The real estate world has seen a dip in the dealings be it leasing, buying or selling, especially in the recent times. In today’s tough economic times, making a new customer is challenging and so is retaining an existing one. Real estate agents have to be at their marketing best at all times and for it they need to be tech friendly.

You might be the best at what you do, but until you communicate it in the right way with the right tools, your efforts might be getting wasted. Technology and communication need to go hand in hand and failure in this issue can see you lag behind compared to your competitors. More importantly, there needs to be a balance between the two and to bring that balance in your profession you need to be working on both the aspects simultaneously. Everything from client communication, connecting with new customer database, sales pitch, after sales service and other such interactions need to be done effectively with the help of technology.

Being in the real estate business, you might have noticed that the presentation or bidding of a real estate agent lacking in the technological aspect affects the whole deal. So instead of avoiding technology why not adapt it to fare better as it will assist you in ways you couldn’t have thought possible. All you need to do is incorporate a few of the technological tools in your everyday dealings making it swifter for you and effective for the customer.

Here are some tips to get you started.

• Smartphone

If you are still using your old mobile phone it is time you switch to a smartphone with a data plan that lets you incorporate database tools. It will prove to be really helpful when you need to contact your prospective clients no matter if you are in the office or out on the go. You can do it all from your smartphone be it sending or receiving emails, browsing property websites, downloading real estate related news apps, communicate instantly no matter where you are.

• SMS marketing

SMS marketing is an highly effective way to keep in touch with your regular clients and even getting acquainted with new ones. Make it a part of your client communication strategy where you can send notifications, inform them about new properties on the market, send reminders for installments, invite them for property related events, send them links, details and other market related information.

• Email communication

Emails have become an essential feature when it comes to client communication. It is a quick and convenient way to reach out to property agents, builders, customers especially when it comes to commercial property clients. Make sure to use the best data software for both your computer and smartphone so you can send and receive e-mail even when on the go.

• Software

Many software packages are especially designed for the real estate industry and are available at affordable prices to assist the real estate professionals. You can integrate it in your system for database entry, facilitate management of broker, staff, leads, quotes, customer account, auditing and other processes. The softwares are designed to meet the ever-growing demands of the real estate industry and can be used by all, developers, builders, contractors, infrastructure developers.

• Website

Your personal website can boost your clientele and your work reputation as it will be easy for clients to know all about your work increasing the trust and dependability factor. They will have a gateway where they can access your property listings and inspection information related to all the properties that you have on offer.

• Presentation software

While presenting a property to many clients or a team you could make use of presentation software with the help of which you can add site photographs, 3D images, manage content, basically create an awesome visual experience for the client giving your property bid a boost.

All these and more can be a part of your everyday dealings when it comes to presenting, negotiating, selling or closing a deal. Like every other field, real estate too is embracing technology and it’s time you too go for it.

With the recent upsurge of technology, many companies are employing these technologies in many of their operations including sales, record keeping and as far as customer service. Advertising and publicity are now done more effectively than ever, reaching more customers. Another big area that has also evolved with technology is customer service.

Organizations are now employing sophisticated methods to get feedback from customers and give the appropriate response. Some organizations have however gone too far in their bid to employ these sophistications in delivering customer service to their clients. Customer service is now run entirely by automated systems instead of human beings.

Google has reportedly been running most of its services by automated systems. Automated systems provide help to customers; disseminate information to customers and almost everything. Google Health is being run by an automated system, but offers no live help for the system. It means that sick people using this facility only get to interact with a piece of software and not a human.

The fundamental flaw here is that, software is designed to accept a predictable input and produce a predictable output. Human behavior is however unpredictable. If for instance, the health system is designed to prescribe malaria drugs for a patient reporting with a headache and fever. What happens if a patient walks in with a headache but no fever? Provisions could be made for such cases, but there will always be an element of unpredictability at play. A customer service system that suggests solutions may be ineffective when the user encounters a new problem that was not factored in the design of the system.

In any information system that will be used by people, it is very crucial to offer human help to customers, though it may come at a higher cost. Google must be able to offer human help for its facilities as humans are in a better position to handle unpredictable situations than software and hardware.

Patients and healthcare providers across the globe have come to the realization that depending solely on hospital systems will no longer be a viable option. Industry experts are of the opinion that ongoing advances in home healthcare devices and services will help alleviate the current pressure on the global healthcare system.

Technology has proven to be extremely critical to home healthcare. Current and upcoming advances in home healthcare technologies are not only designed for effective disease control but also encourage and enable individuals to live independently.

Technological interventions were complex and expensive in the past. However, growing need and demand for convenient and effective remote patient monitoring, development of new and innovative technologies, and availability of sufficient funding have led to increased accessibility to low-cost technologies and devices.

The new and affordable in-home gadgets are not just popular among geriatrics looking to age at home. The customer base has rapidly expanded to include new patient groups, such as those suffering from chronic illnesses, children, and diabetics. This is sure to pave the way for a brighter future for both patients and healthcare providers.

Growing Use of Biosensors to Monitor Geriatric Health

When it comes to home healthcare for the geriatric, there are several innovative technologies and gadgets that have been seamlessly integrated into the assisted living or senior living industry, or in what is more broadly referred to as geriatric care services. Speaking from a strictly medical perspective, recent technologies for monitoring the health of senior citizens include blood pressure monitoring devices, oxygen therapy devices, patient temperature management devices, and cardiac monitoring and cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices.

An article by NBC News sheds light on the growing adoption of sensor technology in the U.S., especially for senior living. Allowing for improved estimation of a patient or individual’s metabolic state at a remote location, biosensors enable constant monitoring of those seniors who suffer from a number of different ailments but choose to live independently, out of hospitals and nursing homes. The NBC article discusses the use of such sophisticated sensors to track an elderly couple’s walking speed, heart rates, and even sleep patterns. This unobtrusive technology also sends alerts in case of emergencies, allowing timely intervention of family members or caregivers. Like several medical device companies, research organizations, and medical universities, ElderTech, Missouri, has been studying the significance of environmentally-embedded in-home sensor networks and their relevance in detecting health changes in older adults.

Development of Portable Digital Devices to Remotely Track Heart Conditions

As the medical devices industry undergoes a tectonic shift with the advent of telemedicine, the field of cardiology has also felt its ensuing benefits. Soaring incidence of cardiovascular disorders and the subsequent need for constant monitoring of outpatients have resulted in demand for cardiac monitoring and cardiac rhythm management (CRM). Home healthcare is a leading end user of these devices, with demand for ECG and cardiac monitors, Holter monitors, event monitors, and ILR (implantable loop recorder) continuously rising.

Interviewing the founders of Eko Devices, The New York Times talks about growing competition in the telemedicine business. Eko is one of the many cardiovascular care companies that has been capitalizing on the home healthcare industry.

In a recent development, the company developed a digital stethoscope specifically catering to cardiac patients at home. This innovative palm-sized device, called DUO, has the potential to alter the way heart patients are monitored. Combining electrocardiogram or EKG and electronic stethoscope in just one device, DUO provides unprecedented insight into cardiac functions. This includes tracking and quickly reviewing heart rhythms and sounds to enable advanced bedside analysis and, if required, remote care.

Need for Constant Glucose Monitoring Driving Demand for Diabetes Devices

With medical devices becoming increasingly interconnected thanks to rising penetration of the Internet, growing use of smartphones and a slew of other medical devices, and expanding hospital networks, detecting and managing diabetes at home has become not only convenient but rather effective. Today, there are a wide range of diabetes devices available, promising quick and accurate results. User-friendly designs of most devices and increasing awareness levels among the diabetic population across the globe has resulted in a rather massive market for self-monitoring devices to be used in home settings.

A recent research article sponsored and reviewed by Avantes BV – a prominent innovator in the development and application of miniature spectrometers, focuses on the need for non-invasive diabetes diagnosis and monitoring. In order to detect and treat diabetes before it gets out of hand, constant glucose monitoring and maintenance is crucial, and for the longest time, existing diagnostic standards and therapies were immensely invasive. Moreover, managing this disease out of hospital settings was extremely difficult. However, advanced medical sensing technologies have enabled easy and non-invasive blood glucose monitoring and diabetes testing. Latest innovations have also ensured convenient and user-friendly insulin self-administration devices.

Wearable technology has been one of the most prominent innovations to benefit and empower diabetics around the world. These devices have been allowing diabetics to take charge of their own health outside the doctor’s clinic and effectively manage the condition. Smartwatches, interestingly, have shown immense potential to enable needle-less glucose monitoring with time. Apple Inc. is reportedly working on developing sensors for monitoring of blood sugar levels, an advancement that could turn devices such as the Apple Watch into a means of monitoring important vitals. The aim is to develop sensors that can non-invasively and regularly monitor blood sugar levels to help diabetics treat the condition from the comfort of their homes.

Conclusion

An article in The New York Times recently shed light on the shrinking community of home health aides or personal care attendants in the U.S. According to Paul Osterman of the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, if the number of workers in this field of home healthcare continues to fall, the country will be faced with a shortage of around 350,000 paid care providers by 2040. This alarming fact makes the development of advanced remote patient monitoring devices even more crucial.

Keeping this need in mind, companies are looking to devise technologies that will, in a way, replace human service providers with digital home healthcare assistants. To put this into perspective, home health aides are now testing Amazon’s Echo platform as a home healthcare assistant. Researchers hope that the companion online app will be increasingly responsive to clients’ needs, keep family caregivers in the loop at all times, and effectively streamline alerts, reminders, and functions.

This opportunity is sure to capture the interest of tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Amazon, giving them an opportunity to emerge as trailblazers in home healthcare.

Years ago people of one country had to communicate with another country through analog telephones, fax and hand-written letters which was time consuming. With the advent of much newer technologies, it is possible now to correspond with one another conveniently and happily. The article focuses on this aspect. So read on to find out.

Solving world problems involves people. And they can use the technologies of cell phone, email and Skype to correspond, hold conversations and come to an agreement or solution.

With cell phones you can share your opinions in short and let each other know your point of views on a topic. Later you can go on Skype, going in more details. You can pursue the follow-ups of your conversations through email.

You can add people in a group on Skype; so can you can form a group in an email account such as Gmail. You can add or delete people as you like. The main idea is to work with a team of people to solve world problems.

You need to make your email and Skype accounts secure with strong passwords so that nobody is able to hack them. Your phone calls should be confidential and if you are using Viber, its password needs to be secure as well.

You may want to keep separate accounts for the important team of people so that you do not juggle up the conversations with your other less involved friends. That way you can track where you left off with your team of people regarding a world problem issue.

United States, Europe, Asia and Africa all need to contact with each other to solve their problems. So it is imperative that you have your own schedule about when to communicate with others via online meetings. It is good to send pre-written emails to your team/group to gently remind them about upcoming virtual meetings via the certain technology.

It would be a good idea to bring all of the people involved in a certain place to hold views and conversations. But virtual meetings are much better to hold reducing the cost of expenditure for stay in hotels and flights and therefore, saving time and energy.

So I would suggest cell phone, Skype and email correspondence are the best technologies to communicate with one another, discussing views in a group and finally coming to a solution for a world problem after a round of several virtual meetings.

A good security token is the one that distinctively corresponds to you and which nobody could know, guess or copy. This is the reason why security experts suggest us to use long and random passwords for our safety. However, it is not as easy as it sounds because it gets hard to memorize strong and unique passwords.

Biometric technology as we know right now is the hot favorite technique of securing any place. It had to happen counting it is such a trouble free way of security than that of passwords we have to remember. In biometrics, our finger or thumb impressions not only make our job easier but also are unique by nature.

Also, biometric technology removed the trouble of hacking considering it is not a cakewalk for someone to hack your fingerprints than cracking the pass code. Following the best security practices, setting strong passwords for separate devices and then memorizing the same every time is not an easy thing as compared to biometrics.

So, if a biometric system seems so better in every department, why is there a need for amelioration? Why still the technology is not the astute replacement for the pesky passwords?

First and foremost, it is a certain fact that biometrics will play an important part in future validation. But we need to understand that the system is not a cure for everything at the present moment. There are still many issues that prevail which need to be taken care of in order to make the technology thoroughly invulnerable.

A lot of researchers in the world have stated that it is not exactly true that biometrics cannot be rehashed as they tried on fooling fingerprint readers and successfully got past the digital scanners via some special pair of glasses. More to it, the biometrics that were instigated initially keep all the data stored on server rather than restricting it to the client so breaching the security system isn’t impossible in this case scenario.

Last year it was reported that in a United States Office of Human Resource Management, touch ID’s of millions of government employees were stolen which first raised the suspicion on the tech. Immediately ascertaining the threat, the mobile companies quickly altered the fingerprint system in the devices by adding a password security succeeding the touch ID.

This data breach made it clear that biometrics is not impeccable. In fact they have simply shunned the passwords. Counting it can get very problematic if someone cannot log in with his or her touch ID, all the software companies ranging from Microsoft’s Windows 10 and Google’s Android have provided password tool as well to ensure this does not happen.

So, relying on biometric authentication is not recommended at the current time as having a backup in the form of passwords is very important. This process is called multi factor authentication (MFA) where we can put biometric as one of the two-way security procedure, while passwords the other.

Biometrics are indeed a fantastic method of verification but the tech is not yet a completely error proof. So, it should not be taken as an outright replacement for passwords but instead must be implemented along with it for enhanced protection.

There is no written evidence which can tell us exactly who has coined the phrase educational technology. Different educationists, scientists and philosophers at different time intervals have put forwarded different definitions of Educational Technology. Educational technology is a multifaceted and integrated process involving people, procedure, ideas, devices, and organization, where technology from different fields of science is borrowed as per the need and requirement of education for implementing, evaluating, and managing solutions to those problems involved in all aspects of human learning.

Educational technology, broadly speaking, has passed through five stages.

The first stage of educational technology is coupled with the use of aids like charts, maps, symbols, models, specimens and concrete materials. The term educational technology was used as synonyms to audio-visual aids.

The second stage of educational technology is associated with the ‘electronic revolution’ with the introduction and establishment of sophisticated hardware and software. Use of various audio-visual aids like projector, magic lanterns, tape-recorder, radio and television brought a revolutionary change in the educational scenario. Accordingly, educational technology concept was taken in terms of these sophisticated instruments and equipments for effective presentation of instructional materials.

The third stage of educational technology is linked with the development of mass media which in turn led to ‘communication revolution’ for instructional purposes. Computer-assisted Instruction (CAI) used for education since 1950s also became popular during this era.

The fourth stage of educational technology is discernible by the individualized process of instruction. The invention of programmed learning and programmed instruction provided a new dimension to educational technology. A system of self-learning based on self-instructional materials and teaching machines emerged.

The latest concept of educational technology is influenced by the concept of system engineering or system approach which focuses on language laboratories, teaching machines, programmed instruction, multimedia technologies and the use of the computer in instruction. According to it, educational technology is a systematic way of designing, carrying out and evaluating the total process of teaching and learning in terms of specific objectives based on research.

Educational technology during the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age

Educational technology, despite the uncertainty of the origin of the term, can be traced back to the time of the three-age system periodization of human prehistory; namely the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age.

Duringthe Stone Age, ignition of fire by rubbing stones, manufacture of various handmade weapon and utensils from stones and clothing practice were some of the simple technological developments of utmost importance. A fraction of Stone Age people developed ocean-worthy outrigger canoe ship technology to migrate from one place to another across the Ocean, by which they developed their first informal education of knowledge of the ocean currents, weather conditions, sailing practice, astronavigation, and star maps. During the later Stone Age period (Neolithic period),for agricultural practice, polished stone tools were made from a variety of hard rocks largely by digging underground tunnels, which can be considered as the first steps in mining technology. The polished axes were so effective that even after appearance of bronze and iron; people used it for clearing forest and the establishment of crop farming.

Although Stone Age cultures left no written records, but archaeological evidences proved their shift from nomadic life to agricultural settlement. Ancient tools conserved in different museums, cave paintings like Altamira Cave in Spain, and other prehistoric art, such as the Venus of Willendorf, Mother Goddess from Laussel, France etc. are some of the evidences in favour of their cultures.

Neolithic Revolution of Stone Age resulted into the appearance of Bronze Age with development of agriculture, animal domestication, and the adoption of permanent settlements. For these practices Bronze Age people further developed metal smelting, with copper and later bronze, an alloy of tin and copper, being the materials of their choice.

The Iron Age people replaced bronze and developed the knowledge of iron smelting technology to lower the cost of living since iron utensils were stronger and cheaper than bronze equivalents. In many Eurasian cultures, the Iron Age was the last period before the development of written scripts.

Educational technology during the period of Ancient civilizations

According to Paul Saettler, 2004, Educational technology can be traced back to the time when tribal priests systematized bodies of knowledge and ancient cultures invented pictographs or sign writing to record and transmit information. In every stage of human civilization, one can find an instructional technique or set of procedures intended to implement a particular culture which were also supported by number of investigations and evidences. The more advanced the culture, the more complex became the technology of instruction designed to reflect particular ways of individual and social behaviour intended to run an educated society. Over centuries, each significant shift in educational values, goals or objectives led to diverse technologies of instruction.

The greatest advances in technology and engineering came with the rise of the ancient civilizations. These advances stimulated and educated other societies in the world to adopt new ways of living and governance.

The Indus Valley Civilization was an early Bronze Age civilization which was located in the northwestern region of the Indian Subcontinent. The civilization was primarily flourished around the Indus River basin of the Indus and the Punjab region, extending upto the Ghaggar-Hakra River valley and the Ganges-Yamuna Doab, (most of the part is under today’s Pakistan and the western states of modern-day India as well as some part of the civilization extending upto southeastern Afghanistan, and the easternmost part of Balochistan, Iran).

There is a long term controversy to be sure about the language that the Harappan people spoke. It is assumed that their writing was at least seems to be or a pictographic script. The script appears to have had about 400 basic signs, with lots of variations. People write their script with the direction generally from right to left. Most of the writing was found on seals and sealings which were probably used in trade and official & administrative work.

Harappan people had the knowledge of the measuring tools of length, mass, and time. They were the first in the world to develop a system of uniform weights and measures.

In a study carried out by P. N. Rao et al. in 2009, published in Science, computer scientists found that the Indus script’s pattern is closer to that of spoken words, which supported the proposed hypothesis that it codes for an as-yet-unknown language.

According to the Chinese Civilization, some of the major techno-offerings from China include paper, early seismological detectors, toilet paper, matches, iron plough, the multi-tube seed drill, the suspension bridge, the wheelbarrow, the parachute, natural gas as fuel, the magnetic compass, the raised-relief map, the blast furnace, the propeller, the crossbow, the South Pointing Chariot, and gun powder. With the invent of paper they have given their first step towards developments of educational technology by further culturing different handmade products of paper as means of visual aids.

Ancient Egyptian language was at one point one of the longest surviving and used languages in the world. Their script was made up of pictures of the real things like birds, animals, different tools, etc. These pictures are popularly called hieroglyph. Their language was made up of above 500 hieroglyphs which are known as hieroglyphics. On the stone monuments or tombs which were discovered and rescued latter on provides the evidence of existence of many forms of artistic hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt.

Educational technology during Medieval and Modern Period

Paper and the pulp papermaking process which was developed in China during the early 2nd century AD, was carried to the Middle East and was spread to Mediterranean by the Muslim conquests. Evidences support that a paper mill was also established in Sicily in the 12th century. The discovery of spinning wheel increased the productivity of thread making process to a great extent and when Lynn White added the spinning wheel with increasing supply of rags, this led to the production of cheap paper, which was a prime factor in the development of printing technology.

The invention of the printing press was taken place in approximately 1450 AD, by Johannes Gutenburg, a German inventor. The invention of printing press was a prime developmental factor in the history of educational technology to convey the instruction as per the need of the complex and advanced-technology cultured society.

In the pre-industrial phases, while industry was simply the handwork at artisan level, the instructional processes were relied heavily upon simple things like the slate, the horn book, the blackboard, and chalk. It was limited to a single text book with a few illustrations. Educational technology was considered synonymous to simple aids like charts and pictures.

The year 1873 may be considered a landmark in the early history of technology of education or audio-visual education. An exhibition was held in Vienna at international level in which an American school won the admiration of the educators for the exhibition of maps, charts, textbooks and other equipments.

Maria Montessori (1870-1952), internationally renowned child educator and the originator of Montessori Method exerted a dynamic impact on educational technology through her development of graded materials designed to provide for the proper sequencing of subject matter for each individual learner. Modern educational technology suggests many extension of Montessori’s idea of prepared child centered environment.

In1833, Charles Babbage’s design of a general purpose computing device laid the foundation of the modern computer and in 1943, the first computing machine as per hi design was constructed by International Business Machines Corporation in USA. The Computer Assisted instruction (CAI) in which the computer functions essentially as a tutor as well as the Talking Type writer was developed by O.K. Moore in 1966. Since 1974, computers are interestingly used in education in schools, colleges and universities.

In the beginning of the 19th century, there were noteworthy changes in the field of education. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), right from its start of school broadcasts in 1920 had maintained rapid pace in making sound contribution to formal education. In the USA, by 1952, 20 states had the provision for educational broadcasting. Parallel to this time about 98% of the schools in United Kingdom were equipped with radios and there were regular daily programmes.

Sidney L. Pressey, a psychologist of Ohio state university developed a self-teaching machine called ‘Drum Tutor’ in 1920. Professor Skinner, however, in his famous article ‘Science of Learning and art of Teaching’ published in 1945 pleaded for the application of the knowledge derived from behavioral psychology to classroom procedures and suggested automated teaching devices as means of doing so.

Although the first practical use of Regular television broadcasts was in Germany in 1929 and in 1936 the Olympic Games in Berlin were broadcasted through television stations in Berlin, Open circuit television began to be used primarily for broadcasting programmes for entertainment in 1950. Since 1960, television is used for educational purposes.

In 1950, Brynmor, in England, used educational technological steps for the first time. It is to be cared that in 1960, as a result of industrial revolution in America and Russia, other countries also started progressing in the filed of educational technology. In this way, the beginning of educational technology took place in 1960 from America and Russia and now it has reached England, Europe and India.

During the time of around 1950s, new technocracy was turning it attraction to educations when there was a steep shortage of teachers in America and therefore an urgent need of educational technology was felt. Dr. Alvin C. Eurich and a little later his associate, Dr. Alexander J. Stoddard introduced mass production technology in America.

Team teaching had its origin in America in the mid of 1950’s and was first started in the year 1955 at Harvard University as a part of internship plan.

In the year 1956, Benjamin Bloom from USA introduced the taxonomy of educational objectives through his publication, “The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, The Classification of Educational Goals, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain”.

In 1961, Micro teaching technique was first adopted by Dwight W. Allen and his co-workers at Stanford University in USA.

Electronics is the main technology being developed in the beginning of 21st century. Broadband Internet access became popular and occupied almost all the important offices and educational places and even in common places in developed countries with the advantage of connecting home computers with music libraries and mobile phones.

Today’s classroom is more likely to be a technology lab, a room with rows of students using internet connected or Wi-Fi enabled laptops, palmtops, notepad, or perhaps students are attending a video conferencing or virtual classroom or may have been listening to a podcast or taking in a video lecture. Rapid technological changes in the field of educational have created new ways to teach and to learn. Technological changes also motivated the teachers to access a variety of information on a global scale via the Internet, to enhance their lessons as well as to make them competent professional in their area of concern. At the same time, students can utilize vast resources of the Internet to enrich their learning experience to cope up with changing trend of the society. Now a days students as well teachers are attending seminars, conferences, workshops at national and international level by using the multimedia techno-resources like PowerPoint and even they pursue a variety of important courses of their choice in distance mode via online learning ways. Online learning facility has opened infinite number of doors of opportunities for today’s learner to make their life happier than ever before.

Ever wondered what technology really is and how many forms it can take. In fact, this article cites some examples of technology so that you get a concrete idea.

Here they are:

1. Programming Languages

Programming languages for instance Java, C, C++, C# and others help with coding in order to build software products which are in turn purchased by clients or other relevant companies for instance, for maintaining their IT assets.

Software products also come into the picture in the form of backend connected with front end where you get to input data and retrieve information from the relevant database. SQL or standard query language is the one we use for querying information but it is embedded in the system so that you do not have to do any hard work other than call up data from the backend to the front end interface on user input and/or button clicks.

As another instance, we can use notepads to store formatted information and apply data mining algorithms on these data to find some patterns which tell for example, whether the profit from last year in a shopping complex is more or less than that of this year and make a comparison and try to find patterns in customers’ preferences in purchasing stuff.

2. Electronic Gadgets

Apart from software, technology is more popular in the build up of electronic gadgets for example, smart phone, iPAD, TAB, iPOD and the list goes on. It is up to you to find out which is convenient for you and accordingly purchase it.

3. Means of Communication

In order to make our lives easier, almost everywhere in the world we can travel in buses, trains and airplanes which with time have become more luxurious, modernized and comfortable. We are also able to own cars and other vehicles of our own choice and they give us more security nowadays.

4. Books, eBooks and audio books

In this modern day, writing and publishing books have become so much easier that anybody who knows or trains himself how to write books in any niche or field of interest can finally publish and sell them on Amazon.

Following and abiding by the rules of Amazon, your book can be a bestseller and you feel encouraged to write more books. As you earn more fame, you can actually quit your day job and resort to selling books, by writing and publishing first.

EBooks, other than books in print, and audio books are also popular and you can create and sell them also.

Summing up, these four forms are bright examples of technology and it is up to you how you can take advantage of them.

Do you know why it’s important to find a good mechanic or a good repair shop to repair your car? The reason: it could save you hundreds of dollars in parts and labor! When we say a “good mechanic” or a “good repair shop”, we’re referring to mechanics who are equipped with the latest technology. You don’t want to entrust your car to a shop with outdated machinery and equipment because it will take longer to arrive at a diagnosis. And the longer a mechanic takes to make a diagnosis, the larger your bill for labor!

Remember that car mechanics charge by the hour.

Car repairs can cover any one or a combination of the following (note that this is not a complete repair list).

• Air conditioning checks

• Air bag checks

• Electrical wiring

• Cables

• Clutch service and repair

• Transmission repair

• Wheel Alignment

• Suspension

• Brakes

• Heating system

• Oil and lubrication

• Battery

• Power windows

Much of the troubleshooting that mechanics use to diagnose a problem is facilitated by car repair technology.

Ever noticed how some lights on your panel come on when something’s wrong? In most cases, an experienced mechanic will know immediately what the problem is, but there are instances where it will take sophisticated technology to lead to an accurate diagnosis.

Sophisticated technology comes in many forms and one popular one is troubleshooting software. Companies like Auto Tech have a software program that car owners can use to find out what is ailing their vehicle.

Most car owners who were cynical about software programs before should seriously consider purchasing a reliable car troubleshooting software program. For instance, some programs start out by asking you to input your car make and model number, the year of the car and what kinds of equipment it has. The software features a large database of information about all cars in the market and a car owner simply follows the steps when prompted. It employs what the industry calls a “tree diagnosis” where logical steps take you through the entire diagnosis process.

After you’ve keyed in your car’s profile, you use the drop down menu to choose the symptoms that your car is exhibiting. For instance, if you choose “squealing brakes”, the program mimics the squealing of brakes and if that’s the sound you hear, you confirm it and the program recommends a series of steps.

You may not really want to use a troubleshooting software, but imagine how much time and money you could save if you spoke to the mechanic intelligently, letting him know that you’re in the know.

Students who are studying towards certification buy certain tools of the trade. A couple of examples are Snap On and Mac Tools. These two are the most popular in the United States and Canada.

Mechanics now have a wide range of technology tools to help them understand car problems better: digital multimeters (electronic measuring), boroscopes (testing heat exchangers), fuel diagnostic testers (testing and balancing fuel injectors) and other such new technologies.

New car mechanic technologies help shorten the learning curve and speed up diagnosis so that the car owner isn’t saddled with too many labor hours.

One of main traits that makes us human is our ability to communicate. Whenever we live a healthy communal life, we engage in conversations face-to-face, care and respect others, and we pay attention to important principles of etiquette which then helps us to live in conjunction with each other without engaging in too much discord. I am not aware of any critical mass of individuals living in a society in any time in history that has survived the times living in total isolation from their immediate community, its values and communication practices. And as importantly – the ability to learn from his own mistakes over time. The smartphone has been handicapping the millennial generation in this regard.

The smartphone has been handicapping the millennials. You have heard it right. You might be asking… Why do you say that professor? Let me explain why by giving you a real life example that has changed the way I interact with human beings of the opposite sex.

When I was a kid, I struggled to converse with girls face-to-face. I was so shy and literally afraid to speak with a girl one-on-one… I had a terrible fear of rejection back then. Even though these feelings are not totally foreign to young boys, I know today that my levels of shyness (and therefore my inability to speak with a person of the opposite sex) back then were probably higher than most boys who were shy in my generation.

Like most kids in their teenage years, I was unprepared to engage in interpersonal communications with a female. I still remember this beautiful girl named Peggy which I truly had the hots for. She was beautiful, nice, and to my fortune… she seemed to like me. The fact that we never ended up going out on a date had nothing to do with her interpersonal ability. It had everything to do with mine. I failed to initiate a meaningful conversation with her to have the chance to ask her out on a date. My total loss… and I knew it. However, my inability to break the ice and carry on a honest conversation with a girl made me stop and think about why I wasn’t being successful in my love endeavors. I spent some time thinking about this question and then BINGO! Eventually, I’ve learned what girls like out of my struggles. “They like to talk,” for the most part. I figured… Well, if girls like to talk, then I need to be a good listener. The rest my friends, is history.

Look, I didn’t need to have a smartphone to make me feel better or learn how to speak with a girl. My humanity helped me with enjoying my later teenage and young adult years simply by stopping and thinking about the obvious. For most of my teenage years (up to the age of 16), I struggled with speaking with girls. Some might consider the former as being a “bad” life experience. Well, I see these former struggles differently today. I thank God for how things ended up working out in my life in that regard and for having the ability to face the problem and find a possible solution like a man.

When I was 16 years old, there were no smartphones. My parents happened to have cell phones back then, which was unusual for Brazilians back in the 90’s, but they were not smart. I didn’t have the opportunity to go on-line to make me feel better for my inability to speak with a girl. Because I had no technology, I had to face the problem and develop a two very important life skills – Critical thinking and Listening.

Kids today are handicapped because of technology. Too many millennials face a problem with a girl and rather than facing the problem head on to find a solution… They often go to their smartphones and text! Can’t talk with a girl tonight? Go to a smartphone, watch a video with girls and feel better. Can’t find a date to go to prom… Go to the smartphone, chat with girls on Tumbler, and move on… Don’t have any friends? Go to the smartphone and log into Facebook and chatting! The problem is that text messaging won’t teach a kid how to speak with a girl like a man. Avoiding (or the inability) to speaking with a real girl can’t be replaced by watching a video about girls. Not having a date for prom can’t be replaced by chatting with strangers on Tumbler…

What if I told you that if a person faces a problem in life and decides to ignore the issue and move sideways, eventually they will walk in a circle and be bossed around for life? With or without technology. All this technology that is supposed to make our lives better is having a tremendously negative impact in the lives of millions of teenagers and young adults today. It is, in fact, handicapping them by discouraging them to face real life problems for the sake of technology.

The same technology that has been used by the Navy for communication: sonar, could be used to treat heart failure, diabetes or other illnesses.

University at Buffalo, a leading research center is working on the ability to use this technology for medical diagnosis and transmitting information.

The advancement relies on sensors that use ultrasound. Ultrasound has been used by military submarines and in medical offices. Similar to how the navy subs communicate between each other, medical devices such as a pacemaker could communicate and transmit pertinent data by radio waves. Exploration in this area has been in development for over 10 years. However, the focus was on electromagnetic radio frequency waves, similar to ones in GPS units or cell phones. Drawbacks of electromagnetic radio frequency waves include the amount of heat produced and energy that is needed. Since the body is made mostly of water, over 65 percent, electromagnetic waves do not easily propagate. This research focuses on ultrasonic networking through body sensors through a closed-loop combination of mathematical modeling, simulation, and experimental evaluation.

“This is a biomedical advancement that could revolutionize the way we care for people suffering from the major diseases of our time,” said Tommaso Melodia, PhD, UB associate professor of electrical engineering.

Dr. Melodia is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grant for his research, “Towards Ultrasonic Networking for Implantable Biomedical Device,” The NSF Career grant is considered a highly respected award and will last 5 years.

“Think of how the Navy uses sonar to communicate between submarines and detect enemy ships,” Melodia said. “It’s the same principle, only applied to ultrasonic sensors that are small enough to work together inside the human body and more effectively help treat diseases.”

“We are really just scratching the surface of what’s possible. There are countless potential applications,” he said.

The research will focus on several areas:

• Design a testbed and evaluate through a simulator of ultrasonic networksdesign transmission and networking protocols for intra-body sensors,
• Design the first existing reconfigurable testbed for experimental evaluation of ultrasonic networks.
• The project will also create a scholar program in ultrasonic networking and its applications; a new graduate/undergraduate course on acoustic/ultrasonic networking; and broadening technology work in this field.

Melodia is a member of the Signals, Communications and Networking Research Group in UB’s Department of Electrical Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The group conducts research and development in wireless communications and networking, cognitive radios, extreme environment communications, secure communications, data hiding, information theory and coding, adaptive signal processing, compressed sensing,multimedia systems, magnetic resonance imaging and radar systems. To read more about Dr. Melodia’s research project: http://1.usa.gov/17y2njQ.