Big Data

Last week in Barcelona, Huffington announced a visionary partnership with Hewlett Packard (HP) called HP Earth Insights. This program will revolutionize the way we monitor, report and understand the health of ecosystems. Environmental scientists across the globe will be able to put their field research findings into mobile HP tablets through communication applications and analyze and share that data in visual, user-friendly dashboards that reveal tropical changes in near real-time. HP Earth Insights will help us link tropical forest data with other data repositories at the Smithsonian Institution and Wildlife Conservation Society, and connect the dots to further populate a measure of tropical forest biodiversity known as the Wildlife Picture Index. Before this program, there was a significant lag between the collection of data and the publication of it where more data is collected. The ability to quickly synthesize the telltale signs of ecosystem decline -- and getting that information into the hands of leaders in time for them to make informed decisions -- has become a priority for CI and its partners. This is why the HP Earth Insights partnership is so ground-breaking.

Tracking

Do you like being tracked online? I am sure that you all have heard all the horror stories about how much money these companies are making off of the information that they have about you and even your family. To be perfectly honest, it is a tad bit annoying when you are online and the ads that you see which can get a bit pushy sometimes are related to what you are searching for. The one thing that you have to remember that there is no way to get around being tracked. It will always happen, whether you are using email or internet fax or just trolling around the web. Third-party tracking is where the questionable practices come in, but even those practices have some upsides. If you are tracked by your preferred retailer, you may start seeing ads for products you may actually be interested in. You may get deals or sales in ads directed toward you. Less spammy and more personalized advertisements may make you despise that drop-down advertisement a little less, especially if it is something you’re inclined to look into further. As good as that sounds, there is no real line that is drawn as to where it stops.

Your Mind On the Internet

We email. We tweet. We facebook. We google. In this incredible age of technology, our computers sometimes seem to have taken control over our everyday lives -- from how we buy groceries to how we find mates. How is all this screen time affecting our brains? Is it getting rewired and changed at the molecular level? MRI research has shown that the brains of Internet users who have trouble controlling their craving to be constantly plugged-in exhibit changes similar to those seen in people addicted to drugs and alcohol. A 2011 study showed that unplugging from technology for one day gave some users, usually gamers, physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. There could also be something called Facebook depression. Do you get down when you see pictures of other vacationing or their achievements? Video conferencing also open a bee nest in itself. On the other hand, there is plenty of research out there that supports the idea that computers might actually boost brain function. Clearly, the internet has not been around long enough yet for any conclusions.

Your Smartphone: A Perfect Target

Your smartphone is almost always on, connected to the Internet, logged into your email and social media, and likely has at least a username stored for your bank account. Your smartphone contains as much sensitive information as your wallet does — more, if you count the contact information for your family and friends. Smartphones can access the Internet, which puts them at risk for a variety of malware and compromising exploits, but malware can come via almost any phone function or phone service. Text messages are easily exploitable, especially since an average text-messaging app takes no security precautions. The take home message here is to make sure that you have the right type of antivirus software and to use some common sense if you see something suspicious.

Give These Up and Be Happy

Happiness is something that we all strive for or at least attempt to. Aristotle said that it happens when we do what is morally right. Others say that it is a choice. Does it sometime seem like an extremely hard choice to make? We complicate our live so much that we would not know what happiness looked like if it came up close enough to examine our tonsils. There are however ways to fight through the fogginess of our daily lives which are bogged down with emails, voicemails, and tons of internet fax. So here are tow reasons for giving up what others think of you: You'll never please everyone and it's none of your business what others think of you. Next, let go of insecurity and stop taking everything so personally. No one really cares or watches you that closely. And the truth is, most people are too consumed with their own life to really consider what you're doing. Lastly, Anger burns a hole in the hand of the person still holding on to it.

How To Use The Internet

If you came across a book with that title, would you read it? In May of 1994, computer-book publisher Ziff-Davis Press released Mark Butler’s How to Use the Internet. Have you ever heard of it or seen it in the stores? This was way before the time of website development and apps. Here are some of the things that you can find in the book. We have certainly come a long way:

Joining mailing lists: “Although it is polite to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to a human, do not include these words in the messages you send to a listserv. They may confuse the machine.”

Newsgroups: “Remember, a news reader is a program that enables you to read your news.”

Online etiquette: “Flaming is generally frowned upon because it generates lots of articles that very few people want to read and wastes Usenet resources.”

“Surfing” the Internet: “Surfing the Internet is a lot like channel surfing on your cable television. You have no idea what is on or even what you want to watch.”

Searching the Internet: “If a particular search yields a null result set, check carefully for typing errors in your search text. The computer will not correct your spelling, and transposed letters can be difficult to spot.”

Apple Store Brawls

How bad do you want that new iPhone? The Los Angeles Times is reporting that arrests have been made after two men began fighting while in line outside an Apple store in Pasadena. Police also told the paper about a second fight breaking out between a man and some people the man had paid to stand in line for him. Those people claimed the man didn’t pay them enough to stand in line for the phones. Would you pay someone to stand in line for you for a phone? The new iPhone was not all it was cracked up to be to be honest. As far as the different phone services go, it was about a big a let down as when the 4S came out. I do have to admit that the operating system is by far one of the best to use but it still comes down to what exactly you are going to use it for. In short, hope that phone was worth the scuffle.

Tech Companies and Big Issues

It seems to me that tech companies are not really out to solve the big problems in the world, they just want to get the smaller ones out of the way and move on. This is with the exception of internet phone services because it has reaches that have yet to be seen. When communication services become that much more affordable, it is easy to see it as a solution to one of the biggest problems. This idea was highlighted by how the CEO of Facebook and other large companies have been pushing for internet access in remote places. Anyone who does not live under a rock has heard the quote, "With great power comes great responsibility." There is an imbalance in tech companies and therein lies the problem. Power without responsibility corrupts. The leaders of tomorrow are the young college graduates that need to not just learn how to create the innovative technology but the extent of their responsibilities with that type of power.

Bring Back Those Days

"Those were the days." A common phase among people that are out in the real world. Being a kid meant having summer vacations where you had about 90 days of freedom to invent and create without getting smack for coloring outside the lines, and suddenly losing summer feels like losing an arm in a battle you don't remember having. Until the day you die, you're going to have phantom twinges of hope for a three-month holiday that is never ever coming. We can bring it back; in fact summer vacation happens every night. The fun of summer was that you were free from the routine that someone else invented for you. So one of the things that you can do is learn a new skill or take up a new hobby such as application development or learning a new language. Fun fact: doing new things releases dopamine in the brain which can dramatically increase your mood and your overall outlook on life. Get out there and have summer vacation every night.

Coffee: In the News Again

Doesn't it seem like every month there is a different article touting the benefits of coffee and then directly followed by one that says it is bad? Compounds native to the coffee bean include antioxidants that have been linked to a lower risk of skin cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and diabetes. The latest, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, studied health records of 45,000 people who reported their coffee-drinking habits and concluded that younger people under age 55 who drank more than 28 cups a week were 21% more likely to die prematurely during the 17 year study than those who drank less. So is that morning cup of coffee a health-booster or a health hazard? That answer depends on how the studies that examine this question are designed, and by extension, the type of coffee in question — as well as who is doing the drinking. Unlike the latest analysis above, some studies in the past did not adjust for factors other than coffee that could affect outcomes like mortality, cancer rates or cognitive measures. To complicate matters even more, these effects can greatly vary from person to person. Plus, our bodies tend to adapt to the various components in coffee, including caffeine, so each individual’s response to it may even change over time.

Cloud Telephony

We have all heard that IP telephony can really improve a business but do you the actual benefits? One of the main advantages of internet phones is the simplicity that they offer which can be a huge relief when you consider just how many different ways we have to communicate. Cloud telephony requires no on-site equipment. That means you don’t have a PBX box taking up space in a closet, or thousands of feet of copper wiring in your walls or cable ducts. In addition to being simple, it is also more mobile. In a world where work never really stays at work, it is good to be able to use any device to access your documents. Cloud telephony products’ simple, flexible design greatly streamline phone system management. And the less time spent managing your phones, the more time you have to do value-adding work. Cloud phone service enables you to focus on what really matters

Smartphone Plans

How much do you pay a month for your cell phone service plan that includes a smartphone? Even though that phone is wonderful when it comes to using the different VoIP systems, you are still probably shelling out a good bit on the bill. But good news: Facing stiff competition from budget carriers, all of the major networks recently began offering cheaper “prepaid” plans – which could save you a ton of money. Instead of entering a two-year contract, a “prepaid plan” enables you to pay monthly, without a commitment to stay with a particular service provider. These no-contract, prepaid phone plans used to be just for dumb-phones, the ones that did not really do anything. So here are the amazing deals:

• If you’re a heavy talk and data user, the best plan is on Sprint’s network through Boost Mobile: $50/month for 2.5 GB of data. (Compare this to Verizon and AT&T’s plans – $60/month for 2 GB.) Better yet, if you make six, monthly, on-time payments in a row, Boost will knock $5 off your monthly bill every month thereafter. They’ll reduce your bill again at 12 months, and again at 18 months, so that after a year and a half you could be paying as little as $35/month – if you haven’t switched plans by then.

• If you don’t talk much but use a lot of web access (say, you’re a teenager), Virgin Mobile has a $35/month for 300 minutes of talk – and unlimited text and data.

• If you use a moderate amount of data but want unlimited talk and text, T-Mobile offers unlimited talk and text, plus 500 MB of data for $50/month.

• The cheapest deal I’ve recently seen form the big carriers: If you dig down deep on T-Mobile’s prepaid plan page, you’ll find a plan with only 100 minutes of talk, but unlimited text and data for – get this – $30 a month.

Virtual Therapists

So as we move further and further into the digital age, it seems as though more and more computers are being placed in the position where there used to be humans. Of course companies want to make things more effective and efficient but I wonder if anyone has ever stopped to think if this is such a great idea for some of the positions that might need a certain human touch? Communication services is one of the biggest sections where computers are dominating, from call forwarding to call centers that have you go though about twenty different menus all the while pushing buttons. Some are voice automated but it does seem to help. To add insult to injury, computers that act as speech therapists are being tested. People without speech issues end up wanting to jump across to the other end of the line and destroy that device that will not let them talk to a really human. So what about those people that need constant speech therapy? While the verbal impairment can be life-long, health insurers only pay for a limited amount of therapy. Yet patients like Green need to continuously practice their skills. Does anyone else see the glaring problem with the system?

Cost of VoIP

There’s no doubt that VoIP offers a myriad of benefits, including decreased expenses and increased productivity, but at what cost? According to Columbia researchers, it is a very high one and it is not monetary. The security is one of the biggest downsides of internet phone services. At a recent Amphion Forum, a conference on the security of connected devices, Ang Cui, a fifth-year grad student from the Columbia University Intrusion Detection Systems Lab and his colleague, Computer Science Professor Salvatore Stolfo, demonstrated how easily an IP phone could be compromised. Using a popular Cisco VoIP phone, Cui quickly attached a small external device which allows the transfer of binary malicious code to the phone. The attack enables remote and undetected access to the phone’s microphone, which allows the hacker to activate the microphone without it being noticed and to eavesdrop on conversations in the surrounding environment, even when there is no phone call in progress. The compromised phone can also be used to attack other devices on the network, such as computers, phones and printers. This is the wake up call that demands attention and improvements in security.

How Not to Get Frustrated When Shopping Online

The internet has made it that much easier to spend money that we do not have on things that we do not need. Nevertheless, we all do it, even with all the frustrations that we endure. Even if the communication services are great, the return policy can be horrible and it is something that you need to know before you buy to save you some headaches. I am sure that you might have come up against some horrible policies in the time that you have been shopping online. When the return policy says that once you open something, you can't return it, there are things to think about when purchasing from them. Another thing that you should take into consideration is customer reviews. It does not take a psychoanalyst to figure out which ones are complaining about the same things and which ones sound like commercials for the product or its competitor. The name of the game is research.

Innovation in 3D TV

Internet phones are not something new in technology and VoIP systems are becoming the new norm in businesses. For the average consumer, IP telephony was not really a necessity until the power of video conferencing was unlocked. Throw in television and it is like the other person is in the room with you. Now with 3D television, it is quite an effect. Vizio demoed a 3D TV which lets you get rid of the glasses and there is not just one sweet spot. With this TV, there are nine. As you move around the screen in a semi-circle, the picture pops in and out of 3-D, akin to pulling a lens in and out of focus. If you're not in a sweet spot, the picture doesn't completely blur and fuzz out. It just flattens out into 2-D. Even better, the system won't require any special content above and beyond the 3-D video that already exists. The technology isn't flawless. On Vizio's prototype, the picture is considerably less sharp than on other high-definition or 3-D displays. On-screen lines and fuzziness are pretty noticeable, and the 3-D effect doesn't always pop like you'd expect it to. Still, this kind of technology is creeping closer and closer to your living room. We've seen it in portable devices such as the Nintendo DS and the displays of 3-D cameras, but never yet in a full-size consumer TV.

Cons of VoIP Systems

Perhaps the biggest caveat to the VoIP is that you must have electricity and internet service to use it. So, during a storm when there is a power outage, your VoIP system is out, too (since routers, adapters, computers, and other VoIP devices need electricity to function). If there is high internet traffic when you are trying to place a VoIP-to-VoIP call, you may experience some degradation in the quality of your call and/or your service may be interrupted completely. One of the solutions that AB Soft can offer is a hosted VoIP service that operates in the cloud but it will not take care of the problem completely. With the basic VoIP package, emergency services are not a for-sure thing. If VoIP is your only form of communication with the outside world, you may want to consider an additional device to enable you to contact help if needed, though a cellphone is an easy alternative.
Countless applications and functions, combined with being cost-effective and user-friendly, make the VoIP a viable option for your 21st century communication needs.

Pros of a VoIP Service

If you have access to the Internet, then you can call, email, video conference with, or send a voice mail to anyone's email or phone. It doesn't matter if they are across the ocean or in the building next door, as long as your internet signal is strong, you don't have to hassle with remembering area codes, worry about long-distance charges if you chat for an hour, or wonder if you are going to be disconnected if a cloud drifts by. Your one assigned "local" phone number will allow you to call anyone, anywhere. VoIP comes as part of several different packages depending on your particular needs. Some options include: 3-way calling, caller ID, voicemail, automatic call forwarding, auto-redial, online faxing, automatic emailing of voicemails to your designated email account, a "virtual" receptionist greeting callers and directing them to the appropriate company rep, and even customized greetings for specific times of the year or after regular business hours. VoIP can be easily integrated with instant messaging, file sharing software, video conferencing, or any other internet-based communication. Multiple applications and devices can be integrated, layered, or streamlined to meet most every user's needs at the corporate or home office.

Flexibility

Making your own hours or working from your home can take a toll on you even if you have all those great communication services such as internet phones and internet fax. There has been research that pointed to people not really benefiting from making their own schedules. One of the biggest problems of this is the integration of work and home which can lead to stress because attention will end up being spread thinly and the person will not really be as productive as they could be if they were to go to a different place to work. The same goes when people come home, it is best to leave work back at the office so that you are able to actually be home and with your family. Companies should consider making schedules more flexible but not necessarily complete control because then there will be more harm done. There needs to self-discipline and family member cooperation for the flexibility to work.

Turning Off Your Smartphone

No one is expected to be on call at all hours of the day and night, and switching off after work is important, even if you are on a business trip. A study conducted last spring by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project found that while mobile phones were valued as a way to stay productive, there were downsides to being available at all times. The nationwide survey of 2,254 adults found that 44 percent of cellphone owners had slept with their phone next to their bed and that 67 percent had experienced “phantom rings,” checking their phone even when it was not ringing or vibrating. Still, the proportion of cellphone owners who said they “could live without it” has gone up, to 37 percent from 29 percent in 2006. Though, if you are at the point where you are hearing phantom rings and vibrations, something needs to be done or at the very least admitted. IP telephony has revolutionized the way we communicate and do business. Unfortunately it has also taken away the excuse that we are not available, and we need to bring it back. There needs to be a good work-life balance in order to stay productive in both areas.

Disaster and VoIP

As we have seen last week with the Amazon cloud outage and a couple weeks before that with the hurricane, cloud services can be knocked down either by huge service traffic or natural disasters. These are outages that left many companies with crippled telephone service and spotty cellphone coverage for days. In fact, the Federal Communications Commission reports that about 25 percent of wireless cell towers throughout the country’s Northeastern states were completely out of commission after the storm. Despite the loss of cell towers and the degradation of telecom infrastructure, many VoIP providers continued to provide uninterrupted service to its business customers across the East Coast. Traditional telecommunication providers depend on their major data centers for power which, in the throes of a hurricane, can lead to lost land line communications. VoIP providers, on the other hand, can route calls over IP networks as long as there’s an internet connection. While VoIP’s reliance on the internet promises better availability in times of trouble, Irvine says VoIP systems still need to be configured properly to ensure ongoing availability and redundancy patterns. For this reason, Irvine recommends that small to medium-sized businesses take advantage of hosted or multi-tenant VoIP solutions in which the vendor handles all of the PBX functions including routing calls via the internet.