posted by admin on Mar 24

No longer does losing your dog involve racing round parks shouting its name as loud as you can!

Gone are the days where face-to-face communication was the only way to get anything done in a hurry! Technology has moved on so far now that something that used to take hours (and lots of money) can now be done in the click of a button – and this includes hunting down your lost dog!

There have been milestones along the way – but not everyone has jumped on board!

Dog Collars:
The simplest way to identify your dog – and sometimes a legal requirement anyway – is to have a tag on your dog’s collar which clearly details your best contact details. And by ‘best’ I don’t mean all your contact numbers – I mean the phone that you are most likely going to be holding or right next to when your dog goes missing.

I mean, if you are still out in the park when someone finds your dog – what use is your home number?

photo credit: s8an

Microchipping:
Next step was the implanting of a traceable device actually inside your dog! This means that if your dog escaped while not wearing a collar (or you didn’t put one on your dog for whatever reason), then a vet or rescue centre could scan your details from this ‘chip’ and then you would receive the call.

As long as you had kept your contact details up to date – you could be reunited within the day.

However – in some countries they don’t use the microchip as the main way of tracing pets – they rely on tattoos to do the same job – so make sure you know which one is active where you live or travel!

The Problems:
Even if your pet is chipped and/or collared there is still the inevitable panic – and the urge to contact every single rescue centre, pet shop, animal surgery and boarding kennel in the area.

Obviously – when your pet arrives at an animal centre, the first thing they will do is scan if for a chip or look for a collar or tattoo. So your first step should be to call your microchip or tattoo firm to check they have your latest cell number.

Then rather than calling all the people mentioned above and spending 5 to 10 minutes with each of them describing your pet and answering a battery of questions – you could just call 1 firm.

PetAlert Schemes:
The problem of lost pets is so widespread that there are now companies that specialise in helping you find your lost pet – and I don’t mean Pet Detectives.

These companies take the hassle out of you having to ring round people yourself – they do it for you in an instant. Basically, they have made contact with all the relevant businesses and charities in your area and can distribute your and your pets details and image to them all by fax or text as soon as you report them.

This way, rather than your details being filed away in a generic Lost Dog file – these messages will be treated as urgent rather than general. Charities don’t have time to make a big ado actively helping to find lost pets – and vets usually have more pressing matters to attend to – but with this bond, things could work a lot smoother.

They are a one-stop-shop for all things lost!

posted by admin on Feb 4

Forget coins and notes – there is a new way to pay…….

It has long been known that you can pay for things – like the London underground – with swipe cards (Oyster Cards) and that you can use your cell phone to pay for car parks if you are caught short in the city – but using your cell phone as a swipe card to pay for a McDonalds!

It really is something new – and expanding.

In the same way that Augmented Reality (AR) was pitched to offer you all sorts of information regarding where you are and what you are looking at – this new technology – known as NFC (near-field communication) is paving a new path in the wireless technology field.

What Is NFC?
Well, to sum it up you could say that NFC is a way for your cell to be told about everything that is close to you – basically your cell becomes one of your senses.

Technology inside your phone can identify who you are – and so ‘charge’ you directly for services like transport and fast food – or entry to museums etc.

But also, this technology inside other things can tell you what they want you to hear. By this I mean that a poster advertising a vacation could register that your cell just ‘walked’ past their poster and send you text with a discount code if you wanted to book through them – or a retail outlet could text you as you pass their store telling you of a great sale or promotion that you might have otherwise missed.

They could also be used by businesses as an identity card – or ‘clocking in’ device for their workers. Rather than cards, machines and guards, they might just make you enter the building through a certain door and the receivers identify you and show you as inside.

Convenient Or Conniving?
I can see both sides of this technology. Firstly, the convenience of not having to worry about having enough money on you all the time is great, and so is the potential for identifying you at work rather than having to complete forms or log in and out.

However, the intrusion of promotions, adverts and other such information would be most annoying. Imagine a stroll around town on your lunch break – it’s bad enough seeing all the adverts and posters all over the place, let alone having them all send messages to your cell! It would almost make you want to leave your cell in the office rendering your ‘identity wherabouts’ gadget useless for that purpose.

Regardless of what you think about it, it has already been implemented in many stores and transport systems across the globe, with many large technology and cell phone companies already pledging to install ‘this and that’ by ‘so and so’.

Japanese commuters have been using a similar technology (but a more basic version) for over 5 years for trains, taxis and fast food!

However, so far it only works by very close contact, but technology could allow these electrical messages to travel further – like the store promotion example.

The Future:
It looks like you won’t have to buy a new cell either as many models will be able to be upgraded – and it may well be available in cheaper models as it becomes more popular.

However, as with all identity cards, credit cards and of course cash – we can leave them at work, lose them or have them stolen. So is making a cell phone even more valuable a good idea?

Cell swipe technology only works with a debit system – so the funds have to be prepaid or instantly charged. Needless to say they could be used as ‘cash’ when stolen at a nearby store or restaurant without the cashier being any the wiser.

And, if these chips were to contain personal information as well, then they may well become a victim of their own success. It would be as disasterous as losing your laptop.

People may even start to carry 2 cells: 1 for paying and one for all other uses – so if it was stolen or lost, they wouldn’t loose all their data and contacts too!

Maybe they will invent a ‘cell buddy’ that cleared all data off the phone if it was taken further than 5 meters from the cell (as would only happen if the owner no longer had their cell with them). Or a way to de-activate the chip in some way when it was next used after being stolen or lost.

Anyway – I’m sure these little niggles will be smoothed out……..

posted by admin on Jan 17

Welcome to another year of Latest Inventions Blog Carnivals.

Hopefully there will be plenty of great gadgets and new technology coming to the surface in 2011, some for industry and medicine – and plenty more for just fun and games!

So, lets get straight to it with a great post on something my brother is very interested in – 3DTV! So join Aviva Jorstad with his thorough review on the subject: 3DTV – Just Hype or The Next Big Thing?.

And another thorough article here talks about medical technology trends which I found very interesting to overview, especially with reference to how technology and information can be used today in ways that most people wouldn’t have expected! So read up on Ken Martin’s post: Top 10 Trends in Mobile Medical Technology.

Now, if your business involves heavy security and you are wondering what is leading the way in computer forensics security then listen to the suggestions of Engelbert Hudson. His list article called Top 25 Startups Revolutionizing Computer Forensics & Security can help you see what is out there and who is doing it!

Next up, Carrie Oakley spends quite some time detailing virtually everthing you need to know about using the Kindle for reading, publishing and just saving money,in: 50 Awesome Blog Posts for the Kindle Addict.

Staying on small gadgets – not only has the tablet computer made it in a big way to free you up from a desk – but now we are looking at making our desktops smaller so if you do have to have a pc at home all day – at least it won’t be a great big eyesore! Join Thomas Bale here for an introduction to the new thinking for nettops as they are being called! Nettop HTPC Comparison | Tomology.co.uk.

If you are interested in health and nutrition and you have kids yourself, are a teacher, volunteer or just an interested adult – here are some great games to help you make healthier decisions day to day – and I have played a few of these myself! So use Gladys Greene’s great little article with links to 25 Useful Online Games for Health Educators (or people like me….).

And finally – staying on a medical angle – here is a very well laid out list article showing all the great android apps you could use if you were in the medical profession – or just wanted to know biological stuff! Join Camille Hensley with her 25 Android Apps Every Nurse Needs!

And there it is – something for everyone this month!

posted by admin on Jan 11

How can your company move forwards if you are left trying to fix a laptop?

What if you need to go to a meeting but you can’t save your data in the right place – or you haven’t quite had long enough to experiment with the latest media upgrade your friend recommended and your presentation doesn’t run smoothly?

Keeping up-to-date with technology and IT advances can sometimes take up so much time that it starts to eat into your ‘business’ time. You have enough to worry about when starting up or running a business – but you then need to spend time researching the latest upgrades, internet security or media packages – and then installing and actually using them!

Well, according to IT outsourcing trends – the way to go is to not worry about your IT department at all: employ someone else to keep on top of everything!

I mean – Why worry about your IT department when you need all the time you can get your hands on to strike up this new deal, implement a new policy or promote your new product?

Widening The Load:
Internet connections and data processing are so fast these days – that you don’t even need your staff in the same office as you.

You can talk to someone online faster than you can walk to the person in the office next door – so why do your employees need to be in the same office at all?

Many companies have virtual secretaries – some even have virtual offices – so why not outsource one of the most important parts of your company to the experts?

Rather than employ 1 or 2 people who know about computers to work for you – you should consider investing that same salary in working with a reputable computer network support services.

For example take NCC Data – one such IT company: They are all experts here – and you are getting the services of more than the 1 or 2 people you traded in! They can offer so much more from their size and experience than can any 1 stand-alone office employee.

Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t have someone in the office for all the basic computing know-how – but IT companies likethis can also offer extensive additional services for the same cost.

For example, they offer business strategy consulting, infrastructure optimization ideas, network security and asset management to their customers. They also know all about the latest technology in the field and the hottest trends in your business area.

And more importantly, they can offer advice on your business needs, growth ideas and disaster recovery planning – as they can see the bigger picture from the expreience they have gained from working with so many other companies similar to yours.

You Already Outsource!
Business IT outsourcing could allow you the extra time in the day that you need to keep your company growing.

In the same way that you outsource your waste management (to avoid worrying about transport and disposal of your rubbish) and you outsource your hygiene management (to avoid worrying about cleaning bathrooms and floors) – you can outsource your IT department – to avoid worrying about upgrades, lost data and server problems!

And you outsource your food and drink too – when you order that coffee and cake!
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posted by admin on Dec 16

So, here we are again – looking at the thoughts of the future in our Carnival.

It’s that time of year again where the newest gadgets and the latest gifts are all anyone is thinking about! You barely have time to fit everything in before the whole country seems to come to a standstill for those 2 magic days.

Have you missed the last post – have you brought that last gift and managed to find that last selection box in the store?

Oh, well – there is always next year to get it right!

But for now – lets take a look at some of the gadget reviews and other technological info that others want to share…….

So lets begin with 2 short review articles; the first is from Steve Faber on the New Yamaha RX-A2000 and RX-A3000 the First With HQV Vida Video Processing. And second up is the amazing news of when 3D Camcorders Hit the Streets written by Jamil Karim.

Add to this a very thorough laptop review by Mitch Archuleta where he covers all the stats for those thinking that the New Year should mean a new laptop! Read up on the Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review.

Kids love the unknown and outer space – so why not fuel their interest (and expand on your own) with a selection of great books on Space! Bridget Nicholson has put together a great selection ranging from one side of the universe to the other! Take a peek at her 100 All-Time Greatest Popular Science Books!

Then we have a Kindle dilemma! Where salientknight looks at the pro’s and cons of his shiny new Kindle when he takes it on the road with him: Will you sign my Kindle?!

Stepping into the future now with a field or science that is still developing – Nano foods. This very nicely displayed and comprehensive article titled The Future of Food: 10 Scary Facts About “Nano Foods” compiled by Edward Phillips should certainly open your eyes to what the food industry are working on for your Thanksgiving Dinner 2011!

And of course: Apps for dessert! Nice pair here with Android versus Blackberry. Tyra Ronan is up first with the 25 Blackberry apps: Top 25 BlackBerry Apps for Public Health Professionalsand AndrosenDsouza gives us the 25 Android apps: Top 25 Google Android Apps for Public Health Professionals!

So, there is is – the end of another year – and the promise of more great inventions for 2011…..