Business Tools ⯀  

Faster processes means lower costs, which ultimately means fatter profit margins. While the logic is sound, the delicate part is figuring out where exactly to start since you don't want to be changing processes that are already working. IT is an area of your business that can always use some improvement.

Computers ⯀  

The remarkable exponential progress of computer technology has gone on for over a century now, with the promise of artificial intelligence that uses quantum computers with access to big data soon upon us. Nobody can predict exactly what will happen, but the future is sure to be exciting.

In the Beginning

When modern computers were first created, they used vacuum tubes to perform computations. The UNIVAC I weighed sixteen tons and took up over 350 square foot of space. Many scientists theorized that future computers would be the size of buildings.

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Obviously that didn’t happen, but only because a few mechanical geniuses invented the transistor. With transistors, computers thousands of times more powerful than a UNIVAC could fit into a space the size of a postage stamp.

Engineers have been making transistors smaller as time has passed, which has made computers cheaper and more powerful. In 1965 Gordon Moore predicted manufacturers would be able to double the amount of transistors in an integrated circuit every two years or so.

For decades this law held up, but transistors can only get so small before quantum tunneling prevents them from working properly. According to some experts, we’ll hit this barrier somewhere around the year 2026.

Looking to the Future

Many researchers don’t think computational power will end with transistors. The next step on the road to more powerful computers involves using limitations as a tool. That same electron quantum tunneling which is catastrophic to transistors is instrumental for quantum computers.

Quantum computers are still hard to work with, but research is promising. Google claims D-Wave's 2X quantum annealer is already over a hundred million times faster than traditional processors when performing some actions.They won’t necessarily ever be able to do everything faster than traditional transistor-based computers, but the fields they’re superior at have powerful implications for manipulation of big data the computer industry as a whole.

The Goal

Modern computers are able to handle an awful lot of data, but according to Cisco, people around the world produce over 4.4 exabytes of data per month. That’s 1,700,000,000,000 bytes every single second. No modern computer can process anywhere near that amount of information, but quantum computers might be able to some day. They might be able to sift through that massive amount of data and spot patterns or irregularities that we’d never be able to find with modern processors.

Nobody really knows how long this could take. It will require more research and changes in computer architecture. Since there are few quantum computers around, the number of people who can truly test the limits of quantum computing are limited. IBM is experimenting with letting people utilize quantum computers via the internet, but this doesn’t give quantum computers access to the vast amounts of information that would be required to to see if they could effectively analyze big data.

There are many resources for streaming information on the internet already. Apache Kafka, for instance, is an open source platform for distributed streaming. Netflix, Spotify, Uber and many more companies already use it to monitor and deliver their streaming information.

If it or another distributed streaming platform could be adapted to handle quantum computer architecture, it could in theory be used to give programs access to vast amounts of data so that researchers could experiment, improve, and find out what quantum computers are really capable of.

Artificial intelligence is already all over the place, whether people realize it or not. IBM's Watson has already beaten the world's greatest chess grand master. Amazon Echo's Alexa can interpret many things its owner says and give useful advice. Google Maps can guide someone through a town, choosing the best route and rerouting on the fly.

Of course, these forms of AI are limited and nothing like what most people might imagine when they think of artificial intelligence. But quantum computing just might help researchers reach the next level of artificial intelligence. Nobody can predict exactly what will happen, but the future of AI research using quantum computers with access to big data looks bright.

By  Mark Palmer	Embed
Author Bio - Mark Palmer is a small business expert and has a passion for helping entrepreneurs make the most out of their company. As a freelance writer, Mark hopes to influence others so they can have a positive business experience.

Cyber Security ⯀  

If you do not take precautions against an unwanted attack on your personal computer, it is not a question of if it will happen but when. Computer viral infections often do not have any symptoms. They can operate in the background, watching and waiting. The malicious code may only interested in replicating itself on other machines, or it may steal banking and other personal information and then report back to thieves halfway around the world. 

There are all kinds of computer infections that can be anything from annoying ads to ransomware that denies access to your computer until you pay a ransom. All of it can be avoided by taking a multilayered approach to protect you system.

Stop Clicking on Unknown Links

The typical virus infection scenario starts with an email from a friend telling you to click on a link. You do not know where the link leads, but you trust your friend. The problem is that your friend's computer is infected with a virus that sends out infected links using their email and address book. If you click on the link, your computer gets infected, and you will not even know it unless you have antivirus protection running. Be sure of any URL and its destination before clicking on it. Thieves thrive on link names that look legitimate but are not.

Add a Backup Malware Detection App

The best antivirus software may let some unwanted code slip through. Most antivirus programs offer protection from tracking cookies and adware. However, some potentially unwanted programs (PUPS) may slip through. Malware (malicious software) detection can catch things a purely antivirus program may miss. You do not have to let it run constantly, but you should do a complete scan about once a week.

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Turn on the Link Scanner

You probably Google something on your computer several times each day. However, you should not inherently trust the links that Google or any other search provider serves us as results. Any of them can be infected with viruses or malware. Your antivirus software should offer a browser helper or plugin that will warn you of potentially harmful links for search results as well as links on websites you visit. Reviews sites, like Top 10 Jungle, have information on complete antivirus software suites that include link scanners and other options.

Limit Who Uses Your Computer

You can control what you click on as well as what permissions you allow with your computer. Letting anyone else use your computer is a risk as they may not be as savvy or diligent about protecting computers from viruses, malware and adware as you are. If you do any financial transactions on your computer from banking to making online purchases, you should not let others use it. A quick lookup of something on a search engine could lead to an infection that causes anything from theft of information to data loss.

Your digital life is contained on your computer. You should take steps to protect it like you would protect cash, a journal of your personal secrets and pictures you would prefer not be made public. If you have any information at all on your personal computer that you would not want compromised in any way, then protect it with multiple layers of security.

By  Hannah Whittenly	Embed
Author Bio - Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, California.

Computers ⯀  

The technology industry is simply marvelous. A mere 71 years ago, the first patented computer was created. Now, we do everything on the internet. Our lives, our world, is driven by computers.

One would be hard pressed to go a day without interacting with a computer of some sort. Getting into the world of Information Technology is simple, and it is one of the best and most requested job markets available.

Everything is now moving toward technology

It is used everywhere, from hospitals, to the phone in your pocket. This increase in demand grants the Computer and Information Systems industry one of the biggest projected growths, at 18 percent, by 2020. While many technological endeavors used to require on site work, many are now able to be completed remotely. Whether working with hardware or software, IT (Information Technology) professionals are heavily sought after. There are always jobs in IT and today this has never been truer. The number one concern among IT companies is not finding enough IT professionals. With a demand for IT professionals so high, the job has never been more reasonable to enter.

A job in Information Technology, as one may imagine, is copious amounts of problem solving. The skills needed are vast; however, technology itself has made this easier to learn now than ever. Online degree programs offer a simple and concise way to learn such skills. Again, with technology growing, this has never been easier. Some jobs include Computer Support Specialist, Computer Repair Technician, Systems Administrator, Computer Programmer, Information Security Analyst, Database Administrator, and Help Desk Specialist.

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The scope of the work is ever changing

A company might have clients that are across the country or even outside of the nation! With everyone moving to the cloud, it extends the working range of companies to all around the world. The constant change also keeps the job interesting and exciting. The work that you do today may be different from the work you do next year or five years down the road. It provides one of the most interesting, if not the most interesting, job experience ever.

Is it right for me? Will I fit in?

These are the questions that many people ask when they first consider a job in IT, and the answer is, yes. Gone are the days where IT is full of people with pocket protectors and glasses. Many people fit in with IT currently. There are so many niches for the area in the IT world with Telecommunications, Virtualization, Hardware, and Networking to name just a few of the possible choices.

Are you not entirely tech savvy? Why not consider a job being a Help Desk Specialist? Do you not like code but would love to learn the inner working of a computer and networking systems? Why not work with hardware? Do you like helping people with your excellent communication skills? Why not work as a Computer Support Specialist? There is nearly anything for anyone in the tech world. What is holding you back from taking that step into the world of Information Technology?

With such a growing market who would not want a job in Information Technology? Hardware and software alike, this job is great for those who love hands on experience and love always learning. Now that everything revolves around technology, the work is tremendously imperative. One day a professional may be working on hospital equipment and managing a server for a business the next. No matter the personal taste, I believe everyone could fit in the world of Information Technology, so why wait? Getting started with online degree programs is easy and fast. Why not start today?

By Harper Harmon

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Author Bio - Harper Harmon believes that science and technology are the path to the future. She lives to help those who seek to pursue that growth by providing them with quality content to give them tools and inspiration.

Cyber Security  

It’s a scary fact that thousands of cases of identity theft happen every year. And a lot are now happening through our tech. After all, we are keeping more important information on our computers and laptops. But if this is seen by the wrong people, your personal info could end up being put in jeopardy. However, there are some ways you can avoid identity theft. In fact, here are some ways you can keep your identity safe on your computer.

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Limit information out there online

It’s so easy to put a wealth of information online nowadays. After all, we have social media accounts and websites which give a ton of information out about our lives. And if you have an online business, you could also have information through this on the net. But you need to be so careful about what you are sharing online. After all, if a thief managed to get hold of your name, address, and date of birth, they could soon start accessing things in your name. In fact, they might even be able to make a fake ID for you! Therefore, limit the information you supply online. If you have a business, you might want to use an online address instead. After all, you can then avoid putting your address out there on show on the net. And remember if you are setting up accounts online where you put personal details, ensure it’s a trustworthy site. After all, you don’t want your information to end up being passed on to the wrong people!

Always dispose of important documents properly

It’s likely that you will have plenty of important documents on your computer. After all, it’s so handy to keep them on your computer nowadays rather than printing out hard copies. But when it’s time to sell your computer, you need to make sure these are moved over properly before the hard drive is destroyed properly. After all, you don’t want important documents to end up being viewed by complete strangers. Otherwise, there’s a high chance your identity could be at risk of being stolen. Therefore, move all your documents off via a stick or external hard drive. And then you can use some form of hdd degausser which will erase the drive completely. That way, there is no way your important documents could end up being stolen by a stranger!

Use an anti-spyware software

You might be surprised to find out how easy it is to end up with a virus or malware on your computer. After all, you can just click on some spam which you are sent via email or even on a website you are visiting, and then your computer can become infected. And if you have spyware on your computer, it’s easy for it to contain viruses and other malware which could end up causing your information to be at risk. Therefore, you should go for an anti-spyware software which will inform you if it’s on your computer. And will tell you when to delete it if it poses a risk. That way, you can keep your identity safe while on your computer!

And remember to opt for strong passwords to stop cyber criminals from accessing your details via programs and websites!

By  33rd Square	Embed

Cloud Computing  

The rumor that cloud computing is less secure—or even insecure—is a somewhat pervasive one. And yet cloud computing is not only secure, but is even more secure than the olden-days standard IT systems.

Here are four reasons why cloud computing is more secure than ever - and why it might be a good option for you or your company.

The Risk of Attack is Lower

Whether you're using at more traditional system or a cloud, the basic tasks of securing your data are still the same - controlling access to data, promptly dealing with any breaches in security, and conducting vulnerability testing to minimize risk. However, cloud data stores are attacked less often than on-premises IT systems - and those attacks are successful less frequently.


AVG, experts in virus and Trojan horse identification and elimination, has launched its own cloud computing service, and pioneered data disaster recovery and sign-on security within the cloud computing industry.

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Cloud Data Stores Are Managed By Experts

Data clouds are managed by teams of cybersecurity experts—very often those who have earned master's in computer science online or a master’s in cybersecurity. While most companies will have highly qualified IT teams, those IT team members will have many other tasks to dedicate their skills to - not exclusively to the security of the data servers. The IT workers who manage cloud data dedicate all of their time to monitoring data servers, promptly addressing any threats or breaches, and routinely and thoroughly auditing the cloud servers. CipherCloud has been a pioneer in the area of monitoring and tokenization of cloud data, and also specializes in data loss prevention—essential to any company.

Controlled Access

By moving your data into the cloud, it minimizes the number of people who can physically interact with the servers on which your data is stored. Only those who manage your cloud are able to physically interact with the data servers—and thus the risk to your data is further minimized.

Greater Automation Reduces Risk

Cloud systems are built from the ground up, and are designed to perform a very limited number of tasks. In-house traditional systems must often perform many more, which makes the servers more difficult to control. Limiting the number of tasks assists with security due to greater standardization of computing, and essentially stacking this automation when a new system is introduced.

For all these reasons and more, cloud computing is more secure than ever - and in the digital age, the security of any company's data is more critically important than ever. Cloud computing, even as it continues to develop, may well represent both the present and the future of cybersecurity.

By  Kara Masterson

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Computers  

At some juncture you’re bound to notice that your Mac is no longer as fast as it used to be. Initially it may just feel a little bit less ‘zippy’ and apps may take a half-second longer to load than they used to. However if nothing is done that delay is going to get worse, until it begins to act much more sluggishly.

Although it is ‘normal’ for a Mac to slow down, it is important to note that doesn’t mean that there is nothing that you can do about it. Assuming you want to increase the speed of your Mac, there are several steps that you should take.

Clean Up the Hard Drive

The main culprit behind Mac’s slowing down is often because it has too much ‘junk’ on its hard drive. As such if you want to know how to speed up a Mac, your first port of call should be Movavi Mac Cleaner as it will scan your hard drive and locate any junk files as soon as you launch it. Once the scan is done, you can remove all the junk that it found with a single click.

On top of that Movavi Mac Cleaner will also give you countless other ways to clean up unnecessary files from your hard drive. With its ‘Uninstaller’ you can cleanly remove any apps you no longer need, and its other features will let you find and remove duplicate files, unnecessary language packs, large hidden files, and much more.

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Optimize the Mac’s Performance

Assuming you have cleaned up your hard drive and want to do even more to boost the speed of your Mac, there are several ways that you can optimize its performance such as:

Removing unnecessary startup items

When your Mac starts up it often loads certain apps automatically. While that can be convenient it will also slow down your Mac so you should remove any unnecessary startup items. In Movavi Mac Cleaner you can do this easily by going to ‘Startup Optimization’ then selecting ‘Login Items’ and disabling any apps you don’t need.

Clearing your desktop

Clutter on your desktop can slow down your Mac, as can having too many items on your dock. Try removing anything you don’t need and leaving both as clear as possible.

Updating OS X

Every edition of OS X has several fixes and performance updates, so keep it as current as possible. If you want you can set it to automatically update your Mac, so that you don’t have to do so manually.
By following these steps you should notice a big improvement in your Mac’s speed. As you can see Movavi Mac Cleaner will make it much easier for you to speed up your Mac, and if you clean your hard drive with it you should immediately notice the difference.

By  33rd Square

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Computers  

One of the most transformative inventions of the past 75 years has been the microchip that makes modern computers possible.

To appreciate what an influence the microchip has had in our lives, consider the first generation of computers in the 1940s and 1950s. Early computers literally weighed tons, used thousands of vacuum tubes, consumed thousands of watts of electricity, and yet had less memory and computing power than home PCs of the mid-1980s.


What happened? Integrated circuits (ICs) were invented.

Chips and Transistors

Computer chips began as transistors, invented by Bell Labs in 1948. These were essentially electrical switches set in semi-conducting materials like silicon and germanium. They could amplify and direct current along different pathways as needed. The idea of miniaturizing the components and creating more complex (integrated) circuits appeared around 1952, but the first ICs were produced by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments in 1958. This was the first microchip. The race for smaller and more powerful chips was on.

Chips Transforming Lifestyles

As one example, think of the automobile. The muscle cars that came of age in the 1960s were gas-guzzlers that might not get 10 mpg. This was followed by international oil shortages and growing concern for the environment. That led to electronic emissions systems controlled by microchips. They worked so well that they were incorporated into fuel injection systems and then a surprising variety of electronic features. Today's Ford Mustang is a very different car from the 1964 original.

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Microchips Today

Today, a good microchip can have 25 million transistors per square millimeter. They are in almost everything, from coffee makers to televisions. And they have continued improving efficiency in almost every industry. Consider screen printing, the classic means of creating multiple image impressions by forcing special inks through partially blocked screens. Today, high-tech graphics companies like Schilling Graphics serving the screen print trade can create computer-to-screen (CTS) images much faster and more accurately then traditional screen prep. One common product - circuit boards.

The Computers of Tomorrow

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of smart devices expected to grow into the billions within the next few years. Even our pets are getting microchipped. And tomorrow's microchip? Scientists are already working on quantum computing and neural networks. Quantum circuits will use sub-atomic particles capable of multiple states, while neural networks will mimic the human brain. That means infinitely smaller and more powerful chips that will transform our world even further.

By  Anica Oaks

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Anica is a professional content and copywriter who graduated from the University of San Francisco. She loves dogs, the ocean, and anything outdoor-related. She was raised in a big family, so she's used to putting things to a vote. Also, cartwheels are her specialty. You can connect with Anica here. Anica writes on behalf of the University of Florida, with degree programs such as a bachelor of science in biology that advance the development of biofuels and other conservation directives.

Computers  

Improving technology and competitive industry are leading to innovations and solutions that were science fiction a decade ago. You have no way of knowing what will catch on and what won't

Here are some evolving Internet and computer technologies which are either proven successes or big promises.

Hybrid Clouds

Rather than standard cloud services, more businesses are opting for a hybrid solution. These are environments featuring on-site and privatized cloud solutions as well as 3rd-party public services. This compensates for doubts regarding speed and security. Private cloud use has jumped to 77% of business cloud solutions.

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Quantum Computing

This involves processors engineered according to quantum mechanics, or the various possible states of subatomic particles. This makes them many times more powerful than "traditional" binary 1s and 0s. Though the technology hasn't come of age yet, computer labs around the world are perfecting basic models. Though still quite limited, scientists at the University of Maryland have created the first programmable quantum computer.

Managed Services

One popular solution is for businesses to contract with an IT services provider. These are tech companies with the expertise to integrate with your systems to provide support and monitoring around the clock, as well as analyze, design, implement, or upgrade hardware and software systems. Some companies, like Bedrock IT, have managed services in Ottawa for server support. The benefit is that using 3rd party hardware, software, and expertise can save companies money.

Big Data

The standard business intelligence solutions now seem terribly outdated. Companies are capturing huge amounts of data from business transactions, online sources, and ubiquitous mobile devices. Efficient and accurate analysis provides a competitive edge in finding marketing trends and predictive patterns. It's gotten so important that big business is funding research into futuristic software and computing solutions to cope.

Machine Learning

The Internet of Things is a new generation of gadgets that can communicate via Wi-Fi. As more of our possessions are able to collect, transmit, and analyze data, they will revolutionize commerce. But smart software has bigger implications. AI software is already being developed to predict and sniff out malware, or empower devices that can operate faster and more consistently than any human. You may not recognize them, but the robots are here.Businesses are faced with the very real possibility that solutions costing thousands of dollars will be obsolete in five years. Or, you can sit back and let the experts figure it all out first, before you commit to something like a washing machine that's smarter than you are.

By Rachelle Wilber

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Technology  

Microchips are involved in almost every aspect of life since they are present in basically all electronic devices, which have grown to such a massive prevalence that it's impossible to get away from them.

Microchips are everywhere, but how do they work? How can they be so small? The answers are quite amazing, and there's much more to learn about these fascinating little components. Here are four facts about microchips that you probably didn't know.

1. Transistors Run Things

The heart of a microchip is the transistor, or the transistors, more appropriately. There are literally hundreds of millions of transistors on each individual microchip, and the connections between those chips allow for high level calculations at a fast, efficient pace. Intel makes so many transistors that it can't accurately say how many it sells in a year, but they estimate the number to be 10 quintillion. That's a 10 with 18 zeroes after it, and that's just the production rate of a single company.

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2. Abundant Material

Modern microchips are printed on silicon chips, which is where the 'chip' half of microchip comes from. This is not only convenient for the chip-making process itself, which companies like Streamline Circuits handle with ease thanks to the semiconducting nature of silicon, but it is also ideal for production costs. Silicon is the second most abundant element on the planet, second only to oxygen.

3. Small & Fast

The newest age of transistors are built on the nanoscale, and they function at an exponentially faster rate for their smaller size. It has been estimated that as many as 30 million of these nanotransistors could fit on the head of a standard ink pen. With the extreme size difference between nanotransistors and human neurons, Intel believes they will be able to produce a single microchip with the same number of transistors as there are neurons in the brain by the year 2026.

4. Moore's Law

This isn't actually a scientific law, but rather a sort of prophecy regarding the rate at which technology would improve once the transistor-based computer took over. Moore's Law basically says that the amount of transistors on a chip will double every two years. So far, that law has held for over 26 years.Microchips are only going to continue playing a huge part in society as the years progress. Chips will get smaller, and faster, and more energy efficient, and soon they will be able to do things we can't even imagine today!

By Dixie Somers

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Author Bio - Dixie is a freelance writer who loves to write about business, finance and self improvement. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three beautiful daughters.

Cloud Computing  

In the past, people would run applications or programs from software downloaded on a physical computer or server in their building. Now, cloud computing allows people access to the same kinds of applications through the Internet.

While it's always nice to hear the hype, appreciating the cloud requires figuring out what it's doing for you now. Below are five tasks that the cloud has made easier - and that you've probably taken for granted.

Data Backup

Backing up your data to the cloud can be as easy as pressing a button. With a number of major companies like Google providing some level of free cloud storage, you can put all of your valuable information in multiple locations. You no longer need any kind of physical media to keep your data safe. There are also companies like Bask that can back up your files and encrypt them so that only you have permission to access them.

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Group Projects

If you're working with a group, you need to work with the cloud. Google's suite of document applications can allow you to set up a group and work on documents with one another in real time. It doesn't take much to get a document started, and edits can be discussed by the group as people work. This wonderful application of the cloud works both in real time and asynchronously, negating the need for putting together project meetings.

Scheduling

Keeping to a schedule used to be a matter of carrying around an appointment book. Thanks to the cloud, all you need to do is to update your online calendar one time in order to have an always-available to-do list. You can set up alerts at work, peruse them on the train home, and make edits while you're making dinner, all without having physical access to the original file.

Document Management

Thanks to applications like Google Docs, you can now manage and edit documents digitally in real time. You no longer need to send files back and forth via e-mail or (even worse) transfer physical documents through the mail. Set up a document, give the right people the permission to edit the file, and watch as everything is done in real time. Keeping track of your document changes is as easy as looking at a menu, figuring out who has made what edit is as easy as looking at change logs, and it can all be done from anywhere—work, home, or even on the go on your smartphone.

Remote Site Work

Telecommuting has never been easier, thanks to the cloud. The simple ability to access your work in full from any location has revolutionized the way that people work from remote sites. While using remote desktop apps has allowed employees to access data at work for years, the ability to access your real files from across the world has made it easier than ever to get work done on-site and away from the office.

By Dixie Somers

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Author Bio - Dixie is a freelance writer who loves to write about business, finance and self improvement. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three beautiful daughters.

Computers  

Learning about computers can be intimidating for some people. Nowadays, being computer literate is a must for your career, your social life and your business.

Today, computers and the internet are two of the most important things in regards to business, the job market and human civilization overall. Without them, no industry would function as it currently does. Still, some people have been left behind by this influx of innovation and may feel stranded from everyone else who does understand computers. Below are a few ways you can teach yourself to be computer literate.

Ask for Help When You Need It

If you have friends or family members that are far more computer literate than you are, don’t be afraid to ask them for help when you get stuck using your computer or smart phone. If you need find out how to hook up your internet, for example, have another person show you how to perform each step and then try to replicate the process on your own. Watching someone else do something is one of the best ways to learn after all.

Take a Course

Taking an actual college course on computer basics is an excellent choice. Computer Science 101, for example, will teach you pretty much everything you need to know including how to create your own website. Many community colleges also have courses designed specifically for adults who want to better master computers to improve their career prospects. Investigate your options.

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IT Infrastructure Needs

Perhaps you run a small business or want to be a business owner. If that is the case, computer networks will likely be very important to your business operations. Learning how to meet your IT infrastructure needs is something you must do if you want to be a successful company. You will, for example, need to learn about the hardware components of IT infrastructure like servers, data centers, hubs, routers, switches, and more and how they work together. Some companies, like Bedrock IT offer Ottawa It services for those that need protection from malware and spam ware. Most people know that this may seem a bit more complicated than learning how to use a PC. It is, but it is doable if your mind is open to learning.

Business Software

Learning about how to use computers for your company will also require understanding software beyond simple Microsoft Word and Excel. You should also learn about different kinds of business software like customer relationship management (CRM) software and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Your competitors are likely taking full advantage of these kinds of applications to transform their customer data, sales information and more into a competitive advantage.

Learning about computers may seem intimidating. However, most people do have the ability to become very computer literate. Being computer literate can help you with your career, your social life and your business.

By Rachelle Wilber

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Computing  

VoCore is open hardware with WIFI, USB, UART, 20+ GPIOs but is only one inch square. It will help developers and enthusiasts make a smart house, study embedded system or even make the tiniest router in the world.

The saying, “Good things come in small packages” is often overused, but the VoCore mini-computer is a product that actually warrants it. The computer measures less than an inch tall and wide, so you can literally hold it in your pocket or the palm of your hand.

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Learn About and Control the Computer

Some operating systems are so locked down that anyone who wants to learn more about how they work is out of luck. However, the VoCore runs on OpenWrt Linux. When purchasing a VoCore, you’ll get details about its source code and hardware design. That insight gives you more possibilities if you’re looking to push the boundaries of technology, and even makes it possible to build your own VoCore if you feel so inclined.

A Crowdsourced Hit

Tech-related projects find varying degrees of success on crowdfunding sites. Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising though, based on what you already know about it, that the VoCore easily surpassed its funding goal. The creators hoped to make at least $6,000 so it’d be possible to produce the VoCore on a larger scale. It was known early on that unless mass production became a reality, the cost of the individual parts for just a few computers would be too high.

Impressively, 2,950 supporters raised over $116,000 in just two months. Clearly, those people quickly recognized the potential of this tiny product.

Explore What’s Possible

So, just what can you do with a VoCore? It can become a wireless router, and that’s just one example. Since the VoCore also has a USB port, you could depend on it while using a hot melt handgun that has a USB connector. You can connect peripheral devices to your VoCode, or use it as a component as a much larger system.

In this project, the VoCare computer is used as an NES emulator.

The computer’s small size is one advantage it has over larger products. At the VoCore website, there’s a collection of user projects that demonstrates how the VoCore and innovation go hand in hand. One creative person even figured out how to use the VoCore build a motion detector that offers an alert whenever someone walks into a room.

A Well-Equipped Bargain

The VoCore has 32 MB of RAM, plus 8 MB worth of flash memory. If desired, you can purchase a dock separately that includes a headphone jack. Since people have reportedly used the VoCore to turn their speakers into wireless accessories, the headphone jack seems like a smart addition.

If you purchase the VoCore alone, it’s $19.99, and buying it with the dock brings the cost to $44.99. You can even buy a camera with a built-in sound recorder that’s made for the VoCore. It doesn’t require drivers, so after waiting about 30 seconds for the VoCore to boot up, you’ll be good to go. Keep in mind, the store reports it may take up to 90 days for the VoCore to arrive at your doorstep depending on your country of residence, so you might need to practice patience after ordering this petite but powerful product.

Share Knowledge and Learn From Others

The open-source nature of the VoCore makes it simple for tech enthusiasts to understand more about what they’ve purchased. However, there’s also a forum where people can post details about how they’ve used the VoCore, and get help with troubleshooting. If you like to not only learn about technology but grow your perspective with what others already know, the VoCore forum may become your new favorite online hangout.

Due to the VoCore’s low cost, you could plan to purchase one and see if it’s as helpful as expected for your next tech project. If it meets or exceeds expectations, or you find you need more than one, you won’t be out much money by making another purchase.

By Kayla Matthews

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Author Bio - Kayla Matthews is a technology journalist and blogger, as well as editor of ProductivityBytes.com. Follow Kayla on Facebook and Twitter to read all of her latest posts.

Artificial Intelligence  

With artificial intelligence sweeping across the technology landscape, NVIDIA unveiled today at its annual GPU Technology Conference a series of new products and technologies focused on deep learning, virtual reality and self-driving cars.

NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has shown off new GPUs and AI platforms for developers at the company's GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California that kicked off today. The new products and technologies focused on deep learning, virtual reality and self-driving cars.

NVIDIA developed its new VR rendering tool, called Iray VR, to work with consumer devices like Google Cardboard. Iray VR capabilities will allow users to create environments appear on a headset as photorealistic virtual environments. Virtual reality users will be able to look around the inside of a virtual car, a modern loft, or the interior of our still unfinished Silicon Valley campus with uncanny accuracy.

“It’s utterly beautiful,” said Huang during the conference keynote address, as he showed attendees still-to-be constructed interiors of the campus. “Iray VR is going to be unbelievable for people designing cars, for people architecting buildings and many other areas.”

There are two versions of Iray VR, one for desktops and data centers, and a version called Iray VR Lite that can run on a wide range of platforms, from full-scale VR headsets to the free Google Cardboard.

"Not too many people have supercomputers," Huang said. "We want people to enjoy VR irrespective of the computing platform they have."

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Huang also unveiled the world’s first deep-learning supercomputer in a box — a single integrated system with the computing throughput of 250 servers. The NVIDIA DGX-1, with 170 teraflops of half precision performance, can speed up training times by over 12 times faster than the not-too-old Maxwell CPUs rolled out last year.

NVIDIA designed the DGX-1 for a new computing model to power the AI revolution that is sweeping across science, enterprises and increasingly all aspects of daily life. Powerful deep neural networks are driving a new kind of software created with massive amounts of data, which require considerably higher levels of computational performance.

"The DGX-1 is easy to deploy and was created for one purpose: to unlock the powers of superhuman capabilities and apply them to problems that were once unsolvable."

"Artificial intelligence is the most far-reaching technological advancement in our lifetime," said Huang. "It changes every industry, every company, everything. It will open up markets to benefit everyone. Data scientists and AI researchers today spend far too much time on home-brewed high performance computing solutions. The DGX-1 is easy to deploy and was created for one purpose: to unlock the powers of superhuman capabilities and apply them to problems that were once unsolvable."

The NVIDIA DGX-1 deep learning system is built on NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPUs, based on the new NVIDIA Pascal GPU architecture. It provides the throughput of 250 CPU-based servers, networking, cables and racks -- all in a single box.

The DGX-1 features four other breakthrough technologies that maximize performance and ease of use. These include the high-speed interconnect for maximum application scalability; 16nm FinFET fabrication technology for unprecedented energy efficiency; Chip on Wafer on Substrate with HBM2 for big data workloads; and new half-precision instructions to deliver more than 21 teraflops of peak performance for deep learning.

Leaders in artificial intelligence research are praising NVIDIA's developments.

"NVIDIA GPU is accelerating progress in AI. As neural nets become larger and larger, we not only need faster GPUs with larger and faster memory, but also much faster GPU-to-GPU communication, as well as hardware that can take advantage of reduced-precision arithmetic. This is precisely what Pascal delivers," said Yann LeCun, director of AI Research at Facebook.

Andrew Ng, chief scientist at Baidu, said: "AI computers are like space rockets: The bigger the better. Pascal's throughput and interconnect will make the biggest rocket we've seen yet."

The $129,000 price tag for the DGX-1 may seem like a hefty sum, but considering the stated capabilities, it may be yet another huge accelerator for the development of AI and deep learning systems.

SOURCE  NVIDIA

By 33rd Square

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