Fiction Inspired Technology

Posted by on July 31, 2011
Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, in a promoti...

Image via Wikipedia

Science fiction is the dream world where innovation comes out to play. Futuristic worlds are imagined and take shape without limits. Fans of the television series Star Trek will well remember the technology that made galactic travel seem completely plausible. ho doesn’t remember the trademark phrase “beam me up, Scotty” Besides being able to travel to planets in minutes, Captain Kirk routinely walked through unmanned doors that opened as if sensing his presence, the tri-corder was the world’s first flip phone, and computers that responded by voice commands was common place. Even Star Trek The Next Generation inspired technology with Dr. Crusher’s vital sign scanner. Just one swipe of her medical wand and she received a full report of her patient’s condition. Not completely there today but we do have the next best thing. Forehead thermometers that take temperatures non-evasively even when a child is sleeping. These thermometerswork by reading energy that comes from the forehead which is captured by a lens and converted to the proper temperature value. The device also performs a function check when it is enabled to make sure proper readings are produced.  Remarkably this convenient invention can be purchased for as little as $30. Technological advances and society goes on unphased by the amazing leaps that are accomplished. Today we effortlessly live in the future great writers of the past dreamed of. They didn’t always get it right but their foresight inspired a whole host of scientists who are now making their dreams reality.

Filed Under: Advancements | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Get the most from your devices

Posted by on June 30, 2011
Mobile Phone 

Image via Flickr

Almost everyone today has at least a mobile phone, most of us have computers and many of the gadgets in our houses use computer software to run, but are we getting the most out of those devices?

The variety

The mobile phone can easily be doubled up as a music center, or even a mini computer to send and receive emails. The laptop can also do the same as well as doubling as your TV (But unfortunately it doesn’t cook a good meal! You’ll still need the microwave or cooker). There’s a danger with some of the older machines that we overload them causing them to slow down dramatically at critical times.

The problem

Ever got frustrated because your computer seems to be taking ages to open a program up? It’s probably overloading the computer and the machine is having a problem running it.

The cure

There are basically two ways to cure the problem

  1. Get some good advice on what programs you really need. Advice is free, but good advice is worth it’s weight in Gold. Streamlining the programs on your old machine might give it the new lease of life you need for it.
  2. Buy a new device. A good alternative, but even here it really pays to get good advice, not just the advice of the salesperson at the local computer store.

The results

The results will be more productivity and more enjoyment out of the devices you have. Getting the right advice and the right software to run the devices is key to truly enjoying them well into the future.

Filed Under: Advancements, Gadgets | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

CNET, Downloading and You – A Software Paradise

Posted by on May 4, 2011

All the fancy gadgets in the world won’t do you any good if you don’t have any software to run on them. There’s no shortage of free software available for download on the Internet, but it’s hard to know what’s reliable. There are plenty of harmful products masquerading as helpful ones, and there are plenty of products that mean no harm but are poorly designed. What to do? It’s not wise just to download recklessly and it only takes one fatal mistake to ruin your new device.

 

 

Logo of CNET. 

Image via Wikipedia

 

 

Fortunately there are reputable sites that do the dirty work for you and whose opinion you can trust. Everyone has their favorite; one good choice is CNET. CNET is composed of many technology-minded folks who are up to date on all things in the tech world. They do product reviews with star ratings and lists of pros and cons that make it easy to get a sense of something’s worth. CNET also does comparative reviews, so you can see the relative strengths and weaknesses of competing products and decide which is best for you.

 

In terms of software, this is a real boon. If you’re looking for a well-designed free audio program, CNET reviews the various options (Audacity is a good choice). If you want to know what is the best Internet security program, you’ll find exhaustive coverage on CNET. Whatever your interest, if it’s technology related it’s likely to be covered. Best of all, CNET provides links to download the various products, so you can find what’s good and get it too, all in the same place.

 

Filed Under: Downloads, Hardware | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Something Different This Way Has Come

Posted by on April 24, 2011
EckieGlass

Image via Wikipedia

Gaming whether by console or computer had a variety of game types in the beginning. About the year 2000, new 3D graphics platforms appeared and almost overnight the variety disappeared.

The balance of gaming went towards action, mayhem games, or fast vehicle racing. Interesting puzzle, logic, and innovative nonviolent games dwindled. Once in a while the beta type game pops up and becomes popular, but it has mostly been relegated to the realm of children. There are game designers and artists out in cyberspace creating innovative, mind enhancing game formats.

Micheal Samyn and Auriea Harvey are digital graphics artists who have created games that are not about gaming, but about having an experience. Their collaboration together has resulted in several formats which if one keeps an open mind, and has patience a player will have an emotional experience while playing. The experiences cannot be defined because for each person depending on their mood, background, and their life issues their gaming sensations are different. The games have been recognized and awarded by numerous entities.The Endless Forest is their MMORPG game and you become a fawn residing in a living artistic portrait of a forest. No rules. No talk. Fatale is a cryptic tale of Salome where every move a player makes slowly results in an illumination. A creation called The Path is found on the STEAM platform and many other venues. In the game the player answers the question of “Which path will you take the path of needles or the path of pins?”

It is a different mindset one needs to experience.

Filed Under: Advancements | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Application Design Basics

Posted by on April 19, 2011

There are key elements that are essential when it comes to providing useful computing applications. Intelligent professionals know how important it is to include technological advancements to reach company-wide targets.

Application services can be described as a service provided from a company that rents or leases a computer application located on their servers to another business entity. Services can be broad or very specific depending on the customer’s needs.

Most people that consider application services mention the operative and aesthetic properties, but little else. Good basic concepts include the invisible workings that make the application run smoothly. The list below is of some application design basics that should be considered and why they are important.

  1. Reliable – The software and all other parts should run consistently without a large percentage of error. This usually entails a self-monitoring system for dependable service that reports and remedies any miscalculations.
  2. Security – Development of applications need to address security issues for the network, server and application itself. Information passing through the software needs to be encrypted and protected against bugs or other hindrances.
  3. Observational – An application needs to be monitored consistently for usage information, upgrades and for other management duties. A worthwhile design will have different testing capabilities to ensure proper administration.
  4. Usable – Everyone from the technical illiterate to the information technological savvy needs to be able to use the design. Tasks should be processed at a rate to accommodate all users.

The items above are a small sampling of basic application principles to remember. A good service provider will do more than exceed factors for business applications.

Filed Under: Software | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Calm Entanglements

Posted by on April 17, 2011
Hexagon as a truncated triangle (bicolored edges)

Image via Wikipedia

Entanglements in the dictionary world means something that confuses or ensnares. In Google Chrome there are numerous apps that can be downloaded for work or enjoyment. In the games applications section there is a game called Entanglement. The game play is exactly opposite of what is expected. Instead of confusion and ensnarement there is clarity and freedom that produces a sense of calmness and peace.

When one first opens the game, very calming pentatonic scale music plays in the background. There is an immediate reaction in oneself to slow down and calm down. The game interface displays a simple hexagonal board filled with hexagons around a central hub. Inside the hexagons are ropes of curving directions. Clicking on a hexagon next to the presented hexagon starts game play. If the entangled ropes connect they will fill with a dull red. A player can rotate hexagons to maximize game play. Play is intuitive and easy to learn. There are additional maps to use, music available, and a how to play on YouTube.There is a feature that lets a person play on mobile, and they are working on providing their service for Android phones.

Entanglement is created by Gopherwood Studios. Gopherwood Studios is a small business by two guys. Derek Detweiler and Todd Lewis.  They create games in their spare time in the basement of Derek’s home. The game has become successful, and so the boys are learning all the ins and out of game development such as translating Entanglement into several languages. Gopherwood Studios has a blog and is on Facebook and Twitter. The boys welcome any and all feedback about their games.

Filed Under: Advancements | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Adopting Effective Software Distribution

Posted by on April 10, 2011

No matter how many computers a business has in its network, they all must be maintained and updated, even if they aren‘t all at the same location.  That means each computer update happens one computer at a time, costing plenty if the company is of any size. A surprising amount of time and money can be spent conducting the process for a company with 10 or more computers.

Many times the update will encounter glitches with some computers and bugs in others, and as annoying as they are, they must be dealt with. Another big chunk of change will be needed to pay someone to do that after the initial software distribution. A simultaneous trouble is that the person doing the job multiplies the chances for human error with each system worked on.

Save Money and Time Updating Computers
In this day of global recession, companies need to save every penny they can to still make a profit. The practice of having humans update computers can just be too expensive. Thankfully, there are programs out that can handle the software distribution and all of the problems can be dealt with remotely, from a single computer.

The best way to ensure effective software distribution with the smallest amount of trouble is to get a program that does this for the programmer. A software program will do as it’s programmed to do, without forgetting or accidentally omitting anything, leaving far less chance of errors and inefficiency. This program will pay for itself quickly. Need a company-wide computer update? Get a program to handle the software distribution and save time and money.

Filed Under: Software | Tagged: Tagged With: ,

Downloading farming games

Posted by on April 8, 2011
Image representing FarmVille as depicted in Cr...

Image via CrunchBase

The internet is a great resource for entertainment and this includes gaming. There are thousands of gaming sites available on the World Wide Web that offer a huge choice of genres and allow users to play for free. However, to play games online, you need to stay online! You can overcome this hurdle by downloading games to your PC.

Recently, SIM games have become quite the rage with gamers. SimCity started it off and now even social networking sites like Facebook are full of people playing Farmville. There is something about these farming or agriculture based games that really appeals to gamers. However, Farmville too needs to be played online. It would be great if you could download farming games and play them on your PC without having to be connected to the internet. There are sites like freesoftwareclub.com that can guide you on how to download such games for free.

Farming games can be a great educational resource to teach children about various agricultural products and how crops are grown. It helps them appreciate the care and effort that goes into the growing the food we eat. In simulation games, the gamers gets to participate in a real time quest to achieve a certain goal. In farming games, for example, you start off at a farmer level. You are given limited resources like land, seeds, cattle and so on and need to use them intelligently to make your farming business grow. Farming and agriculture based games also teach children how to manage resources, conserve and use things intelligently and plan for growth. They can be ideal tools to develop a child’s intellect.

Filed Under: Downloads | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Use a Survey Wisely

Posted by on April 6, 2011

Using surveys on your website is a great way to get feedback from the people that see your site the most. As a blogger, your readers are the prime reason you created a blog to begin with. So, it would make sense to find out they do and don’t want to see on your blog. Whether you are just starting your blog or are a seasoned blogger, and you want to try to make money doing it, you will want to find out what people want to read.

There are numerous free online surveys that can aid in finding out what your readers want. As you begin the process for monetizing your posts, you will want the most cost effective way to give your readers a quality blog. Most people are looking to give their opinion, and would be happy to tell you what they think of your blog, but you should still be creative with it. Ask your readers different questions that don’t just ask what they think. Find out what they want to see, let people know about future plans for your website, or to just gain insight into your readers.

Make sure to make your surveys interesting. Use various types of interactive tools such as flash or javascript to make it more appealing and easier to complete. You don’t want to make your surveys too flashy, but you don’t want to put participants to sleep either. Many of these tools are free to use and there is also plenty of help available in case you get stuck.

Filed Under: Advancements | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Downloading Adobe Software for Free

Posted by on April 5, 2011
Logo of Adobe Systems Incorporated

Image via Wikipedia

Adobe has grown by leaps and bounds when it comes to providing graphics related software. Based out of San Jose, California, and having offices across the globe, Adobe specializes in developing state of the art multimedia software. It product offerings include a range of software for web designing, graphic designing, PDF viewing and editing, Flash players and much more.

Several of Adobe’s software are available online for free. There are sites like freesoftwareclub.com that provide great guides on how you can download these software from the internet. Adobe’s Photoshop is one of the most popular graphic designing software in the market today. In fact, you will find it on the qualifications list on nearly every graphic designer’s resume! The software can be used for a host of purposes like designing templates for websites, editing photographs, creating logos, designing entire websites, creating fonts and adding them to pictures and much more.

Another popular Adobe creation is Dreamweaver. Its primary function is web development and it can be used on both windows as well as MAC computers. Adobe has kept in step with latest advancements in the field of web development and has incorporated the latest programming texts like Java Script, HTML and CSS. As with Photoshop, Dreamweaver too is one of the most sought after qualifications among web developers. The Adobe Acrobat is a PDF reader that allows documents from other software like MS Word to be saved converted into PDF format. It is one of the most widely used PDF viewers today and is available to be downloaded for free along with several other Adobe products like Adobe Flash Player and Shockwave Player.

Filed Under: Downloads, Software | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,
«Older Posts