Ok, so you bought your laptop and are preparing it to take it with you the next day to work or college. But are you ready for that? Do you think that it will be protected if it will be in your backpack? I do not think so. You need a carrying case. Laptops are fragile and can be damaged very easily. Even if you bought your laptop with some sort of basic carrying case, do not count on it to protect all the valuable components. It would be also good for you if additionally it could carry all the other accessories that you might wish to take with your laptop like mouse, mouse pad etc. Cases come in different sizes, shapes and are made from different material like even metal or leather. Finding the proper one for your laptop is definitely worthwhile.
Internet it is a perfect place to be anonymous. No wonder that people take advantage out of this fact during April Fools� Day to make jokes wherever possible As a matter of fact, not only individuals, but even companies seem to make jokes by tracking people into believing something. For example, last year during April Fools� Day Blizzard, the creator of the most popular online game World of Warcraft, stated that it was working on a new title based on a popular movie. Of course, it was just a joke and I highly suggest that you do not take anything seriously during this day, especially if you read it over the Internet. Gamers are already speculating what joke will Blizzard come up with this year.
The technology is changing fast, really fast. A lot of Internet users are in their twenties or thirties, and remember growing up without the access to the Internet. However, these days access to technology such as Internet is very easy. For those born in the nineties, the world looks different completely when it comes to technology. Let’s look at a few observations on how the world looks like according to 14 year olds:
-There has always been Internet.
-There have always been CDs and DVDs.
-There have always been digital cameras.
-The first Nintendo Games Boys are older than they are.
-Answering machines, cordless phones, and cell phones have been around for as long as they can remember.
-The first portable MP3 players came out before they were in school.
Some of you might have heard that John Chow was blacklisted by Google. John ranked as one of the top results when it comes to keywords like ‘make money online’, but even though he got blacklisted long time ago, he still did not get ranked high for phrases like ‘make money online’. Additionally, he still does not appear on the first 3-4 pages after you type ‘John Chow’ in Google. Google was for a long time redirecting anyone typing ‘John Chow’ in their search engine to pages that explain why he got punished. Google claims that John got punished for his questionable link building tactics that the company obviously dislikes. It seems that not ignoring Google’s requirements and preferences might be a good idea. My advice is that your website does not contain anything controversial that Google might dislike. As you see from the above example, it is better not to mess with Google.
There is a new Massive Multiplayer Online Game which hopefully will arrive soon that promises the possibility of exploring Mars. It will also include fashion shops. It will be a game similar to Second Life where emphasis is put on social interactions, instead of fast paced action. Fast paced action games seem to be the trend, so we will just have to wait to see if this game will achieve success. Games which focus on social interactions are addicting if a person is able to find interesting people in such games, but there is also a danger if there are no people with similar interests in a game, then the game will become boring very soon.
LCD TVs were introduced long time ago, but it takes time for some inventions to get really popular. In the beginning of 2006 LCD TV shipments amounted to less then 20%, right now they amount to around 60%. The transition is not unexpected, as it not only made the TVs lighter and easier to move around, but the LCD technology also supports different sizes of TVs. You can have an LCD TV which is smaller than 20 inches, and at the same time also offer very large screens for those really demanding. Personally, I do not have any CTR equipment in my home anymore, as I believe that LCDs are superior. LCD TV shipments are further expected to grow this year.
Japan is a very interesting market when it comes to technology, as it is definitely one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world. That is why observing various trends is not only interesting, but may prove to be beneficial for many reasons. Recent data suggests that the Blu-ray DVD sales are growing rapidly in Japan, which is probably due to HD-DVD discs that lost the format war last year. Not only that the sales are growing, but the prediction is that the sales will continue to grow for a long time, as the Blu-ray DVD technology doesn�t really have a competitor.
One of the reasons for that may be that around half a year ago one of the biggest backers of HD DVD format, namely Universal Studios, has decided to release all their new videos on the victorious Blu-ray technology. Universal Studios are releasing dozens of titles, all of them are being released on the Blu-ray DVDs. Some called this the final nail in the coffin for HD DVD. Generally speaking, I am certain that having only one format is benefiting customers, as they don’t have to obtain equipment which would have the capability to playback both formats. This in turn means more money left in the pocket of an average consumer.
Among other things, Digg has always been a great place to submit interesting articles and stories. Users are given the possibility to cast a vote on those articles by �digging�. While Digg has helped the Internet community, many believe that there has been a decline in the quality of articles on Digg. The problem is that Digg changed its algorithm to artificially favor articles posted in certain categories, such as politics and news over articles in different categories like technology. Additionally, it artificially favors new users over long-time active users. The problem is that the algorithm favors diversity, but results in poorer content. Some users are getting rewarded more frequently even though they don�t perform as well as others. Until Digg makes some changes in its algorithm, this situation may continue.
Doing backup is something which many novice computer users forget to do, but later regret it. Doing regular backups is important and guarantees that you won�t lose any files on which you worked so hard. External hard drives are a perfect solution for this purpose, as you can backup data from many computers by using just one external hard drive connected to the USB port. I have an external hard drive myself which I use for backup purposes, and this way I can be sure that whatever happens to my PC I am protected. The reason why an external drive is a better choice than connecting an additional disk to your computer is that it is cheaper, because external hard drives will not use as much power since they won’t be connected at all times. Additionally, even if someone steals your computer, you will still have all of the important data stored on your external hard drive. You will also be protected in case of any power surge which could potentially damage all of the computer components connected to the motherboard.
Some time ago Google launched a space race to the moon with a $20 million prize. The requirements are that it should be a private team with as little government involved as possible. The catch is that the mission has to be a success before December 31, 2012 and the rover which would be launched has to travel 500 meters and send pictures and videos back to earth. The prize goes away after 2014, which is supposed to motivate the contestants to do it as fast as possible. I am sure that this competition will attract the brightest minds in the fields of robotics and engineering, and possibly even many amateurs hoping to make history. Currently, there are sixteen teams competing for the prize, as other two participants have withdrawn.