Reasons why you should Switch from Smoking to Vaping

Vaping is considered more convenient Smoking cigarettes comes with many shortcomings even though not bad for your health because socially isolates you, it is smelly...


Building Empathy With VR Games

Educational video games are nothing new, but they have begun tackling more nuanced topics over the past few years. Games like "Depression Quest," "That...

Why is the IQ test used as a Measure of Intelligence

Intelligence can be measured in a variety of different ways with different tests. There is no one manner in which to do so. This...


Why is the IQ test used as a Measure of Intelligence

Intelligence can be measured in a variety of different ways with different tests. There is no one manner in which to do so. This is not a bad thing given that there are many varying forms of intelligence and what is attempted to be measured when assessing intelligence. Because of this, one set of criteria underlying an intelligence test is bound to be criticized and questioned. No one intelligence test can assess all forms of intelligence completely and accurately. Instead, an intelligence test is designed to provide for a different form of assessment and use, namely in the form of creating a standard level of assessment for different people who are taking the test in order to come about with a basic level of standard for determining the intelligence of an individual. Here are some of the considerations for doing so with an IQ test.

What is an IQ test?

A quick IQ test is also known as an intelligent quotient test. The two factors measured is how accurately you respond to some questions as well as your age based on your maturity with age. This is an important point that stresses the flexibility of the IQ test overall and its ability to measure a wide range of individuals who have different levels of maturity. Further, the IQ test is designed to measure a consistent level as a person as a person matures. This means that as a person gets older and takes the test they will have an similar score as when they took the test when they were younger. This obviously confers a significant advantage from a comparison standpoint over a period of time.

Why the Need for a Standardized Intelligence Test?

It is important for an community to be able to assess the best and brightest who may be able to excel in advanced educational programs and therefore contribute to society. Alternatively, those with lower levels of intelligence may benefit from programs that advance their abilities with added assistance. An intelligence quotient test can also be used to form groups that people with similar abilities mentally join. For example, the organization known as Mensa accepts the IQ test as a means of admission into the organization. As such, an intelligence test that is standardized can help to differentiate individuals so it can be determined the abilities of each person. While no standardized test is perfect and the be all and end all of a persons abilities, the IQ test is good at ranking intelligence and differentiating between different individuals mental abilities quite effectively. This can be used positively to determine the overall health and ability of a person and is a useful tool determining how intelligent a person is. To close, here is a great video with the knowledgable Jordan P. on IQ:

How to Increase Your Listeners On Spotify (and your revenue)

You may like to increase your listeners on Spotify so that you can grow your brand. Spotify has been in operation for long, and it attracts a lot of users. Being active on the platform can help in growing your music career. Some people are doing well on the platform while others are struggling. Working with experts who can help in distrusting your music on Spotify can be a great way to grow your listener base. Many people claim to offer the services, but you need to research and locate the best who will guarantee you the best experience. Always ensure you invest in the best distribution strategies to get your music growing.

How to increase your listeners on Spotify

  1. Create your playlist
The first ste3p to take towards growing your Spotify presence is to create your playlist. It will help in getting streams and building your presence on the platform. Share your music regularly, and you will increase your presence. People would like to hear from their friends so that they can develop the following. Being active on the platform is a great way to make people get interested in the type of music you produce.
  1. Build your brand on Spotify
Get verified on Spotify as an artist then try to engage listeners on social media and the platform. There are several tools on Spotify you can utilize to create your presence. Ensure you invest in the right promotion tactics on Spotify, and they will play a great role in helping you achieve great success on the platform. If you do it right you can easily grow your listeners into the thousands, like this dude:
  1. Support other artists and their work
There are several other artists in the field you specialize in. If you love a given type of music, then you will get other people to know about your abilities if you can interact with them. Other artists will be ready to give back if they can see you are sharing their work and you have a good reputation with them. It is easy for people to know the type of music you prefer from the activities you have on the platform.
  1. Contact Music Blogs
Apart from the good work you are doing on Spotify, you can get more people to know your music after you decide to share your work on social media platforms and music blogs. Some music blogs have a lot of following. You will get people interested in your music, sharing it. Share links on social media platforms where people who lover certain types of music interact.
  1. Ask a reputable distributor for help
There are some Spotify promotion and distribution platforms that have experts who can handle the process of growing the followers on Spotify. A spotify playlists promotion service that has a good reputation in helping artists grow on Spotify is a good start.

What are the current methods used to detect fake IDs and passports?

While identifying a fake ID or passport is difficult, and the real methods used by government agencies are not publicized, there are ways authorities can detect if an ID is fake or genuine.   The basic ways of identifying a fake ID — The basic way of being able to tell if an ID or passport is fake is by using the naked eye. This is the preliminary method used by governmental agencies, as some fakes are just so bad they are easy to detect. Authorities look for laminate on a passport or ID that has obviously been peeled back, as this is an easy way for someone to use a real ID or passport but substitute another photograph for the genuine one. They also look at the laminate to see if the security measures that would be visible on a genuine ID are on the laminate. These features are difficult to replicate by anyone other than a governmental agency, so this can be a giveaway the ID is fake. Agencies also look at the control numbers listed on each ID or passport to see if they have been changed.   Checking birth and death certificates — If a government official suspects a passport or ID may be fake, they may also check birth and death records in that state or country. Using the birth certificate of someone who has died is a common way of obtaining a real ID or passport simply by using it to apply for a genuine ID. A quick search of database records, however, can often pull up information that the person who is using an ID or passport cannot possibly be the person whose data they are traveling under. Not if death records show that person died many years before.   I.D. Checking Guide — Governmental agencies and non-governmental businesses will often have the I.D. Checking Guide. This is a guide that tells the user what every state ID issued should look like, and what distinguishing markings it should have on it.   Idanalyzer — Another popular way of identifying fake IDs and passports is by use of the Idanalyzerdriver license verification. This is a privately developed program that allows the user to scan passports and IDs to check for verifiable and genuine details on each. Idanalyzer can be used to detect genuine or fake passports and IDs from more than 100 countries. It is able to verify your employee’s or customer’s identification via a quick scan of the ID, and can protect your business from fraud. The API also uses facial recognition to check if a photograph on the ID is a genuine photograph of the person using it, or could be a photo of the original owner of that specific ID.  

Artificial Intelligence’s Everyday Impact on Society

As time passes, artificial intelligence is becoming a more prominent part of society. AI is beneficial in numerous capacities, including for social, medical, and military growth. As AI continues to evolve, its societal value will continue to grow. As the efficiency of artificial intelligence increases, the demand for human dependency will also more than likely decrease. AI’s Societal Impact Currently, society is benefiting from numerous artificial intelligence systems. For example, it is popular for people to use AI for security. Instead of physically locking their doors before leaving their home or job, they can be blocks or even states away and can lock their doors or activate their alarm systems with the touch of a button or screen. This same concept applies to activating surveillance. Numerous applications are able to detect movement or unrecognizable visitors, resulting in less burglaries. In the workplace, businesses are cutting costs by investing in machines that can provide quicker and more efficient labor than humans. Rather than using humans to sort materials, for example, artificial intelligence technology allows for machines to not only do more work than humans can, but the accuracy of the machines are designed to have less error. Machines also do not fatigue or require lunch breaks, making them assets in the job force. Data entry is also being outsourced to artificial intelligence. AI’s ability to perform repetitive tasks with minimal error also eliminates the need for hired personnel to spend time that can be allocated to other tasks, like customer service.

Social media intelligence also aids data collection. When someone logs onto their profile, a record of their likes and video history create recommendations for that user. For instance, if someone searches numerous videos on hair care products, that data is collected and used to provide ads to where that product can be purchased. In addition to the AI data regulation, it also provides entertainment, like virtual reality, that can be played on game systems and on phones via apps. User location data is also utilized by AI for recommendations. In addition to concepts like data entry and the ability to complete repetitive tasks, AI is also great for meeting physical demands impossible for humans. For instance, humans are not able to fly over mountains and film or withstand pressure levels at the ocean floor the way AI can via drones and robots. With the expansion of artificial intelligence, the abilities to both perform minimal tasks all the way to helping break barriers in healthcare (see Cody Moxam predicts AI influence) and military competence. With the automation of labor eliminating jobs, people may be apprehensive about the evolution of artificial intelligence. With more rewards than drawbacks, AI is destined to create great future progress.

What is Code Signing and Why is a Digital Certificate Important?

Have you ever heard the terms “code signing” or “digital certificate” and wondered what those terms meant? Code signing is an important part of increasing digital security and keeping digital users safe. When someone code signs a digital piece of software, they are confirming that the code was not changed by another party. This means that the only person who has touched the original code is the original programmer. Why is Code Signing Important? Code signing is important because it keeps you safe online. A code signing certificate allows programmers to prove that their software is safe. If the code was altered by a third party, the digital signature will show that it is “unverified” or “invalid” when you go to download the piece of software. You can see when a piece of software has come directly from the programmer or if it has been tampered with by a third party. This makes code signing especially important for businesses who deliver information or programs online. If you want your customers to download a new piece of software, a software update, or a new file online then you need to provide a digital certificate through code signing. When they open that piece of software, they need to see that it is verified and shows that you are the official owner. You do not want your customers to have to guess whether or not this piece of software comes directly from you or another person. You can increase your credibility by providing customers with information about what to look for to ensure that the software is directly from your business. What is a Digital Certificate? Programmers require digital certificates to keep their software safe. Digital certificates are also used when sending information online. The digital certificate verifies the user’s identity. This makes it possible to ensure that the information can be shared securely online by using the digital certificate as a password. Companies use digital certificates with software they send to customers and within their own company with their employees. Stay safe online by making sure that you use software programs that have digital certificates and employ code signing.

Building Empathy With VR Games

Educational video games are nothing new, but they have begun tackling more nuanced topics over the past few years. Games like “Depression Quest,” “That Dragon, Cancer” and “Actual Sunlight” put gamers in the role of protagonists suffering from real-world problems for the purpose of building empathy in the player. The field of virtual reality has created new potential for such empathy building games, and now there’s even data to back up their effectiveness.
A new VR project called “Across the Line” simulates what many women see when they first arrive at an abortion clinic: a mob of protesters. Developed by Planned Parenthood, the immersive cinematic experience uses a combination of real audio and scripted scenes. The terms “game” and “player” are used loosely as there is little user interaction; players just helplessly watch what many real women face from a first-person perspective.
“Across the Line” isn’t the first game to tackle access to abortion. A flash game called “Choice: Texas,” a role-playing game that guides players through the lives of several women seeking care, came out just a couple of years ago. However, what distinguishes “Across the Line” is that the developers actually studied how their game impacts player’s opinions. According to executive producer Molly Eagan, the goal of the project was to increase empathy for women who have abortions, reduce tolerance for bullying and encourage people to be more supportive of reproductive rights. To determine if they met their goals, Planned Parenthood commissioned researchers to conduct an experiment on two groups of viewers attending last year’s Sundance Film Festival. Both groups were given surveys about their views on protests outside of abortion clinics; however, one group took the survey before watching the simulation, and the other took it after watching the simulation. The people who watched the simulation first tended to be significantly more disapproving of demonstrations outside of abortion clinics. Because most of the film festival’s attendees were economically privledged liberals, Planned Parenthood decided to repeat the study while targeting women with moderate political beliefs in Kansas City and Atlanta. Instead of surveys, they conducted long-form interviews with each participant, and they found that women who watched “Across the Line” were more empathetic toward women who seek abortions. Many expressed willingness to talk about the subject with their friends, and a few even offered to volunteer to escort women through crowds of protesters. Executive producer Molly Eagan has told reporters that many people, regardless of their political beliefs, are unaware of the level of harassment that can take place outside of Planned Parenthood clinics. Many viewers in the studies found the simulation overwhelming and wanted to stop before it was over, especially those who knew women who have had abortions because “they didn’t realize the level of harassment their loved ones may have endured,” according to Eagan. Due to the stigma surrounding the procedure, many women who have had abortions don’t share their experiences, so their friends and family don’t know what it’s really like. However, based on the study results, Eagan is optimistic about VR’s capacity to help players figuratively see through the eyes of others. “Across the Line” is being distributed at colleges across the nation along with discussion guides created by Planned Parenthood. The non-profit is also making an effort to show the film to policymakers and police officers. Anyone with a Google Cardboard VR set can experience “Across the Line” by visiting www.acrossthelinevr.com. Whether or not it has a large scale impact is yet to be seen, but the project has laid great groundwork for testing how VR experiences can influence people’s worldviews.





How Networking Can Improve Car Safety

Automobiles have become safer because of technological advances introduced with the past few decades. Life-saving innovations include the automatic seat belt, anti-lock brakes and stability control as well as front, rear and side curtain airbags. In addition to camera-based or radar-assisted backup systems, many vehicles are equipped with hands-free parking and blind-spot warning systems. With the advent of the cloud, auto safety experts believe that network technology may be the next major innovation in automotive safety.
Car manufacturers, federal regulators and technology companies have collaborated to design an effective vehicle-to-vehicle or car-to-car communication system for almost two decades. These systems enable vehicles to broadcast their location, speed, braking status and steering wheel position to other cars, trucks or buses within a few hundred meters. Relaying this information and potentially alerting each connected vehicle to issues ahead could provide safer driving beyond the ability of even the most alert and capable driver.
According to government statistics, more than 5.68 million police-reported accidents in 2013 caused over 32,000 fatalities and 2.3 million injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that up to 80 percent of these accidents could have been averted with vehicle-to-vehicle networking. To ensure privacy, the systems will not transmit vehicle identification numbers or any other personal information. In February 2016, Google’s autonomous car sideswiped a bus. The computer on board the self-driving car identified an obstacle in its path and changed lanes to avoid it. The car’s onboard systems recognized the bus in the adjacent lane but anticipated that it would slow down and allow the car to merge. The accident occurred because the bus maintained its speed. The bus driver did not know that there was an obstacle in the other lane. Vehicle-to-vehicle networking may have prevented the accident. If both vehicles were connected to the same network, the bus’ computer would have received a signal that the car was changing lanes. The transit bus’ software would have slowed the vehicle facilitating a safe merger. System designers envision a network of connected vehicles that communicate with each other 10 times per second to transmit and receive data, such as speed, braking and GPS position. Onboard computers would process this information, calculate potential risks and alert the drivers. In a self-driving car, the required braking, speed or position changes would be accomplished automatically. The technology could also be integrated into a vehicle-to-infrastructure system that enables autonomous vehicles to anticipate that traffic lights are about to change. The network could communicate with navigation systems so that the car can automatically calculate a more efficient route around an accident scene or congested traffic. While autonomous vehicle software is still affected by weather, complex city driving and poor road conditions, car-to-car networking is on the horizon. The federal government continues to fund research and field-testing. Along with the NHTSA, major players include General Motors and the University of Michigan as well as Apple, BMW and Qualcomm. German engineering and automotive supply company, Bosch is developing motorcycle-to-vehicle technology. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has already set aside bandwidth for this groundbreaking technology. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system is a standard feature on the 2017 Cadillac CTS, the first production automobile to incorporate this safety technology. The automaker has also successfully demonstrated a vehicle-to-infrastructure prototype. Joining states like Ohio and Nevada in the development of smart city infrastructure, Michigan has begun adding vehicle-to-infrastructure upgrades along portions of Interstate 75. While the infrastructure of tomorrow is only available in a few locations, considerable resources are being invested to determine the best communication system for the future. The demand for this system is higher in the U.S., but the market is expected to grow in Europe, Asia and Africa as the number of vehicles increases along with the implementation and acceptance of these innovative technological developments.

Tech Innovations You Should Have In Your Home

There are a lot of technologies that are now becoming in demand. If you are going to pick which ones to include in your home, you want to go for things that can add safety and efficiency on your property. Having CCTV cameras, for instance, is a great way to increase the level of protection in your home. These cameras can be hooked on your mobile device allowing you to see everything even if you are not around. It is also a good idea that you install lights that have sensors in order to save energy. And for some bulbs, there are even those that you can control via your mobile device.

How to Keep Your Kids From Getting Addicted to Gadgets

Gadgets can help us improve our communication. However, keep in mind that it can also be addictive especially to kids. You want to make sure that you are controlling the use of mobile phones, tablets, and other electronic devices at home with your kids. You can start by controlling the number of hours that they can use the device throughout the day. It is a good idea that they can only use the device for an hour every day. This way, they don’t rely on these things.

Things To Expect From Smartphones in The Coming Years

We’ve seen a lot of phones in the market in recent years. What can we expect from smartphones in the coming years? For one, we are seeing the emergence of larger screens. This allows users to enjoy videos. Also, a common problem that is being addressed today by many manufacturers is their phone’s battery life. This is especially handy now that people use the internet so much. In addition to this, there are also water resistant models that are becoming popular. This allows users to enjoy their phones more.

CCTV Tech in Business And Home

CCTV tech comes in handy in your home or in your business. According to research, CCTV can be considered as a crime deterrent. This can prevent robbers from going to your business or your home because they know that they are being recorded. In addition to this, you also feel safer because you can access the CCTV footages even on your mobile device. This allows you to report to the police immediately if you find anything unusual on your property. For a lot of business owners, these cameras can help increase the productivity in the workplace since employees know that they are being recorded.

Technologies that Made an Impact This 2017

The rapid growth of technology has changed the way we do activities and live our lives. In fact, we’ve seen new inventions left and right. Sometimes, it is often times hard to keep up. But there are technologies that are far more than just for consumer use. There are technologies that have changed the way we interact or perform daily tasks. Here are some of the most notable technologies that made an impact this 2017. Improved search algorithm Google has changed the way we live and how we access information. Over the years, Google’s algorithm has continuously improved in order to bring the most relevant results to its users. Google has developed an algorithm that is location sensitive specifically for mobile users. This allows the search engine to provide better results that are relevant especially when the location is taken into consideration. Innovative Construction Materials Modernization is something that a lot of us have to deal with. And alongside modernization is the rapid destruction of nature. For a lot of innovators in the construction industry, they’ve come up with modern construction materials that can help attenuate the effects of cities on our lives. For instance, there is the cement that captures carbon dioxide hoping to keep the environment cool. There are also bricks that have been developed from bacteria. With these developments in the construction industry, not only is it possible to attract environmentally conscious clients, it can also make a huge impact in the cities. Plants that can simulate the meat like experience Greenhouse gasses and cruelty-free consumption are just some of the things that are gaining attention. Plant-based proteins are now being developed in order to help lessen the consumption of meat. These plant-based proteins are being developed to have the same meat-like experience. There are also technologies being used today to produce eggs, meat, and dairy products solely in laboratories and not in farms. VR in lieu of live concerts? VR technology is fast developing. In fact, it is expected that VR technology will soon replace live events. This means that you can enjoy an engaging experience using VR technology. It is possible in the near future that organizers are going to sell VR tickets instead. Low-cost sensors Homes will change how it is operated. In fact, with the emergence of low-cost sensors, it is possible to rack up savings in the long run. We will have access to our homes remotely, not to mention have smart sensors that will only turn on when someone is around. Drone technology Drones are no longer just used as Christmas gifts. Instead, drones are going to be used for different purposes. Drones can be used to deliver medicine to far-flung areas that are commonly inaccessible to by land and planes. Amazon is also testing drones that can deliver products to customers with reduced cost and time. Technology can help improve the way we live our lives. It has the ability to deliver the best results that can even help reduce the impact to nature. With these technologies, it has allowed us to live our lives a bit differently and a bit more comfortably.

Low-cost sensors


Drone technology


Innovative Construction Materials



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