Business Insider recently ran an intriguing look at how the Internet really works. This is a fascinating report because so many people are dependent on the web in such a short time. The majority of us don’t really know how this enormous communications and information tool actually works. Business Insider, though, found several fascinating facts about what actually goes on online. As stated by the story, 27 percent of U.S. consumers use their mobile phones and the mobile Internet to shop. Seven percent of U.S. consumers have obtained items from online auction websites. U.S. residents aren’t shy about banking online, either. As per Business Insider, 33 percent of U.S. residents use their smartphones and Internet for mobile banking. Here are a couple more of the most intriguing:

Facebook is King

We all know Facebook is big. But the social media company is not only big. It dominates the web. Business Insider quoted data from Hitwise to find out exactly how big of a player Facebook is now: Facebook accounts for one in every five page views on the Internet. Facebook also, in September of 2012, reached 1 billion users.

The Biggest Data Center is Rising in Utah

Business Insider also reported of the fact that largest data center in the world is now being built in Utah. The National Security Agency is behind this center, and once the data center is completed, it will store a yottabyte of data. You might not know just what a yottabyte is. But it is huge. It equals 1,000 zettabytes or 1 million exabytes, as reported by Business Insider.

Streaming is on the Rise

Business Insider quoted Harris Interactive numbers indicating that more than 50 percent of U.S. residents use the Internet to view TV. This is done through streaming video, and the service is becoming especially used by people younger than 35. Harris Interactive discovered that streaming TV shows from the web — and watching them on smartphones, tablets and various other devices — has become the favorite method of U.S. residents under 35 to watch TV.

If you’re like most computer users, you make use of Excel on a regular basis, whether you’re computing your household expenses and income or identifying what each one of your company’s sales associates sold for the month. But, if you are like the majority of Excel users, the possibilities are also good that you’re not making use of this program to its full capability. Excel is a truly powerful program. You only need to discover how to make use of its full power. Here, then, are three tricks to help you get more out of Excel.

Adding non-contiguous values

You probably already use AutoSum to add rows of numbers together. It is possible to use AutoSum to highlight columns of numbers that are located adjacent to each other and calculate those totals. But were you aware that it is possible to also utilize this feature to calculate values in rows which are not contiguous? To put it differently, you can utilize AutoSum to incorporate numbers that are in columns not located close to each other. The TechRebpublic blog recently explained how this is accomplished. For instance, if you wanted to add the sales numbers of two of your firm’s top sales team — whose sales numbers aren’t listed alongside each other in the Excel spreadsheet. You just choose one employee’s column of numbers and then hold down your computer’s “Control” key to pick a second column of numbers, wherever they may be located. You can then use AutoSum to figure out the sales numbers of these two sales guys.

Preventing bad data entry

Do your employees often enter bad data in the company spreadsheets? Your workers could be entering text in a spreadsheet designed just to accommodate numbers. This is sometimes a frustrating situation when it is time for you to evaluate your spreadsheet. The good thing, though, as PC Magazine wrote in a recent story, is the fact that Excel features a solution that will protect against individuals from typing incorrect information in a company spreadsheet. This phenomenal feature? It’s name is Data Validation. Select the “Table Tools” tab on Excel. Next, click “Data Validation.” Excel then will allow you to enter precisely what form of data your employees ought to be entering into the spreadsheet. As an illustration, you are able to tell Excel just to allow numbers and not text within a spreadsheet’s fields. Excel will prevent employees from entering the incorrect kind of data.

Don’t let unsaved files ruin your day

You’re in the middle of developing a long Excel file when your computer suddenly shuts down. That’s a great deal of effort now wasted, right? Actually, no. Excel now comes with a function that allows you to easily recover these “lost” documents. Here’s the secret: First, select the “File” tab within your Excel program. Next, select the “Recover Unsaved Documents” option. You can now just click on the document once it appears on your screen. Also, here’s another amazing fact: This will work even for those Excel files which you never even gave a name before you lost them.

When we have a lot of clutter and papers on our desk, it can be hard to work efficiently. If you spend your days looking at a desk cluttered with all of your tasks, it is possible to be intimidated. And what about under your desk? Do you usually have to kick wires out of the way while you’re working? If this sounds familiar, here are a few easy ways you can cut down clutter and increase your efficiency.

1. Tackle the wires – If the wires beneath your desk are a mess, there is a couple easy ways to resolve this. One inexpensive way is to acquire some binder clips, if you don’t already have some. Use these to hold the cords together and keep them straight. A more expensive way is to buy a wireless charging pad, or powermat, and purchase a wireless mouse and keyboard. With these you can wireless charge devices just by placing the object on the mat. This will get rid of all of the cords you need for charging along with any you need to use to connect your mouse and keyboard to your computer.
2. Reduce desktop clutter – Often, our desks can become cluttered with papers. The simplest way to reduce this is to use less paper. We rely so much on digital communication it is an easy shift to use programs like Evernote to store your notes. Also, try not to print documents, just store articles and reports in folders on your computer. If you must print things out, file them away the instant you are done reading them. This will keep you well organized and minimize clutter.
3. Throw things away – Become good, too, at throwing things away. If a client provides you with a sample of a book that you’ll never read, either pass it along to a fellow co-worker or donate to your local Goodwill. If you receive a memo you are sure that you’ll only look at once, recycle it. The quicker you move items off your desk, the more unlikely that you are to clutter your workspace.

When your doctor has to access your health records—everything from your allergies to the treatments you received during past visits—does he or she pull out a manila envelope packed with scraps of paper? Or does your doctor log onto the computer? The odds are becoming increasingly high that your doctor turns to the computer.

Electronic health records

This is due to the recent adoption of EHR software, or electronic heath records. The application of EHR software by medial professionals has grown in recent years. The percentage of office-based physicians with access to EHR software stood at 57 percent in 201. This is an increase from the 50.7 percent of office-based physicians who used EHR software in 2010.

Electronic records good news for patients

This, by the way, is good news for patients. We’d like our doctors to be organized. We want them to be able to access key health information speedily. With health-record data stored in computers, they can do this. They won’t need to fumble through piles of paper to find our medical histories, what sorts of medication we are allergic to, and whether we’ve gained 15 pounds since our last visit. This information will all be available at the touch of a keyboard. EHR systems can also shorten the wait times that we face when we visit our doctor’s offices. If doctors aren’t wasting time shuffling through paperwork, they can take more time visiting with patients and diagnosing them, all the while seeing patients in a more effective manner.

Federal government encouragement

The move toward digital record keeping is being encouraged by the government as well. They are also encouraging physicians to file prescriptions electronically. This seems like a good move as the pharmacists are not as likely to make mistakes and patients are less likely to loose their prescriptions.

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Technology evolves rapidly and as it has evolved, technology comes into our lives changing the way we operate everyday. A lot of technology that we take for granted today seems like something out of a science fiction movie a short while ago. So what is the next giant leap in technology? A writer for Bloomberg Businessweek, Ben Kunz, thinks it’s likely to be holograms.

Apple and holograms

Kunz anticipates that Apple devices—its iPhones and iPads—will soon display holograms that look like something you’d see in a contemporary science fiction film. In fact, Kunz’s story on Bloomberg Businessweek is accompanied by a photo of Robert Downey Jr. from the 2012 hit movie The Avengers using his own nifty holograms. Again, this may sound like the stuff of fiction, but Kunz writes that he’s basing his prediction on real news: Apple’s patents and recent acquisitions. Then there’s the competition in the tablet industry. Apple needs something to help distinguish it from its tablet competitors. Holograms could possibly be that thing.

Apple’s plans

Apple’s hologram idea may include matching a forward-facing camera and sensor that track the location of viewers’ eyes with a screen that can create beams of light at various angles. With this technology, each viewer’s eyes would receive a different angle of the image. This will create realistic-looking holograms.

The future of 3D?

One of the biggest challenges behind 3D holograms is that so far they have failed to really excite consumers. Look at how 3D TV sales have been sluggish. Even game systems, like Nintendo’s 3DS handheld system, which doesn’t require any special glasses, haven’t been selling well. So what would convince Apple to dive into this market? Well, Apple has a history of taking ideas other people are battling with and making them achieve success. Think about when Apple took the idea for the mouse from Xerox, made it more effective, and sales increased. The idea then is that Apple normally takes what other companies have done with 3D technology and make more realistic holograms that will enchant consumers.

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