Near Field Communication (NFC) has only started coming to major smartphones in the last year, and the iPhone is still yet to buy into the technology.
The history to NFC is rather complex, it has been used in many different industries, including transportation and retail. The technology allows users to connect a device to another through near field communication, hence the name.
Most Android smartphones are now coming with NFC and now would be a great time to get to know all about it, how you can set it up and what you can do with NFC enabled on your Android device.
What is the point?
The first thing you will want to know is what NFC is used for on mobile device, well, as the movement to make NFC applications and NFC services grows, you can use your mobile device as a card, image, phone number and a host of other holders.
You then simply transfer to another device with NFC enabled and the transaction works. There is no need to connect through networks or Bluetooth, as NFC is both faster and picks up other traffic a lot less frequently.
With Android Beam, your device can partner with another and share files almost instantaneously, it is incredibly how fast speeds are when the devices are paired.
Does my device have NFC?
To check if your device has NFC, you may want to check the back if the smartphone has a removable back. On the writing on the battery normally declares if this is an NFC enabled phone or not. In some cases, the NFC chip will be visible when you open the back up.
For those of you that don?t know what an NFC chip looks like and don?t want to search the battery text, you can check on your smartphone with these simple steps:
Go to Settings
Go to Wireless Networks
If NFC & Android Beam options are there, you have NFC
Some Tips & Using Android Beam
Make sure when you connect both devices have NFC and both are awake with good battery life. NFC does have a tendency to drain battery life after long usage, so we would advise deactivating it if you are not using it.
When using Beam, you will get a little activation sound telling you the two devices are paired, and then you can share all audio, video and any other file types, assuming they are not covered with DRM.
There is plenty to find when you have a NFC enabled device, and the world is just starting to use the technology. Soon, most shops will allow you to pay through NFC, and you can pay your monthly bill over your phone. Perhaps even one day you could log into accounts by putting the phone on the screen.
The internet is a fabulous market place for entrepreneurs. Hundreds of millions of people browse the web each day and each of them is a potential customer. However, many online businesses don?t post the kind of sales volumes they envision as ideal despite all the potential customers out there. It seems that they are missing something, but what is it? A lot of things go into making successful internet businesses including marketing, SEO and proper Charleston web design. Even after doing all these though you may still find yourself stuck with the same dismal sales. Your predicament could be the result of one mistake that many businesses make ? failing to align your Charleston SC web design with the needs and interests of your customers.
Often, during Charleston web design we don?t think too much about our customers. We are more interested in building cool eye-catching websites replete with amazing graphics and impressive navigation menus. Charleston SC web design experts pay attention to fonts, colors and graphics, which is all fine, but hardly do they pause to think of their work from the customers? viewpoint. The cold reality is that all the effort and ingenuity of a Charleston SC web design pro will not translate into high sales and customer satisfaction unless the website is aligned to the interests of the customer.
Effective Charleston web design is premised on helping customers to achieve what they want with the least effort. The structure of a website should therefore conform to the customers? needs rather than yours. For example, customers want to see all the details pertaining to each product as easily as possible. They also want to know the price of a product and its availability. If you don?t provide all these details within easy reach customers will not break a swear looking for them. Instead they will go to your competitors? sites. A lot of sales opportunities are lost because of lousy checkout systems. If a customer decides to order an item but is faced with a lengthy checkout procedure asking too many questions and requiring too much time, he/she is likely to simply abandon the order.
During Charleston SC web design you should bear in mind what it is that you?d like customers to do on the website and provide easy means for them to do so. If you want customers to call you then clearly and persuasively request them to do so. Provide the phone contact where it is clearly visible so that customers don?t have to search for it and thank the customers for taking their time to call you. If you are asking customers to call you then also make sure that you have people available 24-7 to take those calls. If you aren?t available round the clock then duly indicate on the website the time you are available.
Creating effective customer-centered websites takes experience and a deep understanding of internet business. Coastal Web Team (http://coastalwebteam.com) of South Carolina is a Charleston web design company with a team of experts who can help turn your business around by developing a customer-oriented website.
CHICAGO (AP) ? As a kid rooting around in the attic of his boyhood home, Allan Calhamer stumbled across an old book of maps and became entranced by faraway places that no longer existed, such as the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires.
That discovery and a brewing fascination with world politics and international affairs were the genesis of "Diplomacy," the board game he would create years later as a history student at Harvard University in the 1950s. After its commercial release in 1959, the game earned a loyal legion of fans in the U.S. and elsewhere that reportedly included President John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger and Walter Cronkite, among others.
Calhamer died Monday at a hospital in the western Chicago suburbs where he grew up, his daughter Selenne Calhamer-Boling said. He was 81.
"He was brilliant and iconoclastic and designed this game that's played around the world, and he's adored by nerds throughout the world," his daughter said by phone Saturday. "But at the end of the day he was a great dad. He was at all the T-ball games and all the screechy, horrible orchestra concerts and all the klutzy ballet recitals. I guess that's how I'll remember him."
Calhamer tested early versions of the game out on Harvard classmates before perfecting it. After its commercial release, Avalon Hill bought the rights and helped make it an international hit. The game is still for sale, and was re-released in 1999 with a colorful new map and metal pieces.
Players represent seven European powers at the beginning of the 20th century and vie for dominance by strategically forging and breaking alliances. Unlike "Risk," there are no dice, and a player's success is largely based on his or her negotiating skills.
Inspiration for the game was also supplied by a Harvard professor who taught a class in 19th-century Europe and wrote a book called "Origins of the World War."
Calhamer said in a 2009 interview with Chicago magazine that reading the book recalled for him the atlas in his parents' attic.
"That brought everything together," Calhamer told the magazine. "I thought, 'What a board game that would make.'"
After graduating in 1953, Calhamer followed a fanciful path, living for a time on Walden Pond because he was fan of Henry David Thoreau's famous work and later working as a park ranger at the Statue of Liberty.
In his late 30s, he met his wife, Hilda, in New York. At her insistence they settled in his hometown of La Grange Park, Ill. Calhamer-Boling said her father then shed his "dilettante" ways and picked up a steady job as a postman, which allowed him pursue hobbies and his art. He tried developing other games, as well, but they never caught on, she said.
Since his death, emails have been pouring in to the family from "Diplomacy" fans around the world who wanted to convey how much the game meant to them, Calhamer-Boling said.
The moving messages were not what she expected.
"I always think of it as such an intellectual game because it's so strategic," she said. "But what I'm seeing over and over again in these emails is that the recurring theme is: 'I was a really really nerdy awkward kid who had trouble relating to people, but because 'Diplomacy' required interpersonal skills and required you to get people to do what you wanted them to do that's how I built my social skills.'"
Calhamer is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Voting signs are posted for the election in a firehouse Nov. 4, 2008 in Selma, Ala. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court hears arguments over whether a key part of the Voting Rights Act?a cornerstone of the civil rights movement?is unfairly targeting southern states for systematic racial bias that no longer exists.
The court's decision on the law, which helped dismantle decades of discriminatory voting restrictions in the South, could hand a victory to the recent conservative-led movement to tighten identification requirements and limit early voting hours at the ballot box. A wave of such laws swept 30 states over the last few years.
Supporters say these laws were designed to combat voter fraud. But they have attracted lawsuits from civil rights groups and the federal government, who argue that the laws disenfranchise minority citizens, who are less likely than white voters to have photo ID. (The Brennan Center estimates that about 11 percent of voting age citizens do not have a government issued photo ID.) The laws also sparked a political argument, with some Democrats accusing Republicans of pushing voter ID laws because they affected constituencies that tended to vote Democrat.
Some of these state photo ID laws in the South have been aggressively fended off by the Justice Department, which argued that states covered by the 1965 Voting Rights Act cannot change election law in this way because it disadvantages minority voters. Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, reauthorized by Congress in 2006, gives the federal government the ability to preemptively reject changes to election law in states and counties that have a history of discriminating against minority voters. The law covers nine states and portions of seven more.
The Justice Department used Section 5 of the law to block voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina last year, and also struck down early voting restrictions in five counties in Florida. (Minority voters are more likely than white voters to vote early in person.)
Justices in the conservative wing of the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice John Roberts, have expressed reservations that the nine Southern states covered by the law still require the same degree of federal oversight that they did 60 years ago. "Voter turnout and registration rates [between blacks and whites] now approach parity," Roberts wrote in a decision in 2009. "Blatantly discriminatory evasions of federal decrees are rare. And minority candidates hold office at unprecedented levels."
Another argument against Section 5's constitutionality is that it's unclear whether minority voters in Southern states are more likely to face discrimination at the polls than they are in other states. Voter ID laws, for example, have passed in states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Indiana. Since those states do not have a history of voter discrimination?and are not covered by the act?their voter ID laws did not have to first pass federal inspection. That said, southern states covered under the act were much more likely to pass a voter ID law than other states. Seven of the nine states covered in full under the act adopted such a law, compared to 19 states overall.
If Roberts and at least four other justices decide to strike down the part of the law that singles out the southern states, civil rights advocates will have few places to go in challenging voter ID laws. The Supreme Court upheld Indiana's photo ID law in 2008, suggesting that without Section 5, voter ID laws will prevail in the courts.
Rick Hasen, an expert on voting law at the University of California at Irvine, said it would be "tough" to win a case against a voter ID law without Section 5.
Wendy Weiser of the non-profit Brennan Center, which has challenged some voter ID laws as discriminatory, says Section 5 is a "potent tool" against the laws. "It's a much heavier litigation burden," without Section 5, she said.
Are you a Jewish grandparent navigating your relationship with your child, their partner, and your grandchild? Are you the adult, sandwiched between your parent and your young child, respecting the one who raised you and hoping they will respect your choices in raising your own family? I am curious what works (and what doesn?t work). Please comment below and join me as we start a dialogue about the role of grandparents!
I believe step one should be to have a conversation. The grandparent should sit down with their adult child and discuss how each sees the other?s role. Share thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams. Respect each other. Recognize that this can be easier said than done!
But then what? Grandparents: what do you do (have you done) that has worked really well? What didn?t work so well that you would do differently next time? Children, what have your parents done that worked (or didn?t)? What do you wish they would do?
I have five ideas to get us started; I?m interested to hear if you think these will be well received.
Celebrate a Jewish holiday with the other grandparents. For example, invite them to the Passover seder (along with your child?s family). Include them in your religious/cultural celebrations. Help them better understand Judaism and its rich traditions.
Ask your child if they need support, resources, or guidance from you. Offer to assist them in the choices that they make. Being active in the Jewish community can be expensive; if you are in a position to help, offer to pay for religious school or summer camp (if your assistance would be appreciated).
Offer to babysit, but make sure you?re transparent with your plans. Tell your child that you?d like to invite your grandchildren over for dinner on Friday night, light Shabbat candles, say the blessings, and enjoy a wonderful meal together. Attain quality time with your grandchildren and give their parents the night off for their own quality time together!
Be visible in your grandchild?s life. Visit often if you can. Use modern technology like Skype to see and talk to your family if they live far away (or even if they are around the corner).
Keep the dialogue open.
What would you like to add to this list?
Comments
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Good bacteria may expunge vancomycin-resistant bacteria from your gutPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology
Probiotic possibilities loom
Too much antibiotic can decimate the normal intestinal microbiota, which may never recover its former diversity. That, in turn, renders the GI tract vulnerable to being colonized by pathogens. Now researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, and Centro Superior de Investigacin en Salud Pblica, Valencia, Spain, show that reintroducing normal microbial diversity largely eliminated vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) from the intestinal tracts of mice. The investigators showed further that the findings may apply to humans. The research is published in the March 2013 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.
The reduced diversity of microbiota wrought by antibiotics "allow[s] VRE to invade and thrive in the intestine, suggesting that bacterial species that are wiped out by antibiotics are key to preventing colonization by VRE," says first author Carles Ubeda of the Centro Superior de Investigacion en Salud Publica, Valencia, Spain. "We hypothesized that repopulating the mice' intestines with the missing bacteria would promote clearance of the VRE."
In the study, the researchers treated mice with antibiotics. They then gave the mice fecal transplants from untreated mice, or aerobic or anaerobic cultures from the fecal transplants. Following the latter treatments, mice receiving the fecal transplant or the anaerobic culture were able to clear the VRE, while those receiving the aerobic culture failed to do so. The researchers compared the microbiota in each group. The big difference: the mice that had cleared the VRE contained bacteria from the anaerobic genus, Barnesiella, while those that had failed to clear the VRE did not.
The researchers then analyzed the fecal microbiota from human patients who had received bone marrow transplants, who were at high risk of being colonized by vancomycin-resistant enterococci. "The presence of Barnesiella in fecal samples was associated with protection against VRE, suggesting that in humans, Barnesiella may also confer protection against dense VRE colonization," says Ubeda.
"The findings could be very useful for development of novel probiotics," says Ubeda. Additionally, "scientifically, this is a major finding that will help us to understand how the microbiota confer resistance against intestinal colonization by pathogens, an important question that remains incompletely answered."
###
(C. Ubeda, V. Bucci, S. Caballero, et al. Intestinal microbiota containing Barnesiella species cures vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium colonization. Infect. Immun. 81:965-973)
Infection and Immunity is a publication of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Good bacteria may expunge vancomycin-resistant bacteria from your gutPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology
Probiotic possibilities loom
Too much antibiotic can decimate the normal intestinal microbiota, which may never recover its former diversity. That, in turn, renders the GI tract vulnerable to being colonized by pathogens. Now researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, and Centro Superior de Investigacin en Salud Pblica, Valencia, Spain, show that reintroducing normal microbial diversity largely eliminated vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) from the intestinal tracts of mice. The investigators showed further that the findings may apply to humans. The research is published in the March 2013 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.
The reduced diversity of microbiota wrought by antibiotics "allow[s] VRE to invade and thrive in the intestine, suggesting that bacterial species that are wiped out by antibiotics are key to preventing colonization by VRE," says first author Carles Ubeda of the Centro Superior de Investigacion en Salud Publica, Valencia, Spain. "We hypothesized that repopulating the mice' intestines with the missing bacteria would promote clearance of the VRE."
In the study, the researchers treated mice with antibiotics. They then gave the mice fecal transplants from untreated mice, or aerobic or anaerobic cultures from the fecal transplants. Following the latter treatments, mice receiving the fecal transplant or the anaerobic culture were able to clear the VRE, while those receiving the aerobic culture failed to do so. The researchers compared the microbiota in each group. The big difference: the mice that had cleared the VRE contained bacteria from the anaerobic genus, Barnesiella, while those that had failed to clear the VRE did not.
The researchers then analyzed the fecal microbiota from human patients who had received bone marrow transplants, who were at high risk of being colonized by vancomycin-resistant enterococci. "The presence of Barnesiella in fecal samples was associated with protection against VRE, suggesting that in humans, Barnesiella may also confer protection against dense VRE colonization," says Ubeda.
"The findings could be very useful for development of novel probiotics," says Ubeda. Additionally, "scientifically, this is a major finding that will help us to understand how the microbiota confer resistance against intestinal colonization by pathogens, an important question that remains incompletely answered."
###
(C. Ubeda, V. Bucci, S. Caballero, et al. Intestinal microbiota containing Barnesiella species cures vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium colonization. Infect. Immun. 81:965-973)
Infection and Immunity is a publication of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
It can't just be the United States Postal Service that's having a hard time staying afloat. Email and social networking is available all around the world, but maybe the USPS should take a hint from the clever Belgians who've created a collection of stamps that celebrate—and actually smell and taste like—chocolate. More »
Are you the adult, sandwiched between your parent and your young child, respecting the one who raised you and hoping they will respect your choices in raising your own family? I am curious what works (and what doesn?t work). Please comment below and join me as we start a dialogue about the role of grandparents!
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Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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