible new program is essential. Frequent installations provide protection, helping networks battle any concerns. The advancements offered to software match the dangers that try to infiltrate them. Achieving a balance between these is vital.

You must not ignore updates. Instead you must embrace them.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Computer program, new features, Source code

When We were Your Age

Remember when your parents told you (repeatedly) that they had to walk three miles a day to get to school? Then they had to walk three miles home. Uphill. In the snow. That was one of the gut-wrenching hardships of “The Olden Days.” Needless to say, there were more.

For the 2011 college graduate, the following is a list of tragic hardships:

Leaving the house without your cell phone
No cable box in your bedroom (you can only watch basic cable)
No GPS – how will you ever find the fraternity party
The microwave is broken (I’ll starve!)
The oven? Seriously?
Not allowed to text while driving (obedient and scared of Dad)
Get a job. Now!
Here’s the title to the car we’ve allowed you to drive. Start paying for gas and insurance using prepaid card.

All of the above items involve high tech luxuries many of us didn’t know about when we were 21. Baby Boomers, who will always represent the majority of the American population (until we die off), witnessed the arrival of many technological advances:

Automatic transmissions
Color TV
Neil Armstrong walking on the moon
Microwave Ovens
Beta Max
’67 Mustangs
SSTs and 747s
Personal Computers
The Space Shuttle
Disney World
Digital cameras
CDs and DVDs
Microchips for pets
Cell Phones
The Internet
Global Positioning Systems
Lo Jack
iPods
Kindles

In the next generation, today’s college graduates will be telling their kids about all the stuff that wasn’t invented yet when they were growing up. It won’t make an impression on those kids, either.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Global Positioning System, Mobile phone, Neil Armstrong

Training Technology

Once upon a time, overhead projectors were the primary means by which training slides were displayed to a classroom. A teacher or trainer would start with a printed slide that would be projected onto a screen or white wall at the front of the room. The entire presentation would be shown on a succession of slides. Because the slides were clear plastic, they could be written on with erasable colored markers. Trainers wrote on them to show examples, calculations, multiple choice questions, or illustrations. The slides could be used repeatedly. It was a happy day when technology produced slides that could easily be printed by common laser and inkjet printers.

In 1997, a usable version of Microsoft PowerPoint became available and changed the way most major training materials were prepared. With PowerPoint, the various slides became a slide show, built or loaded on a laptop computer wired to a small projector. The final appearance of a PowerPoint presentation is determined by the person who builds the presentation within the PowerPoint software. This need not be a software programmer. While PowerPoint is somewhat intimidating to the newbie, it gets easier with practice. Visual effects of sliding or fading are worked into the presentation along with other visual effects. The graphics available in PowerPoint are very strong, and illustrations from other programs or photo files are easily imported.

The most recent development in training is the “Webinar,” or seminar presented over the Internet. Once registered for the event, an attendee is given an Internet link to click when it’s time to log onto the scheduled presentation. Unlimited numbers of students can get the same training simultaneously. Many college courses are now taught via webinar. Education resource sites such as eLearners offer access to thousands of online training courses and colleges who may offer this feature. There is usually a mechanism for interacting with the instructor via microphone or keyboard. Tests are conducted over the Internet. It’s like attending college without leaving home.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Microsoft, Microsoft PowerPoint, Training

Computer Speak

Times have changed and methods of communication have changed with the times. The way of learning through accredited online colleges are booming too. The scope of business writing has evolved and given birth to many opportunities for misunderstandings and career damage. Here is something to keep in mind at all times: The computers you use at work are company property. Material entered into a work computer becomes company property.

There is a saying about dressing for success. “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” You want your dress, speech, demeanor, and communication to exude competence, business etiquette, and maturity. Keep personal chitchat to a minimum. It’s OK to ask in an email if a coworker had a good weekend, but it’s probably a bad idea to ask him whether he made the spread on the Laker’s game. It would be career suicide to defame your superior or any management staff. For example, “As much as I hate that stupid project of Jim’s, we better get on it.” Wouldn’t you think common sense would prohibit that type of email chat? You’d be surprised.

Keep in mind that anything on the Internet can live forever. It can be used against you. This is especially true of social network sites. It has become commonplace for prospective employers to check out employees’ comments and pictures on FaceBook and other sites. If you have pictures of yourself and/or coworkers in an intoxicated state, for heaven’s sake, don’t post them! Teenagers love to post pictures of themselves in all sorts of questionable situations. It seems funny to them at the time, but those photos may cost them a job. Much can be interpreted about a person’s character by what they publish about themselves. Employers are using this to gain insight about potential employees.

Last but not least, control your urge to use common texting abbreviations like bff, brb, cya, etc. A woman recently asked, “What does lol mean?” On being told it was short for Laughing out loud,” she seemed relieved. “Oh good,” she said. “I thought people were calling me a little old lady.”

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Business, Employment, FaceBook

How is Your Handwriting?

In their early childhood years, all schoolchildren learn to print, generally using pencils and erasers. For America’s “Baby Boomers,” cursive writing was introduced in the third grade and report cards had a space for Penmanship or Handwriting. Those grades – as well as all other subject scores – were handwritten by the teacher on every quarterly report card. There would usually be a nice handwritten note from the teacher, containing comments about the child’s progress in school. Any subject in which a child was not performing well would be reinforced by endless repetition of suitable practice drills. Penmanship was no exception. A child would be asked to practice writing drills on lined paper until his cursive writing became legible.

In following generations, the worldwide race for technological advances became increasingly competitive. The American government and society increased pressure on educators to elevate academic achievement. Standardized testing became the means by which educational competency was measured. English grammar and vocabulary, math, and science scores became the indicators of competence for schools, school districts, states, and teachers. There came to be an unfortunate – but necessary – teaching trend called “Teaching to the Test.” Schools and teachers learned that students’ performance on standardized tests became correlated with school funding and teacher retention. Standardized tests were objectively scored by computers, which read and recorded patterns of dots blackened by students using soft lead pencils. There was no mechanism in the standardized tests to measure the growth of softer subjects, such as art, music, physical education, and penmanship.

Unfortunately, some of the less quantifiable skills received less classroom time in favor of the skills that could, and would, be measured by standardized tests. While many young adults excel in math and science, they might be hard pressed to write a legible shopping list. Luckily, most of us have easy access to computers and online courses. For those of us who still value the elegance of cursive penmanship, there are computer fonts for that.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Cursive, Penmanship, Standardized test

Ways To Secure A Wireless Network

Even though using a home network is convenient, this does not mean it should be left unsecured. Therefore, it is also important to not only use a wireless connection correctly but also ensure its safety, before talking about securing a network, we should first think about a good ISP and plans, we’re having a lot of plans to choose and with a good provider like mycricket.com we’ll be able to enjoy the world of internet. And one of the ways you can ensure your home wireless network cannot be accessed is by encrypting the network. Network encryption involves putting a password on the network so that only you and your family is able to use the wireless Internet. This is one of the best ways to code the Internet traffic so that only those computers with the right passcode can enter. This might sound difficult, but it is not hard to encrypt your network to only be used by you.

Another option to ensure the safety of a home wireless network is to change the visibility of the network. This should only be done by those who are comfortable with changing their Internet settings. It does involve making it impossible for others to see your wireless network and will be specific to the hardware you are using.

Another way in which you can secure wireless network would be to add an administrator password. This is a password that can only give the person who owns the computer the right to enter it files and make any changes. If you already have an administrator’s password on your computer, you can also consider changing this password on a regular basis. The best password is one that is a combination of letters and numbers. In this way, you will know that someone cannot access your computer using this method.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Wireless network

Potential Threats To Home Wireless Network

There is an increasing use of wireless technology in various home and business environments because it is quite cost-effective and increases a person’s productivity regardless of where they are located. It is easy to setup, but it is vulnerable to attack.

Just in the same way that regular Internet can be hacked, wireless Internet has its own threats. If they have an in-house computer department or an outside computer consultant firm, a business will usually have its wireless network secured. However, residential wireless networks will not have this luxury. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure your home wireless network is secure from intruders and other potential threats.

One of the main ways that a home wireless connection can be used is in the case of “piggybacking.” This is a simple turn in which neighbors or other people in the area will pick up the signals of the wireless Internet. There is no malicious intent involved and they are just “piggybacking” off of someone else’s Internet. Usually this threat does not involve anything serious and the person who owns the wireless Internet might not even know there are others accessing their wireless network.

However, a more advanced scenario is when someone tries to access your home wireless network for malicious intent. These are the people who try to hack into your system to access your bank details or steal your identity. In recent times, it is also possible to use a unsecured home wireless network for malicious intent against another computer or business, other than your own. In some instances, it might look as if you are responsible for this hack.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Wireless, Wireless network

What Are Computer Processes?

As you might be aware of, many people have no knowledge or only a limited knowledge of what processes are running on their computer. The same thing can be said about what the functions of these processes might be. In any computer no matter if it is a hp laptop or Dell desktop, there are a series of processes that run invisible to the user. These processes run in the background and can do everything from monitor the system for crashes to improving the way your operating system works.

All these processes run while you use your computer to watch movies, read e-mails or play games. Thy can be representative of a function of the operating system of your computer. Processes result in activities that support each task on your computer and ensures the use of the relevant resources. Sometimes software applications come with integrated processes that run in a background and are not visible to you. However, some of these processes can use your system’s memory resources to a high degree.

Some applications can do things on your system you do not want it to do, such as the transfer of your personal information to another person or computer. This is why security is another reason for you to know what processes are running. Now that you are aware of what a process is and how it works on your computer, it is a great idea to spend time reading about the tools available to display the list of processes running on a computer. But keep in mind that this will depend on your current operating system.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Process

Microsofy Office Suite 2010

Microsoft Office Suite 2010, the newest version available, can be purchased at a variety of levels, depending on your software and usage needs. Microsoft Office products are available for both PC’s and MAC systems.

Microsoft Office Home and Student is the least expensive option. It includes Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, and OneNote 2010. Though this version allows for installation on up to 3 computers, it is not meant for businesses.

Microsoft Office Home and Business comes with the software mentioned in Microsoft Office Home and Student, but then it also has Outlook 2010.

Microsoft Office Professional is the most complete package. In addition to the programs in the Home and Office version, it also has Access 2010 and Publisher 2010.

Microsoft Office Professional Academic offers all the software included in Office Professional, but at a more affordable price for students. If you are a student, check with your school, or the Microsoft Office website to see if this option is available to you.

If you are a business owner, volume licensing is available.

If you do not know what software you need here are basic descriptions of the software programs mentioned here,

Microsoft Word 2010 – is used to create documents

Excel 2010 – is a spreadsheet program with tools for analyzing data

PowerPoint 2010 – allows you to create visual presentations

OneNote 2010 – allows you to take notes and keep all your information in one place

Outlook 2010 – is a program to organize and read your email accounts and manage your calendar

Access 2010 – database tools to help you track and report information

Publisher 2010 – create marketing material and publications, such as newsletters or brochures

The software also includes numerous templates to help you easily create professional looking documents quickly and easily, including resumes.

Microsoft offers training and certification on its software as well. For more information about Microsoft Office Suite visit http://office.microsoft.com

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Microsoft Office