Money Saving Tips

Living from paycheck-to-paycheck, many neglected the value of having savings until unforeseen circumstances arise that made them not look at money the same way again.

But why let an unfortunate happening occur in your life just to learn its lesson and meaning when, by doing small but frequent steps, you distance yourself to such impending trouble, perceived or otherwise.

Here are some money-saving tips that could save you from any future calamity involving money:

1. Open a Dedicated Savings Account

Like any first step towards the path of making some savings, opening your own for savings-only account is a must. Unlike your primary banking account which you use to deposit and withdraw money from, this dedicated savings account is strictly for money depositions only.

For optimum benefits regarding interest rate, look for a bank which offers "higher-than-inflation" growth rate, which is something you might have to personally ask, if not endorsed to you.

Savings Account

2. Cut Out Unwanted Expenses

Be it a monthly service subscription you no longer see as beneficial to you or a habit that just drains your money, many are guilty about spending on something on a monthly basis that they can really live without.

Part of keeping yourself free from unwanted expenses is by knowing which expenses are worth keeping from which are not and do the necessary steps in trimming those that are from the latter.

3. Be Systematic

If you are still unused to the idea of making a saving out of your every income, chance is good that your first few attempts at stashing some money on the side may be inconsistent and irregular at least.

But if you are serious in saving some money for future considerations, sometimes sticking to a tried-and-tested formula may be a good start at disciplining yourself about money.

One such popular formula that is becoming a cliché among money-conscious individuals is the "80-20" rule which suggests saving 20% of your every income, regardless how small, while freely spending on the 80%.

expense

4. Learn How to Invest

Let your money work for you. Don't go into get-rich-quick investment scam and promised very high ROI (Return of Investment). It's possible to get high return in Forex trading and stock trading but there's no guarantee that you will continuously gain due to up and down of the market.

There's always a risk in every investment. Read books, attend seminars and courses about investing. Try to learn short term and long term investment, high yield investment, stocks, mutual fund, UITF.

Know the difference between Investing and Trading. Investing is long-term, you will buy, hold and sell after several years. Trading is short-term, which means if I buy today then sell after few days, weeks, months. In Forex trading, other traders buy and sell within seconds, minutes and hours.

invest

5. Earn Some Money on the Side

With so many channels you can tap-online, mobile devices, or in real-life scenario-making money has been made easier so long as you have access to these means.

When you are having trouble making ends meet so as to give way for savings, sometimes generating multiple income streams may be the better option just to save.

Tap on whichever is accessible to you such as selling no longer used goods or offering service as a freelance and make full sure that no matter how much you are earning, you keep some for your future self to benefit from.

The Time to Develop an Enterprise Mobility Strategy Is NOW

Mobility. Cloud. BYOD. Virtualization technologies. Big Data. Social. These keywords will be the buzzwords of this decade as businesses undergo significant transformations in the way employees, stakeholders and customers work and communicate.

Today, SMBs are competing with big players as they leverage cloud technology. Markets are constantly getting reinvented with changing consumer demands and fast-paced technological evolution. Social media is creating Big Data which is a gold mine for business analysis that's helping companies maximize marketing impact and sales and manage brand reputation. The ubiquity and portability of mobile devices is making anytime, anywhere access to information a given in corporate circles, encouraging the growth and adoption of virtualization technologies, and spurring large scale development of mobile applications.

However, the excitement of realizing the massive potential of enterprise mobility in communication, learning and development, HR, marketing and sales, and other functions of an organization is accompanied by trepidation over security. IT teams are allotted the complicated and challenging task of managing the disparate mobile devices coming into the organization, securing the data on these devices, and ensuring regulatory and legal compliance.

It's a tall order but business heads can bring clarity and transparency into the enterprise mobility approach by devising a comprehensive, clear and well thought out enterprise mobility strategy.

Developing an enterprise mobility strategy

All aspects of mobility should be considered while developing a strategy. This can be achieved by involving members from all business functions in brainstorming sessions to collate requirements, concerns, security issues, end user feedback, and possible solutions and ideas.

Furthermore, decision makers must do the following:

Observe the consumer landscape:

Consumerization has played a big part in shaping the BYOD trend, company policies and even the way mobile security is handled by IT departments. It is critical to understand what consumers (customers and employees) look for in mobile solutions (specific needs such as location based services, NFC, barcode scanning, etc.) and the kind of devices they use.

Aim for technology independence:

With disparate mobile operating systems entering the market, the cost of developing native applications is soaring. Surveys indicate that more than 60% of mobile application developers have shown an interest in HTML5 - the web application development language that frees them of mobile OS and vendor restrictions. Native apps will stay as they offer greater sophistication but HTML5 will see greater adoption.

Look at BYOD as a productivity tool rather than a cost saver:

Many companies are going the BYOD way for the sake of productivity. With the right security mechanisms in place, BYOD may not be a cheap option but it will show returns in two or more years.

Define the scope of enterprise mobility:

Validate what functions will benefit from mobility - advertising, marketing, sales, HR, etc. rather than proceeding blindly. Find out what different business functions expect from a mobile solution and understand challenges specific to their work.

Implementing security:

Enterprises should look at Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM) solutions to secure and manage the organization's devices and data.

Data on cloud or devices:

With many enterprises moving infrastructure and systems to the cloud, mobile data may also go to the cloud. This will allow users to access data from any device, anytime, anywhere.

Virtualization and Cloud:

Both virtualization and cloud services will become more specialized in the future, and will add value to mobility offerings.

Big data and Social:

Big data analysis generates intelligence that can add value to your mobile initiatives. With access to internal or external social networks on mobile, workers can keep track of what consumers are saying about their brand, enhance relationships, and discover opportunities.

Enterprise mobility is like a tidal wave that every business must ride or get swept under. According to Gartner, mobility will be a trillion dollar business by 2014. Analysts further predict that smartphones and tablets in the enterprise will exceed the 1 billion mark in 2013 with iOS and Android being the strongest contributors, followed by Windows Phone and BlackBerry.

"AI" Of Human-Kind

"AI"... of Human-kind!

"Which Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg?"

Several years ago, you may recall a publication describing our growing dependency upon machines, devices, and "AI." On several occasions, I've attempted to bring awareness to this phenomenon of artificial intelligence's abilities in creating and/or re-creating itself... over and over again. What once was a 'science-fiction' story has been brought to bear, in living color, a scientific fact.

The article, "Device Machine Dependent," has described instances and descriptions where robots or robotics have been designed to emulate the actions, abilities, and appearance(s) of mankind... "Human-Like"; "The Image of Its' Creator!"

How many times have you been in your car and engaged in a shouting match or argumentative interaction with your 'GPS' or "onboard interface?" Aw, c'mon now... haven't you gotten angry and screamed at the device when the voice behind it gives you screwed up or wrong directions? Sure you have.

Selene Yeager, a contributing author, spoke of a doctoral student at Stanford University, who specializes in Human-Technology-Interaction.

"We (humans) get confused and angry because we don't know what the 'GPS' is "thinking," David Miller says.

This author (yours truly), however, is and has been guilty of that particular type of behavior. I can remember keying in a direction (when that wasn't satisfactory, I tried to engage the voice command option), the damned thing told me; directed me to take a highway and exit... I followed suit. When I realized the directions where totally wrong - the accursed voice put us on "The Highway To Hell!"

We traveled sixty miles outside and away from our planned "Pocono Mountain" destination.

Well, I'm here to tell you, I momentarily (Oh, like so many) became insane and started screaming at the voice inside of the 'GPS system.' Miller went on to say, "In the future, when your GPS gives you directions, it may give you a rationale, so that you will have a better two-way relationship."

... Yeah, right. I'm happy when and if the thing gets me to my unfamiliar destination(s)... via the correct route! I don't mean to be to hard on the device... it's a pretty good little tool when it works as expected.

"A Bite Of The Apple" addressed the 'IT' community on big issues concerning Apple's stance on "covert and proprietary practices" in the world of technology; hardware and software - particularly its hardware products. Apple's 'IT' decision makers espouses an ergonomic flaw which reveals a preference, They've said "Apple-like" form over function, i.e., the iMAC connectors on the rear of their machines are designed and/or decided by anal retention.

Their 'IT' management team describes one possible meaning of "Anal Retention." It's a point on a curve at which the curvature changes from convex to concave or vice-versa. It can also be called a "Flex Point" or "Point of Inflection." Apple management says its proprietary devices are putting more effect into business user marketing. Apples' devices are making their way into the enterprise arena because 'IT' managers, not users, like them.

The 'end-user' report stresses the fact, suggesting the product(s) being as good and excellent on ease of use, design, and reliability. Does anyone recall the definition of cloning?

Many of us have PC's in our homes today. And there are many others who feel they are, and believe they are a step ahead while utilizing home-robots like "Alexa" or IBM'S "Watson" and a myriad of cloned devices that clean, monitor, and coordinate their daily lives or lifestyles.

Where's your cell phone?

It used to be the desk-top computer that was the central 'Internet' connection. Then it was the 'Laptop.' The "Tablet" continues to be popular these days, but the "Smart-Phone" outshines them all. All one has to do is simply look around... Look and see how many people are walking, running, riding, driving, and flying... dependent upon those continually unrelinquishing devices to sustain them in their existence, and their very lives on this planet.

Not long ago, a vicious computer virus wrestled control from some 400,00 computers across more than 160 countries in one of the worst international cyber attacks and computer infections.

The virus blocked all access to programs, files, mainframes, and networks unless the computer's owner(s) paid a ransom. The elicitable funds could only be paid via "Bitcoin."

Bitcoin is online currency that is almost impossible to trace. The Bitcoin currency is traded for the purchase of a "ransom key." Often, victims have paid the money only to not get the key to unlock their computers (or) systems, losing both their money and their data.

This incident should serve as a major wake-up call to users with the much encouraged "must-do" procedure(s) on PCs and Internet devices in their care or usage and the prevention of viruses, botnets, web-crawlers, malware, worms, etc.

I certainly agree with author, Doug Shadel, in suggesting that users/owners regularly backup your important files to an external drive or remote storage service; have a pop-up blocker running on your web browser at all times; instantly leave websites you've been routed to without your consent; use a reputable antivirus program - keeping it updated at all times; make sure your software (and anti-virus software) is up to date; don't click on links or open attachments from email addresses you don't know; and buy only legitimate software - and register it.

Do you remember the scene in the movie "Star Wars," where the bar-tender shouts at 'Luke Skywalker' to get his droids out of his establishment?

That scene is a result of human prejudices against machines or robot-kind. Detroit, Michigan's automobile industry and workforce is all but totally manned by robots (or robotics). Robots are doing major operations on humans and animals alike. Robots are preparing foods, packing and shipping items, driving cars, and diagnosing human ailments and diseases. Robots are answering telephones and redirecting calls. Robots are calling you on your telephones, reminding you of past due bills, appointments, prescription pick-ups, and making attempts at selling you goods and other services. Robots are building bridges, buildings, and homes. Robots are doing just about anything and everything a human-being or animal can and has been doing. Ask yourself... how many jobs have been lost and are being lost to robots?

"Many companies are using sentiment analysis to gauge the mood(s) on social networks and/or the web... but getting insight takes new tactics and skills," said Doug Henschen of 'Techweb.'

"It definitely takes new tactics and skill-sets in order to acquire a position in the new world of IT, BI, Communications, and Analytics." This conclusion is postulated via the published article, "Destruction and Creation - A New Jobs Hyperbole." No one can deny the massive and major changes that have occurred in the 'New World Economy' of this century. What's going to happen in the centuries to come - will we be "Star-Trek-Like?" How about a world and future like that of "Logan's Run?" Will robots become the new judges, lawyers, congressional appointees, senators, or president? Those of us who are aware, interested, and/or motivated in or toward the continuation of mankind's reign over machines, must become the master of both sides of IT/BI.

AI: Artificial Intelligence... is in contrast to the natural (Human/Animal-like) intelligence... the ability of a computer or robot doing what is normally or commonly done by humans or animals - with intelligence or intelligent abilities... the ability to think.

How long will it be before humans (man-kind) are completely out-thought by "AI" - becoming completely and utterly our replacements as opposed to being our once-upon-a-time servants?

"How Long? Not Long!"

Now, doesn't this argument make you wonder...

"AI"... of Human-kind?

"Which Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg?"

Til Next Time...

'G'

How To Keep Your Computer Clean With CCleaner

How can I keep my computer clean and tidy?

When we are asked by friends and family how can they keep their computer clean, the one tool we always recommend is CCleaner. CCleaner differs from antivirus tools as it designed to keep your computer tidy - think Jacques from Finding Nemo!

CCleaner will search through your computer and clear out all of the files that have been created when you surf the internet or install software. The majority of these files are benign and pose no threat to you, but they do take up space on your computer so let CCleaner remove them for you. CCleaner will not delete documents and photos from your desktop of the common document folders.

CCleaner will work on Windows; IOS (Apple) and Android mobiles.

Tell me more about CCleaner and what it can do for me!

When you open CCleaner, you will immediately see an 'Analyse' button which when pressed, CCleaner will calculate how much space can be recovered from deleting temporary system files. Once you are happy, press the 'Run Cleaner' button and all will be removed from your system. NOTE - if you have an internet browser such as Internet Explorer or Chrome open while you run the CCleaner tool, you will be asked to close the browser to allow the files to be removed.

Under the 'Tools' button (the spanner icon), you will find some very useful tools that you may, depending on your technical knowledge or confidence,

Uninstall - Click on Uninstall and CCleaner will show you all the different programs that have been installed on your machine and when this was installed. Some of the very common names you may wish to look for and remove include:

Delta Search





MyWebSearch Toolbar

If you do stumble across a program name that you would like to remove, click on the program name and select the 'Uninstall' button on the top right of the CCleaner screen.

Startup - This is a great feature, but you will need to understand what it is you are doing before pressing any buttons in here. Startup, as the name suggests, will list all the software that will start when your computer starts; web browser(s) and Scheduled Tasks. It is very likely that when you click on the Windows tab you will see a substantial list of names of software that starts each time your Windows computer starts. You can disable software by selecting it and pressing the 'Disable' button. We will not be advising which you should or shouldn't disable as each computer is very different.

When you click on the 'Scheduled Tasks' within Startup, this is where you will get a good feel as to whether or not your computer is running malicious software. The individuals or organisations that produce malicious software often use your computer to schedule the infection to run at certain times, and CCleaner will help you see this. Again we cannot advise you which to disable as each computer will have different tasks running depending on the software you have running. One to look out for though will be listed as just "At1" although the numerical digit may differ from one; if you have this please backup all your precious documents and photos then run antivirus.

We strongly suggest that you do not use the 'Registry fix' tool with the CCleaner software unless you are very competent system user and you have a full backup of your data.

Like most software tools, CCleaner also offers a 'Pro' version of the software that comes with a charge. The Pro version will offer you support via the Piriform (the people behind CCleaner) and the software will automatically update itself. The free version will notify you when an update is released, but you will need to visit their website and download the latest version.

BIG NOTE - CCleaner is a tried and tested software that is a must have but I would like to say we cannot be held responsible for any system issues or data loss as a result of running this or any other software we recommend.

A Different Vault For BlackBerry Curve 8520 Smartphone

The vault is increasing in size. The tech-war has led a successful accomplishment of launching some smart phones made not only for business class but also for the connoisseurs in the business class. Indeed one of the leading manufacturers of Smartphone, BlackBerry has unveiled its new phone in BlackBerry Curve 8520 which adds elegance and elementary look to the shearer class of phone. This new breed is incompatible with any other of its class in terms of style.

BlackBerry curve 8520 gives boast to easy typing, quicker and fun loving task with the QWERTY keyboard. Fits in your palm comfortably, and gives you a bright viewing experience with its 320x240-pixel screen displaying over 65k colors. This latest gadget enables with the dedicated media keys; it is a simple exercise to enjoy music, pictures and videos while traveling.

Making an elite class, BlackBerry curve 8520 itself has created a niche when compared to other 8500 series of Smart phones. This mobile handset has one of the best battery mechanisms encapsulating in the mobile, it has longer hours for both standby and talk time. Mac application is now faster and compatible to use with the help of desktop software. It allows you to sync the contacts, notes and the applications which you use quite a often.

What "Instant delivery" is all about is too equipped in BlackBerry curve 8520. Whether the mode of delivering a message is a voice call, SMS, MMS or even the email, the task is done with no hassle. 2.0 Megapixel camera captures your memorable moments and retrieving them back gets a smile. The socket of 3.5mm helps you connect headphones or else the loudspeaker is integrated for best possible audio output.

Like other Smartphone BlackBerry curve 8520 helps you connected with your loved ones, relatives, family and friends with smooth browsing and surfing capability. The phone offers quad-band GSM / GPRS + / EDGE, Wi-Fi with touch sensitive optical track pad, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP but the operations are portable enough. The storage options for your valuable data can be expanded to 32 GB from its internal memory of 256 MB.

BlackBerry curve 8520 Smartphone has unsurpassable convenience and gives you a best deal for your money. The extravagant aesthetic face of the phone has, portability and all the way best reviews. It is sheer pleasure to be the one in the unique class of its users.

Computer and Technology Today

Computer plays an essential role people's day to day life especially at work place, schools and even in home. Twenty first century has been the age of so many technological advancements aimed for making the lives of people better. Computer helps them become more efficient in their work.

Computer technology in banking:

Technology has made our living easy and comfortable, for instance our banking needs. Previously people need to maintain the important data of their customers manually. But right now, in just one click, they would be able to find all the customers' data instantly. The customers are able to know about the transactions of their account by logging in to the bank website. Moreover, it is possible to apply for loans through online.

Improvements of computer technology:

Computer technology has improved our life style far better than before. Due to the emergence of internet and technology, the world has shrunk to a global village. Even though the advancement in internet creates new challenges like computer problems and virus threats, the computer technology like antivirus software made easy to overcome these problems.

Computer in food industry:

The automation and computerization in food processing units is facing lots of challenges if they are used nearby water catastrophic effects on any computer system. Most food processing units prefer waterproof computers to protect their computer systems from drenching in the production area.

Computer in medical field:

Hospital is an important organization and computers are used for the management of a hospital. The accounting, payroll and stock system of the hospital have been computerized in recent days. We can maintain the record of different medicines, their distribution and use in different wards etc. using computer. Even the disease can be diagnosed by entering the symptoms of a patient. Moreover, various computerized devices are used in laboratories for different tests of blood etc.

Computer in agriculture:

Nowadays agricultural industry is also making use of the computers. The analysis that was taken some few years before shows that 44% of the farmers in Ohio are using computers for various purposes. In 1991, only 32% of the farmers were making use of it. This shows that there is considerable increase in the farmers who are using computers. As internet becomes the means of communication, most farmers use this technological advancement for transaction processing or for retrieving information. The analysis shows that out of the total farmers who were surveyed, 80% of them are making use of the internet.

Computer in education:

Due to the globalization of education, so many challenges are posed by the new trends. In order to face all these challenges, information technology in the education sector is very important. It is essential that the students become familiar with the concept and use of information technology in order to equip them for future job market. Similarly, the faculty can achieve better quality in teaching methodology. The computer technology has developed in many fields. Its drastic development has created an immense impact in almost all the fields and thus leading to a new era.

How an Indoor DAS System Boosts Cell-Phone Coverage

Broadly speaking, a distributed antenna system, or DAS, serves to boost signals where they're weak. According to Wikipedia, a distributed antenna system can be defined as "... a network of spatially separated antenna nodes connected to a common source via a transport medium that provides wireless service within a geographic area or structure."

Over the last few years, DAS systems have been developed to serve the needs of small spaces - like individual buildings. Implementing this technology in an office building yields several benefits... namely better coverage for mobile smart-phones, which are becoming more and more prevalent in today's business world.

You know that being able to receive email when you're not at your computer is a valuable benefit to having one of today's phones!

Cell-phone companies like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and others, transmit voice and data through large outdoor towers, some of which are on top of roofs, especially in bigger cities. When the phone is outside and has minimal interference between it and the tower, the signal strength is pretty good most of the time.

But once you go inside to use your phone, signal strength drops significantly and you're dropping calls and unable to send messages... many of the materials used in constructing many office buildings, like glass, interfere badly with cell phone and Wi-Fi signals. For data signals, it's worse once you go inside a building since they're transmitted at a higher frequency.

Essentially, the quality of reception inside a building is a function of the user's proximity to the outdoor network, which is often times a considerable distance away.

An indoor DAS network solves this problem by setting up a series of antennas that serve as a repeater system

Over the last few years, demand for mobile voice and data (3G and 4G networks) has skyrocketed. Businesses and individuals are moving to mobile applications in huge numbers.

The problem of course is that higher frequency data signals are blocked once the user is inside. Key to making mobile devices a good alternative is being able to use them anytime, anywhere. Without that, they're not much different than a desktop computer.

With that said, many large office buildings and other facilities are turning to indoor digital antenna systems.

In a very basic sense, the indoor DAS system works by having a master antenna on the outside of a building which connects directly with the cell phone tower. Many of these systems are compatible with both 3G and 4G networks from a variety of carriers.

Therefore, they help boost cell phone coverage regardless of which carrier the user has.

The master antenna is then interconnected with other sub-antennas located throughout the building. Where they're located is determined by where the heaviest demand will be. These interconnected antennas all relay voice and data back to the master antenna, which transmits it to the closest cell phone tower.

Application of an indoor DAS system has the potential to revolutionize how businesses work. The portability offered by devices like the iPhone, Android or iPad tablet makes collaboration, research and communication much easier.

No longer do you have to worry about not catching someone at their desk... your biggest worry may be making sure everyone keeps their phone on them!!