IP Generation

The Web’s Political Fallout Machine

December 11, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Politics has always been enlivened by rumor, innuendo, dirty tricks and just plain bad behavior. No wonder so many people are frankly addicted to news from the Washington political machine. If it wasn’t juicy enough, however, the Internet has kicked up the intrigue, political attacks and rumors up to a whole new level.

In days gone by, rumors of bad behavior (especially by political figures with a “zipper problem”) were discreetly covered up by the Washington Press corps. President John F. Kennedy is now known to have been a raging womanizer, yet the established media of the 1960s put out an image of him as a devoted husband and family man. Today it’s hard to imagine a modern President behaving even remotely as Kennedy did and not having the online innuendo raging. The sad spectacle of former Presidential candidate John Edwards is a case in point, as news of his extra-marital affair kept the online tabloid sites in a frenzy.

Other Internet political rumors have taken on a kind of life of their own, through repetition and the feeling that, “if it’s online, it must be true.” The rumors regarding President Obama’s citizenship have shown amazing lasting power, suggesting that Obama’s Hawaiian birth certificate is falsified, thereby nullifying his presidency.

This rumor was reported on the political blogs and emailed endlessly around the web, then reported on in various other blogs and online news outlets.

It’s an intriguing conspiracy story, but is it true? Is it right to keep repeating it? This and other “hard to kill” recent political stories –like the story about Sarah Palin’s pregnancy with her son Trig actually being a cover up — prove the staying power of web rumor and innuendo.

These days, online news and information is a powerful force to be reckoned with. In the case of false rumors and conspiracy theories that defy all logic, we can only hope that the truth will out, Internet or not.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: John Edwards, President, Sarah Palin

WikiLeaks and the Power of Major Banks

December 9, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Democracy works in theory because it empowers individuals and provides them with the means to pick their leaders and lead their lives as they best see fit. But what if an individual speaks out against the system? Would he or she still enjoy the protected rights that a democracy supposedly guarantees?

The case of Julian Assange seems to display that democrat rights only belong to the rich and influential. Assange is the man behind the whistle-blowing WikiLeaks. He used the power of new technology to not only gain access to top secret information but also to broadcast the information to the world. The U.S. Justice Department has not pressed any charges against Assange or his website, yet American financial institutions are in the midst of waging a war against WikiLeaks.

Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Bank of American have refused to process any transaction that would benefit WikiLeaks. The Federal Reserve allows banks to refuse certain business if it is determined that the entity is too risky to deal with or is engaged in criminal activity. WikiLeaks has not engaged in any charged criminal activity. The refusal to allow payments to WikiLeaks put the organization into a perilous position, which forced Assange to seek other sources of income to keep his website afloat.

Banks act as a utility in a democratic society. Payments are a necessary function to keep organizations running. Other utilities cannot be shut off at the discretion of management. A water company cannot shut off service to the Democratic Party because the owner does not like their politics.

When WikiLeaks announced that it had documents from a Bank of America executive the financial institutions seemed to unite. Despite the technology that provided WikiLeaks with the means to publish, the power of the banks has made it difficult for the free flow of information to continue. Should banks control information? The future of the Internet depends on the answer.

Filed Under: Technology, Updates Tagged With: Julian Assange, MasterCard, WikiLeaks

Paying for an Internet Connection

July 30, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

If you don’t have an internet connection in your place of residence, you’ve probably thought about paying for one. After all, you can probably get a cable modem connection installed for less than your television bill, given some upfront costs, such as the modem. Or, you can get direct.tv, which offers the best deals in tv packages, such as internet and premium satellite service.

One type of customer who should reconsider the cost is one who doesn’t use the internet often. Convenience could be a factor; however there are plenty of places that offer a free internet connection, such as local bookstores and libraries. While you run errands you could easily check your e-mail, saving you the cost of an internet connection if you don’t need to use it very much.

Another type of customer who may not need to pay for an internet connection is one who has a special type of residence or work. Many businesses obviously have internet connections; thus, you could probably take care of most of your internet needs on your lunch break, if possible. If you don’t need to use the internet that much, you could get by using it at work (of course, not when you’re supposed to be working).

People who live in dorms and near businesses should think about their situation. College students will in most cases need an internet connection, so they should check their school’s library to see if Wi-Fi is offered for free; in most instances it is. Also, most cities have a local eating establishment or coffee shop that offers the internet free of charge.

If you currently don’t have the internet in your home, you can save yourself money by accessing it in other places. Reconsider purchasing the internet if you have convenient access to it in some way, and especially if you don’t use it that often (once daily or more).

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: Cable modem, Convenience, Internet access

The Importance of Keeping Your Software Updated

July 5, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Screenshot of the Critical Update Notification...

Image via Wikipedia

The various types of software that you have on your computer regularly require updates that help to keep them running smoothly and efficiently. This is especially essential for programs that help to protect your computer from malicious attacks and viruses.

When you first install a program from the web, make sure that you are buying it from a reputable source. If not, you could be downloading hidden surprises that could cause problems later on. When you install, make sure that you select the option for automatic updates. Your computer will be set to request the necessary updates as scheduled by the program, making your task simpler. You can even alter the date and time for the updates as you see fit.

Antivirus and other security programs will not run correctly without proper updates. Worms, viruses and spyware change on a daily basis, making it essential for these programs to have the most current information to fight them. These programs can become outdated quickly, so it is wise to periodically manually update in between the scheduled ones.

Media players are another set of programs that require regular updates. This helps them to efficiently stream video and audio without skips, pauses or other issues. These programs also need updating to deal with the multitude of file types and sizes that are online. Your computer’s basic software also cannot run efficiently without them, so taking the time to install them is well worth the effort. The small effort it takes to keep your software up to date will pay huge dividends as you work and play on your computer.

Filed Under: Computers, Technology Tagged With: Anti-Virus, Spyware, Windows Update

Search Engines You May Not Know About

May 2, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Image representing Yahoo! as depicted in Crunc...

Image via CrunchBase

Google is the most popular search engine on the internet today. It is estimated that around 90% of internet users utilize Google as their search engine of choice. The internet is all about choice, so why is everyone choosing to use the same search engine? Are there any other search engines out there and are they any good?

Check out the following search engines.

AOL

If you don’t want to stray too far from Google, then AOL is the place for you to be. It utilizes the workings of Google with all the content of AOL.

DELICIOUS

Formerly known as del.icio.us, Delicious is a search engine which searches a catalogue of indexed websites. Such databases are becoming more and more popular as they are driven by what is popular on the internet and not what has the best placement of keywords.

DIGG

Digg is another database formed search engine which runs on the bookmarked sites of its users. If you bookmark a site on DIGG you can also include a brief description of what it is. It will also show how many time the site has been “dug” by other users.

YAHOO! SEARCH

Yahoo search is the second most popular search engine on the internet, taking up a very modest 5% of search engine traffic. Yahoo search started out in a similar fashion to Delicious and Digg, where it was an organized hierarchy of sites and not so much a searchable database. In 2009 Yahoo, along with Microsoft announced a deal with Bing which would see them all transition into the one search engine by the end of 2012.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo

Protecting Private Health Information

April 11, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Storage of records and charts can take up a great deal of space in offices and hospitals and charts can often be misplaced or lost when they are needed. Many offices will store some charts off-site, since there is simply not enough space to keep every chart in the office and finding specific records and transporting them between locations can be an expensive and time consuming process.

An electronic medical record, often abbreviated to EMR, is a medical record which is stored electronically. Using an EMR makes it easy for all staff members to store, modify and access records quickly and easily. Records that are kept electronically can be accessed anywhere with an Internet connection and this will greatly reduce the amount of time staff members have to spend searching for, pulling up and filing paper charts. Even though there are federal cash incentives to convert to electronic medical records, many offices across the United States still prefer paper records because they don’t know the benefits of making the switch.

A study performed in 2006 estimated that the efficiency of an office or hospital can be increased 6% every year by using EMR. Electronic files are also of benefit to patients because their private health information is much more secure and can only be accessed by those with a password to get into the system. Physicians can keep neat and legible notes, which are much easier for nurses and assistants to understand, thus decreasing misinformation being given due to clerical errors. Electronic medical records benefit everyone in the healthcare profession and are a great way to save space and avoid losing vital information.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: Electronic medical record, Healthcare, Medical record

Ways to Update Any Computer Regularly

April 8, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

The 536,870,912 byte (512×2 20 ) capacity of t...

Image via Wikipedia

Having a computer is a very essential part of everyday life. But, it’s important to always make sure the computer is in top condition. Some computers, with good care, can last several years. The average life of any PC is about 4 years. But, there is the chance that software and hardware can easily become outdated within a year. To prevent this, there are some steps to be taken to update any computer regularly.

Hard drive space is easy to fill, especially if the current drive is small. And, if all that space has been filled, a PC will generally run slower. Upgrading to a larger hard drive is a good way to increase space and give the PC more room to run smoother. It may be wise to also upgrade the RAM if the PC becomes sluggish. The best way to do this is to look up the computer’s motherboard online and check to see which RAM sticks are compatible with it. To find what type of motherboard the computer has, look at the serial number printed on the board. It’s usually between the RAM slots.

Sometimes all the computer may need is a new central processing unit or CPU. It’s very easy to install a CPU and most packages come with everything necessary to put it in. Again, make sure to check the compatibility of the motherboard. Keeping a PC updated is important for the longevity of the unit. It makes having to buy a new unit less important, and gives a person the opportunity to still be productive.

Filed Under: Computers, Updates Tagged With: Central processing unit, Motherboard, Random-access memory

The Importance Of Updating Your Software

April 4, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Software updates can be, at times, a little bit annoying. Many people ignore the updates and seem to consider them a waste of time. Unfortunately for those people they can seriously jeopardize their system. One of the most common reasons for people not updating their software is that they don’t want to ‘break’ the software with the updates. Even though generally they are tested before release, we have all experienced an added bug which had been created by the update. That’s a risk that we all take when updating our software.

Basically the purpose of a software update is to keep everything up-to-date. For example, if you have a windows operating system and your program was made for a previous version of that operating system, then the update could make it easier for that particular program to work within your system.

Bugs are a problem often encountered in software. Updates are designed to fix all known bugs in the software to date. This isn’t to say that there isn’t a risk of the update creating a new bug in the software.

Security is a another main focus when it comes to updating your software. New viruses hit the internet all the time and can wriggle their way into your programs, an update can prevent a possible breach in your security.

Most of all, updates tend to keep everything running smoothly and in harmony. You are less likely to have a program crash or corrupt your hard drive if all the software is completely up-to-date. Ignoring an update could seriously harm your computer.

Filed Under: Technology, Updates Tagged With: Android, Motorola, Patch (computing)

Extending the Life of a Rechargeable Battery

March 14, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

A laptop battery can last much longer if users take a few extra steps while using the computer. First, it is important to reduce all the things that will use power. If internet or network connections aren’t needed, the wireless card can be turned off and disabled in order to increase battery life. Turning the volume all the way down or muting it can reduce the amount of battery that is used to power the speakers. If the computer is being used outside or in a well-lit room, the LCD’s brightness level can be turned down to lengthen the battery life.

The memory on a laptop requires more power in order to hold and process data, so the more memory that is in use will result in a strain on the battery. Open only the programs that will be used at the time, Instead of keeping multiple windows open. Close any programs that open automatically, such as backup or syncing software. Extreme temperatures will often kill a battery, so keeping the laptop at room temperature can increase the life. Laptops also come equipped with power management software which can analyze how much a computer is used and what programs can be killed in order to save power.

Putting the computer on hibernate instead of standby will also use less power and increase the life of a battery. Every time lithium-ion laptop batteries are charged, it will reduce how long it will last, as each comes with a certain number of charges before the life decreases. There are many ways to help lengthen a battery life which will help the computer to function for many years.

Filed Under: Internet Tagged With: Batteries