Locating Internet Providers & Online Resources

For yours truly, who feels like she practically lives online, reading Suzanne Choney’s article on MSNBC’s Technology Blog was interesting, to say the least.  Apparently, 20% of Americans say that they simply don’t use the internet.  Even more astonishing is the reasoning that they gave the authors of the Pew Internet & American Life Project Study:  they are just not interested.

Pew’s findings on Digital Differences seem to conflict with another study which notes that one in five Americans are not online because of geography (living in a rural area where there isn’t affordable network access) or economics (simply not being able to afford an internet subscription).  The study entitled “Connected:  Rural, Poor Areas Lag in Broadband” was conducted by the Investigative Reporting Workshop for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) last year.

According to this NTIA survey, the economic connection was hard to ignore.  Families with an annual income of $15,000 or less only had a 32% broadband adoption rate, compared to families with an annual income of $150,000 or more, which had a 90% broadband adoption rate.

However, the Pew study noted that 48% of the people who don’t have broadband said the main reason is “because they don’t think the internet is relevant to them – often saying they don’t want to use the internet an don’t need to use it to get the information they want or conduct the communication they want.”

Although many people still consult their collection of recipe cards and cook books when ideas are needed for weekly dinners, still more are getting online to access resources for cooking on the web. These days, just about any recipe for any kind of dish can be found online. Whether you’re looking for something to go in your crock pot or want to begin a new baking adventure, all the information you need about ingredients and more can be found when you do a simple search.

But not only can your broadband connection help you find new recipes, it can also show you what’s up and coming in the cooking world. A recent report revealed a cook top that’s completely intuitive. No matter where you set a pot or pan, the Freedom cook top will know where it’s been placed, and adjusts the temperature to exactly the size of the pot or pan so that the optimal temperature is used to cook whatever’s inside. But if you can’t quite afford what will be a $5,000 to own this gadget, you can still find plenty of new ideas for your kitchen and upcoming meals without spending a penny.

A report released today by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development asserts that governments can rely on broadband technology to aid in steering the world towards a more low-carbon economy, as well as potentially address the causes and effects of climate changes.  Reuters reported that this pivotal report is crucial in raising awareness on how broadband networks in particular can help play a role in protecting our planet.  The study is based on case studies, interviews, and supporting material that 20 key experts in the field provded.

ITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Tore noted “Addressing climate change implies completely transforming our way of life, the way we work, the way we travel, shifting ou model of development to a fairer, more sustainable model to ensure our survival.  We need to put at stake all the resources available to us, and mobilize the political will to turn discussions and negotiations into agreements and actions.”

The report develops 10 recommendations for policymakers and global leaders to address, including 1) Lead with vision; 2) Bring convergence; 3) Ensure regulatory certainty; 4) Be an example; 5) Foster flexibility; 6) Provide incentives; 7) Build the market; Form partnerships; 9) Measure and standardize, and 10) Share knowledge and raise awareness.

Internet technology is a constantly-changing sector. Just about every day, new developments are announced that increase our convenience and lessen our costs each month. But how can you know what any of the internet providers in your city are doing to lower your frustration and bills if you don’t read about it? Having an internet connection makes it easy to see what’s happening with the companies in your area, as all you have to do is conduct a simple search for the latest press releases.

Whether you’re looking for news about ultra-fast ISPs or DSL providers, everything you need is at your fingertips. You can look up company news and initiatives, investments, quarterly reports and even coverage maps at your convenience. Not only will this help keep you current with technological developments, but it can also alert you to the most cutting-edge companies and cause you to find a better deal on your internet service as a result. Reading customer reviews can also help give you some insight into how companies are performing on the consumer level. Visiting an answers site can also give you information about how your company is doing. This is especially useful for finding out about possible technical problems, especially if more than one customer of a company is experiencing issues.

Jedidiah Becker for redorbit.com wrote a fascinating compilation of reactions written by “the bad boys of BitTorrent” at the Pirate Bay, the rogue website where people from all over the world can download bootlegged music and media content, and utilize peer-to-peer file sharing software to help spread the contraband and share the wealth.

The Pirate Bay blog post itself said the following:  “One of the technical things we always optimize is where to put our front machines.  They are the ones that re-direct your traffic to a secret location.  We have now decided to build something extraordinary.”  My first reaction is “ooh, we’re going to go where the stolen treasure is.”  But then  Mr. Spock (the publisher of the blog post) says “With the development of GPS controlled drones, far-reaching cheap radio equipment, and tiny new computers . . . we’re going to (send) out some small drones that will float some kilometers up in the air (so) our machines will have to be shut down with aeroplanes in order to shut down the system.  A real act of war.”  Yikes!  Seriously?

Becker aptly notes that these guys are genius at igniting the internet ablaze with their controversial marks.  I’m mean, yours truly is spending her Friday afternoon thoroughly enjoying reading and blogging about it.  Mr. Spock even threw in a real zinger:  “But when time comes we will host in all parts of the galaxy, being true to our slogan of being the galaxy’s most resilient system.  And all of the parts we’ll use to build that system on will be downloadable.”

Even more delectable than this fun blog post that went live just a few days ago is some of the reaction to Dr. Spock’s unveiling of his sinister plan.  TorrentFreak.com quoted an unnamed source of the Pirate Bay that says “Everyone knows WHAT TPB is.  Now they’re going to have to think about WHERE TPB is.”  Torrent Freak is either actually considering the drone plan viable, or they are playing along with the sinister Dr. Spock in furthering the controversy.  In fact, they noted “The drone plan is yet another move to make it harder to censor or shutdown The Pirate Bay.  Last month the file-sharing site traded in torrents for magnets for the exact same reason, and behind the scenes The Pirate Bay team is making more adjustments.  Looking ahead, The Pirate Bay team thinks the site may no longer be hosted on this planet.”

Oh, I love my job!

Maybe you received a new electronic device over the holidays like a tablet. Or maybe your new iPhone isn’t working in the way that you want it to. Of course, your new device may have come with instructions about who to call if you have technical trouble. But if you don’t want to wait on the phone to consult with someone, help is available from many different web sites. Whatever issues you may be having with the new additions to your technological family, going online can show you how to identify and solve these issues on your own.

You can access online help communities with your broadband connection. These communities often have several categories, from construction to internet networking. All you have to do is create an account and log in, and then post your question. Being able to tap the brains of other users worldwide can definitely have its advantages; once you’ve posted your issue, you may find that you receive several responses and have several potential solutions to try out. You can also visit sites which post known issues about devices to see if others had the same issues that you did.

An insightful article written by Preeti Vissa at Huffingtonpost.com explained issues surrounding preserving an open internet through “net neutrality”.  Some people are worried that net neutrality would mean far too much government control of the internet. That is, as Preeti explained, not true.  What net neutrality really is is a modern version of the pacific Telegraph Act of 1860.  Back then, there was much concern that telegraph companies would transmit message they favored right away, while placing a delay on any communications they might not like, such as message from competitors.  Congress stepped in to ensure that all telegraph messages were transmitted impartially in the order they were received.

Net neutrality would ensure internet providers, search engines, etc. did not become censors so to speak, favoring certain sites or content over others.  It preserves a free, open internet where information flows freely and is easily accessed.  It would also ensure that “deep pockets” wouldn’t prevail and get preferential treatment over small online businesses that cannot afford to play that game.

Everyone has something they’re good at. And once their skills have been honed, one of the best ways to get those skills noticed is to engage in a competition. Not only can you get exposure, but sometimes you can win prizes when you enter that can help you further with polishing your specialty or starting a business where it is the focus. By going online, you can find a wide range of ways that you can compete with others in your field for recognition and prizes.

If you’ve found you have a fast and reliable connection from your location internet provider, then you might be ready to showcase your skills. Depending on what you do, you may be able to find contests online held by companies who use the talents you have. A good example might be a photography contest held by National Geographic. All it takes is a quick search to see what’s available for your particular skill. And most often, these contests are open to people in more than one country, which means you could get some inspiration for your future projects. Sometimes, companies will hold contests in order to find new talent, which means that entering a competition could land you much more than cash; it could also land you a dream job.

With Apple in talks with television content copyright holders about a possible Apple streaming service to go along with the rumored new Smart TV set, Intel sees the handwriting on the wall.  The Wall Street Journal noted that Intel likely is concerned about Apple’s movements in this arena, particularly after it missed out on developing the first smartphone.

Smart technology will be requiring more powerful chips, and Intel certain dominates in PCs and servers.  But no one yet has a dominant system to power an internet-connected Smart living room.  Intel’s rival, ARM Holdings, developed smartphone chips, and could presumably be working with Apple in similar technology required for a TV set.  If Intel can 1) create it’s own television service, and 2) power it by its own chips before Apple or anyone else breaks out of the gate, that could really be a game-changer for Intel.

Intel wouldn’t be starting from scratch.  They recently provided chips to power the Xfinty set-top boxes for Comcast.  But what is probably surprising everyone involved – Apple, Intel, and the embattled Netflix, is how incredibly expensive it is to obtain streaming rights from entertainment conglomerates.

It’s true that most ISPs have software in place to protect their customers. But some of them don’t. And if you have kids in your household, privacy protection may be a huge priority for you during your search for a new connection. One way to find out about a company’s stance on privacy is to look up internet providers using a trusted comparison resource. A resource like this will show you everything you need to know about ISPs near you, including their speeds, prices and the security measures they’ve taken to protect their customers. And digging deeper into a company’s security policies is as easy as visiting their web site and conducting a search.

One example is AT&T high speed internet. This company offers an internet security suite which consists of anti-spyware, anti-virus and firewall software. The first will eliminate those programs which attempt to obtain your personal information. These programs can be installed on your computer without your knowledge, simply by surfing the internet. The second will eradicate any viruses that your computer may have already contracted as you visited web sites. And the third acts as a shield to keep your computer secure from future online threats from hackers and their malicious software.

What does Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida have in common with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube?  They are all key battlegrounds for the 2012 elections, and are a wealth of data for every campaigner, enabling candidates to carefully target their key messages to voters, while analysts busily make predictions about Super Tuesday’s winners.  In fact, technology has become so important in elections that many analysts believe that Barack Obama won the presidency in large part to the masterful way he and his team engaged the online community.

Super Tuesday predictions for ten states could determine the Republican presidential nominee.  without a doubt, predictions will be made by analysts based upon social media trends, despite th skepticism of the accuracy of these trends.  In fact, Forrester analyst Zach Hofer-Shall noted that he would argue that if predictions came close, it would be coincidental, because of the many problems involved with leaning on this type of data without having long-term trends to compare.

Mitt Romney is predicted to be the overall winner in seven of the states based on Twitter data that was analyzed by Attensity, and conducted for USA Today.