Archive for the ‘Computers’ Category

Passing of Steve Jobs

Published by James Fishman on October 7th, 2011

Do What You Love

At the tender of age of 56, Steve P. Jobs, co-founder and chairman of Apple Inc., “died peacefully [yesterday] surrounded by his family.”  He had been battling pancreatic cancer for a while but was also in remission for some years after having gotten a liver transplant.  Then he got sick again and last night finally passed away.

Jobs fought the illness and continued in his position, but six weeks ago, he resigned as Apple’s CEO and suggested that Tim Cook – his long-time deputy – should take over from him.  Cook was then named Chairman of the company.

It was over 35 years ago that Steve Jobs founded his company along with Steve Wozniak in 1976.  At the time, Jobs was 21 and Wozniak, 26.  They began work in Jobs’ family garage and sold their first computer for $666.66.  He always told people to “do what you love” as a way of being successful.  It certainly worked for him.

Today his company is best known for consistent quality, the iPod, iPad and iPhone.  He leaves a widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, and three children: Reed, Erin and Eve.  May he rest in peace.

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Posted in Computers
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DIY X-Ray?

Published by James Fishman on May 24th, 2011

The AnatOnMe – a new device that is able to “project X-rays” on to parts of the body – may become extremely useful in the physiotherapy process. Developed by Microsoft researchers, it has a digital camera, infrared camera, projector and laser pointer and has the capacity to “display stock images of six types of injury directly on to the patient's skin or a model to help them understand the impact it has had on their body.” Six types of injury can be displayed by the project “directly on the patient’s skin.” Alternatively, a model can be used for this, which will help practitioners develop a greater understanding on the impact this has had on the patient’s body.

Great Aid to Doctors

This tool will really be of great assistance to doctors. It is going to be able to provide a picture comprising “underlying bone structure, muscle tissue, tendons and nerves.” Pictures are taken and progress through video documented while there are checks made on how well the patient is performing their exercises. Using an infrared camera, a doctor has the capacity of “drawing on the image with the laser pointer.” The picture can then be printed and added to the patient’s file.

Other Benefits

There will be other benefits to this tool as well. In general, those suffering chronic conditions are less likely to continue with their treatments – statistics show this figure to be around 30 to 50 percent who wouldn’t stay the course. So with this gadget there is now a greater chance that they will be treated as needed. The hope from the researchers is that the gadget will be more successful in encouraging their patients to complete their physiotherapy courses. As well, those who have tried out the device from a reviewing standpoint, were said to have “delivered a more engaging and informative experience than a traditional consultation.” It is also quite an interesting concept vis-à-vis technology since until now, this has been “relatively absent from face-to-face communication and education opportunities between doctors and patients.”

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Posted in Computers, Featured, Health
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Kate and William Rock Great Britain

Published by James Fishman on March 6th, 2011


Brits haven’t been this excited since his mother tied the knot with his father.  Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton next month is getting the country out in droves as plans go underway for street parties throughout the land.  Indeed local councils have already received around 2,000 requests to close streets for the April 29th royal wedding.  These span London, Essex, northeast, Wales, western, northern and central England.  In addition, there could be thousands of individuals and families making private parties in their homes and gardens.


Apart from being a lot of fun, street parties are a great way for community bonds to be strengthened, especially in today’s Internet-rich society that is making couch potatoes out of everyone.  The applications are being supported by councils, many of which, according to Reuters are “waiving the usual fee to close roads while others are offering party packs for organizers, with free bunting and flags.”
Since April 29th is scheduled for a public holiday, spirits will already be high and everyone will be looking for a reason to party.  So a street fair is a great idea to celebrate William and Kate’s nuptials.
 

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Posted in Computers, Entertainment, Lifestyle
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Apple’s Jobs Taking Health Leave of Absence

Published by Rachel Forsythe on January 18th, 2011

Steve Jobs will be taking a leave of absence from his responsibilities as CEO of Apple, the computer giant, in order to focus more time on his health. Monday’s announcement comes as a surprise to many, but especially to investors in Apple, as Alexander Peterc, an equity analyst at Exane explained.

“It wasn’t expected. This will come as a surprise to Apple investors and definitely take some shine off the Apple stock.”

It is almost exactly two years since Steve Jobs’ announcement that he was taking a 6 month break in order to have a liver transplant.

Daniel Ernst, analyst for Hudson Square Research speculated that “This time around you have to question his ability to bounce back.”

Jobs himself said in an email to Apple employees: “I have great confidence that Tim (Cook, COO of Apple) and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011. I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can,” Jobs wrote.

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Posted in Business News, Computers
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Generation Gap Shrinking in Cyberspace

Published by Rachel Forsythe on December 19th, 2010

The stereotype is that Grandma just doesn’t understand the world of FaceBook, YouTube, or even making a simple purchase on Amazon, but according to a new research study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life project, “The biggest online trend (we found) is that, while the very youngest and oldest cohorts may differ, certain key internet uses are becoming more uniformly popular across all age groups.”

This means that seniors are getting with the program when it comes to skill at using the internet. The 2010 Generations Report revealed that users aged 34 and above are actually more likely than those 33 and under to engage in a number of on-line activities among them visiting government web sites and finding financial information on the web.

The favorite internet activities are becoming more popular for everyone, in all age categories, including the use of email, search engines, finding out info on health issues, keep track of current events with news feeds, internet commerce including booking flights on-line, banking on-line, sharing reviews and ratings, donations to charities, and even downloading, including podcasts.

And the report has identified that pretty soon you should not be surprised if you get a friend request on Facebook from your grandma.

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Posted in Computers, Lifestyle
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Choosing the Right Laptop

Published by Tiffany Brand on August 21st, 2010

Now you’re a student, if you don’t have one already, you’re going to need to invest in a laptop.  Since there are so many different ones available on the market, it is worth doing a bit of research before making the purchase.  Here is a brief list of some of the things you might want to look out for:
a)    Price – that is probably the most important factor.  You don’t want to start going over your budget before you’ve even started your college years. Make a complete budget for your needs during college and feature the laptop into them. Don’t go over, no matter how tempting a particular model looks.
b)    Weight – laptops can vary tremendously in how heavy they are.  If lagging around a heavy laptop is going to be burdensome for you, choose one that is lighter in weight.  Check out the different models for how they feel before purchasing.
c)    Apple or PC – if you are a graphics person, you might want to choose an Apple laptop.  They are also generally known to be more stable and dependable and crash less often.  On the other hand, they tend to price somewhat higher so bear that in mind if you are interested in the Apple.  The PC, while running slightly cheaper, can also benefit those who want to have exactly the same programs as the majority of other people since there are more PC than Apple users these days.
d)    Storage – make sure you have a safe place to store your laptop in your college dorms.  Never leave it out or exposed.  Laptops are so popular with thieves.
Go get yourself a laptop for your college needs. Just make sure you research the various models ahead of time.

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Posted in Communication, Computers, Lifestyle, Science and Tech
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