How some common technical things work
Here are some links to help you understand how some technical things work:
- UEFI BIOS explained
The new way to get PCs booted up is explained at PC Pro by Darien Graham-Smith - Guide to Codecs, Container Formats and Transcoding
Want to know what all those multi-media terms like H.264, DivX, MP4, AVI, MPEG-2, AVCHD, AAC, OGG, MKV mean? Online Tech Tips explains. - Move to SSD: migrate your PC to solid state
TechRadar step-by-step guide shows how to clone your existing boot drive to a fresh new drive for free - Solid-state revolution: in-depth on how SSDs really work
Ars Technica explains solid state drives - What Are The Different Computer Cable Types You Should Know As A User?
There are a lot of different types of cable. MakeUseOf tries to help you keep them straight. - The PC inside your phone: A guide to the system-on-a-chip
As chip manufacturing processes have improved, it’s now possible to cram more and more of previously separate components into a single chip. This not only reduces system complexity, cost, and power consumption, but it also saves space, making it possible to fit a high-end computer from yesteryear into a smartphone that can fit in your pocket. It’s these technological advancements that have given rise to the system-on-a-chip (SoC), one monolithic chip that’s home to all of the major components that make these devices tick—At Ars Technica, Andrew Cunningham explains SoCs
The growth of “bring your own device”
As many people are now using a variety of platforms, businesses have started allowing employees to bring their own devices. The practice (often referred to as BYOD) has been growing and the infographic below gives some statistics.
Source: ReadWrite
Tuesday links
- YouTube users now upload 100 hours of video every minute
Today [Sunday] is YouTube’s eighth birthday, and to mark the occasion Google is revealing new statistics that underline what a cultural sensation its video site has become. Most staggeringly, over 100 hours of video are now uploaded to YouTube each and every minute.—The Verge - Helper Robots Are Steered, Tentatively, to Elder Care
At the New York Times Bits blog, Nick Bilton looks at implications of the growing possibility of robots caring for the elderly - Why we can’t quite seem to make up our minds about Google
We admire Google. We’re impressed by Google’s accomplishments. But we’re wary of Google’s relentless ambition and its at-times curious thoughts about our world—Tom Krazit at GigaOM - The Internet of Things: In action
By 2015, six billion objects in the world will be connected to the internet. While it may seem tricky to grasp as a concept, the internet of things is nothing simpler, and more stunning, than objects being connected to the internet. At its most mind-blowing, these objects are learning and adapting to the behaviour of the user—Lauren Fisher at TheNextWeb - Windows 8 app store fails Top 10 test
Microsoft’s Windows 8 app store failed a test touted by a former Microsoft manager and distinguished engineer as a way to determine an ecosystem’s relevance—Gregg Keizer at Computerworld
Monday Links
- Windows “slower than other operating systems”
“Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening.” That’s one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows’ performance isn’t up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand’s blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development— Thom Holwerda at OS News - How iPads transformed the cockpit for busy Alaska Airlines pilots
For years, Alaska Airlines pilots always carried bulky, heavy flight bags loaded with flight maps, flight manuals, and loads of other paperwork that was subject to frequent updates. The iPad changed everything—Todd R. Weiss at Cite World - How data is changing the car game for Ford
The advent of big data is affecting Ford Motor Co. in some significant ways, from how it analyzes its supply chain to the features it puts into its cars—Derrick Harris at GigaOM - These Amazon Products Are No Joke, But the Online Reviews Are
Whether on Books About Random Digits Or Toilet Seats, Everybody’s a Comedian—The Wall StreetJournal writes about some of the unusual products at Amazon and the tongue-in-cheek reviews they attract - The Future of Broadband Internet
The Worldwide Web recently had its 20th birthday. At MaximumPC, Marco Chiappetta has an extensive article about what comes next for the Internet
Quote of the week
After almost two decades online, I have never been more paranoid about my security, identity and theft
—At ReadWrite, Dan Rowinski relates how he has personally been hacked in various ways
Reboot, update, do it again
Source: Dilbert.com
Tech trends
Here are some links about changes and trends in the PC and tech world:
- It’s Time to Reinvent the Personal Computer
Although Windows and Macintosh are both showing their age, I think there is enormous opportunity for a renaissance in personal computing. (By personal computing, I mean the use of purpose-built computers for productivity tasks including the creation and management of information.) I’m not saying there will be a renaissance, because someone has to invest in making it happen. But there could be a renaissance, and I think it would be insanely great for everyone who depends on a computer for productivity.
In this post I’ll describe the next-generation personal computing opportunity, and what could make it happen.—Michael Mace at his blog - The Numbers Are Clear: Mobile Is Taking Over The World
Take a moment to think about it. The mobile market – hardware, software, apps, services, infrastructure – is expanding to just about every corner of the wold. And as mobile connects the entire planet – linking billions of people in real-time from almost any place you can imagine – it is re-constructing how people everywhere engage in shopping, banking, entertainment, work, healthcare and learning—Brian S Hall at ReadWrite - How to Keep Yourself Updated With the Latest Internet Memes
Online Tech Tips gives tips for keeping up with the hot Internet memes. In case you aren’t sure what a “meme” is, here is the Wikipedia explanation. - Raspberry Pi and the rise of small computers
If small is beautiful, then in recent months the computer world has been burgeoning with beauty thanks to the growing number of teeny, tiny machines being released.
The Raspberry Pi has led this pack, purely because more than a million of them have been sold since orders started being accepted on 29 February 2012. Also available at this lower end of the market are devices from VIA, Rikomagic, Mele, Texas Instruments and Hiapad—BBC News - Coming Soon: Desktops Hosted On The Cloud, Usable Anywhere
A new video technology quietly announced late last week could mark a landmark change in how apps are deployed on PCs, tablets and smartphones for years to come – and also have big ramifications on how companies like Apple do business—At ReadWrite, Brian Proffitt describes a new codec from Mozilla that will allow the streaming of desktop applications.
