The PC is alive and well

The latest and most notable technological jump has, undoubtedly, been the recent leap in remote computing technology. Access to gadgets like tablets and smartphones is widely available and extremely preferred with tech users. But what does this mean for the personal computer? With the recent shift towards portable personal computing, is there still a place in the technological landscape for PCs? The answer is a simple and resounding “yes.” Here are three of the biggest reasons why.

Desktops Are Still Needed

    The death of the desktop computer has been expected for years, yet it has never come. This is because updated and new technologies are still unable to reach the top-level performance of a well-built PC. The speed and power used to run state-of-the-art programs can’t be duplicated elsewhere. Neither the tablet nor the smartphone can operate at the level of a modern desktop unit. Because of this, the desktop continues to be a foundational computing technology, one that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Tablets Are Less Practical
   
    It’s plain to see the value of a good tablet. The portability and connectivity options make them highly useful tools. However, PCs are still the preferred model for high end computing. There are certain projects that are easier to complete on a PC in ways that outmatch the performance of a tablet. Because of this, PCs are still the preferred machine for typing long documents, running sophisticated programs or even surfing the web. The size and accoutrements of PCs make them the more practical machine.

Smartphones Are Less Functional

    It seems like everyone is using a smartphone these days. They are one of the most popular technologies in recent years, and an very helpful tool when interacting with email and social media or even making a call. Some critics say that smartphones will begin to steal the laptop market as their design becomes more sophisticated. However, Smartphones still face certain physical limitations. The average basic laptop user utilizes their machine for Internet access and word processing. While smartphones offer some competition in Internet access, can you imagine a student writing a full term paper on a tiny smartphone screen? Neither can we.


    While the portable industry has made remote computing better than ever, it’s still important to have faith in the importance of PCs. For more reasons why the PC age is still alive and well, take a look at this article.

Manners and Connectivity

In the age of connectivity, the rules of etiquette have either gotten more complex or have been thrown out all together. In social situations these days, you are often deluged with phone calls, texts, emails, updates from Twitter, Facebook, or other any number of other social media feeds. It may seem like a wise practice to turn off your cell phone or at least silence it in social settings, but some people don’t realize that they aren’t giving you their full attention when they say the alert from their phone will “only take a second.” Here are several examples of connectivity faux pas and tips to avoid making them.


Phones at the Dinner Table – Just as you would not turn your back to someone you are talking with, texting or answering your phone while dining is not very polite.

Tips to Avoid this:

  • Excuse yourself from the table if you need to take an urgent call.
  • If you know you will be distracted and curious if your phone alerts you of a text, take a preventive step and turn it off.
  • For dinners lasting longer than an hour, you could suggest the table take a “cell phone break” for those who need or want to check their emails or messages.

Loud Phone Calls in Public Places – No one wants to hear the ins and outs of a stranger’s relationship. While you may not realize how loudly you are talking or how quiet the environment around you is, you can be sure the people surrounding you do.

Tips to Avoid this:

  • Silence your phone and do not answer it
  • If you need to answer the call, step away to a secluded area to take it and tell the caller that their call is important and you will call them back in x amount of minutes.
  • If you must take the phone call and you are waiting in line, ask the person behind you to hold your spot and quickly go take your call.

Becoming Overly Dependent on Digital Communication – Email is a popular way to communicate but making it the only way people can get a hold of you will make you too dependent on your device. This can lead to disconnection and distraction in face-to-face social situations.

Tips to Avoid this:

  • Make the most of face-to-face communications.
  • Make your phone to be the best way to get a hold of you over email or texting.
  • Resist the urge to respond to email immediately, wait to check it after you leave your social engagement.

In the age of connectivity it is up to us to recognize when the things we do have a negative influence on our environment or our companions. Let us know of any examples you can think of where being overly connected has created social faux pas.

Tricks and tips for networking events

We all network, every day. At its base level, networking is simply communicating with someone in an effective way. Whether it’s a conversation at the water cooler or at a business function, knowing how to effectively network is an important skill for anyone growing in his or her career. Here are some key tips and tricks to keep in mind whenever you find yourself in an important conversation. Remember, these tips may be relevant in all areas of life, but are especially helpful in developing a business personality.

You’re There to Give, not Get

    Giving an arduous monologue can easily get in the way of a meaningful conversation. Don’t let your portion of the conversation overrun that of the person with whom you are speaking. Remember, you should do your best to contribute to the conversation in a constructive way. This means allowing the conversation partner ample time to speak their mind and share their thoughts. Don’t forget to respect the speaking time of the other person in the conversation. You’re there to give a platform for the other person to speak.

Don’t Appear Desperate

    In this way, networking at a professional level is the same as dating. Being too needy is a major turn off. If you find yourself networking with someone in a higher position or someone who could offer you something professionally, do your best to avoid appearing needy. Instead, find confidence in what you’re offering them. Believe that what you have to offer is worthwhile, because it most certainly is! If you don’t have confidence in what you can bring to the table professionally, it may be a sign that you should peruse other endeavors. Bear in mind, when networking professionally, confidence is key.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

    Keeping the conversation alive is important. Be careful to stay away from “yes” or “no” questions, because they generally deny the responder the chance to elaborate. If you do have a “yes” or “no” question, try rephrasing it to make it more open ended. For example, asking, “do you play any sports” is not as effective as asking “what sports do you play?” Sure, there is a chance that the responder doesn’t play any sports, but that’s an answer that they will be able to give as well as elaborate on. Allowing the chance for elaboration makes the responder feel appreciated.

Networking is all about staying comfortable and maintaining sincere conversations. For more tips, check out this article.

Change in Service: A Lesson Learned

Sometimes companies need to alter the way they do business and change their service plans. As these changes often center around a price increase, new limitations, or dismissal of services altogether, customers can have a negative reaction to the news. For some companies, breaking the news goes smoothly as they take measures to soften the blow, while others spring the news to the clients with very little warning or explanation.

A perfect example of the latter is the recent Netflix debacle. Netflix, seemingly overnight, raised their prices and changed their service offering significantly. Because of this, more than a half million people dropped the service completely, a number significantly higher than they had anticipated. Last Sunday, Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, sent out emails to every customer and posted an apology on their blog for the way the company handled the announcement of the recent reorganization. For many of us his acknowledgement that he “… messed up. [And he owes] everyone an explanation,” was not enough. Within the apology he dropped another bomb that the streaming and DVD-by-mail services will be separated into separate services altogether. The DVD service will now be called Qwikster and the streaming services will continue to be Netflix. This triggered even more backlash. Apart from the letter and video apology, no effort was made to “make it up” to their customers.

AT&T changed their services in late June, getting rid of their unlimited data plan, and announcing tiered pricing. This upset many people, but AT&T had a plan. People whom already had unlimited data plans on their phones remained grandfathered into the service. This quelled what might have been a profound reduction of customers, as it only affected new customers and not those already using the service they were changing.

When companies change their services plans, regardless of the reasons behind the decision, they inherently tread dangerous waters. Before alerting their customers and the world, they should develop a plan of action that will minimize the backlash. If there is a drastic price increase or another product change equally undesirable from a customer’s viewpoint, here are a few strategies companies could consider to soften the effect:

  • Notice, and Lots of It:  Give the public plenty of notice and utilize a forum where customers, particularly those directly affected, can express questions and concerns.
  • Grandfathered Services:  Honor services and prices current clients have prior to the change.
  • Details:  Explain the change in detail! The more transparent you are with your announcement, the more your clients will trust your decision.
  • Discounts: Offer a free month of service or some other type of coupon if clients take advantage of multiple services

If you have any more ideas of ways companies could make the news of service plan changes easier, we’d love to hear from you!

Stay away from these time wasters

Work time distractions are all around us, especially with the immense convenience of the Internet. The World Wide Web has been a growing force over the past 30 years, giving easy access to all kinds of information and distractions. Though, weren’t workers distracted in the office before the Internet? The truth is, there are all kinds of ways to be distracted without surfing the net. Here are 3 sources of work-distraction that have nothing to do with the Internet (as well as a few tips on how to avoid them).

The Water Cooler

    Businesses with a strong work culture generally produce more productive workers. It’s important to get along with the people you work with and it’s important for your office to foster those kinds of relationships. However, it’s important to make sure that interpersonal relationships do not affect your work in a unfavorable way. It’s a good idea to plan company social events once a week; this allows ample time for socializing and prevents spending too much work time focused on non-work related issues.

Minesweeper

    Every computer, be it PC or Mac, comes with standard games pre installed to the hard drive. Games like Minesweeper, Solitaire or even Chess are great ways to become distracted from your work. We’ve all opened one of these simple games with the intention of playing for just a few minutes only to find that those minutes have turned into hours. The best course of action? Erase the games all together. Let’s be honest, you never really had that much fun with them anyway.

Daydream

One of the oldest ways to distract yourself from work is to daydream. This is hard to combat because we don’t’ necessarily intend to daydream. If our work is boring or if we are having difficulty focusing, then it’s easy to slip into a daydream without even noticing. If you find yourself staring out your office window often, try making a few simple lifestyle changes in order to help increase your focus. Try getting more sleep or eating foods low in processed sugars.

Staying focused in the office can be a challenge. Even without the Internet, there are still many distractions all around us. Consider these tips to help maintain and increase your ability to pay attention during working hours and don’t forget, 90% of productivity is focus!

How Connectivity has Changed the Entertainment Industry

Entertainment industries have had to evolve in the past few years as we have gained more access to music, movies and television from online sources. Physical stores are disappearing as these businesses open online stores. Examples of these are Blockbuster, Borders, and, the iconic Virgin Megastore in Times Square. Online storefronts have become a great option for consumers as well as business as there are fewer overhead costs, which give customers more options for less. Here are some examples of ways that access to entertainment has changed.


It wasn’t always easy to buy single songs from a new music album.  If the song you wanted wasn’t released as a single, you would have to buy the total album. Thanks to sites like iTunes and Amazon MP3, people can now buy any single song from a record. Musicians also allow people to purchase their songs on their websites and many choose to give their songs away. Many independent and chain music stores have been forced to close due to these new options for purchasing music. The industry as a whole has changed as well and record labels have had to raise concert ticket and merchandise prices in order to turn a profit.


Streaming music sites such as Pandora and Grooveshark allow for free customized radio with few commercials. The music is available on most Internet connected devices anywhere at any time. Many people use these services to “try out” music before buying and often times use them instead of purchasing new music.


The face of books has changed in the past couple years as well. Thanks to eBooks, people can buy digital books directly from sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble and have them instantly downloaded onto their handheld device. The prices of these digital books are usually significantly cheaper and the online stores never sell out.

 

Instead of paying for satellite or cable TV, many people choose the more cost effective route of streaming television on sites such as Netflix or Hulu. There is such competition in the TV industry lately that many network channels now upload their most recently aired episodes to their websites and make them available to Internet enabled devices like the iPad.

 

Instant access to all of our entertainment needs via the Internet has greatly decreased the cost we used to have to pay for these services. Recently, however, it’s been major news that Netflix has raised their prices and segmented their service offering. There is a lot of speculation about whether this will help or hinder them. Their success with this change over the next few months will most likely determine if other online entertainment services will follow suit. Only time will tell.

How not to act in the workplace

We all know about good habits to form at work, such as paying close attention to detail or keeping your workspace tidy. We don’t often hear about the bad habits though. Research has found that it takes 21 days of repetition to make or break any pre-existing habitual act. While breaking a bad habit isn’t impossible, it still takes a lot of time and mental effort. The best measures to take against bad habits are preventative. Here are 3 bad habits that are common in any workplace, as well as some tips on avoiding them.

Working Through Lunch

    Many jobs can get busy and hectic throughout the day, making the idea of working through lunch in order to catch up on some paperwork a tempting idea.It’s important to avoid this habit, however. While working through lunch may be a necessity at times, it should be a priority to give yourself a break. Doing so will help you stay refreshed and motivate you to be more productive for the remainder of the day. Avoiding the habit of working through lunch might actually help you get more done.

Idealizing

    Let’s face facts, not all jobs are exciting. Sometimes it’s easy to idealize your dream job, but be warned, this is a bad habit to make. The grass will always seem greener on the other side, and you won’t be able to find satisfaction with your work unless you start finding happiness with where you’re at presently. Next time you start dreaming about being a famous actor, take some time to appreciate the things that your job provides for you now, like money or health insurance.

Work Time Distractions

    When spending all day in front of a computer, it’s easy to be tempted to allow certain distractions in. Checking your personal email or looking up an entertaining YouTube video can be good for short breaks, but don’t let that behavior become habitual. It’s easy to waste away an entire morning if this kind of bad habit is formed. When you’re tempted to stray from work related material on the computer, try scheduling “mini breaks” as rewards for getting a large portion of a project done or working straight for a determined number of hours.

    Avoiding the formation of bad habits is the best way to beat them. Next time you’re tempted to let any of these actions become regular, take a moment to consider a way to act otherwise.

Tablets in our World

Our lives seem to change as quickly as technology evolves. It happens so fast we hardly seem to notice. It wasn’t that long ago that when you would make a purchase on your credit card the clerk would have to make a carbon imprint of the card. Today credit cards can be scanned almost anywhere if you have an attachment for your tablet computer.


The development of the tablet has changed a lot more than the way we make purchases. Some companies have completely changed the way they do business because of the tablet. The companies below use the tablet in innovative and exciting ways.



 A high-end Italian restaurant in New York City called De Santos has given their entire wait staff iPad 2s. The staff uses them to take orders and even swipe your credit card after the meal. The reasoning is that this will reduce mistakes and increase efficiency.


At Puma stores in Asia, Africa, and Europe, customers can use iPad stations called The Creative Factory to design their own sneakers and share them with people around the world. They can also view designs from other creators. Puma’s goal is to connect the planet through active footwear.


You will find no storefront or store clerks at SHOPBOX, an addition to the DeKalb Market in Brooklyn. You will, however, find items for sale in shipping containers with glass sides. On the end of the container an iPad is mounted for shoppers to register and then text what they would like to purchase. The products are shipped directly to their homes. How’s that for window-shopping!



As tablet technology improves, people will continue to come up with creative uses for it. How will innovation change the future? Will it eventually be “retro” to have human wait staff at restaurants? Will malls be done away with all together? Isaac Asimov said “The only constant is change” and this is glaringly true where technology is concerned. Advancements are made so quickly we hardly notice how drastically they change our lives. Usually these changes make our way of life easier, so let’s relax, let it happen, and wait for our hovercrafts.


Compose an email in no time

Most of us publish several emails every day, to our friends, clients, coworkers and employers. It’s important to note that how we write these emails communicates more than we might realize. Taking time to choose your words carefully is important in order to avoid any unpleasant miscommunication. What would your boss think if you ended an email with “Love?” Here are some tips on determining proper email language.

Opening an Email  

Informal

Composing a message to a close friend is best done in an informal tone. When writing an informal message, you don’t need to use much more than the recipient’s name. Even a simple “Hi,” will communicate a relaxed tone and let the reader know the email they are reading is from a close acquaintance.

Formal

Use this tone when writing an email to a coworker or employee, someone with whom you are familiar but also professional. Consider opening your email with “Dear,” followed by the recipient’s name or a more formal greeting such as “Good afternoon” or “Good evening.” This communicates that you respect the reader but are also approaching them with a tone of familiarity.

Respectful

When writing to a higher institution, like a prospective employer, make sure and open your email with a bit more formality. Generally, you’d use this tone if the receiver were someone you were not previously familiar with. The best opening in this case is “To whom it may concern.” Using this opening communicates respect to the reader.
 
Closing an Email  

Informal

Again, when writing to someone with whom you share a close personally history, you can end the email by simply writing your name or “Love,” followed by your name. This is informal and lets the reader know that you meant the message to be an intimate one.

Formal

End a formal email with “Sincerely,” or “Yours truly.” This is not as informal as closing with just your name, but it also communicates some kind of personal relationship. This is the best tone to use when corresponding professionally with someone you work with on a regular basis.

Respectful

Ending a professional and respectful email in the proper tone is very important. As in a formal tone, you may end the message with “Sincerely,” or even “Regards.” Both should adequately communicate respect. However, if the content of the message calls for it, ending with “Thank you for your time,” lets the reader know you are grateful for the time they’ve spent reading your message.

    Communicating the correct message is all a matter of vocabulary, so when composing your next email make sure to use the right words to communicate your desired message. This will help ensure that your friends don’t fear that you’ve become melancholy drone or lead your boss to believe you’ve become a hopeless romantic. Choose the right words so that you send the right message.


Unbelievable Tech Lawsuits of the Last Decade

Usually when people file lawsuits it’s very serious business, but every so often lawsuits are filed that are rather ridiculous. Below are a few interesting and amusing tech industry lawsuits that have been filed within the last ten years.

Pentium Allergy? – In 2002, a Dutch woman filed a lawsuit against Intel because she said she got hives from her Pentium processor. However, the 486-base processor did not have the same affect on her. The case never went to court. I assume no one was “itching” to take it.

Lead into Danger by Google? - In 2009, a woman attempted to sue Google for the poor walking directions she was given. She followed the directions onto a narrow dark highway that had no sidewalk or shoulder and was subsequently hit by a car. Google “dodged” the lawsuit and the case was dismissed.


Star Wars Galaxies Killed by Sony! - In 2010, angry fans of Star Wars Galaxies filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony for shutting down the game. The MMORPG had had a steadily decreasing subscribership for several years.  I guess the “force” was not strong enough to sustain the game, the fans, or the case.


Woman sues man over a failed Mafia Wars romance – Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. After investing thousands of dollars on game credits and gifts for her boyfriend on Mafia Wars, the woman sued the man for the money spent when their romance was over. Her romance and her case are now sleeping with the fishes.


If you have heard of any interesting lawsuits, let us know by commenting on this blog or on one of our other social media accounts!