Lifestyle posts

It’s no secret that many American family purchases are made or influenced by women. The 80/20 rule, which says that women control 80% of the purchases, is a simplification and exaggeration on the facts, but it’s a good rule to follow simply because it emphasizes the power that moms in a household have over purchases. As mobile and online advertising continue to grow and influence the ways we buy, having an understanding of the female influence is essential. In this infographic, BuySellAds explores “mommy power” in purchases. Click to enlarge. …

Many companies are going virtual. It’s a natural cost-saving trend that reduces the need for physical space and allows workers to telecommute through the various technologies for collaboration and project management that are conducive for allowing people to work from home. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages. A “less personal” office experience where many or all employees are virtual can hurt employee camaraderie. It can hurt productivity by not allowing for the over-the-shoulder management approach. Some say it helps productivity, eliminating drive times and keeping…

The promise of the internet 2 decades ago was that it would help to reshape the way we do things. Education has always been considered something that a connected world could do better. In many ways, the dream has been realized, but there’s still so much more to do. From a sheer business perspective, education is a huge market. There are hundreds of companies vying for a spot in the growing digital education field. Most are failing to reach the masses. It’s a hard shield to crack – education has been shrouded behind tradition and stubborn reluctance to change even in light of the potential that computers,…

I admit it. I had no idea what Rounds (formerly 6rounds) was when a friend invited me to check it out. My first thought was that it’s just another TinyChat or Google Hangout. After about 3 minutes in, I realized it was much more than that. The easiest way to describe it is as a video chat client for Facebook or on the web that puts fun into the conversation. It’s not just another Skype. It gives users the ability to play around both with themselves and with each other. Play games, use webcam effects, bounce around a la Tinychat (but with “safety features”) – the features are designed for more than simply chatting….

Looking back at the world of music and communication, it’s amazing to see the transitions that have taken place to get to where we are now. With iPods, FLAC (free lossless audio codec), and the domination of digital files over physical venues, we are able to immerse ourselves in recordings of the highest imaginable quality. The days of the old slogan, “Is it live or is it Memorex?” are truly upon us. In this infographic, the sound pros over at Sonos break down the history and explore the evolution of sound systems from Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs and beyond. Click to enlarge. …

The thing that most people fear when they have mobile employees is the productivity level. As humans, the common belief is that we’re more productive when people are standing over our shoulders. In this world of mobile connectivity with devices that can do almost anything we need them to do from outside the office, atmospheres have changed and many consider themselves more productive when away from the cubicle. Is it true? Is it wishful thinking to believe that working from home or while traveling avails us to more efficient working? Some would argue that there are more distractions away from…

There is so much that can be learned about a people through social media data. People don’t always act the same way online as they do in the real world, but if anything it allows likes and interests to be more genuine based upon the anonymity associated (for now) with online activities. In other words, social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Tagged may know more about us than our friends and family do. In this graphic, we explore various pieces of data that help to paint a pretty clear picture of Americans and their online activities. We may all be aware that Americans love video games, but did you…

When Mark Dean, CTO of IBM Middle East and Africa, declared this morning that we are in the “Post-PC Era”, a tinge of frustration and anger popped up in me. Items that are used daily in millions of households across the world don’t simply die. I was annoyed when IBM CEO Lou Gerstner declared that “The PC is dead” in 1999. I was annoyed when they made the same claim in 2005 when they sold their personal computing division to Lenova. I was annoyed this morning when I read it again. Then, I realized something: they may be right this time. The younger generations Y and Z – 10-30 years old or whatever those boundaries…

What if every wall in your home was a digital display? What if your kitchen table would set itself and also be a touchscreen-enabled entertainment device. What if your kitchen counters were “smart” enough to know what items were on it and had the ability to react accordingly, keeping coffee cups warm and iced-tea cold? These are some of the questions that Microsoft asked when designing what they consider to be the “home of the future.” If it seems very much like Star Trek, only better in many ways, many would agree. The difference is that all of this is possible in the early 21st century, well ahead of…

The science behind hacking passwords has evolved much faster than the passwords themselves. While many websites and programs set limits on password-attempts that make brute-force attacks impossible, there are plenty of sites that do not. With many people using the same password for multiple sites and profiles, they don’t necessarily have to hack everything. They just need to find the weakest link. The cartoon above by XKCD brilliantly and simply explains why long passwords with common random words are much more effective than the standard 1 capital letter, 1 number, 1 symbol, 8-12 character-long…