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Month: June 2022

5 Ways To Make Better Business Decisions

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Business, by nature, is cutthroat. All of us that have gotten into business are trying to get ahead of the curve, especially as technology has evolved. This has caused people to make snap decisions, with fear of missing out (FOMO) becoming a trend in the business world. Just because the market is moving fast doesn’t mean that you have to make a decision within nanoseconds, though. It’s important to take your time when making any business decision, and here are some ways to do just that.

Remember the Past

Philosopher George Santayana famously said that “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This is a good mindset for anything, but especially in business. When trying to make a decision, see how a similar decision made either by yourself or someone else has worked in the past. If it failed miserably, you might want to steer in the opposite direction. Though times may change, results can often be the same.

Word of Mouth

Any good decision making process should include a lot of research. There will be facts and figures at your disposal, but it’s also important to talk to the right people. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from anyone and everyone that you can think of before finalizing your decision making process. This is especially true if you can speak with someone that has experience in a similar decision. If you are a manager, ask your employees how they would feel about changes that your decision could make.

Think Long Term

In the evolving world that we live in, many decision makers in business are thinking short term. Whether this be to appease shareholders or mortgage the future for their own current wellbeing, it seems that the long term goals are getting thrown out of the window. If you want to set yourself and your fellow employees up for success. When you have a plan in place that focuses on five years down the road, you’re much more likely to retain employees and be more consistent in your success. It’s not necessary to follow every trend, and the most successful businessmen think years ahead instead of weeks.

Execution and Education

Once you’ve come up with a business plan, looked at data, asked around and did the research, it’s time to put your plan into place. Make sure that everyone you’re working with is on the same page with the decision that was made beforehand. You don’t want to get yourself into a situation where you made a decision without first educating employees on the changes that are being made, or else you’re setting yourself up for a big setback right from the start. Educating before a decision will also build trust that is vital to retaining good employees.

Progress Tracking

Now that your decision has been made and is off and running, you don’t just want to ignore it and hope for the best. Every month or so, it’s important to keep an eye on how the decision has impacted your business. If things aren’t working, it’s okay to make adjustments to make your decision more efficient. It’s not an admittal of failure, but rather some fine tuning that will be beneficial. After all, you don’t just buy a car and expect to run forever without new tires or oil changes at some point, right?

Collector Psychology: Why We Love To Collect Things

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If you’re reading this right now, there’s a good chance that you have some sort of collection. Whether it be coins, baseball cards, stamps or anything in between, it’s estimated that 40 percent of Americans have a collection of a particular item. Why do we do this, though? Since no two people are the same, there are varying reasons why people become collectors so frequently, and here are a few of those reasons.

Investments

In the United States, we seem to always be ready to make a quick buck, but there are plenty of people that want to play the long game. Because of this, collecting has been seen as a form of investment, especially when it comes to trading cards and coins. For every T206 Honus Wagner trading card, there are thousands of Beanie Babies collecting dust. 

32 percent of collectors said that they have gone into collecting in hopes of making money, with 83 percent of those people thinking that they will strike it rich as a result. Among those that are the most hopeful are the coin collectors. Surprisingly, it’s the younger people from Generation Z that are the most avid collectors these days, hoping that rare coins and even Pokemon cards will appreciate in value when they get older.

Nostalgia

Outside of investors, there are people that love to collect without any intention of selling what they’ve amassed. That’s because of the nostalgia factor, where seeing a collection can take someone back to their “happy place” and remind them of better times. These items tend to be more personal, such as autographs addressed directly to the collector.

While it may represent what’s perceived to be a good time in someone’s life, collecting for nostalgic reasons can also be a warning sign. Studies have shown that people experience nostalgia more in times of depression than happiness, using it as an escape. Collecting out of nostalgia can be a hint that someone is attempting to have a tangible escape from their current state of mental health.

Other Factors

Not everyone with a collection is trying to make money or get a break from reality. There are other factors that come into play. This includes spirituality, with people collecting items that are tied to their religion or other beliefs. Others can simply be very passionate about a particular subject (think of an array of sports memorabilia in a ‘man cave’). There are some cases when collecting can get to be too much, however.

The Line Between Collecting and Hoarding

In recent years, people have become more aware of hoarding due to mainstream exposure, particularly in reality television. Hoarding is classified as a mental disorder in which people compulsively hold onto items for various reasons, but has been linked to substance abuse, depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses.

The reason that collecting and hoarding are different is due to the fact that hoarding doesn’t narrow in on one particular item. There is hardly ever monetary value, separating it from the investment side of things. There’s also little organization, leading to a home filled with clutter. Hoarding is also more rare than collecting, affecting only about 3.5 percent of people compared to the 40 percent of the public that collects.

Already-Existing Tech That Will Change How We Live In 20 Years

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Before the past 100 years or so, technology seemed to evolve at a snail’s pace. In the past few decades, however, technology changes faster than many people are able to keep up with. Because of this, some of the technology that you’ll see 20 years from now haven’t even been thought of today, but there are also emerging technologies that you’ll be seeing two decades from now that will play a major part of your everyday life. Here are a few of those technologies to keep an eye on for the future:

3-D Printing

3-D printing is nothing new, but it’s something that in the past few years has expanded to the point of being able to do amazing things. Many years ago, 3-D printing was used mostly for symbols, but has since evolved into a fascinating process that has changed many industries. In the future, it’s likely that we’ll see 3-D printing play a massive role in healthcare; especially when it comes to printing bones and organs that can help save lives. The automotive industry is another one to keep an eye on in the 3-D printing world.

Flying/Self-Driving Cars

Previous generations have predicted that we would have flying cars by 2022, though it hasn’t caught on just yet. That doesn’t mean that it will never happen, though, and many companies are still working on being the first to get a consumer car into the skies. Of course, these cars will have to clear regulations with the FAA, but it could be sooner than you think.

Until then, the self-driving car is the next big leap in the auto industry. Companies such as Tesla have dabbled in self-driving automobiles for years now, while businesses with large logistics operations (such as Walmart) are using self-driving trucks to get goods from point A to point B. Will we see self-flying cars one day? Only time will tell.

Nanorobotics

When you think about nanotechnology in 2022, you probably think about how a lot of things are explained in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nanotechnology is very much real, though, and will be playing a big factor in our lives 20 years from now. Researchers have been racing each other to develop nanobots that are so small that the eye can’t even see them with various uses. Among the uses that people are most hopeful for is the treatment of cancer. You can expect nanotechnology to be used in computing and automobiles at some point, as well.

Artificial Intelligence

Of course, you can’t mention the future without talking about artificial intelligence. Though it’s been a part of our lives for years now, AI is really ramping up in recent years. From being able to analyze your health by simply looking in a mirror, to knowing when you need to order certain items on websites like Amazon, artificial intelligence is already here and its use will only expand more in the coming years. By 2042, expect artificial intelligence to be so developed that you’ll have an affordable robot butler that reminds you that you need to re-up on pool noodles when the temperature starts to rise during the spring.

The Truth About Password Security and How to Keep Your Accounts Safe

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You need a password for everything these days. It feels like such a hassle, but if you have ever experienced the fear and frustration of having an account hacked, then you know how much passwords matter. The truth is that you need passwords, and they need to be secure, so here are four trade secrets that can help you keep your accounts safe.

The Longer the Better

It seems pretty obvious that a long password would be better than a shorter password, but you should know adding just a few extra characters to a password can make a huge difference.

For instance, let’s look at a password containing at least one lowercase letter, an uppercase letter, a number, and a symbol. If said password was 8 characters, a computer could crack it in around eight hours; if the password was 12 characters it would take 34,000 years.

Long but simple passwords, such as “catsruletheworldsecretly,” are easy to remember but difficult for a computer to crack.

Passwords can be made even more secure if you do away with dictionary words. The above password can be transformed into “C@tsRul3th3W0r1d5ecret1y” for maximum security.

Do Not Reuse Passwords

If you only have one or a few passwords that you use for every account you have, you could be in trouble in the case that your password gets cracked or leaked.

Many websites and services have had data breaches, some of which have resulted in passwords being posted online for anyone to view. This means someone could see your email and password combination and try it on any website in hopes that they get into your account.

Having a unique password for every single account you have is the best solution to avoid this. That way, even if one account gets exposed, your others are protected.

Use Multi-Factor Authentication

Some places might also just call it two-step authentication, or two-step validation. Basically, it adds another layer of security to your account beyond your password.

A common form of this is when, after logging in, the service requires you to input a code that they text to your phone. This step ensures that even if a hacker did get your password, they would be unable to access your account since they do not have access to your phone information.

Additional methods could require an authenticator app for access, an email with a code, a fingerprint, face-id, and more.

These steps add just a few seconds to your login time but offer significant protection for your accounts.

Don’t Write Your Passwords Down or Share Them

A notebook with a list of all your login information is a surefire way to remember all your passwords, but also an easy way for someone to get all the information for every single account you have.

Likewise, having a text document with your login information is possibly worse, since a hacker could access it remotely on your computer.

If you have trouble remembering all your passwords, try using a password manager. Password managers are programs that remember your passwords for you – in a secure way.

Lastly, keep your passwords to yourself. Even if you are only sharing your login information with someone you trust, there’s no guarantee they know the best practices for password security.

Can a Tablet Truly Be a Laptop Replacement? Here’s What You Need to Consider

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If you think back to the state-of-the-art computers of the 1990s, they look very different from the devices that a lot of us take for granted today.

At that point, computers were huge pieces of machinery. Today, you can purchase a device like an iPhone that fits in your pocket and literally has more computing power than the equipment that was used to send men to the moon in the 1960s. You no longer have to pick between a desktop and a laptop. You now have smartphones, tablets and more – all of which are designed to fit very precise use cases depending on your needs.

Of course, this demands the question – can a tablet like the iPad actually ever replace a computer? Or is it simply a device for content consumption and not productivity? The answers to those questions require you to keep a few key things in mind.

The State of the Modern Tablet

Whether a tablet can actually replace a computer in your life depends largely on how you plan on using it in the first place.

If you’re just looking for something that will let you browse your favorite websites, check the occasional email or read that great new book you just downloaded, a tablet would actually be preferable. It’s smaller, lighter and infinitely more portable than even some of the slimmest laptops out there. It will also probably come with longer battery life as well, making it great for traveling in particular.

Of course, this is talking mostly about the “entry level” tablets. If you are looking for a device that you can take with you wherever you are and still get work done, you would want to upgrade to something like the Microsoft Surface Pro or iPad Pro. As the names suggest, these are devices designed with heavy workloads in mind. There are also a variety of accessories that are available for Apple tablets in particular that add keyboard functionality and more.

When the concept of the tablet was first ready for public consumption, it was largely an “entertainment” device. It was fun, but you would probably be more likely to use it to watch your favorite movie on Netflix than you would be to make progress on that serious project you have for work. Now, the gap between these two devices has closed to the point where it is possible to choose one or the other – but in the case of the tablet, it will likely cost you.

Yes, you can buy an attachable keyboard for something like the iPad. Yes, you can get screen sizes that are in excess of 12 inches – making them not too dissimilar to a laptop at this point. If that works for your workflow, that’s fine – but you can typically find traditional laptops with comparable features for cheaper. But again, you have to look inward to determine which type of device makes the most sense for what you’re trying to accomplish.

Attack of the Hammerhead Worm

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Could your garden be doomed by a predator smaller than a drinking straw? If you’re unknowingly hosting the invasive hammerhead worm, the outlook could be grim, indeed.

You’ve likely heard of hammerheads, but you probably never expected to find one hanging out in your own backyard. Hammerhead worms feed just as aggressively as hammerhead sharks, though on a much smaller scale. But don’t let their size and innocent appearance fool you. Depending upon where you live, hammerhead worms may have already invaded your garden and begun wreaking havoc on your backyard ecosystem. And their favorite snack, unfortunately, is the common earthworm. Here’s why you don’t want to find the carnivorous hammerhead worm tunneling among the roots of your freshly planted garden.

So, Who Cares About Earthworms Anyway?

Earthworms are like tiny tillers, aerating the soil and leaving castings (worm poop) behind that is highly beneficial to plant life. Thanks to the common earthworm, tough, impenetrable soil becomes loose and well fertilized. This allows crops such as corn, wheat, and soy to flourish. It may also be why you have the prettiest roses on the block.

If the earthworm population were suddenly to vanish, life for humans could change pretty drastically. There would be less food produced, more pollution in our soils, and heavier flooding. Since the ancient days of Egypt, when earthworms churned and fertilized the soil in the damp river valleys along the Nile, earthworms have long been touted as one of the more influential species on earth.

And now they have a serious predator that’s completely capable of decimating the entire population. And it could be happening right beneath your feet. Enter the hammerhead worm.

Where Did the Hammerhead Worm Come From?

Hammerhead worms are native to Southeast Asia, but they’ve infiltrated other countries through the import of nursery plants. To date, hammerheads have been found in the United States in various southern states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. They’re carnivores whose preferred buffet is a nice, juicy earthworm. Just like the hammerhead shark, they’re especially aggressive hunters. Scientists think they’re capable of tracking earthworms beneath the ground. When they find one, they emit a deadly neurotoxin that causes paralysis.

What to Do If You See a Hammerhead Worm

Essentially, a hammerhead worm looks like a normal worm with the exception of its unusual, hammer-shaped head. Don’t handle it without gloves. Don’t feed it to pets or livestock, and don’t cut it into pieces. Like many worms, the hammerhead can reproduce asexually. So, if you cut it into three pieces, you’ll eventually be left with two additional hammerheads.

The Texas Invasive Species Institute recommends dowsing hammerheads in salt, vinegar, or citrus oil to kill them. Use gloved hands to place the worm in a plastic baggie and then add your killing solutions. Wash your hands well afterward.

Hammerhead worms may be the worst predators visiting your garden this year, so glove-up when you’re digging in the soil, and be on the lookout for the predatory hammerhead worm.

4 Physical Aspects of Cybersecurity You Need To Get Covered

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As brain-deep as cybersecurity is, you don’t have to leave it to computer gurus. There’s a lot you can do to guard your digital properties at home and work. These physical hacks will get you started.

Turn from the Window

Are your screen and keyboard facing a window? Then peeping Toms can easily read, photograph, or video the passwords, account numbers, or love emails you type in.

  • The asterisks that appear in place of your password won’t protect you. Anybody who sees your keyboard can figure out what you’re entering.
  • You’re not safe even if you’re in a 5th-floor office with no other buildings directly around you. If there’s a structure within viewing distance, somebody could be using a smartphone zoom or binoculars to spy on your screen.

Thwart any snoops by turning your screen and keyboard toward a wall. If you can’t do that, then shut the curtains or put up a divider in front of the window to block the outside view.

Lock Up the Surplus

What do you do with that old smartphone, laptop, or tablet? It’s easy and convenient to just throw the gadget in an unlocked drawer, put it on a high shelf, or leave it in an unused corner of your desk.

This works fine if you’re at home because you’ll hopefully know who’s running around your spaces. But don’t try this at work or any place where the public wanders around. It takes microseconds for someone to grab the gear, spirit it away, and check out any data you’ve left on it.

Ideally, you’d wipe any devices clean of any data before trashing them. But if you want to keep them around for sentimental reasons, put them in locked containers and drawers.

Keep a Video Eye Out

Here’s another hack that’s mostly for the office but can also work for your home setup. Install a big and showy camera that keeps a video eye out for your computer.

  • Make sure that everybody who enters your area knows the device is there by installing signs that announce what it’s doing. The warning may be enough to deter evil-doers. But if anyone is stupid enough to either hack a device or steal it, you’ll have a record you can use to trace the rascal.
  • While you’re at it stash a second camera in a hidden location. If somebody blocks the view of the obvious camera, you still have the second one to video the culprit.

Deny Dumpster Divers

Everybody rummages through trashcans and dumpsters nowadays: the down and out searching for recyclables to sell, bargain hunters looking for usable gear they can sell, and thieves hunting for a way into your life. They’re interested in the account numbers, money transactions, and personal info that appears on paper bills and printouts. They can then use this info to try to hack into your credit cards, online banking, and web stores to steal what they can get.

Buy yourself a shredding machine that’s easy to use. Then feed any paper into it that contains any personal information, whether you’ve received the document in the mail or print it from your computer. Even if someone takes the shredded material, they won’t be able to make heads or tails of it.

Want to Keep Your Computer Working Perfectly? Here are the Regular Maintenance Best Practices You Should Be Aware Of

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When it comes to computers, there is a common misconception that devices start to slow down from essentially the moment that you turn them on for the first time. While it’s true that today’s technology may not be quite so “state-of-the-art” even as soon as six months from now, that doesn’t mean that everything you buy will need to be put out to pasture quite so quickly.

In fact, there are a number of basic steps that you can take to keep your computers running totally efficiently – so long as you’re proactive about the process, that is.

Regular Computer Maintenance: Breaking Things Down

By far, one of the most important regular maintenance steps that you can take to keep your computer running perfectly involves downloading updates whenever you’re able to do so.

Note that this includes updates to both the operating system and to any critical apps that you’re using. On a MacOS computer, you can find operating system updates by going to the “System Preferences” screen and selecting the “Software Updates” button. On a Windows machine, you can find the same option by opening the “Control Panel.”

In addition to offering important security fixes, operating system software updates often include crucial changes to the code that help your machine grow more efficient over time. This is why, even though they’re admittedly a minor inconvenience, you should still make it a priority to download them.

If you’re willing to put additional money into your machine to increase its lifespan, you should definitely focus on adding more RAM. There are certain hardware-based components of a computer that you essentially have no control over, with the motherboard being the primary example. If you decided that you wanted to upgrade the motherboard, you’d essentially just be building a new computer.

But if you spend a few hundred dollars on RAM, you can easily swap it out yourself and enjoy an almost instant speed boost as a result. If your computer came with 4GB of RAM, the best thing to do would be to upgrade to at least 8GB. If you’re willing to go to 16GB, that’s even better – the machine will feel as good as new and you won’t have to think about an upgrade for years to come.

Keep in mind, however, that you’ll need to make sure you’re buying RAM that is comparable with the machine you have. Determine the model number of your computer and check online for which types of RAM are compatible.

Finally, if your computer has a traditional hard disk drive, you could always upgrade to a flash-based solid state drive for an instant performance boost. It will make even the most resource-heavy apps feel faster. Just be sure to back up the contents of your old hard drive before you make the change to help guarantee that you won’t lose any critical data in the process.

Four Things You Didn’t Know Are Good for Your Spirit

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Do you ever feel tired or stressed, but in a deep, hard-to-explain kind of way? It’s like something is off in the very core of your being, and it eats away at you.

 

If this sounds familiar, then you need to get your spirit right. The idea of the spirit is nebulous, and no two people perfectly agree on what it means, but we can probably all agree that when things feel off that deep inside, any source of relief sounds great.

 

There are things that are good for your spirit. Some you have considered. Others might seem novel. The four below can help you search your soul a bit to find a way to relieve your stress and lift your spirit.

 

Walking Away

 

You don’t need to completely upend your life over some advice you read on the internet. But, there is a good chance that there is something in your life that you don’t need. There’s a bad habit or vice — something small — that you are actually ready to walk away from.

 

You already have it in mind, don’t you?

 

Walk away. Resolve to do it right now. You aren’t quitting all of your vices. You aren’t fixing everything in your life that brings you down. You’re just getting rid of this one small thing that bothers you. In a few weeks, when you look back, your spirit will thank you.

 

Giving Something Away

 

This is an old idea. We all know that selflessness can be great for your spirit. The key idea here is to really hone in on a specific act of selflessness. If you give away something that you personally value, your spirit will thank you.

 

For some, it might be money. For others, time means more than anything else. It could be an object of personal value. If you give it to someone who will need or appreciate it more than you, and you do it in person, you will reap spiritual benefits.

 

Doing Chores

 

There are two ways chores can help you. The first is psychological. Getting chores off of your list gives you a sense of accomplishment. It can also quiet some of the nagging in the back of your mind, and both of those things are good for you.

 

There’s also a spiritual component. When you do your chores, you are expending time and energy to show respect to your environment (which is not necessarily THE environment). Investing some of yourself into your surroundings puts a little of your spirit into them, and that will reflect back to you in positive ways.

 

Active Meditation

 

Most people recognize that meditation can be good for you, but meditation doesn’t have to be about quiet and stillness. Active meditation is the idea of doing an activity that allows your mind room for freedom.

 

For many people, taking a walk counts. Yoga might be great for you. A lot of crafts and hobbies can be meditative too. The point is to immerse yourself in the activity to allow it to bring you to a meditative state.

And, if you haven’t found your meditative activity yet, start exploring. That process will be good for your spirit too.

 

 

Why Operating System Updates are More Important Than You Realize

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Few people like the experience of turning on their computer in the morning only to be greeted by a series of messages saying that updates are available and need to be downloaded. Many of us even put these updates off for long periods of time, consistently clicking on the “Remind Me Later” button. This is particularly common with operating system updates as, even though the OS is a major part of how your computer is able to function, it’s still something of an “out of sight, out of mind” situation.

In reality, this is definitely not something that you want to do. Operating system updates are far more critical than most people realize for a number of different reasons, all of which are worth exploring.

Why Operating System Updates Matter

One of the biggest reasons why operating system updates should be downloaded immediately has to do with the security flaws that they often patch.

Yes, it’s true that sometimes OS updates can seem superfluous – meaning they make changes to built-in apps that can seem inconsequential or they adjust the graphical user interface (GUI) in a way we might not actually enjoy.

But more often than not, the major changes that an operating system update is bringing happen on “the back end.” This means it is fixing the code that average users never really see.

If a security vulnerability with an operating system is discovered – and rest assured, one will be – an update is likely pushed out to address it. Every day that you don’t download and install that update is a day that your machine is potentially vulnerable to hackers with malicious intentions.

This is also a big part of the reason why it’s so important to pay attention to when the “End of Life” date is on an OS. Microsoft’s Windows 7, for example, was undeniably one of the more popular versions of Windows to ever be released. However, Microsoft announced years in advance when they would stop supporting it. It’s simply not feasible to pay programming teams to regularly update software that is a decade old when they could be working on whatever the newest version happens to be.

If anyone continued to run Windows 7 after the “End of Life” date, they would essentially be running a computer that could be easily exploited. Any piece of personal data on that machine – be it bank statements, photos, confidential documents, etc. – could be easily taken advantage of because no further updates were coming.

Therefore, it’s always important to update your operating system whenever the opportunity arises because those updates only happen for a very good reason. Likewise, when a newer version of your operating system is released, which happens with both Windows and MacOS on an annual basis, you should download and install those, too. For the most part, they’re all about protection – making the minor inconvenience of the download process more than worth it in the long run.