CamelCase

Microsoft Office products often include terminology with capital letters in the middle of words. For example PowerPoint. Power point would be an incorrect spelling of this product and confuse the reader as to what you are really saying.
“CamelCase (or camel case), also known as medial capitals,[1] is the practice of writing compound words or phrases in which the elements are joined without spaces, with each element's initial letter capitalized within the compound and the first letter either upper or lower case—as in "LaBelle", "BackColor", "McDonald's", "iPod", or "GaGa". The name comes from the uppercase "bumps" in the middle of the compound word, suggestive of the humps of a camel. The practice is known by many other names.

An early systematic use of medial capitals is the standard notation for chemical formulae, such as NaCl, that has been widely used since the 19th century. In the 1970s, medial capitals became an alternative (and often standard) identifier naming convention for several programming languages. Since the 1980s, following the popularization of computer technology, it has become fashionable in marketing for names of products and companies, and for 1990s online video games where players use pseudonyms (when spaces were not allowed). However, medial capitals are rarely used in formal written English and most style guides recommend against their use.” (Wikipedia.)

Apparently, due to the fact that the naming convention in popular programming languages includes media capitals, Microsoft and other companies have begun using common words as product trademarks by using two words together and media capitals in the words. This is normally done by combining two words together to make one new word while capitalizing the first letter of the second word. For example, word art would normally be two words while in the CamelCase it is WordArt and means something specific (a Microsoft product feature.)

Using Word as an Editor

Microsoft Office includes a magnificent editor with built in spell and grammar check called "Word." Many people use Word as an editor and save the file as a complete edited file when they are finished. However, word can be used for much more than that.

For example, when posting to a discussion or forum that does not have a built in spell check or grammar checker write your post in Word. Then, copy past the post to the discussion without saving the Word document. You can then go back and forth as you post additional comments. (This is where a double monitor or wide screen comes in handy.)

You can also use Word as an editor for a chat utility that does not support spell or grammar check.

At the bottom left corner of the Word task screen is a number that indicates Word count. For discussion assignments that require a minimum number of words you can use this word count if you use Word as the editor for your post.

Finally, it very handy to keep Word open and on your task bar if you need a handy spell checker or thesaurus. Just open the Word task screen and type in your word to check it.

This post was written in Word 2010 to check for errors and look how good it looks!

Digital Utopianism

Larry Downes recently wrote in Forbes magazine here: http://blogs.forbes.com/larrydownes/2011/03/10/is-digital-utopianism-dead/ an article on Network Neutrality (NN.) His article is titled "Is Digital Utopianism Dead?"

My answer is quite simply “Yes!” However, when was it ever alive?? Just as in any other daydream of utopia, they simply do not exist and never will. We dream about them but should never kid ourselves into believing that they ever will or are even possible.
Mr. Downes compares the open non proprietary protocol, TCP/IP, used on the Internet with the business model followed by cable TV companies. Come on Mr. Downes! Who do you think you are kidding? The former is an advertising based financial model while the latter is a charge for use model that is not based on advertising. The cable TV content companies do not talk about monetizing content as Internet content providers do simply because they do not have to.
Does Mr. Downes forget that without the extensive FCC oversight of advertising based broadcast TV that advertising based models of the networks (ABC, NBC, CBS et al.) would not exist at all? The same applies to the free advertising based Internet. It would become a charge based model the same as cable TV. Who wants that?
Making the availability of information charge based contributes to the schism created by the digital divide where only the wealthy will have access to information and will seek to perpetuate their wealth and class while the poor will have no access and get poorer.
Mr. Downes article is clearly elitist and transparent. In the past Forbes has been a bit more subtle about manipulation of the middle and lower classes by the wealthy in our country. Too bad Mr. Downes opted for blatant intellectualism in the hopes that only the wealthy would understand it.

Network Neutrality

Network Neutrality was in the news again today in a dispute between Comcast and Level 3 communications a competitive local exchange provider (CLEC) and Internet Service Provider (ISP.) See the full article here:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703945904575645251061168526.html?mod=rss_Technology

It appears that Comquest is afraid of losing its cable TV business to Netflix and as a result wants to charge Level 3 for transmitting Netflix video over its broadband access.

How to Protect Yourself From Technologies Darker Side

In today’s technological environment new dangers lurk. Precautions need to be taken to prevent undesired consequences. The following are examples of some of these dangers:

Identity Theft, Phishing, Viruses, Trojan Horses, Worms, Spyware, Spam, and Information Piracy.

Identity Theft, especially, is a major problem. In this instance a criminal captures information such as your name and social security number and then pretends to be you. They open bank accounts, take out loans, and try to get as much money out of your identity before giving up use of your identity. The worst part of this crime is that you will end up in a database used by other criminals so you may have this problem for life. As a result, it is imperative that you take precautions to avoid being victimized by this crime.

What precautions can you take to protect yourself?

1. Only give out information that you have to give out. If a field in an online form is not mandatory (usually marked with a red asterisk.) Do not fill it in.

2. Do not use a simple password. Use a complex password made up of at least 9 characters, both alpha and numeric characters and at least one non alpha numeric character such as the tilde (~).

3. Do not put telephone numbers or social security numbers on personal checks. In fact do not use personal checks if possible.

4. Use a telephone blocking device and program it to only allow your known friends to ring through. This will block all unwanted calls from people like telemarketers or scammers. They will automatically be forwarded to voice mail where you can screen them.

5. Always purchase goods with a credit card. If purchasing online, be sure the merchant uses an encrypted link such as SSL to process your credit card information. If they do not do this do not purchase from them. Look for a “lock icon” at the end of your URL or address bar for the website. Also, look for a security badge that describes what kind of protection they are using such as SSL.

6. Check your credit reports once per year.

7. Be sure you have a good state full firewall on your Internet link. This is usually incorporated into your wireless router.

8. Do not open emails from unknown sources and definitely do not open attachments unless you know who sent it and why they sent it.

9. When you receive an email from a bank or other financial transaction oriented company never click in the link in the email. Always close the email and then go to your online account thought your browser. Once there you will see an account alert if there is a problem. This is called Phishing. The email may look very official with the proper logos and other artwork. However, when you click on the link you are taken to a remote website that spoofs the original site prompting you for your user name and password.

10. Be careful when using your ATM to withdraw cash. A device called a skimmer can be installed on the outside of the ATM matching the case and trim of the ATM. When you use the ATM the device captures the information from your magnetic strip on your ATM card and camera captures your PIN while you enter it.

11. Never comment on your plans for leaving or going on vacation on social networking sites. Potential criminals can watch this and know when to break into your home.

Network Neutrality

Many of my students have difficulty with the concept of Network Neutrality when it is introduced in one of my classes or heard on the daily news. If you hear it on the news please be aware that it is a very important topic and should not be ignored. The tendency is to answer the question about what it is with a one or two sentence answer which is simply not possible and results in a poor or 0 grade or not understanding the concept. The next attempt is at copying the definition straight out of Wikipedia or another on line resource which is not only plagiarism but is only a copy of one or two sentences which still leaves the answer incorrect and the understanding at best incomplete.
Complicating matters further Network Neutrality (NN) continues to change and evolve. In today’s news, for example, National Public Radio (NPR) announced a story on NN with a slant on wireless broadband, titled “Wireless Firms Count on the Future of the Internet” which can be found at http://www.npr.org/2010/11/17/131378404/big-business-exerts-more-control-on-wireless-industry.
There has been a lot of interest, of late, on how the Internet is evolving from wired to wireless and the use of portable devices to effect this change. There is also the misconception, out there, that wireless access, vis a vis 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi is of limitless bandwidth when in fact it is not. It is certainly of less bandwidth than the state of the art wired technique, fiber optics, which is presently limited to about one terra bit per second (Tbps) or one trillion bits of data per second. Practical bandwidths for fiber optics, especially for residential access are much lower than that and are more around 45 Mbps equivalent to the optical transmission hierarchy rate of optical carrier 1 (OC-1.)
So it is likely, that for a long time the Internet will be a wired and wireless hybrid with wireless methods feeding into wired backbones. In order to ensure NN all of the players in this transmission will need to meet the rules of NN and an enforceable methodology will need to be put in place.
Add to this the current evolution of TV from cable or satellite to the Internet with such services as Netflix streaming, Roku, Hulu Plus, and others and you get an idea of how complex and difficult this topic can be.
In order to understand NN you need to know who the players are. The primary players today will not necessarily be the primary players of tomorrow. For example, wireless broadband will become an ever increasing part if not all of the last mile access methods which now include DSL, Cable TV, Ku band Satellite, and Wimax. In the Tampa area, Wimax will be offered primarily by Clearwire and resold by T-mobile and others.
Also, in today’s news at http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/11/net-neutrality-groups-push-fcc/comment-page-1/ an interview with the FCC chairman explains how he will have a more difficult time keeping the administrations campaign promise of a fair and open Internet due to the GOP taking the position that nothing needs to be done and that less government is better. This of course helps the large corporations that are Internet Service Providers (ISP.) It is up to each and every one of you to be aware of this issue and help keep the Internet open and fair for all players.
Consider this information about an incoming republican who seeks to curb the FCC’s powers “The FCC’s regulatory compass must be broken as they continue in their unrelenting pursuit to impose so-called network neutrality regulations, regardless of whether the agency has the legal authority for such a blind power grab, and whether such regulations will actually undermine the FCC’s ability to achieve the goals of the National Broadband plan,” Upton wrote. “The FCC must stand down from pursuing a course unauthorized and opposed by Congress.”
Since 1989, Upton has received $93,600 from AT&T — his second largest career campaign contributor — $51,500 from Comcast, and $47,550 from Verizon, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. From http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/11/net-neutrality-groups-push-fcc/comment-page-1/

Lightning Time of Year

Here in Florida as well as in other areas of the country summer time means the beginning of lightning season. Lightning is the bane of all electronic devices. Lightning can strike some distance away and still cause damage to your electronic equipment unless you have taken steps to protect it. This electronic equipment includes your computer and all devices attached to it including your DSL modem, router, switch, printer, scanner etc. as well as other microprocessor based electronic equipment. This equipment includes LCD or LED TV's, music players, DVD players, and DVR's (Digital Video Recorders.)

One of the best ways of protecting everthing from your computer to your flat screen TV is with a small UPS (Uniterruptible Power Supply) such as this one: APC Back-UPS ES 8 Outlet 550VA 120V. This small UPS will protect your equipment much more than a surge protector. For example the UPS works by taking AC from your wall outlet (where the lightning comes in) converting it to DC and then using the DC to charge a battery. The battery is then used to power an inverter which converts the DC back to AC for output to your electronic device. In the process of doing this on a continuous basis the electricity is filtered through the battery on a continuous basis. This eliminates any dangerous electronic spikes caused by lightning no matter how fast they are.

UPS units have traditionally been used to provide back up power so that a device such as a computer can be shut down in an orderly manner when the power goes out and before the UPS battery runs out of juice. However,the UPS should be considered as more protection for transient spikes of electricity and brown out protection
than for back up power. This is especially true when the UPS is small and inexpensive and does not provide much back up time.

In the case of a surge protector like this:Belkin 12-Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with Phone/Ethernet/Coaxial Protection and Extended Cord there is a small amount of time while the surge protector switches off or limits the power to protect your device. During this time your device could be damaged because lightning is.. well lightning fast and may get into your device while this switching is occuring. In addition, something may occur called a brown out during other times of the day when there is an unexpected large demand on the electrical grid causing a shortage in voltage. This results in your device trying to operate at a lower voltage and drawing too much current. This could also fry your device and is prevented by using a UPS.

So, it's worth it to spend $50 for a small UPS rather than $25 for a surge protector. And if that weren't enough you will also be able to continue using your device during short outages such as when power is being rerouted after a transformer has been struck. The power may only be out a few seconds but meanwhile you may have to reboot your computer, reacquire a satellite signal, or otherwise wait while your equipment powers up. With a small UPS you will keep running while everthing else in your house powers down and back up again.

A small $50 UPS may only be able to keep your equipment powered up for a few minutes in a power outage but that may be enough to prevent a lot of inconvenience. Add to that the additional power spike and brown out protection over a surge protector and you've got a case for spending the $50. Remember, you have to buy one of these for everthing that you want to protect inlcuding your large screen HD TV. These are computer processor based devices and can be fried by lighting just as your computer can. And do not forget to plug your DSL modem, router, and or switch into the same UPS your PC is plugged into to proved them protection as well.

Other considerations for lightning protection include fiber optics and wireless both which still rely on conventional power sources and outdoor equipment that are also sources of lightning damage. For example, you may use an outdoor satellite antenna for wireless reception of TV. This antenna is susceptable to being struck by lightning and subsequent transmittal into the home of the high voltage spike that could damage your new HD TV. Be sure the outdoor antenna is properly grounded. It must be tied to a moist earth ground. When mine was installed they attached it to the hose bib on the outside of the house which converted to PVC pipe the minute it went inside of the wall. This meant it was not grounded. I removed the ground wire and purchased a ground rod such as thisErico 613840UPC Copper Ground Rod 3/8"x4'. I then made sure I pounded the ground rod into the ground outside the edge of the over hang on the house to be sure it was a moist earth ground. This properly grounded the satellite antenna and helped shunt some ot the lightning to ground before it came into the house. The same would be needed for any outdoor antennas you have.