Why Choose Brother MFC 9460CDN Printer And Toner Products?

Brother products have been around long enough where they have been able to focus on the good features that users keep coming back for-opposed to filler options that are rarely used. What are all those extra features anyway? Brother focuses on keeping your interest in mind while making their new designs. Everyone wants to work quicker and pay less for their overhead. The Brother MFC 9460CDN has been designed to make it possible for that to happen. The initial start up cost of this unit is lower than that of opposing brands. The thing is, just because it's cheaper doesn't mean that you are getting less quality. The quality of this particular machine is geared high. The durability of the machine is prepared for heavy traffic users so there are limited to no additional costs that you might have to deal with like repairs. The repairs for this unit however are easy. It is user friendly and new pieces come with manuals to snap them quickly and easily right into place. If it needs to be sent out for repairs by chance then it will be back in no time at all because everything is simplified for the purpose of getting you back on track as fast as possible. The energy saving mode just means that the printer dims after it is not in use after two minutes, dims again at 4 minutes and then completely shuts down after 10 minutes of non-use until it is commanded to print again. The 1200 x 1200 DPI get your images printed out with pristine value and the look just never appears any less than beautiful. The prints come out looking professional grade whether you are doing a text document, logo or charts. This printer has the feature to print wirelessly or to print directly from the USB port so you don't even need the computer at all. You can print from your cell phone, you can send scans to email right from the printer and you can also print at high speeds of 30 pages per minute. There is almost nothing that this printer can't provide for you to excel in your company or any other business document needs. Brother makes sure that every aspect of their printers are useful and only hold the highest value for your benefit. There are many other ways to use this printer to your advantage whether you are at a home business or a small office.

Brother MFC9460CDN Toner MICR Toner

How to Connect My Computer to a Network?

After you install the operating system, you must configure your computer to participate in a network environment. What is a network you might ask? A network is a group of computers and other devices, like mobile phones and network printers that are connected to each other. This way all these devices are able to share information's and resources. Shared resources can include folders, printers and Internet access connections. In order to connect to a network, a device must have a network interface card (NIC). The network card is a hardware component that allows a device to connect to the network. Some network cards are integrated into the computers motherboard and some others come as an extra module. Besides the physical connection that allows you to connect to the network, you will also have to configure the operating system in order to participate in the network. Every computer or network device requires an IP address, a subnet mask and a default gateway. This address identifies the computer on the network. Let's say that this is the name of your computer inside the network. The subnet mask is used to identify the network on which the computer is connected and the default gateway identifies the device that the computer uses to access the Internet or another network. We can configure the IP address manually or automatically. Manual IP Configuration If you choose the manual configuration you will have to go to every single device and type the required values via the keyboard. Remember that you need to login as an administrator for this job. The IP address that we enter manually is called "static IP address" and is permanently assigned to the device. Dynamic IP Configuration Computers and other network capable devices can also be configured to receive an IP address dynamically. This allows a device to request an address from a DHCP server that has a pool of IP addresses. When you close the device the IP address becomes available again and another computer can use it. The automatic configuration is very beneficial because you can save a lot of time and avoid assigning the same IP address to more than one computer on the network. Along with the IP address, you must also configure the computer name. This is the human friendly name that other users will use every time they want to access your computer on the network. Every individual system must have a unique name assigned to it. Finally, you can type a computer description to provide additional information on the location or function of the device.

Manolis Skoras is a Cisco, Microsoft and HP Certified Trainer and systems-network engineer. Recently he created a site about IT Certifications to help his students and people around the world to better understand the material they will be tested on, thus having greater success rates. Check Certify4Sure today!

Credit Card Machines: Latest Smartphone Trends

A good number of business owners are still tied up to land bound credit card machines. They say when the music changes, the dance tune follows suit. Whether you are a small scale retailer, a salon owner or even a food joint owner, you need to have this machine because without them, you don't know how much sales you are missing. However, the in thing is not just owning one, but having a portable and reliable one fit for all your credit card transactions. With the latest inventions of mobile payment hardware such as smart phones, credit card processing has become incredibly easy and fast. With just a few clicks, you carry out your transactions. You don't have to withstand those extremely long, tiring queues as it was some few years ago. A number of recent mobile payment software and tools now let you carry out your credit card transactions in an Android set, an iPhone and a dumber handset. All you need is a card reader hardware, and you can process your credit card. You will have to pay a particular amount of fees for each transaction together with the routine fee of your merchant account. Other payments include the initial card reader hardware cost, a flat fee for each transaction, and perhaps an extra monthly fee. This type of mobile hardware payment is suitable for mobile business owners who are supposed to do a lot of transactions on a daily basis. Some prefer to take up a wild card service that charges more per transaction while completely eliminating monthly fees. No matter the difference in make and applications, most Smartphone devices that allow the utilization of a credit card, have the same basic functionality. The most popular applications and devices are Square, Roam Pay hardware, Phone Transact iMerchant Pro, Pay Ware Mobile and Intuit Go payment. All these are relatively affordable, easy to set up and utilize. Moreover, you can store all your credit transactions online. Some devices like Intuit Go payment do not include a card swiper. On the contrary, you are allowed to enter the card's number and proceed with all your card processing. All these transactions are data encrypted hence security is fully assured. Furthermore, if you have constant emergencies, these devices should be your preferred choice. The decision to take up lower transaction fees but higher monthly charges or higher transaction fees and lower or no monthly charge is entirely yours. If you run a business with many transactions a day, then you ought to take the first option. However, if you need occasional transactions, not necessarily daily, then you ought to go for the latter option. Although these mobile payment hardware options may cost you more, their reliability and efficiency is indispensable. They can increase your sales by a great percentage. You don't have to put up with that land bound credit card machine anymore, given the choices for better machines. It is high time to ditch that old credit card machine, and get a new smart phone for greater and happier returns.

Smartphones are the latest tread setters in the recent times, where they are used in every aspects of communications. Surprisingly, the usage of Smartphones in the operation of Credit Card machines has be in the emergence to eliminate the inconvenience of land bound phone lines.

Epub Training Class Requirements

The format "Epub" is one of the primary file formats for electronic books. Nearly every Ereader will be able to read in the Epub format. This makes the Epub format rather important. Those who understand how to work with the Epub format, both on a technical level, and also in terms of marketing to the various places online that sell Epub are much more likely to be successful in the electronic book arena. This is also important because electronic book sales are starting to become more and more prevalent, to the degree that electronic sales of books are starting to bring in more revenue at some locations than the regular paper kind. This means that those who understand how to work with Epub, and all of the various details associated with the format will have a large advantage in the coming new economy. One way to accomplish this understanding is by taking a class. Taking a class in the use of Epub, as long as the class is doing it right, will give you a wide range of skills and knowledge regarding the format. Signs to look for in Epub classes include: -Basics If you're just starting out with the Epub format, it's important to get a basic understanding of how the format is used, and how it functions generally. A good Epub course will teach about the various ways different eReaders use Epub, and the various different ways different readers sync the file to and from a computer, or on a cloud network. -Formatting The ability to create Epub formats from other types of formats is also a very important. For example, if you start with a format like DOC, or PDF, you'll need to port it over into Epub in many cases before you can sell it and distribute it for us on Ereaders. DOC is the format used by Microsoft Word, and PDF is the one used by Adobe Acrobat, so they are common types. There are various different programs and methods for doing this, and it all depends on the format you have in the beginning. The formatting changes that occur during conversion are also important to understand. This is because different formats might change in different ways when they move into the Epub format. It's important to make sure that no drastic changes occur that could mess up the way an eBook appears when it moves into Epub. -Marketing Depending on the nature of the Epub course being taken in specific, marketing can often be an important thing to look for. This is because in most situations the need to understand and work with Epub doesn't exist in a vacuum. The understanding and skill will be used. In many cases, it will be used to promote electronic books in one way or another. Working with Epub will obviously incorporate this principle. A good course will show students the best methods for distributing Epub to customers in order to achieve the desired goals for electronic books.

Learn how to create and publish professional looking ePub documents. Spread your work to a larger audience with ePub. Sign of for one of our Adobe ePub Training Classes. Learn more about the ePub format.

Is It Important to Backup Your Business Data?

Importance of backup systems for small and medium size businesses (SMBs) is in no way less, as compared to big companies. SMBs also depend heavily on the computers for the data management. There are several examples of SMBs that lost all their valuable data because of computer failure and never returned to the scene again. Every business generates critical data while conducting day to day activities. This data can be in the form of:  

• Business Application Data e.g. Accounting Software, Inventory, Tally, ERP, CRM etc.
• Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations e.g. Quotation, Communication with Clients, etc.
• Emails, Communications, Contacts, Notes, To-Do List, Appointments etc.
• Pictures of products, Digital Catalogues

  How data loss occurs:  

• a physical failure of Hard Disk
• power failure which can corrupt your data
• virus attacks
• accidental deletion
• overwriting a new file with an old one
• someone deleting necessary files deliberately to harm the organization

  Lack of Systematic Backup Policy: SMBs do not have any backup policies in place because of which the following issues exists even if they are taking backups:  

• Backups are done at random and irregular intervals
• Backups are done manually so there are chances of missing important files
• Usually taken by a Copy Paste command so there is no verification of backup
• None or rarely backups are taken from the Laptops of the Executives
• Backups are not tested for integration by restoring it at regular intervals
• Usually backups are non-encrypted and anyone who has the access to it can read or take away all of it
• Backups are kept on-site and no off-site copies are kept
• No multiple copies Daily, Weekly and Monthly are available

  Best policies to follow:  

• must be taken at regular intervals
• must be verified after the backup completes
• Laptops also must be backed up at regular intervals
• must be restored at regular intervals to check its integrity
• must be encrypted so that no unauthorized person can get access to the data
• There should be daily, weekly and monthly copies of the backup
• must have at least one off-site copy of the backup
• must be taken on an external Hard Disk or a Tape Drive media and not on one of the computers in the office

  Solution: The best way to come out of all these hazels is to implement automatic backup software which can take care of all the above policies. Backup software can be configured to take backup at regular intervals and the data can be secured by adding encryption.

We can assist you to install and maintain all of your backup related needs in a prompt and very professional manner. We have already installed these kinds of systems at many places and have the required expertise to design the backup policies which suits your company needs, execute and implement the entire backup process and then monitor it. We believe that Backup is not a onetime solution it is a process. We need to keep on monitoring it so that we can get all the important files back when we really need it. Visit us at http://www.ruparelcomputers.com

How Computers Think

Inside a computer, data and information are stored in a digital binary format. With the term bit we are referring to a binary digit that represents the smallest piece of data. Homo sapiens can understand and remember words, numbers or pictures; computers understand and use only patterns of bits. One bit of information can have only two possible values. Digit one or digit zero. Therefore, a bit is used to represent only two states. For instance, a light switch can be either On or Off, so in binary system, these conditions would match to 1 and 0 respectively. PCs use binary numbers to represent letters, numbers and other characters. A universally used code system is the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII). With this system, every character is created by a string of bits. For instance: Capital letter: A = 01000001 Number: 0 = 00000000 Number: 255 = 11111111 Character: # = 00100011 Every set of eight bits, like the representations of letters and special characters, is called a byte. Binary codes are used to represent practically any kind of digital info. With the binary system we can represent computer graphics, pictures, video, music and voice. As mentioned earlier, one bit is the smallest unit of data. One byte is the most basic unit of digital storage. One byte contains 8 bits and is the smallest unit of measure used to represent data storage capacity. When we are talking about hard disk capacity, we use the terms byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, petabyte, exabyte and so on. One kilobyte contains 1,024 bytes. One megabyte contains more than a million bytes, specifically 1,048,576. One gigabyte is 1,073,741,824 bytes and etc. As a general rule, when we represent something digitally, when we need more details we also need more bits to represent the extra information. A low-resolution digital photo will use around 250 KB, but a high-resolution digital photo could use 3 MB or more. Megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes or petabytes are usually used to describe the size or storage capacity of a storage device. Nowadays we use a great variety of devices to store our data; random access memories (RAM), hard disk drives, CDs, and DVDs. One of the benefits of digital data is that we can transmit them over long distances without losing any quality. A device called modem is used to convert the binary data into a form suitable for transmitting through the telephone line. A cable is a common medium that use pulses of electricity through copper lines. Fiber optic cables use pulses of light over fibers made usually from glass.

Manolis Skoras is a Cisco, Microsoft and HP Certified Trainer and systems-network engineer. Recently he created a VMware Exam website, to help his students and people around the world to better understand the material they will be tested on, thus having greater success rates. Check Certify4Sure today!

The History and Legacy of Steve Jobs

Few people can ever claim to have changed the world. Famous people, in this age of 24 hour news channels, Twitter and the internet can come at a dime a dozen, actors, musicians, authors, politicians, activists, among many others that were successful in getting the attention of many people. Innovators and pioneers on the other hand are hard to come by. People who go against the odds and make a difference, those who leave legacies that advance their own field. And the legacy of Steve Jobs will surely endure, even after many of have gone. Before we even measure how much the legacy of Steve Jobs has affected us, we must first look into the history of the man. The legacy of Steve Jobs after all becomes all the more impressive when you consider how he became one of the most famous men in the history of technology. Steven Paul Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 to two unwed University of Wisconsin students and was then adopted at birth by Paul Reinhold, and Clara Jobs, Paul a machinist for a laser manufacturing company, and Clara an accountant for a high tech company in what would later be known as Silicon Valley. His adoptive mother taught him to read early, even before he went to school, and his adoptive father taught him in basic electronics, developing skills that, unknown to them at that time would contribute to the great legacy of Steve Jobs. Steve frequented after school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard company during his days in Homestead High School in Cupertino California, it is here where he would meet Steve Wozniak during his tenure as a summer employee. Wozniak, along with Ronald Wayne would, in the future, join Jobs to co-found Apple Computer Co., the company that, more than anything else, embody the legacy of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs never attended college for long. Staying for only one semester, he later dropped out and basically lived the life of a transient for some time, and considering how far reaching the legacy of Steve Jobs eventually became, made his accomplishments all the more impressive. After a stint in Atari, Steve Jobs would join Steve Wozniak after his invention of the Apple I computer, and along with Ronald Wayne and funding from Mark Markkula, would found the Apple Computer Co. in 1976, a flagship company where the legacy of Steve Jobs would be built upon. Originally created in the garage of Job's parents, the company would soon grow to establish the standards on how personal computers would become, and establish the legacy of Steve Jobs and his colleagues. Steve Job's initial stay at Apple would not be smooth sailing. He resigned from the company in 1985 after disagreements between management policy caused rifts between him and John Sculley, then CEO of the company. This departure would not last however. After Job's resignation, he founded NeXT computers, and eventually bought The Graphics Group (now named Pixar) from Lucasfilms in 1986. In 1996 Apple bought NeXT computers for a sum of $429 million, returning Jobs to the company that he co-founded, and eventually becoming the CEO in 1997. With Steve Jobs back in Apple, his brand of management and his demand for aesthetically appealing products brought back profitability to the company's portfolio. Revolutionizing the way we listen to music in the form of the mp3 player, and bringing smart phones and tablet pc's into the tech race, the legacy of Steve Jobs is hard to miss in our everyday life. His drive to create innovative products changed the way that we view mobile computing, and will probably affect what we expect of mobile media for years to come.

Kalon Willis University of Findlay/College of Business CEO/ Founder of ElectroniConnection.com ElectroniConnection@rocketmail.com http://www.ElectroniConnection.com Here at ElectroniConnection.com, we sell every kind of name brand electronic you can imagine at the lowest prices possible. Everything in our webstore includes Free Shipping and great customer service from our loyal employees. Come and visit us soon!

Best Technology for Reliable Plugged Chute Detection

Myth or Reality: The Facts about Radar, and the Right Choice for Level in Solids Applications With so many level technologies on the market today, the choice of technology is much more difficult and can be confusing. Process measurement and controls are an essential component for any industrial plant attempting to conform and abide by the strict safety and environmental regulations set forth by state agencies. Not only is it important to know what is contained within any silo or vessel, but it is vital to know whether a silo or flow area has material blocked. Whether that material is too high or low in the containment is also critical as it can cause enormous safety hazards to plant personnel as well as clean-up costs and agency fines. Additionally, installing point detection devices in transfer chutes for blockage detection is also important as it is an inexpensive way of preempting a nasty chute blockage. These transfer chutes are all over the place throughout a mining site, and one plugged chute can stop production, which incurs hundreds of thousands of dollars in downtime production costs. So with that stated, reliable continuous level measurement and redundant point level detection are an important part of any process plant, particularly at a time when improving energy efficiency and reducing operating and maintenance costs are important considerations. Plant safety and meeting stricter environmental regulations become a challenge in this tough competitive marketplace. Many level applications pose special problems for process level equipment and technologies. Whether the industrial site is a mine, power generation facility, or cement plant, these sites all require technologies that will withstand the tough environmental conditions as well as the harsh nature of the solids applications. These include heavy dust in the airspace, steep angles of repose, high temperatures, changing process conditions, corrosive media, abrasive solids materials, and more. In addition, so many different sizes and shapes of containment mean that many installations have to deal with obstructions like mechanical bracing for structural support. Plant personnel like reliability engineers, operations managers, facilities engineers, maintenance, and more are always looking for ways to increase throughput, reduce downtime, and improve process efficiencies. With technology on the constant cutting edge, companies are designing process instrumentation that offers many different types of techniques for providing reliable level and point level detection solutions for tough applications. In order to be successful in this instrumentation market, a company must be offering solutions that are value added to customers, and offer user friendly configuration with high accuracy and reliability in mind. With technology like it is today, upgrading of level instrumentation at a plant location from older measurement techniques to newer designs will definitely lower maintenance costs, improve process efficiency and provide higher accuracy devices, which will provide many benefits. With safety being most industrial company's number one goal, any basic level measurement must be reliable, robust and accurate and there must also be robust systems to guard against spillages from overfilling vessels. Unfortunately, even with today's advancement in process instrumentation, there is not one technology that will provide undaunted measurement results in every application. Although, it is the technology of microwave radar that has been promoted over the last several years as the panacea for all liquid or solid level materials. Is this really the case? What has happened in this instrumentation market to the idea of providing the right engineered solution for the customer's application? Let's really look at the technologies out there for liquids and solids level measurement like through air radar, guided wave radar, ultrasonic, and what's being referred to by Hawk as acoustic wave. In applications, there are mechanical installation constraints, the conditions within the containment, and the capabilities of the level device will all affect the choice of measuring device. In the level instrumentation spectrum, there are many different technologies, but the major technology contenders are ultrasonic or acoustic wave, TDR (guided wave radar), and non-contact microwave radar. It is interesting to note too that the technology of ultrasonic or sometimes promoted as acoustic wave technology has flat lined or hit a road block in growth. The technology of microwave radar has been growing at the "speed of light" and being regarded, or at least touted as the end all beat all technology for measuring level in liquids and solids. Well, choosing the proper technology from one of these three can be a challenge, but if you're looking for high reliability, low maintenance, and repeatable performance, then look below for some guidelines on each technology. So, when one looks at level applications, the split is either liquids or solids. With liquids, many technologies can be applied depending upon the conditions in the application (temperature, pressure, air space conditions above the liquid surface, mounting, mechanical obstructions, and more. Liquids though are not nearly as difficult to solve with level technologies as the solids materials, which can range from fine powders to chunked aggregate materials, to the worst conditions of wet, moist fine powdery material that adheres to almost anything. When it comes to the technologies of through air radar, guided wave radar, or ultrasonic or acoustic, the choice of the technology is relatively straight forward with a few exceptions. If the liquid material is water based, with virtually conditions of a non-vaporous atmosphere, and temperatures/pressures in the ambient/atmospheric range, then ultrasonic or acoustic is suitable. With microwave radar applied, the liquids are probably going to be of a chemical or hydrocarbon formulation, probably have some excessive temperatures or pressures, and have heavy vapor conditions in the airspace. Guided wave radar can be applied as well in the aforementioned conditions, with the exception maybe of the range being too lengthy for a rod or flexible cable antenna or if there is an agitator in the vessel. But, make no mistake about the fact that when dealing with solids materials in an industrial environment like a metal or coal mine, or fly ash in a load out silo at a power generation facility, the conditions for measurement are usually much more difficult. It requires a technology that can endure the atmosphere conditions like heavy dust, undulated material surfaces, wet or moist conditions from process sprayers, and sometimes hot conditions with build-up problems on any equipment installed in the application. If the height of the material containment for level measurement is more than 30 to 40 feet, then it is more appropriate and practical to choose a non-contact level measurement technology like ultrasonic, acoustic, or microwave radar. TDR or guided wave radar can provide continuous level measurements up to 80 feet; however, in solids materials, the tensile forces and loading on the cable become extreme, and thus will potentially cause breakage and shearing. It is just not practical to outfit any solids measurement application with something of a contacting design like guided wave radar when there is any sort of build-up potential, or lengths beyond 30 feet (10 meters). Also, as material shifts from one point to another in the solids, the cable follows that line of movement. Cost also becomes a factor too for guided wave radar in long measurements as cable lengths increase, so does pricing. With level measurement in solids beyond 30 to 40 feet, it is a wiser choice to go with a non-contact technology. So let's get down to the facts about non-contact technologies, both new and older in the market place today. The technology known as ultrasonic has been around for many years, and it is as the name implies, sub sound technology in the kilohertz frequency band. The designers of ultrasonic technology have made valiant attempts to solve the difficult solids applications with frequencies down to as low as 8 to 12 kHz and various transducer designs in size and shape, but the overall measurement success has been inconsistent at best. Then along comes non-contact microwave technology with the claims that it is the new "sexy" technology to measure the long range, dusty solids measurements. Great claims for something that performs well in dry materials, but induce moisture into the solids materials along with heavy dust, water sprayers for dust abatement, and that's a formula for disaster. This new technology is not the panacea for all level applications as many companies tout, and it definitely does not have carte blanche performance in the industries like coal, metal mining, minerals, and other solids industries. With the less than desirable results on solids using "ultrasonic" and the through air radar not capitalizing in the mining industries, what technology is out there to solve these applications? Well the overlooked technology, which is a variation on a technology theme of ultrasonic, but designed in a way to offer significant application benefits, is acoustic wave technology. The magic behind this technology is the fact that it utilizes audible frequencies (5 to 30 KHz) in a transducer design that is harnessed as a balanced resonant mass. The combination of low frequency, high applied power, and variable adaptive gain control makes this acoustic wave technology a real solids solution that can't be beat and is really underestimated. On the transducer, the low frequency with high applied pulsing power to the face creates a pressure wave that literally offers consistent and proven self-cleaning properties. Effectively, there are no materials that will adhere to this transducer face regardless of their moisture or sticky properties. So in mining applications, where there are wet screens from sprayers, or ROM bins with dust abatement controls causing heavy build-up on anything in the area, the acoustic wave technology can reliably provide level measurement under those conditions. Microwave radar CAN Not function under these moist solids conditions as it would be disastrous with material build-up adhering to the emitter on the inside of the horn antenna. Or worse yet, adherence of moist, powdered ore fines on the face of a "dust" cover that is designed to keep material from entering the horn antenna, but does not prevent adherence on the dust cover face. Many suppliers of non-contact radar designs today will recommend the use of antenna purging with either water or air within the plant site. This purging option sounds great in design, but in reality, the air purge causes more problems than it's worth because most instrument air supplies have moisture, and this moist air will increase the chances of dust build-up on the emitter within the horn. Additionally, the instrument air is not inexpensive to supply on a regular basis. The key to measuring solids materials in conditions where moist, wet, powders, ores, aggregate exist, then there needs to be a technology used where there are self-cleaning properties available. With acoustic wave technology, the power to the transducer with low frequency is one key design criteria, however, it takes a lot more than just that, and that's where an Australian company has led the solids measurement charge within the level industry. The long wavelength of the low frequency designs also makes them appropriate for the tough stuff. Guaranteed for high performance without fail in the worst conditions known to man, the acoustic wave technology will absolutely amaze the doubting customer, until they see in action, and "how it take a beating, yet keeps on repeating" in the measurement. So again, choosing between non-contact acoustic wave and microwave radar for solids materials can be challenging, but there are some simple rules to keep in mind when considering the choice for the application. Remember that solids materials come in many different sizes and shapes, and regardless of the particle size, the material will be very dusty in the airspace. The method of fill and removal from the containment will also increase the dust in the airspace which can cause further deterioration of the measurement technology's signal. During fill using a dense phase pneumatic conveying system, which essentially blows the material into the silo from the top, the airspace conditions are extremely clouded, and difficult for most level technologies to perform reliably. During these conditions, the transmitted signal must be strong in power, have the right wavelength, and have the ability to penetrate the dust in the airspace without being attenuated. For these dusty airspace conditions, let's evaluate and compare the two technologies of non-contact design and see which one is the most applicable under the toughest conditions. With microwave radar, the frequency of the device used and the antenna design is very important in how well it will perform in these dusty conditions. Non-contact microwave radar designs typically operate in the frequency band from 5.8 to 26 GHz, and some even go higher than that, with use of either pulse or FMCW technique. The technique of pulse wave radar seems to be most often used these days, and a frequency band of 24+ GHz. The correct size and type of antenna is essential when choosing this technology for solids level measurements. The antenna type should be a horn style and the size should be as large as possible, but most manufacturers offer 2 to 6 inch diameter, with some offering 10 inch parabolic dish type versions. Applying a 2 or 3 inch size horn antenna is not appropriate for solids applications, as there is not enough of a collection source at the receive area for the microwave signal. So choosing a horn diameter of 4 inch or larger is best for penetrating the dust in the airspace, as well as allowing for a better collector on the returning signals. The technology works well on measurement ranges up to 125 to 150 feet, but after that, the readings become somewhat unreliable, and usually build-up of dust becomes a major deterrent to the propagation of the microwave energy. The application of a Teflon fabricated dust cover is applied onto the end of the horn antenna to prevent the dust from entering and build-up inside the horn. However, the dust then builds on the dust cover and over time will impede the signal regardless of its dielectric value and moisture content. Remember what was stated earlier in this article, and that is when suppliers recommend the use of purging options like air or water. Well, this is not a practical solution to removing adherence of solids particles. Suffice it to say that there are no self-cleaning properties for a microwave design and the use of these antenna purges do not work properly and they are not practical for most industrial applications. In dealing with long, dusty airspace measurement on solids, the larger parabolic horn antenna is recommended, but this horn size requires an opening of 10+ inches in diameter. Build-up though also is a realistic problem with this large antenna as it is a large surface area and again has no self-cleaning properties. When we speak about ultrasonic technology (also acoustic wave) for use in level applications, we are talking about operating frequencies in the 40 to 5 KHz band, and sizes of 2 to 9 inches in diameter. For liquid level applications, the use of 30 to 40 KHz frequencies are suitable as the airspace conditions are not containing dust particulate, so propagation of the acoustic wave is only then affected by the vapor space. Keep in mind too, that acoustic wave technology is different than ultrasonic technology in that the application of lower frequency designs with high pulse power will create this pressure wave effect that literally atomizes any type of condensation adhering to the bottom of the transduce face. Any other ultrasonic design on the market today does not offer these cleaning values. When you are speaking about solids level applications with heavy dust in the airspace, then a low frequency of high power is absolutely essential. There are also other things to consider for the proper propagation of the acoustic wave signal in dusty conditions. The dust particles in the airspace will most assuredly attenuate or absorb the acoustic wave if not properly sized to the application. The distance of the measurement, the airspace conditions, and the mounting availability are all factors to be considered when applying the right transducer. In the case of ultrasonic technology and solids level applications, size does matter, which means that the lower frequency transducers will make the long distance shots and penetrate the dust particulate with minimal attenuation. These 5 or 10 KHz frequency acoustic wave transducers are audible in sound and have a lot of power applied to them with a variant gain scheme. The key to the performance on these difficult applications is the application of the lower frequencies. Oversizing the transducer based on frequency and knowing the conditions in the measurement will prove to be successful. The lower frequency with power will deal with the harsh conditions of dust, build-up, and moisture in the airspace, and much more. With long range measurements beyond 50 feet and very dusty airspace conditions, the selection of the transducer frequency is important and should be at minimum, 15 KHz or lower. Remember though, it is not only the frequency for succeeding in these applications, but the power applied, the transducer design, and the dynamic gain circuit. With the right transducer selection, the next thing to consider is the build-up potential of the solids materials in the application. As we discussed in the previous paragraph with microwave radar, there are no self-cleaning properties associated with that technology, so build-up can be a factor in impeding the energy from sensor to material surface. The acoustic wave technology uses high energy applied to a crystal set which causes mechanical vibration on the transducer surface, thus resulting in a movement enough to keep solids particles of dust off of the transducer face. This self-cleaning technique allows for proper propagation of the low frequency signal even under the dustiest of airspace conditions as no build-up will adhere to the transducer face. Also, the reliable, continuous performance of the acoustic wave system is dependent upon the adjustability of the gain circuit. As the acoustic signal decreases in amplitude, the dynamic gain circuit automatically increases gain to the signal so that there is an increase in the amplitude and the level can be maintained. This ability to vary the gain dynamically throughout the measurement proves to be a strong point when having the lower frequency and high power system also. It takes every bit of technology savvy to accomplish a reliable level measurement on solids applications. Level measurement on liquids applications are considered to be much easier with regards to a reliable acoustic signal as compared to solids measurement on things like coal, lime, mined ores, cement, and gypsum. The choice of the right technology for these difficult solids applications does not have to be a brain teaser. Most companies are astute at assisting in the applicability of their designs, but it is important for you as the user to understand the limitations of the technologies. Below is a summary chart for the technologies discussed in this article along with others and the various conditions under which there could be exposure. It serves as a guide for the selection of technology for your application conditions. Now for every continuous level application in your facility, you should be considering the application of a reliable point level technology. The practice of using an alternate technology point level device with a continuous level measurement should be adopted with every company. And no, it's not because the suppliers want to make or sell more product, but because it only makes logical sense. Think about it, if you have a malfunction or an application upset with your continuous device, and there is no point level shut-off for high level, then you will have a spill and that spill requires clean-up, which results in unnecessary costs, and potential fines by governmental agencies like the EPA. Additionally, these spills could also result in a safety violation with harm caused to employees or the process. In addition to the high level back-up, there should be precaution taken and applicability of a point level switch for a low level shut-off as well as point detection in a chute with solids material. Using point level technologies for back-up protection provide a high degree of cost prevention to replacing damaged pump systems, screw conveyors, valves, and other process control devices. With the cost of point level switches being anywhere from $200 to $2000 depending the severity of the application, these are relatively low cost and provide a low cost of ownership as they serve to prevent problems. With the importance of having a point level back-up to your continuous level technology, it is wise to choose an alternate technology from what your continuous device is in the application. So for instance, if you have an acoustic wave system for measuring coal in your load out silos, then you could apply a point level technology of vibration, capacitance, rotating paddles, or microwave. With this point level in mind, there are many different technologies to choose from. The most common used for solids applications would be capacitance, vibratory forks, rotating paddles, acoustic wave, and microwave designs. With solids materials, the abrasive and heavy loading of the material can be a factor in causing more problematic issues with a point level device, especially on low level or high flowing materials, so choosing the right one is important. Other factors like build-up on the probe elements or impact from falling material can also affect the performance and reliability of the product. The technologies of microwave and acoustic wave lend themselves to the more difficult solids applications, although the applications of both are also seeing the easy applications. These two technologies are more often seen though on the difficult applications where an indication of material absence /presence is critical in the customer's process, and therefore reliable detection is mandatory. The microwave detection technology is such that the faces of the transmit and receive sensors are across from one another over a certain short or long distance, but looking though a plastic window like Teflon. There is no contact with the material in the silo and no protrusion thus no wear and tear and reliable performance provided the material is dry. If the material has some moisture or it can be dry, then the applicability of the acoustic wave technology can be done. The beauty of this technology is the fact that it is also not protruding into the vessel and uses a very wear resistant titanium face for long lasting durability in abrasive applications. The costs for the microwave or acoustic wave design are more than conventional point level technologies like capacitance or rotating paddle wheels, but the replacement of these devices does not occur once installed in the applications. It's set up with minimal configuration, and then literally walks away with no problems after that point. So in summary what I wanted to share with every reader is the idea that there are many technologies for measuring continuous and point level within the solids industry, but making the right choice for long term reliability, low maintenance, and high performance is where the rubber meets the road. If safety, improving process efficiency, or saving costs are your concern, then take to heart this information, and contact your local level expert or me if you'd like some guidance. And finally, let me say that the success and performance reliability of any technology is not chosen based upon its popularity, but on its capabilities to deal with adversities. Don't sell short the technologies that have been around for many years. Jerry Boisvert ( jerry.boisvert@hawkmeasure.com, 978-5308588) Hawk Measurement Systems 7 River Street Middleton, Massachusetts 01949

Jerry Boisvert HAWK Measurement Systems 978-530-8588

Determining Your True IT Employee Value

There is more misinformation out there about IT employee salaries than any other profession in the world. If you were a Doctor, the open ER position pays within a pretty small range and your experience only counts towards if you are or are not qualified for the open position. Seldom does a Dr. with 10 years of experience make more than a Dr. with 7 years of experience. To further drive this point home, the person hiring the Dr. doesn't necessarily care how big the ER was at his previous employer nor will HR ask him to fix some patients before being offered the job. However, IT employees are completely different. You and I may have the same certification and the same amount of experience and earn two drastically different salaries. The main separator between two relatively equal IT employees is where they received their experience. Companies want to see some pretty strange metrics to determine whether or not you are qualified for their open positions. Before I started doing Cisco networking exclusively, I was a Windows Server Manager. Nearly every employer asked me how many servers I had at my previous employer. Indeed, the next question would be how many Windows Servers have I installed over my career. How on earth is this relevant to anything? To make this more nonsensical, if you have worked for a large employer, the builds that go onto servers are completely standard. Does it really matter if I followed a checklist one time or one hundred times? This type of thinking is involved with nearly every aspect of IT. If you haven't worked for a major corporation, employers do not value you as high as those that have. If anything, I believe this should go the other way. If you worked for a smaller IT organization, chances are you had your hands in every aspect of that infrastructure. On the contrary if you were an AD tech at a large company for example, you may know AD inside and out, but wouldn't really have any experience with anything else. Thus, to determine your true value as an IT employee the only real metric you can use to gauge your worth is what an employer is willing to pay for you. Many of us look at the IT salary surveys, find our job title, and wonder why we are making too much or too little. However, considering the IT surveys go nowhere near far enough to determine what the respondent's background is, the surveys are completely meaningless. In addition, they do not break down the numbers based on geography. I assure you that someone in Kentucky probably doesn't have the equivalent salary to someone working in Manhattan. Finally, the biggest flaw in the salary surveys is the certification values. I may be a CCNA with 20 years of experience making well into the six figures, while someone who got their certification yesterday may be worth $30k on the open market. These discrepancies can all be corrected by understanding appropriate salary levels based on what employers in your area are willing to pay for someone with your skills, experience, and certification. Considering no two employees have the identical background or knowledge, you can pretty much safely disregard any salary survey that doesn't include a massive range of possibilities.

Visit http://www.ciscocareers.org for more information about Cisco Professional salaries including the CCNA salary range.

OLED Vs LED Technology

OLED (Organic Light Emiting Diode) technology is truly amazing and many manufacturers speak for a while about the ability to launch large diagonal HDTVs that use it. It is one of the reasons why there was so much interest when LG launched its new 55 inch OLED TV at CES 2012. It is gorgeous, both exterior and interior. You will not find it in the nearest store at the moment I am writing this article (March 2012), but very soon you will and then you would better know the difference between OLED and LED TV on the market today. However, don't get me wrong, LED's are amazing too. First, what is the difference? The main difference is that OLED TVs do not need a light source (backlight). They produce their own light, with the help of electrical current passing through the organic diodes. On LED TVs, the diode light created passes through a liquid crystal display. So although it eliminates the traditional light source, there are several layers that increase the thickness. What happens when you compare an OLED TV with a normal LED TV? Thickness LG 55 inches OLED HDTV is not only the largest OLED TV at the moment, but is also the thinnest and lightest TV. Although he is 55 inches, it weighs only 7.5 kg and profile measuring is less than 4mm. Instead, even the largest thin LED TV does not measure less than 30 mm. Contrast and black level Adjustable LED TVs use technology to create dark areas. This means that black levels are dark but they can never be truly black. OLED screen may close areas needed depending on the scene. Besides, OLED TVs boast infinite contrast ratio, showing even the smallest details with the greatest accuracy and clarity. Together gives you the best experience. Because this we cannot compare the contrast in those two technologies. Color Accuracy Again, because OLED technology emits its own light, OLED TVs can create virtually any color in the spectrum. Not as is the case LED TVs which have to pass light through a matrix color LCD to produce the color. The process of creating color for OLED TV's is much easier and more accurate, resulting in a much richer experience. LEDs do a good job but OLEDs are always on top. Viewing angle Nothing can competes with OLED technology when it comes to viewing angles. Viewed from any angle and any position played OLED colors remain the same. LED technology represented a significant advance compared to normal LCDs, but you cannot compare with OLED technology. Truly Green LED TVs are quite energy efficient. Based on low power consumption, the packaging is easier, technology is more environmentally friendly than CCFL or LCD. But it cannot do what OLED technology can make. Because it does not need a light source, OLED technology uses significantly less energy during operation and standby. In addition, due to low weight and small size, the packaging is lighter and transportation costs are lower.

Now that you know the differences between OLED and LED technology you can search for the best HDTV deals or you can take a look at these best 60 inch tv available on the market today.

Why I Think Node-Based Graphics Systems Are Over-Complicated

If you've ever used a node system (they seem to be appearing everywhere now) you'll either: A) swear by their use, and wonder what I'm complaining about, probably thinking I just need to spend more time with it, or B) Think they're over-complicated and created that way to alienate the masses from their use. I shall explain my argument with a simple test I performed with both Adobe's After Effects, and The Foundry's Nuke. Now I will say first of all that I'm biased towards After Effects, having used it for several years, but I didn't find it as frustrating to start off with as I did when I tried Nuke. The test was easy: Import a small video clip, turn it black and white, look at it. Seems easy enough...Lets start with After Effects (hereafter AE) In AE, I went to File > Import > clicked on my video clip > OK. Now the clip was inside AE's project browser. I clicked and dragged it to the logical looking place for clips, the large rectangle area at the bottom and *TA DA* AE creates a new composition to the exact length of my clip. So far so good. Next I looked for the effects, which are cleverly labeled "Effects". Searched for 'black and white', got a preset called 'black and white', clicked and dragged that onto my clip, and instantly it turned black and white. I then pressed the play button and was nicely treated to my clip playing in black and white. Okay, let's try Nuke. Opened Nuke, had a look for an import function. After about 5 minutes of trying to find it I gave up (I'm sure if there are some dedicated Nuke users reading this, you're probably thinking I'm a fool and screaming out how obvious the import function is, however, it didn't present itself to me after looking for it) So I went for the next option of opening Window's explorer, and dragging the clip across the screen so I could directly drop it into Nuke. This worked, but seemed an odd way of getting footage in there. Now finding the black and white (B&W) present wasn't too hard, I'll let Nuke off there, so I dropped the B&W node into my endless sea of node space. Had a think for a moment, logic would suggest connecting the B&W node to the clip, but it isn't, it's the other way around. Fair enough, I guess if you're running a chain of events it will go Clip > Make it black and white > Preview. So now I'm at the stage of trying to look at my clip, only nothing happens. After searching on Google for a while, I discover I have to connect my clip to a viewing node (or something). I'm sorry, but this just seems utterly pointless to me. If I'm working with something visual, I'd expect to be able to see it as a default setting. You wouldn't buy a TV with everything but the screen in it, then go and buy the screen later. Apple ship their iPods with headphones (though I'm sure they've been tempted to make you buy them separately), but they point is, if you're going to do something, you want the end result as part of the process, not something that should be an option. So now I've got my clip, black and white, and I can see it, so I want to play it back. However I find that upon pressing the play button that it is very jumpy, distorted and broken. I've got a good spec PC, AE has no trouble playing back 50 layers of video and effects, but Nuke is struggling to play a 10 second B&W clip. "WHY?!" I scream while slowly pulling out my eyelashes to ease the pain and frustration. After yet more Googling I discovered that Nuke is based upon the speed of your hard drive transfer rate, and likes to think about files in terms of frames, rather than whole films. So that 16Gb of Ram I've got is sitting their quietly, probably drinking a cheap whiskey and waiting for something to do, while my hard drive is frantically jumping back and forth between video frames. After this I just gave up, I am fully aware of some of the fantastic film effects that have been composited using Nuke, but when I see a mass tangle of node wires crossing over and inserting themselves into colourful boxes with little meaning, looking like spaghetti and meatballs without the sauce, I can't help but think this program is intentionally hard to understand, just so only the most dedicated of people will ever get to understand its secrets. And I guess that's why only the best at it get the best jobs.

Kez http://www.kezly.com

 

Free Email Tracker To Know When Emails Are Read

We send emails or better known in full as electronic mail, as a way of fast communication. This is because we use the internet connection to be able to send emails back and forth regardless of our geographic boundaries. Therefore, the only way through which we can send emails is by having a reliable source of internet connection and an email address with either of the providers like Gmail, Yahoo and or Hotmail. It does not take much to set up your very own email address if you do not have one by now. All you have to do is to register with your choice of mail provider, answer or fill in the necessary details and you will be able to send and receive emails as soon as your account is verified. The verification process does not take hours or days as it can be done as fast as registering for your email account. Once you have your email account and a reliable source of internet connection either on your laptop, desktop or even on your smart phone, you can start sending emails. Whenever we send emails, we often wonder if the recipient did get them and if they have read them. This usual happens when the emails we send require urgent reply but it has been hours since you sent the email with no reply. These are the times you wish that you had an email tracker to help you out. We can describe an email tracker as a computer Software that enables the send of the email to know if their email was successful delivered. Most people will pay for such software but what if we told you there was a free email tracker just for you to utilize to the fullest. With the free email tracker, you will not only be notified if the email was delivered successful but also when it was opened and read. With this kind of an email tracker you stand to benefit more as a way of getting to know what step to take next. But how does the free email tracker work? How Free Email Trackers Work First of all you will need to login into the website provider of the free email tracker where you will access a form which you need to fill. The importance of this form is to enable a tracking image to be created personally for you. This is to mean that every person will have a different image to use. The next step will be to copy and paste the image into the email that you are just about to send. Once everything is in place, then you can press the send button. When you email is delivered and opened by the receiver, you will receiver a notification that your mail has already been read. The free email tracker will also be able to let you know what time the email was read and also the current location of the receiver when they read the email. The free email tracker is not only cheap to obtain but also simply to use.

Are you looking for a free email tracking service? WasMyEmailRead.com will let you know when your email was read, the IP and location of the recipient, and how many times they read it.

The Like Dilemma and The Bubble of Me

That addictive like button appearing on almost every website is confining us in the "bubble of me." Pandora uses your likes to create the perfect radio station. Netflix uses your ratings to craft a list of movies perfect just for you. Facebook uses your likes for personalized ads. The list goes on. You can't even do a general search on Google anymore without information from your Google account being used to create a tailored list of results. Everything has become crafted for who you are at a single moment regardless of the fact that you and your preferences will change. I am not anti-technology, in fact quite the contrary. I love Pandora, my iPhone, and most technological advancements just as much, if not more than the average individual. However, I question the direction my favorite Internet companies are steering us regarding how they use our preferences to determine what they offer us. One of the Internet's greatest gifts is that it inspires exploration. In such a constant barrage of our preferences, we are losing this gift. Before preferences and likes, we were more likely to read things we didn't know we were interested in, only to find out we just happen to love design, or foreign films, or funny cat pictures. This was partially because sites did not specifically know what to offer us, so they offered everything and people explored. In a way sites such as Stumbleupon allow for this, but it is not the Internet giant that Facebook or Google are and it is within these ecosystems that the average individual spends most of their online time. I began noticing the preferences dilemma with Pandora. Pandora presents itself as a place to explore music and use your like of one particular artist to connect you with similar artists. But I found that once I started clicking that wonderful thumbs up button, Pandora actually began to limit my music. When I play my Ray Charles station, only songs I previously liked play and that feeling of excitement I had when I first started using Pandora had been lost to my preferences. A friend recently complained about Google ads on her G-Mail. She loves to ski and while she appreciates that Google advertises skiing related content, she wonders about the potential hobbies she is missing. What about a class, say metal casting, that she has never even considered or knew about, but if she were to see an ad about it, would click and take up a new hobby. She just needs that first level of engagement that currently lies outside her preferences. In the moment an individual gazes at something new there is the potential for a mental tipping point. If the new thought peaks their interest just enough, they will likely seek more information. Coffee shops, local bookstores, and University bulletin boards were and are, places where pamphlets for random courses and get-togethers are posted. People read these and become interested in things that just barely peek their interest only to later find out they have a new hobby. The first level of engagement is opened to them. We must find a way to adequately translate that experience of randomness and curiosity to the web. Perhaps it can include some form of preference-based algorithms but the pendulum has swung too far towards keeping us confined. It could be as easy as an explore setting. I am not against the general premise of the like button or websites catering to our interests. Most of the time these tools are beneficial. But the future is no longer about tailoring our needs and giving access to the things we already know we like. The future, the great start-up of tomorrow, lies in our interests to explore, to peak new interests, to find new hobbies that enrich our lives. The future is helping people discover what they don't even know they like.

-David Beiner

Cumulus, Nimbus, Amazon and Other Types of Clouds

Cloud computing has become the latest buzz word. Whether you a brand new startup or an established business, you will wonder if Cloud is right for you. The problem is also immensely complicated by the fact the Cloud providers vary in the services they offer and the prices they charge. In this article I will shed some light on the topic. First a Little History... The term "Cloud Computing" comes from the cloud shapes used to illustrate the internet in network diagrams. The origins of cloud computing date back to the mid 1990s, when a movement of companies named ASPs (Application Service Providers) or hosted providers created a new kind of application, one that did not require installation on site. Now instead setting up servers and hiring staff, companies could just pay a monthly fee. As time went on, the concept stuck, but the name changed. In 1999 when Salesforce.com launched, they no longer called themselves an ASP; they called themselves a Software as a Service company (SaaS). Salesforce was great for companies, as it allowed them to pay a per user / per month fee, providing great financial savings over running a CRM server. As the concept caught on, more companies entered the race and more innovation followed. Amazon launched it's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) in 2006 and Google developed Gmail and Docs for the enterprise. 2007 saw the introduction of Heroku, and 2008 brought the Google App Engine. All of these services are different in both design and purpose, the specifics of which we will see now. Types of Clouds Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) This type of cloud service does it's best to mimic traditional data centers. You are able to provision individual "server" instances. These servers can then be configured with the required operating systems and software. The top vendors in this space are Amazon, Rack Space as well as IBM. The benefit of this solution is the flexibility of the design, which allows you to create very complex systems. But, there is always a trade-off, and in this case it is ease of use. When using an IaaS provider, you need to be knowledgeable in system architecture and data center administration. This is not a problem for large enterprise, but may be an issue for a small start-up with only a few individuals. Platform as a Service (PaaS) These services take you one step further from to the "metal." With them you don't have to worry about the specific servers or software. In many cases the provider will segment the solution into "services" like processing, storage and caching. This is a lot easier to manage for individuals who have a development background and not a hardware background. However, because you are now thinking in terms of pre-configured services, you have less flexibility in design and technology. Providers support specific software stacks and languages and choosing a provider is more likely to lock you into a particular platform, which is not the case with IaaS. Some well-known companies in the PaaS field are Heroku, dotCloud, Microsoft Azure and Google App Engine. These services are easier to use and may be cheaper for smaller apps. The pricing however may exceed IaaS solutions for larger applications. Software as a Service (SaaS) This type of cloud provider is placed furthest from the "metal." The provider has built a software system, and you are just customizing it to fit your need. Notable examples include Salesforce.com and Google Apps for Business. You may be able to customize the application to create a product that is more compatible with your needs, but your options will be somewhat limited. On the other hand, your need for technical expertise is also limited, so you are able to do more with fewer technical resources. The pricing on these services tends to be on a per user basis and may become pretty steep. However, this is offset by the fact that you need fewer technical resources to support the solution. Some final words There are many types of clouds and cloud providers; there is no one true solution but rather a gamut of options. Which one is right for your business? Well, that depends. Are you a large or a small business? Do you have technical people available? Do they know hardware or software better? How much custom work does your solution need and how much can you leverage what is already built? There are a lot of questions to be answered but asking them is the first step.

Dmitry Grekov is a technology architect with Accenture and a co-founder of Venue Cricket, a marketplace for Chicago event venues, which is a cloud hosted business, hosted on dotCloud. You can follow him on twitter @dgrekov or check out Venue Cricket at http://www.venuecricket.com.

 

How to Choose Office Equipment

Are you opening a new office? Or do you feel it is time to replace some old office equipment? The problem that people have when doing this is trying to choose the best equipment. There are certain aspects of your business that you need to look at when choosing your equipment. What to look for in office printers Office printers are very important if you need to print anything in your office. You want to have a printer that can cope with the volumes that you will need to print in a fast and efficient manner. If you do have to print a lot then you should look for high capacity printers. You will also want to have a printer that can print quickly as there is nothing worse than having to wait a long time for all your pages to print. Of course if the department does not have to print much a smaller printer is also an option. Network printers should also be looked at if you have many people in your office. You should also look into the price of cartridges and how many pages you can get from a cartridge. It is also best to have a printer that can print in both monochrome and colour for document headers. What kind of computers should you get? Technology is always advancing and you don't want to be left behind. However, you don't want to have to replace your computers too often either. The things to look at when deciding on computers are their speed, the memory and whether they will be able to connect to your network and work properly. What about all in one devices? The device that you should seriously consider is all in one devices. These devices will incorporate a printer, copier, scanner and often a fax machine. By getting one of these devices you will not only save space but also money as you only have to buy one device. The costs of cartridges will also be lowered as you only have to buy cartridges for one machine. It is best that your all in one device is able to connect to a network. As with all machines you have to see that the one you get covers all the need of your business. Getting a shredder Another piece of equipment that you may overlook is a shredder. If you are dealing with documents that have information about your business of any of your clients you need to dispose of them in a secure manner. For your office you will need to have a shredder that can cope with larger quantities than a personal one. Shedders will also shred in different ways so you should look into what kind of shredding you want done. Office equipment can be a nightmare to choose. The best idea is to create a plan of what your business needs from the computer use to the amount that you have to print. Once you have this plan you will be able to find the equipment that can handle the correct capacity and amount of work.

This article was submitted by Simona Rusnakova, SEO consultant of 3R, on behalf of Office Technology who sell photocopiers, office printers, it support and office furniture in Dublin, Ireland.

RFID Technology Changing in Many Ways

RFID technology has gotten bigger and smaller. That is the radio transmitter equipped chips have gotten smaller and the ranges have gotten bigger. The newest chips are smaller than a grain of rice. They fit inside of a hypodermic needle. It is those chips that are used in the pet locator systems. If a pet with the chip implanted wanders away from home and ends up at a vet or a shelter, a device, similar to the handheld inventory devices you may be familiar with, is activated and data concerning the pet's name and owner show up on the screen. The ranges vary depending on how the system is to be used. For example, when RFID technology is used for inventorying, the range may be relatively small, but it depends on the business' needs. Some companies need to be able to use handheld inventory devices on the floor of a warehouse where the stock is located high up on the shelves. In that case, the radio range would be larger. The use of that kind of system is accompanied by safety advantages for the warehouse employees. Other situations call for a range of several yards. For example, the systems used to bill motorists for their toll road usage requires a longer range. Using the tags for inventories is probably the most popular usage. It is expected to eventually replace bar codes and is already being used commonly on high theft items. Reducing theft is an advantage on top of the advantages of easier and more accurate physical inventories through the use of handheld inventory devices. Other advantages exist for manufacturers. For example, items can be tagged and followed as they work their way through the assembly line or other manufacturing processes. Security is another advantage offered by RFID technology and not just in the area of reduced theft. Drugs and other pharmaceutical products can be tracked as they pass through warehouses. Data concerning the manufacturing date can be stored and accessed easily. This reduces the risk that someone will receive expired medications that are less effective or dangerous in other ways. The handheld inventory devices have also gotten smaller and easier to handle while the readout screens have gotten a little bigger and easier to read. In other words, everything continues to improve. If you are using outdated RFID technology in your business, it might be time to make a change.

To find more information related to RFID technology and handheld inventory devices please visit Smart Database Info or the Database Design website at => http://www.adaptinfo2.com.

Best Ways To Protect Your Data Online And Offline

The online world grows stronger and stronger with each passing year. Keeping your data safe both online and offline requires vigilance. Just as there are always improvements being made to enhance the way people do business online, there are people knowledgeable enough to abuse that technology for purposes of identity theft and other forms of cyber terrorism. If you really want to make the online experience the best that it can be now and in the long term, then you need to consider the following best ways to protect data, both online and off. 1) Encryption technologies Your hosting provider and software that you use to build and develop your website should work in agreement with one another to stay on top of the latest in encryption technologies. You don't want your users to suffer as a result, so make sure that it doesn't affect usability, but at the same time be vigilant about what you have in place to protect you from harm. 2) Content control Certain documents and writings should not be released to the public, so make sure that you have set content control standards in place that limit access to only the things you wish for the public to see. As far as other content is concerned, make sure that you trust the people, who are representing you, and keep vital things close to the vest at all times. 3) Personal information Never ever ever share personal information across non-secure locations. Social security numbers, passwords, and other pertinent financial information should be off limits. You may even wish to partner with an outside firm that specializes in protecting personal data, just to ensure some kind of security with regards to your insurance. 4) Accessibility Passwords remain one of the strongest things that you can have in the fight against online crooks. But you've got to be smart about how you use them to be effective. It is recommended that you use a different password for all of your important emails and accounts, and that you store these passwords in a notebook instead of the desktop on your computer. Cyber thieves are way too advanced in how they are able to break on to computers and make them available for their own personal use. You may even be sharing your hard drive with a thief and not know it. So if it has any direct or indirect tie to your reputation or finances, then you should probably forgo sharing it or storing it on modern technological devices. Being vigilant is as simple as being organized. Once you get organized, it is a lot easier to stop thieves in their tracks before they do you, your data, or your financial information, irreparable harm.

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What Kind of Computer Is the Best for Me?

Computer Screen Resolution Computer graphics resolution is measured in pixels. A pixel is a very small point of light displayed on a TV or computer monitor. The screen quality depends by the total amount of horizontal and vertical pixels that can be displayed. For instance, a new computer monitor is able to display 1600 x 1280 pixels with millions of colors. The photograph resolution in digital cameras is measured by the amount of mega pixels that can be captured in an image. Analog Frequencies Hertz define how fast something cycles or refreshes. One hertz means one cycle per second. For example, the speed of the central processing unit (CPU) is measured by how fast it can cycle in order to complete commands, measured in hertz. A CPU that runs at 1000 MHz (megahertz) performs 1000 million cycles per second. Likewise, wireless communications and radio frequencies are measured in hertz. There are many kinds of workstations and laptops. Not all the computers contain the same peripherals and components and this is what makes one workstation better for one thing and another workstation better for something else. The requirements for a computer dedicated mostly to Microsoft excel are very different than one intended for gaming or Adobe Photoshop. It is essential to define the future uses for a PC before purchasing the computer components. There are more than a lot of companies that produce workstations and laptops nowadays. These computer systems are designed to perform well for a wide range of tasks. Many vendors also can custom assemble computer systems to meet end users' needs and specifications. A preassembled computer has the following advantages: 1. usually the cost is lower, 2. good performance, 3. we do not have to wait for assembly, and 4. can be used by less knowledgeable users who do not have special needs. Unfortunately, a preassembled computer cannot achieve the performance level that can be found on custom built personal computers. Custom Built Computers A custom built Computer has the following advantages: 1. the customer can choose the particular components that meet his needs, 2. moreover they can support demanding applications like Photoshop, AutoCAD, games and server applications. The problem is that usually they are more expensive than a preassembled device and you have to wait a little for the assembly to complete. You can also buy the individual parts and component of a PC and build it. Whatever you decide to do you must make sure that the final product meets your needs. Some of the components to consider when buying a PC include: the motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard disk, graphics card, as well as the case and power supply.

Manolis Skoras is a Cisco, Microsoft and HP Certified Trainer and systems-network engineer. Recently he created a site about IT Certifications to help his students and people around the world to better understand the material they will be tested on, thus having greater success rates. Check Certify4Sure today!

Find the Best Photocopier for Your Business Needs

Photocopiers are a necessary piece of office equipment for any business. No matter what you do there always comes a time when you need to copy something. Finding the best photocopier for your business is very important as you don't want to have to replace the machine once you realise that you need more. Monochrome and colour photocopiers The first thing you should look at is whether or not you need a colour photocopier. There are many companies who only have a monochrome copier and are happy with this. This is not an option for people who need to copy things in colour. Most people feel it is best to simply get a colour copier even if they do not often use the colour feature. While monochrome copiers are not able to do colour, colour copiers can be set to monochrome so you do not use the colour cartridges. The capacity of the copier The capacity of the copier is very important depending on the amount of work you expect the machine to do. If your company will be using the machine a lot then you should look at high capacity machines. These machines will be able to hold more blank paper so you do not have to add paper as often. They are generally more efficient with their cartridge use as well. How many pages per minute do you need? The number of pages the copier can process in a minute should be looked at. In general the more pages per minute the copier can process the better. The one problem is that machines that process faster are often more expensive. It is best to get a ball park figure of what you would like your copier to be capable of before you go and buy one. Incorporating printing and copying Printing and copying are two functions that can easily be combined. In fact there are many machines that do incorporate both of these along with faxing and scanning. These multi-function devices are actually the piece of equipment that most businesses purchase. The reason for this is the fact that they will only pay for one device and not have to pay for replacement parts for more than one device at any time. Check the support you will get When you buy a photocopier for your business you will want to make sure you have a warranty as well as support. Most manufacturers will offer this but you have to read the fine print. The length of the support and warranty needs to be looked at as well as what they will help you with. Will they send a technician out if the copier stops working? Will they only offer you basic help guides? Can you call them at any time? These are all things that you need to know about when it comes to support. Finding the best photocopier for your business is very important. If you do not have a copier that covers all your business needs you will find yourself spending more money then you need to.

This article was submitted by Simona Rusnakova, SEO consultant of 3R, on behalf of Office Technology who sell photocopiers, office printers, it support and office furniture in Dublin, Ireland.

Revamp Of Laptop To Ultrabooks

It is speculated that laptops would be furnished with even more power. Everything definably falls into line because the year 2012 has many big shots of technology ready to launch their respective products. How does this benefit the laptops? Well these technological ventures are by none other than Microsoft, Intel and the like, so laptops have much to benefit. Here are some of the major predictions and technologies to look forward for Laptops:- 1. Transition From Laptop To Ultrabooks - The words to be watched here are sleek, uber cool, light as feather and extreme ease of portability. Some of the Ultrabook already in market include Acer Aspire S3, Asus Zenbook UX31E, Lenovo IdeaPad U300s and Toshiba Portege Z835. Other makes and brands are being hoped to be out in 2012, itself. For laptop to be tagged as Ultrabook some enhanced feature are needed. This includes 21mm (0.83 inch) of thickness, approx 7 seconds of resume time from hibernation to keyboard input, a maximum of 5 hours of battery life and most importantly some extra BIOS security features by Intel. 2. Incredible Touch To Graphics - Sandy Bridge was coded for Intel's second-generation Core i5 and i7 CPU's used in the Laptops. It will be succeeded by Ivy Bridge which comes with a slight twitch of 32nm manufacturing process to Intel's new 22nm tri-gate process. Ivy Bridge supports speed which is the biggest demand of the time. It also utilizes less power, is quick with processes, enhances video accelerations and supports Microsoft's DirectX 11. 3. Longer Battery Backup -Sandy Bridge being replaced by Ivy Bridge ushers in longer battery life. Ivy Bridge utilizes advance processes which makes economical. Doubling its speed, using less resources, optimizing performance and at the same time using very less battery, automatically translates in increased battery life. 4. AMD's Fusion processor - It is being known widely by the name of Trinity. Modifying the Bulldozer architecture and inculcating a integrated graphics power through. Trinity deems to be a big launch for AMD. 5. Launch Of Windows 8 - Poised as one of the biggest technological event of the year and big hit among users, Windows OS is getting a big revamp with the new Window 8. Fresh in its look the Window 8 could see many innovations. Anticipated ones include revamp for Task Manager, USB 3.0 format support, "Windows To Go", customizable Taskbar, new Windows Explorer and track mouse movements with gesture-based passwords are some of the likely changes. All in all the year 2012 promises to be a year of "great new". But if you require a safe and reliable http://service.ztronics.com/.

The author has interest on Laptop Repair related products. He has a factory of all computer hardware related products. He likes to write on laptop repair and notebook repair. His latest achievement is on HP Laptop Screen Repair related work which is almost in a way of completion.

What Is It Inside My Computer?

A motherboard is a big circuit board that we use to connect the microelectronics needed for a computer system. Motherboards have connectors which permit main system components like the CPU and RAM to attach to the board. So the CPU, ram and all the other peripherals are using the motherboard in order to communicate and transfer data. We can also attach to the motherboard network, video and sound cards. Nevertheless, several modern motherboards support these features with integrated components. Central Processing Unit (CPU) The Central Processing Unit or CPU is the brain of the computer system. It is the module that processes all of the information within the computer. The kind of processor should be the first decision made when buying or upgrading a personal computer. Very important when selecting a new processor is the CPU's MHz or GHz speed and the bus speed. Higher MHz or GHz means better performance. Hi-tech CPU's need more power and create more heat than other slower models. Therefore, laptop computers, usually use CPU's that are slower and need less power in order to increase the time they can work using batteries. Before buying a new processor, remember that applications continue to evolve. Selecting a CPU of low speed may satisfy today's requirements but upcoming applications will be more complicated and if the processor is not fast enough, the overall user experience will not be acceptable. The processor is placed through a socket on the motherboard and is always the largest module on the motherboard. Random access memory or RAM is a type of data storage. It is used in computers to store programs and information while being processed by the central processor. All computer programs run from random access memory. The amount of RAM is the second most essential factor in computer performance. All the applications require memory to work properly. The more applications that need to run at the same time, the more RAM required. The amount and type of RAM that can be used on a computer system is depended by the motherboard. Controller cards When we close the power any data stored in RAM is lost. Applications and user data must be stored in a medium that will not lose them when the power is removed. Magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, flash drives and magnetic storage devices preserve data even without any power. Magnetic storage devices are the most common form found in computers. These devices store information in the form of magnetic fields. They include: Hard disk drives, floppy drives and tape drives.

Manolis Skoras is a Cisco, Microsoft and HP Certified Trainer and systems-network engineer. Recently he created a site about IT Certifications to help his students and people around the world to better understand the material they will be tested on, thus having greater success rates. Check Certify4Sure today!

Attractive Wallpapers For Your Computer

Computer wallpapers Whenever you open the computer, wallpapers are the first thing that you will see. In a single day you will see the wall paper many times. Having unique and refreshing wall paper can change your mood. You can choose the wallpaper for your computer according to your profession, passion and interest. There are hundreds of free wallpapers available online. One can download these wallpapers and can use them in their computers. You can get the pictures displayed at random on your screen or can select a single one. If you have installed graphic editing tool in your computer, you can create your own background images. Creating wallpaper is not a big task if you download the editing tools from different websites. You can even add special effects to the wallpaper created by you. Nature photographs Nature photographs are an attractive option for imagery. If you are a nature lover you will want to install this type of wallpaper on your computer. The nature photographs will give a soothing effect to the person looking at it. You can install self- clicked nature photographs as wallpaper. You can also share the wallpaper with like minded persons. There is no shortage of websites providing nature photographs as wallpapers. Animal wallpapers also come under nature wallpapers. You can get the beautiful pictures of wildlife from different parts of the world. Pictures of flowers, birds and wild animals add freshness to the person seeing it. The pictures of streams and ice-covered mountains are also a good choice as nature wallpapers. People who love adventure can have the pictures of wildness to decorate the screen. You can change that wallpapers when you get bored of one picture. Anime Wallpaper The latest trend in computer wallpapers are the anime style themes. You can have the pictures of your favorite cartoon or animated characters as your computer wallpaper. These characters are usually portrayed with the special outfits and the weapons. If you are person loving anime cartoons, then you can consider this option. Many young and old people like watching anime cartoons and such people will love to have animated wallpapers in their room or on their computer screens. Every day hundreds of anime wall papers are getting downloaded from different sites to be used as wallpapers. This shows the popularity of this type of wallpaper. Children will especially like anime wallpapers. Characters from anime series and anime movies are used for this purpose. Comic characters are also in great demand. Most of the anime computer images have the characters in two dimensional or three dimensional appearances. This makes the anime wallpapers look as if the characters are alive on your computer screen. So, with so many options for computer wallpapers you can install new wallpapers whenever you want to enjoy the beautiful nature scenes, animal photos and anime wallpapers. Get the best wallpapers downloaded from the free to download websites and bring a piece of nature or your favorite cartoon character to your desktop.

Be sure to check out these computer wallpapers or animal wallpapers.

Training Support Services for Optimal Course Design

In corporate training every learning programme has varying goals, objectives, strategies, budgets and audiences and therefore training preparation and delivery is critical. Conducting a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is vital to developing, designing and delivering a course to meet your specific needs. While instructional design and learning theory is important for training course development, experience usually adds a key factor to develop best practice. A specialised blend of training expertise and learning technology is required to provide the most cost effective support service. The good news is that you are not alone and expert Training Support Services can be engaged to assist you in developing a training solution that will be most appropriate for your environment. Using these services can prevent you from designing courses that are seemingly wonderful but nobody takes them or has fascinating content that teaches your audience nothing new or relevant. The underlying business goal in all training courses is to increase revenue and /or reduce costs. The greater the expected revenue the more budget can be set aside to fund the learning programme development. Well-developed training programmes can assist organisations with productivity, job satisfaction, retention rates, error rates and customer satisfaction. Measuring the impact and effectiveness of a training programme is critical and metrics should be decided on when a course is designed so that they can be gauged before, after and for an extended period after the training has taken place. Participant feedback is also an integral part of the process as 'softer' elements such as cultural dynamics, values and best-fit for an organisation can be elicited from their responses. When designing training programmes for adult learners an important point to consider during planning is that they come with a wide range of experiences, knowledge, interests, skills and competencies and this diversity must be accommodated. Adults prefer courses with 'real-world' applications where the training relates to their daily activities and teaches them relevant skills to develop in their environments. Knowledge transfer must be facilitated in the training process and learner interaction and coaching as well as other follow-up support processes is important for sustained learning. Experts providing training support services can provide recommendations on Computer Based Training (CBT) packages that are proven to reduce classroom training time or analyse existing instructor-led courses and deconstruct them and combine them with other e-learning and multimedia technologies to provide blended learning solutions for improved learning and optimal impact.

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