Top 10 Inventions Needed - Future Technology

This was a wish list that was originally intended to provide inspiration for inventors. First written in April of 1997, I thought it might be fun to follow-up each year and find out if anyone has been working on these ideas for future technology.
1. Future Technology - Free Energy
I want my energy bill to come only once, not every month. So be it solar or electro-magnetic, please make it personal and portable with batteries that keep going and going.
2. Future Technology - Transporter
What kind of technology is required to scramble a person's atoms and send them for regrouping in foreign lands all in the blink of an eye? Imagine, I could work in Tokyo and sleep in Paris. Beam me up.
3. Future Technology - Replicator Technology (Stuff for Free)
Every time I saw Captain Picard (Star Trek Next Generation) ordering his Earl Grey Tea or Councilor Troy getting a triple alien fudge dessert from one of those replicators on the Enterprise, it made me jealous. I imagine you could send the dirty dishes back to the void where they came from. BTW, a replicator is a device that uses transporter technology to dematerialize quantities of matter and then rematerialize that matter in another form.
4. Future Technology - Universal Communicator
Forget long distant bills and roaming charges (especially with me working in Tokyo and sleeping in Paris). I want a very small device that lets me talk and see anyone, anywhere and anytime. All for the price of the device and please throw in the ability for universal translation for a modest surcharge.
5. Future Technology - The Cure

6. Future Technology - Fountain of Youth
As a woman I consider this as a no-brainer desire for future technology. The "Fountain of Youth" was a legendary spring that renders anyone who drinks of its waters permanently young. What is the real future technology that will extend our lives and keep us looking youthful without surgery?
7. Future Technology - Protective Force Field
8. Future Technology - Flying Cars
9. Future Technology - The Battery Operated Butler Did It
10. Future Technology - The Time Machine

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Future of Information Technology

Information technology is a highly important aspect today. Having the ability to transfer data, store data and keep it safe is crucial in many ways. Without information technology many medical facilities and corporations would find it difficult to keep information stored securely.

communication that far outreaches what a traditional telephone could ever do. Of course the human brain is far more advanced than a typical home computer.
Our brains allow us to keep track of things as well and to remember faces and names, find entertainment, love others and enjoy the simpler things in life.
The future of information technology may very well involve using computers to enhance the human brain. Common computers are expected to possess the same or nearly the same capabilities as the human brain in the future.
In another twenty five years or so it may be very likely that you will be able to have a computer that will possess the ability to feel emotions and have spiritual experiences. Of course this prediction will be met with skepticism as all others have been in the past.
The first gasoline powered vehicle was met with much scrutiny as was the first airplane. Society as a whole does not generally accept things that it can not understand or control. Believing that scientific technology can produce a computer that is capable of human emotion is so far-fetched that many simply will have to see it to believe it.

It does stand to reason however, that if developments have come as far as they have today, then having a better and more efficient information technology in the future is virtually a given.
More advanced computers that can help those with memory loss problems or virtually run your entire brain may seem too far in sci-fi land to believe but stranger things have happened.
Medical science has come a long way since the turn of the twentieth century. Many things have come into play that were never believed to be possible. The world may not ever see a computer that will retain memory of an individual’s life, but then again it may.
The computers in question will have the ability to hold images, videos and anything else that the memory retains within the human brain. Information will be kept forever, which will make it much easier to conduct personal and professional business.

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Focus Area of IT in Tele-Center

A Tele-center is a work location usually in a different area than the organization's main office that provides convenient access to work with equipments that people don't have at home. Tele-center are established with a view to provide easy access to work with equipment that people in rural areas do not have at home.
The approach to Tele-center was instigated in order to shrink the Digital Divide that evolved from the situation in which substantial number of citizen in the developing country lack to obtain the rights of developmental progress. In general, through the concept of Tele-center, it is aimed to provide the deficit community with the ease of modern Information technological services such as internet, email, fax, photocopy, scan etc in order to help them reach the realm of development.
Establishment of Tele-center helps to reduce the Information and knowledge poverty, consequent trivial boundary relation in developmental effort to showcase major changes in modern Information and Communication sector. At present, it is strongly felt that with the establishment of Tele-center, developmental methodology based on Information and Communication technology should also go hand in hand
Objective:
• To maximize the use of ICT to meet the goal of Development
• Providing internet access for rural community
• Develop a knowledge based society
• Provide information related to agriculture production, tele-medicine
• Trace the route for study and employment opportunity
Services provided by Tele-center:
• General telephone service for receiving incoming calls and transferring outgoing call.
• Internet and email service
• Formatting documents in word, spreadsheet, database and creating pamphlets
• Surfing the internet for study, business and entertainment
• Graphic designing and Desktop publishing
• Promote computer usage
• Conducting basic computer skill development training programs
• Video conferencing
Tele-centers established and managed by NITC :
KrishnaChowk, Chitwan
Madhesa, Sunsari
MilanChowk, Parbat
Sankhu, Kathmandu
Devighat, Nuwakot
Kowang, Mustang
Malangwa, Sarlahi

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Focus Area of IT in- e-Government

The world is rapidly transforming into one society driven by an outstanding increase in the amount of communication between civilizations. It has really become information driven society, in which information and communications technologies are playing important and indispensable roles. Keeping up with the 21 st century, governments around the world are embracing Information Technology (IT). In every region of the globe-from developing countries to industrialized ones - central and local governments are putting critical information online, automating bulky processes and interacting electronically with their citizens.
The arrival of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) has significantly enhanced our capabilities to collect, process, and distribute information. Almost all developing countries regard ICTs as an important factor while preparing their national development plans. One area has received outstanding attention is the use of ICT in the quest of good governance, usually termed e-governance.
E-governance is about the use of (ICTs) to raise the quality of services governments deliver to citizens and businesses. Most governments in the developed world have moved towards some form of implementation of IT to deliver services to the citizens as well as better govern their internal programs. Today wide ranges of E-governance projects are being implemented at different parts of the country including the projects designed to reduce digital divide in rural areas that have been ignored in the past.
E-governance is a radical concept that covers wide range of IT enabled reforms. They are as follows.
• Prioritize the governments need to use IT and the Internet to provide services between government agencies, citizens, and business.
• Improve the democratic values of the government process and administrations through more transparency, accountability, and involvement.
• Make the internal operation of public administrations more efficient.
• Change the mindset of the administration for successful implementation of e-governance.
• Create awareness of IT in the top bureaucracy.
• Expand access of IT to the common people through establishment of self sustaining Tele-center in rural part of the country.
NITC with support from Korean IT Industry Promotion Agency (KIPA) and HLCIT has already drafted national egovernance master plan that:
• Defines a practical vision for National E-governance.
• Designs appropriate architectures.
• Creates Infrastructure in compliance with the architectures.
• Recommends E-governance Framework.
• Defines effective policies, standards and procedures for IT governance and decision making (e.g. IT security Policy, cyber rules and regulation etc).
• Recommends an organizational structure for supporting E-governance.
• Provides an implementation plan with schedule and budget.
• Maps existing IT enabled government services and e-readiness.
• Creates awareness for recognition of IT as a productive tool of learning and good governance at all levels of government.

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Government Integrated Data Center

The success of e-governance initiatives depends a great deal on sound ICT infrastructure. Therefore, due emphasis ought to be given on the development of e-government infrastructure in the country. Infrastructure needs to be built up for all aspects of e-governance, be it delivery of services by government or access of services by citizens or even for backend automation at government departments. Also, the government should ensure a coordinated development of infrastructure in various parts of the nation to avoid another divide between the ICT enabled and the non-enabled.
A data center is a centralized location for the storage, management, processing and exchange of data that exists within a specific enterprise or a specialized facility.
In general, data centers can be broken down into three types- Internet Data center (IDC), Storage area network (SAN) and Enterprise data center(EDC).
An Internet data center (IDC) is a facility that provides data and Internet services for other companies
A Storage Area Network (SAN) is a network of interconnected storage devices and data servers usually located within an enterprise data center or as an off-site facility offering leased storage space.
An Enterprise data center (EDC) is the central processing facility for an enterprise’s computer network
Presently we are on first phase of Data Center, an Internet data center (IDC).
Importance of GIDC
In the era of e-governance, government is expected to deliver its services to the citizens on 24*7 basis. To achieve this, the government has to set up a sound and stable infrastructure operational round the clock. Internet Data Centre is a facility which provides extremely reliable and secure infrastructure for running Internet operations on a 24*7 basis. It shall not at all be cost effective if each department starts setting up its own data centre as running a high class Internet Data Centre needs a lot of recurring resources. It is, therefore, suggested that the government may set up a high grade Data Centre at a National level to be used by all entities of the government. All departments should, in turn, establish high speed connectivity with the data centre so that they can manage their applications from their own premises in a secured manner.

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IT Service Continuity Management

IT Service Continuity management covers the processes by which plans are put in place and managed to ensure that IT Services can recover and continue should a serious incident occur. It is not just about reactive measures, but also about proactive measures - reducing the risk of a disaster in the first instance.
Continuity management is regarded by the application owners as the recovery of the IT infrastructure used to deliver IT Services, but as of 2009[update] many businesses practice the much further-reaching process of Business Continuity Planning (BCP), to ensure that the whole end-to-end business process can continue should a serious incident occur (at primary support level).
Continuity management involves the following basic steps:
• Prioritising the activities to be recovered by conducting a Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
• Performing a Risk Assessment (aka risk analysis) for each of the IT Services to identify the assets, threats, vulnerabilities and countermeasures for each service.
• Evaluating the options for recovery
• Producing the Contingency Plan
• Testing, reviewing, and revising the plan on a regular basis
Availability Management
Availability Management targets allowing organisations to sustain the IT service-availability to support the business at a justifiable cost. The high-level activities are Realise Availability Requirements, Compile Availability Plan, Monitor Availability, and Monitor Maintenance Obligations.
Availability Management addresses the ability of an IT component to perform at an agreed level over a period of time.
• Reliability: Ability of an IT component to perform at an agreed level at described conditions.
• Maintainability: The ability of an IT component to remain in, or be restored to an operational state.
• Serviceability: The ability for an external supplier to maintain the availability of component or function under a third-party contract.
• Resilience: A measure of freedom from operational failure and a method of keeping services reliable. One popular method of resilience is redundancy.
• Security: A service may have associated data. Security refers to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of that data. Availability gives a clear overview of the end-to-end availability of the system.

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Criticisms of ITILCriticisms of ITIL

ITIL has been criticized on several fronts, including:
• The books are not affordable for non-commercial users
• Accusations that many ITIL advocates think ITIL is "a holistic, all-encompassing framework for IT governance";
• Accusations that proponents of ITIL indoctrinate the methodology with 'religious zeal' at the expense of pragmatism.
• Implementation and credentialing requires specific training
• Debate over ITIL falling under or ITSM frameworks
• ITIL training and certification costs are exorbitant
As Jan van Bon (author and editor of many IT Service Management publications) notes,
There is confusion about ITIL, stemming from misunderstandings about its nature. ITIL is, as the OGC states, a set of best practices. The OGC doesn't claim that ITIL's best practices describe pure processes. The OGC also doesn't claim that ITIL is a framework, designed as one coherent model. That is what most of its users make of it, probably because they have such a great need for such a model...
CIO Magazine columnist Dean Meyer has also presented some cautionary views of ITIL, including five pitfalls such as "becoming a slave to outdated definitions" and "Letting ITIL become religion." As he notes, "...it doesn't describe the complete range of processes needed to be world class. It's focused on ... managing ongoing services."
Van Herwaarden and Grift see the quality of the library's volumes as uneven. They note: “the consistency that characterized the service support processes ... is largely missing in the service delivery books."
In a 2004 survey designed by Noel Bruton (author of "How to Manage the IT Helpdesk" and "Managing the IT Services Process"), organizations adopting ITIL were asked to relate their actual experiences in having implemented ITIL. Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that "ITIL does not have all the answers". ITIL exponents accept this, citing ITIL's stated intention to be non-prescriptive, expecting organizations to engage ITIL processes with existing process models. Bruton notes that the claim to non-prescriptiveness must be, at best, one of scale rather than absolute intention, for the very description of a certain set of processes is in itself a form of prescription.

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World's First Internet Car Radio Would Go Perfectly in KITT's Dashboard

Satellite radio is dead. The world's first internet car radio, from Blaupunkt and miRoamer delivers thousands of internet stations integrated with a standard AM/FM/CD dash console worthy of KITT.
All of your preferences, providers and searches are customized on miRoamer's site, and you can instantly flip back and forth between internet or terrestrial radio stations in the console. The secret sauce is 3G GSM. Since it's just a plug-n-play SIM, it theoretically means you could get the Australia-based service working in the States on AT&T, once it goes from being built-in equipment to a setup you can buy separately.
Even if it's not available over here immediately, just because it's the first doesn't mean it'll be the only one like this—this is just the beginning of car internet radio, for sure. Plus, I'm pretty sure someone will find a way to hack the 3G to use it tether it to your laptop over the system's built-in Bluetooth (as long as it has the right protocols built-in, anyway).
miRoamer Partners with Blaupunkt to Introduce the World's First Internet Car Radio
Drivers can access largest and most diverse global selection of Internet radio from their car stereo
(Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, NV North Hall Booth #5418 – January 8, 2009) – miRoamer, a global innovator in the Internet radio industry, is announcing a partnership with Blaupunkt, one of the world's leading consumer electronics manufacturers and specialists in car multimedia, at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The partnership will introduce the world's first Internet car radio, giving drivers access to the world's largest and most diverse selection of Internet radio content through their car stereo.
"The beauty of Internet car radio is the customized user experience," said George Parthimos, Founder and CEO, miRoamer. "Today, users want to jump in their car and go – no pulling out third-party devices or plugging in cords to access their music and information. miRoamer's development with Blaupunkt is the first seamless Internet radio solution. Now, with the simple push of a button, users can access AM/FM stations or Internet radio's thousands of music, entertainment, news and talk stations from around the world, all from the same car stereo."
The world's first Internet car radio by Blaupunkt will enable drivers to tune into miRoamer's tens of thousands of radio stations and really feel like they're there. Users' favorite Internet radio stations can be easily chosen via clearly arranged information on a large screen display, enriched by state-of-the art performance in terms of car multimedia and consumer electronics connectivity.

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Display Technologies Guide (LCD, Plasma, DLP, LCoS, D-ILA, CRT)

A couple years ago it became apparent that in order to effectively review and compare the many upcoming display technologies, we'd need to publish an article or two about exactly what these differing formats mean and address the questions about which television or projection format is "best". After returning from CES 2006, we instinctively knew that it was high time we updated this article to reflect the newer technologies and discuss advancements made by current or older technologies.
The truth be told, each have their advantages and disadvantages. The comparisons we make will serve to educate, but only at the risk of adding enough additional information into the process that could make decisions even more involved. For some, this document will serve as a primer and will help pave the way towards understanding both current and up-and-coming technologies. Others may find that this article opens a Pandora's Box of comparisons and a more difficult decision-making process. For Audioholics, the goal is always to inform the end-user so that they can be better equipped to make the best choices. We hope that the detail included here helps to eliminate confusion and organize the positives and negatives of each format.
Editor's note: This article will also be somewhat dynamic as these technologies are almost constantly changing. Thus, in order to keep this document up-to-date, we'll address new issues, advances, and technologies as they arise and as time permits.
At the end of this article is a comparison chart of each display-type which compares the various displays against each other using metrics such as contrast ratio, weight, burn-in, viewing angle and longevity. If your head is spinning, this will be a good place to regroup before coming back up for air and once again delving into the technologies.
With that said - thanks for stopping by! We hope you can glean some helpful information from this document to aid you in your current and future purchasing decisions.

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Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2009, 2010

Analyst firm Gartner has just released a report that highlights eight up-and-coming mobile technologies which they predict will impact the mobile industry over the course of the next two years. According to Nick Jones, vice president and analyst at the firm, the technologies they've identified will evolve quickly and will likely pose issues that will have to be addressed by short term strategies.
Bluetooth 3.0
This is one of the no-brainers on the list. The Bluetooth 3.0 specification will be released this year and devices will start to hit the shelves by 2010. At this point, it's expected that the 3.0 spec will include faster speeds, reportedly transferring files at 480 megabits per second in close proximity and 100 megabits per second at 10 meters. It will also feature an ultra-low-power mode that Gartner predicts will enable new peripherals, sensors, and applications, such as health monitoring. The technology will be backwards compatible, allowing old devices to communicate with new ones, so there's no reason for it not take off in the upcoming years.
Mobile User Interfaces + Mobile Web/Widgets
mobile user interfaces and mobile web/widgets were listed separately, accounting for two items on the list, but we think they can be lumped together. They all point to how mobile computing is rapidly becoming a new platform for everything from consumer mobile apps to B2E (business-to-employee) and B2C (business-to-customer). (Gartner did not include B2B on their list.) Modern day smartphones like the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, the upcoming Pre, and others deliver better interfaces for browsing the web, thus making it accessible to more people. Widget-like applications, including those that replicate thin client technology, will become more common especially in B2C strategies. Yet the mobile web still has challenges ahead. For example, there are no standards for browser access to handset services like the camera or GPS, the report notes.

Near Field Communication (NFC)
NFC is a technology that provides a way for consumers to use their mobile phones for making payments, among other things. It's something that has taken off in many countries worldwide, but certainly not all, and definitely not in the United States just yet. Unfortunately, Gartner predicts that the move towards mobile payment systems will still not occur this year or the next in mature markets like the U.S. and Western Europe. Instead, NFC is more likely to take off in emerging markets. Other uses of the technology, such as the ability to transfer photos from phone to digital photo frames, will also remain elusive to more developed markets.

802.11n & Cellular Broadband
802.11n, a specification for wireless local area networks (WLANs), initially gave us pause. Although not ratified as an official standard yet, the technology is already commonplace. However, until it "goes gold" so to speak, it won't really infiltrate the mobile world. Even the ubiquitous iPhone only supports 802.11 b/g at the moment.

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Fuel Cell Technology and Its Importance to Society

A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts a source fuel into an electrical current. It generates electricity inside a cell through reactions between a fuel and an oxidant, triggered in the presence of an electrolyte. The reactants flow into the cell, and the reaction products flow out of it, while the electrolyte remains within it. Fuel cells can operate continuously as long as the necessary reactant and oxidant flows are maintained.
Fuel cells are different from conventional electrochemical cell batteries in that they consume reactant from an external source, which must be replenished – a thermodynamically open system. By contrast, batteries store electrical energy chemically and hence represent a thermodynamically closed system.
Fuel cells come in many varieties; however, they all work in the same general manner. They are made up of three segments which are sandwiched together: the anode, the electrolyte, and the cathode. Two chemical reactions occur at the interfaces of the three different segments. The net result of the two reactions is that fuel is consumed, water or carbon dioxide is created, and an electrical current is created, which can be used to power electrical devices, normally referred to as the load.
At the anode a catalyst oxidizes the fuel, usually hydrogen, turning the fuel into a positively charged ion and a negatively charged electron. The electrolyte is a substance specifically designed so ions can pass through it, but the electrons cannot. The freed electrons travel through a wire creating the electrical current. The ions travel through the electrolyte to the cathode. Once reaching the cathode, the ions are reunited with the electrons and the two react with a third chemical, usually oxygen, to create water or carbon dioxide.

Fuel cells may seem like a science fiction fantasy to many people, since they are an efficient and nonpolluting power source producing little noise and having no moving parts. But this futuristic energy source not only exists, it has played a key role in providing electricity on spacecraft since the 1960s. Currently, technologists are developing and adapting fuel cell technology for practical use in exhaust-free automobiles and in electricity-generating plants. In this article, the author discusses the possible applications, societal impacts, and safety concerns of fuel cell technology. He asserts that it is critical to incorporate fuel cell education in the technology education classroom in order to encourage its adoption.

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Mobile Applications.

By year-end 2010, 1.2 billion people will carry handsets capable of rich, mobile commerce providing a rich environment for the convergence of mobility and the Web. There are already many thousands of applications for platforms such as the Apple iPhone, in spite of the limited market and need for unique coding. It may take a newer version that is designed to flexibly operate on both full PC and miniature systems, but if the operating system interface and processor architecture were identical, that enabling factor would create a huge turn upwards in mobile application availability.
“This list should be used as a starting point and companies should adjust their list based on their industry, unique business needs and technology adoption mode,” said Carl Claunch, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “When determining what may be right for each company, the decision may not have anything to do with a particular technology. In other cases, it will be to continue investing in the technology at the current rate. In still other cases, the decision may be to test/pilot or more aggressively adopt/deploy the technology.”
Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2009, 2010
Analyst firm Gartner has just released a report that highlights eight up-and-coming mobile technologies which they predict will impact the mobile industry over the course of the next two years. According to Nick Jones, vice president and analyst at the firm, the technologies they've identified will evolve quickly and will likely pose issues that will have to be addressed by short term strategies.

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Gartner Identifies the Top Strategic Technologies for 2010

Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is a style of computing that characterizes a model in which providers deliver a variety of IT-enabled capabilities to consumers. Cloud-based services can be exploited in a variety of ways to develop an application or a solution. Using cloud resources does not eliminate the costs of IT solutions, but does re-arrange some and reduce others. In addition, consuming cloud services enterprises will increasingly act as cloud providers and deliver application, information or business process services to customers and business partners.
Advanced Analytics. Optimization and simulation is using analytical tools and models to maximize business process and decision effectiveness by examining alternative outcomes and scenarios, before, during and after process implementation and execution. This can be viewed as a third step in supporting operational business decisions. Fixed rules and prepared policies gave way to more informed decisions powered by the right information delivered at the right time, whether through customer relationship management (CRM) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) or other applications. The new step is to provide simulation, prediction, optimization and other analytics, not simply information, to empower even more decision flexibility at the time and place of every business process action. The new step looks into the future, predicting what can or will happen.
Client Computing. Virtualization is bringing new ways of packaging client computing applications and capabilities. As a result, the choice of a particular PC hardware platform, and eventually the OS platform, becomes less critical. Enterprises should proactively build a five to eight year strategic client computing roadmap outlining an approach to device standards, ownership and support; operating system and application selection, deployment and update; and management and security plans to manage diversity.
IT for Green. IT can enable many green initiatives. The use of IT, particularly among the white collar staff, can greatly enhance an enterprise’s green credentials. Common green initiatives include the use of e-documents, reducing travel and teleworking. IT can also provide the analytic tools that others in the enterprise may use to reduce energy consumption in the transportation of goods or other carbon management activities.
Reshaping the Data Center. In the past, design principles for data centers were simple: Figure out what you have, estimate growth for 15 to 20 years, then build to suit. Newly-built data centers often opened with huge areas of white floor space, fully powered and backed by a uninterruptible power supply (UPS), water-and air-cooled and mostly empty. However, costs are actually lower if enterprises adopt a pod-based approach to data center construction and expansion. If 9,000 square feet is expected to be needed during the life of a data center, then design the site to support it, but only build what’s needed for five to seven years. Cutting operating expenses, which are a nontrivial part of the overall IT spend for most clients, frees up money to apply to other projects or investments either in IT or in the business itself.

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DNA PCR Technology:Its Importance In Avian and Exotic Medicine

When it comes to performing diagnostic tests on avian and exotic animal patients, deciding which tests to perform under differing circumstances can be very confusing and challenging. Now, labs offer different tests for the same disease; for example, if you want to test a bird for chlamydiosis (psittacosis, Parrot Fever), you have the choice of performing chlamydial isolation (the gold standard, but may get false negatives), EBA titer (measures IGM, best for early infection), IFA titer (measures IGG, better for chronic infections and follow-up testing), DNA PCR testing (of a pooled choanal/cloacal swab, which detects the organism in the secretions), and DNA PCR testing of the blood (which detects the organism in the bloodstream). Choosing the correct test is very important in obtaining an accurate diagnosis, since there are many variables that can affect the outcome.
While most veterinary laboratories offer DNA PCR testing, there is often some confusion as to when this technology should be used in place of other testing methods. To better understand when and why to use DNA PCR tests, let's go over the basics of how this test works. PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction. PCR testing can be used to amplify the production of highly specific DNA fragments of Chlamydial, Mycoplasmal or viral genomes. This makes PCR testing both highly sensitive and highly specific. PCR testing can also be used to identify the sex of a bird, as well, by amplifying a portion of the W or Z chromosome, however the primers for sexing are generally species-specific. (The most widely used DNA method for sexing is called restricted fragment length polymorphism, RFPL, which is also extremely accurate).
By amplifying specific portions of the genome of a disease in combination with an avian probe, it is possible to identify specific disease strains. The major disadvantage to this technology is its extreme sensitivity. It is possible to contaminate a blood sample with organism particles from the skin or a toenail. For this reason, it is vital that the blood sample be procured aseptically and from a clean venipuncture stick. A toenail clip should never be used for the blood sample, since it is impossible to adequately disinfect the toe and nail to prevent contamination of the specimen, which may result in false-positive results. Tubes used for sample submission should be stored to prevent potential contamination. Often, bullet tubes are used, and these are supplied with the caps open. It is possible for environmental dust from a clinic to contaminate these tubes, which may also result in false positive test results. Make sure to store these tubes in sealed plastic bags, and close the caps for storage, as well.

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Technology and Its Importance in Marketing Your Business

In the last decades the personal computer has become an essential in almost every house. We have come to depend on it in many aspects of our life from communicating with friends and relatives to perform better in our job or school. It has become part of our lives so much that many of us don't even imagine how our lives would be without it.
The Internet has also become an integral part of our everyday life. Books, encyclopedias and in some cases even newspapers have been gradually replaced by the Internet. They call it 'the information highway' and we rely on it to find the answer to our questions, to find interesting information, to share our knowledge and in turn benefit from someone else's knowledge, to meet new people (many times far away). The Internet has made the world a smaller place because now it's easier to talk to people from one end of the earth to the other.
The world is changing. Things are not the same as they were 10 or even 5 years ago. This is something you have to notice and take advantage of in you business just as you do in your day to day life.
Big companies have the benefit of big budgets and they plan their marketing strategies based on that. They build massive campaigns to take their message to as many people as they can. They buy TV spots in prime time, buy half a page or full page newspaper ads, stuff radio airwaves with their commercials, rent billboards just to advertise one of their products. You, on the other hand, do not have that luxury because you don't have the money it requires. But you aren't completely helpless, in fact you have a great advantage:

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How to Decide on a Career Field

Deciding on a career may seem daunting but it is easier when you give yourself a lot of options and time to consider it. Although the idea of a "job for life" is fast becoming a thing of the past, the field of work which you choose is important because it will determine where you will spend a good deal of your working life and will also define how many opportunities you will have to branch out using your basic skills set. So, choose wisely and select a field that encompasses as many of your talents as possible, to allow you to the greatest freedom and leeway for shifting around a field doing different jobs with a good set of basic skills, along with a good dose of solid confidence in your worth and abilities.
1Begin by determining what you like to do. A lot of people look to others to determine their career paths: teachers, parents, neighbors and peers. Think about people you respect and what they do for work. Take time to map out your wants and to match your skills with skills that are actively sought within certain field of work. This will involve a fair bit of research work but it is well worth it.
2Identify the skills you use when you're doing the thing(s) you enjoy. Look at the things you are good at doing already. These will give you a very good indication of what you are likely to enjoy doing by way of a career. For instance, perhaps you like being with animals. Already this simple but important enjoyment opens up a very broad field of work for you that encompasses such possible jobs as caring for animals, veterinary work, racing animal industry, transporting animals, calming animals (e.g., horse whispering), making animal clothing and feed items and running a pet store etc. Once you have identified a potential field, you are then ready to match your skills.
Think of fields broadly. A field of work is far more than a single job. It is an area in which many jobs or trades are possible and you should be able to consider your training and interests in terms of looking for a career path that will give you a shot at least five related types of jobs that are available within that field. For instance, if you learn engineering, you might consider being an engineer out in the field (such as oil production), a manager of a site, an office manager, a trainer of engineering skills and a consultant in engineering. Or, if you study law, you may want to be a lawyer in a large law firm, a lawyer in non-profit organization, a team leader in an office of any type (even non-law), a manager of a company or a writer of corporate compliance manuals. Realize that the breadth of the field will be determined in part by the training you receive and also by your own personal, up-to-date "skills set", as well as your willingness to try new things and to be retrained.
4Consider cross-field work. When working out what you would like to be and what you will need to study to get to this point, give consideration to the possibilities involved in crossing fields; for instance, many teachers are good with word skills and hence make excellent editors and publishers. Think outside the square your title bestows (or will bestow) upon you.
5Learn as much as possible about the qualifications required for fields that interest you. Library, internet and direct contact research will be required here. It is also helpful to ask your school, local community services, university etc. for assistance in career choices and development. Your thorough research will help you to determine quickly which areas you want to study in, as well as the depth of study required. Dig deep and look at third and fourth year subject/skills training requirements as well, so that you don't find any nasty surprises awaiting you, such as additional time or harder skills that do not match your interests or abilities.
6Find people who work in the field and learn from them. Once you have worked out which specific jobs interest you, speak to those already working in these areas. This will enable you to hear their suggestions and to ask them what they like and dislike about the field in which they work. Sometimes you may even have an opportunity to do some work experience with a place that interests you, to help you to "get a feel" for the work involved.
7Evaluate your choice of field according to your own perceptions and the information you have gathered. Assess the comments you've received, weigh these up with your research work and add in your own feelings about your potential career path. This is now the time to decide whether this career continues to appeal to you. Do not forget to include the type of lifestyle you would like in the balancing equation. If you make enormous compromises as to the type of lifestyle that you ultimately want, you may be unhappy and live to regret this. As such, it is wise to try and combine your career choice with a lifestyle balance, with minor or short-term compromises rather than major, long-term ones.
8Sign up for an educational or training program in the career of your choice. While studying, do not neglect to take advantage of networking opportunities and chances to work in your career field either as a volunteer or in short-term paid positions. These opportunities will give you the best possible feel for the work and the types of people in the field that you will be working with. It will help you to filter out any unneeded areas of study or to take on additional subjects and skills training that may be of possible use and could help to extend your horizons. 9Keep positive. When you are finally trained and ready to find that dream career, the most important thing is to maintain a positive outlook about your life and to be ready for change, difference and shifts in your comfort zones. This is the real world and it moves rapidly; it is important to keep up with changes and to take a positive approach by making opportunities out of challenges. However, always keep what is unique about you because at the end of the day, that is the special something many employers are looking for while they choose from many skilled and educated workers available to them

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Information Technology Products and Services

RTI International is a world class provider of information technology (IT) services, supporting the initiatives of state and federal governments as well as private sector clients. With over 200 computing professionals in our organization, RTI designs, develops, builds, tests, and deploys information management systems and IT infrastructures.
A not-for-profit research institute since 1958, we have developed data collection technologies, such as Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI) and the Instrument Design and Development System (IDADS.) We offer services to define system requirements and help clients monitor and measure their benefit. For example, we conceptualize and build interactive 3D training tools and simulations for the military, and web-enabled analytic reporting and modeling tools for the National Institutes of Health.
We establish system infrastructure for field research, such as the deployment of an integrated network on the ground in Iraq, supporting the rebuilding of that country's health and education systems. Routinely, we design and develop complex information management systems, web-enabled data warehouses and multisite data repositories that integrate and secure data. Our expertise in survey computing systems, integrated with call centers, field offices, GIS systems or handheld computers, is long and proven. We offer Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems using VoIP and provide online video streaming to facilitate communication or training. Our web professionals are well-versed in 508 compliance and design sites that promote accessibility for all individuals.
RTI's mission is to improve the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our computer scientists support this goal by developing tools and technologies that turn research into results. We offer assistance in technology transfer, helping customers commercialize technologies and support capacity building for less technically advanced organizations. Our experience with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) helps us deliver compliant systems for health and environmental data management, ensuring that data are protected, secure, and accessible as directed by federal law.
To support clients with unique or complex objectives, RTI can provide additional, diverse computing services such as technology-assisted learning, technology transfer, general IT systems consulting, business process reengineering, and vendor assessments.

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The Growing Career Opportunities in Information Technology

Six of the top 10 hottest predicted career fields through 2014 are related to information technology.
To get a foot in the door and eventually land one of the competitive but well paying jobs, it is necessary to have a broad range of computer skills that are best learned at community or technical colleges where practical, hands-on training is part of the daily instructional process.
In the years previous to Y2K, anyone who could move a mouse could land a computer job. But that fateful Tuesday morning remembered as September 11, 2001 changed everything. The information technology is still a hot employment area but the focus has shifted. Many who are in the know believe the future for graduates of the Information Technology related programs is in information security – particularly as it relates to wireless technology.
Not only are there concerns over identity theft and the possibility of the wrong people getting access to personal information but the emergence of wireless technology and its widespread use in the medical field is pushing technology and the security associated with technology to the next level.
One change is that physicians are now utilizing email to transmit prescriptions to pharmacies. Also, patient hospital rooms are going wireless as more and more hospitals are responding to the demand by healthcare professionals for computer access. These computers give doctors and nurses instant access to medical records, x-rays, test results and other information almost instantaneously. It not only saves time but there is less opportunity for error.
At many colleges, Health Information Management and Medical Terminology I and II are being offered as part of the Information Technology because of the need created by wireless security relating to the health field.
Other careers relating to Computer or Information Technology are:
· Computer Electronics is an ideal career for the mechanically inclined individual who also enjoys working with electronic equipment and fixing things.
· Computer Programming focuses on relational management, data communication, client server concepts and computer hardware/software applications in spreadsheet, word processing, database management and statistical packages using Word, Excel, Access and MiniTab. Problem solving, basic math skills and communication skills are necessary qualities for the successful computer programmer.
· E-Business and Web Design allow companies to move beyond bricks and mortar and ties computers, the Internet and business together. E-commerce prepares students to be flexible IT professionals. Employers not only expect web designers to create web sites but to have the knowledge necessary to connect them with databases, market the sites, internetworking and setting up credit card transactions.
· Interactive Multimedia is HOT. This career is for the creative computer person who utilizes the web to showcase creative and graphic design skills. Combine illustration and graphic design skills with to audio/video production and website development for an outstanding career opportunity in the Interactive Multimedia field.
· Network Systems…linking multiple servers such as LAN, UNIX and Linux… allows for real-time information sharing and the power of computers is realized when they are linked in a network. When Network Systems skills are combined with Cisco Systems, the leading manufacturer of networking equipment in the country. The Cisco Network Academy includes five Cisco courses and is available at numerous sites across the country) gives students skills necessary to take the Cisco CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification test.
· Inner active computer and video gaming has taken the world by storm and Digital Game Design and Development is one of the newest career opportunities. It can be the ideal opportunity for those who want to make a career out of being part of this booming business. Digital Game Design combines hands-on experience with cutting edge equipment and programs used in digital game creation. From MAYA to the Adobe Creative Suite, students will learn skills to work at the artistic and creative end of gaming.
Courses such as game design and production, digital foundations, digital design lab, structured programming, computer graphics I and II, MAYA, drawing I and II, oil painting, physics-motion and art electives are at the core of this exciting career path.
Career opportunities in computers and information technology related fields continue to change with the evolution of technology. The sky is the limit and those who wish to have continued success in these areas must be mindful of these changes and stay current with the skills necessary for these almost unlimited career options.

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Some advantages and disadvantages of information technology

Before we can know about all the advantages and disadvantages of information technology, it is essential that we know what information technology is exactly, and why it has it come to play such a important role in our daily lives. Today information technology involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well.
Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of information technology. Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become computerized operating systems, which simply require a single click of a mouse to get a task completed. With the aid of IT we are not only able to stream line our business processes but we are also able to get constant information in 'real time' that is up to the minute and up to date.The significance of IT can be seen from the fact that it has penetrated almost every aspect of our daily lives from business to leisure and even society. Today personal PCs, cell phones, fax machines, pagers, email and internet have all not only become an integral part of our very culture but also play an essential role in our day to day activities. With such a wide scope for the purpose of this article we shall focus on the impact of the internet in information technology.
Some of the advantages of information technology include:
Globalization - IT has not only brought the world closer together, but it has allowed the world's economy to become a single interdependent system. This means that we can not only share information quickly and efficiently, but we can also bring down barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries. The world has developed into a global village due to the help of information technology allowing countries like Chile and Japan who are not only separated by distance but also by language to shares ideas and information with each other.Communication - With the help of information technology, communication has also become cheaper, quicker, and more efficient. We can now communicate with anyone around the globe by simply text messaging them or sending them an email for an almost instantaneous response. The internet has also opened up face to face direct communication from different parts of the world thanks to the helps of video conferencing.Cost effectiveness - Information technology has helped to computerize the business process thus streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions.Bridging the cultural gap - Information technology has helped to bridge the cultural gap by helping people from different cultures to communicate with one another, and allow for the exchange of views and ideas, thus increasing awareness and reducing prejudice.More time - IT has made it possible for businesses to be open 24 x7 all over the globe. This means that a business can be open anytime anywhere, making purchases from different countries easier and more convenient. It also means that you can have your goods delivered right to your doorstep with having to move a single muscle.Creation of new jobs - Probably the best advantage of information technology is the creation of new and interesting jobs. Computer programmers, Systems analyzers, Hardware and Software developers and Web designers are just some of the many new employment opportunities created with the help of IT.
Some disadvantages of information technology include:
Unemployment - While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also crated job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed.Privacy - Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge.Lack of job security - Industry experts believe that the internet has made job security a big issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if he or she wishes for their job to be secure.Dominant culture - While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. For example it is now argued that US influences how most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave. Languages too have become overshadowed, with English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else.

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Development of IT in Nepal

The National Information Technology Center (NITC) was established in the year 2002 in line with IT Policy 2000 under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). NITC has the main objective to build knowledge based society by supporting knowledge based institutions and industries as well as promote and develop Information Technology (IT) by making it accessible to the general public. Executive director of NITC has the primary responsibility to implement or get implemented the policy and the plan on information science and information technology, monitor and supervise the same and regulate the activities carried out by the private sector

IT POLICY 2057(2000)
Vision
To place Nepal on the Global map of Information Technology within the next five years.
Objectives
1. To make Information Technology accessible to the general public and increase employment through this means.
2. To build a knowledge-based society.
3. To establish knowledge-based industries.
Strategies
· High Priority to R & D
· Development of Competent IT Manpower
· Encourage Domestic and Foreign Investment
· Promotion of e-commerce
· IT, a tool to e-governance
· Promotion of IT industry
· Computer Education Curriculum starting from the school level
· IT Network extension to rural areas.
· Export of IT services worth Rs. 10 billion within next 5 years

Focus Areas
· GIDC(Government Integrated Data Center)
· eGovernment
· Tele-Center
· Data Bank
· Human Resorce Development
· Research and Development
· Consultancy and Advisory Services
Advances in Information and Communications Technologies are transforming the world economy and presenting new challenges to all countries. The challenge for developing country like Nepal is to compete effectively in an emerging information-based economy and reduce the poverty level.Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be one of the biggest enabler of socio-economic advancement of marginalized segment of Nepal. NITC in close collaboration with other government agencies, non governmental organization and bilateral organization will carry out various programs related to Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) so as to make ICT a developmental tool of modern Nepal.

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Introduction of information technology

Information technology (IT) is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of infotech". Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information.
In recent days ABET and the ACM have collaborated to form accreditation and curriculum standards[1] for degrees in Information Technology as a distinct field of study separate from both Computer Science and Information Systems. SIGITE[2] is the ACM working group for defining these standards. The Worldwide IT services revenue totalled $763 billion in 2009
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of concepts and practices for Information Technology Services Management (ITSM), Information Technology (IT) development and IT operations.
ITIL gives detailed descriptions of a number of important IT practices and provides comprehensive checklists, tasks and procedures that any IT organization can tailor to its needs. ITIL is published in a series of books, each of which covers an IT management topic. The names ITIL and IT Infrastructure Library are registered trademarks of the United Kingdom's Office of Government Commerce
The IT Infrastructure Library originated as a collection of books, each covering a specific practice within IT Service Management. ITIL was built around a process-model based view of controlling and managing operations often credited to W. Edwards Deming and his plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle .[1]
After the initial publication in 1989-1996, the number of books quickly grew within ITIL v1 to over 30 volumes.
In 2000/2001, to make ITIL more accessible (and affordable), ITIL v2 consolidated the publications into 8 logical "sets" that grouped related process-guidelines to match different aspects of IT management, applications, and services. However, the main focus was known as the Service Management sets (Service Support and Service Delivery) which were by far the most widely used, circulated, and understood of ITIL v2 publications.
· In April 2001 the CCTA was merged into the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), an office of the UK Treasury.[2]
· In 2006, the ITIL v2 glossary was published.
· In May 2007, this organization issued the version 3 of ITIL (also known as the ITIL Refresh Project) consisting of 26 processes and functions, now grouped under only 5 volumes, arranged around the concept of Service lifecycle structure. In 2009, the OGC officially announced that ITIL v2 would be withdrawn and launched a major consultation as per how to proceed

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