Be Taken Seriously

There are times when it is important to let your inner child out to play but other times call for being taken seriously. If you are trying to pitch a sell for your software development skills for a new job or get your employees to do what you need them. One of the things that you can do is let people talk about themselves. It will let the other person trust you more because of the social bond. When meeting someone new, you should dress the part, master the handshake and the right posture. Appearances are our first filters and we make subconscious judgements about the people around us. The more room you take up while standing, the more perceived power you will have. Also, be more prepared than everyone in the room in your area and across the board in other areas so that you can keep up in conversations.

Mobile Applications For Being Happier

With the days being incredibly short and somewhat dark, more people are going to feel down which is a natural response to the weather. Throw in snow and cold into the mix and we have a cocktail for days of hiding under the blanket. The internet can be a great thing when it comes to helping yourself feel better and happier. Now before your mind goes down that road, keep reading. There are many different mobile applications that focus on making you much happier and healthier. Destressify teaches exercises to calm the mind, achieve emotional balance, and relax. Centered helps manage stress using meditation techniques. Happier is an on the go journal that lets you record happy moments which can help you feel more optimistic. Lumosity takes a different approach where it challenges your mind with problems and different exercises. Do you know of any other mobile applications or web applications that help bring more happiness to life?

Having a Productive Office

There are some unwritten rules of running a very productive office. One of them being that every opinion should count. This will create an environment where people are not afraid to speak their minds and the added morale will enable the people to want to work harder for the company. Another great rule to have in place is that hours are flexible. Every person has different hours when they are productive and their work schedule should be able to fit in the schedule. This is important for everyone to thrive. Too many companies have a culture where if you eat at your desk while perfecting that software development project, you are seen as more productive than the one that goes out for 30 minutes. It is even important to set an example as the employer and take breaks yourself. Lastly, it might be a good idea to let your employees move things around to make themselves more comfortable. It creates a more productive environment.

Video Conferencing Tips

Great video conferencing does not just happen overnight. There are a couple things that we should all do to make the event better. First of all, mute your microphone what you are not speaking because background noise can be annoying. On the same note, make sure that the settings are set correctly and everything is working before you launch into your speech. As far as the camera goes, make sure that you do not have weird angles because that can get a bit distracting. Place the camera at eye level and on the monitor you plan to use. Make sure your room is well lit because few things are worse than having a professional meeting while feeling like you're talking to someone in a dungeon. Make sure that you are dressed up, even your bottoms. You never know if you have to get up. Also, clean up the room because it still has to be professional.

Egg Freezing

I am sure that by now you have heard about how Apple decided to fund the freezing of eggs for women in their company as a benefit. This is coming on the heels of study about how there is inequality in the number of women in the technology and software development work field. This is supposed to come off as a perk but it sends a rather chilly message. Building a career coincides with child bearing years for most women and it is a constant struggle to achieve both. By providing payment for freezing eggs, the companies are avoiding much larger costs that are involved with hiring a woman who has children such as paid family leave and child care, as well as flexible schedules. Do you think that these companies are just paying women to put off children so that it benefits the company as well?

Protecting Digital Assets

It used to be so easy to protect your computer from any threats. All you had to do is make sure that your firewall was on and that you had an antivirus program, and never click on anything stupid. These days, all it take is a compromised website. There are organized gangs that are working relentlessly past all those web developments and using sophisticated software. You also have to worry about all the other devices that are connected to the internet, not just the computer. You have your mobile phone, TV, and internet phone. Thankfully there are some things that you can do. Make sure that you change the WiFi router settings from the default. This is the gateway to your machines that are connected. Also make sure that your firmware is up to date. Speaking of getting things up to date, check your antivirus program, software, and operating system. You also have to use two factor authentication. Lastly, shut up on social media. There is really no need to share personal information, like your cat's name, online.

Tech Doing Our Chores

Are we lazy or just making room and time to expand our potential for thinking and creativity. Technology and the expansion of mobile applications has conditioned us to expect ease, efficiency and speed in almost everything we do. Once it came from sewing machines and dishwashers, later from Google and Kayak, and most recently from start-ups that provide on-demand services like Uber for cars, Instacart for groceries and Munchery for dinner. Economists think about outsourcing chores in terms of opportunity costs. If you can work during the hour you would have spent mailing a package, it would probably be a better use of your time — as, perhaps, would taking a nap, going for a run or spending time with your child. If it is put in that perspective, it might just be the best solution to our so called 8 day week. What people do not realize is the value of time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day so how is it that some people are able to make much better use of it? Being able to outsource chores had been made easier by our smartphones which are able to sense location. What do you think?

Shopping Online

Do you prefer to shop online or in the store? Which do you think is safer to do? It’s just easier for hackers to profit by stealing information linked to credit cards swiped in physical stores, he said. Such data can be used to make counterfeit cards and presents fewer obstacles for thieves than information stolen from online shoppers. This is not to say that software development for the stealing of card online is not constantly expanding and evolving. More information is actually given when someone swipes the magnetic strip in a store than just by the number online. Of course there are also experts that claim that in store shopping is not more dangerous. By 2015, all retailers and and even banks will be required to use the chip and pin cards that use an embedded chip in the card as well as a pin to make any transactions. And now we have mobile payments thrown into the picture. I guess we will have to see which way payments will evolve.

More Life Lessons

I'm just going to get right to it and not beat around the bush. These are the things I learned growing up....though I am still growing up and probably will be for the next sixty years or so. Anyway, success will always come with failures. It has been shown that people who worry about mistakes get paralyzed by it and not go on. Those that are relaxed about doing badly, soon learn to do well and succeed. Speaking of success, people tend to believe that it matters what others think of them. First of all it is the important people, like your boss, that you have to worry about. Second of all, stop letting hypotheses about other people's hypotheses about you run your life. Think about it. Now on to beauty. You really think all that matters? Yes, the good looking people get preferential treatment in most situations but even though everyone is looking at them, they are never seen. Do you really want someone to marry your waistline and not that amazing mind that can solve ten different web application issues before breakfast?

How To Not Get Hacked

I am sure that you have probably heard of the nude photo leaks of celebrities. You are not immune, in case you needed a reminder. One of the most important things that you can do is not reuse passwords. If they get you, this is how you’ll get got. You need to take the time to really make strong passwords because the software development for figuring them out is getting more and more sophisticated, especially if you have a certain pattern to your passwords. Another thing you can do is set up a two factor authentication which means that if someone is logging in on a different device, a special code will be sent to an authorized device. A good password manager will help you create and manage strong passwords that you can use to log in from the Web or your mobile device. All you’ll ever need to know is the master password. The rest of your passwords are encrypted, and can only be unlocked by that master password.

Upgrading School Tech

Connected learning can refer to being able to bring more resources into the classroom but it is also defined as using technology to "fuse young people's interests, friendships and academic achievements through hands-on production, shared purpose and open networks." These connections might enable students to help each other and further their education. This is kind of the same model that is used in scientific settings such as labs. The movement seems to be catching on because there are a lot of mobile applications that are being developed to facilitate the learning and collaborating. The way that students learn needs to reflect how the real world works. This means that it is not able getting the best grade but being able to leverage knowledge. What do you think of the overhaul that is on the cusp of the educational system?

Working From Home

Working from home is not easy. Agreed, there are plenty of software that is supposed to help with it such as internet phone services for video conferencing and other communication services. None of it matters though if you are not disciplined, motivated, and more importantly a self-starter. One of the best things you can do to get the day going is to start the day like you are going to work and doing things like taking a shower and actually getting dressed. You should also set up your office and have a dedicated space to working. Even though you are working from home, you should still stay connected with your employees using tool such as Skype. Lastly, it is very important that you are able to close the door at the end of the day, so to speak. Your business will suffer, actually, if all you do is focus obsessively on it.

Towards That Beautiful Middle Ground

It is a tough market out there, I get it. We do things to make ends meet and sometimes it comes at the cost of our free time or family time which can induce loads of stress. One of the best tips is to set daily goals before going to work the next day. This way, you can be more focused and knowing exactly what you have to do will ensure that you procrastinate less and be more productive. It is lower stress and make you feel a bit happier going home. Another great tip is to delegate. This will let you get more done when you don't try doing everything yourself. Also, prioritize what you need to get done. That way, you won't be constantly worrying about completing these vital software development projects and can relax (a little bit) after they are complete. Lastly, the most important thing to remember is to never procrastinate. It will enable you to be more flexible when life decides to throw you a curve ball. Good luck finding your happy middle ground.

Smart Shoes

An Indian company called Ducere Technologies has created sneakers and insoles called Lechal that pair with an app and Google Maps to help you get from place to place. The shoe and insole are both connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth. You input a destination on the app and then as you walk around, your left or right shoe vibrates to show you which way to turn. And you thought that all that mobile application development for footwear was for naught. Shoes are pretty great things to begin with, they keep you from stepping on very uncomfortable things and keep your feet looking great. It could be used for amazing purposes such as helping blind people navigate but on the flipside, if your shoes are connected to bluetooth with a geolocation, there is always the possibility of someone tracking someone else.

The Creative Wall

When we are writing an article, photoshopping that photo, or write the perfect mobile application or business application, we have all be confronted by creative blocks and just hit a wall sometimes. So how do you keep those juices flowing? One of the best things that you can do is just stop what you are doing and get out of the building. Chances are that you are sitting at a desk staring at a computer for far too long. Getting out of there and changing environments is a great stimulant. Now that you have left the building, you might want to get some exercise. Exercise allows your conscious mind to access fresh ideas that are buried in the subconscious. Go for a walk, run, or even try some yoga poses, as long as it’s keeping your mind off of the task at hand. Lastly, it might be a good idea to get enough sleep and rest. Your mind needs to be fully functional for those creative juices to start flowing and to get somewhere in your work.

The Broken Internet

Recently, the FCC passed laws that are supposedly protecting the open internet. Well here is the rundown of what really happened and how it could affect web development. The truth is there are only so many lanes of highway (without laying new highway) and everything travels at the same speed (the speed of light). The FCC rules just passed allow cable companies to reserve lanes on the highway for billionaires, forcing the rest of us to use the remaining lanes. Now, your highway goes from a 12-lane superhighway to six-lane highway. During rush hour you will be stuck barely moving while wealthy people will be humming along at 70mph to their destination. This means that services like Netflix will increase their prices. The FCC is asking for public input on how they should change the rules.

Ways Smartphones are Making Us Dumber

Most people have a smartphone or at the very least access to technology and the internet. With the vast amount of information that people have at their fingertips, it has only marginally advanced humans. Here are a couple examples. You are able to stay in contact with anyone around the world through the use of internet phone services and other mobile application but too many people are using it for keep tabs of exes or family members. Even better, you can use it to text the person right next to you. Books, newspapers, magazines — your smartphone has almost anything you'd ever want to read. But there's also Candy Crush. When are they turning that into a novel? On the other hand though, the internet and technology has opened so many more doors for us in terms of databases. We are now more free to analyze and think critically than before. What are your thoughts about these smartphones? Would you ever go back to regular phone?

The Web Needs Independence

Tim Berners-Lee said, "Now, 25 years on, Web users are realizing they need human rights on the Web ... We need independence of the Web for democracy, we need independence of the Web to be able to support the press, we need independence of the Web in general. It's becoming very important to sort out all that." If spying is one threat, Berners Lee believes censorship is another. He recalls the situation in Egypt, where the Internet was cut off at the height of anti-government protests in January 2011. "For a lot of people that was the first time they realized you could turn it off, and they asked themselves, who could turn it off for me?" he says, adding that "turning off the Internet is more or less a signal that the regime does not trust its citizens and that the regime is on the way out." The Web We Want campaign will rely on mass mobilization across industries, nations and activist bodies to succeed, but Berners-Lee is confident of fostering a spirit of cooperation. He has seen it before and considers it the Web's greatest accomplishment. The webs needs to be free for web development, application development, and all the users. On the other hand, this brings up the question of anonymity. Can we really have people having saying whatever without taking responsibility for it? When does it cross a line?

Human Cost of Electronics

Benzene poisoning is not the fault of any one global electronic brand. It is the human cost of electronic sweatshops where profit is prioritized above safety. There are less hazardous chemicals than benzene. But benzene continues to be used because it is the cheapest. Some experts caution if major electronics brands force their suppliers to stop using benzene, they will just substitute it with another chemical that is equally as risky. Nonetheless I believe we should push for a healthier, more just world.
I am not alone. A Ban Benzene campaign was launched in 2013 by non-governmental organizations in Hong Kong trying to help thousands of workers in China. Other groups are pushing for an end to the impunity of factories there. This is an industry-wide problem that will clean itself up faster when all major brands band together and combine resources to put pressure on suppliers. Benzene poisoning is just the tip of the iceberg. Suicides, depression, and worker injuries are commonplace. So the next time you pick up your cell phone or other communication service just remember: there is a human cost to your conversation.

Staying in Desktop Mode

On the Start screen, find the Desktop icon and tap it to switch. Right-click the taskbar at the bottom (or tap and hold there for a second to bring up the menu), and click Properties > Navigation. Under Start screen, check the “When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start” option, then OK. Now when you boot Windows or when you close a program, the PC will default to the Desktop and not the Start screen.

Charms are Windows 8 menus that you can reveal by swiping in from the right edge or down from the top of the screen. You can also activate them with the keyboard and they can make life easier and accessing internet phone systems more pain free.

• Windows Logo key + C to bring up the right edge Charms menu
• Windows Logo key + H to open Share
• Windows Logo key + I to open Settings (general and app-specific)
• Windows Logo key + Z to open app commands (same as swiping down from the top)