An Overview of the Block Chain Technology and Its Benefits

In recent times, block chain technology redefined the Internet and led to the emergence of a new type of internet where digital information is distributed without copying. The technology was conceived and devised primarily for crypto currencies, digital currencies like the Bit-coin. In contemporary times, bit-coin is referred to as the digital gold and the total value of this currency is close to about 9 billion US dollars. Block chain technology can make other type of digital values. The functioning of the technology is encapsulated and therefore the user can use it without having to know it in detail. However, it is always recommended to have a basic notion about the technology in context before using it as this adequately simplifies the use.

The functioning of the technology is pretty much encapsulated implying that there is no need to know about the working of the block chain technology in detail, a fundamental idea about the working of the technology is more than sufficient for individuals using it. In simpler terms, this technology can be defined as a digital ledger of commercial transactions which is incorruptible and can be programmed to record not just the financial transactions but anything which has value associated with it.

Information stored as part of the technology in context is quite similar to the same in a spread sheet or any distributed database. Just as a spread sheet containing values can be regularly updated, the block chain too can be updated from time to time. The records stored using the block chain technology are not kept in a private location, instead, such data source are kept in public domain so that they can be verified on a timely basis. Using such a technology, the information is not held by any centralized servers instead they are stored in several database servers across millions of workstations, computers that are connected to the internet. It is because of this that the block chain data cannot be hacked or corrupted.

Since in this technology the blocks of information can be assessed across more than one point in the network therefore it cannot be controlled by a single entity. Since there are multiple copies of block chain information available across networks therefore such technologies do not have a single point of failure. Other facets of this technology are that it is transparent, incorruptible, very much decentralized because the information related to the technology in context is stored in several host machines across the network and all these factors contribute to making the block chain network highly secure.

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Face-Less or Face-Full of IT Support?

I'm looking at IT Managers, Head of ITs and CTOs shaking their head at the very thought of having an insourced IT guy taking up desk space and the head count budget.

This is all about SMEs, my favorite kind of companies to work with, perhaps a global presence, no more than 400 employees.

It's Monday morning the docking station at your desk isn't turning on, you've checked the power cables and everything else you can think of. So you go to the last resort, you pick up the phone and dial IT support, an internal number that quickly gets redirected out of the company to an external provider, they don't know who you are, asking what company you work for, name, telephone number, how important are you in the company, how long can you wait without complaint? All these questions being thrown at you, they can't fix it and have to send an engineer and oh, it's a hardware fault which is a 12 hour SLA, someone will be in touch, come out to you hopefully today to replace the dock, sorry about that. "How was your experience with IT this morning?". Another victim of outsourced IT hassle on a busy Monday morning that has once again annoyed and ruined another employees view of IT.

Let's take the VIP and personable approach to the same Monday morning docking station situation. That telephone number you ring goes through to an employee of your company, Charlie, he gets into the office at the same time as you, you smile on the train at each other occasionally, you know Charlie, would recognise him down the pub after work on a Thursday, he's at the company events, this gives you hope and comfort, instills confidence in your IT department. Charlie comes over in 10 minutes, he even brings his cup of tea and he has a replacement dock in his hand already. Charlie runs the same checks you did, but you're having a quick chat about what happened over the weekend, you're at ease, Monday is getting back on track quickly. Charlie replaces the dock and pops your laptop back on with a smile, docks your laptop turns it on, it's at the login screen and you logon, Charlie's work is done and he gets back to his desk. "How was your experience with IT this morning?".

IT support is one of the most key, integral and important departments in a company. Yet computers are attributable to dissatisfaction in the work place... Let's give your employees the best start in their job and the execution of their duties with some friendly, onsite IT support, can you afford not too?

I've been involved with IT support for the last 10 years and in VIP support and what I call highly personable support for SMEs for the past 5 years. For me, the key to a successful IT service is sometimes just to have a cup of tea with the end users of your system and understand their pains and pitfalls, get to know how they utilise the IT system and how we, as a department feeding into the company can make their processes easier. With outsourced IT support, this is rarely possible, it's so key and important in these highly technological times to bring a friendly face back to IT support, after all, a computer replacement with a cup of tea and a quick chat about the weekend is probably what you're end users are looking for!

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You, Me and Technology: The Truth

Can you figure out what you and I have in common with Technology? If you think a little you will find out. Read on for insights.

You and I both love to take advantage of technology. Yet when we do that, we overdo it sometimes costing our health and most of all, our eyes and back.

Eyesight will start to deteriorate and our back pain will develop. We need to move our hands and legs while taking breaks and walk around a bit. Otherwise our body will start to malfunction and start to give symptoms.

Other than that, loving technology with limits is great. You get to learn a lot about tools and software over the mighty reign of internet. They come to your aid when you carry out computer tasks and make life easier for you. So you and I have nothing to lose.

On the other hand, we must set aside technology for a while and enjoy the beauty of life, recreate and recharge our batteries. In other words, we need to have fun with friends and family. Then we can go back to work with refreshed energy and vigor.

Now technology is a broad term. You and I cannot focus on everything at the same time. So we need to narrow it down to our field of expertise and focus on those stuff and skills that would augment our tasks at home and work. You and I should learn these things within a deadline, yet go slow, grabbing skills one day at a time.

We should keep in mind about improving our technology skills all the time so that we do not lag behind. Then we should set an example for others, sharing our knowledge, disseminating them as much as we can through teaching, writing and speaking because sharing is not only caring but also productive. So remember to share with others through a suitable medium because when you help others, you cannot do so without helping yourself first.

So we should give credit to technology since it has entwined with our lives, benefiting us to great lengths but at the same time we should keep ourselves under control without doing too much of it and being addicted.

The absolute truth about you, me and technology is that technology is never ending and we need to need to pace up with it for a lifetime because life itself is a never ending learning process. So as much as we need to have fun and recreate, we also need to give valuable time to tune technology skills to our finger tips.

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The Effects of Computer Technology on Our Everyday Lives

These days, the computer technology industry is rapidly growing and changing. Along with that growth and change of computer technology are the people who almost instantly adapt to the changes.

Computer technology has made our lives a lot easier and convenient. For instance our banking needs. Years ago, people had to manually file the important data of their customers; now they just use the computer to find these data. In just one click, they would instantly find the name of the customer, the birth date, the address, e-mail address, phone numbers and etcetera. As for the clients of these banks, they can also easily get a quick look at their account balances through logging in to the bank website; in addition to that a lot of people are able to apply for a loan with the use of the computer.

Because of the birth of computer technology, we now have credit cards or what others call plastic money, which are very useful especially when we do not have cash on hand or when you are ordering a certain product through the internet. It's amazing how computer technology has changed so much our way of living. Nowadays, purchasing products such as cellular phones, bags, household utensils, and clothes or even paying the bills can be effortlessly done at the comfort of your own home.

With the use of the computer a lot of students especially those with unfortunate disabilities or severe illnesses are able to enroll to different schools through home schooling. Students are even able to take their examination tests or check out their grades by the use of the computer.

As far I know computer technology has helped a lot of businesses to better serve the community. But the computers have not only helped us in the business industry; it also has an effect on our communication systems. Long before the computers were born, writing letters were the main source of communication, which would be such a hassle most especially to those people who lived in far away places; plus telephones were quite expensive so people would pretty much prefer writing to their loved ones. And for that reason, people who are far away from civilization would really have a hard time communicating with others. Now, we have e-mails, and live chat, or even voicemails. We now already have video calling in which we would be able to see the person that we are talking to. This would be really great for people who have loved ones that are away from home. Getting in touch with one another is now a piece of cake.

Computer technology has changed our lives for the better. Without it, we would still be living in the pre historic times.

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The Benefits of Using Computers

Computers have become an important part in homes, businesses and the society. There are many people who use computers in their daily lives either for gaming, programming, for prepress equipment, learning new applications or for CTP work. Computers can either be purchased as desktop units or as laptops which makes it quite convenient to use. Laptop computers even enable people to use it whether they are lying on the bed, waiting for a train at the train station or sitting in a restaurant. With the different kinds of computers available, there are also many different brands to choose from. No matter which type or brand of computer an individual uses, computers have become really important in the lives of people and is a great tool in helping people to broaden their knowledge on a wide range of subjects such as information technology, computer studies, word processing, internet and so on.

Computers are simply wonderful machines and everyone depends on it in one way or the other. The applications and programs that these machines offer are benefiting the society either directly or indirectly. The benefits include creating information technology employments, opening communication methods, safety features for automobiles, using for diagnosing patients, predicting weather patterns and calculating data sets. Many small to large businesses nowadays are using computers as a way of storing information and managing their daily activities.

As new applications are being discovered frequently, more employment is created. Apart from businesses, most of the homes have computers and as problems arise with the machines, more and more professionals are needed to deal with the issues. In this world, computers have also become an important part in the lives of children. Nowadays, children are more interested in exploring the benefits computers offer and are eager to learn new technology. In the near future, due to their growing interest in computers, there will not be shortages in information technology labor force in the society.

Computers, games and technology have major influence and are enlightening the lives of children these days. These children will be able to perform well in areas of social learning, academic learning and development. Children of even three years of age love to play computer games, activities and can perform simple typing commands. Computers offer a lot to kids in terms of learning spellings and correcting their mistakes. With the support of parents and teachers, kids are able to improve their skills and learn more about technology.

Many kids love to play games on computer which improves their speed and alertness. Games such as soccer teach them rules of the games while games such as virtual villagers enable them to stay attentive and take the appropriate action in maintaining the health and well being of the tribe. Moreover, many kids and adults use computers and internet for social networking, searching for information on the web and for many other purposes. It all helps them to develop good communication skills, computer skills and makes them learn new things almost everyday. Individuals and the society greatly depend on computers and in the near future these machines will be the work horses.

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Similarities Between the Computer and the Brain

Have you ever realized that the brain and a computer have nearly similar functions? For example, if you download something to your computer, it is just the same as the brain downloading new information during lessons in class. The same thing goes with uploading a file or an image from the computer to the internet; your brain does the same thing by uploading something you learned in class and projecting it onto a piece of paper. For example, your brain downloads an image when you see something, and then uploads it by you drawing a picture of something you have seen. Of course even the world's most powerful supercomputer cannot rival a human brain, but these are some examples of the similarities between man and machine that can be identified. Probably in the future, where humans have developed some high technology will they be able to create near-human computers.

Here are some other similarities between the computer and the brain:

Functions and Purpose

Both are used for storage of information, to process information and to run tasks.

Functions: Both are used for mathematical calculations, carrying out complex algorithms and to storing of crucial information.

Role in society

Both play extremely important roles in society, commerce, entertainment and science

Every single living creature survives by quick thinking and reflexes, that includes us. The computer today plays the most important roles from specialized systems controlling entire production factories to little "fuzzy logic" chips in washing machines that intelligently monitor the washing process.

Combining components

Both work by combining the processes of several components and parts to perform their tasks.

A computer consists of many parts, including a motherboard (which is also made of several components), the disk drives, the processor, graphic cards and many more... all of which has its own roles in the computer's processes.

Like a computer, the brain is formed out of parts. Besides having the left and right brain, there are also parts of the brain that take care of emotions, mathematical calculations, body co-ordinations and many other tasks needed for our daily activities.

Electrical signals

Both work by transmitting "logic signals" to each of their parts. Signals are both electrical

i.e. A computer works by using binary ("on"/"off" logical signals known as "bits", put together as "bytes" to represent data.) To communicate internally between components, represent information and store data.

In a way, neurons in the brain are either "on" or "off" by either firing an action potential or not firing an action potential.

Memory capacity

Both can increase their memory storage capacity.

Computer memory grows by adding computer chips/external hard drives/ pre-installed hard drives. Memories in the brain grow by stronger synaptic connections.

Self-maintenance

Both computers and brain have repair and "backup" systems.

The brain has "built-in back up systems" in some cases. If one pathway in the brain is damaged, there is often another pathway that will take over this function of the damaged pathway.Similar to a computer, where backup files can be stored in the computer.

Degrading with time

Both can degrade. Computers break down and brain cells deteriorate

Like all machines, computers break down with time. Brain cells deteriorate with age, losing their functions and slowing down because of lower counts of chemicals and hormones in the body.

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