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91

IT Forum / Will Nissan Beat Google and Uber to Self-Driving Taxis?

« on: March 17, 2015, 08:15:20 PM »

Who will build the first robot taxis? Google has a working prototype but no experience in manufacturing cars. Uber, meanwhile, knows the transportation business but has only just started working on autonomous vehicles with Carnegie Mellon University.

Documents obtained by IEEE Spectrum suggest the first cab capable of driving itself (and that you won’t feel obliged to tip) might be made by Nissan. In January, the Japanese automaker announced that it would be working with NASA to “demonstrate proof-of-concept remote operation of autonomous vehicles for the transport of . . . goods . . . and people.” Using a California Public Records Act request, Spectrum has uncovered more details on the particular technologies Nissan and NASA plan to share and, more important, that the main goal of their collaboration appears to be the development of a fleet of remotely-supervised autonomous taxis.

The documents reveal that Nissan has set an aggressive schedule for the project, planning to have prototype cars operating within two years. Google and Uber are both rumored to be pursuing the same goal, so a race for the mythical robo-taxi is on. (A European consortium is in the race too.)

Nissan has long been a champion of self-driving cars, with its chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn claiming the company would introduce autonomous vehicles by 2018. The company also makes taxis, such as the NV200 “Taxi of Tomorrow,” which is about to replace New York City’s traditional Ford Crown Victoria cabs. An all-electric model, the e-NV200, is already on sale in Europe.

The agreement between the Nissan Research Center Silicon Valley and NASA’s Ames Research Center calls for the space agency to “provide expertise to develop and test supervisory control of multiple autonomous vehicles for transport service.” If this sounds futuristic, it’s because it is: the project will include modifying NASA’s software for operating planetary rovers, visualizing their surroundings, and controlling them with telerobotic interfaces. NASA will also assist Nissan in the design, development, testing, and assessment of prototypes.
img Photo: NASA/Ames/Dominic Hart An all-electric Nissan Leaf equipped with autonomous drive systems parked at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

That assessment will happen right at NASA Ames, a complex of buildings, labs, and hangars in the heart of Silicon Valley. A number of streets and parking lots will act as a practical test bed for Nissan’s autonomous electric vehicles (Leafs at first), potentially alongside Google’s self-driving cars, which are also due to begin testing there this year. The parking lots in this area will be closed to all other pedestrians and vehicles. In return, Nissan will pay NASA an undisclosed sum. Nissan declined to comment on this story.

One of the technologies that NASA will modify is its Robot Application Programming Interface Delegate (RAPID), open source software that simplifies communications between robots and their command-and-control systems. RAPID has been used with walking and flying robots, as well as in an experiment involving a wheeled rover on Earth controlled from the International Space Station. Nissan will also make use of NASA’s Vision Workbench, an image processing and computer vision library, and algorithms from NASA’s rover software for robotic exploration.

Particularly useful for Nissan is likely to be NASA’s Virtual Environment for Remote Visual Exploration (VERVE). This interactive 3D visualization tool was designed to incorporate multiple data feeds from Mars rovers, including stereo video cameras, LIDAR systems, digital compasses, and inertial measurement units—some of the same sensors found on self-driving vehicles today.

“Typically we work with rovers to explore terrain that has not been well mapped,” says a document written by researchers at NASA’s Intelligent Robotics Group, which developed VERVE. “As the rovers traverse an area, they build more accurate maps.” This fits well with Nissan’s autonomous vehicle technology. Unlike Google’s self-driving cars, which rely on ultra-detailed maps accurate to centimeters, Nissan uses what it calls “sparse maps,” created with third-party data that offers much less detail. If effective, this approach promises to be easier to scale than Google’s expensive and data-intensive maps that, even now, cover little more than the company’s home town of Mountain View.

According to the Nissan-NASA agreement, the taxi demonstration will integrate a service-oriented software architecture, road map, and database. Software will include a “telerobotic user interface,” “real-time performance monitoring,” and “automatic event summarization,” the documents say. Any lessons learned are intended to “enable Nissan North America to better plan for development and commercialization of autonomous vehicles and applications.”

That commercialization won’t start at Ames, however, as workers at the base are forbidden from using the prototypes as their own personal taxis. The agreement stipulates: “Ames personnel will not participate in testing involving the transport of humans in conjunction with their daily official duties or their personal activities (ie transiting to meetings, lunch etc).” To avoid robotic traffic jams, NASA also reserves the right to limit the number of Nissan vehicles on the Ames campus at different times of day.

Nissan already has a thriving taxi business and some of the most accomplished autonomous vehicle prototypes in the world. If NASA can swiftly adapt its rover technologies into the supervisory and control systems Nissan needs, sleekly space-age robot taxis might be pulling up to the curb sooner than many people think.

ref: http://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/will-nissan-beat-google-and-uber-to-self-driving-taxis

92

IT Forum / Uber Turns from Google, Teams Up with Carnegie Mellon on Self-Driving Cars

« on: March 17, 2015, 08:12:18 PM »

Yesterday, TechCrunch previewed the announcement of a partnership between Uber and Carnegie Mellon University to create the Uber Advanced Technologies Center. CMU and its National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) will be working with Uber on research and development “primarily in the areas of mapping and vehicle safety and autonomy technology.” Looks like Uber wants to start working on its own self-driving cars.

While this is obviously great news for autonomous cars in general, it complicates the relationship between Uber and Google, the company that currently has the most experience in autonomous cars. In August of 2013, Google Ventures invested over a quarter of a billion dollars in Uber. It’s easy to see why Google was so optimistic about Uber, even if we just look at it purely from an autonomous vehicles perspective: the idea of autonomous taxis makes a huge amount of sense—even more than making autonomous vehicles available directly to consumers. With cars that drive themselves, you don’t need to own a car, since you can (hypothetically) have access to one whenever you need it, without depending on the availability of a human driver, which is how Uber currently works. And no matter how much you drive, your car probably spends the vast majority of its life inefficiently sitting empty and useless. There are so many arguments for autonomous car sharing that Google, with its moonshot philosophy, must see it as an inevitability. And Uber is a logical if incremental step in that direction. The autonomous vehicle technology itself is yet another step, along with social and legal acceptance.

The question, then, is why Uber has suddently decided to scrap a partnership that seems like it would be mutually beneficial for both it and Google in order to invest so heavily in its own autonomous vehicle research. According to Bloomberg News, it may be because Google has quietly been developing a ridesharing app that is in active use by Google employees—although the Wall Street Journal spoke to a Google source who said that the app was designed for carpooling and was not a competitor.

One possibility (and this is just speculation) is that there’s a big difference between developing autonomous car technology, which is what Google has been doing, and manufacturing autonomous cars. Despite having created fully-autonomous car prototypes, Google has consistently maintained that it doesn’t want to get into the automotive manufacturing business, and that it would be much rather partner with existing manufacturers who want to leverage the robocar technology that Google has developed. This doesn’t necessarily do much for Uber, which probably wants an autonomous car solution. Google doesn’t have any existing partnerships that we know about, and in the meantime, car companies are actively developing autonomous technologies by themselves. They’re not nearly as far along as Google is, but on the other hand, technologies such as adaptive cruise control and lane keeping are already in production cars that you can buy right now.

To be clear, there’s a huge difference between the full autonomy that Google is working on, and the partial autonomy that manufacturers are expecting to have in consumer vehicles in the next few years. Our guess has always been that what Google ultimately wants, as a data company and not a hardware company, is to provide the maps and mapping intelligence for autonomous vehicles, and not the vehicles themselves. Uber, on the other hand, wants its own robocars, and maybe that’s what this new partnership with CMU is about.

It’s also worth noting that much of Google’s existing self-driving car program came from a very similar academic foundation. In 2005, Stanford’s autonomous Volkswagen Touareg “Stanley” won the DARPA Grand Challenge for autonomous vehicles, and in 2007, “Junior” took second in the DARPA Urban Challenge. Both of these teams were led by Stanford professor Sebastian Thrun, who took a sabbatical in 2007 to work at Google on autonomous cars and basically never left.

In 2010, Volkswagen invested a bunch of money into VAIL, the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Lab at Stanford. It was such a big deal that German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the opening. Later in 2010, Google’s autonomous car program was announced, and soon after that, Thrun officially left Stanford to work full time at Google. From what we hear, many, if not most, of the Stanford students with autonomous car experience have also moved to Google. This left VAIL feeling rather empty and (one has to assume) also left Volkswagen rather irked. Similarly, sources at CMU told TechCrunch that Uber has already hired more than fifty scientists from CMU, leaving NREC “cleaned out,” just as VAIL was.

However, this is the whole point of academic research, right? You get something working in a laboratory like VAIL or NREC, and then once it’s pretty solid, you take it out of the lab and start trying to get it to a point where it’ll work in the real world. After that, you commercialize it so that you can make a whole bunch of money by selling that technology to people like me, who are more than happy to pay you because it makes our lives better.

Regardless of what ends up happening between Uber and Google, more investment in autonomous cars is an absolutely fantastic thing. Beyond technology development, there are a lot of legal and social issues that have to be figured out. Overcoming those hurdles will take the coordinated resources of as many major players as possible, including Uber, Google, car manufacturers, and consumers who say, “Yes, this is something we want.” Autonomous cars are safer. They’re cheaper. They can make commutes quicker, unknot traffic jams, and be efficient public and private transit all at once. This is the next big thing. Let’s make it happen.

ref: http://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/uber-turns-from-google-teams-up-with-carnegie-mellon-on-selfdriving-cars

93

IT Forum / Google's Self-Driving Car Pals Revealed

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:47:29 PM »

Google took the unusual step last week of identifying key technology partners in the development of its new prototype self-driving car. Speaking at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, project director Chris Urmson named Continental, Roush, Bosch, ZFLS, RCO, FRIMO, Prefix, and LG as companies that had helped to build the pod-like vehicle. The fully autonomous vehicle is undergoing testing at Google’s private track in California prior to road tests at NASA Ames later this year.

The announcement might seem strange considering how secretive Google was about its original self-driving Prius cars, which IEEE Spectrum revealed only last year as having been largely built by a little-known start-up in Berkeley.
The $64,000 question is where the Google car’s LIDAR will come from.

From information supplied by Google’s press team, it is possible to get an idea of what each company is contributing:

Roush Enterprises is a Detroit-based engineering firm that was already known to have been contracted for design integration and final assembly of the fleet of 100 autonomous vehicles.

One of the most interesting new announcements is that of LG, which is supplying the battery for the plug-in vehicle. LG is also developing a battery for GM’s new 300-kilometer Bolt EV, possibly utilizing a modular lithium ion system similar to that found in Tesla’s vehicles.

Bosch is quoted as supplying major components of the electric powertrain including power electronics and what it calls the E-Machine. This device works as a motor to turn electricity from the battery into mechanical energy for driving, and as a generator to recharge the battery during regenerative braking.

Bosch is also providing the Google car’s long-range radar unit, and is about to fully acquire ZFLS, aka ZF Lenksysteme, a German steering systems company. ZFLS is, unsurprisingly, building the steering technology for Google’s car, which uses parallel, redundant motors to ensure the car never loses the ability to direct itself.

RCO Engineering is designing the seats for the car, while FRIMO will make plastic and composite components for it interior and exterior. Prefix is a general automotive design and manufacturing engineering firm.

Continental’s role is perhaps the most obscure. The German auto supplier now has an “intelligent transportation systems” business unit based in Silicon Valley, and has been developing multiple self-driving technologies in competition with Google, including its own autonomous VW Passats. At the moment, we only know that Continental is supplying Google with tires and some unspecified electronics and components. A Reuters report from the Auto Show said that Google is also using microprocessors from Nvidia to power its object detection and recognition software.

The US $64,000 question is where the Google car’s LIDAR will come from. Actually, it’s more like a $70,000 question: the price of the Velodyne device used in Google’s previous vehicles. At a conference in Washington last Monday, Urmson said that some of the LIDAR sensors were being designed in house because Google was unhappy with what was available. This is the single most expensive component of Google’s design. It will be interesting to see whether Velodyne (or another LIDAR supplier) can bring the price down fast enough to make self-driving cars affordable within five years, when Urmson expects Google’s technology to be production-ready.

Google’s decision to go public with its suppliers, while uncharacteristic, is sending a clear message to the auto industry. It suggests that Google does not intend to bulldoze its way into car showrooms the way it did, say, in mobile phones, by simply buying Motorola’s handset business. Neither is it attempting to rebuild the industry from scratch like Tesla. By revealing the extent to which it is relying on well-established automotive companies, Google is signaling that it is content to be part of the existing ecosystem of OEMs and specialist suppliers. Whether Google itself ultimately ends up as a manufacturer or a supplier, its apparent intention to play nice will help many in Detroit breathe easier.

ref: http://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/googles-selfdriving-car-pals-revealed

94

IT Forum / Should You Buy a Mac or a PC? (part 2)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:38:53 PM »

Programming

Computer programmers are evenly split on whether Macs or PCs make better programming tools. The truth is, it comes down to a matter of personal preference. Macs developed a comprehensive suite of developer tools with their OS 10 which, if used properly, can help you get to the moon. PCs have always been oriented toward programming; in fact, the DOS/Windows interface was developed mainly as a way to stay competitive with the user friendly Mac interface. However, many programmers have complained that Macs are slower than PCs when it comes down to executing large amounts of freshly programmed code.

Personal Use

If you enjoy playing video games in your spare time, buying a PC is probably the best choice. This is partly because PCs are easier to hook up to auxiliary equipment like television sets or other devices. Although USB ports are evenly distributed between Macs and PC, the higher data transfer portals of a Mac do not always adapt easily to most conventional televisions, making it difficult to quickly relay information between the two devices, whereas the higher data transfer portals of a PC are usually very adaptable to auxiliary devices.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to design or develop creative projects in your personal time, Macs are a much better choice. Because Apple has invested so much time in making the user interface incredibly easy to use, spending time creating music or drawing or editing movies becomes less about the computer and more about the activity; you forget you are using a computer, and can instead focus on the act of creation. PCs have a more rigid approach; it’s hard to forget that you’re on a computer.

Cloud Computing and the Future of Virtualization

Of course, with the tech community excited about the potential of cloud computing, computer memory is going to become less of an issue, with flexibility, mobility, and processing speed becoming increasingly important when making purchasing decisions. Mac’s suite of mobile devices are far better adapted to shifting between different geographical areas while also offering enough functionality to make them viable business tools. However, for now you should buy the computer that best suits your needs, and plan on the inevitable: no matter what you buy now, in a few years it will be completely outdated anyway!

reference: http://www.computertips.com/computer-buying-tips/

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IT Forum / Should You Buy a Mac or a PC? (part 1)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:37:06 PM »

Deciding whether to buy a Mac or a PC should be based on two main points: your budget and whether the computer is primarily for business or pleasure. Both types of computers are excellent for specific tasks, although if you are planning to go to work and bring your computer with you, you may need to consider what types of computers your coworkers will have to make it easier to swap files or compare notes. Here a few basic tips on how to choose the right computer for you.

Budget

There’s no debate—Macs are far more expensive than PCs. If money is a big issue for you, you’ll want to buy a PC. However, Macs aren’t overpriced. Unlike PCs, each computer is designed for maximum efficiency in both processing speed and ease of use. While PCs frequently crash and are vulnerable to spyware and viruses, Macs resist most viral attacks and operate at a consistently high standard with virtually no technical issues. If you can afford it, a Mac is an excellent investment which will work for you for years.

Business

While Macs have always been the preferred computer of graphic designers and other creative individuals, for most corporate office work, PCs have long been favored over Macs. For this reason, PCs still dominate in most business settings.

Up until a few years ago, the major software designed for business suites, like the Microsoft Suite, was designed chiefly for PCs. However, the popularity of other Apple products such as the iPod and iPad has started to change the way Macs are perceived in the larger corporate world. Most business software now has versions available for both Macs and PCs. Because of their heftier price tag, Macs still have a long way to go in making a dent in the corporate world, although in terms of functionality they perform just as well as a PC.

Graphically, Macs have richer displays and a Linux based operating system that makes them ideal for manipulating complex information such as layered graphical displays. Photoshop was initially designed for the Mac. If you are buying a computer for use in a professionally creative setting, your coworkers will likely also be using Macs.

reference: http://www.computertips.com/computer-buying-tips/

96

IT Forum / Tips For Launching Your Own Blog (part 3)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:34:23 PM »

Promoting Your Blog

Blogs need to be promoted in order to flourish. It’s very rare for a blog to receive large amounts of traffic from search engines like Google alone, especially when the blog’s just getting started. A good promotion strategy is absolutely essential, and a strong promotion strategy begins with social media websites.

Promote each blog post from a new blog on websites like Twitter and Facebook. Don’t spam your friends and followers; only post a single link to each blog post, and try to reach out to other bloggers through social websites. Developing a relationship with other writers will allow you to learn about the good habits that lead to regular traffic. You can even ask another writer to post a guest entry on your blog from time to time. This is a good way to build an audience of regular readers.

Always check the comments for each entry and respond to your readers. Cultivate a sense of community by interacting with each commenter and even addressing some of their questions or comments directly in new blog posts. This encourages the return traffic that is important for a new blog.

Finally, blog regularly. Any blog will fail if it doesn’t have regular posts. Posting once a day or more will keep visitors coming back and will quickly lead to better opportunities for money and better traffic. Every blogger should consider consistency to be extremely important–keep a consistent stream of quality entries for the best possible success.

source: http://www.computertips.com/blogging-tips/

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IT Forum / Tips For Launching Your Own Blog (part 2)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:32:56 PM »

Blog Hosting Providers

Most bloggers use a hosting provider like WordPress.com or Blogger. There are several major advantages to these services. They’re inexpensive and may even be free until a blog develops large amounts of regular traffic. Also, the online blogging software provided by these hosting services offers instant, easy organization for a blog of any size.

Many bloggers know only basic HTML and don’t really want to invest a lot of time into things like page design. For these individuals, integration with a hosting provider can keep costs down while streamlining the blogging process. They’re also ideal for first time bloggers because they simplify the process. By using a hosting provider you’ll spend more time writing and less time worrying about page design and web programming languages.

Professional and amateur bloggers will need to consider the price and uptime of various hosting providers before making a selection. The service packages of websites like WordPress.com and Blogger change quite often in both price and offerings. It’s usually a good idea to start out with a package that offers at least 50% more capability for incoming traffic than you plan on using each month. This way, your blog won’t suddenly crash if you write a successful post.

Blogging services can quickly become expensive. They’re worth the money in the long run, as they’ll allow you to keep all of the earnings from ads on your new blog–which is something that free alternatives with “unlimited bandwidth” won’t offer you.

Speaking of money, you’ll have to be on the lookout for ways to make a profit from a blog. Most blogs use ads from Google and Amazon Marketplace. Many bloggers also offer other services and products directly from their sites.

source: http://www.computertips.com/blogging-tips/

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IT Forum / Tips For Launching Your Own Blog (part 1)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:31:43 PM »

Blogging has developed from a specialized hobby to a full-time occupation. Many writers live off of their blogs, and anyone with something unique to say can gain an audience and a steady paycheck with the right techniques.

Starting A New Blog

Launching a blog requires some planning. This starts with the name and address of the blog.

It’s important to pick a good domain name, as the URL of a website is one of the most powerful tools that a blogger has at his disposal for repeat traffic. Think of a domain name as a 21st century toll free number: It has to be memorable or it won’t be effective.

    blog’s domain name should be descriptive of its subject and preferably a bit unusual. For example, a blog about arrowheads could simply be titled, “Arrowheads And How To Identify Them,” but something like “As The Arrowhead Flies” would be more memorable.

Bloggers should also try to pick a unique subject or to bring a unique perspective to the entries. Writing about hundreds of subjects will rarely lead to a successful blog. Content should be focused and direct. Visitors should know exactly what type of information that they can find on the blog, and using direct and simple approach improves the chances of regular traffic.

source: http://www.computertips.com/blogging-tips/

99

IT Forum / How to Set Up and Troubleshoot a Home Computer Network (part 2)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:29:24 PM »

Software Drivers

While software drivers for networking are fairly easy to find and download from the Internet, purchasing software directly from a computer retailer is recommended as a way to keep your network free of faulty software. A higher incidence of spyware and viruses makes downloading free software inadvisable, especially for something as sensitive as a computer network.

Purchasing software from one of the major companies, such as McAfee or Symantec, will also provide you with another vital component of wireless home networking: a firewall. Because wireless networks are difficult to secure, the best option is to buy software that not only allows you to network, but is built specifically to keep out uninvited users. Firewalls are designed to protect your valuable information behind a tightly secured ‘wall’ which can’t be accessed unless a very specific encrypted code is used.

Basic Set-Up

Now that you have all the components, you’ll want to set up the router first. Install the software driver onto each computer that will use the network. Set up a passkey that is fairly hard to break. Avoid simple or obvious terms that an outside user could easily guess. Set up each computer with this information.

The company that is providing your wireless connection will usually assign you a name and a passkey. However, in some configurations, you will be able to reprogram this information.

Troubleshooting

No matter how expertly a system is set up, on occasion a technical problem manifests, resulting in a lack of connectivity for computers. There are a few ways to quickly check what’s working and what’s not.

Usually, problems are caused by one of two things: the software on the computer itself is malfunctioning, and not allowing the computer to connect. You can test this by seeing if any other computers can connect to the network. If they can, the problem is local to that computer. A simple reboot of the software should solve this problem. However, if the software continues to be unable to connect to the internet, you will need to uninstall the software, and then reinstall it. Sometimes, a version can become corrupted. By wiping it clean and starting anew, the problem should resolve itself.

The second most common problem is that the router needs a quick reboot. If you purchase a quality router, you will not have this problem very often, although every now and again even the best routers need a quick reboot. Turn the router off for at least thirty seconds. Switch it back on, and check your connectivity in about ten minutes. This gives the system plenty of time to reset itself.

If this doesn’t work, the wireless provider may temporarily be out. Call your wireless provider to determine if they are experiencing an outage, and when you can expect the resumption of service. If all of these methods don’t resolve your problem, there is a basic flaw in your initial setup.

source: http://www.computertips.com/networking-tips/

100

IT Forum / How to Set Up and Troubleshoot a Home Computer Network (part 1)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:26:42 PM »

Setting up a home computer network may sound daunting, but it’s relatively simple, provided you break everything down into specific steps. Home computer networks are ideal for sharing a wireless connection among multiple computers, especially for those who have a home office, teenagers, or another computer configuration.

Purchasing a Router

Before you begin to worry about software, worry about hardware. A excellent router, like a Cisco router or a Linksys router, will save you from having to endlessly reboot and reprogram while still allowing you to quickly set up a home network. Make sure you buy from a company that has years of experience designing high quality routers that are capable of handling high amounts of traffic (such as data heavy media files). Virtually any home network will run smoothly without irritating slowness or delays.

Wireless Bandwidth

After you’ve purchased a router, the next step is to determine how much bandwidth you are receiving from your wireless connection. This becomes particularly important if you have a household where the network users are habitually downloading movies or other large data files. While a router can rapidly transfer this information, it is constrained by the amount of bandwidth available to the household. A connection that transmits data at 2.4 GHz with a 54 megabit speed is usually adequate to the task.

If your network feels exceptionally sluggish, check to make sure that you are receiving the wireless by ‘pinging’ the network. Alternatively, if you are receiving the full wireless bandwidth but are still experiencing slow results because of the types of media you are transferring, you may consider paying for a faster service.

source: http://www.computertips.com/networking-tips/

101

Science and Information / Tips on Selecting the Best Printer for You (3)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:18:53 PM »

Media Choices

If you run large print jobs that you cannot always supervise, you should check the paper-tray capacity of the printer as well as the speed with which it processes, expressed in terms of pages per minute. Be sure the printer is tough enough for your usage by checking the number of images per month it is designed to process.

Also, if you plan to print more than just paper and envelopes, check to see if the printer accepts media such as banners, greeting cards, magnet sheets, or iron-on transfer sheets. Can the copier use legal-sized paper as well as letter-sized?

Further Considerations

Don’t overlook some common-sense issues in making your printer selection. If you have limited space and need a machine with specific dimensions, be sure your the machine is sized appropriately. Double check what kind of connection the printer requires–USB, high-speed USB, Ethernet, etc–to prevent nasty surprises when you try to set it up.

If you are still dithering between models, consider the manufacturer’s warranty and the price of the printer. All other factors being equal, choose the unit with the best warranty and the lowest price.

source: http://www.computertips.com/printing-tips/

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Science and Information / Tips on Selecting the Best Printer for You (2)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:17:33 PM »

Check the Specs

When you have narrowed down your choices, check the specs on the box for compatibility with your PC’s operating system, especially if you use Windows XP or earlier Windows systems. Printer manufacturers gear their latest products toward the latest Windows version, so currently most of them are designed for Windows 7 and Vista compatibility.

If a wireless printer is a must for your work environment, choose one that will serve all the PCs in your home or small business network via wireless modem. If you plan to use your printer at home while connected to your work PC via a remote desktop application, make sure that the printer you purchase works compatibly with the operating systems on your work and home PCs.

Other Functional Options

You should look for other specs that may be important for your specific printer applications to ensure that the device is going to answer all your needs. One useful way to compare the numerous functions of your top three models is to compare them side by side on an office supply website that sells several kinds.

Some of the printing functions that might make a difference in your use of a printer include automatic duplexing–two-sided printing; enlargement or reduction of an original document; and the resolution–measured in dpi or dots-per-inch–of both black and color documents that the printer can produce and fax.

source: http://www.computertips.com/printing-tips/

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Science and Information / Tips on Selecting the Best Printer for You (1)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:16:08 PM »

Learn how to choose a printer with the right capabilities for your needs

Printing Tips

Most consumers do their homework when it comes to selecting a new laptop PC, but in many cases, the purchase of a printer is an afterthought. If you are a business professional or student who relies on producing top quality proposals or research papers, your choice of a printer is critical to your success. You should pinpoint the equipment that is capable of handling the type of work you require, is convenient and trouble-free, and incorporates seamlessly into your workspaces.

The Choices

Depending on your expectations, any of a number of printer types may fill your bill. If you need a full-service machine that includes a scanner, fax, copier, and printer, you are in the market for an all-in-one unit. This type of printer is a great workhorse for a busy office in which you produce printed materials, sign documents and scan them for emailing, plus receive and send information by fax.

If you are not set up with a land-line phone however, you may not want a fax machine, selecting instead an all-in-one without a fax component. You will save a few dollars too. Before you scale back further, though, deciding that copying and scanning are features you don’t need, remember that you may have unforeseen occasions when you are glad your printer can perform these functions.

If you need a specific printer dedicated to a single purpose, such as photo printing, you should select your equipment accordingly. You can save on the purchase price of an all-in-one if you already have such a machine and only need a dedicated fax or an extra scanner.

Another consideration when selecting a printer is the price of replacement ink cartridges for inkjet models or toner cartridges for laser printers. Sometimes a low-priced unit is not such a great buy if you must devote big bucks to purchasing refills. Also check whether the printer comes with full-sized cartridges or “starter” cartridges that will require you to purchase refills sooner.

source: http://www.computertips.com/printing-tips/

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Science and Information / Why is My PC Crashing? (3)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:13:34 PM »

Possibility #5: Overheating

If you’ve run through all of the preceding possibilities and continue experiencing frequent crashes, a hardware issue could be to blame. An easy one to rule out is overheating. A computer’s CPU, or central processing unit, includes a fan that is designed to keep it running cool. Sometimes, the fan wears down and doesn’t work as efficiently; other times, it’s just not able to handle the work that your computer has to do. In either case, buying a bigger, better fan isn’t very expensive. If it puts an end to your PC crashing problem, it will have been more than worth it.

Don’t Put Up with Frequent Crashes!

As discussed, frequent computer crashes can be triggered by a wide variety of issues. Luckily, many of these issues are relatively easy to remedy. Work your way through the preceding list; chances are, you’ll be able to pinpoint the problem and put an effective cure to work. Nine times out of ten, a computer simply needs a little bit of routine maintenance to get it back on track again. In the future, keep these points in mind. Any time you buy a new computer, keep up with its basic maintenance right from the get-go. By doing that, you could avoid “blue screen of death” and crashing problems altogether – and that’s something that you’re bound to appreciate!

source: http://www.computertips.com/pc-troubleshooting/

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Science and Information / Why is My PC Crashing? (2)

« on: March 17, 2015, 07:12:08 PM »

Possibility #2: Disorganized Files

Windows operating systems handle file organization in a way that isn’t very intuitive. Basically, they break files up and fit them into gaps in the computer’s memory. As time goes by, these disorganized files can prompt frequent crashes. Luckily, a great optimization solution is built right into Windows-based PCs: the disk defragmentation utility. Although its location on a computer varies, you can generally locate it within the System and Security section inside the Control Panel. By running a defrag once every few months, you may be able to keep those pesky computer crashes at bay.

Possibility #3: Malicious Software

Malicious software can take many different forms. Sometimes, it’s a virus that is accidentally unleashed after opening a strange email; other times, its adware that tags along with other information that is automatically downloaded from a website. Whatever type it is, there’s no question that malicious software can wreak havoc on a computer’s performance. Happily, there are many topnotch programs out there that regularly scan your computer for the presence of such problems – and that help guard against them, too. Buy one, install it and use it regularly; your crash issues may come to an end.

Possibility #4: Too Little Available Memory

When you buy a new computer, it feels like there’s no end to the amount of memory that it has. Of course, this isn’t true at all. As never-ending as the available memory on your PC may initially seem, the fact is that it can be depleted with incredible speed. You can find out for sure by checking the information within “My Computer.” If it appears that your available memory is low, you can use a PC cleanup program to remove unnecessary files; such programs remove things like temporary Internet files and other file debris that can suck away much-needed memory.

source: http://www.computertips.com/pc-troubleshooting/