Author: Nathan Steffenson

Preview : Datacommuting

a longer break in cars Mississippi River. Trains weren’t running at the time either. Not warm enough to kayak.

Preview of my from my first chapter of my ebook that I’m still working on.

Datacommuting ebook now available on iBooks, Amazon (Kindle) and Nook

What is Datacommuting?
It is using data to commute. It can be used along with traditional commuting or a replacement for it.

Chapter 3: Newer and improving technologies
- online backup, sharing and collaboration tools.
  
  Subway in Washington DC
- screen sharing.
- Video conferencing.
- email.
instant messaging.
Chapter 4: one step at a time
- Looking up schedules for mass transit.
  
  Sunset on BNSF railway in Brainerd MN
- looking up where you are going to go ahead of time so you can save time and money on driving
- finding people to carpool with online.
- finding maps to trails online.
Chapter 5 – older forms
- even using traditional mail and delivery services instead of driving.
- can be used in conjunction with voice phones/texting.
- Chapter 6: going paperless.
- using online banking.
Chapter 7: 3 Rs, Reduce Reuse, Recycle Buying Habits

History
The tools used to develop modern computing date back to ancient times such as using an abacus, languages/writing.
From telegraph, calculator, telephone, answering machine, typewriter, fax, camera, fiberoptics, widespread wireless network adaptation, and email halve all evolved to make data commuting possible. Downsizing of computers from mainframe, to mini, to micro, to portable, to handheld.
There isn’t one single inventor or even device that makes it possible. It is many devices and many men and women (and sometimes even kids) that have made it possible. It is heavily dependent on the Internet (sometimes called “information superhighway”), but it is still possible on networks that are not connected and of course it is also dependent on the devices connected.
Datacommuting is the next step beyond telecommuting. Although telecommuting used computers, it heavily relied on the telephone and telephone lines. Businesses had to add extra lines to their employees homes so they could do their work. Employees did not get to meet face to face with other employees or customers without going into their office. Another problem, it was mostly (possibly for accounting purposes) only used for business purposes, thus there are still too many people driving and bridges crumbling down.
Datacommuting changes all those things. know it or not, you may already be doing parts of it, but probably not enough to complete the full picture.
The advances with web technology has changed the way people learned and the positions people work. The local college, there used to be five different position has merged into one position all because of the web. Now called student services which used to be the financial aid, records/registration, information and business office combined because of web-based services and disability/admissions/counseling combined to another office.
Another thing that changed is the way students learn by web-based classes. Now during the summer the local college is mostly a ghost town because most Summer classes are just online.
Another way that has changed is that many books are not e-books so students don’t have to have backpacks for having books.

Chapter 2: More than just trying to stay green in a digital age
What is the need for Datacommuting and why do we need to change how we commute?
What is the need for Datacommuting and why do we need to change how we commute?
We over rely on our automobiles. We use them for things we don’t have to. We get less exercise.
Driving motorized vehicles is expensive and can be dangerous. Many people are hurt or killed automobile accidents on a regular basis. They take up a lot of land And other resources. This is both a personal financial burden also a burden on society as a whole.
Our overuse of vehicles that run off of dangerous fuels has also caused us to go to the extreme to get the fuel for our vehicle and has also had very damaging, sometimes non-repairable consequences.
It is part of our obesity problem. It’s not just the fast food places, it’s that people don’t even get out of their car to get into the fast food places. And when spending a lot of time in the car, it isn’t always easy to eat healthy food or get enough exercise.

Datacommuting ebook now available on iBooks, Amazon (Kindle) and Nook

Tags datacommuting, featured

beware of scams

Dealing with unwanted emails

Post author By Nathan Steffenson
Post date August 22, 2014

Although in my view not as bad as junk postal mail or unwanted phone calls unwanted emails can be a problem or at least a nuisance.
They are called many things:

junk mail or email
spam
bulk mail
unsolicited mail
unwanted e-mail

How to reduce junk mail.

Certain email programs are better than others at handling junk mail. Many of the web based programs are slightly better at handling than desktop email clients.
Don’t sign up for emails you don’t want
If you signed up for an email you don’t want there should be an unsubscribe option.
If it’s a personal email address be careful who you give it out to.
Many email programs have a reporting option/ button like “This is spam” or “report junk mail” or “block sender”
Don’t click on the links of unwanted email, however sometimes the unsubscribe option is ok to click on.
Sometimes it is simply best to just delete it.

Phishing:

Phishing are emails, letters, phone calls pretending to be other people, businesses, and organizations.
They might pretend to be your friends or relatives. Many of these emails are from out of the country.
Clues to phishing:
- misspellings from companies
- links look different
- email addresses are slightly different
- trouble with your bank or PayPal account
- Email from your friends or relative, that are in unusual circumstance, and are different than how they usually word things

Common email/mail scams:

For Businesses:
- SEO services (Search engine optimization saying your web site does poorly in search rankings even though that’s how they probably found you)
- mobile web development
- Listing services that look like a bill or look like it is needed for your web site
- there are legitimate business services for those things listed above (like mine, I offer SEO, web development, and Business Listings) but you probably should not trust those that send you junk emails.
scam letters from out of the country saying you are getting money (Nigerian Letter Scams, Out of Country Lotteries)
phony virus alerts
Urban legends and misquoting famous people
and more

Another Problem:

There is so much junk email that some important email end up in your junk or bulk mail folder. So it is best to check it before emptying.

Tags junk email

beware of scams

phony debt collection scam

Post author By Nathan Steffenson
Post date August 12, 2014

Article from Mid-Minnesota FCU Fake arrest warrants
Minnesota AG: Phony debt collector scams

programming special publishing

my Drupal business listing recipe

Post author By Nathan Steffenson
Post date August 3, 2014

A custom node type called business listing
use link module
use location module
use view module
use captcha Module
use image module
used taxonomy for categories

used with brainerdupdate.com

computer learning computer tips tech culture

iPad Tablets at Brainerd Public library

Post author By Nathan Steffenson
Post date August 1, 2014

In addition to desktop computers, free wifi, books, magazines, and DVD, the Brainerd Public library will have Apple iPad tablets this September. iPads will be available for training as well as use in the library.
Here is a video from Lakeland Public Television:

energy efficiency Going Green special publishing tech culture

New Concept – Go back to DC Power

Post author By Nathan Steffenson
Post date July 20, 2014

When Electricity first started DC power (direct current) was used. Things were switched to AC (alternating current) power to make things safer. But now more and more devices run on DC power even if they are plugged into an AC outlet.
I believe that buildings need to start going away from universal 110 -120 volt ac power (or whatever the standard is for the country) and switch to low voltage DC power for at least a major part of the building (not for the entire building).
Why? Many electronics as mentioned before use DC power, and to do that every device plugged in to the wall uses a Power Supply unit to convert it into DC power. These units can fail, and can go missing. The PSU can be in a computer or in one of those boxes you see on power chords or phone chargers, or built in to the electronic.
It would allow for more efficient streamlined use of solar power or other renewable and off the grid energy sources.
LED lights run well on DC power. Mobile phones tablets and many other devices could plug right into the wall without a special psu box, and the USB port (or whatever technology) wouldn’t need a conversion to DC either. The great thing about most mobile phones and tablets, and many other devices is they are already standardized to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface and many of the newer technologies allow for backwards compatibility to USB.
To do this some devices would need to be changed: desktop computers could have PSU removed. Laptops would have to have a new standardized plug (and possibly new standardized voltages). Besides PSUs draining energy, they are prone to failure, and can hold a dangerous electric charge that can be a shock hazard and in rare cases fire hazard.
Wall plugs would have to change, it could be USB, or something compatible. (I like the lightning plug that is on the phone side of the Apple iPhone since it’s less likely to break or get dirty)
One of the main reasons solar power or any other power sources aren’t efficient as it can be is because of all the unnecessary (in today’s world) conversions (and transporting). Renewable sources work best when everything they power is energy efficient.
I think these concepts would work well on new buildings, buildings doing a major renovation, and buildings that are in remote locations where electricity is hard to get or unreliable.
And it doesn’t need to be done for a whole building or all electronics, it can be done for just some of the electronics to start.
Another concept during the day similar to a sky light, you could use fiber optics to use natural lighting from sun without any conversions (maybe some mirrors to capture and UV filter) no photovoltaic cells or electricity needed and it can be done on multiple floors and without ruining insulation (R Values) and without ruining fire barriers. Night time solar powered battery LED lighting could be used with the fiber optics.
Nathan Steffenson Published July 20 2014
Disclaimer: This is currently just a concept. I’m not an electrician and have no prototype. Although not all working together as a system, many of these components exist and are readily available. I haven’t done thorough research for prior art.

tech culture video

Launch

Post author By Nathan Steffenson
Post date July 13, 2014

Space ship launched at 11:52am CDT Sunday http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

My Site updates

Free Business Listings and User Registration

Post author By Nathan Steffenson
Post date July 11, 2014

We are now offering Free Business Listings and user registration for the following web sites

Please note this is currently separate from email accounts. The registration allows for: blog posting, forum / message board posting, and business listing posting and editing.

computer learning computer tips special publishing

What are Fiber Optics?

Fiber optic is a thin, flexible glass cable used to transfer light.
What are fiber optics used for?
Including but not limited to the transfer of data (for things like viewing this web post) at the speed of light.
Data can also include voice (telephone) and video (cable television).
Light is sent at one end and at the other end the light is read.
Fiber-optic media is one of the core components of most networks, used often between building segments, between different floors, between buildings, and long distances between cities, states and countries.
Fiber optics are used for the backbone of most wireless networks including cellular telephones. The backbone of the Internet is fiber-optic cabling.
Fiber optics were first used and still used for a scope to look down a persons throat.
Fiber optics can also be used as lighting. Light is traveled without electrical wiring. Any light source can be used including the sun, LED or laser.
Advantages of Fiber optics:

Speed.
Distance
No radio, electrical, or magnetic interference
No wire tapping into the actual cabling
No transfer of electrical surges: reduces chance of damage from a lightning strike
Multiple uses which allows less (telephone, cable) lines to go into a building.

Dangers of Fiber-optic Cabling:

During the installation of fiber-optic cabling, utility lines may be broke. Years ago, in St. Cloud MN this caused a gas line break which caused an explosion taking out a city block. Fiber optics that need to be dug should only be done by utility professionals. Call before you dig in MN 811 web http://www.gopherstateonecall.org/
Touching the glass of a fiber optic cable can cause very bad slivers or cuts.
Fiber optics can can cause blind spots from the light that travels from them.
Dangers from the equipment used with the cabling.
Certain cable coating can be dangerous when melted.