Technology

A robot with stereoscopic vision and facial recognition opens up a brand new door for robotics. This robot names Qbo can recognize objects placed in front of him and learn from what you tell him. For example in the video Qbo looks in a mirror and sees himself. The user says qbo that's you and the robot remembers that. Robotics have come along way and this is another giant step for technology.

SSD vs HDD Storage Technology Comparison

Solid-State-Drives can serve the same purpose as Hard-Disk-Drives. In general solid state drives  serve as a boot or system or working data drive while HDD can provide bulk data storage. In case of SSD, rather than storing data on spinning disk platter data is stored in NAND flash memory. There are two types of flash memory used in solid state drives, Single Level Cell and Multi Level Cell.

SLC vs MLC Flash Memory Comparison For SSD

Single level cell (SLC) memory which is faster can sustain lot more writes than Multi level cell (MLC) memory, but is also costlier. SLC memory is widely used in enterprise class solid state drives. Some high end consumer grade SSD also
use SLC memory, these are however generally of very low capacity, and cost much more than one with MLC memory.

SSD vs HDD Speed Comparison

A good solid state drive is still faster than any HDD. On the other hand least expensive solid state drive use very slow flash memory chips, and may have read and write data transfer rates that are lower than a HDD. A similar SSD that uses the fastest available flash memory chips may have data transfer rates two or three times higher than the fastest hard disk drives. HDD and SSD support SATA interface.

SSD vs HDD Mechanical Component Comparison

Solid state drives have no moving parts and are therefore much less subject to shock damage than HDD rotating drives. In fact hard disk drives can also be adversely affected by electromagnetic field while solid state drives are not affected.

SSD vs HDD Performance Comparison

A heavily used solid state drive can begin to show performance degradation after only a few weeks or even days of use. With TRIM enabled, that same drive will provide excellent performance for months or even years of use. HDD have no such limitation on number of writes.
HDD are subjected to fragmentation which slows it down due to higher seek times however since solid state drives have no moving parts this problem can be ignored completely.

SSD vs HDD Noise and Power Comparison

Solid state drives produce less sound or heat when compared to HDD as there are no mechanical or moving parts. The power consumption in solid state drives can be quite lower when compared to HDD.

SSD vs HDD Cost Comparison

Cost per byte for SSD could be quite higher compared to hard disk drives. Reason being that when all other things being equal, SSD typically sell for about the same amount per GB across the line. For example, if a particular model of SSD is available in 128, and 256 GB capacities, each step up typically doubles the price. That’s because the vast bulk of the cost of an SSD is in the flash memory. Doubling capacity requires twice as much flash memory, and so doubles the price. In case of HDD however cost per GB turns our to be more economical than cost per MB.

Before listing how to change your IP address understand that the IP address of your computer or router could be a static IP address (that would never change) or a dynamic IP address (that could change frequently) assigned by a DHCP server

How to change dynamic IP address

In case of dynamic IP address the procedure to change your IP address is quite simple and can be completed as follows:

How to change IP address for a windows based PC

1. Open the command screen ( start -> run and then type cmd and hit enter)
2. Now type ipconfig /release. This option terminates any active TCP/IP connections on all network adapters and releases those IP addresses in use by any other applications.
3. Once the active IP address is released. You can request a new one by typing ipconfig /renew in the same command window. This option re-establishes TCP/IP connections on all network adapters.

That should do it. You should have a changed IP address now.
Note: You could type “ipconfig” after step 1 to check your current ip address.

How to change IP address for a WiFi router

If your computer is connected via a Wi-Fi router then you need to change IP address in your Wi-Fi router directly to get a new IP address. Here are the steps for a Linksys router. You can apply similar steps for any other WiFi router.

1. After logging into your WiFi router go to “status” menu.
2. Click on “IP Release“.
3. Next click on “IP renew“.

Note: The reason we change IP address from the router is because that is the only visible device to the outside world. Any device connected to your router is in it’s own internal network and hence you do not have to change IP addresses on them.

How to change static IP address

In case you have been allocated a static IP address by yourISP, the mechanism for changing the IP address could be trickier. This is so because the ISP is aware of your device’s MAC address (hardware address of your Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter ) which it uses to assign same IP address every time your machine becomes visible on the network. The simplest option for you would be to call your ISP and ask them to change it. If that is not the option then you need to change the MAC address of the adapter.

How to change IP address for a windows based PC

1. Download a MAC address changer. (You can get the Technitium MAC address changer , just Google for it)
2. Now change the MAC address and then again follow the steps to release and renew the IP address for a windows based PC as mentioned above.
You should now have a changed IP address.
Note:  The applications used might have buttons to allow IP release and renewal that could be used directly instead of working with command window. You could directly change the MAC address in your registry

How to change IP address for a WiFi router

If you are using a WiFi router to get on the internet then you would need to change MAC address of the router in order to change IP address assigned to you by the ISP. here is how it can be done to a Linksys router. You can apply similar mechanism to any other router.

1. After logging onto the WiFi router go to “Setup” -> “MAC Address clone“
2. Change a digit from the displayed MAC address.
3. Reboot your router and modem. (Turn off both router and modem and restart after 5 minutes)

The IP address should be changed now. You can check your IP address here.
Note: MAC address clone feature allows router to clone MAC address of your PC. In this case however we are changing the MAC address even after it has been cloned to some random address. This makes DHCP server assign a new IP address to the device.

Whether your upgrading some software or your operating system, deciding on how to upgrade or when takes careful planning. Before starting the upgrade make sure to read the "Readme" file included with the download. They dont just write these things for nothing. It also gives you an idea of features that are added and bugs that are fixed.

 After understanding what this upgrade has to offer you should ask yourself some questions before deciding if you even want the update.

1.Does it solve a problem you are having with the software?
2.Does the upgrade bring new funtionality that you can use?
3.Would the old version you are on now not have support in the future? Alot of companies are too busy to provide support for older version of their software.
4.Does the upgrade solve any problems that you havent whitnessed yet? For example it patches security holes in the software.
5.Is it a major realease or just a minor one? Alot of companies bring out small patches every week but only update everything once a month.

6.Has the upgrade been tested for compatibility? Some companies release beta software with new features but it has many bugs in it.

If your answer is yes to any of the questions then it is most likely that you need an upgrade. However do not be the first to upgrade wait a couple days to make sure it doesnt have an issues. This gives an opportunity to learn from what others have experienced and how they might have solved any upgrade related issues.

Once the decision has been made the update you should have a plan in mind.
1.Decide the time of the upgrade. Pick a time when there are a least number of users on the software. This should minimize interuption and speed of the upgrade.
2.Always backup all the data before performing the upgrade. This will help recover data if anything goes wrong. For example a power failure could totally mess up the software.

Tony Fadell (Apple's iPod chief) has announced a new company called Nest. A 100 person company that has decided to redesign a boring home appliance in most households. The thermostat governs the largest share of household energy spending. Fadell believes he has come up with a design that is easy to use and learns from what we do. The company believes they can cut 20 to 30 percent off of household energy bills an average of $1000 annually.

The new device is small and round with a simple digital screen that you rotate to highlight selections then push in to make the selection. Plus it works with apples iOS and soon android to control your heating/cooling system from afar! Even better the system is built to learn the households use of cooling or heating and autonomously adjust the temperatures based on current and forecasted weather conditions. And if that's not enough it can also base temperatures on whether someone is home, their schedule's and their normal usage patterns. The thermostat can learn all this in about a week but is more efficient as time goes on.


This product is meant to be quickly installed by anyone and is compatible with 80 to 85 percent of household Hvac systems. When consumers are asked if they program their current in home thermostats many replied "no, its too difficult"


For now Nest is focused on the learning thermostat but plan on attacking other common products in the future. The major part of the thermostat is the algorithms designed to intelligently manage home heating and cooling. But the plan is for them to improve as the system learns the users usage. "This is one year i look forward to how much users can save people in year two because of all the learning."

Is it just me or have Captchas gotten insanely freaking impossible these days? I mean, I can't even make out if I'm supposed to type in a letter, a number or a hieroglyphic. Annoying! We need a new Captcha method. What about drawing a shape?
MotionCAPTCHA, designed by Joss Crowcroft, is a clever little jQuery plugin based on HTML5 Canvas drawing tool. It's only proof of concept right now (you don't have to be exact, at all) but MotionCAPTCHA kind of injects some fun in security, drawing simple shapes is a lot better than trying to figure out if it's an a, o ,e, 8, b or an @ symbol. You can test it out for yourself here.

 The Apple chairman and former CEO who made personal computers, smartphones, tablets, and digital animation mass-market products passed away today. We're going to miss him. Deeply, and personally.
Steven P. Jobs passed away on October 5th, 2011 after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was just 56 years old. We mourn his passing, and wish his family the very best.
He made the computer personal, and the smartphone fun. Bill Gates may have put a computer on every office desk, but it was Steve Jobs who put one in every dorm room and bedroom and living room. And then, years later, he repeated the trick, putting one in every bag and every pocket, thanks to the iPad and iPhone. If you use a computer or smartphone today, it is either one he created, or an imitation of his genius.
He changed the way movies are made, the way music is sold, the way stories are told, the very way we interact with the world around us. He helped us work, and gave us new ways to play. He was a myth made man.
Prior to Steve Jobs, computers were alien to most of us. They were accessible to few people without an engineering degree. Not merely because of their complex operating procedures, but also because they were so cold and so inhuman. Jobs understood that they could be something more than that. That while computers would never be people, he could endow them with humanity. He could transform them into machines that not only anyone could use, but that everyday people would enjoy using thanks to the art of great design. He made them something that would be part of our lives. And he did that again and again.
His life story is familiar, but it deserves repeating. He was given up for adoption by his unmarried parents. He grew up in California, and was very much a product of that place and time. He took drugs. He got into phone hacking. Both were precursers to what would always be his interest: changing the status quo.
In 1976 he started Apple in a garage. Together with Steve Wozniak, he shipped the first true fully-built personal computer, the Apple I. He drove development of the Mac, understanding that it was the future of computers. The great thing that we would all see. He brought in a grown up to run the company. And that grown up forced him out of the company that he built and into the wilderness.
While he was gone, he started NeXT computer. The NeXT operating system would form the underpinnings of Apple's OS X, and iOS.
He also started the best movie studio of the past 30 years. Pixar's films were innovative, to be sure. It pushed the boundaries of CGI to such an extent that even today its early films still look great. But technology is only a tool. As with everything else he understood that great technology alone is not enough. It must be human to have an impact. Pixar movies tell stories. They make grown men cry. That was the impact of Steve Jobs.
He became a family man. He reunited with his biological mother, and his sister, the writer Mona Simpson. He married. He had children. He was, by all accounts, a great dad. It was his role as husband and father that helped drive his second act at Apple.
After his return to Apple, the company began shipping iconic product after iconic product. Products that defined a decade. The iMac, OS X, the iPod, iTunes (which was very good, before it was very bad), the iPhone, the iPad. All of these were deeply human products. They reflected his understanding of how technology was used not only in the workplace, but in the home. In his keynotes, product demos typically showed not executives, but families.
He made Apple into the most valuable company in the world.
He never met his biological father.
He accomplished so many things, in so many fields that it's tempting to compare Jobs to someone from the past. A Thomas Edison or a Ben Franklin or even a Leonardo Da Vinci. We tend to do that because it helps us understand. But it does him a disservice. He was unique. His own person. Our own person.
He was our emblematic genius. In 100 years, when historians talk about the emergence of the age of intelligent machines, it is Steve Jobs they will hold up as the great exemplar of our era.
They will remember his flaws, too. When Atari hired Jobs and Woz to write the code for the iconic Atari game Breakout, the pair earned a $5000 bonus for completing the work, largely done by Woz. But Jobs kept the bonus a secret, and only paid his partner $375. When his daughter Lisa was born in 1978, he spent two years denying he was her father. His denials forced her and her mother to support themselves on welfare. In the workplace he's often been described as temperamental and even petulant. He could be arrogant and unforgiving.
He was not a god. He was simply a man.
Yet for all his faults, he changed the world. He made it better.
He once famously asked of a critic "what have you done that's so great?" For Jobs, the answer to that question was very nearly unlimited.
Our world will be less interesting, less exciting, and less meaningful without him.
Goodbye, Mr. Jobs. We will miss you so very much.