Your One Stop guide to be an I.T professional..

Friday, November 30, 2007

Broadband - The Changing Face Of Communication

The rise of internet technology in recent years has transformed the way we communicate with each other. Staying in touch with friends in other countries has switched from hand-written letters that could take weeks to arrive to e-mails and instant messages exchanged in nano-seconds.

Coupled with the recent boom of social networking sites, it has never been easier to keep in touch with family and friends.

Face-to-face conversation has, for some, been replaced with text messaging and voice chatting via broadband technology. But the telephone hasn't become completely obsolete. Rather, it has been upgraded, with broadband phone lines now becoming more readily available.

Internet phone clients such as Skype use broadband to offer the opportunity to chat with other Skype users for free, while also giving their users the option of a credit system where the client can call landlines and mobiles, all from the comfort of our computer chairs.

Even mobile phones have become a platform for communicating digitally, with instant messaging and VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) services now more readily available. Some have tapped further into the market and offered cheap broadband deals along with their phone services, further enhancing our digital experience.

With the release of multi-format devices such as the iPhone, users can now access a range of services - including web browsers and chat clients - with broadband providers now offering a variety of packages to suit your needs.

Whether you're a seasoned gamer or a total novice, the vast range of cheap broadband providers available on the market ensures that there will be deals available to suit your experience level - and your pocket.

Even the way you read the morning paper is about to change. The recent launch of Kindle - Amazon's new palmtop reading device - is sure to change the way we buy and view books. This handy palmtop device downloads information and text via wireless technology.

The introduction of this new gadget comes at a time when broadband technology is becoming more accessible, with forecasters predicting that there will be over 21 million broadband customers in the UK by the year 2012.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A Parents Guide to the Internet Language - What It Is & How and When to Use It

This is just a small, but common list of acronyms that are used millions of times per day on the internet and nwo through text messaging.

lol, lmao, lmfao, brb, kk, nvm, g2g, ttyl, wtf, jk, cya, stfu, idk, idc, nm, ntm, btw, imho, omg, asl, bff, omfg.

Verizon has recently capitalized on this with their text messaging commercial with an old lady responding to her daughter's claim about who she's texting too much with saying out loud, "idk my bff jill", with actually saying the letters. Now this is a bit extreme, but corporations are recognizing it and using it to catch the younger market. And it's working.

Here's a translation for the list above if you're not sure what they might mean.

lol = laughing out loud
brb = be right back
kk = okay, cool
nvm = nevermind
g2g = got to go
ttyl = talk to you later
jk = just kidding
cya = see ya
idk = i don't know
idc = i don't care
nm = nothing much
ntm = nothing much
btw = by the way
imho = in my humble opinionv omg = oh my god
asl = age/sex/location
bff = best friend(s) forever

Now mind, this is nowhere near the complete list. But it is a good reference guide for those who are not "in the know" about this sort of stuff. This compilation of some of the most used acronyms might actually be worth printing off for some of you out there. Seriously.

And don't just use this to decipher what your children or peers are saying. Get involved in it yourself. You'll definitely come of as "more cool" and hip. I'm not telling you to use it when talking to your boss, and destroy your credibility and how people look at you in the office. But if you're with your kids, and they text you asking what time you might get off work that night, just reply with "idk" or something to that effect.

Jack Hauk of Teh Intranet.com is currently a major in Business Administration at Ivy Tech College.

Broadband - Getting More From Your Internet Provider

With the number of broadband providers and packages increasing all the time most internet users have now moved over from the old-fashioned dial-up connection to high speed broadband deals.

Initially many internet users switched to a broadband deal after being enticed by faster speeds and packages were generally expensive. Now that the broadband market has become more crowded the range of deals, speed and download offers have improved and most importantly prices have come down.

If you are one of the many UK broadband customers who have been with the same provider for many years now is the time to review the situation and see if you can find a better or cheaper deal with another broadband supplier.

When looking for a new broadband deal you need to consider what you will use it for. The days of simply using your internet subscription to access websites are fading fast with many of today's broadband deals encompassing digital TV and home telephone packages in deals labelled as 'bundles'.

Before you think about price take a step back and consider just what you need from your broadband subscription. Do you need unlimited downloads or will a couple of GBs a month suffice? Do you need high bandwidth speeds, possibly for online gaming, or will a standard 2MB speed be adequate for surfing around and accessing email? Do you want to combine your broadband costs with your digital TV and home phone?

The number of operators and the range of packages have increased immensely. All these options make it more difficult to choose the right deal but it also creates the opportunity to get far more from your broadband provider.

By taking advantage of online broadband comparison services you can quickly compare a huge range of broadband packages to find the deals that match your requirements be it based on download limits, speeds bundle options or just looking for the cheapest basic package.

The ability to see all these deals in one place saves time and, as well as highlighting only those packages that offer what you need, allows you to easily compare the prices of each, allowing you to choose the right deal at the right price.

If you've never changed your broadband provider be sure to check you're getting the best deal possible and if not, switching to a new supplier is quick and easy, could save you money and enhance your online experience.

To learn more about the UK broadband market read the broadband blog to find all the tips and guides you need

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Basic Computer Knowledge - The First Step Prior to Acquiring Basic Computer Training

For acquiring promotion in this modern technological era, you are required to keep the pace of the growing world by having sound knowledge of computers by basic computer training. It is a fact that for becoming a computer savvy, you need to firstly acquire the basic knowledge of computer. Once you acquire it, you are provided with a platform necessary for enhancing yourself with the technological advancements that are continuously coming up. The tools provide the basic knowledge in computers which is always going to be helpful to you in all spheres of life.

Necessity of basic computer training

Basic computer training ensures you a platform for acquiring the training related to the current technological advancements. Without it, it is very difficult for you to acquire anything from the more advanced computer program training that your company sponsors. Here is some basic information about computers that can work for you prior to taking basic computer training. By acquiring the knowledge from this data, you can prosper in your area.

The general basics in any program can be derived from its courses offered in the basic computer training. More information about the computer, its various parts and function is stated. Central Processing Unit or CPU is recognized as the computer brain. Different drives associated to the computer are held by the CPU.

The drive used for inserting floppy diskettes is Drive A. The 'Hard Disk' forms the next major drive of the computer where all the programs are installed for working. Depending upon the number of partitions, these drives are generally symbolized through simple English alphabets. However, Drive C will always be there. CD Drives are another important part of a computer. They are used for loading or acquiring data and programs on to or from the hard drive. Their labeling is done according to the number of partition of hard drive and the number of CD drives present. All these will be nicely explained to you in any basic computer training.

Apart from the drives and the CPU, these references to the fact that the computer system consists of keyboard, mouse, monitor and printer are done. In a course, different input and output devices used for providing the system with user defined messages and then displaying them are discussed in detail. Through any training it is true that people definitely learn more minutely about computers. It definitely makes the trainee efficient and reasonable enough to understand his/her own actions. It might have been noticed by you that due to the advent of graphical interface, people use computers even without knowing the actual logic behind the action. This should be avoided because by half knowledge is worse than no knowledge and may lead to serious consequences like loosing data, crashing of hard disk etc. So it is always preferable to at least have basic computer training to safe guard yourself from any mishap.

After knowing the devices of a computer, you should learn the procedures for starting them. It is simple. Just press the power button of your monitor and CPU and as soon as the images are displayed, the system has been started.

The next thing is to know the working of different software associated to your system where the requirement of it through reputed organization comes into being. Basic computer training builds the first step on the ladder of success.

Joseph Brochin wrote several articles on basic training in computers and other information technology solutions and related subjects.