Schizophasia Blog

Searching high and low for an amazing price on a shiny new Panasonic Viera TV? The John Lewis web site can be a great resource for an extensive array of hi tech items and accessories. John Lewis have listed on their web-site a vast plethora of great items, e.g. plasma televisions, Panasonic Viera TVs, iPods, digital cameras, laptops, etc. You don’t need to be told that each and every one of the plasma screen televisions they have listed on their website are from class leading brands e.g. Samsung, Panasonic and Sony.

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The dongle is a small modem device that makes it possible to connect a laptop or PC to the Internet without the use of wires. The external modem or dongle as been slowly reduced in size until it has reached the point where it is smaller than two little fingers.

This tiny size is made them highly portable and practical, I take mine with me everywhere I go attached to my key ring. Its convenience factor is enormous allowing me to connect to the Internet anywhere that I can locate a signal.

These handy dongle is plugged directly into your laptop or PC’s USB socket giving immediate connection to the broadband network. There are now quite a few providers who have adopted these little units to offer their customers direct Internet connections.

Several mobile phone operators have begun to offer connection services via the use of a dongle and can now offer broadband services at just about any location where you can use a regular mobile phone.

I see that the use of this device has basically come from nowhere and in a couple of years and has come to dominate the way people connect to the Internet while on the move. In addition, I have to wonder just where the usefulness of the dongle will end

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Gaming notebooks were once only for the rich and not for the mainstream consumer. For the companies they were highly money making even though not shipping in great numbers. I am pretty sure people would have liked to have owned one however couldn’t seriously justify it. They were basically the best laptops that the technology could provide at that time. Regardless of the buzz caused I don’t reckon they were amazing sellers because I do not believe people would buy laptops instead of desktop computers as they were so costly. In the present things differ a lot with international brands also releasing gaming laptops.

I reckon they could class it as a premium product and make tons of money on these especially with their mass production facilities. Markup has been so little recently that this is a excellent opportunity to make more money by selling hardware. Additionally they can use their gigantic marketing spend to seduce customers further into spending their money or getting out the credit cards to buy laptops like these ones. If I was a smaller system builder I would possibly be thinking of plans to counteract this type of competition. I am pretty confident that the giant companies will try to squeeze the small ones out. In my view if anyone’s prepared to part with a lot of money the well known brand always comes out victorious.

I guess its a joke that as it comes with a brand name they are automatically though of as the best laptops. This is no doubt the main competitive selling point that remains for the local companies. This is a big sales feature that has to be said. These prospects have the technical literacy and could judge which notebook computers are best. The details are important for this sort of person. For the customer, this holds a lot of positives. The competitiveness amongst the tier 1 players should force prices down as they try to differentiate from one another. I believe even industry analysts would have a hard time seeing where the market is headed. Prices will be kept high because of the continuous creation of new laptops. As the gaming laptop division gets saturated with multinational brands, most will take a wait and see tactic.

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Computer forensics is the process of preserving, identifying, extracting and documenting valuable electronic data. The term was first used in 1991 in a training session of the International Association of Computer Specialists (IACIS). Computer forensics has been used in law enforcement and military applications for a long time now, to gather evidence from electronic sources. Today, it is being increasingly used even in the corporate sector. The increasing volumes of electronic data being created, stored and transferred each day is the main reason for this.

Every second, thousands of pages of electronic data are being transferred across the world. In the process, the data could be lost or altered. Computer forensics involves the retrieval of this lost data using special software tools and techniques. It is used to identify valuable data from personal computers or other electronic data storage devices. It is also used to identify the leakage of sensitive data from the computer, or any inherent weaknesses in the system.

When documents are created electronically, they are stored in temporary files. Even when they are deleted or updated, some remnants still remain on the hard disk and can be recovered using special tools.

Computer forensics involves the creation of a backup of all the data in the computer. This data is a mirror image of the entire hard disk, and contains even temporary, deleted or altered files. The forensic expert creates a digital fingerprint of the original hard drive to ensure that it is not tampered with while retrieving data. Data is retrieved from the mirror file rather than the original file, so as to not alter date stamps or other useful data. The retrieval process also reveals historical information about the file, such as when it was deleted or altered. The retrieved information can be converted into any required format. There are thus three stages in data recovery: acquire, analyze and report.

There are many companies that provide computer forensic services. There are also many software tools with several useful options such as cloning and disk imaging, file preview, picture gallery, etc. that enable faster and more accurate forensic recoveries.

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The laptop computer trade has gone from strength to strength in recent times. It looks like the demand is outstripping the supply as manufacturers are struggling to meet deadlines for shipments. It looks like once there are pending orders those will only mount up because demand for laptops is not dipping at all. Manufacturers are trying to structure the technology loops but that doesn’t restrict anybody from arriving and improving things.

There seems to be a lot more variation and availability of gaming laptops these days. Because of the rising production and rapid changes it means costly parts are less in price than before. With the advent of dual core cpus, notebook computers are ready for gaming. Even more suprising these days In my opinion is how thin the designs are getting especially when you think about much speed is in them. Still there is a massive gap between the power of portables and desktops however desktops are more spacious to cater for unique cooling and such things that all help. Gaming laptops are the gauge of performance for the notebook business and it will be good to see how the approaching technology ranks.

Talking of gaming laptops, the vast alternatives are available when they are custom built. Memory and hard disks are normally high performance engineered parts in custom laptops which power users like. In most cases you can specify all the primary parts you want and this is best suited to gamers, professional and hardcore users. Prebuilt notebook computers are targeted for normal uses and not upto doing more intensive tasks. A custom made laptop solves. The service provided by custom builders is also a little more personalised in my view. This too is another big selling point.

I feel numerous of consumers are waiting for the future pack of notebook computers. Simple ultra mobiles are the in trend. Its insane how a great notebook has started a new market. I actually think that we’re likely to see ultra light 15 inch laptops soon too. I guess you could say these laptops are already about if you are willing to pay the price. Companies are loading more speed into noteboo computers and it looks like gaming laptops will become sleeker and lightweight. New portables are seen every year of so and I’m certain the next couple of months already holds a lot of promise for us enthusiasts.

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New uses for technology can make the credentialing process for medical providers faster, more accessible, and more affordable through paperless credentialing. Paperless credentialing has been growing in popularity with credential verification organizations over the past three years because of faster turnaround time, the ease of letting multiple people access credentialing information, and lower overhead to maintain files. Security measures need to be in place to protect the information, but paperless credentialing allows good credentialing services the flexibility to offer better service and additional reports and information.

The process for paperless credentialing and traditional credentialing is the same. The provider supplies information on an application and some supporting documentation; the different licensing boards, schools, hospitals, previous employers, and other listed organizations are contacted, which return further verifying documents. Other organizations, such as disciplinary committees, are also contacted to request verifying documents. All of these are compiled into a file and are used to create an audit report on the provider.

With paperless credentialing, all reports documents and necessary documents are managed and accessed electronically. As the verification documents are submitted through the credentialing process, they are scanned into the database and stored as image files. The technology is simple to learn and use; files are stored in a standard database and are in common formats such as TIF or PDF. The report on the provider is created and stored only as an electronic file and is ultimately saved as a locked image file, as well. These reports are accessed by clients over the Internet through a standard web browser, making access at any time and to any number of users very easy. Since clients can access their reports immediately when they are finished, it shortens the credentialing process.

Paperless credentialing offers many benefits over the traditional way:

• The process is faster because mailing times are cut out.

• The process is cheaper because it is less expensive to store and manage electronic files instead of paper documents.

• The files are safer and of higher quality since multiple copies can be stored in multiple locations without diminishing quality from photocopying. The risk of losing or damaging the original paper copy is greatly reduced.

• Good credentialing services will offer complete document storage for all of the verification documents, not just the final reports created by the credentialing service about the provider. All supporting documents are scanned, stored with the provider’s files, and accessed by the client over the web. This allows clients to view the images of the actual verification documents, not only the data from those documents.

Security precautions must be taken by the credentialing company to make sure that the information is secure:

• All the paper copies of the supporting documents and the provider-supplied documents should be immediately scanned and stored in the database, and the hard copies shredded or safely destroyed to prevent tampering.

• All files should be locked once they are received or the reports are completed so that no one can alter the images.

• There should be daily backups of the database.

• Backup tapes or disks should be stored in a separate location in case of fire, loss, or damage.

• The servers should have regular maintenance, including virus scanning.

• Web access should be protected by unique, assigned user names and passwords.

Paperless credentialing introduces flexibility into the credentialing process: it is easier for multiple people to access information at a single time without having to make copies; turnaround time is much faster, since files do not have to be mailed, verified, and returned physically; the visual quality of the documents is higher. An emphasis on using technology, combined with robust security measures, means the credentialing service is adaptable and better able to serve clients over time.

Physician Credentialing Solutions is a leading provider of credentialing verification services for hospitals, PPOs and other health care organizations. http://www.credsolutions.com

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Cisco CCNA Certification:

Should you take the one-exam or the two-exam approach?

One question I’m often asked by CCNA candidates is whether to take the “one big exam”, or take the two separate exams required by Cisco to achieve the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam.

The question comes up because there are now two separate paths to the CCNA certification. Candidates may take a single exam, 640-811, or two exams, 640-821 and 640-811.

What’s the difference? The two-exam approach involves exams with different topics and therefore different preparation techniques. 640-821 is the Introduction To Cisco Networking Technologies exam. This course does introduce the candidate to Frame Relay, PPP, and other WAN technologies, but goes into little detail. Emphasis in the Intro course is placed on knowing how Ethernet behaves, how different types of cable are used for different purposes, and knowing what cable to use in a certain situation. The candidate should expect some questions involving binary math as well, but they will involve fairly simple conversions.

The 640-811 exam, Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices, goes into much more detail on WAN technologies. Routing and switching behavior are covered, and the candidate is expected to answer difficult questions involving binary math and subnetting as well. The candidate may also have to demonstrate ability to configure a router or switch via a simulator. Since the ICND exam goes into more detail, it’s generally considered the more difficult exam.

The approach I recommend to a CCNA candidate depends on their background. If the candidate is a relative newcomer to networking, or hasn’t taken a certification exam before, I recommend they take the two-exam approach. This allows the candidate to focus only on the Intro topics, and gives them a strong sense of confidence after passing the Intro exam. That confidence flows over into the ICND exam.

For those who have networking experience, and are very familiar with Ethernet behavior and cable types, I recommend the one-exam approach. This allows the candidate to focus on the more advanced topics they’ll be seeing in the single exam, while spending just a little time reviewing their Intro-level knowledge.

Regardless of the approach you choose, the path to true CCNA success remains the same. Get some real hands-on experience, either by renting rack time online or by putting together your own home lab. Understand what’s going on “beneath the command”; don’t use router commands when you don’t understand what they’re doing. Add to that a true mastery on binary math, and you’re on your way to having the magic letters “CCNA” behind your name!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (http://www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. Video courses and training, binary and subnetting help, and corporate training are also available. Pass the CCNA exam with Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933!

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Case modding is the artistic modification of a computer chassis (often just refered to as the case), often also involving peripheral components. Many people, particulary hardware enthusiasts use case mods to illustate a computers power. The terminology “mod” is short for “modification.”

Computer Cases History

When personal computers hit the mainstream, most of them came in a case in the color of beige. This functional design was often called a beige box Although this served the purpose of containing the components of a personal computer, as time wore on, many users found their computers to be “tacky” or “dull” due to the lack of originality in the case design. So to solve this, some users began to modify their existing chassis or build their own.

Later, Case Modification became mainsteam when the Apple iMac was released, which went against the beige box design around at the time. Since then many computer manufacturers began selling cases that lack the dull beige base color. Case Modification has also opened up a new market for 3rd party computer cases to continue the break from the average case. Beige cases are now becoming harder to find since users enjoy the larger variety of colors and styles of current OEM cases.

LED technology and Computer Modding: Things you should know when lighting your computer

Physical function
An LED is a special type of semiconductor diode. Like a normal diode, it consists of a chip of semiconducting material impregnated, or doped, with impurities to create a structure called a pn junction. Charge-carriers - electrons and holes flow into the junction from electrodes with different voltages. When an electron meets a hole, it falls into a lower energy level, and releases energy in the form of a photon as it does so.

LED Light emission
The wavelength of the light emitted, and therefore its color, depends on the bandgap energy of the materials forming the pn junction. A normal diode, typically made of silicon or germanium, emits invisible far-infrared light, but the materials used for an LED have bandgap energies corresponding to near-infrared, visible or near-ultraviolet light.

Considerations in use of LED lights in computer cases
Unlike incandescent light bulbs, which can operate with either AC or DC, LEDs require a DC supply of the correct electrical polarity. When the voltage across the pn junction is in the correct direction, a significant current flows and the device is said to be forward-biased. If the voltage is of the wrong polarity, the device is said to be reverse biased, very little current flows, and no light is emitted. Most LEDs have low reverse breakdown voltage ratings and will be damaged by an applied reverse voltage of more than a few volts.

Because the voltage versus current characteristics of an LED are much like any diode, they can be destroyed by connecting them to a voltage source higher than their turn on voltage. A good LED driver circuit is either a constant current source or an approximation to a current source made by connecting the LED in series with a current limiting resistor to a voltage source. The voltage drop across a forward biased LED can change significantly based on current flow.

Parallel operation is generally problematic. The LEDs have to be of the same type in order to have a similiar forward voltage. Even then variations in the manufacturing process can make the odds of satisfactory operation low. For more information see Nichia Application Note (http://www.nichia.co.jp/specification/appli/electrical.pdf).

Some LED units contain two diodes, one in each direction (that is, two diodes in inverse parallel) and each a different color (typically red and green), allowing two-color operation or a range of apparent colors to be created by altering the percentage of time the voltage is in each polarity. Other LED units contain two or more diodes (of different colors) arranged in either a common anode or common cathode configuration. These can be driven to different colors without reversing the polarity.
—
Paul LoIacono is the president and owner of ATX Cases. You can see a wild array of computer case shapes, sizes and designs by visiting http://atxcases.com.

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History lends us an ideal of ambidexterity: Leonardo da Vinci, Harry Truman and James Garfield were all known to be physically ambidextrous, but to what does that translate? In modern times, ambidexterity isn’t a hot topic, but in fact, we are all - to a degree - ambidextrous.

When we multi-task, juggle home and work, hold a phone conference and take notes simultaneously — we are incorporating an ambidextrous mindset. No, perhaps we don’t all use both hands to achieve these tasks, but we are using both brain hemispheres to accomplish our deadlines and goals.

Some of us may have heard that we’re ‘right-brained’ or maybe we lean more toward the ‘left-brain.’ Funny as these terms may seem, they are inherently one in the same. Though we may possess and exhibit more qualities from one side of the brain opposed to the other, we are still integrating both hemispheres in daily applications.

Right-brain people are said to think holistically, subjectively and may possess heightened intuition. Left-brain people are more logical, analytical and tend to possess better rational skills. But what really sets the two apart? And why is it that some individuals are more adept at some thought patterns than others?

Relevent qualites of ‘right-brained’ persons may include an expansive imagination, artistic abilities, higher inclination toward risks, and possession of philosophical qualities. Whereas ‘left-brained’ individuals are more inclined toward safety first, are practical, have a sense of order, and possess good comprehension skills.

Ironically, as children, human beings tend to innately migrate toward the right-brain mode. Young kids are highly imaginative, trusting, and create limitless environments with the conceptual power of their minds. It is interesting to watch a child at play. In their innocense, and subjective thinking, they illuminate the spaces that surround them. There are no emotional battles in childrens’ minds. Therefore, we can conclude that right-brained individuals are more accepting toward various cultures, races, creeds, etc., simply because right-brained persons, like children, are geared toward open-mindedness.

A nearly-perfect example of an ambidextrous mindset:

It is through the analytical minds like that of Leonardo da Vinci, (who was ambidextrous) who obviously achieved a harmonious balance of ambidexterity, not only physically, but in mind as well. Leonarda da Vinci is most reknowned for his famous paintings of The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. While his right-brain permitted him to express his exquisite talents in the arts, his left-brain mathematically and analytically went to work in his revolutionary concepts and inventions — like the first robot, submarine and even the first mechanical calculator.

But from where did his visionary inspirations derive? Of course, the right brain. In my opinion, and by scholars throughout the world, da Vinci was by far the greatest genius in human history. His incredible integration of right and left brain hemispheres was an intellectual milestone in the history of humankind.

While we may not be Leonarda da Vinci, we do possess traits that may help us to achieve our daily routines, and overall lifestyles. The left hemisphere of our brains control our abilities to analyze and sum parts that are necessary for specific projects, while our right hemisphere amplifies our creative side, and keeps open positive expectations.

Finding and attaining the right (no pun intended) balance to achieve an ambidextrous mindset may be accomplished by funnelling problems, conditions, ideas, and concepts through our right-brains to our left-brains. Sounds easy enough, but many of us haven’t discovered how to tap into our most resourceful mechanism - the whole human brain.

When we combine both thought patterns of each hemisphere, we are accomplishing the ultimate in human behaviour. Not only do we enable ourselves to exhibit and maintain peak human analytical performance, we are also allowing ourselves to receive our atmospheric conditions or situations with an open mind; which concurrently brings about resolve or ideas regarding those conditions or situations.

Reflective thinking, NLP, Human Consciousness Studies, empowerment training and meditation are all superb tools to achieving an ambidextrous mindset; also known as whole brain thinking.

Whether you’re juggling a career and home, children and spouse, or merely trying to multi-task at your engineer’s or computer desk, achieving an ambidextrous mindset is what enables us to effectively do the things we do. Imagine the profound potential and human resolve we could discover if we only took the extra steps to tap into our greatest resource: Ourselves.

To find an educational or personal training program that can help you achieve your life and work goals, feel free to visit our Healing Arts Schools and Holistic Practitioner directories at Holistic Junction.

© 5/2005 - Achieving an Ambidextrous Mindset
by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot

References:

1. Ambidexterity, from Wikipedia, the Free Encylopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambidexterity
2. Funderstanding: Right Brain vs. Left Brain:
www.funderstanding.com/right_left_brain.cfm
3. Left Brain Right Brain by Dan Eden: Bicameral Images revel our two selves.
www.viewzone.com/bicam.html
4. Leonardo da Vinci, from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci#Inventions_and_engineering

About the Author

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations’ Director & Staff Writer for Holistic Junction - Your Source for Insightful Literature!

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Voice Mail put simply
In its simplest form a voice mail system is essentially just another phone answering system. They store their messages on a computer disk. Each user is assigned a mailbox where they only have access to his or her messages. They are also password protected so only the assigned user can access the messages in their mailbox. Voice mail systems also allow each user to create their own greeting message. This enables the user to pass on instructions or important messages without taking the call.

Voice mail systems can allow companies to redirect callers to other company employees. A voice mail system can answer calls rather than a member of staff; provide them with a common greeting, then guide the caller to an appropriate department through a selection process. This is more commonly known as the voice mail systems Auto Attendant feature.

Voice mail systems can merge fax, e-mail and voice messages into just one screen of a users PC. Some voice mail systems even offer voice recognition technology. A caller’s voice is recognised by the voice mail system and the system acts accordingly to pre-defined instructions. This is known as Interactive Voice Response.

What to look for in a voice mail system
Voice mails systems are usually additional features of existing in house phone systems. When deciding which voice mail system to purchase you need to look at two key aspects of each one: the number of user ports and the hours of memory that is allocated to messages.

A good voice mail system will have enough ports to handle incoming calls without delay. If all the ports are full, then any new callers will be delayed in the system until a port becomes available. If a voice mail system has too many ports then its capacity is wasted. The trick is to balance the number of ports with the estimated number of potential customers.

The capacity of a voice mail system depends on the hours of memory it has available. A system with a large number of ports and traffic may need a large number of hours, where as a system with low traffic will need fewer hours. The term hours of memory refers to capacity of a voice mail system to store any messages.

Selecting a voice mail system, check list

1. How do you use your voice mail?
This depends on how heavily your staff will be using the voice mail system. A port is in use whenever the voice mail system picks up a call, someone leaves, someone is transferred, or whenever a message is picked up by a user. All these factors need to be taken into account when looking at suitable voice mail systems.

2. Many older phone systems may not support a modern voice mail system.
Unfortunately many business phone systems that are above five years old will not be able to fully support a fully featured voice mail system. The only solution would be to replace your phone system with a more modern one.

3. Adequate memory.
Most voice mail systems have an adequate amount of memory, usually more than you will ever need. When selecting an appropriate voice mail system it is important that you enquire about the systems memory capacity, because some suppliers now provide relatively inexpensive voice mail systems that do not have a hard disk for message storage. All the messages and greetings are stored on chips, which seriously affects the amount of memory available. These small inexpensive voice mail systems are only really suitable to companies or offices with only two or three phone extensions and not recommended for a growing company requiring a fully featured voice mail system.

4. Expansion and how much it will cost.
When choosing a voice mail system, you need to make sure that any quotes gathered from systems suppliers include a cost for expansion. If you decide upon a voice mail system that is only sufficient for your current requirements, then consider what will happen if and when your office/company expands, and the need for more voice mail capacity outstrips that of your current system. You will also need to ask any prospective supplier how long they will honour their quotation for the expansion of your voice mail system.

5. Remote maintenance costs.
Before purchasing a suitable voice mail system from any supplier, you need to find out what their costs are for remote maintenance. All voice mail systems will at some time require a little care and feeding, which more often than not can only be provided by the system supplier.

6. Voice mail system training.
It is important that all users attend the training sessions of any new voice mail system. Though voice mail systems are not usually difficult to use, some staff may require one to one or even extra tuition. When evaluating the training cost section of any proposed voice mail system suppliers quotation, it is important to ascertain that a low price does not mean a low standard of system training.

7. Additional training.
It is advisable that you acquire a cost for any future additional training sessions that may be required from time to time, as staff come and go and for the re-training of existing staff.

8. Should I purchase a larger voice mail system?
There are two main questions you need to ask yourself in order to determine whether or not you should purchase a larger voice mail system.

Thanks for reading my article

Jason

About the Author

Jason Morris is co-author, search engine optimization and marketing consultant of Business Phone Systems Direct. Specialists in the supply and installation of business phone systems and accessories

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