Meet The World's Smallest Flying Robot : The RoboBee

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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Hello The *Official AndreasCY* lovers! As you already know i'm working a lot these days and this is something that takes a lot of my personal time. It keeps me away from my Blog but i'm still active on social media so feel free to have a look on the latest trending tech news, tweets and other exclusives that we collect for you. 

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Ok let's see today's topic. A team of Science folks came up with something interesting that really toke our attention. Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) put a decade's work into developing the penny-sized robot, before it took off for the first time. 

They have created a robot the size of a fly that makes uses of smart composite materials and piezoelectric technology performing the agile manoeuvres of an insect. RoboBee, which is built from carbon fiber, weighs a fraction of a gram and has super-fast electric "muscles" to power its wings that can even sit on a fingertip.

A recent paper lays out the progress of the robot’s fabrication and flight, but two major hurdles remain in the RoboBee’s flightpath. One hurdle is how to power the bee and the other is how to give it a digital brain small enough to keep the bee in flight.

In the video below (Video courtesy of Kevin Ma and Pakpong Chirarattananon) demonstrating RoboBee’s maneuvering capabilities, you can see that the current prototypes are still connected to computers and power sources. Scientists hope to cut the cord as the project develops, until they can create entirely autonomous colonies of these.

It’s simultaneously frightening and exciting. Guess what military will do with it!
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*by andreascy*

Taking The Help Of A Web Based Billing System

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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Imagine all your business processes done as far as your billing and accounting department is concerned; at a fraction of the cost. If you could outsource your accounting and billing operations to a reliable and reputable firm and enjoy seamless and smooth services then it would be an extremely wise business decision and here is exactly where opting for a web base billing system comes in. Most firms that deal with such web-based billing systems offer plenty of features and benefits.

What are the benefits of a web based billing system?

There is quite a wide range of benefits the business organization can enjoy when it scouts for an online or a web based billing system. Some of them are:

• flexibility of the service which can scale up as the customer base grows

• immediacy and up-to-date information which means that a customer can get billing information even somewhere in the middle of his billing cycle, if he so chooses

• control of the billing process is possible from almost any location. All an individual needs is to have access to a laptop and Internet access

• capability of delivering a high degree of data visualization and data customization as well 

The features of a web based billing system

One of the easiest things that you can do when you are searching for a reliable and comprehensive billing system for your business organization, is to go through the websites of different firms that deal with this particular product. This will also give you a pretty good idea of the kind of features that they offer and the costs of the same. 

Getting the highest possible value for your money is a good idea indeed when it comes to the choice of an online billing system. Most companies do have flexible packages or editions of such billing systems and depending on the kind of features that you want, you could either opt for a normal or standard version or go in for a full featured, premium version.

Enhanced user interface

With the help of a web-based billing system, you as a business organization owner can program the system in such a way that the user facing interface allows your customers to login and enjoy granular visibility and details as far as their bills are concerned. Such user interface also means that a customer can also use your web based billing system to make his payments online and in time.

Cross platform capabilities

A web-based billing system should also be capable of being accessed and operated and even controlled through different types of platforms such as Windows, Linux and so on. This would mean that you can enjoy all the features of such billing system regardless of the platform that your organization’s computers and network uses.

Security

A web based billing system will be successful only if it promises completely failsafe security. This means that unauthorized personnel and even hackers should not be able to get into your network and access personal information of your customers and, even worse, credit card details that they may use while making the payments. 

Jim T. has been in the IT industry since 1995, and is involved in web marketing and system development since 2007. He is a person who can deliver a quality web based billing system and provide system development consultation that will really work for your business.

*by andreascy*

5 Must Have Programs for any Company

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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For every company, using the appropriate software will help them to run a more efficient business. There is a lot of research that goes into what is best suited for the individual needs of any particular company. With this, software and hardware are consistently being updated to keep current with the times. What worked for a company 2 years ago may end up keeping them one step behind their competitors now. If you are in the market to start a business, here are some must haves for every company, small or large:

1. Contract Management Software: Contracts may very well be the most important documents that pass through the hands of employees. Or should I say through the systems of the company? Either way, there was a time that a huge file cabinet with endless amounts of folders was the way to keep important documents safe. These are the days where a physical lock and key were what kept your documents safe. Now, many would argue that method might have been easier, but downloading software from ContractLogix.com is a much better approach in keeping a business current with the times.
2. Email Blast software: This is necessary for companies that want to constantly update their consumers via email. Have you ever received emails from a company in which you ordered a shirt from years ago? You haven’t purchased from that company since, yet once a month you get an email reminding you that they are still there. Well, you are receiving an email because they have software that allows them to email every person who has ever entered an address. All of this is done essentially with the click of a button at someone's desk. Someone in the marketing department types up an email and hits send, the email goes out to thousands, or millions of past customers.
3. Accounting Software: Easily one of the most oft-overlooked areas of importance. Accounting software is one of the original places where we started to see advanced accounting measures packed into easy to use systems that didn't require any real accounting knowledge. Simply put, financials need to be well organized in order to maintain a business. Finding software that caters to multiple business entities is ideal for a larger company but smaller packages - such as Quickbooks - are often sufficient for the masses.
4. Skype: In more recent times, programs like Skype have made an impact on the business world. Using features similar to "Face Time" on iOS devices, users can chat face to face, transfer files, or share a computer screen with other users. This has created the ability to stay in constant communication from pretty much any location. Many employers require their staff to have this program, not only on their desktops but on their laptops or iPads as well. In fast-paced times, nobody has time to wait for others to return a phone call, email or arrive to a scheduled face-to-face meeting.
5. Program Converting Software: PDF files, word documents and Excel spreadsheets have been helping business run smoothly for years. However, it isn't enough to have these programs. In order to lighten the work load, or at least cut out on unnecessary repetition, companies should have the ability to convert documents from one form to another with a simple click. I don't know how many times I have sent a document only to get a response saying they could not open the file. What a stress if you don't have the appropriate programs installed. 

Technology is constantly advancing. Well run businesses rely on technology to stay in constant contact, and solve simple problems on a day-to-day basis. There are different types of downloads or purchase options available on most online software, so they're sure to have a solution that fits the needs of your business. 

Know what it is your company needs and make sure you and your employees have the software to cater to those needs. It's how business in the 21st century is done.

*by andreascy*

David C. Brock : The Chemical History of Electronics

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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The rise of semiconductor electronics is one of the most important developments in recent history. The manufacture of semiconductor devices relies fundamentally on chemical processes, equipment, and specially produced materials. 

David C. Brock is a senior research fellow with CHF's Center for Contemporary History and Policy. As a historian of science and technology, he specializes in the history of semiconductor science, technology, and industry; the history of instrumentation; and oral history. He is the author of Understanding Moore's Law: Four Decades of Innovation and, with Christophe Lécuyer, Makers of the Microchip: A Documentary History of Fairchild Semiconductor.

In this history of chemistry webisode, David Brock talks about the history of how the microprocessors that power iPads, iPhones and other digital devices came about. An excellent presentation! 

Related topic : From Sand to Silicon : The making of Intel microprocessors
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*by andreascy*

Introducing PanaCast : Can Six Little Cameras and An App Fix Video Conferencing?

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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We Live In A Distributed, Mobile World 

Today we are more mobile than ever. We work in different locations and this places new requirements on our collaboration tools. Video chats have become quite popular whether you are using Skype or Google Hangouts but in the work setting this can be a real pain.

One problem with those platforms is that they do not give you the full view and immersive experience of actually being there. Multi-screen telepresence systems only work if you are in a dedicated telepresence room and cost a lot! 

Now imagine a low cost solution that solves that problem and lets you remotely see everything in the meeting room on the devices you already own, from anywhere.

Meet Altia Systems - Experience PanaCast

Altia Systems is a venture-backed company based in Cupertino, California that has created the PanaCast solution. 

PanaCast is a unique experience that enables anyone on desktop or mobile (currently the app is iOS only, but it was written in Ubuntu Linux, and Android, OS X and Windows 7 and 8 versions are in the works) to receive an interactive, real-time panoramic HD 200 degree Field Of View (FOV) video stream that replicates the human panoramic perspective.

It's a crowdfunded brand new technology that combines unique, patented hardware and state-of-the-art algorithms and software, all the way from optics, video capture and transport through rendering on client devices. It gives you the same control and human visual perspective of actually being in the meeting.

PanaCast - Lets You Be There From Anywhere

The PanaCast Experience helps connect friends and co-workers anywhere in our tele-connected world, giving everybody a panoramic human visual perspective in real time.

Unique hardware and software - integrated in this new ultra-low latency, multi-imager, panoramic-HD real-time video camera and integrated streaming server - create an immersive HD live video stream with a 200° field of view at an unprecedented price point. It's camera has six imagers, an SoC with dual ARM11 cores and a custom-built Multi-Imaging Video Processor (MIVP) along with an Ethernet port and a USB 2.0 port.

Mobile (Android, iOS) and PC (Windows, Mac) apps enable you to select your own individual perspective from the camera with the swipe of a finger, over Wi-Fi or cellular. Easily carried in one hand, PanaCast cameras can be taken or moved anywhere.

• Unique interactive video experience "to be there"

• Amazing ease of use on your device from anywhere

• Disruptive price points allowing BYOD

You can zoom in on the speaker, or zoom in on the whiteboard, all without affecting the views of other remote participants. You control what you see, just as if you were there. 

PanaCast is priced below $700 and comes with free apps that give meeting participants the full immersive experience on the devices they already own : mobile as well as PCs. While it's compatible with existing video chat services, it'll cost $19.99/mo per concurrent user if you want access to Panacast's cloud platform. Altia Systems founders explain below the video conferencing system at DEMO Mobile 2013.

Check out the PanaCast app live to your iOS device or register your interest in ordering PanaCast Systems. To join a video conference, download the app. Once you have it opened and a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, scan the barcode or tap your phone on the NFC-enabled camera to join.
If you do not have a PanaCast camera, the app allows you to watch a short demonstration video of the PanaCast interactive experience. 

*by andreascy*

DDoS Protection - Threats, Targets, Solutions

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

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It is slightly alarming to note but is an unfortunate truth that cyber-attacks have taken on many forms and have become pretty cost-effective as well, at least for the attackers.

Nowhere this is more evident than in the field of distributed denial of service attacks. These, so called DDoS attacks have come to the fore lately because of their availability and potential for destruction. Today they are being unleashed against all kinds of targets including: 

• Government organizations 
• Financial sector 
• Individuals 
• Banks of national importance 
• Defense websites and so on 

As a result, more and more organizations are looking at the various ways in which they can deploy the best in class DDoS protection services. Before looking for the ideal service provider when it comes to such protection services, there are a few things that you can keep in mind. 

The price of DDoS attack

Last year, the Ponemon Institute brought out a report that revealed that around 65% of the respondents had dealt with some form of a DDoS attack. Earlier this year, yet another document called Worldwide Infrastructure Security Report stated that 94% of the respondents need to deal with such attacks on a regular basis. This is an alarmingly large percentage. And this fact alone should be reason enough for you to seek DDoS protection. 

If you fail to deploy such protection for your network then you are likely to face consequences such as:

• Going off the grid for a prolonged period of time 
• Loss of customers, revenue productivity 
• Loss of reputation in the business domain 
• Disruption of communications and networking 

The price of DDoS protection

Ideally, DDoS protection should be able to take care of your application layer protection (also known as Layer 7) and or your network layer (Layer 3). Considering that DDoS attacks can take place at mammoth scales and can target both the network and application layers, it is important to deploy protection for the same as well. Ideally, the mitigation also needs to take place outside of your core network, as the cure can be almost as bad as the disease itself.

Important Factors: Speed and scalability

There are different types of DDoS attacks but they all have one common goal – depletion of resources, CPU, memory and bandwidth. Traditionally, to mitigate such attacks, an organization would invest in an upkeep of additional resources – specifically more servers or stronger machines. However, DDoS attacks are getting bigger all the time and when they go beyond the resource limit, the website or network are still brought down. This is why it’s so important to invest in flexible DDoS protection that can scale up to meet and deflect attacks that can “morph” on-call to go beyond the pre-acquired bandwidth. Obviously, on-premises and hardware based solutions will not offer such flexibility, as they require more setup time and may depend upon physical delivery. This is why many modern day providers are gravitating towards cloud based anti DDoS solutions that can be easily implemented and can scale up on demand, providing a cost-effective mitigation option even against the largest attacks.

Who should seek DDoS protection?

If you have an online presence of any kind then you should seek DDoS protection. This becomes even more important if you are dealing with confidential data, personal information of a large number of clients, e-commerce operations and even if you use cloud computing for your applications.

Simply put, whether you are a small business or an enterprise, it is important to consider employing DDoS protection.

James is a writer and blogger with 5 years experience.

*by andreascy*