Part I: Great technology for the holidays

We are a couple weeks away from the most wonderful time of the year and looking forward to that big day when we wake up and see what's under the Christmas tree.

Once again this year, you can bet that the most anticipated and intensely wanted gifts will be those coming from the information technology realm.

If you have been following the consumer markets, you know that the biggest sellers in information technology gadgets continue to be smartphones like the Droid, Android, iPhone Evo and so on. The Apple iPad, iPod and Nano have also been top sellers, as well as the Kindle.

Having said that,I thought it would be good to give you a look at some of the less advertised tech gadgets that are both unique and very interesting. So, let's take a look at what's under the radar, but very new and exciting gifts for this holiday season.

Mindflex

It is often said that we use very little of our brains and if we had the capability to use more of it, we could probably do things like move objects with our minds, read other people's thoughts and maybe even make time stand still.

Of course, all of that is beyond human mental capacity, which is probably a good thing. But fear not, because there is a new tech toy on the market that may help you expand your mental powers and capabilities.

This new brainpower-enhancing device is called Mindflex by Mattel and its main feature is a headset that reads your brain waves, which allows them to interact with and levitate a foam ball.

Now if you think it is unbelievable you must simply see it to believe it. The aim of this device is to move you beyond the realm of the ordinary games that require the roll of a die or lucky draw. Instead, the advanced Mindflex technology brings an entirely new agenda of play as it prompts you to play in a whole new way using the power of your mind. The game begins with you strapping on a headset, which permits you to use the brain's power of concentration to move a ball around the game console and through a mind-altering obstacle course. The Mindflex game is suggested for players ages 8 and above. Check it out and see just how powerful your mind really is and if you possess or can master the power of telekinesis.

SkyScout

Next up is a tech gadget called, The SkyScout created by Celestron. This is an extraordinary handheld device that incorporates advanced GPS technology with point-and-click ease to locate and identify thousands of stars, planets, constellations and more. You need only point the SkyScout at any star in the sky, while clicking the target button and the device will tell you what object you are looking at.

When attempting to locate a star or planet you only need to pinpoint the object's name in the menu and then follow the directional arrows that are revealed in the viewfinder. The overall process is really simple and the SkyScout is very easy to use. It has a built-in celestial database that has information on it and can locate more than 6,000 stars, planets and constellations along with scientific information on each object. Furthermore, the SkyScout provides an extensive amount of text, history and mythology along with more entertaining information on the most popular objects in the solar system and the information comes in audio form as wll. The SkyScout is so cool and is like having your own personal planetarium that fits in the palm of your hand.

Video Glasses

For all you enthusiastic movie buffs there is a new technology in the form of Video Glasses by The Sharper Image, that allow you to watch movies and videos anywhere and at any time, without attracting unwanted attention. The Video Glasses have a virtual wrap screen that displays with a standard 4:3 and 16:9 screen formats and also plays 2D and 3D movies. Another great feature of the Video Glasses is that they support the iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch, portable DVD players, composite-video media players, digital cameras, camcorders, mobile phones with video-out, game systems, and more.

The Video Glasses are very comfortable and stylish to boot with added ability to fit over most prescription eyeglasses. The glasses have Independent left and right eye focal adjustment along with noise-isolating earphones. I have tested The Sharper Image Video Glasses and found them to be both affordable and really nice. Check in next week as I continue to unveil more high tech gadgets that I know you will enjoy, along with cool green tech gadgets as well.

Andino Ward is vice president of marketing and operations of Bardissi Enterprises in Hatfield. Bardissi Enterprises welcomes your questions or comments. Questions you would like answered or topics you would like discussed should be sent to Andino R. Ward at award@bardissi.net. You can also visit www.bardissi.net, or call (215) 853-2266.

Getting rid of old technology

With the speed at which information technology systems and software change, by way of faster processing of information, larger storage capacities, increased functionality and improved operating systems, it stands to reason that outdated IT hardware can build up and take up space in your home or office, thus eventually leading to the purchase of new systems. So, what do you do with the old PC or laptop?

We have looked at one method of disposal that a big box store uses, namely Best Buy. If you were not already aware, non-profits are another great refuge for disposing of old IT systems. There is a non-profit organization called National Cristina Foundation, which is like a clearinghouse for donated computers, laptops and various other forms of IT hardware and software. The National Cristina Foundation is joined with other, legitimate non-profits, public agencies and schools throughout the United States, Canada and internationally. The organization's main purpose is to move used computers, laptops and other types of IT hardware and software that has been donated to the aforementioned entities to be used by economically disadvantaged citizens, those who have disabilities, employment training programs and at risk students both nationally and internationally.

If you're interested in making a donation of your old system, software or other IT hardware such as printers and peripherals to the National Cristina Foundation, all you have to do is visit their website at http://www.cristina.org and you will find all of the information to assist you in making a donation. Make sure that you pay close attention to the organization's specific requirements regarding what is an acceptable, donated PC or laptop. This information can also be found on the website as well.

There is a local non-profit organization that specifically deals with securing and receiving old IT technology that is being donated in the local area as well. The organization is called Nonprofit Technology Resources and it is located in Philadelphia. The organization's main purpose is to provide donated computers and laptops to low income people and community based organizations in the city. NTR also provides hands on assistance and training, to those receiving donated systems, so that they are able to use the systems properly. Just go to http://ntrweb.org/ for more information and directions on how to make donations.

One of our business partners, in information technology, is very involved, as well, in properly discarding of old technology and although they specialize in creating and building new PCs and laptops, they will take donations of IT hardware no matter what the brand name may be. The company is DELL and its program is called "Dell Reconnect." Dell's recycling program will accept computer equipment no matter what condition it is in and they do recycle it for free. Another great thing about Dell's program is that they make sure that any and all sensitive materials that could harm the environment are never disposed of in landfills.

The final group and probably the most extensive, in terms of its outreach is the World Computer Exchange organization which is considered to be North America's leading non-profit organization that deals with finding large quantities of donated PCs and laptops which they supply to developing countries around the world. The WCE has over 570 partner organizations throughout the world and about 25 chapters located in and around the United States to which donations of IT hardware can be made.

Without question, the WCE maintains a world view on the provision of technology as it believes that the world's youths deserve an education and that this can be achieved through providing them access to the Internet and the World Wide Web. It is important to remember that the WCE deals in very large quantities of PCs and laptops which is more applicable to companies and corporations as they would be entities that need to dispose of larger amounts of technology at any given time. To learn more about the World Computer Exchange, just visit the website http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org/.

Given the fact that this is a major time of the year when people will be getting that new PC or laptop under the tree on Christmas Day, thus preparing the way for the need to dispose of their old system, the information contained herein, I hope, will provide a definite resource of organizations that can be used to donate your unwanted technology to. Whatever you do, please make sure that it will be environmentally safe.

- Andino Ward

Telemedicine: The plan and privacy

As indicated, last week, there is a big push on governmentally and health insurance industry wide, to reduce the cost of delivering health-care while expanding the level of service.

Until now, there has been reluctance on the part of the health-care industry to spend money on expensive new technology today that could possibly minimize the ever-growing cost of health care tomorrow.

Ironically, since the healthcare reform process that the Obama administration passed has been implemented, there has been a residual effect in that it has prompted the health insurance industry to rethink their negative attitudes and begin to really consider the new telemedicine agenda.

Technology companies like Intel and General Electric have been actively pursuing the creation of home health-care monitoring system’s that would have the ability to transmits data from devices like blood-pressure cuffs and glucose meters directly over the Internet.

Google and IBM are throwing their hats in the ring, as they too are developing telemedicine solutions in home systems that will have Internet data transmission capabilities.

The overall aim of this new partnership between the technology companies and the health insurance industry is to create technology that will guarantee and provide a real life interaction between patients and doctors over the Internet.

It would seem the health insurance industry is finally ready to accept a nontraditional delivery system and to loosen their purse strings, kicking out a few big bucks to get the telemedicine process started along with the government, and both believe that remote monitoring technology is just the right fit to increase the degree of medical services, while at the same time decreasing the cost.

So, how does this new system work? When looking at the overall layout of this new technology, it is clear that most of it is already readily available and will only need to be modified to fit the proposed medical agenda.

The system will use high-definition cameras and monitors in a telepresence format that will create an experience between the doctor and patient that will be much like that of a visual conference call.

A certified, trained medical professional, along with an IT technician, will be the onsite presence at the patient’s residence along with the monitoring and telecommunications equipment that will be set up to connect with the same type of equipment back at the doctor’s office.

There is also another telemedicine solution that is a small telepresence room or pod that can be driven to any location and have patients be seen on the mobile unit or a pod that can be moved, inside a medical facility, from room to room.

Once all is connected, there will be an online link between the physician and the patient and it is hoped the experience will be very intimate to the degree that the patient will feel like he or she is in the same room with their physician.

That intimacy is where we look at the issue of privacy and the fact that it is not really possible, at this point, to address the issue of privacy since this can only be accurately dealt with once the telemedicine technology is in place and being used on a broad basis.

Again, the hope is that the aspect of intimacy will impart the same feeling of privacy that is now felt by a patient when addressing medical and health concerns in the physician’s actual office, but only the implementation of the technology and patient response will tell us how the issue of privacy is perceived.

There are various telemedicine systems being used in test modes throughout the country, by various health insurance groups and technology companies, with the ongoing monitoring of the new technologies efficiency, cost effectiveness and how the test group of patients perceives this new method of delivering health care.

The majority of the testing is being done in areas where there is limited access to adequate health care or rural areas where the travel distance in receiving health-care services can be problematic.

Yet, to date, there has not been a release of any information or statistics regarding how the process is being perceived by the patients as well as how the new technology is functioning.

Is there a doctor in the house? Oh, yes there is and the doctor is on your computer asking you to, “please bend over and cough”!

How do you feel about this brave new world of technology and health care?

- Andino Ward

Is telemedicine about to become a reality?

As we all know, there is an ongoing debate and battle over health care and the recently passed health-care bill.

The issue of health care and the new bill continues to be ever present and apparent in the national media and the political arena as well.

Now, there is a new anomaly that is working its way into the health-care debate and if it should become a reality, could add a whole new dimension to the debate and how health-care services will be delivered to the consumer and the costs associated with health insurance providers.

The new anomaly to which I am referring is "telemedicine" and many experts in the field of health care are expressing their feelings that telemedicine's time has come.

Over the last 10 years, technology companies have been expressing an exaggerated interest in the potential implementation of virtual technology that would permit physicians to remotely examine and monitor patients without having to actually be onsite or have the patient come into the office.

It should be clearly understood that the technology used to provide telemedicine is very expensive and, as a result of the cost, from a business perspective, makes it difficult to really take seriously.

However, all of this is about to change as recent developments regarding the health-care system and the governmental feeling that it is broken have sparked a newfound desire to find various means and ways to fix the system.

Thus, the Washington, D.C., power brokers and lawmakers are now revisiting the aspect of technologies like high-definition video conferencing and telepresence.

One of the major players in the direction of this new health-care technology is Cisco, which has developed a system called HealthPresence, which has the ability to allow a physician to examine and treat a patient remotely using the physician's system in the process.

This new system has come about as a result of the partnership that has taken place between technology superstar Cisco and the health insurer UnitedHealth Group.

As a result of the partnership, the two entities, using the new technology called HealthPresence, will direct its focus on providing remote care to people who live in remote and under-served areas of the country and eventually the world as well as.

Even though, the cost of this new technology is a big concern as is seen in the $300,000 price tag on the Cisco system, there is also the expense associated with the fact that these systems require the use of high-definition audio and video equipment and need a significant amount of bandwidth to function properly as the entire process is one that will be transmitted over the internet.

Yet, when you look at the fact that Washington lawmakers and the health-care industry, do all agree that if something is not done to stem the rising cost of health care, the ever increasing costs could very well cripple the nation, it is obvious why they are seeking and willing to consider nontraditional solutions like telemedicine.

We will take a look at some of the concerns regarding deployment of the new technology and the overall concern of patient privacy as it relates to this new frontier next week.

- Andino Ward

What is the biggest network security problem?

Computer and network security continues to be a subject of ongoing concern and I find, that I cannot write enough on this very important business subject and issue.

The overwhelming and continual problem, which compels me to revisit this subject, is that I am continuing to see business owners who just don't take seriously the importance in making sure critical information is well protected rather than the possibility of losing valuable and critical operational data as well as the network being compromised and data being stolen.

Not a week goes by that my company is not confronted with a call, from a business, identifying that their entire network and its data may have been breached and the data compromised.

So why are businesses continuing to experience problems in the area of network security breaches and what should companies do in order to combat network and computer security problems?

Most companies tend to put thousands of dollars into things like anti-virus/anti-malware protection, firewalls, password policies and security procedures. Yet, they fail to do the thing, that will first and foremost tell them what the source of their network security problems may really be, which is take a hard, in-depth look at exactly what the security problems are and where they are coming from.

When called upon, to deal with the issue of network security and a potential breach, the first thing we do is to freeze everything on the network and begin to do a systematic analysis of all activity that has taken place, on the network, over the period of the last month. Now, because the network freeze can and will create system down time, it is always smart to do this on the weekend verses normal business hours and once the process is done, without fail, at least 90 percent of the time, we find what the biggest network security issue is and the problems originate from the company.

- George Bardissi

Communications providers are hard to categorize

Throughout the course of looking into the government’s creation of new legislation that would allow for expanded and more intrusive wiretapping of all Internet communications, it is clear that the initiative is largely being spear headed by federal law enforcement and national security officials.

It is also quite interesting that these officials, along with Congress, that are working on the proposed legislation have not been able to agree on how to determine or define what makes an entity a communications service provider.

Even more interesting is that the White House tends to have a clearer profile of what a communications service provider is, or at present, it would appear that way.

The White House seems to feel that any entity involved in using encrypted e-mail transmitters and social networking sites along with peer-to-peer messaging software should be targeted.

Of course, when you look at the aforementioned profiles, it is immediately apparent that company’s like Skype, Facebook and BlackBerry will most likely come under the long arm of the new wirer tapping legislation if passed and enacted.

Companies who operate servers outside the United States, according to the White House definition, will also qualify as communications service providers, thus making them part of those companies that will need to comply with the new legislation.

When questioned about the new legislation, one of the FBI’s attorneys indicated that the security community is not necessarily attempting to expand its authority, but rather to preserve their existing capability to execute the current protocols, now in place, allowing a continuation of ongoing protection of the public and national security.

This all coincides with the fact that national security officials, for quite a while, have been actively pursuing the government to give them greater latitude and control in being able to wiretap the Internet, because of the intensified activity on the part of extremists and criminals who are inclined to do more of their conversing online and not on the telephone.

It goes without saying that the proposed legislation does raise worrisome privacy concerns relative to all who use the Internet.

In the Times article, James X Dempsey, vice president of the Center for Democracy and Technology, made it clear that it seems like the national security agencies and the White House are trying to send time spiraling backward, in that they appear to want the services provided on the Internet to function in the way that telephone systems once functioned.

The United States is not the only country grappling with the matter of Internet security concerns. Over the course of this year, it has been reported that India and Saudi Arabia both threatened to extinguish all BlackBerry services, because of their governments feeling that the device’s e-mail encryption was responsible for creating a potential national security risk in their respective countries.

In light of both countries’ firm stance on eliminating BlackBerry services, RIM did concede to their demands and the two countries’ security officials complete, lawful access to Internet and smartphone data. Of course, this kind of leverage is exactly what our national security agencies are hoping to gain with the advent of the proposed legislation.

The vast majority of citizens, in the United States are probably not aware of the fact that our Internet and phone networks have been under protocols that allow for various agencies to eavesdrop as a result of the 1994 law titled the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act.

Although the wiretapping authority was amended to include digital networks and cell phones as well as the already covered copper-wire phone systems, the law falls short, according to the security agencies and the government as it still fails to cover communications service providers.

So what does this mean for you and me? Well, quite simply, nothing if we are honest, law-abiding citizens. You see, if you aren’t doing anything wrong or questionable, then ask yourself, “What do I have to fear?”

Because that’s what it really boils down to. Whether we like it, or not, the days of complete privacy, as a result of the world we live in, are over.

Thus, you and I have a choice to make. Either we accept the fact that with advanced technology there will continue to be an advancing loss of privacy, or we decide to walk away from technology and return to a time of greater simplicity where we had to physically and personally communicate with one another and not through a touch screen or keypad.

Are you living a righteous life or are you one who by virtue of your unlawful or questionable activities will become afraid of what may come to be a complete loss of privacy in the ever expanding realm of balancing information technology and national security?

Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate what you’re doing on the Internet.

- Andino Ward

The White House wants to tap the Internet

Are you ready for the next round of possible government-inspired Internet security measures?

Well, get prepared, because there is big talk and even bigger plans under way regarding Internet security.

It was reported in the Sept. 27 edition of The New York Times that the White House is hard at work creating legislation that will broaden the scope of the current wiretap authority to infiltrate and intercept our Facebook, BlackBerry and Skype communications without prior knowledge or consent.

The proposed legislation would also include an agenda that will give law enforcement and security officials increased ease in being able to infiltrate and eavesdrop on your online chatter as well.

Don't be alarmed, as the proposed legislation is not expected to be presented to Congress before next year and we all know just how long it can take, before a decision is made on anything in Congress.

You can bet there will be hearing after hearing, filibusters and a host of other objections during the process.

This proposed legislation is being seen as an Obama administration-sponsored bill, which for all intents and purposes would appear to be true since it is coming out of the White House.

One of the unsettling and most prominent aspects of the pending legislation, if passed and enacted, will demand that every Internet-based communication service reset its internal protocols to be technically capable of adhering to the federal wiretap order to include the ability to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.

The overall scope of this legislation has incredible implications, as it may seem to be a means of releasing the proverbial hounds of hell on an unsuspecting population, in that it will equip our government with the power to listen in on every communication that is made online.

Of course, given the times that we live in and the relentless pursuers of anarchy, terrorism and the destruction of anything and anyone that does not have a shared belief, in their opinion, philosophy, political persuasion or religion, this new legislation may not be such a bad thing.

Yet, there is always that overwhelming, sinking feeling that Big Brother is waiting, watching and listening, as well as the distinct possibility that those in the administration, intelligence community or any other entity with access to and permission to use this legislation having ill intentions could use it for all the wrong reasons and exact untold invasions of privacy.

What of the government officials working on this new legislation? Who are they and how are they attempting to define who the Internet communications providers are and what the criterion is that the government will use to move forward in exacting the new legislation on their choice of who constitutes a qualified, in their opinion, provider?

And what about the providers of Internet communications services, what are their thoughts on this new legislation?

How will the new legislation affect the realm of wireless technology, specifically the smartphone?

Make sure you're on board, next week, as we will look at these questions and attempt to provide answers accordingly.

- Andino Ward