Computers and Technology

The Road to Censorship Through SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-20T00:12:00.000-08:00

The SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) were proposed because of music and film and other creative industries trying to protect their arts by copyright laws. The act of stealing or illegally selling copyright material happens all over the world by rogue websites, especially sites that are operated and registered overseas. What is being debated and what the public at large is terrified of is the vagueness of the bills. Because both of the bills in their definitions could bleed into other areas, many are afraid that its reach could affect all of us and our Freedom of Speech here in America.

Imagine getting on your computer and typing in "Google" and nothing comes up. Then you type in "Facebook" and again, nada. Well, if these bills pass in Congress that is exactly what could happen. These laws will affect companies, websites, blogs, jobs and the list goes on and on. If this causes a change in your pulse rate, then you are not alone. It is a very scary reality.

We can actually see how internet censorship works through the eyes of people in China. The China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, blocks Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube (to name a few)and specific keywords from being searched. The MIIT has blocked information from the internet for years in China and in essence are trying to prevent its people from accessing specific and true facts about their government and its history. Yes, there are ways around finding censored information, but the Chinese government is constantly working to make access more difficult.

You may not know this, but there is information that has been blocked here in the US through websites and software companies that we know and use every day; Google, Yahoo, Bing, Microsoft and yes, even Apple. In order to continue doing business with China and stay in their good graces, businesses here in the states have answered to Chinese demands to censor certain information. In January of 2011, Google claimed that there was an attempt of China accessing information of some of their Gmail accounts and announced that they would no longer be censoring Google.cn. This obviously caused a hit for Google in China, but they are not backing down.

What internet giants are trying to show us on "Black Wednesday" is that if the SOPA and PIPA bills pass in Congress, the way we experience the internet will be change dramatically. Most of us cannot, and should not, picture a world with this type of censorship. Yes, stealing copyright information is wrong and needs to be addressed and stopped. There are other ways that the arts and copyrights can be protected and this is where Congresses focus needs to be channeled. We, in the United States, take some of our freedoms for granted every day, but as Americans we need to stand up and fight for our unalienable rights under the Constitution, or we can start to kiss more and more of our freedoms goodbye.

Power Your Smartphone From Your Pocket

2011-12-02T03:15:00.000-08:00

With today's technology solar panels can be shrunk down to fit into hand. Batteries have gone through a transformation as well. Technology allows the manufacture to increase the mAH rating and reduce the size as well. Put the two together and you have a Hybrid or solar charger that can be used to recharge your small electronics from anywhere. We are talking about charging your Smartphone's, iPods, Cameras, and other small electronics you may use or travel with.

This devices or gadgets if you will can charge or extend talk time as well as play time on your handheld gaming device. With today's Smartphone and all you can do with one, like watch movies, play games, not including the apps for your phone, all these different types of media for your phone can be very taxing on your battery life. You may find your battery life not lasting as long as you would like. Depending on how heavy of a user you are the battery life on your Smartphone may not even last 8 hours.

So these devices were invented to give you the consumer the ability to charge your phone from anywhere. Power is not always available when you need it. These Hybrid chargers have a built-in solar panel that you can use to recharge the internal battery these devices have. These gadgets are capable of being recharged via the sun, USB port, wall outlet, and some even come with a car charger that has a built-in USB port as well.

These types of chargers allow you the flexibility to be able to charge your cell phone even on the beach, camping, or any other place where power my not handy.

Sizes may very but you will find several that can easily fit into your pocket, purse, or even your glove box. No more cutting your conversation short because your battery on your cell phone is dying.

A Hybrid or solar charger does eliminate the number chargers one has to carry when traveling. These types of chargers are compatible with several different types of small electronic devices and are not proprietary to just one. As an added feature available are several tips to connect your charger to your handheld electronic device you wish to charge. Some Hybrid chargers are designed to charge two devices at once.

These portable solar chargers can be used at anytime or anywhere the need arises when you find yourself without power or your cell phone is dying. No longer have to look for power or leave your cell phone somewhere to charge. You can charge your phone on the go now.

Why Backup to the Cloud?

2011-11-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

For businesses and home users backing up to the cloud can make the backup procedure very simple and extremely safe.

Many businesses and most home users fail to adequately backup their computer systems in any way. This is inviting disaster as it is almost inevitable that at some point in time a hard disk or component is going to fail risking the loss of the data.

If you are in business and failing to back up your computer and critical files on a regular basis, you are playing with fire, as even very small unusual accidents like coffee tipped into a computer, a virus or Trojan horse or simple electrical fires or spikes could cost your business thousands and thousands without proper data backup.

If you're a home computer user and have stored thousands of photographs and videos or music tracks on your computer and this is stolen or damaged accidentally, you could have lost many years of memories that are completely irreplaceable.

Backing up to the cloud gives you a totally secure and unbreakable system that allows you to back up your data to a new computer, even if you're damaged or stolen system is completely irretrievable. Backing up your data is a habit the vast majority of computer users have not successfully mastered and with cloud computing it is both simple and efficient and very safe.

Backing up to tape or a removable hard disk is better than nothing but these items are invariably left either in the same location or directly next to the computer that has been backed up.

Backing up to the cloud offers you many advantages over some of the established backup procedures. These include;

It's very easy to do.
It's very quick.
It's very cheap.
It's very safe.

Backing up to the cloud is very easy to do because providers of the backup software use simple backup programs that will automatically backup either on demand or at a predetermined time of day. This takes the remembering to backup part of the process out of the equation. In effect means your backup procedures are fully automated and thus more likely to be done.

Backing up automatically is very quick as the system generally will only backup new documents or modifications to existing documents.

With the continuing fall in the price of hard disks, and their ability to store ever more data the price of cloud storage has reached a point where it is so cost-effective to back up using this technology, the risk of not using it is outweighed considerably.

Most commercial online backup companies are using military grade security technology, to ensure your backups are kept secure and also the traffic adding data to your backup is kept private.

When you have backed up or stored data in the cloud it is usually available on any computer using a browser which can be extremely convenient if you are travelling or just using a computer in a different site.

A Look at the Different Skills and Professions Involved in Game Design

2011-11-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

The computer games industry is booming. Even when it seems as if every other industry is either in recession or crashing altogether there are more video games being sold than ever before. The big blockbuster games that come out can expect to make a lot more money than even the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. So as game sales go through the roof game design becomes an ever more in demand profession.

It is diverse as well, there are as many different types of profession in a game design studio as there are in a movie studio (and without the medieval hierarchy, I'm talking to you Christian Bale). And unlike the movie business there aren't the same economies of scale that mean movie production outside of Hollywood are disproportionately expensive. There are game design studios around the world producing high quality games with production values as high as any in Silicon Valley.

At the core of video game design is programming. Very often a game design studio will license established software such as game engines, physics engines or artificial intelligence code from what are called 'middleware' developers. This is because it can be a laborious task to produce this kind of comprehensive software from scratch. It's a bit like the car industry. Many different brands of cars with different designs will have the engines from the same few companies like Volkswagen or Ford.

These middleware companies are often substantial companies in their own right and need a full studios worth of coders, programmers and designers. Many of these companies produce fully fledged games to exhibit their technology. Id games are probably the most famous of these. Their Quake and Doom engines were successful games in their own right but much of the companies profits would have come from licensing their engine technology to smaller game design studios.

Still, even in these game design studios they still need programmers. The code of the engine needs to be altered to fit the purpose of the specific game and to work with any other software like, physics engines or artificial intelligence, that the game design studio may have licensed or even produced themselves.

When all the engines have been built and the game code fully developed the physical appearance of the game needs to be created (of course, the programming and art are worked on at the same time but the art depends on the engine and not the other way round).

At the beginning of a project traditional style artists and graphic designers will produce what is called concept art. These are created to establish the style, tone and overall look of the game. There might be many designs put forward before a final decision is made on the appearance of various characters and environments. They still may change in the course of the production but they give 3D modellers and animators somewhere to start from.

Modellers produce 3 dimensional versions of the characters that will appear in the game and map or level designers create 3D versions of the environments in which the game will take place. In 2D games such as platformers there will still be level designers but they will work with different game design software. 2D characters are called sprites and still need to be animated but the process is a little simpler and more akin to traditional cartoon style animation.

Five Great Kid Friendly Smartphone Games

2011-10-19T00:11:00.000-07:00

If you are a parent with a smartphone, then I am sure you already know this well. Kids love to play games on smartphones. There little fingers are the perfect size stylus for almost any game. These are truly the new digital pacifier of our generation. The attraction between kids and technology are sometimes a mixed blessing in our world. As a parent you want them to learn how to use it and feel comfortable with it, but at the same time do not want it to take all their attention. As is true of most things as a parent, it is a balancing act. Though if you need a little quiet time in the car or at an appointment, these can be a great temporary diversion. Based on some real world experience, here are five great apps for kids. Your kids should love them and they just might give you a couple minutes of well deserved quiet time.

Angry Birds Seasons This is the grandfather of apps and still a hit with kids. The game has a great back story and the simple game play is easy for young kids to master. The game get progressively harder and the birds get more creative ways to get the pigs. This app fits with kids from age 5 to 18.

Fruit Ninja Free Fruit Ninja is a perfect game for kids that like to make a mess. The premise of the game includes fruit flying through the air and the player using their sword (finger) to slice the fruit. As the game progresses, the fruit goes faster and bombs are added to the fun.

Drag Racing Older kids will enjoy drag racing over 50 cars in the game. Drag Racing offer short course racing with attitude. While mainly suited for the older kids, this simple game can still be fun for all ages.

Tiki Kart 3D Another great racing game is Tiki Kart 3D. Set in a land of volcanoes, this game includes 15 tracks. To make the game even more challenging, the course include power ups and traps. Once the controls are mastered, this is a fun game for all ages.

Basketball Shot For the sports fan, an app called Basketball Shot can provide loads of single and multi player fun. In this time based game you can compete against yourself or a friend. In this game you tap accurate and fast to win the game.

What Is Internet Privacy?

2011-10-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

In essence, internet privacy is a term that encompasses a wide array of data security concerns regarding confidential information transmitted over the internet. By virtually using the internet for communicating private information, whether via public or private networks puts your information at risk of being intercepted by malicious users. This therefore calls for need to thoroughly filter out the type of information that you reveal on the internet.

As much as internet privacy issues mostly crop up from security breaches, personal control of the information you post on the internet goes a long way in protecting your personal information. It is therefore advisable to avoid posting classified data via the internet along with implementing security measures like adjusting your personal security settings on social networks, using strong passwords and changing them regularly to avoid being cracked by key loggers, regularly clearing your cache among other security measures.

With the ongoing evolution of the internet, more and more technologies are being devised to enhance communication and sharing of data among people within diverse geographical locations. Social networks for instance are one of the mediums used to chat, share photos and even interact with people globally. This results to access of your personal details to even strangers all over the world. Malevolent people may therefore take advantage of these sites to gather personal information about you and use the information to perform their malicious acts.

Sometimes it may be inevitable to make purchases online where you have to submit your credit card information. In such cases, only make sure that you deal with reputable websites as you make your online purchases. It is important to also look out for organizations that ask you to provide your credit card information upfront because most of them are illegitimate. To be on the safe side, just submit your credit information in cases that you are the one who has initiated the purchase and on credible websites only.

With the widespread utilization of the internet, more and more hackers have cropped up investing a better part of their waking time to device ways of intercepting classified information for their own malicious gain. In spite of the measures being taken to enhance internet privacy, hackers counter the efforts by coming up with equally advanced tactics to seize the information. It is therefore safer to secure your data by installing internet security software, data encryption or by entirely avoiding posting sensitive information all together.

Internet security may also be put in jeopardy due to the misuse of information retrieved from programs in the internet that save your personal details. Some of these programs like cookies are actually installed without any ill intentions and their major functions are for identity purposes. Other programs like spyware are used to collect classified information surreptitiously and transmit the information to unauthorized sources.

IPTV - Understanding The Basics

2011-10-04T01:09:00.001-07:00

IPTV is short for Internet Protocol Television. Through the years, people from all over the world have discovered and loved the benefits of IPTV technology. You should remember that this kind of TV is only able to be accessed by individuals who have access to rapid and stable Online connections. Consumers might also want to be aware that IP television varies from Internet Television. With Internet TV, users have to have a Personal Computer to look at programmes, however with Internet Protocol TV, consumers need an IPTV facilitated TV set as well as the necessary hardware.

Unlike cable TV and satellite systems, Internet-based Television is more interactive. Watching Television using this technology is very much like viewing a video on the Internet.

Using this type of technological innovation, consumers can view Live TV via the Internet. For instance, consumers can watch news and their preferred TV shows live, just like in cable and satellite Television. The only difference is that this technology delivers high resolution pictures with much better picture and sound quality.

Viewers also get access to VOD or video on demand. This particular service allows them to view prior episodes of their favorite shows or any other video that is available on the net. As an illustration, the elderly can watch classic films and TV shows they used to watch throughout their prime years. The VOD service is really popular and is amongst the instrumental aspects to the rise in popularity of Internet protocol TV.

Internet protocol TV enables users to rewind a TV show, so that they can start off watching it from the beginning. Time-shifted Television allows consumers to watch shows that had been shown several hours or days ago. With this type of TV, gone are the days when you simply had to modify your schedule to hurry home to watch your favourite show.

Unlike satellite television, Internet Protocol television cannot be plagued by lousy weather conditions. Most Satellite Television consumers often whine about very poor signal or interruption of transmission because of poor weather. With Internet Protocol TV, you will not have to worry about such complications. Users also don't have to buy big satellite dishes so that they can receive a signal.

The sheer numbers of IPTV end users is predicted to increase drastically over the next few years as more and more folks come to enjoy what it really has to offer. While searching for service providers, be certain they feature free installation simply because setting up the equipment could be tricky at times. You may also choose to compare prices before you decide to subscribe to any service. Different providers have different rates, so you can save lots of money by just doing your research to compare prices.

Is It Time To Install A New Security Camera System?

2011-10-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

Take Advantage Of A Free Site Survey

When you are considering a new commercial or residential video surveillance solution, take advantage of the free site survey that many security camera system installers offer. Choosing the right security cameras can be a challenge. An installer will send a technician to your location and will address the following with you: What are your key areas of risk? Are you looking for a new security camera system, or are you expanding your current solution? Are you replacing an existing system altogether? Will your security cameras need to be installed indoors, outdoors or both? What are the lighting conditions in each area to be covered? Will you want your cameras mounted on the ceiling, poles and or walls? How long will you need to store your recorded video? Will you want to review footage remotely? What is your budget?

Introducing Video Servers

The answers to these questions will help you to decide whether an analog or digital (IP) security camera system will meet your requirements. But, you are not limited to one or the other. You can have a solution that combines both analog and digital. How is this possible? With the use of a device called a video server - also referred to as a video encoder - the signals from an analog camera are digitized, which allows the now digitized images to be sent directly over an IP network. The addition of a video server transforms your analog surveillance solution to something called a hybrid security camera system.

Gain Advanced Functionality

Adding a video server extends the features of your analog CCTV system. A video server enables you to view live footage using a Web browser or video management software on any local or remote computer on a network. You can easily expand your system one analog camera at a time or future proof your surveillance system by adding network cameras. And, with network cameras you can use Power over Ethernet, which eliminates the need to run additional power lines to the cameras.

How to Filter Content You Can Use Legally

2011-09-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

Today the Internet is widely being used by most of the business organizations in order to explore new business methods. It is also used in most of the business functions by the employees, educational institutions to find new ways of providing knowledge to the students. But another problem arises that whether people are browsing safe, secure and unrestricted web content.

Various organizations are using the web content filtering services to prevent the users to access to the inappropriate sites. They use these services offered by different IT support firms for blocking the unhealthy content. The concerned filters are developed for denying access to any kind of adult or explicit content that can harm the operations of the business. Many filters have demerits as sometimes they prevent to access the required content.

The filtering commands are organized by a central entity through any software on a PC and can also be implemented on the connecting points of the network like routers/proxy servers. Some filter programs have inbuilt settings set as default that prevent those things observed by it as offensive although the content is not as it is considered by the software. Extra care should be taken while customization of the program to filter out the restricted content. They can be classified according to their use in business organizations and other institutions where there is a proper arrangement of network management.

The first filter program that can be used on a computer after installation and we can customize it according to our use. It can be turned off by using a password to access it. There is some content limited ISP that allows access to only a small part of web content. It checks the sites time to time and sort according to appropriateness. Some filters are also applied to the server side to confirm that the users are following the defined policies. Another type of filter we find on the search engines and they have the options like turn off and on the safety filters. But there is a limitation in this if the URL is put in the search engine the site can be accessed.

The web content filter program is automatically filtering the results at any time a search process is done and internet is connected. It continuously monitors your PC at every time from malicious content on the web. A good web filter program is efficient enough to prevent the daily updated and added malicious material over the web.

Choosing the Right Computer and IT Solutions Provider for Your Business

2011-09-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

As your business grows, so will the need to update your equipment to ensure that you can offer your clients and customers the professional service they require at a reasonable turnaround. The challenge with operating a business that relies upon Internet and computer connectivity is that new innovations tend to appear faster than many of us can keep up! If you are currently in the market for a new business telephone and Internet system, you will want to work with a company that stays on the pulse of the digital age and is available for training and troubleshooting.

Typical services your communications provider will offer your may include:

VoIP Telephone Installation - VoIP, or voice over IP, is a popular solution for businesses interested in integrating their phone systems with their existing or upgraded Internet. With a VoIP telephone setup, all telephone communication is handled via the Internet rather than through phone lines. This means that your business could save money in the long because there will be less cabling involved.

Data Security Services - Business IT solutions will provide you with sound, quality data protection, enabling you to work worry-free. This will include installation and updating of virus software across the network, services to back up your data, and anti-hacking measures.

E-Mail Services - E-mail is important to your business, and working with an IT company allows you to obtain an efficient e-mail service that blocks unwanted junk messages from your company inboxes. Employees should also be able to access mail via mobile devices when they are off-site.

Internet Conferencing - Thanks to video conferencing, your business can expand as you shorten the distance between you and out of town clients. Quality conferencing makes for crystal clear video and sound as you conduct business via online video.

Network Design - If you have ideas beyond cookie-cutter business Internet setups you may find that a custom integration for your company works best. You will want to consult with an IT company to learn about your options.

What's New in Flat Panel Displays

2011-09-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

First of all you need to learn your HD from your LCD and differentiate between a LCD flat panel and a Plasma flat panel. Most of the current flat panel displays are actually LCD, that is liquid crystal displays. These are generally backlit and have the enormous advantage of being quite thin and relatively lightweight.

Many consumers have now switched over from the older style televisions, a process which requires robust removal men. These older televisions have what's known as CRT screens, or cathode ray tube screens. These were less reliable than the LCD or plasma flat panel screens. It's only after you have the old television taken away that you realise how large your living room actually is. As the consumer demand grew for larger screen sizes the size of the tube grew also, until it took over a significant area. The much thinner LCD or plasma screens are a boon to interior designers.

While LCD displays tend to be used in watches and calculators and other small items, plasma screens are typically used in large television screens. These actually consist of two glass panels separated by a thin gap filled with a neon gas. The glass panels have a series of electrodes running across them and the technology uses electrically charged ionized gases.

Differences between plasma screens and LCD flat panel displays
One of the key differences is that the plasma screens are made from glass, which reflects more light than a LCD screen. The downside of this is that they can produce glare and sometimes an anti-glare coating is put on the plasma flat panel.

The plasma screens have the advantage of having wider viewing angles than LCD and can produce deeper black colours. On the downside, the plasma screens do use more electricity than the LCD ones.

Next up are the HD screens
The TV screens most commonly seen in retail now are the HD, or High Definition, plasma screens. These displays usually have a resolution of 1,024 x 768.

In terms of the future of these kinds of technologies, one of the challenges is to increase the energy efficiency, especially given the growing demand for increased size and the tendency for users to leave the devices switched on.

In 2010, the number of plasma TVs shipped globally topped 18.2m. We don't yet have the figures for 2011, but despite the global downturn, this has probably increased again.

What's next?

A 2011 technology exhibition in Japan (FPD International) showcased a 3 millimetre thick OLED TV. This is an incredibly thin flat panel screen, and still maintains a really fast response rate with full HD resolution. A slow response rate can result in blurring or distortion of the picture. OLED is another term we better explain here. This stands for organic light-emitting diode, which is a bit of a mouthful. This is a recent technology in which there is a layer of organic semiconductor between two electrodes. Other technologies coming down the line are SED - surface conduction electron-emitter display and also FED, which is field emission display.