E-learning Resources: Kojo Nnamdi Interviews Ryan Watkins and Michael Corry, Authors of E-learning Companion

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

Kojo Nnamdi, a radio host at WAMU interviewed Ryan Watkins and Michael Corry, authors of E-learning Compantion. More than three million students take online courses, annually. Watkins and Corry offer salient advice for both students and faculty who participate in a computer-mediated classroom.

 

User Interface Design of Digital Technology

Friday, April 27th, 2007

Personal exposure and experience with using any technology is a definite asset; however, it is not by any means a prerequisite in the business environment. There are many technologies that we use on a daily basis without understanding how to create the technology. Good examples are our automobiles, televisions, and digital video recorders.

 

Developing Writing Skills By Listening to Podcasts

Wednesday, March 28th, 2007

I agree with the process, write as we speak. I frequently recommend to writers that they aurally record their thoughts and then write their comments down, as they play back the recording. I have a microtape transcription machine (it was the only gift that I wanted for my 35th birthday), and I used it for many years, documenting my spoken lecture. Now, I use a digital voice recorder; however, the outcome is the same: I speak first, and then I write. I found that this process of speaking, then writing has helped my podcasting. I am now speaking, writing, speaking. ;-)

 

Using Computer Clock Skew to Crack Anonymity Networks

Friday, December 29th, 2006

At the recent Chaos Communications Congress, Steven J. Murdoch, a researcher in the security group at the University of Cambridge, discussed how clock skew can be used to facilitate a digital attack against anonymity networks. Clock skew, the tendency for a computer’s clock to become less precise when heated, can reduce the efficacy of anonymizers, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Tor network.

 

Virtual Offices: How to Make Them Work for Your Company

Saturday, November 25th, 2006

Creating a geographically-flexible workspace* has always been my dream. It took me ten years from the time that I first added this goal to my business plan to finally implement it. Since April 1, 2000, I have been working from a home office, a suite of 1,400 square feet that includes a private conference and reading room, office space, and a work room with a long bench upon which I can repair computers and assemble books. I even have my own kitchen and lavatory. If my refrigerator were a little larger, I could comfortably live here!

Listen to the podcast at Internet Archive.

 

What Affects Website and E-mail Performance?

Saturday, November 25th, 2006

An ISP (Internet Service Provider) is the first link, for users, to the public Internet. AOL.com, PeoplePC.com, Comcast.net, Verizon.net are all examples of ISPs.

 

Who Registers a Domain and Who Hosts Websites & Email

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

Web sites must be hosted on a computer that is connected to the Internet. Domains, the alphanumeric names given to Web sites, must be registered and assigned to the site. Otherwise, it we be much more difficult to locate Web sites and practically impossible to address e-mail messages.

Listen to the podcast at Internet Archive.

 

Creating Standard-Format Web Pages using Cascading Style Sheets

Saturday, November 18th, 2006

I use Macromedia HomeSite to create new and to edit complex pages. Even though the product has a WYSIWYG option, I prefer to edit in the standard text mode, using the preview mode to check the layout of my code. I specifically encourage novice designers to refrain from using Microsoft FrontPage and other solely WYSIWYG design applications, as each of them inserts extraneous code into the page that is not in keeping with the W3 HTML standard. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3) is the standards body for Web content development.

Listen to the podcast at Internet Archive.

 

What is a Fully-Secured Computer?

Friday, November 10th, 2006

The only fully-secured computer is one that is turned off. It is impossible to guarantee total security, especially once a computer is connected to a network, including the Internet. The best for which an IT manager (or an individual user) may hope is that the installed antivirus, antispam, and firewall applications are stronger than the attacks the computer receives.

Listen to the podcast at Internet Archive.

 

Securing Passwords and Other Private Data

Friday, November 10th, 2006

It is a simple matter to secure sensitive data using a freeware application.

 

Which Author is Better: One or Many?

Sunday, March 12th, 2006

Wikipedia, the popular online reference source for undergraduates and consumers, worldwide, has more than 15 times the number of articles than the well-known Encyclopedia Britannica, the self-proclaimed “world’s most indispensable and reliable reference resource.”

 

Google’s Plan to Store Data Online Presents Security Concerns

Thursday, March 9th, 2006

Google, Inc. seems to hope that thousands, possibly millions, of internet users will trust their digital data to the Mountain View, California company, the same one that sings forth the anthem “Don’t be evil.”

 

Wi-Fi Slow To Enthuse Consumers

Tuesday, January 24th, 2006

Podcast
The BBC News reported this week that wi-fi, wireless fidelity, networking is slow to catch on with consumers. Most people do not take advantage of the flexibility that wireless connectivity offers. Why is this? In this podcast, I discuss how I use wireless networking to create flexibility in my work schedule.

 

First Marketable Quantum Computer Chip

Saturday, December 17th, 2005

University of Michigan researchers have developed the first scalable quantum computer chip using principally the same semiconductor manufacturing process as integrated semiconductor chips. The researchers have been able to trap and control a single atom within a processor chip.

 

Google Goes Head-to-Head With PayPal

Sunday, June 19th, 2005

Google, the leading search engine company in search of itself has again added a new service to its eclectic portfolio. Later this year, Google plans to offer an electronic payment service that will compete directly with PayPal, owned by eBay. Services will, reportedly, include processing payments using consumer credit cards and checking accounts, the mainstay of PayPal’s service.

 

Personalize Google and Get a Gmail Invitation

Friday, May 20th, 2005

Personalize Google and Get a Gmail Invitation
Today, in direct competition with MSN and Yahoo!, Google, Inc. announced that users may create a personalized Google homepage for news, weather, cultural tidbits, and e-mail.

 

Drop Voice, Keep DSL

Thursday, April 21st, 2005

Verizon Communications will allow current customers in the Northeast U.S. to discontinue voice telephone service while keeping DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) broadband service. Telecommunication providers have been roundly criticized for requiring DSL subscribers to also maintain voice service, thereby limiting consumer choice.

 

Wireless Networks To Be Outlawed In Urban Environments

Friday, April 1st, 2005

The American Council of Mayors and Urban Managers voted Friday to lobby the U.S. Congress in support of pending legislation that will render illegal 802.11b/g Wi-Fi networks, paving the way for widespread development of the much faster 802.16 WiMAX networking protocol.

 

Pew Report States That 27 Percent of Users Download Digital Music and Video

Saturday, March 26th, 2005

The Pew Internet & American Life Project reported this week that 36 million Americans, 27 percent of internet users, report having downloaded music or video files. Half of this group have skirted the traditional peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and commercial online distribution services (i.e. Napster, iTunes). This is a significant number of digital media users whose sharing of digital media is untraceable by the recording industry and copyright holders.

 

Madison River Communications Fined For Blocking VoIP Access

Tuesday, March 8th, 2005

Telecommunications provider, Madison River Communications, was chastised by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week and required to unblock network ports that were closed to prevent connections from customers using Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone connections.