Technology and water don’t mix — or do they?

Almost everyone over the age of six knows that electronic devices and water aren’t a good combination. There’s the safety aspect of not giving yourself a shock (and only a shock if you’re lucky), not to mention turning your shiny electronic gadgets into soaking wet paperweights, and not much else. Spill a cup of tea into your notebook, drop your iPod into the toilet or have your digital camera fall over the side of the boat, and you can pretty much kiss it goodbye, so the conventional wisdom goes.

Conventional wisdom, though, is changing, albeit slowly. In the notebook space, you might not think of Panasonic as a major notebook player, and with good reason. Head into any retail PC store and you’re less likely to see a Panasonic notebook on the shelves. That’s largely because they’re all out getting wet. Panasonic has for many years led the industry with its Toughbook line of waterproof, shockproof and darned near indestructible notebooks. At least within the context of other notebooks. I’ve seen things done to Toughbooks that would reduce other systems to so much digital dust. Toughbooks have been around for quite some time, but they’ve always been a costly option. Conventional wisdom again says that this kind of rugged costs big money.

Again, though, conventional wisdom seems to be shifting. In recent weeks I’ve hit examples of much more mainstream consumer tech getting the waterproof treatment. As I write this, I’m in the middle of testing Kodak’s PlaySport Zx3 handheld 1080P camcorder. It’s a pocket sized unit that uses flash memory, a category that’s exploded in the last twelve months and in which category leader Flip often draws the most headlines. The Zx3’s claim to fame? It’s waterproof up to 3 metres. I haven’t had the chance — yet — to find three metres of water to test it in, but even a camcorder that can survive a serious storm is something worth considering.

Sony, likewise is getting into the “don’t worry about the water” game with what it’s calling a “Washable Walkman” line. Way back in the dim dark 1980s, I once dropped a Walkman into a bathtub. Thankfully I wasn’t in it at the time, and I was most stunned when it actually worked afterwards. That was a tape based model with minimal electronics, however. I know plenty of people who got their iPods just that bit too damp and had to forego their dose of Wet, Wet, Wet as a result. The “Washable” Walkman doesn’t aspire to the same kinds of depths that Kodak reckon you can drop the Zx3 to, with notes that it shouldn’t be immersed in water, but can be placed under a tap with low to medium flow levels. Again, a perfect companion for the next time you go jogging in the rain. If only to get out of the rain, that is.

Not everyone will want a waterproof gadget. They tend to be a little bulkier and less aesthetically pleasing. Then again, there’s a strong argument that a gadget that still works after a little hydration is a whole lot better than a shiny brick that faints at the first sign of water.

Privacy online: A quick primer

One of the ongoing themes of the Internet age has been the question of privacy, and how to maintain it in an increasingly online world. It’s something that’s come to the fore recently with a lot of concern over the way that Facebook uses and utilises the data put into it, whether it’s simply making those details public for the world to see, or selling complex analytical information on to advertisers. It’s driven some people to deliberately abandon Facebook altogether, although undeniably not quite as many as the protest movement might have liked.

Online privacy is a complex and undoubtedly touchy subject, if only because it means different things to different people. An eight year old’s understanding of privacy is quite different to an eighteen year old’s, and even more removed from that of an eighty year old’s, for that matter. Some folk are naturally extroverted, while others sit at home frantically wrapping tin foil round and round their skulls.

There are a few basic things that you should keep in mind in terms of online privacy, however.

1) Your private information is valuable

I’m not just talking credit card numbers or your mother’s maiden name here. As an example, If you’ve used social media platform Twitter and ever mentioned a hot topic — be it iPads, Justin Bieber or Arab-Israeli politics — chances are you’ll pick up a whole bunch of “interesting” followers. You might not think it, but the things you choose to chat about online reveal plenty of private information about you. Automated Twitter followers are just the thin end of the wedge. Advertisers love knowing more about you, because it allows them to send more targeted ads. Targeted ads are more likely to result in sales, which means money. Hence, your private information is valuable, and not just to you.

2) If you don’t put it up there, it’s not going up there (maybe)

This is one of those obvious-in-hindsight things. You can’t stop your house being in public view, but you can pull the curtains to stop folks peering in through the curtains. The same is true online. If you don’t post pictures to Facebook of the company party, then they’re less likely to go up there. I say less likely, because you might not be the only one with a camera, and if you share the shots someone else might get that bright idea. As such, sensitive information (whatever it might be) should be shared with the implicit understanding that you want it to remain private.

3) The Internet is forever

Just like that awesome tattoo of Guns N Roses that you figured was a great idea to get embedded on your forehead at age 18, really. Often, it’s just as “good” an idea as the tattoo might have been, but the consequences will last long beyond your initial interest in most cases.  As plenty of public figures and companies have discovered, once it’s online, chances are if there’s interest in it, it’s staying up there — somewhere. There are legal remedies for issues such as libel, but even those create a virtual paper trail drawing attention to the issue involved.

4) Keep yourself safe and secure

A well trodden path here, but one that crops up over and over again. The Internet can be great for meeting new folks, but don’t lose sight of common sense. Just as it can be used to maintain privacy, it can also be used to create a false facade. As cartoonist Peter Steiner put it all the way back in 1993, on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_you’re_a_dog). Or a con artist, or worse. In financial matters, this means making sure any site that asks for financial or personal information is secured. Look at least for a padlock symbol in the address bar or bottom of Web pages, keep anti-virus software up to date, and do a quick Google search for the company name before committing any funds. Adding the qualifier “sucks” (or similar) may bring up customer complaints. Too many complaints? Find another online store.

For personal interactions it’s even more vital to stay safe. Not everyone online is out to get you, certainly, but some sensible actions when meeting online “friends” in real life should include only meeting in public places, and preferably in the company of an actual friend of your own. It may create some initial social awkwardness, but it beats many of the sad alternatives.

What is the Net good for, exactly?

Just writing that headline alone gave me terrible flashbacks to a Sandra Bullock 90’s thriller that I’m sure would seem horribly dated (although in some ways possibly prescient). Living more in the now, though, debate continues to rage around the potential implementation of the National Broadband Network, whether there’s enough broadband for everyone anyway, and exactly how much it should cost.

With that in mind, my ears pricked up recently when attending a product launch for networking firm Netgear. To kick things off, representatives showed off survey figures that outlined the current home usage patterns of the Internet across all users. There’s some interesting figures that show what we use the Net for from home locations.

It shouldn’t come as much of a shock that Web and Email use tops the list, with 90% of respondents using both services. An NBN isn’t likely to change the usage there, although it would enable larger files to be sent via email or viewed via the web with more ease.

51% of respondents used social networking, and I suspect that’s a figure that’s only going to rise. If you strip out the formal business requirements of email, there’s a lot of messages sent that are better suited to social networking sites and services, and that’s even without taking into consideration professional social networks such as LinkedIn.

46% of respondents use the internet to download music and video. There wasn’t a breakout for those doing so legally or illegally, although that’s hardly surprising. Nobody’s likely to dob themselves in on a survey. Obviously a faster broadband infrastructure would enable this to run faster, but it could also serve in the fight against copyright infringement nicely. As Apple proved with iTunes, once you can deliver customers fair quality content quickly and at a good price, the market will follow.

45% of those surveyed used the Net to work from home. That’s a big area where a faster broadband infrastructure could have huge implications for how we all live our lives. Not every job can be taken online, but the facility to quickly and seamlessly access work from home, or telework entirely could be exceptionally useful. Then again, it could lead to a nation of overworked employees.

An equal 45% used the net to watch movies, TV or video. That’s distinct from the downloaders. These are folks watching YouTube and its many imitators. Again, the NBN case here is pretty obvious, and even has employment implications. Once you can stream good quality video anywhere across the nation, if you’ve got a great idea for a TV program, who needs the free to air networks any more?

The rest of the figures skew a little lower — 34% for instant messaging chat, 30% for internet radio and 23% for gaming. One figure that did surprise me a little was that only 24% of respondents used internet access from home for webcam or voice over IP services. Considering the convenience and cost savings that services like Skype offer, it’s interesting that the takeup is comparatively low.

There’s dozens of usage scenarios beyond home usage that an NBN could address, but rather like putting today’s broadband up against the first 400kbps connections I ever used, it’s tough to entirely visualise them. Telemedicine is an often chosen target, but there’s plenty of scope for other uses, both professional and personal. I reckon it’ll be very interesting to revisit those figures in a decade’s time. What will we be  using the broadband of the future (no matter what form it takes) for then?

Beat the Telcos at their own game

Getting a good mobile phone or broadband deal isn’t rocket science, but it does take time and perseverance.

If you want a good mobile phone — or mobile broadband — deal, there’s two things you’ll need. The first is plenty of time, and the second is an eye for detail.

Where you live may impact on the range of choices you’ve got. Notably Three doesn’t have (or pretend to have) much in the way of penetration outside metropolitan areas, whereas Telstra sells itself on having coverage everywhere.  No matter which mobile provider you opt for, even if it’s limited to a single choice, the range of plans on offer can be baffling.

Some offer “free” texts. Others offer time limited calling to specific numbers or mobiles on the same network. You might get a credit for bringing your own mobile phone, but not on every plan. On the mobile broadband side, it might seem on the surface that things are simpler, as you get sold a certain data allowance to use each month. Again, though, it’s worth digging deeper into the details, as the way you get charged for that data usage can heavily impact its overall value. As an example, at the time of writing, Optus’ pre-paid mobile broadband plans use 10MB of your allowance each and every time you log in, even if you only use a few kilobytes of data to check your mail server.

The trick to all of this is to employ that eye for detail to spot the gotchas that telcos love to sling in, and match that against your actual (or expected, if you’re a first time phone/mobile broadband user) usage patterns. If you’re a heavy texter, then the costs of texts are paramount, and the fact that the call flagfall might be twice that of other plans is of little concern. If data is all that matters to you, then the cost of adding data to a mobile plan as a bolt-on option — or its outright cost on a mobile USB modem — should be your key concern. No matter what though, spend time checking the fine print for any and all issues that will affect how you can use the service you’re paying for.

It’s also well worth checking if the telco in question offers business plans. You’ll need an ABN (Australian Business Number), and again some plans offer better or worse value. You may be able to claim your usage as a business expense, but even if that’s not feasible, if a given business plan offers better value, why not pursue it?

Can you get ISP satisfaction?

Internet connectivity is everywhere you look, from PCs to smart phones to games consoles, whether it’s delivered over cables, phone lines or even wirelessly. For most of us, we don’t really think about our Internet Service Provider (ISP) except in two key areas. Firstly, there’s the time when we’ve got to pay the bill, although with bundling and direct debits quite normal for most ISPs you may never even think about that. Competition is still fierce and the price of both wireless and fixed line broadband services still continues to tumble on a per-gigabyte basis.

The other time, of course, is when things go wrong. When your connection is slow, flaky, or worst of all inexplicably “down”, you’re going to want to know why, and fast. Quite how your ISP responds (if they respond at all) will form a big part of how you relate to them, as beyond picking your plan details, it’s the primary time that you do relate to them at all. If the support person has an impenetrable accent, a poor line connection, baffles you with jargon or rigidly sticks to a support script that doesn’t help you in the least, it can quickly get annoying.

A recent Roy Morgan poll of ISP Satisfaction ratings reveals some interesting figures.  Overall, ISPs must be getting something right. In the six month period from July to December 2009, 73.3% of surveyed customers were at least “satisfied”. Of those, 43.7 were “Fairly Satisfied” and 29.6%” were “Very Satisfied”. Breaking it out into the actual providers reveals a lot more detail. Internode (90.3% satisfied) and iiNet (86.8%) customers seemed happiest with their service.

The wooden spoons — those ISPs whose customers fell below the 73.3% industry average — fared worse. Amongst the major players, these included dodo (66.9%), Telstra BigPond (66.1%) and iPrimus (65.1%). The interesting thing there is the gap between the the bottom rung and top rung, which Roy Morgan notes is higher than in other service industries. In other words, where you might expect a small gap between ISPs depending on how cranky given customers were, it’s odd that it’s this large. Either the good guys are exceptionally good, or the bad guys are doing particularly poorly. Telstra’s a particularly interesting case, as they’ve still got the lion’s share of the overall market. Are Telstra customers more irritable with some facet of their service, or does the number of customers give rise to a higher level of “squeaky wheel” dissatisfaction?

So what can an ISP do to “improve” customer satisfaction, given that in an ideal world, the only time you’d even notice your ISP is if they improved your service?

The Intel i7

Intel has played a significant role in all things computer ever since the development of the personal PC… and beyond. In fact, many people are not aware that Intel was formed way back in 1968. Since their formation, they have steadily made strides in the development of semiconductors and computer processors. Intel became a household name during the 90’s through their popular “Intel Inside” advertising campaign and because of the fact that theirs was the processor of choice when it came to manufacturing personal computers.

Although Intel is known historically for developing microchips, they now offer a variety of products for computer manufacturers:

• Graphic Chips
• Motherboard chipsets
• Flash memory
• Network Interface Controllers and Integrated Circuits
• Embedded Processors

The latest product offering by Intel is creating somewhat of a stir. It is the new Intel i7 and it is their most recent processor. The Intel i7 expands on what they have already done in the area of computer processors and it is said to be extremely fast. I have been hearing a lot about this product but wanted to get the facts for myself, so I decided to do a bit of investigation. When I first heard that Intel had a new processor, my questions were along the lines of how quick would it be? What would it offer the user that is new in comparison to what we have seen before and what features have been improved upon since their last release?

What I have discovered is that the i7 processor makes the most of all of Intel’s breakthrough technologies and then combines them together for maximum power:

• Intel Turbo Boost technology
• Intel Hyper-Threading technology
• Intel Virtualization technology
• Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology
• Execute disable bit
• Intel 64 architecture

Excitingly, the Intel i7 is described as “adrenaline on a chip”! It appears that Intel went all out when it came to packing the processor with all of its most successful technologies. The i7 uses multi-core technology. This is a feature that helps the processor to direct and send power to the places that your computer needs it most at any particular moment in time. The i7 has the ability to perform 8-way multi-tasking and has increased cache size. All of this works together to make things much easier for computer users that multi-task in a serious way. They can now open several applications at the same time without worrying about their computer getting sluggish or freezing. Multimedia users will also be happy about how smoothly their PCs run even with their heaviest applications open.

Two powerful technologies that Intel have included with this processor are Turbo Boost technology and Hyperthreading. Both of these have worked well for Intel in the past. They contribute to increased processor speeds and better multitasking capabilities.

Keep your eye out in the media you will be sure to hear about this amazing advancement in computing

How reliant on the Internet has society become?

The Internet is an amazing tool that continues to grow exponentially year by year. The vision of those that developed Internet technology could never have included the immeasurable and unlimited ways in which the technology has taken off. The web has grown in ways that even the most expansive vision could not have predicted. It has changed the lives of those that use it and has provided new levels in the dispensation of information. A lot of doubt was cast on the Internet in the early days predicting it would never be a reliable source of information but that has changed as major credible news outlets and educational institutes have placed their material online.

There are still those that resist advancements in technology in general, but for those that embrace it, the Internet has become an indispensable, almost loveable tool. Once you begin to use it as a resource, there really is no turning back. The average person relies so naturally on the Internet that when there is an outage or when they can not gain access to the Internet there is a major feeling of loss. For those wrapped up in social networking web sites, aimless is a word that could describe how they feel when suddenly deprived of the Internet.

A Source of Information

Throughout the course of a normal day, a person might use the Internet to check the day’s weather forecast, local traffic conditions before leaving for work to help them avoid congestion and they might also use it to check the news. In fact, for over 10 years now, I myself have chosen Internet news sites as a preference for reading news over buying a newspaper.

People also use the Internet as a research tool; whether for academic reasons, for trivia or for personal knowledge. The amazing thing about the Internet is that no matter what you are looking for, someone, somewhere has usually already written on the topic.

Staying in Touch

Almost everybody these days tries to check their email at least once a day. The Internet helps us to stay in touch with others. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are among the most popular places online to catch up with friends and to let the whole world know what is going on in your life. In fact, the Internet has very much become a place of self-promotion. The various social networking web sites definitely give the everyday person the opportunity to promote and celebrate themselves.

Online Shopping

Although there was some wariness about shopping online in the past due to credit card security issues, most people do at least a small amount of shopping online. This can entail buying clothing, buying groceries, booking a vacation, and more.

Banking

Online banking is hugely popular these days. People can now check their accounts and have information on what is happening with their accounts in an instant. They can also pay bills online, transfer funds and communicate with their bank at will. These online services provide huge conveniences for customers in comparison to traditional banking.

I believe that the average member of society has become extremely reliant on the Internet. No single tool measures up to the usefulness of the Internet. Although some people resist this technology, it is only a matter of time before everyone adopts the convenience and ease that the Internet offers.

The Fastest Computer in the World (for now)!

Computers have grown from obscurity to being absolute must-have devices in the space of just half a century. In the 1950’s, computers were huge in size and they required the space of a complete room just to contain them. In those days, computers had many moving mechanical parts and they were noisy, clunky and slow. In the 50’s, it was really only the government and government-backed programs that had access to computers.

During the 1970’s the potential for computers began to be seen. Still, developers were years away from producing the computers that we now literally take for granted. Two key developments brought about the every day computer use that we experience today. One was the development of the microprocessor and the other was the development of the Windows operating system that suddenly made using a computer as easy as clicking on graphical icons. Prior to Windows, most computer users had to write text commands to make their computers do what they wanted.

The development of the microprocessor pretty much changed everything as far as computers were concerned. The microchip was revolutionary to the development of computers. They reduced the size of computers and increased their speeds. Since microprocessors were fairly inexpensive to make, they also reduced the cost of owning a computer. This allowed for the widespread use of computers both for commercial use, educational use and for the every day consumer. Today, computer manufacturers continue to work on increasing the speed of computers and reducing their size. Science labs all over the world experiment with different ways to accomplish more and more speed.

Currently, according to the LINPACK Benchmark standard, the largest and the fastest computer in the world is housed in Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It has been developed by Cray, Inc. and it is called the Cray XT5 but nicknamed, ‘the Jaguar’. Measured against other computers using algebraic equations, this computer performs the fastest. It is said to have 1.75 petaflops of speed. It breaks all types of records and is the first computer to push the envelope, sustaining performance of over a petaflop on a 64-bit scientific application. Although that is a whole lot of tech talk, it basically means that this computer is extremely fast! It has 224,000 processing cores which allows the computer run at lightening speeds.

Currently, this high speed computer exists in a science lab only. However its development will ultimately trickle down to the every day consumer and effect the speed of future computer models. Huge amounts of money are invested in advancing every aspect of computer hardware and software. Up to now, we have seen extremely rapid advancements in computer technology not just with every passing decade but with every passing year… and things only seem to be speeding up.

Handy tips for efficient computer use

Today’s computers run much more efficiently than ever before in history. Innovative tech companies continually find new ways to speed up the processing time of computers and to increase their ability to easily perform multiple tasks at one time. As computers get faster we also want to speed up the way that we interact with them. This can be made possible by taking advantage of the many shortcuts that are built into the computers that we use.

The most common shortcuts on today’s computers can be done by using the keyboard, and also the mouse. This is true for computers running on Windows operating systems (OS) and with Macs.

Keyboard shortcuts:
Windows users:
The main keys used for making shortcuts on the keyboard are the Windows key (Command key), Ctrl key, the Alt key, Shift and Tab.
The Windows key is an important key for taking keyboard shortcuts. It can be used to open any item in the Start menu. By pressing the Windows key and the corresponding underlined letter in the start menu you can quickly open programs and directories. In the same way, the Alt key can be used to open menu items by pressing the Alt key along with the menu item’s underlined letter.
Below is a selection of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for Windows users:

F1 = Help
Alt + Tab = Browse between open Windows
Alt + F = Open the File menu list
Alt + F4 = Quit program
Windows key + L = Lock computer
CTRL + C = Copy highlighted item
CTRL + X = Cut highlighted item
CTRL + V = Paste
CTRL + Z = Undo

Mac users:
The main keys that are used for keyboard shortcuts on Macs are similar to those used by computer users on Windows OS. The only difference with Macs is the addition of the Apple Key, which is also known as the Command Key. The Command key is essential in most Mac shortcuts.
Below is a selection of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for Mac users:

Command + A = Select items on the screen
Option + Command + A = Deselect all items
Command + C = Copy highlighted item
Command + D = Duplicate highlighted item
Command + I = Get info
Command + M = Minimize window

Mouse short cuts
Windows users:
Right clicking items on your screen allows you to use mouse shortcuts on your computer. Mouse shortcuts on a Windows machine are done by right-clicking on different areas of your computer screen with the mouse. Some of the most common shortcuts performed by right-clicking are copy, paste and delete. By right clicking a highlighted word, image or item in most programs you at minimum have the option of performing these tasks.

Mac users:
Few people realize that Macs have their own version of right-clicking. This is because traditionally, MACs only have one button on their mouse. To achieve a right-click like the Windows OS, Mac users have to press the CTRL key and then the item that they want to see a ‘right-click’ menu for. A drop menu appears over the item, providing a few choices of action. A Mac mouse can also be used to drag and drop items to copy/paste them from one drive or folder to another.

Top 5 Open Source Alternatives

Open source computer programs are software solutions that are developed by programmers without profit in mind. Instead, open source developers write programs and then give them away for free. Open source software poses a huge challenge to developers of commercial software packages. When consumers are faced with the option of paying a high price for software and a similar product for free many people would choose the free software. Offering a free version of a program that functions almost the same as an expensively priced commercial program provides an extremely tempting option for computer users.

Below are 5 of the most popular open source computer applications currently available along with the commercial software packages that they compete with:

1. Dia Vs Microsoft Visio
Dia is an open source drawing package that rivals the commercial Microsoft Visio package. Just as with Visio, Dia helps users develop and put together a host of charts, drawing and graphics presentations. If you need to put together flowcharts, UML diagrams, relationship diagrams or any other types of graphs or charts on a regular basis, Dia is an excellent open source alternative to the commercially priced Visio.

2. Clonezilla Vs Symantec Norton Ghost
Clonezilla is the open source solution for backing up files and important data on your computer. In fact, Clonezilla software can be used for backing up data, restoring data or for ghosting. Clonezilla is the open source rival of programs like Norton’s Ghost. It is capable of backing up everything on your hard disk, even including the operating system itself.

3. OpenOffice Draw Vs Microsoft Visio
OpenOffice Draw is a popular open source application that allows users to develop flowcharts, graphs and other illustrations. It is one of several open source software packages that rival Microsoft Visio. OpenOffice Draw can be used to create professional visual presentations of data which is extremely beneficial in the business environment.

4. Quanta Plus Vs Adobe Dreamweaver
Quanta Plus is a software package that provides an open source alternative to web design software packages such as Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft Frontpage. Quanta Plus is quickly becoming a viable alternative to other well-known software packages and includes a host of features that match those found in commercial packages and therefore is growing in popularity among web designers.

5. Gimpshop Vs Adobe Photoshop
Gimpshop is a software solution that not only provides an alternative to Photoshop but also rides on top of what has already been developed in Gimp. Gimpshop takes things further than Gimp to offer a graphics solution that is as similar as possible to Photoshop. Menus and tools have all been changed in Gimpshop to look as much as possible like Photoshop. This reduces the learning curve for people that want to use Gimpshop that are used to using Photoshop.

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