Table of Contents
Nonprofit spotlight: ComputAbility
Saving the world, one light switch at a time
Getting to the core of dual-core processor technology
Written and produced by authors and editors at CustomGuide,
Inc.
Copyright 2005
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Issue 42, June 2005
www.customguide.com
Personal Trainer books en Français!
The Personal Trainer book series, written by CustomGuide and published
by O'Reilly media, is now available in French!
Coming soon...
Be on the lookout for two exciting new courseware titles from CustomGuide:
Microsoft Publisher 2003 and Intuit QuickBooks 2005. These courseware
titles will be completed by the end of the summer, with e-learning products
to follow.
Nonprofit spotlight: ComputAbility
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ComputAbility is a program run by the Ability Society, an organization located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that provides opportunities for seniors and people with special needs (those with mental, physical, and developmental disabilities, or with economic or language barriers) to obtain computer literacy. ComputAbility's goal is to help participants become more independent and have a higher quality of life by learning computer skills that will help them pursue goals in education, employment, volunteerism or specific interests. |
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The ComputAbility program
The ComputAbility program focuses on one-on-one tutoring, and is provided
through three types of programs: Tutor Assisted, Support Worker Assisted,
and Summer Computer Camps. The programs offer a wide range of training
options, including basic computer skills, Internet, Microsoft Office,
Web design, programming, and recreational software. All the programs are
free of cost and available to participants of any age.
Challenges and needs
ComputAbility's biggest challenge is having enough volunteer tutors, and
they also welcome donations of equipment and technical expertise. They
hope to add to the 14 computer stations they currently operate, and upgrading
hardware, software and assistive technology is an ongoing issue.
How you can help
If you would like to join CustomGuide in recognizing the ComputAbility
program, you can contact Kelly Gurtin, ComputAbility Program Facilitator,
at (403) 262-9445 or kelly@abilitysociety.org. You can also visit the
Ability Society Web site at www.abilitysociety.org.
Have an organization you'd like to recommend?
Each month, CustomGuide hopes to recognize a non-profit organization that
uses computer technology to better the lives of disadvantaged people in
their community. Help us out by referring your favorite non-profit organization
to us. Just follow
this link to provide us with contact information, and we will take
it from there!
Saving the world, one light switch at a time
If you've ever been reprimanded for leaving the lights on, or have reprimanded someone else for doing the same, you're probably familiar with the negative effect that wasted energy can wreak on your pocketbook. But what about its effect on the environment? The answer might surprise you.
When broken down, the energy equation goes something like this: The less energy we use = the less energy that needs to be generated by power plants = reduced amounts of greenhouse gas emissions (pollutants that are released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities) = improved air quality. Got all that? Energy efficiency also helps the economy by saving consumers and businesses millions of dollars in energy costs. Energy efficient choices can save homeowners about a third on their energy bill with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing features, style, or comfort.
ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program that helps businesses and individuals protect the environment through their own energy efficiency. The program rates a wide variety of products, including computers, light fixtures, televisions, air conditioners, windows, and more. By turning to ENERGY STAR qualified products, Americans saved enough energy in 2004 alone to power 24 million homes and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 20 million cars—all while saving $10 billion in energy costs.
Whether you're shopping for a simple appliance or looking into a new home, ENERGY STAR's Web site offers purchasing tips, a qualified manufacturer list, and even a New Home Partner Locator to help you maximize your energy efficiency at home and beyond.
In addition to turning off the bathroom light, there are countless other ways in which you can eliminate unnecessary waste and help protect the environment that we all have to share. Below you will find several of the most inconspicuous yet invaluable solutions.
- Insulate, insulate, insulate. According to a study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the energy lost through inefficient residential windows accounts for 2 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. Plug these energy "freeways" by weather-stripping doors and windows with self-adhesive foam or metal strips. To increase insulation you can also install high-performance windows that have two, often three, panes of glass.
- Don't be fooled by Standby mode. Even when they're switched off or not performing their main functions, appliances are still gobbling up energy. Stop this energy binge by plugging microwaves, televisions, computers, monitors, printers, and copiers into a power strip and turning off the power strip when not in use.
- Recycle old computers and electronics. Because of steady improvements and hard to repair technology, e-waste now accounts for 2 to 5 percent (almost as much as disposable diapers) of the U.S. municipal solid-waste stream and studies estimate that 315 to 600 million desktop and laptop computers in the U.S. will soon be added to the pile. The Computer TakeBack Campaign advocates a state-level policy reform requiring brand owner financed collection and recycling of hazardous products. This would force all consumer electronics manufacturers to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their products thus creating a powerful market incentive to improve product design and reduce the use of toxic materials. For more information on this campaign or to find a recycler in your state, visit www.computertakeback.com.
- Conduct transcontinental meetings via the Web. Instead of driving or flying hundreds of miles, Web-based videoconferencing enables you to attend important meetings without wasting energy and adding to already congested roads and highways.
- Install and/or utilize skylights. Natural lighting is not only good for a company's utility bills, but can also improve employees' moods and productivity in the workplace.
Sources: www.energystar.gov, www.sierraclub.org, www.worldchanging.com, www.epa.gov, www.computertakeback.com
Sometimes the most simple features of a program are the ones that are most useful, and are most overlooked. If you haven't used Excel's AutoFill feature, you have been missing out. Learn to use AutoFill in this FREE tutorial.
Click here for your free tutorial.
Getting to the core of dual-core processor technology
In the never-ending quest to increase computing power, the new buzz term is dual-core PC processors. Computer chip-makers AMD and Intel are leading the charge to bring this technology to your computer, but the important questions are: what is it, and should you care?
What is it?
In basic terms, a processor is the engine of a computer, interpreting
commands and sending out instructions to the rest of the hardware and
software about how to act. Processor power is often communicated to consumers
by gigahertz numbers like 2.8 or 3.4 Ghz—the higher the number, the
faster you can expect to complete your computing tasks. A processor is
made up of a core that sits on a die (or chip). In the past, processors
have included a single core, but with dual-core processors, another core
is added to increase performance. Essentially there are two hands doing
the computing work, where before there was only one.
The idea of adding additional processors to increase power has been around for a while, but the idea of multiple cores in each processor is new. With dual cores, performance is optimized because the cores sit close together on the same die and are able to communicate more efficiently through a bridge (coined the Hyper Transport by AMD). As a result, they are able to work together to balance the workload better than two processors that are completely separate. In addition, they are cheaper to create than dual processors, because the cores share much of the same processor hardware.
Advantages
Dual-core processors were invented as a solution to keep increasing processor
power, since manufacturers hit a speed ceiling with single-core processors.
As single core processors increase in speed, the amount of electrical
interference and heat they create increases as well. Eventually, engineers
run into cooling problems, as well as interference that affects performance.
With dual cores, another core is added to increase power instead of cranking
up the RPMs of a single core. This results in less heat and electrical
interference.
Benefits for PC users include increased computing speed, as well as the ability to run more programs simultaneously. Because two cores are at work, there are enough resources to keep several applications-such as multiple Web browsers, an e-mail program, a word processor, and a DVD player-all humming along at the same time.
Drawbacks
While it seems that taking two 3.4 Ghz cores and adding them together
should make 6.8 Ghz of performance, that isn't really the case. Some performance—in
the neighborhood of 15-25 percent—is lost in the information transfer
process between the cores, so the output doesn't quite double.
Also, in order for software programs to take advantage of the dual cores, they must be multi-threaded. This means that they must have been written with code that knows how to communicate with more than one core at a time. If they don't—and a lot of software currently available doesn't—the programs won't utilize the second core, and you won't see a performance increase.
The future
Already, AMD is going beyond basic dual-core processors and is looking
into processors with even more cores. Multiple-cores offer a very expandable
solution for increasing future computing power, because instead of having
to keep increasing the speed of a processor core, additional cores can
simply be added.
Should you care?
You probably don't need to run right out and buy a new dual-core PC—which
you can already get from makers such as Dell, Velocity Micro, and Falcon
Northwest—unless you work with a lot of software that already contains
multi-threading technology. At this point, most users of office applications
and games won't benefit from a dual-core processor. Still, the technology
looks like it will be speeding up your computing experience before you
know it.
For more information, visit www.amd.com and www.intel.com.
International Communications Research surveyed 1,021 qualified adult wireless user respondents (50 percent men and 50 percent women) in May 2005. Here's what they found:
Men talk 35 percent more on their wireless phones than women, more than double the 16 percent lead men held in 2004. Men use an average of 571 minutes a month, compared to an average of 424 wireless minutes a month for women.
When it comes to camera phone usage, women are leading the men. In 2005, 25 percent of women have a camera-capable cell phone, while only 21 percent of men do. And 60 percent of women use their camera feature frequently or occasionally with only 40 percent of men using as often.
Eighty-two percent of women use their wireless phones to talk to friends and family, versus only 62 percent of men.
Men continue to spend more than twice as much time (35 percent versus 16 percent) on their cell phones for business purposes than do women.