Tag Archives: technology

software

Why It’s Important To Update Your Windows Drivers

What are Device Drivers?

Device Drivers are programs that help your PC to communicate with various hardware components connected to it. Along with your hardware devices like printer, webcam, etc, your software programs like Word, Excel, games also need a proper and updated driver for smooth functioning.

Outdated Drivers can make your system sluggish and result in noticeable performance degradation issues. Updating device drivers from time to time will solve most of the issues, but automatic updating is what we need.

This blog will help you in understanding the importance of updated drivers and when you should update them.

Why Do I Need To Update My Windows Drivers?

Broken or outdated drivers can prevent system programs and applications from working, result in error messages and can cause frequent system crashing issues or can simply degrade its overall performance.

If you want your system to work in good operating conditions, you should always ensure that your device drivers are updated, this will also save you from falling into any potential problems. Neglecting driver updates is something that should not be missed at any cost.

But do we need to update all our drivers?

Well, the answer is No. If your drivers are not outdated, don’t fix them. We always hear, regular updating is crucial to fill any stability and security voids, but there are few hidden exceptions to it.

The Golden Rule is: If particular hardware is functioning properly, then there is no need of updating as it might result in some compatibility issues.
Common Issues Caused by Broken Device Drivers:
Most system issues and complications are caused by broken drivers. The most prominent and annoying ones are:

1. Monitor Display and Screen Crashing Issues

There is nothing more frustrating than staring at a blank PC screen. One of the most common causes of the blue screen is device drivers that are severely broken and outdated.

2. Inability to Detect Your Windows USB Mouse

Outdated drivers can handicap the basic functionality of your PC, and mouse recognition is one of them. If your system is working on broken drivers it might not be able to recognize your mouse and display a “not detected” error.

3. Webcam Problems

The webcam is a crucial element that supports amazing video chat and video calling experience on various platforms. A dysfunctional webcam can result in highly annoying circumstances especially when you need it for some important work.

The best way to handle such issues is to ensure that all your webcam drivers are updated from time to time. Picking the Best Driver Updater Software will imperil your PC webcam and will also support its vital functioning.

4. Another Important Reason, Why is It Important to Update Device Drivers

Broken drivers can result in security loopholes making it vulnerable to malicious software and cybercriminals. Therefore, security updates are released from time to time to patch these voids.

A system running on updated device drivers is the safest to use. It saves you from disastrous levels of damages both at the business and personal front.

Reduced gaming speed can be another issue associated with broker Windows drivers.

So, now that we are well aware that updated drivers are important for your PC’s optimal functioning, let’s walk through some of the methods on how you can update and fix driver issues.

How to Update Windows Driver?

1. Check for Windows Update

Although Windows keeps updating most of the software regularly, there are many instances where you have to install and update the latest Driver manually. To do so, follow the simple steps as mentioned below.

  • Open the “Settings’ ‘ tab, and choose Select “Update & Security”. Next click on “ Windows Update”.
  • From the displayed window, click on the updates option.

2. Use Device Manager to Update Device Drivers

This is the following activity from point number 1, if you are unable to find any update requirements, then you can manually update your Windows driver using Device Manager.

  • Open Device Manager
  • Right, click on the driver you wish to upgrade and then choose “Update Driver Option”.
  • From the displayed options click on “ Search automatically for updated driver software”.
  • If the latest version is available, your Device Manager will automatically do it. However, if no results are found, you may directly download one from the Manufacturer’s website.

However, using the Manufacturer’s support website for checking driver updates can be a tedious and time-consuming activity. We would recommend you to use a good driver updater tool that will automatically check and update all your broken drivers

3. Use Driver Updater Software

Driver Updater tools offer the easiest and the most effective ways to enjoy optimal system performance. These tools will automatically scan and update all your broken Windows drivers within seconds.

Wrapping up

When it comes to maximizing system performance, choose wisely and smartly. Updating outdated drivers is always a good choice, but doing it manually may not be the smartest thing to do.

Choose a good Windows driver Updater for hassle-free working and enhanced PC performance.

General

How Tech Is Making Homes More Energy Efficient

The United States uses the most energy in the world, responsible for 20% of global consumption. China takes second place, coming in at 15%. The more energy used, the more carbon emissions there are, which is bad news for the planet. Electrical devices, appliances and gadgets are part of life and all require power, as well as the need to heat and cool homes. Tech is finding new, innovative ways to help people live their lives in an energy efficient way without having to make sacrifices. 

Energy-efficient dishwashers 

Ditching washing up at the sink and opting for a dishwasher has many benefits, but you may be surprised to know that it can save you water and energy. Washing by hand can use up to 27 gallons of water per day, whereas an energy efficient dishwasher can use as little as 3 gallons. Using less water means less energy is used to heat the water too. Even dishwashers that have a long run cycle will use very little energy and water, yet get your dishes clean and dry every time. Technology is making dishwashers smarter so that they can detect how dirty dishes are and jets are more powerful, meaning less energy is needed to operate them.

Smart windows

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have teamed up with Pella Windows to create a highly insulated window that uses sensors and microprocessors to adjust how much light, and therefore warmth, is let into a home. It bases this on the amount of sunlight and time of day to give highly efficient lighting and temperatures. Another company, View, have worked on similar technology and claim that savings on lighting, electricity, heating, ventilation and air conditioning can add up to 23% at peak times. 

Magnetized fridges

Currently, refrigerators in the US use approximately 60% less energy than they did 20 years ago, which is down to technology helping to making them more energy efficient. Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Electric have teamed up to take the energy efficiency of fridges one step further. Their aim is to make a domestic fridge that uses 25% less energy than current modern fridges by using a technology known as magnetocaloric effect, or MCE, instead of conventional vapor compression. Basically, temperature is controlled by a changing magnetic field, which means the use of harmful refrigerants is eliminated.

Technology has been responsible for an increased consumption of energy, but it’s also being used more to look at ways of making appliances and devices work in an energy efficient way. Tech can also take everyday objects and make them smart to help reduce the need for electrical devices to be turned on, such as air conditioning, which further helps to reduce energy consumption.

Design, General, New

How Artificial Intelligence is Changing The Art Industry

At the end of last year, a work of art created by an algorithm was auctioned off for the first time ever. It was a painting and, though it was only expected to sell for around $10,000, it sold for a whopping $432,500, further cemented the growing interest in AI art. Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly changing the future of technology and business practices, but it’s making waves in the visual arts sector as well. AI artists are collaborating with machine learning technology to write novels, produce fine art, expand capabilities in the culinary arts, produce music, and even help with choreographed dances.

The idea of artificial intelligence creating art has been met with many divisive thoughts from creators, artists, and collectors alike. Who technically owns the art and should profit from its sale? Can a machine evoke the same creativity that human can? Will it ultimately replace artists? Auction house, Invaluable, explores the capabilities of AI art and answers these questions in their infographic below. You can see the full article here.

CES, Mobile, New, News

Kunpeng 920: Huawei Unveils World’s Highest-Performance ARM-based CPU

Just in time for CES 2019, Chinese tech leader Huawei, strategically unveiled the Kunpeng 920, the industry’s highest-performing ARM-based processor. At Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, Huawei released the impressive CPU, intended for handling applications like big data processing and distributed storage.

William Xu, Director of Huawei’s Board and Chief Strategy Marketing Officer, said during the press conference that “Huawei has continuously innovated in the computing domain in order to create customer value. We believe that, with the advent of an intelligent society, the computing market will see continuous growth in the future. Currently, the diversity of applications and data is driving heterogeneous computing requirements. Huawei has long partnered with Intel to make great achievements. Together we have contributed to the development of the ICT industry. Huawei and Intel will continue our long-term strategic partnerships and continue to innovate together.”

William Xu, Director of Huawei’s Board and Chief Strategy Marketing Officer (credit: Huawei)

Kunpeng 920: High-Performance ARM-based CPU

Huawei’s high standards of leading the industry are very clear with the release of the new Kunpeng 920.  The new CPU, similar to Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 980 (launched in October 2018), was  designed in-house and manufactured on a 7-nanometer processor. According to Huawei, the gain in performance between these two CPU’s emerges from a series of optimized branch prediction algorithms and an increased number of OP units, along with an improved memory subsystem architecture. The Kunpeng 920 provides both higher computing performance for data centers while decreasing overall power consumption. The Kunpeng 920 is packed with 64 cores, clocking an impressive 2.6GHZ, and paired with 8-channel DDR4 memory allows the Kunpeng 920 to score over 930 on the SPECint Benchmark, 25% higher than the industry benchmark.  For the sake of comparison, the previous industry leader was the Fujitsu 7-nanometer A64X. Beyond its speed is the CPU’s power efficiency, which performs 30% better than its competitors.

Kunpeng 920 performance (credit: Huawei)

In terms of system integration, the new CPU has increased with two 100G RoCE ports. Kunpeng 920 also supports PCIe Gen4 and CCIX interfaces, and provides 640 Gbps total bandwidth.  In addition, the single-slot speed is twice that of the incumbent offering, effectively improving the performance of storage and various accelerators.

TaiShan Series: Huawei’s ARM-based Server Built to Perform

To complement the Kunpeng 920, at today’s press conference Huawei also released its TaiShan series servers, powered by the company’s new CPU. Aimed at tackling three distinct issues, storage,  high-density, and balancing both requirements, the Taishan series designed three unique models. Powered by the Kunpeng 920, the TaiShan servers are built for big data, distributed storage, and ARM native application scenarios. These unique scenarios are ideal for the ARM architecture offering many advantages in many-core and performance per watt. The TaiShan series are ideal computing platforms for enterprises with high performance and low power consumption. Designed especially in big data scenarios, the TaiShan servers are tuned for optimal many-core high concurrency and resource scheduling to deliver a 20% computing performance boost.  

As Mr. Xu stated at the press conference, “The ARM industry is seeing a new development opportunity. The Kunpeng 920 CPU and TaiShan servers newly released by Huawei are primarily used in big data, distributed storage, and ARM native applications. We will work with global partners in the spirit of openness, collaboration, and shared success to drive the development of the ARM ecosystem and expand the computing space, and embrace a diversified computing era.”

TaiShan server (credit: Huawei

Open and Collaborative ARM Ecosystem is Geared for Mutual Success

For years, Huawei has continuously promoted industry cooperation and collaboration among its industry partners in terms of hardware, basic software, and applications. The company’s unique approach is predicated on the growing trend that an intelligent society, with all things connected, and sensing, is well underway. In light of these industry trends and application requirements, a new era of diversified computing is emerging. The ability to process multiple data types and scenarios are the driving force behind optimizing computing architecture.   

Summarizing the company’s vision of serving as an industry leader across all verticals, from telecommunications to servers to handsets, Mr. Xu noted that “With Kirin 980, Huawei has taken smartphones to a new level of intelligence. With products and services (e.g., Huawei Cloud) designed based on Ascend 310, Huawei enables inclusive AI for industries. Today, with Kunpeng 920, we are entering an era of diversified computing embodied by multiple cores and heterogeneity. Huawei has invested patiently and intensively in computing innovation to continuously make breakthroughs. We will work with our customers and partners to build a fully connected, intelligent world.”

General

5 Ways to outsource your financial management

Financial Management: The Path To Wealth Or Debt

One of the most common occurrences in life is debt. Many people struggle to stay on top financially. Meanwhile, many often wonder what separates the few people who always manage to keep their cash flow strong.

Most debt comes down to one simple factor: The management of your finances. Correctly navigating the balance between your income and outgoings is often the difference between debt and prosperity.

This is because most loans or bills work through penalizing late or missed payments. This means debts can quickly mount up and become unmanageable.

Loans, bills and other expenses can often be overlooked or forgotten too. So, even if you had the money to pay them initially, they can quickly become too expensive.

A lot of people can be inefficient with their income too. Spending on unnecessary things or impulse buying can quickly leave you short on money. This creates the same problem as mounting debts.

So, the major factor in keeping you financially healthy is managing your money and bills. But, this is easier said than done. Most people are too busy to keep such a close eye on their finances. This is especially true for those who are already in debt and are trying to work their way out.

The best option for many of these individuals is simply to outsource their financial management to another person or organization. This will allow a tighter watch to be kept over your money without tying you up. But, many people are unaware of how to do this.

So, below, we put together five ways you can outsource your financial management to make your life easier and stay financially stable.

5 Ways To Outsource Your Financial Management

1. Financial management firms

Using financial management firms when outsourcing financial management is usually a practice done by businesses. But, some firms also offer a similar service for private individuals. Here, your expenses and income are taken care of by a company.

Your money is either used to pay bills and debts, saved, or provided to you for expenses. The two drawbacks to this are the cost of these firms and the loss of control over your money. But, it is one of the most effective ways of getting your finances under control.

2. Wage garnishment agreements

The use of lawyers to help with wage garnishment is a common occurrence for those already in debt. But, they can be as useful for those trying to avoid debt. Wage garnishment lawyer help draw up agreements to have your employer withhold a certain amount of your wages to pay debts.

This automatic form of payment is effortless and helps you pay your debts quicker to stop them building up. It’s also cheaper than the above option, as you only need to draw up an agreement once. Although you may need to pay again to end the agreement.

3. Use technology

The use of apps on your smartphone is an easy and very low-cost way of having your finances managed. While it’s not outsourcing the management completely, some apps offer analysis of your incomes and expenses. Others even offer a way to pay your bills automatically, so they don’t go unnoticed.

The only drawback here is the work you will need to do to set up the apps and review how they are working now and again.

4. Use an accountant

This is a scaled-down version of the first option and should be considered even if you are good at managing your finances yourself. An accountant can help you get a clear view of your income and outgoings and can help you manage your money better.

They may also help you save some money by showing some tax-efficient ways to spend or save your cash. They can also be hired as-needed for added efficiency.

5. A family member or close friend

This is one of the oldest ways of outsourcing your financial management. But, it is one of the riskiest. Giving financial control to a close friend or family member can help save you from impulse buying and unnecessary spending.

But, if there are conflict arises, related or unrelated, to finances, this can cause a strain on the relationship. So, this method merits careful thought and should only be considered by those who can’t choose any of the above options.

 

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Author Bio: Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

General

Jobs You Wouldn’t Expect To Be Threatened by Technology But Are

These days, it’s hard to talk about the business landscape without bringing up automation. With technologies as diverse as machine learning, robotics and 3D printing business automation is changing poised to revolutionize society.

At this point you’ve probably heard about the autonomous drones and vehicles coming for transportation and retail jobs. If you’ve used online tax preparation recently, then you have an idea why there’s no hiring glut for tax preparers these days.

At this point, everyone knows what robotics means for factory jobs. But have you heard that your local bakery or news organization could someday be run by robots?

As automation becomes more advanced and more businesses reap the financial rewards, automated processes will take over more diverse roles within business. Here are some professions that may at first glance be robot-proof, but are becoming increasingly automated.

Masonry and Construction Workers

Like any profession, construction work has benefitted tremendously from mechanization. From the nail gun to the crane, it’s hard to imagine construction without power tools and equipment.

These days, robots are manufacturing building components in factories and laying bricks at construction sites. Drones allow one person to quickly survey sites that would have required a helicopter flight and team of personnel in the past.

It’s now even possible to “print” a house using computer modelling, concrete and a robotic “printer.” If people can hook up some cables and tubes and print a house in a day, what does that say about the future of construction jobs?

Farmers

Taxis, trains and drones aren’t the only vehicles that can be automated. It isn’t hard to imagine fleets of robotic tractors and combines rolling across gentle rural hills. However, automation can do a lot more than plow fields on the farm.

Machines are being created now that will allow farmers to weed and prune plants without the help of human workers. There are even robots milking cows in Germany.

Automated farming isn’t expected to really start paying off for another few years, but about 10 percent of farms in the U.S. have already begun switching. That means fewer and fewer jobs for humans in the coming years.

Office Workers

Blue collar jobs have been among the first and hardest-hit types of work to become obsolete at the hands of robots. But factory workers aren’t the only ones whose jobs are being automated away.

Tasks that used to require entire high-rises full of workers are now being done by small teams. Personal computers have already revolutionized business offices, and that trend is showing no sign of slowing down as artificial intelligence makes it possible to automate even more.

Accounting is one area that has benefitted from automation, thanks to the increasing intelligence of software and digitization of documents. It’s now possible to oversee an accounts payable system that would have at one time required a dozen workers and a warehouse of paper with automation software.

Customer service employees are also being increasingly replaced by chatbots and other software designed to mimic human interaction. As more and more clerical and office jobs are automated, the perception that business automation is a blue-collar problem will become increasingly antiquated.

Journalists

It seems like writing would be a profession unlikely to become automated. However, automation is becoming increasingly responsible for the financial reports, sports updates and other content we read and watch each day.

Machines excel at combining data, but what they haven’t been great at is providing context. Thanks to machine learning, language processing is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Business like the Associated Press, Comcast and Yahoo have been using automation to create reports for a few years now. Content is now being generated at a rate that would have required thousands of workers located around the world in the old days.

Machines aren’t yet able to reliably gather first-hand information and turn it into a compelling human interest piece, so the machines aren’t yet here to replace human writers. However, as machine learning and language processing becomes more advanced, the trend of needing fewer humans to accomplish more won’t be stopping any time soon.

Bakers

Yes, even your local artisanal bakery may someday be automated thanks to automated baking systems that produce consistently high quality loaves. Automation helps bakers to reduce waste and produce a consistent product, so it makes sense for them to adopt it where they can.

Larger bakeries are much like factories and have already been reaping the rewards of automation. In the past, automation has made the most sense for large-scale operations.

But as it becomes easier and more cost-effective to automate processes in small business such as artisanal bakeries, automation will begin to penetrate further into our work lives in unexpected ways.

 

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Author Bio:

Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

General

Family and Teen’s Cyber Security [Infographic]

 

Have you ever thought about how teenagers are using the technology at their fingertips? More exposed to technology than any other generation before, 91% of American teens access the Internet through mobile devices on a regular basis. This constant use of their online devices has certain consequences including bad uses of technology such as cyber-bullying, sexting, social media addiction and inappropriate content consumption.

The team at Family Orbit, a locator, and monitoring app to keep your family safe, has gathered some surprising stats and has presented them in the infographic below. You will find out some fascinating facts about teenagers online security as well as some signs to detect Internet addiction.

Infographic: Family and Teen’s Cyber Security - An Infographic from Family Orbit Blog

An infographic by Family Orbit Blog

General

How Technology Can Help With Your Pets

 

Statistics indicate that global spending on caring for pets continues to increase year on year. Figures in 2014 were $98.3 billion and that figure is expected to rise to $103.8 billion by the end of 2015. While billions are spent on pet food, there has also been a large increase on non-edible spend such as: grooming treatments, holidays, day care, clothes and toys. It is clear that more and more people are treating their pets as family members, and companies are noticing an opportunity to cash in on this.

Euromonitor has identified three different types of pet owner. Mainstream humanisers who predominantly buy premium brands. These make up two thirds of owners. Anti-humanisers make up over 20% of owners and generally buy smaller brands. The final group identified are known as extreme humanisers and make up over 5% of owners. This group tends to treat their pets as personal accessories and favour exclusivity and designer outfits for their pets.

A particular area that has adapted to the growth in pet spending has been the technological sector. There has been a sharp increase in the amount of apps and wearables that target pet owners. Owners can now monitor the fitness of their loved ones, as well as having confidence in the whereabouts of their pets through tracking devices. Feeding and training and has even been made easier for the owner, thanks to technological advancements, while there are also an extensive array of play apps available to ensure that your pet is never bored.

At Greyhounds As Pets the guys are dealing with hundreds of pet owners on a daily basis. Speaking with owners, and understanding the important role that their pets have within the family. Many believe that technology has given them a better understanding of their pet’s needs, while others praise the flexibility and convenience that apps and technology offer them. For example, you can now manage your pet’s meals through your smartphone or tablet, controlling when, how much and how often they eat.

Here’s an infographic to inform and educate pet owners on the excellent selection of apps and wearables now available for pets.

tech-for-pets

General

The Evolution of Learning Technologies

learning-book-glasses

Have you ever thought about how technology affects the way you learn? When we think about learning technologies, we normally tend to think about eTextbooks or tablets used by teachers and students in the classroom, but education in technology is not something new.

It actually dates back to thousands of years ago when Egyptians used hieroglyphics to teach phrases, laws and rules or the abacus was used as a counting mechanism. And it has evolved through the years to what we nowadays know as edtech.

This infographic visualizes the most important historic moments of the evolution of learning technologies to make us think about what will the future of education hold for us.

The Evolution of Learning Technologies
The Evolution of Learning Technologies by Open Colleges

General

What did Back to the Future Manage To Predict About life in 2015

back_to_the_future

We all know this 1985/1989 cult film series Back to the Future, right? If you haven’t seen the movie series yet, go and watch now, it’s great. If you did, chances are you probably remember that 2015 is the year that Marty McFly’s time travelling Delorean arrived in the future.

Dr. Emmett Brown, the mad scientist in Back to the Future, promised a world full of flying cars, automated vending, futuristic Hoverboards, self-tying shoes, and plenty more predictions of what life would be like in 2015.

Here’s our list of what the movies got right about 2015 and what they got wrong:

Back-to-the-Future-Infographic

 

SInfographic is courtesy of Frame your TV

Mobile

Here’s What The Future of Mobile Will Look Like [infographic]

popular-mobile-phones

Mobile is a hot topic these days, everyone has a phone, or a smartphone for this matter, and wants to do all kind of daily stuff with it, from taking beautiful pictures to navigating your car, playing games, sending instant messages, emailing, and surfing the web; it’s all possible, even on a small mobile phone.

With such a promising given scenario, you’re always wondering how things are going to look in the future.

Three Mobile have used current data to predict ways in which mobile technology will change the way we live. Three estimate that by 2016, more than 309 billion apps will be downloaded to devices from the different app stores, by 2017, almost a billion of us will be connected through 4G technology, and that by 2020 more than 50 billion things will be connected to the internet, and by 2025, more than 5.4 billion people will be connected to the internet – 80% via mobile.

Clearly the future is bright for the mobile world and in the next few years we will see global adoption as this technology continues to develop. Check out the stats in this infographic:

The Future of Mobile
View the latest mobile phones on Three

[Image credit: Jon Fingas]