Codecademy

The largest growing industry nowadays is computer programming so many young people are leading their careers in that direction. Computer programming is the act of coding scripts to make a computer perform a certain task. Many websites exist to teach newcomers how to code and one of those websites is Codecademy which is free to use and very easy to learn from. All of the lessons are taught inside the browser so there is no need to download any additional software. Codecademy teaches its users the basic syntax for many programming languages, such as HTML and CSS (the main languages used for making simple websites), JavaScript, SQL, and many more.

Face-recognizing Technology

Facial recognition is an emerging technology that is being implemented in many ways, such as paying for things or providing access to locked-down facilities. The leading country for this is the People’s Republic of China, the name of the startup company (with an estimated worth of $1 billion) being Face++, pronounced face-plus-plus. The software pinpoints 83 points on the human face that tracks distances between them. One major use of this is using your face as credentials to access your bank account and make payments, like the app Alipay that has a user-base of 120 million people already.

Share Your Location

Google recently launched a new feature that allows Google Maps users to share their location temporarily, for one or two hours, to whoever they desire. This can be useful if you are trying to meet up with someone and you are having trouble locating each other. Another feature of this is sharing your location with someone special for a longer period of time, like a week or two, or forever. With this feature comes a few complications however, such as breaking up with someone and forgetting you have them on Always On location sharing. For those who are more forgettable, Google sends a notification every two weeks to remind you that it is on.

Google Slides

Next year, Henry County High School is going all Google. Every student will receive a Chromebook and it’s essential that all students know and understand the various Google apps. Perhaps the most important of these apps is Google Slides, Google’s presentation making application. It bears a huge resemblance to Microsoft Powerpoint, and if you can work your way around that you should be good to go. If you don’t, here are a few things you need to know:

1. Templates

Choose from a wide variety of pitches, portfolios and other pre-made presentations — all designed to make your work that much better, and your life that much easier.

2. Access Anywhere

Google Slides, just like many other Google apps, are accessible from any point in the world as long as you have an internet connection.

3. Collaboration

Through the power of Google, as many people as you want are able to work on one Google Slide at the same time. This is great for groups projects and collaboration.

Microsoft Office Specialist Certifications

The IT Help Desk crew has been taking many Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Exams so that they are ready for any questions other students may have about these programs. So far, our techs have completed a total of thirteen certifications across Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel. Another reason that they had to do these certifications was for their final for the class, in which they had to pass with a score of 700 or more.

Neonode AirBar

AirBar projects an invisible light field on the surface of your screen that makes it possible to “touch” the screen and interact with Windows 8 and 10 gestures. This is all thanks to Neonode’s zForce AIR^™ technology, which can be used for all sorts of cool stuff. The reason you can use anything to touch is that the light field reacts to any disturbance.

FAQs:

Why should I get AirBar?

Because you want to touch. You’re sitting there with your non-touchscreen swiping silently and nothing happens.

Is it really plug-and-touch?

Yes. Just be sure to mount the bar straight from edge to edge and plug in the USB. No calibration, no having to point in special places, no drama.

What hardware do I need? 

Any PC that’s powerful enough to run Windows 8 or 10 or a Chromebook will do the trick.

Consumer Electronic Show

The Consumer Electronics Show is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association. The event typically hosts presentations of new products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry. Some of the most notable products shown at these conventions are wearables, such as the Fitbit, shown at the 2015 show, and the 4K TV, also at the 2015 show. This year’s CES is held from January 5-8, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Wikipedia Game

The Wikipedia Game is a game of exploring and racing through Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Players start on the same randomly selected article and must navigate to another pre-selected article by only clicking links within the current article. The goal is to arrive at the home article in the fewest number of clicks or the least time.

Here’s  how to play:

1. The random selection of pages must be performed by someone other than the player.
2. A close tally must be kept of the number of clicks used by a player. All selections must be accounted for. Whoever has the fewest clicks wins. The browser history can be used to determine number of articles.
3. A round in the Wiki Game can be played at one computer, where players take turns, or at multiple computers simultaneously. A round begins immediately after everyone loads their randomized Starting Page and ends when the last person returns to his/her Homing Page.
4. After each round, the history folder of the web browser needs to be purged. The game can also be played by seeing who can get to the designated page first, regardless of the number of clicks.

The Difference Between a Router and a Modem

Many people use the terms router and modem interchangeably although they are two very distinct things. A modem, short for modulator-demodulator,  is a device that allows a computer to transmit data across telephone lines. Computers utilize digital information, whereas telephone lines transmit data in the form of analog waves. Modems possess the ability to convert between digital and analog.  On the other hand, a router connects multiple devices to the same network; i.e. it connects the devices to the modem. Many modern routers allow wireless connections. A router is needed because modems have a limited number of ports and are limited to wires.

The History of Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality was created in 1968 by Ivan Sutherland, an American computer scientist and father of computer graphics from the University of Utah, when he created the Sword of Damocles. The Sword of Damocles could only project wireframe rooms, however. Myron Kreuger developed his Videoplace in 1974, a sort of virtual reality that contained 25 different environments that people could interact with. The term “Augmented Reality” was officially coined in 1990 by Boeing engineer Tom Caudell, the definition being: “the interaction of superimposed graphics, audio and other sense enhancements over a real-world environment that’s displayed in real-time.” The next step in Augmented Reality was Virtual Fixtures. Virtual Fixtures was first designed in 1992 by Louis Rosenberg for the US Air Force. It’s purpose was allowing the Air Force to control virtually guided machinery to perform tasks from a remote location. “Dancing in Cyberspace” was an augmented reality theatrical production that was created in 1994 by Julie Martin, and it was the first of its kind.

Augmented Reality made its way into entertainment in 1998 with the creation of the virtual first down yellow by the 1st and Ten Line computer system. In 2003, it evolved onto the NFL’s skycam, giving a better aerial view of the virtual yellow line. ARToolKit is an open source AR database that was created in 2000 by Hirokazu Kato, and it is still widely used today.

The next big jump of AR was in 2013 where it began to be marketed to consumers. Volkswagen created the Mobile Augmented Reality Technical Assistant for a virtual step-by-step process of a car’s repairs. Wearable AR was pioneered by Google with the creation of the Google Glass, which displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format. Wearers communicate with the Internet using voice commands. The latest AR project is Microsoft’s Hololens in 2016.