Spiritual Resolutions

At the end of the year, we make promises to change our lives for the better by doing certain things. Most of the time, it is something like exercising more, eating healthier, or spending less time using mobile applications. What about doing things that start on the inside and help the soul? One of the best things that you can do is volunteer. There are numerous studies that show what a positive impact giving back can have. This is part of doing something that you believe in. Secondly, stop being hard on yourself. No one is perfect but that should not stop you from being your own cheerleader. Even if you worked so many hours doing software development but haven't gotten to where you want to be, it is important to look at the issue from a different perspective and improve. Also, never stop challenging yourself. This is where you can grow.

Conferencing: Changing Landscape

The word conference used to be something that only business magnates used to use, people with high rankings in the business scene. Nowadays, anyone can create a quick conference call with anyone they like; their business partner, their associates, or just a newcomer who needs to be told what to do. It's all possible, at no cost. It is one of the best business investments that you can make. There are plenty of free internet phone services but the paid phone services offer more features such as 800 numbers and call forwarding. Some of the best services are Google+ Hangout, Skype, FreeBridge, and Rehuddle. The best aspect of the Google calling is the quality of voice and the ability to live-stream the conference. FreeBridge can host calls with up to 100+ people. It is best used for board meetings, legal depositions, sales or training seminars. One of the most important things with these calling platforms is to have a very reliable and fast internet.

Who Are You?

We are a society where oversharing on social media is really the norm. With sites like Facebook, Twitter, and a whole slew of other social media sites we can create personalities that we have only dreamed about. So the question remain, who are you really amongst all those status updates and instagram pics? It is only going to hurt the person that is making things up in the long run. I know we all want to put our best foot forward on these sites but there is a different between that and blatant lying. Honesty is a characteristic that parents and grownups need to model for our youth. Many are guilty of embellishing their lives or careers once in awhile. The bottom line is that we need to seriously unplug from the internet and mobile applications and take the time to look at our persona online and offline. You might need to reevaluate something if they are vastly different.

Detecting Emotions

But now, a new computer program can recognize people's emotions based on how they type, paving the way for computers that could one day be smarter than humans — a concept called "the singularity." In a new study, researchers asked a small group of people to type a block of sample text, and then analyzed the keystrokes and characteristics to see if they could identify any of seven different emotional states: joy, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, shame or guilt. The emotions that the program recognized with the greatest degree of accuracy were joy (87 percent of the time) and anger (81 percent of the time). Still, the new system could be a valuable tool for online counseling sessions such as those over internet phone services. For example, in some cultures where online counseling is particularly popular, psychiatrists may be able to estimate a patient's internal state even without the person verbally articulating it them.

Look Up From that Screen

A recent study monitoring the behavior of mobile phone owners shows that the average smartphone owner picks up his device a staggering 1,500 times in a week and spends more than three hours a day staring into its screen. The numbers come from a survey of 2,000 smartphone owners. This is going to make me reevaluate some things about my phone services and mobile application usage. This is actually taking time away from looking at bigger screens such as laptops. Still, over three hours? That seems like an inordinate amount of time and is it really all that productive? I mean there could be other things that we could be doing and do not say that these three hours happen while multitasking. It is also worth looking at the type of people that were in the survey and maybe expanding the population to include wider ranges in many of the areas. How often is your nose in your phone or you are staring at a screen that is taking away from better things that you could be doing?

Prioritizing Sleep

It is no secret that sleep can help improve all aspects of life but all too often people push sleep down the priority ladder because they feel that they have more important things to get done. It might feel sometimes like those extra two hours could be better spent working toward goals than wasted in dreamland, but the truth is that long-term sleep deprivation can result in significant cognitive and physical impairment. Lack of sleep affects motivation, decision making, and memory and learning. It also puts the people at risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. According to the CDC, the average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night but surveys show that a third of the population only gets 6 hours or less. Stress management is crucial to being able to sleep well. When people are stressed out, they are less likely to sleep. Even that big meeting where the newest software development is revealed can keep you up at night. A great way to avoid this is to have a habit of winding down before bed such as deep breathing or music relaxation.

Teleconferencing: Some Confusion

Teleconferencing has been around for a long time, but with travel costs growing and telecommunications costs shrinking, it's becoming even more common. The problem with teleconferencing is that if it involves more than two or three people, it's easy to get confused about who's speaking at any one point. This is especially true if you're the outsider calling in while everyone else knows one another and is in the same room. Unless the speakers identify themselves each time they speak, you end up hearing multiple voices without knowing who said what. This is even the case if you're being videoconferenced into the meeting. Unless everyone is on a separate camera, it can still be unclear who's saying what. So one of the solutions to this problem is to pull up the LinkedIn profile of each of the speakers and go through them. When people are introducing themselves in the teleconference, look at the picture and it will make it easier to know who is talking. Make such to also take notes.

'Cause I'm Happy

Can money buy happiness? Sure, if you spend it the right way. Research shows that people who purchased concert tickets, a series of pottery lessons or simply a Tuesday night dinner out were happier than those who spent their money on tangible goods. When you are buying the experiences, you are getting so much more than the actually event itself. First of all, there is the anticipation of it which can be just as good a source of happiness and pleasure as the actual thing. Then afterwards, you get to recall all the events that made you happy for months after. Of course we also get some pleasure from material things but the trick is to buy now but consume later. Throw those self-improvement tips and mobile applications out the door and make a bonfire with the books. Just do not catch anything on fire that you do not mean to. Bask is what is already wonderful about you instead of trying to fix what is perceived as broken (here is a hint: its really not broke).

Running on No Sleep Tips

These days the workday is not 9 to 5 anymore. We burn the midnight oil just to get things done and sometimes this means not enough sleep. Lack of sleep is never a good thing because it causes people to not function correctly or be as efficient or productive. While you are writing that business application trying to get those creative juices flowing, you might start to nod off. One of the things that you can do to be able to power through the next couple of hours is to take catnaps. A quick 20 or 30 minute nap can be your best friend and make you feel re-energized and ready to go. When running a business, it is also very important to delegate even though you want to get it done yourself. Learning how to let go of certain tasks is a key to growth and to allow you to focus on more important matters. Speaking of more important matters, make sure to prioritize your responsibilities. Figure out what needs to get done sooner. If your a business professional that travels a lot, make sure to use that time wisely as well.

Lack of Emotional Intelligence

While you were wasting time on that mobile application, your emotional intelligence just went down a smidget, if you are a kid at any rate. There was a study released that claims that the longer that a child spends in front of a screen, the worse they can read other's emotions. But the study suggests a possible fix: just a few days of unplugging and having more face-to-face interactions can boost social skills, the researchers said. I think that more people in general should limit their screen time and life might just improve tremendously. As wonderful as this technology can be, it is also misused in some aspects. It can be a major time waster and just get in the way of actually getting things done. There are also some studies that point to the fact that the brain processes information better on paper rather than a screen and retains it much better as well. What are thoughts about the direction of the technology and our emotional intelligence?

Productivity: How to Stop Being Busy

The first thing to solving any problem is to identify it and realize that it is there. In order to be productive, it is important to figure out what is taking up your attention and where you are losing focus. If you find yourself multitasking often, try setting a strict schedule for a week and actually sticking to it. If you need to finish that huge business application project, that should be getting done first thing in the morning. Also, in order to cut down of the multitasking, it might be a good idea to remove the distractions that are causing you to get off track in the first place. Turn off those smartphone notifications as well as the mobile applications that are constantly yammering for your attention. Distractions and interruptions can actually fool you into thinking you are being productive, while destroying your focus. Now stop being busy and start being productive.

Crashing and Burning: Be Optimistic About It

Failure is a part of life, no matter how much we do not like it. It needs to be looked at in a different light and almost embraced if we are to move forward towards success. Think of it this way: Without struggle there is no reward. Without setbacks there’s no triumph. Without failure and defeat along the way there’s no ultimate victory and feeling of accomplishment. It puts things into perspective, doesn't it. Also, be sure to take every failure as a learning opportunity. It can give you a chance to see what doesn't work and what you can do to improve because can we really improve without failing first? So think of those bugs in the business application as a blessing and never stop improving. Do not focus on the negative because that will only bring you down and put you in constraints so to speak.

Technology Making You Stupid

Even though the advancements in tech have made great leaps and bounds, it still has some downsides to all the mobile applications that are supposed to increase productivity. One of the ways that technology is disrupting our lives is that it is messing with our sleeping patterns. That glow actually reduces the body's melatonin which helps regulate the internal clock. When you do not get enough sleep, you will be moody and less focuses. The internet can also breed a new generation of ADD along with not being able to remember much while relying on the internet to remember it for them. It also turns out that your sense of direction just went south if you always use a GPS. Internet addicts -- most notably gamers who shun food, school and sleep to play for days on end -- have abnormal white and grey matter in their brains, which disrupts and cripples the regions involved in processing emotion and regulating attention and decision-making. Alcoholics and drug addicts have strikingly similar brain abnormalities, the study found. Happy surfing.

Keyboards

The Maglev Keyboard uses magnetism in the keys. Instead of having the rubber cups found on regular laptop keyboards, Darfon’s keyboard has magnets that push the keys back up. This tech allows the Maglev Keyboard to be made even slimmer than other regular laptop keyboards.The keyboard is able to endure 15 million strokes, compared to just 10 million strokes for competing products. According to Darfon, notebooks packing such Maglev Keyboards will be available in the second half of the year, although it’s not clear yet what OEMs have already picked up this particular keyboard concept. Even though the laptop might be thinner and lighter, does it affect its durability? That is something that needs to be mentioned because people like the lighter laptops so that they can carry them around when they are working on some software development. It would not be productive if the laptop breaks more often. What do you think about the keyboard?

Put Away Your Phone

With the rise of so-called "unplugged parties," in which people are asked to leave cell phones at the door, and the budding awareness of just how much time we spend in front of screens, asking people to forfeit using their precious devices for a few hours may not be such a crazy idea after all. This might be hard for some people to process but there are great ways to go about having one of these parties. First of all, make sure that the people know that it is an unplugged event. This will let them plan accordingly to take care of all those mobile applications, calls and emails. Since our phones do so many things, it's best to be absolutely clear about what your event's device policy is. Make sure to let guests know if devices are banned outright or if it's just a matter of silencing cell phones. Also let the people know what your policy is about taking pictures. No matter what you do, no matter how clearly and politely you communicate your wishes, someone will have a plus-one you specifically told them not to bring. But don't chastise plugged-in guests in front of the party -- that's bad manners, too.

In the Market for a Smartphone?

I think that you would have to agree with me when I say that the smartphone is probably the single most important gadget you have. It is the way that we are able to navigate our world, literally and figuratively. So it is important to be able to find the right phone that fits your needs, where it would be performance, the business applications, or the budget. There are several questions that you need to ask yourself before getting that new phone. Firstly, are you shopping by the carrier or by the phone? Secondly, check to make sure that you are eligible for an upgrade and see what exactly you are paying for in your contract. Next, comes the big one: iPhone or Android? It really boils down to preference. As far as the application development goes, usually the applications are released on iOS. Though, some people prefer having the openness of the Android OS.

Smart Weapons

The device attaches to the trigger of a handgun, which can then only be unlocked by biometric authentication, preventing any unauthorized user from firing the weapon. Drawing on breakthroughs in mobile technology, the trigger is released by similar fingerprint sensors to those used in Apple's iPhone 5S. Those sensors are approved by the FBI, and widely found in security scanners. "The key is reliability," says Kiyani. "The sensor has proved itself in different sectors over the past few years and the market is aware of its capability." The gun is enabled in under a second from first contact, and engineers are chipping away to further reduce the time. Eventually, it is hoped the lock will be integrated and the release will be instant. I guess the question now is whether it will make an impact on the safety of guns. Also, what if the government makes laws requiring all civilian-owned firearms to have this device attached, and it is a serious felony to own or purchase one without it, as well as removing it? Just something to think about.

Something Wrong with the Generation

It is an age tested thing, every generation says that the one before it is too uptight and the one after it is too wild. I guess this begs the question if each progressive generation is getting wilder and it there an end? The case of the girl that sued her parents for tuition has gotten national attention and some of the reason is that there might be the widespread aversion many older adults feel toward juveniles and how “entitled” youth appear to be with all their communication services and newest gadgets, at least in the eyes of the old. Even science can get in on the juvenioa. Most recent have been the brain imaging findings that note our brains continue to develop through adolescence and into adulthood…and until we’re dead, really. Some research suggests that these differences are quite adaptive, but, nonetheless much of the narrative on this has been misused to portray teens as zombified hedonistic fools unable to restrain their least impulse. Teens and young adults remain one group of people that can be publicly disparaged with almost no condemnation. Some of the anti-youth rhetoric gets wrapped up in language about “protecting” our youth. But a vein of true loathing runs through much of the discussion. And until we’re honest about that it will continue to produce urban legends and junk science.

Robots

I think when Issac Asimov made his predictions in 1964 about what the world would be like in 2014, he was right. Robots are indeed going to take over the world. I mean let me just start with the movie Her. It is about a man that actually falls in love with his device that speaks to him. Robots are a part of our everyday life but when they invade the human realm of existence and feeling, it is disturbing.to say the least. Self driven cars are going to become the norm fairly soon as well which means that the app development in the cars will take off as well as the potential for hacking. As always there is a double edged sword. Artificial intelligence has also be taken to new heights. This is going to be a new generation of artificial intelligences that can see, speak, listen, navigate, manipulate and control. That can hold enormous consequences for tasks like facial and speech recognition, navigation and planning. Skynet anyone?