Computer Remote Control

Do you often sit in front of your computer? While sitting in front of the computer did you ever thought of sitting on your sofa and relaxing a little bit? Maybe sometimes you thought that it is unfortunate that you cannot sit on your sofa and browse the Web at the same time. On the other hand, those who watch TV can lie on the sofa all the time with a remote controller in their hands, and they can simply relax if they want. It is possible, however, to have a remote for your PC. You might be quite limited to what you can do while on your sofa, but watching movies from DVDs, listening to music, or viewing slideshows are some things that will be possible. I do not think it would be possible to write posts just using a remote; however, you could probably use a wireless keyboard if you have a very large monitor. Anyway, while you cannot perform most computer functions with your remote control, I think it is great that you can do at least some things on your computer while relaxing on your sofa. Projectors could also immensely help, and while they are expensive, who knows, maybe somebody soon will come up with a technology that will result in a lot lower prices?

CAPTCHA

CAPTCHA is very often used as a method to reduce spam comments on websites. It is a way to verify that the person who wished to leave a comment is a human being. For those who do not know, CAPTCHA is a type of a challenge-response test used in computing to determine whether the user is human. “CAPTCHA” is an acronym for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”, and it is often incorporated it in a way that visitors have to type the letters of a distorted image.

Most spam comments are posted by bots or programs that are specifically designed for spamming. They automatically visit sites on the Internet to look for places where it is possible to submit comments, in order to post unwanted advertisements of websites or services. One of the best ways to prohibit this is to use the CAPTCHA system that requires the visitor to write down the letters that he sees. Since computer programs do not know how to analyze images, only humans will be able to decipher the letters.

Whereas some CAPTCHA’s have been broken like phpBB’s, it is still a very good method to avoid scripts spamming forums or other websites. Many sites are recently adding the CAPTCHA verification system. I think that this will not make them necessarily less enjoyable to visit, but will rather prevent spammers and hackers. Of course, when using CAPTCHA it is important to make it readable to an average person. After all, we want to fight with bots, not with our loyal visitors.

Number of People Having Internet Access

There are sites on the Internet that provide charts and data showing how many people have Internet access and what continents and countries they come from. Those data are very interesting. Let me here share some of those facts.
As of March 2009 there were 1.5 billion people having access to the Internet. That is approximately every fifth person on the planet. I am sure that in more civilized countries there is more than one person out of six surfing the Web. The majority of Internet users live in Asia (41%), then Europe (25%) and then North America (16%). What is important to understand is that the number of Internet users in Asia is growing exponentially. Among the languages used on the Internet, English is the main one followed by Chinese and other languages like Spanish, Japanese, and German. However, non–native English speakers outnumber native English speakers 3:1. The Internet is becoming increasingly popular because it is so useful. For the first time in history there is a cost-effective way for people living in different countries or even continents to communicate so easily. More and more people also have access to the Internet by using mobile devices such as phones or PDAs. Wireless Internet using technologies like Wi-Fi is also gaining on popularity.

Online Relationships

With the Internet becoming increasingly popular, it is not difficult to notice all of the dating sites being created and online relationships being formed. This was not possible at all a few decades ago, but these days it is different. Currently, online relationships are often regarded as something very common since so many people are engaged in them. People of all ages participate whether they are young, middle-aged, or even quite old.

I am not going to say whether they are a good idea or not, as it is not such a simple matter, but it is important to know some facts about online relationships. First of all, many people might only write about their positive side instead of confessing, for example, that they have been married a few times already. Such situations can also occur in regular relationships, but it might be more common in online relationships.

That is because on the Internet it is easy to hide information about oneself. I simply want to encourage people to be careful in such situations. On the other hand, online relationships are an excellent way to find someone with similar interests. That is because you have millions of people to choose from, so it should be easy to find someone with similar hobbies or even values. What do you think about online relationships? Do you find them interesting?

Why Do You Need a Firewall

Most PC users have had a firewall installed on their PC since they purchased their computer. In case you are wondering whether you should have one installed as well, then let me tell you that you definitely need one if you have Internet access on your computer. It is true that when you surf the Web you become visible to the rest of the world.

You might be visible to anyone who has a chance to obtain your IP address including hackers and spammers. You are visible simply because your ports might be open. The purpose of a firewall is to close those ports that you are not currently using so that nobody will have access to them. If you want to be really well protected, then make sure that you are using a router as well.

Reading Magazines Online

During the last decade, the Internet became more and more popular in the world. During this time we also observed many magazines starting to be available online. We live in times when people spend an awful amount of time in front of their computers, and it seems that this trend is going to continue. That is why many magazine publishers are creating digital versions of their magazines.

Some even say that the future of magazine publishing is on a digital display. Actually, some companies only deal with creating digital versions of magazines. While they claim that their goal is not to eliminate traditional form of magazines, it is clear that they are contributing to it.

Do you think that online magazines will become more and more popular? Does this pose a danger to traditional magazines?