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Tag: Computer

Computer scientists’ new tool fools hackers into sharing keys for better cybersecurity

Instead of blocking hackers, a new cybersecurity defense approach developed by University of Texas at Dallas computer scientists actually welcomes them.

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February 27, 2020
Finnish minister: EU needs to establish own OS, web browser

A top Finnish government member wants the European Union to develop its own computer operating system and internet browser to reduce reliance in the 27-nation bloc on tech giants.

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February 26, 2020
How do we remove biases in AI systems? Start by teaching them selective amnesia

Imagine if the next time you apply for a loan, a computer algorithm determines you need to pay a higher rate based primarily on your race, gender or zip code.

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February 26, 2020
Smart Bill Paying Tips for Online Families
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Back in the analog days before personal computers, the internet and smartphones, paying monthly bills was an event! Bills arrived in the mail and were collected in a specific location and saved for that special day each month when they were paid. The bills were reviewed to make sure all expected items had arrived and each check was written out with a corresponding entry added to the (paper) check register. It was a manual exercise requiring good organization, basic math skills and the concentration to ensure the accounting was properly logged. Mailing out the checks and tracking them in the register wasn’t the end of the process – it was imperative to scrutinize the monthly bank statement and balance the checkbook to ensure that there were no math errors, the checks hadn’t gotten lost in the mail, they were actually cashed by the creditor and correctly credited to the account. Because there was always a lag between the bills coming due and the bank statement arriving, sometimes it was difficult to avoid unpleasantness such as the power or telephone company threatening to turn off service due to a clerical error or post office delay.

Since that time, things have changed dramatically. First was the introduction of financial software that could help with monthly budgeting and bill-paying. Computerization increased organization and cut down math errors, making it easier to keep control of monthly obligations. Today’s consumer has a wealth of tools at their disposal to pay bills, track accounts and keep their personal finances organized. Instead of a shoebox full of paper and a checkbook, bills can be paid with a computer or smartphone connected to the internet. Payments made using either a checking account or credit card can be monitored almost in real-time. Even the role of the post office has diminished considerably because of changes in the bill-paying process. Many people utilize automatic bill payment options that are available directly from vendors such as the phone company or insurance company, as well as from many banks. Consumers may still have a checkbook in their possession, but most of the time it gathers dust on a shelf or in a drawer while bills are paid in a variety of other ways.

Automatic bill payments are the most convenient of all, with options to pay each vendor directly from a bank account or credit card. Auto-pay is great for convenience and flexibility, but the responsibility still falls to each consumer to ensure the process works as expected and to maintain control of their finances. What are some things to be aware of with auto-bill pay and what are some tips for keeping control of your budget while still taking advantage of the automation available?
- Choose the payment method that works for you: Many people find it more convenient to set up their auto-pay on a credit card instead of having the money deducted instantly from their checking accounts. That way, monthly bills appear together in 1 place, and there is less worry about cash flow during the month. And with credit card accounts accessible online, the balance can be monitored as needed. Many credit cards can offer consumer benefits such as frequent flyer miles, free merchandise and other perks. Using a credit card as the payment method is great for organization, but be careful!! Accruing charges on a credit card makes it easy to exceed your budget and get into trouble at the end of the month. Only use this method if you are prepared to pay off the balance on your credit card each month to avoid paying high finance charges on your fixed monthly expenses. If you’re on a very tight budget or have trouble limiting credit card spending, paying bills directly from your checking account is a better solution.
- Be prepared for changes: When using a credit card to pay most monthly bills, if your credit card is stolen or hacked, or when it expires and a new card is issued, be aware that any auto-payments you set up using that card will no longer process. Keep a list of accounts that use auto-pay, including which credit card is used as the payment method for each account. This way, you can quickly update them all when a new credit card is received. If you’re tempted to just check your most recent statement instead of keeping a list, remember – some bills come monthly, others are quarterly and still others are annual so they won’t all appear on your most recent statement. Keeping a list is most efficient way to easily update all applicable accounts.
- Stay involved in the process: Many banks help in the process and provide alerts when an expected bill arrives or does not arrive when scheduled – bill payment is a great feature of online banking and can help you stay on top of your obligations! Make time to review the bills each month to make sure there aren’t any unforeseen or erroneous charges; especially if you are on a tight budget and paying directly from your bank account. Unanticipated charges that are automatically deducted from your account can cause unexpected drops in your bank balance.
- Be smart when it comes to cash management: If possible, don’t set up auto-pay on bills that can vary greatly from month to month, such as credit card bills. And always avoid paying off the balance of one credit card by adding it to the balance of another.
- Keep your credit rating in good standing: Due dates for items such as credit cards, health insurance, mortgage and auto payments are typically due on the same day each month, making it easy to ensure that auto-pay bills arrive on time. However, the due date on some bills may vary. Be sure the payment date that you set up for each bill allows sufficient time for the creditor to process the payment in order to avoid late charges. Similarly, if using your bank’s bill-paying service, for some vendors there is a lag between the date paid and the date received – make sure you allow sufficient time to stave off late fees and avoid bad credit.
The most important concept to remember is that even though paying bills has become extremely convenient and paper cuts are much less common these days in the bill-paying process, you are still ultimately responsible for your finances, your bills and your credit rating. Monitor closely, take advantage of the online tools available from your bank and your creditors to help you keep track of your finances and remember to dust off that checkbook once in a while! Regardless of the method you choose for paying bills, it is highly recommended that you keep a current register of all checks and debits, making a deduction for each item immediately (as soon as you have issued or authorized an item for payment), including any associated fees. This will allow you to have an accurate, up-to-the-minute checking account balance from which to work. This will also help prevent incidences of insufficient funds and their associated fees. Accurate and timely account records never go out of style!

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Source by Ellen Debboli

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February 10, 2020
Online Forex -Currency Trading

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Foreign exchange currency trading is also known as Forex trading, or FX, and has no single physical marketplace like the New York Stock Exchange does on Wall Street in New York or the Tokyo Stock Exchange does in Japan. The New York Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange online traders are limited to making purchases during the actual trading hours governed by New York Stock Exchange hours or the Japanese Stock Exchange’s Tokyo hours. In contrast online Forex trading gives traders access to the online Forex trading community through an electronic series of different online trading platforms. Online Forex trading and online accessibility are nicely compatible because the world’s foreign currency exchange market is a 24-hour market, and the internet makes online forex trading a 24 hour possibility open to anyone with a computer, a telephone line and money. Anyone, any corporation or any bank can log onto an online account at any time, and trade foreign currency through online forex trading.

Online forex trading is primarily the purchase of one currency from a particular country, using the currency of a different country. This exchange involves currency from two different countries at once. It can mean purchasing Japanese currency with Australian currency or purchasing German currency with Spanish currency. While that sounds simple, in fact, approximately $1.9 trillion is traded on Forex daily, making Forex online trading the biggest exchange worldwide. Although anyone can participate in Forex online trading, the key players are usually banks – commercial and investment – and exchange traded futures and registered futures commission merchants.

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Source by Kevin Anderson

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February 10, 2020
The Essence of Technical Writing

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The Gist of Technical Writing

Technical writing, though may seem to be complex outwardly, is not that much complicated when approached in a pragmatic and systematic way. To make it simple, technical writing is just the process of peeling the outer chunky cover of the complexity of the entailed subject and showing the common reader the right way to feel the inner softness at ease.

The Objective of Technical Writing

Technical Writing is the process of taking away the toughness of the subject and making it simple and straightforward so that even ordinary readers who do not possess the grasp of the subject can easily digest the topic. A technical writer must be capable to assimilate the subject technical communication in its entirety and must be competent enough to translate the same into a commonly used language avoiding all of the included technical jargon.

Though the subjects can vary, an expert technical writer will have to be skillful in providing the readers practical and precise content regarding the discussed subject in an ordinary language. The topic may be based on issues such as computer snags, recently launched innovative apps, description of a consumer gadget, mobile phones, computer tablets, medical items, or many other such things that are par for the course of modern living. A talented technical writer will delve deep into the subject and will gather all the relevant practical points and then will pass them to the readers without losing the grip of the subject, but, in a simple language. There lies the real significance of a technical writer.

Give Valuable Information to Readers

One of the main points that all technical writers will have to take care is to include valuable information that will be useful to the readers rather than detailing the apparent technical data. Readers will be more interested in knowing what the item concerned will impart them, rather than the physical or technical specifications. That does not mean that the writer must completely avoid such technical details; the only thing that he or she must ensure that the detailing must be customer-oriented.

One Basic Tip

To become a good writer, one should become a good reader and when the topic comes to technical writing, the writer must be clued-up on the latest technological advancements. The writer must absorb the scientific advancements as and when it comes to pass, and in our time the best bet for it is to rely on the effectiveness of the various internet platforms. In short, all technical writers must comprehend and assimilate the subject concerned fully before trying to pass on to the readers.

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Source by Kaliyath Achutha Kumar

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February 10, 2020
Who Will Become Wealthy in the Information Age?

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As you know, we’re now well and truly in the
Information Age. It began about 10 years ago. In fact,
many economists say it began in 1989, with the Fall of
the Berlin Wall (and the start of the World Wide Web).

To understand who will become wealthy in the
Information Age, first we need to understand how the
Information Age differs from the Industrial Age (born
about 1860, died about 1989).

In fact, let’s get a complete overview and go back to
the Agrarian Age.

In the Agrarian Age, society was basically divided
into two classes: the landowners and the people who
worked on the land (the serfs). If you were a serf,
there wasn’t much you could do about it:
land-ownership passed down through families and you
were stuck with the status you were born into.

When the Industrial Age arrived, everything changed:
it was no longer agriculture that generated most of
the wealth, but manufacturing. Suddenly, land was no
longer the key to wealth. A factory occupied far less
land than a sheep farm or a wheat farm.

With the Industrial Age came a new kind of wealthy
person: the self-made businessman. Wealth no longer
depended on land-ownership and the family you were
born into. Business acumen and factories were creating
a new class of wealthy person. But it still required
enormous capital to build a factory and start a
business.

Then came the World Wide Web (in about 1989) and
globalization. Suddenly, everything changed again.

Factories (or real estate) were no longer necessary to
run a business. Anyone with a website could start a
business. The barriers to wealth that existed in the
Agrarian Age and the Industrial Age were completely
gone. People who could never have dreamed of owning
their own business were making millions from their
kitchen table.

Of course, the Information Revolution didn’t begin
in 1989.

It began in 1444 when Gutenberg invented the printing
press in Mainz, Germany.

But the printing press (newspapers, magazines,
paperbacks) belonged to the Industrial Age, not the
Information Age.

The printing press is a ‘one-to-many’ technology. The
Internet is a ‘many-to-many’ technology. And that was
what changed in 1989.

The Industrial Age was about centralization and
control. The Information Age is about
de-centralization and no control. No government and no
media magnate controls the Internet. This is the
crucial thing to understand about the Information Age.

As we moved from the Agrarian Age through the
Industrial Age to the Information Age, there’s been a
steady collapse of the barriers that kept one section of
society wealthy and the other section poor.

In the Information Age, literally anyone can become
wealthy.

So now that we have a clearer picture of how the
Information Age differs from the Industrial Age, let’s
ask that question again: ‘Who will become wealthy in
the Information Age?’:

(1) People Who are Self-Taught

To explain this better, let’s go back to the Agrarian
Age and the Industrial Age, and the Transmission of
Skills.

In the Agrarian Age, skills were passed on from father
to son. If you wanted to learn how to be a blacksmith
you had to be a blacksmith’s son. If you wanted to
learn to be a stone-mason, you had to be the son of a
stone-mason.

With the coming of the Industrial Age, all this
changed. You could go to University and learn whatever
skills you wanted. Knowledge was freely available.

But in the Information Age, the Transmission of Skills
is changing once again.

The skills necessary to succeed in the Information Age
are not being learnt from our parents (as in the
Agrarian Age), nor are they being learnt in schools
and colleges (as in the Industrial Age). Children are
teaching their parents computer skills. And many of
the entrepreneurs who start hi-tech Internet companies
have never been to college.

The millionaires (and billionaires) of tomorrow
probably won’t have a college education. They will be
high-school drop-outs, self-taught people.

(2) People with New Ideas.

Again, it’s the people who are able to think outside
of the existing structures who will become wealthy in
the Information Age. Often, it’s just a Simple Idea
that launches people to success in the Information
Age.

Take Sabhir Bhatia, for example – the man who invented
Hotmail. Bhatia was a computer engineer working in
Silicon Valley. He had no previous business
experience, whatsoever.

But one day, while he was driving back from work, a
friend called him on his cell phone and said that he
had an idea: What about starting a free, web-based
email service? Bhatia knew this was the idea he’d been
waiting for. He told his friend to hang up immediately
and ring him at home on a secure line.

Three years later he sold Hotmail to Microsoft for
$400 million.

(3) Writers

The third group who will become wealthy in the
Information Age are Writers.

In the Industrial Age, Writers depended on large
publishing Houses to get published (remember that the
printing press is an Industrial Age technology – it is
centralized and controlled). And the Publishing Houses
took the lion’s share of the profits.

In the Information Age, Writers are doing their own
publishing – and keeping most of the profits
themselves. Indeed, Writers are flourishing on the
Web – mainly through eBooks and Ezine Articles.
But even if you don’t write eBooks or Ezine Articles,
if you own a website, you are a Writer.

Why?

Because the Internet is basically a written medium. It
favors writers, people who are able to communicate
effectively through the written word. Remember, it’s
not the graphics on your website that sell, it’s the
words you use.

In the Information Age, we’re all Writers!

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February 9, 2020
Combine Language Learning and Technology to Explode Your Teaching and Learning Success

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Are you looking to boost your English language teaching or learning skills to yet ever higher levels? Would you like to stimulate more interest in your language classes or break out of a slump or plateau? Combine the use of a variety of language learning techniques with continually developing technology to spur your successes. Here are some useful ideas and web sites to get you started.

BLOGS

A Web Log or Blog, is not unlike a dairy you keep online. You can write instructions, an essay or post any type of information you want. Graphics and images can be included to illustrate the written material. Sound and audio-visual files can also be placed into a blog for added impact. A teacher can post a reading or assignment where students can comment right online. No papers, no clutter and you can view it almost any time. Blogs are becoming easier to use and access and many sites allow you to set one up for free.

ONLINE VIDEO / AUDIO

Most professionals have an e-mail address or two. Your e-mail can now become a communicative tool between you and the learners. E-mail can now also include the use of images and sound or audio-visual clips, as well as the message text. Learners can send in assignments as attachments or pasted into the body of the e-mail. They can ask questions and receive timely feedback without waiting for the next class session. Teachers can send out instructions, updates or other information to learners individually, or as a group also without having to wait for the next scheduled class session.

No computer? No problem. In many parts of the world e-cafes are so cheap they’re actually a viable alternative that students can easily afford. Whole “communities” of young learners are based on hangouts at e-cafes in some cultures. Talk to your students about it. You might be surprised.

USE OF ONLINE RESOURCES for TEACHING / LEARNING

The use of online games, EFL practice sites student and teacher forums, communities and activities has exploded in recent months in many parts of the world. Virtual communities and online reference libraries now enable learners to problem-solve, research a paper or to more quickly complete assignments that formerly would have taken disproportionately large amounts of time to complete. For example, a few sites worth mentioning include:

o http://www.books.google.com/

A web site which offers free access to books that can be read on-screen

o http://www.universia.net.co

This is a site which has a lengthy listing of virtual libraries in almost any genre and connects more than 900 mostly Spanish language libraries

o http://www.redclara.net

This site interconnects an advanced academic network of Latin American libraries

o http://www.lablaa.org

This site allows you access and read a large number of its collected works online and contains exposition pages

o The official Project Gutenburg web site contains an extensive listing of literary works in English which have entered the Public Domain. It’s online at: [http://promo.net/pg/]

Try some of these useful ideas and web sites to get you started in combining the use of a variety of language learning techniques with continually developing technology to explode your English language teaching and learning successes. If you need to know more about using these or other new technologies to boost student interest and motivation making your English language teaching more effective, feel free to e-mail me at the address below with questions or comments.

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Source by Larry M. Lynch

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February 9, 2020
A Modern-Day David and Goliath – Techno Teen Takes on Computer Giant – and Wins!

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“Those who say it can’t be done need to get out of the way of those that are doing it.” Unknown

The entrepreneur of today’s world can be compared to the legendary Don Quixote – chasing windmills in search of great fortune.

The entrepreneurial journey I would like to share with you in this article might be a bit of a surprise. I find it remarkable yet I have barely seen it mentioned in the press over the years.

Imagine the following scenario. The year is 1983. You are a college freshman at The University of Texas in Austin, sitting in your dorm room playing around on your computer.

1983. Pre-Internet. Pre-computers-on-every-desk, in-every-room-of-the-house. These were the days of PONG, where very few people sat around playing with personal computers. (If you don’t know what PONG is, ask someone a lot older than you.)

Back to your dorm room. You are supposed to be in class. Instead, you are sitting there playing around on your computer and you have a bright idea – the proverbial “light bulb” goes off in your head.

“I think I’ll start a computer company and compete with IBM!” Since no one is around to hear you and tell you how ridiculous you sound, you continue.

You have no employees. No manufacturing facility. No family in the computer business. You’ve never even worked for a computer company. Sure, you’ve been pulling computers apart and putting them back together since your were 15 but come on! Compete with IBM? Everyone around you thinks you have lost your mind.

Yet, you believe you have a better way.

You develop a passion for the idea of making better computers and selling them for less by going directly to the consumer.

The story goes that mom and dad heard that sonny-boy was skipping a lot of classes so that he could play with his computers. Mom and Dad decided to pay a visit one day and caught him red-handed. After reading Michael the riot act, Michael’s dad asked him what he wanted to do with his life. He told his dad that he wanted to compete with IBM.

Imagine that conversation!

And so it was that the 19 year old boy genius, techno-teen Michael Dell, armed with only $1000, abandoned his plans of becoming a doctor and dropped out of college after his freshman year to take on the big boys – IBM, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and others.

He believed he could outsource everything – the manufacturing, distribution, sales and service. Remember now, this was pre-Internet. Pre-global-out-sourcing. He believed he could bypass the traditional expensive distribution channels and go straight to the consumers, giving them exactly what they wanted – better quality, lower cost computers made specifically for them.

He knew what his consumer wanted because he was his own consumer – frustrated by poor customer service, crappy quality, non-existent customization and high prices.

The rest is history. Modern American business history, that is.

By the time Dell was 22 years old, his company had achieved annual sales of about $150 million. Starting with only $1000 and growing the company to a $1 billion (with a B!) public company in less than 10 years is a record few companies can match.

Today Dell, Inc. is a $57 billion company with the leading market share in the United States with over 46,000 employees, including more than 16,000 in Central Texas. Dell is listed as the 8th wealthiest person in the United States according to Forbes magazine (August 2007). Dell first made the Forbes 400 Wealthiest People in the United States at the ripe old age of 26. He is said to have been worth over $20 billion by the age of 40.

Dell has been named “Entrepreneur of the Year” from Inc. magazine; “Man of the Year” from PC Magazine; “Top CEO in American Business” from Worth Magazine; “CEO of the Year” from Financial World and Industry Week magazines.

Not bad for a college dropout.

Michael Dell. At age 19, he realized he could build a better mousetrap and sell it for less.

Simple formula. Brilliant execution.

The first time I heard this story, I frankly didn’t believe it. A college freshman takes on IBM, and wins?! No way, said my logical left brain. There has to be more to this story!

No, this one goes in the “truth is stranger than fiction” category.

Michael Dell was just a bright boy with a bright idea. Fueled by passion. Too young, too foolish, and certainly too focused to listen to the naysayers who said it couldn’t be done.

According to Dell, “No one told me that we couldn’t do it, and if they did, I wasn’t listening.”

It’s a good thing he wasn’t listening. In addition to revolutionizing the personal computer industry, Dell has donated more than $1 billion in stock to the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, which is now one of the country’s largest foundations. The foundation focuses on children’s health and education initiatives.

Even though today’s story is about a mega-millionaire with a gazillion dollar company, never forget that once upon a time, Michael Dell was a lot like you and me. Just a kid with a dream that wouldn’t die.

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Source by Gina Carr

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February 9, 2020
The Cash Register and Their Uses
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We have all at least seen a cash register if not used one. Cash registers are an integral part of retail businesses and most cannot operate without one. Invented by James Ritty after the Civil War out of necessity for the running of his saloon. His main goal was to stop employees from skimming money and he got the idea after seeing a tool that counted the revolutions of propellers for steamships. Patented in 1883, the cash register soon took on a life of its own and after being sold a few times, finally settled into what it is today.

Today the cash register does not require you to break a nail while pushing down huge buttons that were known for sticking down and causing all sorts of problems. There are no longer number tabs that pop up to show you the amount being rung up, but rather most registers are computerized. Computer cash registers are available in many forms today and may consist of just a simple program that you run on your desktop computer that uses an interface just like a regular cash register to entire pos systems that come complete with bar code scanners, a till drawer and receipt printer. Pos cash registers are what most of us are familiar with today as all the large retailers use them.

Computer cash registers or pos cash registers are highly advanced and will do everything from ringing up the customer’s purchases to doing your taxes. Many of the systems will come with a program that keeps track of your inventory which will save you time and money by streamlining the process and not having to do physical inventory. Don’t forget the options like bar code scanners and laser receipt printers that will help keep your business running smoothly.

Touch screen cash registers are the first choice among restaurants and grocery stores. These registers will display menu choices and options that will make ordering quicker by just pressing the screen. Restaurant cash registers are designed so that the kitchen will receive the order when the wait staff enters it into the computer so they can begin preparing immediately. This makes for a much more efficient restaurant. Many of these pos systems also come with age verification software which is handy for those in the bar business. These registers also allow for unique user id’s that keep track of each person who uses the register, their orders and their sales. Most are able to download your business for that day or week into tax programs such as Quick-books.

The importance of cash register tape might seem little, but this is an important addition to any system and should be allowed some consideration before purchase. Today, most register systems and credit card machines use thermal paper for receipts. This paper requires special thermal printers that burn the image into the paper. Laser printers are also used and they have their own special type of receipt paper as well. These types of printers do not require ink, which is one less expense because in the long run ink will cost you a fortune, but they are much pricier up front than your regular paper receipt printers.

Below is a list of registers and prices that you can expect to pay:
- 8 Department Standard Electronic Cash Register (recommended for small businesses) starting at around $100 – These registers are very basic, but for the small retailer they are perfect – They use standard paper for their receipt printing
- 40 to 99 Department Standard Electronic Cash Register (recommended for small to midsized businesses) from $200-$350 – Same considerations as register above
- Touch Screen Cash Register (varies depending on size and bundles/options, recommended for restaurants and bars) $500-$2500 – These registers will almost always be used with thermal or laser receipt printers
- POS Systems (varies depending on size and options) $1500-$3200 – Used almost always with laser or thermal printers.
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Source by Gerald Hill

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February 6, 2020