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Technology for communicating information

The word Information has many different meanings in everyday usage and in specialized contexts. However, as a concept it is closely related to data, instruction, knowledge etc. Information is usually a message, something to be communicated from the sender to the receiver. But, if information is viewed merely as a message, it does not have to be accurate. It may be a truth or a lie, or just the sound of a kiss. Strangely it may even be a disruptive noise used to inhibit the flow of communication and create misunderstanding. Information can also be viewed as a type of input to an organism or designed device. Some inputs are important to the function of the organism (for example, food) or device (energy) by themselves.

Communication is the process of exchanging information. People communicate in order to share knowledge and experiences, give or receive orders, or cooperate. Common forms of human communication include sign language, speaking, writing, gestures, and broadcasting. Communication can be interactive, intentional, or unintentional. It can also be verbal or nonverbal; Internal communication or intrapersonal communication (within oneself) and interpersonal communication (between two individuals). At larger scales of communication, small group communication takes place between few individuals such as organizational communication in settings like companies or communities. At the largest scales, mass communication can be from a single source to a huge number

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of individuals using various communication media such as newspapers, television or computers.

How do we communicate?
We all use different methods at different times to communicate. We can communicate by making gestures with parts of our body, for example shaking of our head or hands, winking, making faces etc. We also communicate by speaking or making sounds like laughing, weeping or sobbing. At a more advanced level we communicate by writing and reading. At this moment the author is communicating to you through the text and pictures printed on the pages of this book. But, there is yet another way we can communicate. That is by using electrical gadgets, invented by scientists and technologists, for example, radio, telephone, television and computers. For such communication electromagnetic waves come handy.

What are electromagnetic waves?

Electromagnetic waves are a kind of waves that pervade the universe. They are so called because they often originate due to interaction of electric charges and magnets. Light is also an electromagnetic wave. In 1831, a British scientist Michael Faraday discovered that changing electric current in a coil of wire induces a current in a nearby coil. The

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current induced in the second coil is proportional to its number of turns. In 1865, James Clerk Maxwell discovered the mechanism of interaction between electricity and magnetism. He suggested that a change in electric current can start a train of waves, the electromagnetic waves, that radiate into space just like light waves. According to him, the only difference between a light wave and an electromagnetic wave is a characteristic of waves-the wavelength. Not all scientists accepted Maxwells ideas; after all there was no proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves. The Berlin Academy of Science offered a prize to anyone who could prove that electromagnetic waves exist. In 1879, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, a German scientist took the challenge in 1886. Hertz was aware of the work of Faraday. He devised a simple experimental setup made up of two devices. The first device had two coils placed near one another. He passed electric current from a battery into the first wire coil. The second coil had many more turns than the first coil. As per the discovery of Faraday the voltage developed in the second coil was much higher than that of the battery. This current was led to a pair of capacitors. (A capacitor is a pair of metal plates that can accumulate electricity until they can hold no more.) As soon as the capacitors were charged to their capacity they discharged by sending an electric spark between two small metallic balls. The second device had similar balls connected to a wire that was bent into a circle and it was placed at a distance from the first device. He demonstrated that whenever an electric spark was generated in

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the first device a spark could be observed in the second device also, even though the two were not connected through any wires. The only way these two devices could communicate with one another was through electromagnetic waves. This proved Maxwells ideas.

Do animals talk?
Animals make a wide variety of sounds, from the musical song of a bird to the howl of the wolf, to the contented purr of a cat. While they are unable to talk in the sense that humans do, they do communicate with sound in a way that is understood only by other members of their own species. Still, we have been unable to translate individual animal sounds in a framework that can be called true language. If and when two animals talk they must use a language. To understand what they are talking about we must know their language. Language is the method by which information is exchanged between two animals. True language is the means by which communication can be possible. Most animals communicate, not through language, but by instinctual behaviours that convey messages to others.

Can plants communicate?

Yes, many scientists believe that in their own language, plants communicate to insects, animals, other parts of their own bodies and neighbouring plants. Plants communicate when they are in danger. They communicate through chemicals secreted by them into air. For example, when insects chew a

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tomato plants leaves, signals are triggered that tell the plant to release chemicals such as methyl jasmonate. Leaves on the plant that havent been devoured produce these chemicals, which interfere with the insects digestive systems. The chemicals prevent the bugs from breaking down the proteins in the plant. When the insects cant properly digest, they become sick and die. Chemicals may also be released to attract other insects predators of insects feeding on the plants. Thus the plants issue a twofold defence system against hungry insects. Similarly a pine tree can release a chemical called terpene in emergency situations, such as when a deer might be chewing on its branches. The terpene doesnt taste good, and it makes the deer retreat.

What is a computer?
A computer is a kind of machine, an electronic device manufactured in a factory that can process information and also facilitate its communication. The information processed (communicated) by a computer can be in the form of numbers, letters, words, pictures, or sounds. It can see, listen, read, tell, write, show, learn, remember, think, analyze and decide. Computers can also communicate with other computers. Nevertheless, a computer, if it is connected to a battery, can be alive even when there is no electricity from the main power supply. You may be familiar with one kind of its kind, the personal computer (PC). But, a computer is not always a desktop PC. There are other kinds of computers as well. While they may look different there are some similarities between all kinds of computers. Inside all of them is a small device known as a microprocessor (an IC that has billions of transistors inside it, which help it do its task by stopping or allowing the electric

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current through them.) A microprocessor is somewhat like a brain. All computers have memory to remember information and instructions (the programs, software). All of them need some software (education?) to enable them to perform their functions and of course electricity.

What is a peripheral?
A peripheral is a computer hardware device that is connected to the computer, usually by a cable. Keyboards and mice are the essential peripherals of a PC that help us input information, similarly monitors is an essential peripheral that outputs information. Then there are some optional peripherals like printer; CD writer; microphone; speakers; modem; scanner and web camera are all optional peripherals. One has to buy these peripherals in addition to the PC. A peripheral can be connected to a PC through any of its communication ports. Till a few years ago these ports were only of two kinds, serial and parallel. Now there are other kinds of communication port say USB, fire wire, SCSI etc. etc. that allow different peripherals to input information into a computer or take information out of it.

What is RAM?
When we sit for an examination in school, we often cram up many facts so that we can remember them rapidly when we need them. We often forget these facts and instructions once the examination is over. The kind of memory we use for this purpose is known as the short-term memory. In a computer also there is a short-term memory; it is called RAM (Random

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Access Memory). This type of memory is also in the form of ICs that are made up of transistors. Nowadays, a PC usually has more than 64 MB RAM. In sharp contrast to the ROM, RAM is a temporary memory. Soon after a computer is switched ON lots of instructions (software) get loaded in the RAM, including a part of the operating system (Windows). This enables the computer to act fast. When we type in some information through the keyboard, it remembers it all through the RAM. As soon as a computer is switched off or its power supply is disrupted, it forgets all information in its RAM.

What is byte?
A byte is a unit of information. Most data in computers is organized and measured in bytes. One byte can represent a character (such as A, 9, ?, or a space), or a value from 0 to 255. Graphics are stored as values for colors and locations of pixels, and they use a lot more bits and bytes than text or numbers. The smallest unit of the memory of a computer is a bit (an acronym for binary digit). A bit is a device made up of a single transistor, that has only two possible states, ON (often indicated by the numeral 1) or OFF (indicated by 0). To store or convey more information, bits are organized into larger units called bytes the commonly used unit of information in a computer. Each byte contains 8 bits and can represent only a single character or command. However, to do any thing useful, lots of bytes are necessary. A brief letter may require just a few thousand bytes(kilobytes), but to store a postcard size colour photograph may require several million bytes(megabytes).

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What is binary?
Binary means two, or base two. The binary system is a way of counting using just the two numbers 0 and 1. Computers use the binary system to work with data. All data in the computer is stored in binary code as 1s and 0s (bits). In addition all input to the computer is converted into binary numbers made up of the two digits 0 and 1 (bits). For example, when you press the A key on your keyboard, the keyboard circuit generates and transfers the number 01000001 to the computers memory as a series of pulses with different voltages. The bits are stored as charged and uncharged memory cells or as microscopic magnets on disk and tape. Display screens and printers convert the binary numbers into visual characters.

What is inside a CPU?

The most enigmatic part of a computer is the CPU, its brain, made up of a large number of Integrated Circuits, commonly known as IC, and several other kinds of components that are found in computers only. In common parlance CPU refers to the big box that is an integral part of a desktop PC. It encases several different devices, the hard disk drive, the floppy disk drive and the CD drive. Inside the CPU, the ROM and the RAM IC-chips are connected to

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the microprocessor through sockets and tracks of copper printed on a large circuit board. This printed circuit board is known as the Motherboard. The keyboard; the mouse; the monitor; HDD; FDD, CDD are all connected to the Motherboard through sockets and wires. In addition the CPU also houses a power supply unit that provides power to different components of the components inside the CPU.

What is speed of a computer?

The speed of a computer is the amount of data its processor can manipulate in a second. The number of electronic pulses it can produce in a second measures the clock speed of a microprocessor. Clock speed is built into the processor and is measured in gigahertz (GHz). Since giga means billion and hertz means times (cycles) per second, 1.0 GHz is 1 billion times per second. The speed of older, slower processors was measured in megahertz (MHz). Since mega means million, 500 MHz is 500 million times per second. Electronic pulses affect the speed with which instructions of a program are executed because instructions are executed at predetermined intervals, which are timed by the electronic pulses. For example, if we had a computer than contained a processor that was running at 1 GHz and it executed an instruction every 100 pulses, it would process 10,000,000 instructions per second.

What is ROM?
Our basic memory is responsible for the very basic functions of our body like breathing, eating, drinking or moving our limbs. Similarly, the CPU of

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a computer has a chip an integrated circuit, known as the ROM (Read Only Memory). It does not go easily just like our basic memory. Even when the electric supply to a computer is switched off, it does not forget. Like the microprocessor it is also made up of a particular kind of transistors. ROM stores the basic functions a computer has to follow as it is switched on. It also stores all the information about the other parts present in the computer. Therefore, it is the memory that a computer uses to check up whether all the parts are present or not and raises an alarm in case something is amiss.

What is BIOS?
BIOS is an acronym for Basic Input/Output System. As soon as the power supply to a computer is switched ON a computer program, called the Basic Input Output System (BIOS), stored in the ROM, initiates a check up. First of all, it checks if there is a working monitor attached to the CPU. If it finds one it prompts it to display the details of the BIOS (and the software that enables the display) on the monitor screen. Next, this program enables the CPU to check the other basic itemsthe keyboard, the disk drives and the RAM. The BIOS stores the date, the time, and your system configuration information in a battery-powered, nonvolatile memory chip, called a CMOS. The BIOS also manages data flow between the computers operating system and attached devices such as the hard disk,

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video card, keyboard, mouse, and printer. One can adjust/change the bios setting of a PC by pressing the DEL key as soon as it is switched ON.

How does a CD-ROM store information?

A CD is a thin plastic disk that looks somewhat like miniature music disks. Because they can store so much information in so little space, they have become very popular. Many encyclopaedias, which hitherto occupied an entire bookshelf, are now available on a set of CD s that can be kept in a drawer. CD-ROM has become the standard for higher capacity storage media and is the best alternative to printed material. It can hold up to 650 MB of information. Microscopic bumps on a shiny surface of a CD are used to store data. The surface of the CDROM looks like a mirror, the bumps disrupt its almost mirror-like surface. The laser that reads the CD can detect the difference between a perfect mirror and an imperfection caused by a bump because of the difference in reflectivity. By interpreting perfect mirror as a 1, and bump as a 0, it is easy to store digital information on a CD. The bumps on a CDROM are moulded into the plastic when it is manufactured, so they are permanent.

What is Pentium, Celeron, Athlon, Core 2 Duo?

Just as a part of our brain helps us decide and control, in a computer there is a small device called microprocessor. It is made up of silicon, aluminum (or copper) and plastic. It is squarish in shape (side about 3 cm) and has many electronic switches inside

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it that help it do its task by stopping or allowing the electric current through them. Each such switch is an electronic device known as a transistor. Through selective switching ON and OFF of transistors it is possible for a microprocessor to act like the brain of a computer. A microprocessor used in the PCs is made up of as many as ten million transistors. Each transistor in a microprocessor is connected to many others through microscopic lines of aluminium that act as wires. Because the microprocessor is the most vital part of a computer; PCs are often known by the name of the microprocessor in it, say: 386; 486; Pentium; Celeron; Xeon; Athlon; Cyrix they are all names of microprocessors used in the past few generations of PCs. These processors differ from one another by their clock speed.

What is a computer mouse?

A mouse is a small object you can roll along a hard, flat surface. It controls the movement of the cursor or pointer on the display screen of a computer Its name is derived from its shape, which looks a bit like a mouse, one can imagine its connecting wire to be the mouses tail. As one moves the mouse, the pointer on the display screen moves in the same direction. These devices contain at least one button and sometimes, three. These buttons have different functions depending on what program is running. Some newer mice also include a scroll wheel for scrolling through long documents. Douglas Engelbart invented it in 1963, it frees the user to a large extent from using the keyboard. In particular, the mouse is important for graphical user interfaces because you can simply point to options and

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objects and click a mouse button. Such applications are often called pointand-click programs. The mouse is also useful for graphics programs that allow you to draw pictures by using the mouse like a pen, pencil, or paintbrush.

What is Hard Disk Drive?

Just as our brain stores all information that we have learnt in our long-term memory, a computer also needs something for the same task. The most common device for this is the Hard Disk Drive (HDD). It is often the most voluminous memory of a computer. Unlike the RAM it is not an IC chip. HDDs come as factory sealed units that are made up of several aluminum (or glass ceramic) disks, called platters. Each of these platters has a coating of a thin film of a magnetic material, just like the tape of an audio or videocassette. The memory of a HDD is divided into concentric circles on its platters, called tracks. A read/write head attached to a movable arm reads information from or write information on these platters. The platters are rotated at a very high speed with the help of an electric motor and the read/write head can be moved from the rim towards the center of the platter. This way information can be read from, or written to, almost any part of the HDD in a jiffy. By the end of the last century, the capacity of a HDD in a new PC has risen up to several GB.

What is a Pen Drive?

A pen drive, more appropriately called a USB flash drive is a flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB (universal serial bus) interface.

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USB flash drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. It is a compact, faster device that can hold lots of data. It is also more reliable because it has no moving parts, and has a durable design. Additionally, it has become increasingly common for computers to ship without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other hand, appear on almost every current mainstream PC and laptop. They are typically small, lightweight, removable and rewritable. Capacity of this kind of drive is limited only by current flash memory densities, although cost per megabyte may increase rapidly at higher capacities due to the expensive components. (USB Memory card readers are also available, whereby rather than being built-in, the memory is a removable Flash memory card housed in what is otherwise a regular USB flash drive, as described below.) To access the data stored in a flash drive, the drive must be connected to a computer, either by plugging it into a USB host controller built into the computer, or into a USB hub. Flash drives are active only when plugged into a USB connection and draw all necessary power from the supply provided by that connection. However, some flash drives, especially highspeed drives, may require more power than the limited amount provided by a bus-powered USB hub, such as those built into some computer keyboards or monitors. These drives will not work unless plugged directly into a host controller (i.e., the ports found on the computer itself) or a self-powered hub.

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What is a notebook computer?

A notebook computer is a lightweight, portable personal computer. Many notebook computers are full-featured, with the power and capabilities found in desktop computers. A notebook computer is also known as a laptop computer. Because they are designed to be lightweight and take up a small amount of space, they are more expensive. In the past couple of years, sales of notebooks have been increasing because their prices are approaching those of the more economical desktop PCs. A notebook PC usually runs on batteries, but can also be run through adapters which also charge the battery using mains electricity. The notebook can thus conveniently be carried anywhere and is therefore becoming very popular. They are used to view documents or show them to others. These days it is often possible to connect a notebook to the Internet while one is at an airport, and sometimes while in an airplane too through a Wi Fi connection or a wireless modem connected to its USB port..

What is a palmtop?
Palmtop computers are computers so small that they can fit on the palm of an adult. One can carry a palmtop computer along almost anywhere. Palmtops are generally very thin and have a large LCD screen that may display in colour or generic black on green. They have neat organizing

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tools like calendars, to-do lists, address books, email, and even Internet access. Most organizers have a graphic user interface with menus for selection, and have the ability to synchronize with information on your PC. Palmtops are useful to keep track of ones schedule, maintain a to-do list, and save contact information. Most palmtops can store hundreds of contacts, numbers, email addresses and many other types of information. Some even have the ability to read and store the handwriting that you enter onto an LCD screen with a special pen. Most palmtops also have a built-in calculator and some even have a clock with world time zones, which you can use for appointment alarms. Another great feature of palmtop computers is their ability to synchronize with the PC.

What is a digital camera?

A digital camera is a camera that records images digitally rather than on a photographic film. Once a picture has been taken, the image can be downloaded to a computer and used either for digital documents or print media. A digital camera connected to the computer via the USB port appears on the desktop like an additional drive, from which the user can copy the image files onto his own hard disk or some other data carrier in order to edit or print them. Thus, the primary difference between a digital camera and a conventional camera is the medium used to record the picture. While a conventional camera uses film, a digital camera uses an array of digital image sensors, a CCD. Though digital camera picture quality is on par with the quality of most conventional film cameras, the convenience and the ability to record, edit and email photos

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on a computer make them more attractive and popular. The operation of a digital camera depends on a battery inside it. The estimated life of the battery depends upon the type of battery one is using. There are a number of alternative types of batteries to choose from: (a) Alkaline batteries are used for heavy currents for a long period of time; it runs approximately 30 min. (b) NiCd or Nickel Cadmium is dependable and rechargeable but has a lower capacity; it also runs approximately 30 min. (d) NiMH or Nickel metal Hydride is the most often recommended, rechargeable battery, that charge very fast and hold their energy longer than other rechargeable batteries; they can be charged for over 500 times in their life cycle. They run approximately for 60 min. Lithium-ion is the most advanced but expensive battery. It has superior charge retention.. They are compact in size and weight and run for approximately 120 min.

What is TFT?
It is a kind of computer monitor that is becoming popular slowly. The TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) is the non-emissive display device that acquires the visual effect using the characterization of the liquid crystal, which is inserted between a lower glass plate (film transistor is formed on it) and an upper glass plate. The liquid crystal is the material that possesses the liquid (characteristics of liquid like fluidity) and solid (characteristics of the solid like long-range order) state at the same time. Liquid crystal molecules have the unique structure of a bar shape. Liquid crystal materials are rodlike molecules. This type of monitor has several advantages over a conventional CRT monitor. They are less bulky thus allowing more desk

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space; because of this you can position the monitor further away from you which is more comfortable for the eyes. TFT monitors produce less heat and radiation than CRT monitors. But they are more expensive too.

What is Flash Memory?

Flash memory refers to a memory chip that holds its content without power, but must be erased in bulk. The term comes from its ability to be erased in a flash. Many modern PCs have their BIOS stored on a flash memory chip so that it can easily be updated if necessary. Such a BIOS is sometimes called flash BIOS. Flash memory is also popular in modems because it enables the modem manufacturer to support new protocols as they become standardized. Similarly, most point-and-shoot cameras, even most modern medium format cameras, use it. We usually associate Flash Memory with the storage media for images taken with digital cameras. Digital cameras are the largest consumers of high density Flash Memory, but any camera that remembers information when the power is turned off has some Flash Memory onboard. Cameras that have custom functions, those that remember settings, and those that have program exposure tables embedded all have Flash Memory inside their housing. Intel, AMD, Fujitsu, Sharp, StMicro, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, and Samsung are the most popular manufacturers of Flash Memory chips (silicon wafers). These wafers are typically 150 mm, 200 mm, or 300 mm in diameter.

What is a scanner?
Scanner is a device that can be connected to a computer to capture either an image of a text document or a picture and transfer it into bits of information, which a computer can understand and manipulate. It can

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capture images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display. Scanners come in and flatbed types and for scanning black-and-white only or even colour. Scanner uses a light source, typically a cold cathode lamp to illuminate the scanned object. The light is then reflected off the object and into a Charged Coupled Device (CCD). Scanners usually come with software that lets you resize and otherwise modify a captured image. With the help of an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software one can convert text-based document images into text that can be edited by a word-processing software.

What is Simputer?
The Simputer is a small handheld computer, intended to bring computing power to the masses of India and other developing countries. The device was designed by the Simputer Trust, a non-profit organization formed in November 1999. The word Simputer is an acronym for simple, inexpensive and multilingual peoples computer, and is a trademark of the Simputer Trust. It includes text-to-speech software and runs the GNU/Linux operating system. Similar in appearance to the Palm Pilot class of handheld computers, the touch sensitive screen is operated on with a stylus; simple handwriting recognition software is provided by the program Tapatap. The Simputer specifications are released under an open distribution license called the Simputer General Public License or the SGPL. The organisation is actively encouraging free software developers to port their applications to the Simputer.

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What is Bluetooth technology?

Until recently, if you wanted to print from your palmtop or digital camera you needed to get a cable and then plug it into the PC - which then sent the data to the printer. Its a lot of work, so companies developed a technology to avoid the hassle. With this one can point a device, which communicates using infrared rays with one another, without any cables! Bluetooth is a technology that lets a computer, monitor, mouse, keyboard, PDA, in fact anything with a Bluetooth chip communicates by radio instead of cables. It is useful because it not only saves on messy cables but also allows you to easily synchronize information between devices. The problem with this is that you had to have a line-of-sight from one of the devices to the other. With Bluetooth, and other wireless technologies, the devices just need to be within range of each other. For Bluetooth, this is within about 10 metres. Bluetooth isnt one company, but a standard way of getting computers and other devices to talk together. There are now thousands of companies using Bluetooth in their products but the first ones to get together were Erickson, Intel, Nokia, Toshiba and IBM. The name Bluetooth comes from 10th Century Danish Viking King, King Blatand (or Bluetooth in English).

What is broadband?
Broadband refers to the technology for highspeed Internet connections that allow for transfer of information at rates far faster than those of dial-up modems. While the Internet

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has often been jokingly referred to as the World Wide Wait on account of slow downloads, broadband connections allow people to view streaming media at speeds closer to what might be associated with television, rather than the herky-jerky experience that characterizes dial-up modems. Transfer speeds for broadband are up to 50 times faster than via dial-up modems, creating the opportunity for people to download MP3s (compressed digital audio files) or films without having to wait for hours. It is generally 10-20 times faster than dial-up modem. A typical dial-up modem operates in the range of 30 to 50 kbit/s. A broadband connection operates at between 256 kbit/s and 10 Mbit/s, Broadband connections are offered on a variety of platforms, including DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), cable, satellite, and wireless.

What is a DVD?
DVD, digital video/versatile disc, is the new generation of optical disc storage technology. DVD is essentially a high-capacity, faster CD that can hold cinema-like video, better-than-CD audio, still photos, and computer data. A DVD can store upto 4.5 GB of information as compared to 700 MB on a CD. DVD aims to encompass home entertainment, computers, and business information with a single digital format. It is well on the way to replace videotape and video game cartridges, and could eventually replace audio CD and CD-ROM. With this unprecedented support, DVD has become the most successful consumer electronics product of all time in less than three years of its introduction.

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A DVD can be used to store big files from a computer or send them to others just like a CD, but for doing so one needs a DVD writer installed on ones PC.

What is a laser printer?

Laser printer is a type of computer printers that utilizes a laser beam to print. The laser beam alters the electrical charge on the drum wherever it hits. The drum is then rolled through a reservoir of toner (ink), which is picked up by the charged portions of the drum. Finally, the toner is transferred to the paper through a combination of heat and pressure. One of the chief characteristics of laser printers is their resolution: how many dots per inch (dpi) they lay down. The available resolutions range from 300 dpi at the low end to 1200 dpi. Some laser printers achieve higher resolutions with special techniques known generally as resolution enhancement. In addition to the standard monochrome laser printer, which uses a single toner, there also exist colour laser printers that use four toners to print in full colour. Colour laser printers tend to be about five to ten times as expensive as their monochrome siblings. Laser printers produce very high-quality print and are capable of printing an almost unlimited variety of fonts.

What is inkjet printing?

The inkjet printer, as its name implies, makes an image by spraying tiny jets of ink onto the paper. It is a printing device that generates images by shooting dots of liquid ink against a printing surface. Resolutions vary

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between 300 and 1200 dpi (dots per inch). Higher the dpi, the sharper is the image. Inkjet printers themselves are very inexpensive; however the cost of printing is relatively high because of the cost of ink. Many inkjet printers are also capable of printing in colour. Like most print processes, inkjet printers use a limited number of ink colours. Full colour can be derived from three primary colours, just like a monitor. For monitors, these are red, green, and blue because monitors emit light resulting in an additive colour process. Inks, on the other hand, absorb light so printing is a subtractive process. Therefore, the colours used in common inkjet printers are not really capable of producing photorealistic quality results since they are red (not magenta), blue (not cyan), and yellow. These are optimized for nice saturated primary colours when used independently.

How and when telecom became possible?

Telecommunication, popularly known as telecom, is communication through electromagnetic waves, besides light. The story of its invention is rather long but can be very interesting. Many inventors in different countries tried simultaneously to invent a communication device using radio waves. For example, in 1893 a scientist born in Hungary, Nikola Tesla, made the first public demonstration of such a system. He described and demonstrated in detail the principles of radio communication. The apparatus that he used contained almost all the elements that were used later. In 1894, an Indian scientist, Jagdis Chandra Bose, also demonstrated publicly the use of electromagnetic waves in Kolkata. He was not interested in patenting his work, so his work is not recognized internationally. In the same year a British physicist, Sir Oliver

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Lodge, demonstrated the reception of Morse code signalling using radio waves with the help of a detecting device a coherer. This coherer was a tube filled with iron filings. An Italian, Temistocle Calzecchi-Onesti, invented it in 1884 to drain off electricity during lightening. Edouard Branly of France and Alexander Popov of Russia later produced improved versions of the coherer. Many people claim that Popov was the first person to develop a practical communication system. The inventor who is generally recognized as the inventor of wireless telegraph is Gugliemo Marconi, an Italian. He began by building an apparatus similar to the one used by Hertz. He added a telegraph key to the spark generator, so that he could send signals corresponding to the dots and dashes of the Morse code. To check whether it was a practical communication device Marconi moved his apparatus outdoors to try its transmission- reception over long distances. During these experiments he made a lucky discovery: When one terminal of the generator and receiver were connected to the ground, communication was possible across longer distances. He also discovered the need for antenna (aerials); they transmit signals from the transmitter to space and from space to the receiver equipment. By 1895, Marconi had developed a device with which he could send signals across a few kilometres. Marconi got a patent for his inventions in 1896, the worlds first patent for radio communication. After patenting his invention Marconi established a company called Marconis Wireless Telegraph Company in London. In 1898 Marconi successfully transmitted signals across the English Channel. The most dramatic use of wireless was for rescuing ships in distress. Several ships were equipped with wireless

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telegraphy equipment; they could send or receive distress messages from ships sailing nearby. Till the beginning of the twentieth century, wireless communication was limited to telegraphy. Many people dreamt of wireless telephony at that time, but the technology to achieve that was not available. Sound waves are continuous waves; their frequency is much lower than that of electromagnetic waves. For wireless communication a sound signal has to be converted into a radio wave. It was soon found that any electric signal can be carried on a radio wave (modulation of electromagnetic waves). All that was necessary for wireless communication of sound was equipment that could generate electric current having frequency of the radio waves. Several inventors invented such devices. The most notable amongst them was Nikola Tesla, who invented the alternating current and Ernst Alexanderson who built the first alternator that could produce alternating current having frequency about 50 thousand cycles. Although the exact time when the human voice was first transmitted by radio is debateable, it is claimed that speech was first transmitted across the American continent, from New York City to San Francisco, in 1915. During the First World War radiotelephony between ground and aircraft was also tried. The first ship-to-shore two way radio conversations occurred in 1922. However, a public radiotelephone service for people at sea was inaugurated in 1929. At that time telephone contact could be made only with ships within 2000 km of shore. Today every large ship wherever it may be on the globe can be contacted using wireless equipment.

How cell phones work?

Cell phones are based on networks of many radio transmitters/receivers. Each cell phone company has its own network. These networks are cellular

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akin to the body of a living organism. The area covered by a cell phone company, a city, a state or a country for its services is divided into zones that are called its cells. The network of a cellular company is made up of many such cells. Each cell has a radio transmitter/receiver and a computer, located at a place known as its base station. These base stations can communicate with other base stations. . A cell phone handset is also a low power radio transceiver and a kind of computer. It can transmit and receive signals from its closest base station (when it is powered on.) It transmits a signal to the base station of its parent company every few seconds to enable computers attached to these transceivers keep track of all the handsets registered with a company present in a cell. This is done with the help of computers that can communicate this information from one base station to another. Thus base station of each cell knows the location of every powered ON. When one dials a number on a handset signals are first converted into electricity and then into electromagnetic waves that are transmitted by it. The radio receiver of the cell in which handset is located at that time receives this signal. It is in then communicated to its computer to find the nature of the addressed party. If it is addressed to another cell phone serviced by the parent company, it finds out the location of the addressed handset and transmits signals to that base station, which in turn alerts the handset about the incoming call. In case the call is addressed to a cell phone serviced by another company or to a landline telephone the cell directs the call into relevant network, which then directs the call in a similar fashion.

What are GSM and CDMA?

GSM is an acronym for Global System for Mobile Telecommunications; cellular companies like AirTel,

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Hutch, Idea use this technology for providing mobile phone connectivity to their subscribers. This technology is older then CDMA. In this technology mobile phones convert voices into a series of on-or-off electrical pulses, which are relayed in short bursts as packages of data. GSM is efficient because in the intervals between bursts, other phones can also send packets of data: in this way, this digital technology enables up to eight conversations to be held on the same channel virtually simultaneously. GSM is the international standard in Europe, Australia and much of Asia and Africa. In covered areas, cell-phone users can buy one phone that will work anywhere where the standard is supported. CDMA is the acronym for the more recent technology called Code Division Multiple Access. CDMA takes an entirely different approach from GSM. Therefore handsets that are used for GSM services cannot be used for CDMA and vice versa. In this technology, a spoken word or sentence from a user is first digitized, that is converted into electrical pulses like in GSM. But these pulses are coded and transmitted using the entire range of frequencies after ascribing them a particular code. At the receiving end they are combined together through the same code.

What is bandwidth?
The amount of data that can be transmitted in a given time period is known as bandwidth. Why width? Consider a pipe carrying water. The wider the pipe, the more water can be carried in a given amount of time. Bandwidth is measured in bits per second (bps) and its multiples. In technical terms, bandwidth is explained a bit differently. We know that telecommunication uses electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic waves used for a

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particular application of telecommunication have a certain frequency range. Thus a radio transmitter sends a message using electromagnetic waves in a certain range. This range is called frequency band. The difference between the upper and lower frequencies in a band is called bandwidth. It determines how quickly bits of information may be sent through a telecommunication medium. In analog systems, such as communication through telephones, bandwidth is defined in terms of the frequency signal components, measured in cycles per second (hertz). The bandwidth of a typical voice signal is approximately three kilohertz (3 kHz), while an analog television broadcast video signal has a bandwidth of six megahertz (6 MHz) some 2,000 times as wide as the voice signal. In digital systems, bandwidth is measured as data speed in bits per second (bps). Transmitters and receivers have bandwidths. The wider the receivers bandwidth is, the more information it can receive on different frequencies.

How does cable TV work?

Cable television allows us to view several TV stations with the help of geostationary communication satellites. Satellite TV is a wireless system for delivering TV programming directly to a viewers house. The ultimate source of this radio signal is the broadcast station. They use a powerful antenna to transmit their broadcasts to the viewers. However, these radio signals can travel only in straight lines. So the viewer on his receiver cant capture the signal unless he is in the line of sight of the broadcasters signal. Tall buildings, trees, and other such obstructions, cant block the signal, but it could be blocked by the curvature of the Earth. Therefore, broadcasters use satellites to transmit their signals to the viewers.

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Each cable operator installs huge satellite that picks up the TV programs telecasted by various stations; even live feeds between broadcast stations. The cable operator then decodes/modulates and transmits these signals to the clients through cables. The operator needs to decode the signals, because many TV channels are pay channels, that is, they want the cable operator to pay them a fixed regular amount of money from each of his clients.

What is modulation?
You must have heard of the terms FM and AM in the context of radio transistors and radio stations. The term FM stands for frequency modulation. Modulation in laymans language is packaging information for broadcasting. We are all familiar with packaging of consumer goods, in pouches, cartons, paper covers etc. Packaging saves the product sold from outside interference during its journey from the factory to the shop; it also helps the consumer recognize the product from other products displayed in a shop. Similarly, modulation is the process of packing a signal wave into radio waves. In radio communication an information-bearing signal is superimposed onto a carrier signal. These high frequency carrier signals can be transmitted over the air easily and are capable of travelling long distances. The characteristics (amplitude, frequency, or phase) of the carrier signal are varied in accordance with the information-bearing signal. The modulating signal is a slowly varying signal as opposed to the rapidly varying carrier frequency. Frequency modulation is a type of modulation where the frequency of the carrier is varied in accordance with

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the modulating signal. The amplitude of the carrier remains constant. The information-bearing signal (the modulating signal) changes the instantaneous frequency of the carrier. Since the amplitude is kept constant, FM modulation is a low-noise process and provides a high quality modulation technique, which is used for music and speech in hi-fidelity broadcasts.

What is DTH and how does it work?

DTH refers to direct-to-home satellite television. DTH does away with the need for a local cable operator and comes directly from the satellite to the house of the viewer. DTH TV can be viewed at home by using a small antenna, set-top box (STB) and LNBF (lownoise block down converter). Originally developed for connecting far-flung areas which do not have cable access, this technology is now used world-wide for premium programming direct to the home bypassing cable operators or other forms of satellite TV delivery. A DTH network consists of a broadcasting centre, satellites, encoders, multiplexers, modulators and DTH receivers. A DTH service provider has to lease Ku-band transponders from the satellite. The encoder converts the audio, video and data signals into the digital format and the multiplexer mixes these signals. At the user end, there will be a small dish antenna and set-top box to decode and view numerous channels. Receiving dishes can be as small as 45 cm in diameter at the users end. In DTH, TV channels are transmitted from the satellite to a small dish antenna mounted on the rooftop of the subscribers home. So the broadcaster directly connects to the user. DTH can reach remote areas since it does away with the intermediate step of a cable operator and the wires (cables) that come

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from the cable operator to the house of the subscriber. DTH reception is superior to that through cable TV. This is because cable transmission is largely analog. Apart from enhanced picture quality, DTH also allows for interactive TV services such as movie-on-demand, Internet access, video conferencing and e-mail.

What is computer animation?

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D artwork or model positions that creates an illusion of movement due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision. Computer animation is the art of creating such moving images via the use of computers. Cel animation the traditional technique for animation was the process used for most animated films of the 20th century. The individual frames of a traditionally animated film were photographs of drawings, which were first drawn on paper. To create the illusion of movement, each drawing differed slightly from the one before it. The traditional cel animation process became obsolete by the beginning of the 21st century. Today, the animators drawings and the backgrounds are either scanned into or drawn directly into a computer system. Computers today replace cel-animation. Drawings are simply scanned into a computer and small changes in each frame incorporated, rather than reproduced multiple times on sheets. All of the scanned images can be imposed on top of one another creating depth in the picture. There are two main types of animation: 2-D (or paint systems) and 3-D. While animation itself started to become popular at the beginning of the twentieth century, it wasnt until the 1960 s that computer scientists, with

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the help of artists, started to experiment with technology. Various software programs are used to colour the drawings and simulate camera movement and effects. The final animated piece is output to one of several delivery mediums, including traditional 35 mm film and newer media such as digital video. The look of traditional cel animation is still preserved, and the character animators work has remained essentially the same over the past 70 years. Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) is an important part of the animation. It creates the characters and background, without taking the pictures, and animates them. Maquettes, which are small sculptures, are where CGI created characters begin.

What is multimedia?
Multimedia simply means being able to communicate in more than one way. The term multimedia once meant that your PC had a soundcard with an output marginally better than the PC speaker. Computer multimedia today is a mixture of things: sound, images and moving video. The ability to play music in many formats (for example, wave, MIDI and MOD files), view pictures (JPEG, bitmap and TIFFs), and watch movies (AVI, MPG and RealVideo) is often taken for granted on a modern PC. One can watch movies, make international telephone calls, see television programs, play DVDs, the list is almost endless. Multimedia can flow both ways, as input and output. Thus a multimedia PC is often equipped with two speakers; a microphone web camera and a scanner.

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What is Internet?
Internet is a network of millions of server computers spread worldwide that are connected to each other through cables and satellites. These server computers can constantly communicate with one another. People can connect their Personal computers to the Internet through the services provided by many companies. Often a modem is necessary to do so. One can acquire ones own little corner on the internet having a unique address at a very low cost and put there any information one wants to communicate with anybody who is interested. The Internet has information on almost all topics. Thus it has information on most topics. Most often it is more than what any library anywhere can have. It also helps people to send messages and chat with their friends. People who do not have a computer at home, can often avail this facility through commercial outlets, often called a cyber cafe, that charge a small fee for an hour of usage.

What is URL?
A URL is the Internet address of a particular site or document available via the World Wide Web. URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It is a draft standard for specifying an object on the Internet, such as a file or newsgroup.

Uniform Resource Locator

http://dst.gov.in/about_us/far99-2000-ai-vp.htm
protocol address of host computer path file name

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URLs are composed of several parts, indicating (a) the Internet protocol used to access the document or site you are trying to reach, (b) the Internet address of the host computer, on which the document you want is stored, (c). The directory path on the host computer that will take you to the exact file you are trying to retrieve, and finally the name of the file you are trying to retrieve.

What is an ISP?
An ISP is a company that provides access to the Internet to individuals or companies. ISPs provide local dial-up access from your personal computer to their computer network and their network connects you to the Internet. Internet Service Provider provides the connection between the user and the Internet. It supplies the computer(s), high speed communications links to the rest of the Internet, phone lines so you can dial in, technical support for the machines and customer support for customers who need help. An ISP may also be host your web site.

What is domain name?

A domain name is a name of a computer on the Internet that distinguishes it from the other systems on the network. They are sometimes colloquially (and incorrectly) referred to by marketers as web addresses. It is the text name corresponding to the numeric IP address of a computer on the Internet. Every website, email account,

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on the Internet is hosted on a server computer. Each server has a unique IP address, which is nothing but a set of numbers, such as 207.142.131.235. An IP address is a unique number, similar in concept to a telephone number, used by network devices (routers, computers, timeservers, FAX machines, some telephones) attached to a network to refer to each other when sending information through a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) or the Internet. To access a particular Internet service, one has to specify its IP address in an appropriate application, however because it is difficult to remember numbers, an IP address is associated with a fully qualified host name (a domain name). Obviously a domain name must be unique. Earlier the length of permissible domain names used to be up to fifteen characters, but can now be up to sixty-seven characters.

What is a modem?
It is a device that can be connected externally to a computer, or which may be present inside the CPU of a PC. It allows you to send and receive information over the phone line with your computer. You could send a picture of your dog to a friend, or receive (download) a document sent to you via email. Modem is an acronym that stands for MOdulator/DEModulator. These are the technical terms for the way your modem converts information you send from your computer into sounds (the MOdulator part), which a modem on the other end of the phone line can translate back into information (the DEModulator part). The speed of a modem is measured by the rate at which it sends and receives data. This is expressed as bits per second (bps) or thousands of bits per second (Kbps). The term baud is approximately equivalent to bps.

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What is a gateway?
Whenever a computer is connected to the internet, it has to pass through a gateway. A PC is connected to a small network and there is a gateway that connects the smaller network to the Internet. A gateway passes information from one network to another network as information travels across the Internet. A gateway helps to break the network down into smaller, more usable segments. The gateway, which is a router, determines where the information needs to be sent. If it is within the segment, it keeps the traffic local, reducing network traffic. If it can determine that it belongs on another segment, it will send it to that gateway for routing. If it cannot determine where it should go, it broadcasts it out on the network. Eventually, if no gateway, bridge or computer recognizes the address, it will die on the network. This feature is built into the Internet packet. Without it the network would crash due to an overload of undeliverable Internet packets. Most of the Internet communications is done over TCP/IP, but if a network is communicating over some other protocol the gateway translates this information and passes it along.

What is a LAN?
LAN is the acronym for local Area Network. A network is a number of computers connected to one another through cables or satellites. A LocalArea Network is a relatively small group of computers running on a network inside a building. There are two main kinds of LAN. One is client server LAN and other is peer-to-peer network. In client server networks each

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user PC is connected to a server computer, thus all communication between different computers is through the server. In peer-to-peer networking each PC can communicate with each other PC through cables. The main advantage of Networking is the capability to share resources. Files, printers, fax, the Internet, all of these are resources. Each user/computer on the network has the potential to access data stored on other machines. Expensive peripherals such as colour laser printers etc, can also be shared rather than one machine using a printer on its own.

What is email?
Email is a shortened version of the two words electronic and mail and is the electronic version of the letter. It is one of the most used and popular services on the Internet. It enables messages to be transferred from an individual to another individual or from an individual to a group of people. These messages are most commonly text messages, but one can send messages through pictures or sounds also. Documents (audio, video, pictures etc.) can be attached to email messages and sent with the text message. Email can be sent and viewed various ways - the most common through a computer program, such as Outlook. Email can be sent to anywhere in the world where internet facilities are available

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and viewed whenever the computer user logs onto the local network or the Internet and checks the mailbox where emails are stored, but to do so one has to register with a service provider, e.g. hotmail; gmail; yahoo mail; rediff mail; vsnl etc.

What is spam?
Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender. There are two main types of spam, and they have different effects on Internet users. Cancellable Usenet spam is a single message sent to 20 or more Usenet newsgroups. Usenet spam is aimed at lurkers, people who read newsgroups but rarely or never post and give their address away. Usenet spam robs users of the utility of the newsgroups by overwhelming them with a barrage of advertising or other irrelevant posts. Email spam targets individual users with direct mail messages. Scanning Usenet postings, stealing Internet mailing lists, or searching the Web for addresses often creates email spam lists. Email spams typically cost users money out-of-pocket to receive. Many people - anyone with measured phone service - read or receive their mail while the meter is running, so to speak. Spam costs them additional money. On top of that, it costs money for ISPs and online services to transmit spam, and these costs are transmitted directly to subscribers.

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What is a web server?

A web server is a server computer, which contains the files of a web site and allows them to be accessed by people on the Internet. A server is usually connected to the Internet continually with webmasters wanting their web site to be online 100% of the year; most web servers are therefore connected to the other computers through optical fibres or satellite link. However the best servers can only guarantee 99% uptime due to server errors and updates to hardware. The term web server also refers to the piece of software that runs on server computers, accepting HTTP connections from web browsers and delivering web pages and other files to them, as well as processing form submissions. The most common web server software is Apache, followed by Microsoft Internet Information server; many, many other web server programs also exist.

What is a web camera?

A web camera (or webcam) is a real time camera whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC videoconferencing. Generally, a digital camera delivers images to a web server, either continuously or at regular intervals. It is a small digital camera with a cable that connects it to the computers parallel or USB port. It has very low cost but not very good picture quality. You usually do not have to use batteries with a web camera since the PC supplies their power. Using a web camera allows learners to be a part of either a conference or class/studio. They can see, hear and interact with people in real time.

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WebCams can help maintain the learners interest in the course, by making current visual information available, and thus, help promote active learning.

What is USB port?

The channels through which a PC communicates with various peripheral devices are known as communication ports. Ports are to a computer just as seaports and airports are to a country. They facilitate communication with the external world. In a PC there are certain some sockets at the back of the CPU cabinet through which information can be fed or taken out of the PC. Till a few years ago these sockets included serial ports and Parallel ports. Serial ports were used to connect the mouse, scanner etc and the parallel port to connect a printer. USB, the Universal Serial Bus, is the communication port, which is becoming common in the new PCs. It allows virtually unlimited PC expansion outside the box. USB features a onesize-fits-all connector that makes it easy to add and unplug peripherals without ever opening the PC. USBs hot insertion and removal feature makes expansion even easier, because users can add peripherals without turning off their PC.

What is a website?
A website is a collection of electronic documents linked together logically in order to provide consistent information. It is called a website because it represents one of many possible distinct locations (or sites) where information is available within the World Wide Web. Documents available on a website are stored on a computer that is connected to the Internet, and made available via the World Wide Web. In general terms, a website is a communication tool, its primary function being to enable individuals and organisations to share and

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exchange information over the Internet. Through a website, it is possible to make information available in electronic format or to gather information and to provide electronic services. For these reasons, websites can be useful tools for any organization be it a school; college; university; industry; a business house or a government.

How can one make a website?

One can indeed make ones own website provided you have a reasonable access to a computer linked to the Internet. This is really not very difficult if you live in a city. You can walk into a cybercafe, (such as Reliance Webworld) which charge you a nominal fee per hour of use. If you know HTML you know nothing else, you can write your webpages using a text editor, such as Notepad in Windows. However,

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if you do not know HTML you can still design a webpage, but for doing so you need an application software such as Microsoft Frontpage; Macromedia Dreamweaver etc. You can also download a webpage editor from a shareware website. Once you have made your webpages you will need to upload them to a webserver. For that you will need FTP software. If you want your own domain name you need to register and pay the charges. Alternatively you can host your webpages on a websites that host amateur website free of cost.

What is downloading?
To download a file is to get it from someone elses computer, over a network, and save it on your own computer or floppy disk. Download means receive. One can download many kinds of files from the Internet, including images and software. The time it takes to download data depends on the size of the file and network speed. Small Web pages take a few seconds if everything is running smoothly, but a 10MB video file can take a half hour. Downloading over DSL or cable modem can be up to 100 times faster. Downloading from a file server on a local network (LAN) can be faster yet. Downloading files from the Internet has become a snap with click here to download this file messages on Web pages. Your Web browser prompts you where to save the file. If the file is software that has to be installed, most browsers give you the option of running the program without worrying about where to save it first.

What is FTP?
It is the acronym for File Transfer Protocol, the protocol for exchanging files over the Internet. A communications

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protocol is the set of standard rules for data representation, signalling, authentication, and error detection required to send information over a communications channel. FTP works in the same way as HTTP for transferring Web pages from a server to a users browser and SMTP for transferring electronic mail across the Internet in that, like these technologies, FTP uses the Internets TCP/IP protocols to enable data transfer. FTP is most commonly used to download a file from a server using the Internet or to upload a file to a server (e.g., uploading a Web page file to a server). Files can be transferred between a pair of machines with the FTP command, given that: The machine you are using, the local host machine, is running FTP application software and is also connected to the Internet. It is also necessary that the machine you want files to be transferred to/ from, the remote host machine, is also running FTP and is attached to the Internet computer network.

What is a portal?

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A portal is a private space that gives employees in a company the ability to organize information, readily access that information, manage documents, share calendars and enable efficient collaboration, all in a familiar, browser-based environment. In a conventional website, users navigate to locate content of interest and everyone sees the same version of each page. Portals are very different because they deliver unique and customised views to different people, presenting a personalized view of diverse information and services relevant to the individual who needs it in one convenient desktop location. Many business organizations have discovered unique and creative uses for intranet technology to solve real business problems by developing their own portal. Because all the important information about a business enterprise resides in a central repository, its available at any time, from anywhere in the world, using a simple web browser.

What is a newsgroup?
Newsgroups are discussion groups that are all part of a global system called Usenet (there are over 250,000 different Usenet sites). It is almost impossible to know how many different newsgroups there are. The reason for this is that new ones come on board, and others leave every single day. It is said that there are currently over 20,000 different newsgroups from all over the world. Newsgroups are started to carry on discussions about all sorts of things. There are special programs that have to be used to read from

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and write to a newsgroup, referred to as news readers. If you are using Netscape or Explorer to navigate the World Wide Web, these two browsers have incorporated a newsreader in their software. There are also newsreader programs available whose sole purpose is to read newsgroups. Not all Internet service providers (ISPs) carry all newsgroups. If your ISP doesnt carry the newsgroups you are interested in, then you have to find another ISP or start your own news server.

What is a blog?
To be present on the Internet one need not really spend money to make a website; one can put information or thoughts that one wants to share with world at large through websites known as blogger sites. A blog is a diary or journal where the writer or blogger will write his/her observations and provide links to other websites that s/he considers useful for the reader. Bloggers, write about different themes, sort of like a newspaper columnist but with no specialized training necessary. Many blogs serve as discussion communities about particular issues. A blog does not have to have one author only. Some of the most interesting blogs have multiple r e g u l a r contributors. The first blog is said also to have been the first website in 1992. Blogs didnt really start to take off until

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the late nineties, however, and they gained in popularity after 2000. Early blogs were mostly lists of recommended links with some commentary. Since then, theyve evolved to something different. Now anyone who fancies himself a writer, and even some people who dont, has a blog on the Internet. Thanks to easy-to-use programs and websites, the most technically challenged person can get a blog online. This isnt a bad thing, as theres something out there for everyone.

What is Intranet?
An intranet is a mini internet inside an organization. A firewall is used to selectively isolate the intranet from the internet. Usually, users inside the intranet are given access to most or the entire internet. Usually, outsiders are given little or no access to the information inside the intranet. Access in either direction can be controlled right down to the level of an individual computer. A VPN or Virtual Private Network allows a home office or the intranet in a field office to connect them via the internet. The field office will have the same access as those at the home office.

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