The Tablet Comes to Our Table

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Our lives seem to change as quickly as technology evolves. It occurs so fast we hardly seem to notice. It wasn’t that long ago that when you’d purchase something on your credit card the clerk would have to make a carbon imprint of the card. Today credit cards can be scanned almost anywhere if you have an attachment for your tablet computer.

Making credit card purchases is not the only way the tablet has changed business. It has in some cases fundamentally influenced the way many businesses operate. Here are a few examples of companies that have come up with some innovative uses for tablets.

At De Santos, a high-end Italian restaurant in New York City’s West Village, the members of the wait staff use iPads to take orders and swipe credit cards. The hope is that this will streamline the ordering process reducing mistakes.

Puma has developed an interactive tool called The Creative Factory for stores in Asia, Africa, and Europe. At these stations customers use specially programmed iPads to design their own unique sneakers, see shoes designs from across the globe, and also learn a little about the other designers. People around the globe are connecting though creativity and footwear thanks to Puma.

The DeKalb Market in Brooklyn has a new addition called SHOPBOX. People can shop at SHOPBOX but it has no store clerks and no storefront! SHOPBOX is made up of shipping containers with an iPads mounted on the ends. Shoppers register on the iPads then text the item number they would like to purchase to the phone number that is printed on the glass on each SHOPBOX. The item is then shipped to a location of their choice. This definitely redefines window-shopping!

As tablet technology improves more innovative uses will be developed. It’s not unthinkable to imagine having a wait staff may be obsolete in the future or that future generations have no use for a mall. Change is the nature of the world and it seems the more advanced we become, the faster things change. So let’s sit back and watch things become easier due to technology and one day we might just get those hovercrafts promised in science fiction movies.

Compose an email effortlessly

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Most of us compose several emails every day, to our friends, clients, coworkers and employers. It’s important to note that how we write these emails communicates more than we might realize. Taking time to choose your words carefully is important in order to avoid any unpleasant miscommunication. What would your boss think if you ended an email with “Love?” Here are some tips on determining proper email language.

Opening an Email  

Informal

Composing a message to a close friend is best done in an informal tone. When writing an informal message, you don’t need to use much more than the recipient’s name. Even a simple “Hi,” will communicate a relaxed tone and let the reader know the email they are reading is from a close acquaintance.

Formal

Use this tone when writing an email to a coworker or employee, someone with whom you are familiar but also professional. Consider opening your email with “Dear,” followed by the recipient’s name or a more formal greeting such as “Good afternoon” or “Good evening.” This communicates that you respect the reader but are also approaching them with a tone of familiarity.

Respectful

When writing to a higher institution, like a prospective employer, make sure and open your email with a bit more formality. Generally, you’d use this tone if the recipient were someone you were not previously familiar with. The best opening in this case is “To whom it may concern.” Using this opening communicates respect to the reader.
 
Closing an Email  

Informal

Again, when writing to someone with whom you share a close personally history, you can end the email by simply writing your name or “Love,” followed by your name. This is informal and lets the reader know that you meant the message to be a romantic one.

Formal

End a formal email with “Sincerely,” or “Yours truly.” This is not as informal as closing with just your name, but it also communicates some kind of personal relationship. This is the best tone to use when corresponding professionally with someone you work with on a regular basis.

Respectful

Ending a professional and respectful email in the proper tone is very important. As in a formal tone, you may end the message with “Sincerely,” or even “Regards.” Both should adequately communicate respect. However, if the content of the message calls for it, ending with “Thank you for your time,” lets the reader know you are grateful for the time they’ve spent reading your message.

    Communicating the correct message is all a matter of vocabulary, so when composing your next email make sure to use the right words to communicate your desired message. This will help ensure that your friends don’t fear that you’ve become melancholy drone or lead your boss to believe you’ve become a hopeless romantic. Choose the right words so that you send the right message.

Interesting and Amusing Tech Lawsuits

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Usually when people file lawsuits it’s very serious business, but every so often lawsuits are filed that are rather ridiculous. Below are a few interesting and amusing tech industry lawsuits which have been filed in the last ten years.

Pentium Allergy? – In 2002, a Dutch woman filed a lawsuit against Intel because she said she got hives from her Pentium processor. However, the 486-base processor did not have a similar affect on her. The case never went to court. I assume no one was “itching” to take it.

Lead into Danger by Google? – In 2009, a woman tried to sue Google for the poor walking directions she was given. She followed the directions onto a narrow dark highway that had no sidewalk or shoulder and was consequently hit by a car. Google “dodged” the lawsuit and the case was dismissed.

Star Wars Galaxies Killed by Sony! – In 2010, angry fans of Star Wars Galaxies filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony for shutting down the game. The MMORPG had had a steadily decreasing subscribership for several years.  I guess the “force” was not strong enough to sustain the game, the fans, or the case.

Woman sues man over a failed Mafia Wars romance – Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. After spending thousands of dollars on game credits and gifts for her boyfriend on Mafia Wars, the woman sued the man for the money spent when their romance was over. Her romance and her case are now sleeping with the fishes.

I hope these unbelievable tech lawsuits made you smile. If you have heard of any more, please share them with us by leaving a comment here or on one of our other social media accounts! 

How connected devices are changing the way we consume written content

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Connected products are generally thought of as tablets, smartphones and laptops. These devices offer a quick and trustworthy connection to the Internet and other such connected devices. However, even more gadgets fit into the connected cannon, like HDTVs, gaming consoles and even most Blu-ray players.

    Access to the Internet is, relatively speaking, easy and the information found online is easier to access. Traditionally, information was gathered through research and manual searching that required a large amount of dedicated time in order to find enough useful information. With an increase in connectivity, all we have to do is type a search query into Google utilizing a smartphone. How has the way we consume content changed now that from almost any location, we can access an almost endless library of knowledge?

Faster Access of Information

    Locating specific details can be done almost instantaneously with the help of the right device. Content was once delivered in hardbound books, but now it’s offered on websites, wikis, blogs and email. Because so many devices can access the Internet, finding the information you need is no longer a matter of location. This makes the researching process much faster and allows for content to be consumed more quickly.

Faster Generation of Information

    Content generation is simply a matter of supply and demand. Because content is so much easier to consume with connected devices, there is an ever growing need for more content. The answer to this, of course, is faster content generation. As most connected devices can also be used to upload new content, online content and information is being generated and published faster than ever.

High Rate of Communication

    The time and effort needed to communicate has decreased due to the speed and connectedness of modern devices. Because of this, information can now be communicated from user to user at a much higher rate.  For example, a YouTube video with intriguing content can go viral in a matter of minutes. Users can share the video through Facebook, Twitter, Google, email, HTML embedding, Internet enabled TVs, and even texting!

    How have connected devices changed the way we consume content? Speed, speed and speed. The rate at which content is generated, consumed and then disregarded is almost staggering. Information is easier to obtain than ever before, and at impressively high speeds. What we decided to do with that information is entirely up to us.

Access Restricted: Censorship worldwide

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As a species we are connected. Our access to information is increasing exponentially. Many authorities and governments around the world have concerns about what this access could mean for the people in their countries. These concerns lead them to censor the degree of communication that individuals have or cut them off entirely if they feel the threat is too great.

This dilemma is at the forefront of many world leader’s mind and many governments have different approaches and levels of restriction for the Internet, cellular phones, and other forms of communication via technology. Listed below are some examples of differing severity levels of censorship in various countries.

The United States – The US censors technology very little. In the US it is illegal to use cell phone jammers for private use. However, federal officials can use them in some instances. Recently, transit officials in San Francisco shut down power to cellular towers preventing all cell phone usage on the BART in an effort to prevent protesters from coordinating on stations and platforms to convene upon.   This censorship incited a public outrage and government investigation as to the legality of the shutdown.

China – It is common practice for Chinese officials to monitor chat rooms, private screen, and black list websites. Their censorship of the Internet is referred to as the “Great Firewall of China”. Go to this link to find out if your site is blocked in China.

North Korea – The government of North Korea has total control over all computers with Internet access. Only three websites can be accessed in North Korea and they only contain academic information. There are some chat rooms allowed, but they are heavily supervised by the government. The high level of censorship has produced a huge cell phone black market in North Korea.

As you can see, different governments approach the idea of technology censorship very differently throughout the world. And the socio-political reasons behind the amount of restrictions vary equally as much. Here are some common reasons for and against censorship:

Reasons why censorship is necessary

  • Censorship can protect the safety of the public
  • Censorship can prevent youths from being exposed to inappropriate content
  • Censorship can protect social unity and national glory
  • Censorship can prevent disturbing the social order
  • Censorship can protect national security

Reasons why censorship can be dangerous

  • Censorship violates the natural right of self-expression
  • Censorship can prevent people who have an emergency from getting help
  • Censorship can lead to ignorance of the world and other cultures
  • Extreme censorship can lead to social upheaval
  • Extreme censorship can lead to an oppressed and uneducated society

A professor at the University of Kansas, Barney Warf, published a definitive study of the geography of Internet censorship in an issue of GeoJournal. He believes that the more globalized a country becomes, the harder it is to control types and levels of information the public can access. Whether or not technological censorship is right or wrong is situational and up to individual opinion. As the world becomes more connected it will become harder for nations to control the flow of data and we will see this issue continue to arise worldwide.

You can read this article to learn more about Professor Barney Warf and his study.

Should the Internet be Anonymous

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Google has recently received a small amount of press because of their restriction of users creating profiles under pseudonyms. Currently, Google doesn’t allow fake names, and this has some people upset. One of the appealing things about the Internet is that is seems to offer umbrella anonymity. Anyone can be whomever they choose, but is that necessarily a good thing? To answer this question, we first have to take into account the pros and cons of being anonymous.

Pros

    There aren’t many sites that require you to use your real name, or even have any means of verifying that the name you provide is real or not. This allows you to assume multiple personalities, crafting a new version of yourself every time you log on. This can provide a layer of safety when providing your full identity can be dangerous. Consider users who have been the victims of abuse or stalking, the freedom to be anonymous on the Internet helps them to be less accessible and therefore less vulnerable. Anonymity comes with a specific level of freedom.

Cons

    Many problems caused on the Internet begin with a misuse of anonymity. Email scams, social media spam and profile hacks begin with the creation of a fake Internet identity. While tactics such as IP address tracing and validating the information given when setting up Internet profiles can provide the true identity of any Internet user, creating a phony profile is the easiest way to scam someone else. While being anonymous on the Internet is often a plus, it’s important to consider the negatives that complete anonymity can create.

    The moral value of total Internet anonymity is a matter of personal responsibility. It is only as good as the person who uses it. Anonymity being good or bad is not a matter of anonymity itself, but rather, a matter of the users of the Internet. When considering if you are for or against it, first reflect on how you use it.

Some Technologies Never Change

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It seems like as soon as you buy a new piece of technology, a faster and better version comes out. Technologies that were cutting edge last week are old news this week. However, it may surprise you to know that the root of these technologies have stayed the same for 50 years.

If we live in a world of ever changing technology, what makes these core technologies remain unchanged? Was the initial design so strong that it didn’t need much improvement? Here are a few technologies that have retained their integrity for over 4 decades.

Virtual Memory – 1962 – This allows systems to use hardware memory more efficiently by recycling space used for memory. This concept led to time-sharing or the ability for systems to multi-task.

MOS Chip – 1967 – Metal-oxide semiconductor. This technology is utilized today to make computer chips and is known as CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor). The technology has changed a bit over time so adaptability is one trait that has kept it alive.

C programming language – 1969 – Created by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs, C is the most popular and widely used programming language in the world. When you get something right why change it?

We have observed these technologies morph into other kinds of tech, programming languages, and inspire new concepts and designs. It’s amazing that these technologies have remained at the root of so many technological innovations today!

You will find more tech which has withstood the test of time here: http://www.osnews.com/thread?484715

what to do with a hacked email

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No matter how challenging your email password is, there is always a chance that a hacker will find a way to decipher your information and gain access to your digital personality. So what do you do once you’ve realized that your personal email account has been jeopardized? It is important to be proactive in this type of situation. Taking the appropriate steps can help you repair any damage done by a hacker as well as help prevent future hacks from being successful. Here are some important steps to take.

Notify Webmail Provider

    Letting your webmail provider know that your account has been compromised is an important step that many email users might not think of. When you notify your webmail provider of a problem it gives them the chance to rectify the situation and further strengthen their security against future hacks. Your particular hack could be a part of a much larger security breach, letting your webmail provider know about it gives them the opportunity to fix it.

Change Password

    This is most likely the most important thing to do once you’ve regained control of your email account. Doing so will prevent whomever hacked your account from taking over again or from selling your password to another hacker. Make sure to make your password completely different and, if possible, make sure it shares no characters with your previous password. Also, remember to make it complex. The hacker who broke into your account may have personal information, like your birthday, that would help them decipher any new password you created that was too simple.

Notify your contact list

    One of the main reasons hackers break into personal email accounts is to send out well disguised spam. A spam email is more likely to be successful if it is sent to a victim through a recognized account. Letting your contact list know that your account has been compromised can warn them against these attempts and likely prevent the transfer of viruses or a successful scam. Make sure and relay the message clearly in your subject line, so that your contacts will know that you’ve regained control over your account without needing to open your email.

No one likes having his or her personal information compromised. It’s important to remember that, if your email has been hacked, your online banking and other Internet managed services may also be compromised. If you’d like additional information on what you should with a hacked email, please take a look at this article.

Motivate Your Team via Proactive Goal Setting

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Having life goals keeps us motivated. The challenges we overcome make us stronger and as we reach each goal we should set new goals. Every step moves us towards the lives we want. We apply this to our personal lives but do we apply it to our professional lives?

We spend approximately 30% of our lives at work. For many people a significant amount of this time is unfulfilling. Redundancy in our jobs can cause us to feel like we have no control over how we spend our day. We repeat the same jobs day after day i.e. monitor our inbox, file paperwork, return phone calls, and wait to get off work. This leads to an uninspiring work ecosystem and employees who feel detached from the business and constantly watch the clock. Setting goals can keep things new and help combat the rut that people are stuck in at work.

  1. Set or Assess Goals Every 3-6 Months – Motivate employees and keep goals fresh by scheduling a meeting exclusively dedicated to setting goals.
  2. Write Down Your Goals – Physical documentation of your goals will help the group keep the focused on those goals. .
  3. Aim High – A challenging goal once completed is sure to provide a great sense of accomplishment.
  4. Find a System to Measure Performance – By breaking goals down into smaller ones and determining the skills that need to be perfected, you can more easily measure the progress toward the finalization of the goal.
  5. Celebrate Each Achievement –Acknowledging achievements boosts pride and motivation to tackle the next step. This is important if you work independently as well as in a team environment.  Remember to always reward yourself.
  6. Schedule the Next Goal Setting Meeting – Schedule these meetings in advance so people know the deadline to have their steps completed by. You may even see a boost in productivity as they want to show the team leader how much they have achieved.

Feeling pride in our work and feeling like we contribute is valuable to everyone. Setting and reaching goals reminds us of the important part we play in the larger goal.

What Makes a Fine App

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What makes a good app? In short, it’s all about value. Apps like the Urban Spoon are worthwhile because they offer excellent service in a market that has high demand, while apps like Angry Birds are successful because they are intuitive and just really fun. However, there are several constants across the board that all good apps have in common. Whether it’s your favorite capacitive touch game or a helpful restaurant guide, here are a few of the things all great apps have in common.

Stability and Reliability

    Any app worth it’s download is one that has been well tested. The development team behind the app should be certain that the app will hold value under non-premium conditions. If the app you’ve downloaded doesn’t work while your phone is in airplane mode, that’s a problem. A good app should have multi-versatile operation. A good way to determine an app’s value is to research the amount of time spent testing that app before launch.

Consumer Consideration

    A good app will do something worthwhile, be it a practical function or something else that is meant for entertainment. However, a developer needs to consider the consumer in the design of any app published. Simply put, if an app is going to consume your cellphone’s entire monthly data plan, it may not be worth downloading. Before purchasing an app, make sure to research the data consumption of that program.

A Well Constructed API

    All apps have, in their programing, an API. API stands for application programming interface. Essentially, this is the part of the app’s development that allows it to talk with other apps. If you use an app that routinely updates your twitter feed, it uses an API to gain access to your twitter account. If an app’s API is faulty, it may experience difficulty when working in conjunction with other apps and, therefore, be rendered useless.

While an app’s worth can be of objective determination, there will always be several key elements to look for when searching for that perfect new download. For more tips on finding great apps, take a look a this article.