Latest Articles by Savanna Bousum

Latest Articles by Savanna Bousum http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us CCTV In Society, Use and Abuse http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/cctv-in-society-use-and-abuse.html http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/cctv-in-society-use-and-abuse.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
The low cost and availability of technically advanced cameras, coupled with the policies rolled out in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in some of the major cities around the world, has indeed accelerated the use of such a way of surveillance on the unsuspecting common man. But is it really useful in all respects, or isn’t there some instances at least when the common man might have felt offended by this unwarranted peeping into one’s own privacy, the fundamental freedom for maintaining a private space? Well, we’ll consider views from both sides before running into any sort of conclusion as to if CCTV is something useful or is it an abuse.

First the pluses; a close circuit television can effectively track the suspicious body language of unscrupulous people in the public space, especially if they are there to carry out some sort of misadventure. The big argument that is placed in support of this statement is that many terrorists, robbers and hooligans have been arrested or tracked down from the video impressions they have left behind while doing all what a normal citizen is not supposed to do.

For example, in the 9/11 incident, it was the recording of the culprits by a secret video camera in the airport that helped the police to find a lead to the Osama terrorist outfit Al-Qaeda. Again it was the CCTV footage in the London tube station that helped the police to have an idea about the apparent terrorists and their time of entrance into the station. There are also numerous other instances where a CCTV footage have helped the investigating officers to nab the offenders later.

Standing at this point and discussing the instances where CCTV footage has successfully aided the police in its mission of finding the offenders, it may appear that this mode of watching others is beneficial in all counts. But, if it were entirely right, then such incidents would not have happened in the first place itself. That is, if CCTVs were installed to monitor suspicious movements, then why the police is not able to prevent such unfortunate and catastrophic attacks from happening again and again?

The answer is pretty clear. A CCTV can capture so many dimensions at a time, but the monitoring system also needs alert humans to watch and analyze each footage on the fly. Unless this happens, it will be a revolving door sort of thing consisting of attacks, investigations and recognizing faces, but no way to save the common man on the street.

Now to the other side of the coin – CCTV abuse: Over the years since CCTV was first implemented, there were also reported many cases of CCTV abuses, instances in which CCTV were misused by authorities for malicious intents.

The notable one in this genre being the case in which a police officer was involved in blackmailing few people, supposed to be gays, by tracking down the owners of the vehicles parked in front of a gay club using the police database. Other misconducts on top of the list, which were exposed by some popular newspapers in the US and UK, include discriminatory targeting on the basis of color, institutional abuses, and instances in which officers found spying on women for entirely voyeuristic reasons.

Taking into consideration all these points, it can be concluded that while CCTV to an extent may be useful, its operation must be subjected to all necessary checks and balances. But the latter, as of now, seems unrealistic to a good extent, thanks to the quick technological advancements happening in the field of electronic gadgets that makes it impossible to mark the boundaries on what CCTV should do and what not.

Therefore, it is urgently necessary to develop a public consensus on the operation limits of CCTVs, and as long as that doesn’t happen, the surveillance monster will continue to intrude into one’s private space and moments, downgrading all the basic ethics, values and rights of a common man’s fundamental freedom to hit newer lows. In the present setup, the CCTV system does more harm than any real benefits. It should have been far better instead.

--
Savanna Bousum is an advisory assistant with CCTV Specialty, a company that specializes in CCTV Cameras.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Digital phones lead the Internet phone revolution http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/digital-phones-lead-the-internet-phone-revolution.html http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/digital-phones-lead-the-internet-phone-revolution.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Digital phones and VoIP services are receiving a lot of attention at present; it is at once a promising technology and an uncertain one.

Regular VoIP phone services are free or at low monthly costs in comparison to regular phone companies. Monthly charges can be as low as $19.95 and international calls can cost only pennies per minute. Because of these pros, digital phones are considered a threat to regular telephone companies and even cellular companies. IP phones, or digital phones, (assuming you don’t opt for the analog telephone adaptor) have many additional features beyond just VoIP service, such as caller ID, back up numbers, telemarketing blocks and silent recording.

At this point in time, however, the world is not quite ready to replace standard telephones with digital alternatives. There are a handful of disadvantages. Not every location worldwide is available or priced fairly, with every VoIP provider; even some local area codes may not be available. Since a broadband connection is electronically powered, a power outage could take out your telephone, unless a universal power supply or battery is available for backup. Dialing 911 has also been a problem for digital phones.

Because IP phones are not able to easily track network users, the emergency number is sometimes incapable of being dialed with the connection. Even though top VoIP companies have worked around this problem by implementing artificial 911 connections that eventually connect to local emergency personnel, the lack of a reliable 911 connection is still considered a major drawback. Recently the top digital phone company Vonage was fined by a court in Michigan over the 911 matter.

IP phones can be affordable, from $70.00 for a simple cordless handset, to over $1000.00 for a four-port gateway voice over IP communication system for businesses. More advanced models for personal or small business use, might cost $150.00 for added features.

A digital phone might be a serious consideration, particularly if you have an Internet connection, a lot of local phone company taxes, and hefty long distance charges. A digital phone combines all these fees into one low monthly cost; and it is a substantially lower amount than a traditional phone company charges.

If you are seriously considering the idea of a digital phone check locally for a provider; not all areas are equipped to handle this technology yet.

--
Savanna Bousum is an expert in digital phones, is a leading proponent of internet telephones in use with VoIP, and additionally contributes to

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Computer Hardware: A simple guide http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/computer-hardware-a-simple-guide.html http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/computer-hardware-a-simple-guide.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Most computer hardware is not seen by common people as it is usually comes in embedded systems in compact disc players, electrocardiograph machines, microwave ovens, automobiles, and other devices. The computer hardware familiar to normal users is the personal computers which form only a small portion of the computers out there in the market.

Personal Computer Hardware

Generally a personal computer consists of a chassis or a case in desktop and comprises of the following parts.

Motherboard – Motherboard or system board comes with slots for expansion cards and holding parts including:

Power Supply Unit (PSU) – a system or a device which helps to supply power to every other component inside or attached to the computer. The power system contains a voltage control, transformer, and fan.

Storage Controllers – IDE, SATA, SCSI or any other type which controls storage mediums such as hard disk, floppy disk or CD-ROM drives. The controls are installed directly on the mother board or on expansion cards.

Video Display Controller –helps to generate the output for the computer display.

Computer Bus Controllers (FireWire, USB, serial, parallel) - used to connect the computer to an external peripheral devices such as scanners or printers.

Sound Card –a plug-in card which helps to record and play back sound.

Internal Storage –devices used to store data inside the computer for later use.

Removable media writers:

Networking: - devices which allows a computer to connect to the internet or with other computers.

Computer Hardware can also include other external components of a computer system such as:

Input Devices

Output Devices

--
Savanna Bousum is an adminstrator at Black Cat Electronics computer equipment, and also enjoys posting at Tech Watch.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Cordless phone technology for beginners http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/cordless-phone-technology-for-beginners.html http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/cordless-phone-technology-for-beginners.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Even though a cordless phone uses wireless technology to communicate between the handset and the base unit, it is not quite the same as a wireless phone. A cordless phone handset must to be periodically placed back on the base unit for recharging, which is simultaneously linked physically to the incoming phone wire and an electric supply. In case of a power failure, the cordless phones may be rendered inoperative and hence the user may have to rely on specifically designed battery backups for temporary restoration of service.

Cordless phones first hit the market in the early 70s as the direct fallout of the then new wireless technology. The first of the models had long extendable antennas replacing the conventional cords and it used the same two-way radio technology as used in baby monitors or walkie-talkies for communication.

Soon the FCC allotted a bandwidth just above the AM frequency for cordless communication, but the quality of communication was poorer, often marred by electrical interference or faulty reception. Also, they did not have had any battery backup to meet accidental power failures.

But, over the years, wireless technology has improved dramatically and today’s models are almost free from all the technical issues its predecessors had. In today’s models, a strong transmission signal (900 MHz to 2.4 GHz) and an enhanced antenna and receiver system ensures that the user can have a crystal clear sound sans any interference.

Rechargeable batteries in the base unit could provide hours of uninterrupted backup power in case of a power failure (even though most phones can lose power without any warning), while different channels within the same bandwidth – which can be selected by the user – offers a new level of wireless communication experience to the user, in terms of precision and clarity.

Further, in the earlier models, it was technically possible to eavesdrop on an ongoing communication using scanners tuned to the same frequency. But the current models comes with enhanced security measures that uses techniques such as electronic scrambling or detuning to avoid unscrupulous ears. In other words, they are almost immune to electronic hacking, especially the latest DSS ones.

All of the latest cordless models offer additional features such as silent signaling, camera, encryption technology for better security, amplifier, caller id, intercom, memory, paging, dual-line capability, and self answering system, but the availability of these facilities varies with models, make and price tag.

If you are ready to shell out some more money, you can have all the cutting edge facilities available in your cordless phone. But this is for those who think that cordless phones are much more than for simple talking!

--
Savanna Bousum works for PMC Telecom, selling Cordless Phones.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Basic preparations for new stock markets investors http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/basic-preparations-for-new-stock-markets-investors.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/basic-preparations-for-new-stock-markets-investors.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Some of the major functions of a financial market include forming assets prices within the established proposition, guaranteeing liquidity, and reducing the operation expenses incurred by the participants in the financial market.

Whatever you do in a financial market – whether you are trading or investing – financial markets can provide you with much rewards than just accomplishments. Here are some general points you need to be aware of while making any purchase or sale financial instruments:

One of the main points you need to consider is to be well aware of your strengths and weakness before you make any investments on the financial market. By strength and weakness means each person has a specific structure in which he/she operate in the financial market depending on his/her education, time, experience and many other factors. Hence before you make any investments in the market, you need to decide what you can trade, how much time will be available for you to operate, and how to take your own trading and investing decisions.

After you have completed the first step in investing or trading, now it is time to know about the “Price to Earnings ratio (P/E ratio)”. P/E ratio is considered as an important tool which helps one to appraise a company. The price to earning ratio allows an investor to determine whether a company is undervalued or overvalued.

The next step is closer research into company history, often through technical analysis and graphs. This is an important step which allows you to know the current situation of a company and its proposed position in the future. The charts provide a graphical representation of the stocks activity ands volume over a definite period of time.

These are some of the main points one should consider before making any investment in the financial markets. It is also recommended to consult with an experienced financial advisor before you make any investment. This reduces the risk in investing in a company which does return enough profit to you.

Overall, do your research, get to know your investment areas, set yourself goals and limits, and be disciplined in trying to make informed decisions, rather than rushed and ill-conceived ones that could cost you dearly.

--
Savanna Bousum is a contributing editor at the Finance Markets

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Organic bedding in the bedroom http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/interior-design/organic-bedding-in-the-bedroom.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/interior-design/organic-bedding-in-the-bedroom.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
The newly found demand for organic bedding has been triggered by some startling discoveries made by the scientific world regarding the composition of modern bedding materials. Studies have found out that the cotton used in modern bedding has a heavy dose of dangerous chemicals, mostly build up residues of pesticides used during its cultivation phase, and on continuous use, these pesticide residues can enter human skin and adversely affects one’s health.

The other health threatening configuration is the petroleum-based foam mattresses most of us tend to use for a ‘comfortable’ good night sleep. If to believe the research results, then this is something that must not be near human body. It has been confirmed that these materials contain a dangerous amount of phthalates – a chemical used for softening the fibers during its manufacturing phase and to make it wrinkle free – which is a carcinogen and is found to cause negative effects on male fertility. More a person gets exposed to this chemical, the worse will be the results.

In fact, the injurious effects of petroleum-based foam mattresses d not end there. It has been observed that in its average life span of 10 years, the bed seems to lose half of its weight and this occurs in the form of discharged toxic dust and formaldehyde gas produced during the chemical breakup of foam. Both are unhealthy to humans, and in the case of continuous exposure, life threatening.

Organic bedding is a one-stop solution to all these health concerns. Made from natural cotton, wool, and latex, they not only provide the same or better level of comfort to the person resting on it, but also eliminate the threat of dangerous chemicals on human body. Further, organic bedding has a longer life and less maintenance cost.

Organic bedding materials may be a bit costly. But it is worth spending for one, given the health benefits the bed brings along with it.

We can afford to live with few wrinkles on the mattress, but we may not be able to live longer with cancer. Let ‘Health First’ be our motto. Good Luck!!

--
Savanna Bousum works for Dax Stores, a leading provider of organic products, including Organic Bedding and Organic sheets.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> A beginners guide to printers for the office http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/a-beginners-guide-to-printers-for-the-office.html http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/a-beginners-guide-to-printers-for-the-office.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Office printers or simply printers are those devices that could convert the documents stored in electronic form in a computer into permanent human-readable text / graphics on a physical print media such as a paper. Most printers are used as a computer peripheral device, always connected to its document source. Then there are network printers that come with built-in network devices, which can be accessed and used by any PC present in the network.

Further, most modern day printers can interface with other electronic media such as memory cards and sticks, and digital devices like cameras and scanners. Then there are printers that combine the functionalities of a scanner and fax machines as well. In the following paragraphs, we’ll see the different types of common office printers in vogue.

Office printers are generally classified on the basis of the printing technology it employs. Along these lines, office printers - belonging to the modern printing technology - can be classified as tone-based printers, liquid inkjet printers, solid inkjet printers and dye-sublimation printers. It should be kept in mind that each technology has its own applications in terms of text/image quality, speed, and cost, and print media, with certain ones being tailor made to suit some specific print media only.

Tone based printers work in a similar fashion as a typical photocopier, by adhering toner to the print media. The most common type of such a printer is the laser printer that uses a laser beam to meet the toner to the paper. They are known for its high quality prints, speed, and lesser cost per page, and hence are commonly used in general office applications. But due to its comparatively higher costs, it is yet to make a mark at a consumer level. Another tone based printer is the LED printer that uses a series of LEDs to affect toner adhesion.

Liquid inkjet printers reproduce text by spraying small but precise amount of ink on to the print media. This is the common consumer print technology owing to its low cost and reasonable print quality. Its disadvantages being its slow speed and the extra time that must be allowed in order to dry the ink before handling the sheet aggressively.

Solid inkjet printers – also called phase change printers – uses solid sticks of wax, which is melted onto the print medium for printing the characters. They are used in office environments and are suitable for printing on transparencies and other non-porous surface or media. Its disadvantages are higher power consumption and the waxy coat around the text owing to the wax ink used for printing. Xerox is the only manufacturer of solid inkjet printers at present.

Dye-based printing process employs heat to adhere dye on the print media. The printing medium can be plastic, poster paper, or print paper. These devices can produce high quality color applications, but are less suitable for texts.

If you are running an office, the choice of the printer(s) must be based entirely on the requirements at hand. If you need a large amount of high quality prints to be made, then tone-based printers would be the ideal ones to serve the purpose. Liquid inkjet printers are suitable if the numbers of printing documents or photographs are comparatively less. Solid inkjet printers comes handy if the application at hand demands printing on both sides of the print media without any color showing through the paper.

Finally, it is advisable to do a bit of market research, go through the product brochures of various manufacturers, and compare the pros, cons and prices, before making the purchase. You could find different quality and features even in the same type of devices.

--
Savanna Bousum is an assistant with A2B Office, a leading UK supplier of office printers, and also compiles an online catalogue of printers at Office Printer Me UK.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Being safe on the net - taking care of online security http://www.articletrader.com/internet/security/being-safe-on-the-net-taking-care-of-online-security.html http://www.articletrader.com/internet/security/being-safe-on-the-net-taking-care-of-online-security.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
The majority of the online security threats are done by hackers or attackers with the help of a relatively small availability of exposures. This means that attackers are taking complete advantage of the general failures rather than finding out new or even difficult exploits. So the question remains how to prevent such online security threats? The easiest way to thwart online security threats is being more conscious and knowing some simple tips.

Some of the most common online security threats include intrusions, identity theft, information theft, spyware, adware, malware, viruses, trojan horses, and pop-ups. To overcome these threats one need to approach the internet with the best internet security one could receive.

Nowadays there are several companies offering security software and hardware to prevent a good amount of online attacks. Using such firewalls and authentication servers are regarded as an ideal way to get away from most online security issues. People who are using antivirus programs and other security suites are recommended to update their program daily. This is necessary as everyday new viruses and security threats are launched in the World Wide Web.

Here are some additional tips which will help you to stay safe in the internet against online security issues and enjoy safe browsing.

Spyware

These days having antivirus software is not enough to keep you safe away from the malicious programs in the internet. Out of these attacks, spyware attacks are becoming the most common online security threat faced by most internet users.

Spyware is a computer program which is designed to steal sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, and bank account details from computer users and send it to the spyware designer or attacker. To keep yourself safe away from spyware programs, you need to install any popular anti-spyware programs which can prevent you from spyware attacks.

Instant messaging

Nowadays many attackers are using instant messaging as an easiest way to attacks one’s system. In order to prevent such attacks you need to configure your instant messaging service efficiently, and by taking control over any file transfer through instant messaging service. Also don’t forget to apply all the up-to-date patches.

Mail client

Most hackers and attackers utilize the mail client on the users system to spread viruses and worms by including them as email attachments. Configuring your mail server correctly can prevent such attackers. It is recommended to block suspicious attachments with extensions .exe and .vbs.

Password protection

Almost all online transactions - such as emailing, shopping, online banking - use passwords as the important security method for accessing online information. Hence keeping your password safe is like securing your money or information safe. It is recommended not to use the same password for various accounts.

Also, keep in mind not to use passwords (like your last name, date of birth, house name, telephone number, or vehicle number) which other people can easily guess. Try to provide long passwords with alphabets, numbers, and special character combination.

File sharing

Most computer users use P2P (Peer to Peer) programs as an easy way to share files. Though it is a fact that P2P file sharing is an easy way to share files, in a P2P file sharing process both the computers are open to other people in the P2P network. This provides enough room for a hacker or a network attacker to easily access your computer and download any needed files. Hence, it is recommended not to share files using P2P programs.

In order to prevent your system from spyware, you can install trusted anti spyware programs provided by renowned vendors or firewall programs. Remember not to download any free software from un-trusted websites. This is because most of such freeware come with a hidden spyware program in it. Another protection you can take from these online security threats is to always scan files before downloading with a trusted antivirus program.

--
Savanna Bousum is a regular controbutor at the online security forums at Security Watch, and also compiles lists of worm releases at Virus Library.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> The need for photocopiers in any office http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/the-need-for-photocopiers-in-any-office.html http://www.articletrader.com/computers/hardware/the-need-for-photocopiers-in-any-office.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Let us look on how photocopiers work and how could an exact copy of the document or picture be taken using a photocopier.

Photocopying Process

Plain paper photocopier works by reflecting light from the original machine so that the image is projected onto a ‘photoreceptor’ – an electrically charged drum or belt. The drum features a photosensitive surface and it tends to lose the electrostatic charge when it is directly exposed to light. The reflected light generates a pattern of charges on the drum or belt and provides a latent image. The electrostatic charge attracts the toner and regenerates the image permanently onto the paper by pressure and heat.

Color photocopiers

Color toners were first available in the market in the 1950s. However, full color photocopiers became popular after the release of 3M in 1968, which used a dye sublimation process rather than the usual electrostatic technology. The first electrostatic color copier developed by Canon hit the market in 1973.

In the last few years, it is seen that high end photocopiers have adopted digital technology, with the copier comprising of an integrated scanner and laser printer. The latest high end photocopiers come with several other advantages including automatic image quality enhancement and the ability to scan pages independently for the process of printing them. Some digital photocopiers can also function as high-speed scanners. Most of such models are backed with the ability to send documents through email or make them available on a local area network.

While purchasing a photocopier for your business or office use, you need to consider several features to make the selection process much easy. Some of the main points one needs to consider while purchasing a photocopier include:

· Deciding on a digital photocopier with an ordinary one
· The size and speed of the machine
· Determining the paper delivery and capacity you need
· The type of output features required such as sorting, finishing, or stapling
· If you are planning to purchase a digital photocopier, determine whether you need to connect it to the network or work as a standalone single unit.

A photocopier is an investment in your business or office, hence it is a better idea to compare the features and the prices of various machines before you spend your hard earned money for purchasing a machine.

--
Savanna Bousum works with A2B Office on their leading range of photocopiers, and also provides a free catalogue of photocopiers Office World: Photocopiers category.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Home surveillance equipment for your security http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-security/home-surveillance-equipment-for-your-security.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-security/home-surveillance-equipment-for-your-security.html Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500
The most common home surveillance equipment seen is the spy camera. The camera installed at various parts of the house or the courtyard and wired to a suitable monitor could provide the insider with pictures of what is happening outside or in the corridors, or wherever it has been focused on.

A wireless version of the same thing is also quite popular and with that one can do away with the tangling wires. The major advantage of such cameras is that one can opt to record what is happening in the house, especially when the owner is away from home, for future analysis. So even if you are away, you can still see who all have visited the home, had there been any dangerous intruder into your property, or what your nanny or baby sitter was doing all the day.

Remote surveillance is a sophisticated application of this camera surveillance system, which uses an audio/video transmitter to air the voice/image to the client PC situated at a distance through the telephone lines or internet.

Perimeter protection is another electronic system which acts as a virtual wall around your property. It uses the infrared rays to form an invisible wall, which if broken by any physical object will trigger an alarm. Then there are voice changers that could change one’s voice while talking over the phone, tracking devices for tracking your vehicle, bug detectors, telephone recorders, telephone tap detectors, and the list is never ending.

Now, from a customer’s perspective, if you are serious about installing home surveillance equipment, it is advisable to analyze the requirements in the context of your home and see few product websites before finalizing the purchase. Choices are plenty, but make sure that you are getting the right equipment at the right price. Also, take care to see that all the systems come with a valid guarantee and after sales customer service.

--
Savanna Bousum is an assistant with Pakatak Surveillance Products, a major security supplies company in the UK, specialising in surveillance equipment.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>