Facebook in 2015: Drones, messaging and virtual reality.

As Facebook has matured into a social media platform unrivaled in size and reach in recent years, the persistent question hanging over the company in 2014 has been: what's next?

To properly answer that question it's best to look into the company's recent past to glean a hint at what might be in store for Facebook in 2015.

Messaging

Earlier this year, Facebook recovered from its stinging rebuke from Snapchat by snapping up the messaging app WhatsApp for $16 billion in February. The app, which currently claims to have 600 million active monthly users, added a significant amount of heft to the company's already massive billion-user base. Nevertheless, the acquisition hasn't appeared to put a dent in Snapchat's popularity.

In yet another strategic answer to Snapchat's decision to turn down Facebook's $3 billion offer, the company launched Slingshot, Facebook's own ephemeral messaging app. Not long after, the company also added a feature to Instagram called Bolt, a feature initially limited to a few countries that allows users to send messages that are temporary and will disappear when swiped away.

The jury is still out as to whether either of either of the two aforementioned apps will gain any real traction, but so far Snapchat appears to be unaffected by Facebook's new alternatives. According to one study, Snapchat remains the preferred ephemeral messaging app among college-age users, and it's now valued at more than $10 billion. And, as of this writing, the company was reportingly seeking new funding that would value it at around $12 billion.

What is immediately clear, based on Facebook's most recent moves, is that it doesn’t plan on simply surrender the ephemeral messaging space to Snapchat and will likely continue experimenting in 2015 until it hits on an app the public finally embraces.

Virtual reality

When Facebook acquired virtual reality headset makers Oculus Rift for $2 billion, the move shocked may industry observers who had previously viewed the Kickstarter-launched device as a mere curiosity, with no firm mainstream market potential. Facebook's $2 billion bet changed all that, essentially legitimizing the virtual reality space for many, despite the fact that the vast majority of the public has never even tried any kind of virtual reality system.

During Facebook's October earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke about the Oculusdevice, explaining that the acquisition was a long play, not one with immediate market potential.

"[W]ith Oculus we’re making a long-term bet on the future of computing," said Zuckerberg, during the call. "Every 10-15 years a new major computing platform arrives, and we think virtual and augmented reality are important parts of this upcoming next platform.

The strategy for Oculus is to help accelerate their growth. The Oculus Rift] needs to reach a very large scale, 50 million units to 100 million units before it will really be a very meaningful thing as a computing platform. So I do think it's going to take a bunch of years to get there."

But look closer, and some of the meaning of the Oculus acquisition reveals itself in the actions surrounding the device that could serve to help Facebook build stronger ties with the developer community.

September's Oculus Connect developer's conference in Hollywood, California, likely did more to improve Facebook's credibility and brand attractiveness within the developer community than perhaps anything it's done in years.

And while building good will and mind share in the developer community won't immediately translate into profits, and immersive VR chats on Facebook with your high school buddies aren't likely to arrive in 2015, some of the ideas to emerge from the annual Oculus conference might deliver Facebook its next hit.

Drones for Internet access

If Facebook observers thought the Oculus acquisition was an odd bet on the future of mainstream computing, they were likely even more surprised when the company acquired UK solar-powered drone maker Ascenta.

But in the case of Ascenta, the reasoning behind the acquisition has far more concrete, albeit ambitious underpinnings. Facebook highlighted the acquisition on its Internet.org site as part of its Connectivity Lab as a tool to help it deliver wireless Internet access to underserved parts of the world, such as Africa.

FACEBOOK 

"Today we are also bringing on key members of the team from Ascenta, a small UK-based company whose founders created early versions of Zephyr, which became the world’s longest flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft," said Zuckerberg in a statement on Facebook in March. "They will join our team working on connectivity aircraft."

Facebook Connectivity Lab engineering director Yael Maguire says that the group hopes to get the Internet connectivity drones in the air by 2015. That's the timeline, but the actual execution of those ambitious plans remains to be seen.

Of course, Facebook will likely drop a few more unrelated surprises next year, likely in the way of mobile apps, news feed innovations and possibly going even deeper into search, but for now 2015 looks a year of experimentation and long-term planning for the world's largest social network.

Read More...

How a Burned-Out Lawyer Quit Her Job and Discovered Her Dream Career

• 
  

Pradeep Dwivedi, I had been practicing law at a top New York firm for nearly five years. I was earning six figures and had the fancy office and the secretary. My parents glowed with pride when they told their friends what I did for a living. By most people’s standards, I was doing pretty well.

The reality was, I was miserable.

I hated practicing law. I hated it every single second of every single day for five years. (And given my workload, that included weekends, too!)

It was on the eve of my 30th birthday that I finally quit. I was sick and tired of hating my work. And I didn’t want to live with the same gnawing sense of career anxiety in my 30s that plagued my 20s. I knew there was something better out there for me. But at the time, I couldn’t imagine what it was.

Running from the law to do what I loved

Without any real plan in mind, I did the only respectable thing I could think of: I packed my bags and went off to graduate school. I’ve always loved learning and had been a great student, so going back to school was the perfect escape from Alcatraz (a.k.a., the law).

I earned a degree in Human Resource Management from Cornell University and went straight on to Goldman Sachs, where I started managing corporate learning and development for technology executives around the world.

My job was all about helping people be their very best at work: team building, performance management, leadership development and coaching for success. I loved it right from the start!

To go so quickly from work I hated to work I loved was just incredible. All the negative energy I once spent on worrying myself sick and complaining about my job was transformed into positive energy and boundless drive. Even though I was making less money, work went from being drudgery to a joy. I could see the positive impact of my efforts on people’s lives every day. And I wanted to do more, more, more.

So after a couple of years, I left Goldman Sachs to start my own consulting firm to help other Wall Street firms manage people more effectively and maximize the potential of their employees.

I couldn’t have been happier. For a good eight months or so, things were literally perfect. I had great clients, I was doing work that I loved—and, I was making more money than ever before.

Then came 9/11. And right alongside the World Trade Center, my business crumbled, too. With the whole city in mourning, it seemed that team building and leadership development were the last things on anyone’s mind.

Not knowing what I wanted to do, but doing it anyway

“Now what?” I thought long and hard. But no clear answers emerged.

Instead, a million Ideas for businesses I could start, products or services I could sell, websites I could create and more flooded my brain. For each idea I had, I bought the related Web address (domain name). Before I knew it, I owned more than a hundred domain names.

One day, someone called me and wanted to buy one of my domains. That day changed my life, because I learned that domain names are like pieces of digital real estate on the Internet and can sometimes be extremely valuable.

My domain addiction only grew from there. Hundreds of domains turned into thousands. And at an average renewal price of $10 a year, owning thousands of domain names came with a hefty price tag! It’s fair to say I had become a full-fledged Internet junky. I was working around the clock to learn how to sell and trade domain names, develop websites, blog, use Google Adwords and Adsense, write Web copy and more.

While I was making some money between a few high-paying consulting gigs and domain sales, in those days, my spending typically outpaced my earnings by a pretty good margin.

Brushing off the career exploration naysayers

Everyone around me worried that my career still hadn’t gotten back “on track.” When I would excitedly brag to my friends about my latest domain name conquests and Internet marketing exploits, they could only roll their eyes and admonish me to “get a job.”

And my poor parents—they were so disappointed. My dad gave me pep talks about how my old law firm would surely love to hire me back. (How comforting!) And my mom, bless her heart, urged me regularly to “find a job with the government, because they have such good benefits.” (Perhaps the DMV or the Post Office could use someone with my skill set?)

While my income during much of my 30s was wildly inconsistent, I was somehow never worried about my career. Whether I was making money or not, I knew I was on the right path. A path to where, I still didn’t know. All I knew was that I loved what I was doing, I loved what I was learning and I loved all the ideas, opportunities and possibilities I was exploring every day. I was happy and confident that one day it would all make sense.

And then, one day, it did.

Becoming the master of .CO domains

I had just turned 40 when I met Juan Diego Calle. We hit it off famously. He had this big idea about turning Colombia’s .CO domain extension into the world’s next great Web address.

Given all my years in the domain space, I knew better than anyone the frustration people felt with the lack of good domains. I also knew how exciting it was to find the perfect domain name for your business, brand or blog. The project captured my imagination like nothing ever had before. Although I’d never held a marketing job in my life, I convinced Juan that I could get the job done. And I’ve been doing it ever since.

We launched .CO to the world three years ago. Since then, people in more than 200 countries have registered over 1.5 million .CO domain names. In my role as VP and brand strategist, it feels like every odd skill, bit of experience and piece of knowledge I’ve ever learned is put to work on a daily basis. My work is filled with purpose as I get to work with an incredible team of professionals to help people all over the world bring their ideas to life online.

For those of you who are feeling stuck doing work that you hate, or who simply have the sense that you’re traveling down the wrong career path, I’d like to share a few words of advice:

1. Listen to yourself

If you feel anxious about going to work every day, chances are something’s wrong. Listen to your gut. If it’s giving you clues that you’re in the wrong job or pursuing the wrong career path, then you probably are.

Do something about it. You never know what incredible opportunity could be waiting for you just around the next corner.

2. Open your heart

Forget the notion that you’re supposed to be climbing some pie-in-the-sky career ladder to success. Instead, open your heart and your mind to new people, experiences and opportunities.

When you let your interests, instincts and passions lead the way, you never know what you might discover about yourself—or what interesting new twists and turns your life may take.

3. Don’t let your degrees dictate your choices

Just because you have a law degree doesn’t mean you’re sentenced to a lifetime practicing law. The same goes for HR, finance, medicine or any other field.

It’s normal to deviate from a plan you may have made when you were younger—or even one you made just yesterday. It doesn’t matter what your degree says. What matters is how you apply your education and seize the opportunities that life throws your way.

4. Tune out the naysayers

Be wary of self-appointed career advisors who may not fully understand you or your choices. It’s your life!

My friends and family thought I was crazy when I started my love affair with domain names—but it turned out to be the greatest career move of my life. Although they had the best intentions for me, had I listened, I might still be a sad and deflated lawyer.

5. Keep moving forward

Your life and career are going to be filled with mistakes and failures. Don’t get hung up on them. After all, it’s the collection of your experiences—especially the hard knocks—that make you uniquely you.

I hated practicing law, but quitting that job taught me there was work out there that I could truly love. I absolutely loved being a management consultant, but it was only when my business failed that I stumbled upon my true career passion.

Have faith in yourself, learn from your mistakes and stay focused on your strengths and passions. Most of all, keep moving forward. You can always correct course from a wrong turn; just don’t let yourself stall out.

Lori Anne Wardi is Vice President of Brand at .CO. Responsible for all matters involving brand strategy, business development and global communications, she spends her time traveling the world and preaching the bible of .CO.

Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.

Read More...

How to get your dream holiday for less

If you love to travel but like a bargain read on… we can make your holiday pound go further

Holidays are a big investment of time and energy – not to mention money – so it’s well worth doing a bit of homework to get the right trip at the best price. We’ve asked the experts for their advice to help you save money, wherever you’re off to!

Before you go

Costs depend on where and when you want to travel, but when it comes to really driving down prices a little flexibility can go a long way. A few days difference in departure dates can mean that air fares and hotel rates vary considerably. And don’t forget to check all UK airports too. Driving or taking the train to a different airport could be cheaper than flying from your nearest one.

Factor in the whole price of a holiday, not just flights and hotel. “If you fly long haul to places like Goa or Thailand, the air fare will be pricey, but day-to-day expenses will be lower than in the UK,” says Sean Tipton at ABTA.

“Choose an all-inclusive break if you’re heading to Turkey or the Greek Islands as food and drink prices are high,” says Maria Whiteman at Directline Holidays. “Considering Croatia? Room only or b&b offers better value overall because food costs are lower.”

For city breaks consider Eastern Europe. Prague and Budapest are not only beautiful and cultural – they’re currently less than half the price of other Eurozone cities such as Paris and Bruges. When it comes to eating out Spain is Europe’s cheapest holiday destination with a meal for two with wine averaging just £22.

Shopping around is a good idea, but booking online isn’t always cheaper. “High street travel agents can often access discounted rates offered by hotels and you benefit from an agent’s travel expertise,” says Sean Tipton.

If you have access to a computer do your homework before you go to the travel agent. You’ll be better equipped to choose the right offer – plus tour operators can often match an online price.

Read More...

Is Skype Translator ready for 'primo tiempo?'

Skype Translator may be the biggest advancement in real-time language translation since the babelfish on “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.”

The app, currently in a limited trial for Windows 8.1 and for English and Spanish speakers only, listens to what you say on a Skype video or audio call and then translates immediately. It can also translate the text you type during a Skype instant messaging chat. The chat works for over 40 languages beyond Spanish including German, French, Arabic and even Klingon.

Recently, I had a chance to test out the preview release by calling a Spanish-speaking person on the Microsoft team named Ignacio Perez Lozano, who lives in Spain. A calm and collected millennial, he was game to let me try a few tougher words and local idioms.

The technology that makes this happen involves a third-party: a robot. When you place a call, a translation engine serves as an interpreter. It literally joins the call and processes what you say.

According to Vikram Dendi from Microsoft Research, the back-end processing comes from many lessons the tech giant (that now owns Skype) has learned about natural language processing over the past 15 years. For now, they only offer Spanish and English, but will expand soon.

“This approach allows for a better user experience, as we will not release languages until they meet a certain standard of accuracy, including input from our internal users and partners,” he told me. “We’ll be listening to feedback to determine what platforms are most important to customers, which languages they want to use, and how they plan to use Skype Translator.”

The big surprise here is that Skype Translator really does work almost instantly. As I spoke, the robot sometimes started translating mid-sentence. Only in a few cases did my words not translate quite accurately. I asked about the weather in Spain -- turns out, it is sunny and mild right now -- and asked a few easy questions about working in a foreign country.

In a few cases, I tried to find out if the translation could understand colloquialisms and slang, and if it could keep up with a few well-placed words most people would not understand.

I first said "I just lap-tested a Bugatti in Miami and it was sick." My helper in Spain could see the real-time text of the translation in both Spanish and English, and he understands both languages so he knew I meant I had driven on a track and that I felt the car was amazing (not broken or at the shop). However, the exact translation used the word "enfermo," which means ill.

Next, I tried saying words like "egregious:" and "serendipitously," which are not part of everyday vocabulary. Egregious means "unusually terrible" and translated correctly by both voice and instant message. Serendipitously means "out of the blue" and the word did not translate quite right (it said “serendipitous Lee”) and Lozano didn’t know the meaning in Spanish.

Since I'm from Minnesota, I also tried the ultimate test. I mentioned something about going to a potluck on Sunday. Skype Translator used the English word, but Lozano didn’t know it. That said, even people fluent in English from other countries have a hard time with local idioms. And, when I explained it meant everyone brings a meal to share, he understood easily.

Skype Translator works fast, it's reliable, and it understood even unusual and complex multi-syllable words. The main takeaway is that a computer is more than capable of translating what we say. It has a hard time relaying what we mean in every context. For that, Microsoft researchers might need to teach it more than just the words but the context of what we are really trying to say. It would sure help with any globe-spanning misunderstandings.

Read More...

5 Effective Ways to Build Organic Backlinks

Here are 5 Effective Ways to Built organic backlinks quickly. Apart from writing quality content and promoting it through social media, it’s necessary to have some quality backlinks to your blog. After the recent search algorithm changes by Google, many blogs are punished for several reasons. To stay safe and ahead of your competitors, it’s necessary to take some action and building organic backlinks will surely help.

This article is written after getting inspired from a video by Matt Cutts, the head of Google SPAM Team. He clearly mentioned some good points on how to build organic backlinks.

What are Organic Backlinks ?

There are thousands of ways to build links to your blog and none of them are equal to “Organic Backlinks”. In simple words, organic backlinks can be explained as the links that are naturally constructed, which usually happens when you focus on high quality and unique content.

How to built Organic Backlinks ?

Here are 5+ sure fire tips that help to built organic backlinks to your blog.

1. Controversies

Indulging in a Controversy will easily highlight things mostly if you are on the negative side. You need to follow-up regularly and have to be in touch with trending topics. Words have such a great power and believe me, with a single blog post you can grab the attention of the whole media. Play it safe or otherwise you may face some legal issues.

2. Experiments

Experimenting on things will depend on your interest and passion to achieve something. Not everyone can do experiments as it needs lot of time and patience. So, if you are goot at something, then try to experiment on things and publish posts like How-to guides on your blog. This is how unique content can be built and organic backlinks will flow to your article, sometimes for years.

3. Freebies

Using a feebie to get subscribers and backlinks is an old yet powerful strategy. You cannot get backlinks immediately, but over time you can get some quality backlinks. This depends on the quality and type of freebie you are providing. If its a regular one, like a free PSD template or a free theme then there wont be much use. Try to work on creative things and give them away for free.

4. Communities

Lets consider some blogs in the WordPress niche. There are quite popular and useful blogs on WordPress that help to make the most out of your WordPress blog. Whenever they write an article or list out some resources, links to the articles on other blogs will be included. This purely depends on the author of the article and so its necessary to establish some connections with fellow bloggers.

5. Video Blogging

Many have the talent to create useful videos yet don’t try it. Consistent exposure can be gained through video blogging and if you need a sort of inspiration to start with, then you can check TheNewBoston (http://thenewboston.org/tutorials.php). That guy got good programming skills and he is sharing some knowledge through his videos. Make videos and your articles will be linked on many blogs.

Bonus Tip

Forum Participation also helps to get some backlinks. All you have to do is help others by providing some useful answers for questions in sections you have knowledge on. And important thing is don’t SPAM posts with single word answers, it may result in a ban.

Over To You

That’s it from my side and if I have missed any important one, let me know through comments. If you don’t agree with any of these methods or want some proofs on how they work, lets start the discussion now.

Read More...

Overview of Data Communication and Computer Network.

Data communications refers to the transmission of this digital data between two or more computers and a computer network or data network is a telecommunications network that allows computers to exchange data. The physical connection between networked computing devices is established using either cable media or wireless media. The best-known computer network is the Internet.

This tutorial will teach you basics of Data Communication and Computer Network (DCN) and will also take you through various advance concepts related to Data Communication and Computer Network.

Introduction

A system of interconnected computers and computerized peripherals (such as printers) is called network. This interconnection among computers facilitates information sharing among them. Computers may connect to each other by wired media or wireless media.

Categories

Computer Networks are classified into many categories based on their respective attributes. These includes:

• Geographical span
• Inter-connectivity
• Administration
• Architecture

Geographical Span

Geographically a network can be seen in one of the following categories:

• It may be spanned across your table, among Bluetooth enabled devices. Ranging not more than few meters.
• It may be spanned across a whole building, including intermediate devices to connect all floors.
• It may be spanned across a whole city.
• It may be spanned across multiple cities or provinces.
• It may be one network covering whole world.

Inter-connectivity

Components of a network can be connected to each other differently in some fashion. By connectedness we mean either logically or physically or both ways.

• Every single device can be connected to every other device on network, making the network mesh.
• All devices can be connected to a single medium but geographically disconnected, created bus like structure.
• Each device is connected to its left and right peers only, creating linear structure.
• All devices connected together with a single device, creating star like structure.
• All devices connected arbitrarily using all previous ways to connect each other, resulting in a hybrid structure.

Administration

From an administrator’s point of view, a network can be private network which belongs a single autonomous system and cannot accessed outside its physical or logical domain. Or a network can be a public network, which can be accessed by all.

Network Architecture

• There can be one or more systems acting as Server. Other being Client, request the Server to serve requests. Servers take and process request on behalf of Clients.
• Two systems can be connected Point-to-Point, or in other words back-to-back fashion. They both reside on same level and called peers.
• There can be hybrid network which involves network architecture of both the above types.

Network Applications

Computer systems and peripherals are connected to form a network provides bunch of advantages:

• Resource sharing such as printers and storage devices.
• Exchange of Information by means of eMails and FTP.
• Information sharing by using Web or Internet.
• Interaction with other users using dynamic web pages.
• IP phones
• Video Conferences
• Parallel computing
• Instant Messaging

Read More...

Type of Computer Applications.

Type of Computer Applications.

Thursday, May 01, 2014 No comments

1. Business

The computer's characteristic as high speed of calculation, diligence, accuracy, reliability, or versatility has made it an integrated part in all business organisations.

Computer is used in business organisation for:

• Payroll Calculations
• Budgeting
• Sales Analysis
• Financial forecasting
• Managing employees database
• Maintenance of stocks, etc.

2. Banking

Today Banking is almost totally dependent on computer.

Banks provide following facilities:

• Banks on-line accounting facility, which includes current balances, deposits, overdrafts, interest charges, shares and trustee records.
• ATM machines are making it even easier for customers to deal with banks.

3. Insurance

Insurance companies are keeping all records up-to-date with the help of computers. The Insurance Companies, Finance houses and Stock broking firms are widely using computers for their concerns.

Insurance Companies are maintaining a database of all clients with information showing:

• how to continue with policies
• starting date of the policies
• next due instalment of a policy
• maturity date
• interests due                                                                                                   survival benefits                                                                                               bonus

4. Education

The computer has provided a lot of facilities in the Education System.

• The uses of computer provide a tool in the Education system known as CBE (Computer Based Education).
• CBE involves Control, Delivery and Evaluation of learning.
• The computer education is very familiar and rapidly increasing the graph of computer students.
• There are number of methods in which educational institutions can use computer to educate the students. It is used for prepare a database about student performance and analyses are carried out.

5. Marketing

In Marketing uses of computer are following:

• Advertising: With computers, advertising professionals create art and graphics, write and revise copy, and print and disseminate ads with the goal of selling more products.
• At Home Shopping: Home shopping has been made possible through use of computerised catalogues that provide access to product information and permit direct entry of orders to be filled by the customers.

6.  Health Care

Computers have become important part in all Medical Systems.

The computers are being used in hospitals to keep the record of patients and medicines. It is also used in scanning and diagnosing different diseases. ECG, EEG, Ultrasounds and CT Scans, etc., are also done by computerised machines.

Some of major fields of health care in which computers are used:

• Diagnostic System: Computers are used to collect data and identify cause of illness.
• Lab-diagnostic System: All tests can be done and reports are prepared by computer.
• Patient Monitoring System: These are used to check patient's signs for abnormality such as in Cardiac Arrest, ECG, etc.
• Pharma Information System: Computer checks Drug-Labels, Expiry dates, harmful drug side effects, etc.
• Nowadays, computers are also used in performing surgery.

7.Engineering Department

Computers are widely used in Engineering purposes.

One of major areas is CAD (Computer aided design). CAD provides creation, edition, and modification of image. Some fields are:

• Structural Engineering: Requires stress and strain analysis required for design of Ships, Buildings, Budgets, Airplanes, etc.
• Industrial Engineering: Computers deal with design, implementation and improvement of Integrated systems of people, materials and equipments.
• Architectural Engineering: Computers help in planning towns, designing buildings, determining a range of buildings on a site using both 2D and 3D drawings.

8. Military

Computers are largely used in defence. Modern tanks, missiles, weapons, etc., employ computerised control systems. Some military areas where a computer has been used are:

• Missile Control
• Military Communication
• Military operation and planning
• Smart Weapons

9. Communication 

Communication means to convey a message, an idea, a picture or speech that is received and understood clearly and correctly by the person for whom it is meant. Some main areas in this category are:

• E-mail
• Chatting

Usenet
FTP
                                                                                                                Telnet
                                                                                                                 Video-conferencing

10 .Government 

Computers play an important role in government applications. Some major fields in this category are:

• Budgets
• Sales tax department
• Income tax department
• Male/Female ratio

Computerization of voters lists
Computerization of Driving Licensing system
                                                                                                                Computerization of PAN card
                                                                                                                Weather Forecasting.

Read More...