Monday, February 27, 2017

Training with Technology inside the Classroom

Teaching a classroom full of energetic kids is often complicated at occasions for even the most experienced teachers. With distinct studying styles and expertise levels it can be extremely very difficult to teach each and every youngster within a classroom. For that reason we want technologies which will enable assist and make the classroom a greater mastering experience. In this post we'll cover somewhat a lot more in regards to the new technologies that could help transform a dull classroom into an thrilling understanding center.

The very first technology that's making understanding much easier is the use of interactive whiteboards within the classroom. For those who have not every noticed an interactive whiteboard it is possible to visualize a whiteboard using the energy of a computer system. With these kinds of whiteboards you can generate lesson plans where students can touch and interact using the lesson. You'll be able to even make the whiteboard lesson accessible for other people today to download.

The next piece of technologies that may aid increase your classroom interaction is the use of student response systems. A student response method can be a piece of technological innovation that makes it possible for teachers to give quizzes to their class and receive instant feedback. Every student is offered just a little clicker that when given a quiz they can select from a set of keys on their clicker to answer every single question. This info is immediately sent to a computer that tallies how every student performed.

When the net can be a scary location with poor web sites it is also an awesome location for enjoyable and informative information and facts. In the classroom you can use the online world to help improve understanding and understanding. One method to support the studying would be to create a digital treasure hunt online. You may have every single student try to obtain relevant facts for the lesson or possibly even a particular date. The first team that finds the information and facts would win. This is just another uncomplicated way that you simply could engage and help students understand.

With technological innovation altering so rapidly it's important we equip our teachers with the very best application and hardware available. This investment in teachers and technologies will help prepare our young children to return the worth a hundred fold.

Friday, February 17, 2017

How To Disable Write Protection from a USB Key

When enabled, write protection is a setting that blocks any sort of modification or deletion of a file on a disc. If you are experiencing an issue when attempting to copy or delete files on a USB flash drive, there is a very simple solution that will allow you to remove this setting, giving you the capability to modify, copy, or delete any files from your USB drive. 


How To Remove Write Protection on a USB


To remove the write protection, simply open your Start menu, and click on Run. Type in regeditand press Enter. This will open the registry editor. 

The next step is to navigate to the following path: 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies


Double-click the WriteProtect key located in the right side pane and set the value to 0. Go to the Data Value box and press OK:

To finish, simply restart your system, and then reconnect your USB pen drive to the computer.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

The Threat to Privacy by GSM Technology

The technology used in mobile phones is increasingly finding its way into eavesdropping devices. The use of bugs based on mobile phone technology (GSM) allows spies to monitor private conversations from anywhere in the world.

 What is GSM?

 GSM (Global System for Mobile) communications is an open, digital cellular technology used for transmitting mobile voice and data services. In very simple terms, GSM technology works by searching GSM networks to find nearby mobile phone masts to transfer voice, data and SMS between mobile phones.

 GSM technology was originally created in 1982 by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), who designed the Groupe Spcial Mobile (GSM) with the aim of creating a pan-European mobile phone technology.

 Thanks to GSM's international roaming capabilities, it is now the most widely used mobile phone technology. According to the GSMA (the GSM Association), terrestrial GSM networks now cover more than 80% of the world's population. That's more than 6 billion people across more than 218 countries.

 The GSM bugging threat

 With the advantages brought by the wide coverage GSM technology offers, comes a growing threat to privacy. The same GSM technology used to service mobile phones is also used in the world of covert surveillance and spying to eavesdrop on private conversations from anywhere in the world.

 This is possible through using GSM audio bugging devices that use specially adapted mobile phone technology to listen in and transmit conversations taking place in one location to another. These devices work in the same way as mobile phones and can be used anywhere you can use a mobile phone.

 Once hidden in the target location, the GSM bug waits silently in standby mode until the eavesdropper calls the SIM card number being used in the device. At this time the call is silently answered and the microphone activated, allowing the caller to listen in to conversations taking place in the nearby vicinity. When the conversation has ended the bug is then switched back to standby (passive) mode. Other more advanced devices have the facility for sound, vibration and motion activation whilst others can be manually or remotely set by SMS commands.

 These bugging devices are small and discreet and are normally concealed within innocent looking items that are frequently found around the home or office. Because they use GSM technology they can even pick up audio whilst on the move, just like mobile phones, so are not limited to static locations. This makes them ideal for picking up conversations in cars, or they can even be slipped inside a pocket or handbag to ensure a target is constantly monitored wherever they are.

 How to spot GSM bugging devices?

 Not only are GSM devices getting smaller and more sophisticated, making them hard to detect, but their signals are often lost amongst legitimate GSM and mobile phone communications. This is a particular problem when being operated in urban areas, which where most eavesdropping targets tend to be located.

 It is for this reason that using professional counter surveillance services is the only practical option for effectively detecting and dealing with these bugs. Counter surveillance specialists have the training, experience and equipment needed to detect, locate and deal with the presence of GSM bugs. In particular, these experts are able to find both active and passive GSM bugs in order to provide a 100% secure environment.

Technology Continues to Shrink

For people in the technology world, bigger does not usually mean better. Instead, smaller packages are the expected results from investment and improvements. Computers and consoles have been subjected to skimming down and now projectors are also being produced on a smaller scale.

 Electronic gadgets are continually advancing and becoming increasingly sophisticated. Whilst LCD TV screens are breaking boundaries with growing sizes and higher resolutions, other elements are shrinking. Flat screen TVs are becoming even slimmer and many other products are also shrinking in size.

 The most notable example of miniaturisation in recent times would probably be in the portable computer market. Thanks to the manufacturer Asus, laptops have been complimented by netbooks. Although these are not yet quite as powerful as standard laptops, netbooks are growing in popularity for their simplicity. They perform their primary functions extremely well, enabling users to surf the web efficiently and use basic word processing software and such. The added portability is a bonus even if the loss of functionality and power is a bit of a turn off. Desktop computers have also been influenced by miniaturisation. Acer has already managed to successfully shrink the PC, packing in as much power into them as their standard equivalents. These min machines also double up as living room media centres too.

 Another example of a product getting smaller can be seen with games consoles. Sony appeared to start this trend by remodelling their original PlayStation design for the re-launch of the PSOne. This continued with subsequent Sony consoles as the hugely successful PlayStation 2 also reappeared in a thinner format towards the end of its lifecycle. Its fair to assume that the PlayStation 3 will also eventually become smaller as development continues to be invested in it. Portable consoles have also been given this treatment, again Sony changing their PSP for a marginally smaller and lighter version. Nintendo have also given their DS console a similar treatment too.

 Projectors are also reducing in size. Optoma has produced a truly outstanding product in the Pico pocket projector. Roughly the size of a modern day mobile phone, this small projector is capable of beaming images from media devices at up to a maximum of 60 inches, roughly 1.5m. The size may seem small in comparison to normal sized projectors, but to be able to render a display of that size is hugely impressive for the size of the projector. The technology involved in making these work is truly incredible. Via a miniature USB connection, you will be able to project images and videos from a mobile phone or video player.

 Storage media also hasnt escaped this progression either. SD cards and Sonys Memory Sticks both now come in much smaller sizes. These were developed almost out of necessity as smaller devices required expandable memory such as mobile phones and cameras. Again, cramming the full size functionality into a much smaller space requires a great deal of time and effort.

 The progress made in technology is amazing in itself. The fact that manufacturers are able to both increase functionality, yet decrease the space in which theyre placed is on another level. In todays society, advancements will continue to be made and it is anticipated that they will also be getting smaller too.

Spy Camera Technology Explored What Is Motion Detection Recording

When security experts are asked what the biggest leap forward in surveillance technology has been in the most recent 10 years many don't talk about resolution or wireless signal transmission.

They mention motion detection recording.

What Is Motion Detection Recording?

You recognize what a spy camera is, it's a device that records events when you are not in the room. Motion detection takes its effectiveness one degree more.

Basically, motion detection spy cameras are those which are activated (i.E. Set into recording mode) only when there is some type of activity or motion within their range. They remain inactive otherwise. When there is some motion, a sensor built within the camera picks up the movement in the surroundings and this triggers the cameras to start recording. Thus, motion detection cameras record only when there is movement within their range, which makes them highly efficient surveillance devices.

Where Is Motion Detection Recording Useful?

Here are some locations motion detection recording can be most useful

*This kind of recording can be a useful appendage to a child's cradle. The motion detector will start recording as soon as the baby stirs or wakes up from sleep. This gives parents peace of mind as they can find out exactly what their infant is up to.

* Motion detection recording is being used in homes right now for nighttime surveillance. These cameras are set up at the front and back doors of the houses to find out if there is any kind of movement.

* Families also use motion detection recording for their homes when they go on vacation. These sensors pick up any movement at any of the entry and exit points of the homes in their absence.

* Shops, offices and other commercial locations find motion detection cameras useful to run a small but efficient security staff. In essence the motion detection camera allows security guards to focus on the locations where something is actually happening.

The best use of motion detection recording spy cameras is during the night or when folks are elsewhere on vacation, i.E. When everything is supposed to be quiet. At such times, even if there is a slight movement, it is picked up by the sensors.

Costs of Motion Detection Cameras

Because motion detection is effectively a new facility in spy cameras you should expect to pay more for them.

These cameras could cost a few hundred dollars, and might go up to US 400, depending on their features and specifications.

Legalities of Using Motion Detection Cameras

The use of motion detection cameras is subject to the same laws that apply to alternative spy cameras.

Privacy issues exist. You need to check out whether it is legal to use a spy camera in your area for the purpose you want. Normally, stores and other commercial places that install motion detection cameras have to put up a board that warns people that the area is under electronic surveillance.

While they are more expensive cameras with motion detection capability offer you great piece of mind.

You know that any strange movement in your abode or office will be recorded even if you are not around. However, when looking for motion detection cameras, remember that there are various features concerned, hence you need to shop around a bit to get the deal you want.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Getting Out and Staying Out of Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt is a major cause of over one million bankruptcies each year.  The reason is that many people get a credit card without researching and reading the fine print.  By the time annual fees are added on, along with spending indiscriminately, payments are missed, which causes their balance to skyrocket.  

Although we all like to place the blame on the credit cards and the credit card companies, you need to keep in mind that the real cause of your financial mess is you.

One shopping spree does not usually cause high debt.  It is usually a pattern that consists of gradually increasing purchases that add up to a large debt.  The great thing is that it can be very easy to get out of debt.  The key is to start spending less than you make.  This is a long-term solution that can help you to whittle your debt down.

Although it may sound simple, it can be very difficult if you have a problem with willpower.  It is important to stick with spending less than you make or you will find yourself in exactly the same place as you were before.  Overcoming your debt will take willpower and a great deal of time.

It may be difficult to stick with your debt repayment program, but keep yourself strong and you will find yourself out of debt before you know it.

It is important to learn how to get out of debt and then stay out of debt.  If you can summon enough willpower and strength towards your finances and spending, then you will find yourself the winner in the game of debt.  It may be easy to get into debt, but getting out of debt is much more difficult, but worth it.  

One simple phrase can sum up the solution to your financial problems.  If you don’t have the money to spend, then don’t spend it!

Technology helping in match making

Technology has intervened in human life a long time ago and has helped human beings in each and every step. It has contributed in the field of business, work, inventions, medical field, sports and many more. Besides all these, the latest contribution of technology is the internet. Internet has become an integral part of human life, it has also helped human beings in numerous ways and now, it has come up with match making. The online dating websites are the tool used in these cases; these websites are used to find partners with whom people can chat and spend some cozy and intimate time. These dating sites have come to be very helpful for people nowadays; in this present society of ours where time is limited in everything, the online dating sites have lessened the time for searching some special ones and dating a lot. Generally people do not get much free time to search for a date or spend some time with their special ones, but these websites have helped them to fulfill their desires very easily.

Hundreds of such sites have been published in the internet by some groups and thousands of people from all over the world use these dating websites to find a partner of their choice. The dating websites act as an intermediary between the single people; people who are searching for a partner mainly use these sites and when they log on to any such site, they get to meet other people, who are also there looking for a partner. This way people choose a person whom they like and think suitable and carry on; people also gain long term relationships from these sites which sometimes takes turn towards marriage. It is really hard to believe that technology can arrange a persons marital life, but it has made this possible and have helped human beings a lot just like its other contributions to mankind. Most dating sites are payable, i.e. people have to pay some amount of money to sign up with these online dating website and there are also some, which provide these services absolutely free of cost.

The free online dating sites have emerged as a boon to the lonely single people; people who suffered from loneliness and had nobody to share their feelings are now able to get a person who can be close to them. Moreover, dating on the internet saves a lot of time and money. People do not have to get well dressed to meet up with a date. They do not even have to spend much money after their dates; all they need to do is sign up in the dating websites and they are on. Thousands of people from all over the world use these online dating sites and most of them have got partners; some have even carried on their relationship to marriage. It can easily be concluded that the free online dating sites have helped the lonely people to a large extent in having a special person of their choice and spend some good time.

Webcasting What's This New Technology All About

People all over the world are being turned on by the brilliant new technology of webcasting. But what's all the excitement? That's what we'll discuss in this article. In it, we will cover exactly what webcasting is, as well as why many organizations are touting it as the holy grail of communication.

If you know what broadcasting is, then you pretty much understand what webcasting is all about. Webcasting is just broadcasting your message using the Internet as the medium. Here, it is typically with video and audio, although you can still technically webcast with just an audio file or just a video containing no audio.

Also, it is similar to broadcasting because broadcasting refers to transmitting a message that is either live or recorded. On the Internet, you can transmit live videos or recorded videos as webcasts. Let's now discuss some of the benefits involved with this technology.

First of all, anytime you have a group of people who get their information on the Internet is a time when you should consider this technology. Here, you are able to utilize another medium to broadcast a message -- and the more messages you send to your target audience, the better the chance they're likely to respond positively.

For example, some companies are using webcasts to help out their shareholders. In this case, they want to please their shareholders so the company stock goes up. Since most shareholders cannot physically attend annual meetings, they now use webcast to broadcast those meetings over the Internet.

Other companies are using it to launch new products. Here, they create a number of different videos that educate the consumer about a new good or service that is coming out on the market, giving details about the product as well as some of the benefits that can be enjoyed when using this product.

Finally, organizations are using this as a cost free or low-cost method of further educating their customers after the sale has been made. The reason for this is because webcasting is perhaps the most cost effective way of doing this, and getting their customers to stick with them and make additional purchases and referrals on their behalf.

All future trends tend to point to this type of technology being the most predominant way of communicating messages from one person to a large number of people. Because of this, it is important that you consider this technology as vital to your organization's communication.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

WhatsApp to give users' phone numbers to Facebook for targeted ads

Messaging service will begin sharing private information with Facebook and is preparing to allow businesses to message users

Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram app on Android

Mobile messaging service WhatsApp will give its parent company Facebook personal information including users’ phone numbers, as part of plans to allow businesses to send messages to users.
WhatsApp’s billion-plus users will be notified of the change to its privacy policy from 25 August. They will have 30 days to decide whether to opt out of their information being used for ad targeting on Facebook, but will not be able to opt out of their data being sharing with the social network.
The ad targeting will be on Facebook’s platform, which has 1.71 billion monthly active users, with WhatsApp saying it won’t put banner ads or allow spam on its own platform.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said: “We want to explore ways for you to communicate with businesses that matter to you too, while still giving you an experience without third-party banner ads and spam.
“Whether it’s hearing from your bank about a potentially fraudulent transaction, or getting notified by an airline about a delayed flight, many of us get this information elsewhere, including in text messages and phone calls.”
The testing of tools designed to allow businesses to contact users was originally announced when WhatsApp dropped its yearly service fee on 18 January this year.
The phone number associated with a user’s WhatsApp account will be used on Facebook to show them ads. This will form part of the targeting the company allows for paying advertisers, who can upload contact databases. Those who use Facebook and are in the contact database uploaded by the advertiser will then be shown the targeted ads.
The information will also be used to show how people interact with a specific ad, but Facebook said that it would not tell advertisers who specifically interacted with the ad.
WhatsApp and Facebook accounts will remain separate. The service will not be merged with Facebook’s other chat-based service Messenger or photo-sharing service Instagram. But all services under Facebook will gain access to WhatsApp users’ phone numbers and other account information, and it can be used to suggest contacts be added as friends.
WhatsApp said: “We won’t post or share your WhatsApp number with others, including on Facebook, and we still won’t sell, share, or give your phone number to advertisers.”

End-to-end encryption

All messages sent using an up-to-date version of WhatsApp are sent encrypted end-to-end from the sender to the recipient preventing WhatsApp or anyone else from reading its contents. As a by-product, it also blocks the company targeting ads against what is said in messages, a common tool used by Facebook, Google and others.
What’s unclear is whether WhatsApp will allow companies to send users marketing messages. The company insists that it will not allow spam and is simply testing systems that replicate the current communications sent to users from banks, airlines and other services that use SMS to notify customers of events such as fraud alerts or travel delays.
However, the company’s updated privacy policy states that “messages you may receive containing marketing could include an offer for something that might interest you”.
Users can block messages being sent to them from numbers or accounts entirely, which should mean they can also block any messages sent from companies, should the function remain unchanged.
The company still insists that it does not sell ads when activating the service, linking to a blog post from 18 June 2012 titled “why we don’t sell ads” that emphatically states that “remember, when advertising is involved you the user are the product”. The post was made before the sale of billion-user messaging service to Facebook, although the company insists that the values still stand.

Multi-pillar approach

Facebook has been making moves to increase its share of user time on mobile devices by pushing services such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp that operate in addition to its core social network and Facebook app. In doing so it has added further users, beyond those signed up and using Facebook, to its user base.
But it has yet to fully leverage that non-Facebook userbase for its main revenue generating activity, advertising. Instagram has advertising, but neither WhatsApp nor Facebook Messenger currently does.
Messenger has been used as a test bed by Facebook for interactions with chatbots, brands and businesses, allowing users to book tickets to shows, ask for news and have services delivered to them in text or multimedia form along with their friends’ messages.
Although the crossover between WhatsApp and Facebook’s other services is undoubtedly high in developed nations, WhatsApp’s strength has been in reaching those who would not use or cannot use Facebook in developing nations and areas of poor connectivity.
How Facebook proceeds with revenue generation from the messaging service beyond the obvious customer service activities without spamming users remains to be seen. Many fear the introduction of marketing messages and other ads, despite the assurances of WhatsApp that there will be no spam.

Don’t let WhatsApp coax you into sharing your data with Facebook



When WhatsApp, the messaging app, launched in 2009, it struck me as one of the most interesting innovations I’d seen in ages – for two reasons. The first was that it seemed beautifully designed from the outset: it was clean, minimalist and efficient; and, secondly, it had a business model that did not depend on advertising. Instead, users got a year free, after which they paid a modest annual subscription.

Better still, the co-founder Jan Koum, seemed to have a very healthy aversion to the surveillance capitalism that underpins the vast revenues of Google, Facebook and co, in which they extract users’ personal data without paying for it, and then refine and sell it to advertisers. In a blog post headed “Why We Don’t Sell Ads” written in June 2012, for example, Koum quoted approvingly a memorable line uttered by Tyler Durden (played by Brad Pitt) in the movie Fight Club: “Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.”
“When we sat down to start our own thing together three years ago,” Koum wrote, “we wanted to make something that wasn’t just another ad clearing house. We wanted to spend our time building a service people wanted to use because it worked and saved them money and made their lives better in a small way. We knew that we could charge people directly if we could do all those things. We knew we could do what most people aim to do every day: avoid ads.”
And Koum was as good as his word. WhatsApp grew and grew, because it did what it said on the tin. Its growth was funded by $58m from Sequoia Capital, the only venture capital firm to invest in it. By February 2013, WhatsApp claimed 200m active users worldwide, and had a valuation of $1.5bn – not huge by Silicon Valley standards but pretty good for an outfit that had an honest business model.
And then, in February 2014, something strange happened. Facebook offered to buy the company – for $19bn – and Koum and co took the bait. Given that Facebook’s business depends on selling ads, most of us wondered what had happened to Koum’s admirable principles and concluded, gloomily, that everyone has a price.
But for a while WhatsApp continued as before within the Facebook stockade. Not only did it not sell ads, but in November 2014 it announced that it was introducing end-to-end encryption for all WhatsApp communications – which meant that nobody, not even Facebook, could read (and thereby monetise) its users’ messages. So the puzzle continued: why on earth had Mark Zuckerberg paid such a whopping price for a service that he couldn’t exploit?
Now we know. On 25 August WhatsApp announced that it was changing its terms and conditions and its privacy policy. In a blog post which is a masterpiece of lawyerly euphemism, it tells us that it is going to “share” with Facebook its users’ phone numbers and details of the last time they signed on to WhatsApp. Every user is asked to click “Agree” to this proposition – although, of course, they can always reverse this agreement if they can find the relevant section of their settings.
Needless to say, this radical change has nothing to do with the needs of WhatsApp’s corporate owners. Perish the thought: it’s to improve things for you, the user. It’s all about using “your WhatsApp account information to improve your Facebook ads and products experience”. And, just to make sure you understand the magnitude of the decision you are about to make, “If you tap ‘Don’t Share’, you won’t be able change this in the future”.
Seasoned observers of the computer industry will recognise this for what it is: just another illustration of the power of the default setting. In marketing-speak, it’s how to “Nudge Your Customers Toward Better Choices” – an implementation of the philosophy set out by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler in their book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness.
Of course, it’s true – as Sunstein and Thaler argue – that defaults can sometimes be used to ensure that people do things that are good for them, like ensuring that they enrol in a pension scheme. But in the computer industry, defaults are often deployed purely in the interests of corporations.
So if you’re a WhatsApp user, don’t fall for this particular wheeze: go to “Settings”, select “Account”, “Share my account info” and tap on “Don’t Share”. And do it now, because time’s running out.