Friday, July 26, 2013

The Road Leading to Self Driving Cars

The worst part about driving to work is the commute, and the worst part of the commute is the traffic. Sitting there, stop and go, stop and go, hoping not to get rear ended or cut off. It’s wasted time. We try to multi-task—talk on the phone (hands-free, of course), listen to music or books on tape. We all can’t afford to have a driver…or maybe someday we could! Our cars could soon drive us to and fro, and we could do whatever we wanted---even sleep on the way to work. You’re practically dozing off anyway as it is!

A recent article and infographic from Mashable predicts self-driving cars in showrooms by 2017. Some vehicles can already park themselves, or stop themselves in the event of an emergency, so the rest can’t be that far off, right? Mashable does ask, however, “will drivers be willing to trust it enough to sit and read their iPads or put on makeup on their way to work instead of driving? (Wait, aren't they doing that now?).”
Widespread acceptance is going to depend on how good and accessible the technology is. Once we see more and more self-driving cars on the road, the acceptance will increase, but it’s going to be an uphill battle. What’s it going to take to get drivers to get their hands of the wheel?
Eventually these cars will interact with the roads and highways, and even police and emergency vehicles, but most importantly with each other. For instance, some higher end brands like Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes Benz already have cars with an adaptive cruise control feature. Lasers or radar are used to maintain safe distances from other vehicles.
By 2014 some of the bigger automakers will be offering embedded 4G internet access in-vehicle. General Motors has already partnered with AT&T, and Apple is working on an OS for cars that will integrate with iOS7 in-dash.
Japanese automakers are banking on hydrogen power to run our cars of the future. Hydrogen powered cars built by the biggest Japanese automakers are expected to be on Japanese roads by 2015, backed up with the insurance that there will be plenty of hydrogen filling stations near all of Japan’s largest cities and surrounding areas. By 2016, the U.S. is expected to comprise 90% of the hybrid vehicle market, with a sharp rise in smart car batteries that run electric vehicles and other hybrids.

- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/the-road-leading-to-self-driving-cars.html#sthash.2vngj3Q4.dpuf

Anti-Virus Options for your Smartphone

At this point most of us have smartphones attached to our hips or at least our hands. They’re our go to devices for just about everything, and have changed the way we communicate, compute, socialize, and use and share data. I always go to my smartphone instead of my desktop, laptop or tablet, as it’s the fastest device in the house! But as with our computers, we’ve got to protect our smartphones from viruses and other issues. Let’s take a look at some of the options…


Hopefully, most of us have some sort of anti-virus protection on our desktop or laptop computers, and we’re used to planning on virus protection. We’ve had personal computers for years. Smartphones are still a relatively new phenomenon. We run multiple apps that are constantly connected, potentially putting personal information at risk. We’re still adapting to the use and protection of these devices, and those that want our information are adapting their strategies for how to get to the information on our phones.
Are the threats to Android phones and the iPhone similar? Between the two, the biggest risk is losing your information, or getting your accounts compromised, including your bank account, app store account, or credit card information. Apple has always had stricter requirements in the app store, and isn’t as open an environment as the Google/Android app market. As the Android market is getting better at tightening up app requirements, we're seeing more and more app viruses in the Apple app store.
- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/anti-virus-options-for-your-smartphone.html#sthash.2uzvS6Mu.dpuf

The Future of Robotics

When we think of robots, a lot of us geeks first think of C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars.” Technically robots and robotics have been in use since the Industrial Revolution. They're what made it industrial, and a...revolution. Robotics and related tech are getting more and more commonplace, and changing and improving our lives, in many different facets ranging from medicine to warfare.
In the medical field, robotics have led to stunning enhancements in the field of prosthetics. Due to recent conflicts in the Middle East, there have been a larger number of amputees coming back from war than ever before. Technology has needed to keep in stride with the demand for better and better artificial limb options.

Bluetooth technology has been included in opposing limbs for multiple amputees. For instance, an Iraq war vet was fitted with two artificial legs after losing his own legs in combat. Bluetooth devices were built into each leg, effectively allowing the legs to “communicate” to coordinate stride, pressure, and speed between the two prosthetic limbs.

Robot prosthetics, image courtesy of News.Discovery.com

- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/the-future-of-robotics.html#sthash.D6MKS0ZK.dpuf
When we think of robots, a lot of us geeks first think of C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars.” Technically robots and robotics have been in use since the Indu

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Friday, July 12, 2013

Big Brother is Definitely Watching

The more connected and interconnected we are with our tech, our mobile devices, computers, Web usage and email, the more the government apparently wants to know about what we’re doing and saying with all this connectivity, who we’re talking to, when we’re talking and what we’re talking about..  It sounds like a scary conspiracy theory, but unfortunately more and more evidence is piling up detailing the far reaching eye of the government.

We’ve recently seen stories on CISPA and big data, and the government watching our Web browsing, as well as the state of internet surveillance overall.  But no recent “Big Brother” stories are as big as the stories that truly belong in the movies. Companies like Verizon have been forced to hand over phone records to the U.S. government under a top secret court order. We’ve also learned that the National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI have been pulling data on Americans from companies like Google and Facebook.


- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/big-brother-is-definitely-watching.html#sthash.V720rLYJ.dpuf

Zotac GeForce GTX560TI 1GB Video Card

By Doug Smith

Here’s a nice little video card for you PC gamers—the
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB video card. We’ve currently got it at a great price, and have plenty in stock. ZOTAC is one of the largest producers of NVIDIA VGA and motherboard solutions worldwide. The ZOTAC GeForce 560 Ti is designed to deliver high performance at an affordable price.

Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti GPU, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1 GB GDDR5 PCI Express video is a high-end video card featuring 384 unified shaders.1 GB of GDDR5 memory is included with clock rate of 4000 MHz for those high-resolution displays. The card also features a PCI Express x16 2.0 interface with a high-bandwidth interface for your GPU and CPU interaction.

This ZOTAC GeForce GTX 560 Ti features exclusive NVIDIA technologies like PhysX, CUDA, and PureVideo HD for realistic physics effects, parallel computing support, and high definition video optimization.

- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/zotac-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-video-card.html#sthash.m0CsaXXd.dpuf

Tech Design of the Future

We’ve talked a lot lately about the tech of the future and integration—wearable and micro technology, 3D printing, smart TVs and integrated homes.  The future continues to arrive, but what’s still to come? What’s the tech and what are the designs that will change the future?


CNN recently ran a piece on designs that will define the future, attempting to predict the shape of things to come.  The predictions run the gamut from manufacturing and wearable tech, to digital displays, to minimalist designs that stress function over form, to digital tattoos, and headphones that read minds. Key advances will be in wearable tech and 3D printing, with innovative designs blending technology, science and manufacturing.

- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/tech-design-of-the-future.html#sthash.In6TCohb.dpuf

Get the Power of Intel Innovation

Intel Core is Intel’s line of microprocessors for business and consumer computers. Geeks.com carries a full range of Intel Core processors and we wanted to take some time to look at some of the quality Intel Core processors we carry.

The i3 Processor is great for common tasks like listening to music. This processor comes equipped with Intel HD graphics, an advanced video engine that delivers smooth, high-quality HD video playback, and advanced 3D capabilities, providing an ideal graphics solution for everyday computing. The i3 is the first level of the Core processor family, and an affordable option for your everyday computing tasks. With Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology, you’ll see effortless multitasking.


i3 Processor image courtesy of Intel

- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/get-the-power-of-intel-innovation.html#sthash.HrxpHDrv.dpuf

Classrooms of the Future will Teach Individuals

If you’ve got kids in the public school system, it’s likely that they are in overcrowded classes, with overworked and burned out teachers. Budgets are tight. Teachers are teaching the same way they’ve taught for years—new kids, same material. Standardized teaching and standardized testing--teaching all of the kids the same material the same way.

The challenge is that we all learn differently, and so do kids.  Some of us are better at math, some of us are better at English, some of us are better at science. We learn different things at different paces. Many parents are choosing to pull their kids from the struggling archaic public school system and put them into charter schools and even home schooling programs. Home schooled and charter school students get more individual attention and more individualized learning. Leaders in technology like Bill Gates are saying that individualized learning, and technology, will build the classrooms of the future.


inBloom offers help to teachers looking to tailor lessons to students

- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/classrooms-of-the-future-will-teach-individuals.html#sthash.Mt3M9tkX.dpuf

Geeks.com Serves Up Deals on Servers

Need a server? Geeks.com is serving up great deals on rack and tower servers!

For those of you new to servers, let’s do a brief server overview.  A server is basically a system comprised of software and computer hardware that responds to requests across computer networks, and provides network services. Servers can be on a dedicated computer, which would be referred to as "a server." A number of network computers can also act as a server. Servers operate within a server-client infrastructure.  Servers process requests from and deliver data to other computers, or the "clients."


- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/geeks-com-serves-up-deals-on-servers.html#sthash.GniOgUW5.dpuf

Get Some Education Online

The future is mobile, and mobile tech is the future. Education, however, has been mobile for years. Online education has been changing the way we learn since the late 80s and its launch at the University of Phoenix, and has progressed slowly but surely from there.


The University of Phoenix is the largest university in the U.S., with more than 500,000 students. Image courtesy of phoenix.edu

- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/home.html#sthash.ci6EjhZi.dpuf

Emergence of Digital Film Projection

Some of us had that friend, or knew someone that had that friend that worked at the movie theater. That usually meant you could get in for free. If you were really lucky your friend was the projectionist, and maybe you’d get to sit up in the projection booth. At certain points, depending on how long the movie was, the projectionist would jump up to change the reels ad try to time the reel change just right.

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- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/home.html#sthash.ci6EjhZi.dpuf

Choosing the Right Video Game Console

I don’t play as many video games as I used to when I was a bachelor, but I think console gaming is ingrained in me. I was a little kid when my dad brought home a console system with pong, and pong variations. From there we upgraded to an Atari 2600. Hours spent playing “Space Invaders,” “Pitfall,” and so many others. Years later I got back into gaming and picked up a Nintendo Entertainment System. I was blown away at the improvement in graphics. More hours on games like “Mario Brothers,” “Metroid,” “Contra,” and so many other Nintendo greats. Eventually I moved on to the Playstation and Playstation 2, and pretty much just played “Madden.”

A lot of gamers prefer console gaming to PC gaming for affordability, convenience, portability, and ease of control.  Sure you’re sacrificing great graphics, upgradeability, mods, choice of games, and Cloud gaming with services like Steam, but if you choose to go the console route, how do you pick the right console to game on?


- See more at: http://www.geeks.com/techtips/community/home.html#sthash.ci6EjhZi.dpuf

Acer Monitors from Geeks.com

Acer is a well known name in the computer monitor market, known for making quality and affordable monitors. Acer monitors are popular sellers for Geeks.com, and if you’re in the market for a new, extra, or back-up monitor, take a look at the Acer selection of monitors offered by Geeks.com.

The Acer S230HL Abd widescreen monitor features a fast 5 ms response time for crystal-clear, blur-free video, text and graphics. The Acer S230HL also features a 23-inch LED-Backlit display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 250 cd/m2 brightness and a high 100,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The fast 5 ms response time ensures crystal-clear, blur-free video, text and graphics. Included is a 90 day warranty from Geeks.com.

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How to Protect Your Privacy Online

There’s been so much talk lately about what the government can and can’t see and hear about our phone records, email, web browsing and online activities. But what can you do to protect your online privacy? What can anybody out there see? How do you protect yourself and your information?

Let’s take a look at how you can protect yourself online, and not just from the government.
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No Single Streaming Option is Perfect… Yet!

Streaming content is everywhere now. Netflix and Redbox have their own streaming services, as do Amazon, and Hulu. If you’ve got cable, you’ve got streaming options and streaming options within streaming options with network streaming, and premium channel and event streaming. You can buy smart TVs wired for all the services, streaming boxes, streaming stix and streaming DVD players.
Whether you’re looking to cut the cable cord and save money, or increase your entertainment options, which is the best option for you? You’ll find most people choose a combination of different options, as no single streaming option seems to be perfect for everyone…for now. Each unique service seems to have its limitations and challenges, making it difficult to choose just one option.

Image courtesy of Netflix.com

Webcams from Geeks.com

Some of us remember first seeing the video phones on TV shows like “The Jetsons” or even viewscreen communication on sci-fi shows like “Star Trek.” Well, the future arrived long ago, and things like video chat via Skype and Facetime are commonplace.

Webcams have been facilitating video communication across the internet for years, and are nowhere near obsolete. We’ve all seen or used webcams for security and surveillance, to communicate with friends, to check in on the dog or the kids in kid or doggie daycare, or look at snuggly animals at the zoo live. Webcams are still popular sellers at Geeks.com, and we offer a wide range of choices.

A webcam is a camera that connects to your computer and allows communication via video across the internet. The first use of a webcam dates back to Cambridge University, in 1991. Science researchers in the labs didn’t necessarily want to communicate face to face and lab to lab. They literally wanted to watch a coffee pot boil. The researchers set up a camera spying on the coffee pot in the break room. To save themselves from walking to the break room before coffee was ready, they wired the camera to their computers so they could check the coffee status from their desks. Eventually the researchers uploaded their coffee pot feed to the Internet, and the first webcam was…brewed.


Mmm…coffee image courtesy of morguefile.com

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The Future of Robotics

When we think of robots, a lot of us geeks first think of C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars.” Technically robots and robotics have been in use since the Industrial Revolution. They're what made it industrial, and a...revolution. Robotics and related tech are getting more and more commonplace, and changing and improving our lives, in many different facets ranging from medicine to warfare.
In the medical field, robotics have led to stunning enhancements in the field of prosthetics. Due to recent conflicts in the Middle East, there have been a larger number of amputees coming back from war than ever before. Technology has needed to keep in stride with the demand for better and better artificial limb options.

Bluetooth technology has been included in opposing limbs for multiple amputees. For instance, an Iraq war vet was fitted with two artificial legs after losing his own legs in combat. Bluetooth devices were built into each leg, effectively allowing the legs to “communicate” to coordinate stride, pressure, and speed between the two prosthetic limbs.

Robot prosthetics, image courtesy of News.Discovery.com
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