29
Apr, 2022
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A Lot of the Tech We Use Today Was Once Science Fiction

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When it comes to innovative new technologies, look no further for inspiration than good-old classic science-fiction and pop culture. You might be surprised by how many concepts first seen in works of fiction have made their way into our day-to-day lives. Let’s take a look at some of the more noteworthy examples.

Mobile Phones/Smart Watches, Inspired by Dick Tracy

Mobile phones are commonplace nowadays, as are the wearables that connect to them. These technologies first appeared in the 1930s and 1940s serialized comic Dick Tracy, in which the series’ namesake detective uses a watch as a two-way communicator to work with the authorities.

There is a modern myth about the USS Enterprise inspiring the idea of the modern cell phone, but the creator of the first mobile phone, Martin Cooper, corrected himself, citing Dick Tracy as the primary source of his inspiration.

3D Printing, Modeled After Star Trek

The replicators used in Star Trek are remarkably reminiscent of the modern 3D printer. While modern 3D printers build materials out of a computed pattern to create an item, the ones in Star Trek used rays of light to shape their objects. One such device does exist, and the creators of this 2019 device cite Star Trek as the clear inspiration for its creation.

Tablets, First Appearing in Star Trek

Remember when the iPad first burst onto the scene in 2010? The device itself was inspired by the PADD from Star Trek, the Personal Access Display Device. It was a handheld device used by the Starfleet crew to access various types of information, just like the modern tablet.

Honorable Mention: 2001: A Space Odyssey

And let’s not forget the device that blocked Apple’s attempted copyright of their tablet’s form factor, the device appearing in Stanley Kubrik’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Thanks to the existence of this film, Apple’s attempt failed.

Self-Driving Vehicles, As Seen In Total Recall

Douglas Quaid, the main character of 1990’s Total Recall, used an automated taxi cab to run from his pursuers. Though the device had to be manually taken over eventually, the idea for self-driving vehicles was certainly present here.

Digital Audio (Specifically, the MP3) Inspired by Star Trek

MP3 files might not be as popular as they were a decade ago thanks to music streaming services, but when they first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, you can bet people were inspired to make them a reality. The inventor of the MP3 file format, Karlheinz Brandenburg, cites a particular scene as giving him the idea. The scene in question is when an android named Data listens to four tracks written by four composers, then slowly turns off each track in succession.

The Defibrillator, Suggested by Frankenstein

In chapter five of her 1818 work—which many see to be the first piece of modern science fiction—Mary Shelley includes little detail about her fictional scientist’s process, but includes a telling quote in the fifth chapter:

“With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.“

Is this “spark” a spark of electricity? Who can say? In either case, it may have served as inspiration to create the modern defibrillator, a device which first appeared in 1930.

What other examples can you think of that might have been influenced by science fiction? Let us know in the comments below.

30
Aug, 2021
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Breaking Down the Konami Code

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Those born in the 80s (as well as some others) will likely recognize
“Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A-Select-Start” as the Konami Code, a famous cheat code that first appeared in 1986. Since then, the Konami Code has spread, now being featured in software titles and websites. Let’s consider the origins of the Konami Code, and how it has been featured in the zeitgeist.

The Origin of the Konami Code

In 1986, video game company Konami released a version of the arcade game Gradius that could be played in the home on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). As the game was being developed, however, it needed to be played through each time in order to be tested. Naturally, Kazuhisa Hashimoto—the developer responsible for porting the game—found this quite frustrating.

To simplify his process, Hashimoto created a cheat code that would give him every powerup in the game, making it far easier to progress to the point that needed testing. However, when production of the game started before the code was removed, it wound up being left in place so that removing it wouldn’t create any glitches. This was justified by the assumption that nobody would be so lucky as to input the Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A-Select-Start combination accidentally.

Regardless, it wasn’t long before the code was discovered. Since then, many game developers have intentionally included it in their products, and it has even spread outside of the gaming world. The Konami Code has itself become a pop culture reference.

Where the Konami Code Has Appeared

Along with Gradius, dozens of other games have featured the Konami Code. Most famous amongst them is possibly Contra, in which the player would receive 30 extra lives for inputting the Konami Code. It has also appeared in other media, including as a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it plot device in Wreck-It Ralph, an encoded background detail in an episode of animated spy series Archer, and was recited in an episode of Family Guy.

Otherwise, various websites and services have used the Konami Code as an Easter egg. Saying it to Alexa or the Google Assistant will trigger a special response from either. If you’re using Discord and encounter an Error 404 page, you can use it to start a game of snake.

Now you’re familiar with the origins of the Konami Code, and all the ways that it can be used. Have you ever stumbled across this before, or heard how it can be used otherwise?

Subscribe to our blog for more technology information!

10
May, 2021
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Understanding the Threat of Geographic Deepfakes

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Per our role as cybersecurity professionals, part of our responsibility is to put the developing threats out there in the world into perspective for the clientele that we serve. After all, with so many modern threats seeming to border on science fiction, it is only natural for smaller organizations to assume that their size will protect them from such attacks through simple lack of interest—or even that such threats will never be used practically at any significant scale. Unfortunately, these assumptions are too often mistaken.

For your business to survive, let alone thrive, you need to have prepared for every eventuality. To put the importance into context, let’s examine a threat that many may have shrugged off—deepfake images—and the potential they show in terms of future cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns.

A Refresher on Deepfakes

Deepfakes are images or video clips that have been manipulated by artificial intelligence to show something other than the truth. You may have seen a few lighthearted examples online, where a comedian’s face is replaced by the celebrity they are impersonating, or different actors are inserted into movie scenes. There are even mobile applications now available where you can create simple (albeit glitchy) lip synch videos based on a headshot.

Not all applications of this kind of AI-based image generation are so obvious, however. Just look at the This Person Does Not Exist website, where you can see the results of a generative adversarial network’s work in creating very convincing, imagined faces. Every time you click on that link, the website will display a completely unique and imagined photograph that looks like a real person, but isn’t.

While entertaining, such applications do little to highlight the actual risks presented by deepfakes when put to more extreme uses. Adult-themed deepfakes are already being used to generate pornographic materials of people without their consent, and deepfake technology has also been used to doctor up footage to manipulate political interests. However, another use for deepfakes has risen that has many concerned—geographic deepfakes.

What is a Geographic Deepfake?

Rather than manipulating a person’s face or words, geographic deepfakes are used to manipulate satellite imagery to hide or distort the appearance of the landscape. As this technology grows in popularity and accessibility, it could potentially be used to seriously impact businesses and governments around the globe.

How Serious are Geographic Deepfakes?

Let’s put it into context for a moment by going over how a geographic deepfake could be (and increasingly are being) used.

Let’s say for a moment that you were a military commander, and you were leading your troops through the field. Your objective isn’t far, all you need to do is cross a bridge that spans over a ravine that you’ll see once you crest the next hillside. Except, once you reach the top of the hill, you don’t see the bridge that your satellite imaging assured you would be there. You see the ravine, sure, but there’s no bridge to cross it.

There goes your plan, and such a failure is bound to have wide-reaching ramifications.

This exact scenario was brought up in 2019 by an analyst at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency named Todd Myers—and is in no way a new tactic.

Throughout history, maps have been weaponized as a part of disinformation campaigns and propaganda and have even been manipulated to protect intellectual property. Cartographers would insert fabricated locales and details into their maps to try and catch any copycats out there—after all, if you had invented “Not-Realburg, Michigan,” seeing it on another map is a blatant clue that your work had been copied.

A recent study, compiled and published by the geography department at the University of Washington, explored the topic of deepfake-generated geography in more depth.

What the Study Contains

In their study, the researchers review the long, long history of embellishing maps—reaching back to the Babylonian era in the 5th century B.C.—before focusing on the modern, technology-based contexts of location spoofing and how it can be weaponized, sharing examples produced by the researchers specifically for the study as a proof of concept.

In short, the study does what the research team intended it to do: it highlights the very real capabilities of such technologies, and how easily they could potentially be abused with no single means of identifying when an image has been manipulated.

What’s worse, the inherent trust the public has for such images makes them particularly effective, according to the researchers. While the team was able to engineer a tool to help identify their own fake geographies, these kinds of tools will need constant maintenance to keep up with the improvements that deepfakes will inherently see as time marches on.

What Can Businesses Learn from This?

While these kinds of threats will hopefully have minimal impacts on most businesses for some time yet, it is still valuable to consider how such a technology could be used against a company’s operations. Returning to the example of the missing bridge above, it isn’t hard to imagine how such an event could create serious interruptions and delays to the supply chain. Taking it a step further, someone trying to interfere with your success directly could use such an attack to hide your business from view on a map.

We also can’t neglect the idea that cyberattacks tend to inspire other cyberattacks, so there’s no telling what an imaginative cybercriminal might think to do with such capabilities someday.

For now, the best thing that your business can do is to reinforce your business using the technologies available today. While it would be foolish to completely ignore the development of cyberthreats like deepfakes, there are other attack methods that need to be protected against in the present. NuTech Services can help you in that aspect. Give us a call at 810.230.9455 to discuss what your business needs to make its technology more secure and more productive.

15
Mar, 2021
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Look How Much the Internet has Changed

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When the Internet was established, it was a marvel. Now people could move information across the world in a matter of seconds. This is why the term “world wide web” was coined. Nowadays, there are literally billions of users on the Internet and the rules have had to be changed. This has some online services in conflict with government regulations and has an impact on how users are able to use the Internet. Let’s look at a couple of examples. 

Shifting Forces are Dictating Users’ Internet

The Internet has changed a lot due to geopolitical considerations, which admittedly was not the interface that was intended by its creators. With the growth and importance of the Internet today, however, it isn’t a surprise that governments seek to regulate the medium to promote security. Some examples of this include:

  • The United States government has considered blocking TikTok and WeChat, as they are hosted in China.
  • The Indian government has blocked dozens of applications (including these two) for similar reasons and are now looking critically at Twitter.
  • The Australian government was at odds with Facebook over a proposed law, leading to Facebook changing its functionality in the country until an agreement was struck.

These are clear disputes between corporate entities and the countries they do business in. These considerations (and literally thousands more from all over the world) makes “the Internet” different depending on what country you are accessing it from. The recent sweep of nationalism that has been spreading in nations all over the world for the past decade or so is exacerbating these differences. 

Look at What Has Changed

If you consider when Facebook first went global, it brought a swelling of perceived freedom to people that had considered themselves repressed for a long time. Almost immediately, however, some nations including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China decided to limit what users in their countries could access. There were other nations that censored the use of the social network, but for the most part Facebook spread around the world fairly rapidly at the turn of the last decade. Today, however, after years of Facebook-cited negative situations, many nations are limiting Facebook and other social media platforms. Now, with leaders of several nations, including the United States, suggesting these companies simply have too much power and influence, you are beginning to see some very public decrees citing Facebook and other social media companies attempting to limit their influence.

The Australian situation is probably the most internetesting of the bunch. Australian government passed a law that’s intent was to require tech firms and platforms like Facebook to pay for the capability to share human-related stories. This has resulted in news organizations, and affiliated companies (including charities) being wrapped up in the situation. The issue was amicably resolved, but it highlights some of the problems with how the Internet is going to be governed going forward. 

The Call for Globalized Regulations

Like any other system that is used throughout the world, there are calls for a standard to be put in place that dictates how the Internet can be used and regulated. Thus far, traction on this has been moving at a snail’s pace. The logistics are difficult with some nations depending more on the Internet than others, and therefore the financial aspect of the situation is going to be a problem in order to get nations to agree on a reasonable standard. 

What are your thoughts? Should there be a worldwide standard to what can and can’t go on on the Internet? Should nations be limited in the amount of control they have over their people’s use of the tool? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and stop back to our blog for more great commentary.

12
Mar, 2021
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Examining the FCC’s Efforts to Fix Internet Access in the US

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Internet connectivity is an increasingly important component to a business’ capabilities in this day and age, as well as all the more crucial to an individual’s everyday life. However, with financial difficulties restricting this access for many, the Federal Communications Commission has stepped in. With a $50 subsidy being made available to low-income homes each month, this situation warrants a closer look.

On Thursday, February 25, the FCC unanimously adopted a program that would discount broadband internet service to low-income households by up to $50 each month ($75 for those on tribal lands) and a one-time discount of $100 on a computer or tablet, utilizing $3.2 billion of the $900 billion coronavirus relief package that Congress approved back in December.

This has been shown to be a prescient need, as the average bill for stand-alone broadband service (calculated by the Wall Street Journal) totals about $66 per month. Unfortunately, this fee is too expensive for many, even without the additional challenges presented by the pandemic.

Eligible households include those that are already participating in pandemic relief or low-income Internet programs, households eligible for free or reduced lunch meals, Medicaid and SNAP recipients, Pell Grant recipients, and the recently unemployed. This program is set to be opened sometime in the next few months.

However, there are a few potential issues surrounding this situation—first, the limited funds allotted to a massive pool of eligible households. With 117 million households being made eligible, the $3.2 billion won’t last all that long… and once it dries up, so will the program.

This isn’t the end of the problem by any stretch, either. Millions of families across the country currently lack any form of broadband access, creating a serious problem as the pandemic has forced many schools and workplaces into remote operations. This problem is likely even bigger than figures would suggest.

Here’s why: while the official total released by the Federal Communications Commission estimates that 18 million people lack reliable connections to the Internet from their home, the methods used to count these households can easily skew the data. In order for a ZIP code to be seen as broadband-compatible, just one household within that block has to have Internet service. Considering that remote areas have census blocks that can stretch hundreds of square miles, this measurement seems to be woefully inadequate.

Hopefully, these measures are the first few steps toward a more equitable and accessible quality of Internet service, as the need for it has finally been made clear.

What do you think? Is this the measure that people need right now, or is it too little for too few? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

11
Dec, 2020
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Some of 2020’s Biggest Tech Flubs

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It’s no secret that 2020 has been relatively tough on all of us, down to the technology that so many use and rely on each year. Now that we’re in the home stretch towards a hopefully better 2021, let’s look back at some of the technologies that didn’t deliver as promised and some of the other issues that we saw this year—some relatively harmless, and some decidedly not.

Quibi’s Crash and Burn

In a market already saturated with on-demand streaming services, Quibi offered something at least a little different in its short-form episodic storytelling and big-name casting. It also had quite the financial backing to support it—$1.75 billion in funding. Pair that with a monthly price tag of $5, and on paper, it would seem to be a surefire hit.

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t enough for the platform. With much more time on their hands thanks to the pandemic, short-form content didn’t have the same appeal… especially that which was restricted to a mobile device, and inaccessible on the entertainment systems that many prefer to use while at home. Quibi also had an uphill battle to fight against other options and services for such content, like YouTube and other free and ad-supported platforms.

This ultimately led to Quibi shutting down seven months after it launched, with much of the funding for it returned to investors.

So, what can we learn from this?

Simply put, it is not enough to just have an idea, especially when the timing is wrong. While we can’t say for certain that Quibi would have fared better should circumstances have been different, it is an interesting possibility to consider.

Bitcoin Scam Twitter Hack

In one of the most unsettling attacks that took place this year, many high-profile Twitter accounts—including those belonging to Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Kanye West—were hacked in an attempt to push a Bitcoin-based scam.

Fortunately, Twitter jumped into action and locked down these accounts before too much damage was done and has taken further steps to ensure account security… although it did raise some questions as to what might have happened if the motives behind the attacks were more destructive.

Zoom’s Security Missteps

As the world locked down, people and businesses needed to find a new way to communicate amongst one another. While many video conferencing systems like Skype, Microsoft Teams, and others fumbled this opportunity, Zoom was able to embrace it.

Unfortunately, Zoom’s security was lacking early on, which was made abundantly clear once so many had started using it. Hate speech and lewd content was shared in meetings, coining the term “Zoombombing.”

Since then, Zoom has taken steps to improve the platform’s security and users have given more thought to securing their conferences.

The Assorted Coronavirus Myths and Misinformation

Of course, we can’t talk about the technology fumbles of 2020 without bringing up the coronavirus and the various messes created because of it. For instance:

  • Numerous conspiracy theories linking the development of 5G connectivity to COVID-19, resulting in acts of cell tower vandalism and assault against telecom employees.
  • Bill Gates being accused of masterminding COVID-19 or using the pandemic to implant people with microchips—despite his long history of contributing to disease-fighting causes and efforts.
  • Fumbled information sharing efforts on the part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

To their credit, many social media platforms took more aggressive efforts against misinformation, flagging some misleading posts.

So, What Does This Have to Do with Your Business?

Simple: while the above examples were obviously larger-scale issues, they demonstrate that technology is far from perfect and how easily it can be turned against your interests. This is especially the case when you consider the technology you utilize in your business.

Here at NuTech Services, we’re experts in all things IT, and lend that expertise to your business’ benefit. Not only can we help optimize the technology you currently use, we can also help you make the improvements needed to advance your operations. Whether it’s helping you keep your work accounts secure or steering you away from an application that will ultimately create bigger problems, we are at your service.

It’s just what a good managed IT service provider does.

To find out more about what our team offers, give us a call at 810.230.9455.

19
Oct, 2020
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Drones Use Up in Several Industries

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Drones are a technology that comes with some controversy, but also some real utility. Known best as an unmanned deterrent measure used by governments, today drones are used for a multitude of different tasks. Today we’ll discuss how drone technology has expanded over the past several years. 

Agriculture

Farms often cover miles and miles of real estate. Traditionally, this makes it more difficult to keep track of everything that is going on around the property. Drones can make monitoring the status of the farm much simpler. With specialized sensors that collect important data, farmers are able to successfully manage irrigation levels, fertilization, and crop spacing, leading to higher agriculture output. Using drones, farmers can also manage livestock much simpler.

Conservation and Environmental Protection

Drones have also been a big benefit to conservationists by expanding the ability to collect crucial data in situations that they weren’t previously able to track. They can help track animal and environmental patterns and report information that is crucial in modern conservation efforts. Drone technology can also help Department of Environmental Conservation officers and park rangers find compliance infractions. 

Construction and Site Surveying

Engineers and construction workers now use drones to not only get a lay of the land, but also inspecting hard to reach places. Using drones in this capacity cuts down on the dangerous situations that human workers are exposed to, mitigating risk. 

Fire Fighting, Policing, and Search and Rescue

One of the most important uses of drone technology today is in emergency situations. It can assist all types of first responders by being able to get an aerial view of the situation. Firefighters are beginning to use drones to fight fires, while still using them in support capacity as well.  

Police have started to use drones for crash investigations as well as to keep officers out of potentially risky situations. 

Law enforcement has also used drones to simplify many of their activities, including crash investigations and search and rescue efforts.

Search and rescue teams have used drones to deliver equipment quickly into situations where people could be at serious risk of bodily harm. 

Insurance

Drones can be of use to insurance companies when they do assessments of claims. Instead of putting people into potentially serious situations, flying a drone keeps risk down and allows people to get the resources they need to rebuild quickly. 

Have you used a drone? How do you think the drone will affect life going forward? Leave your thoughts below in the comments and be sure to return to our blog again next week.

31
Jan, 2020
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Motivate Your Employees with More Playful Work Practices

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Workplace engagement has long been a conundrum–how do you maximize the productivity of your business without alienating your team through quotas and ironclad policies? Many businesses have been finding that an effective way to do just that has been to use a concept known as ‘gamification.’  Let’s explore gamification and how it might be useful to you.

Making Sense of Gamification

Many parents have historically used a gamification strategy to convince their young’uns to cooperate better with notoriously less-fun parts of daily life. Take clean-up time, for instance, which many parents will turn into a race between themselves and their children to see who can pick up quicker. Taking an unappealing task and adding game-like elements to motivate people to do it is the concept that forms the foundation of gamification.

This isn’t a new idea, either. Mark Twain knew what he was talking about when he wrote about Tom Sawyer tricking his friends into white-washing a fence for him. By making the activity seem elite and enjoyable, he hoaxed and hoodwinked his friends into completing his chore for him while they all enjoyed proving themselves capable. As was written at the end of that particular chapter:

“If he had been a great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do … There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive four-horse passenger-coaches twenty or thirty miles on a daily line, in the summer, because the privilege costs them considerable money; but if they were offered wages for the service, that would turn it into work and then they would resign.”

If the psychology behind this sounds silly to you, consider the concept of “employee of the month.”

Why Gamification is Effective

Human psychology is a big part of why gamification has been shown to be so impactful in motivating employees. As a species, human beings tend to be strongly motivated by certain desires, namely:

  • Recognition – I want my efforts to be paid attention to.
  • Competition – I want to win.
  • Distinction – I want to be rewarded for my efforts.

While many tasks originally lack the potential for most, if not all, of these desires to be filled, gamification can inject this capability by fulfilling all three of these desires. If an employee were to have the satisfaction of knowing that they performed most admirably, gaining some perks and being looked upon with favor from the higher-ups, it only makes sense that they would continue to strive to that position from that point on. Furthermore, it also helps to motivate your other employees to strive harder, so they may have a chance of receiving the same benefits as well.

Don’t believe me? Just look at Google, where gamification has helped chop down travel expenses by allowing the person with the most budget left over after a business trip to keep the difference.

Adopting Gamification

If you’re now considering a more gamified approach to business-as-usual, you have a great variety of options available to you. Different use cases and different industry types each have their own options to do so, all with the potential to be a great investment.

You can also elect how much you want to put into gamification. Sure, there are solutions out there specifically to gamify common business processes, but you could also come up with your own homespun methods. Maybe an employee who visibly went above and beyond one day would receive an entry into an end-of-year drawing for a desirable prize. You really are only limited by your creativity – or how long you’re willing to spend searching online for ideas.

Just as though you’re the parent trying to convince your employees to pick up their playthings, the key to effective gamification is to turn a rote task into an engaging activity.

Have you ever tried out any gamification methods in your office? Which ones did you find most effective? Share what you did in the comments!

26
Aug, 2019
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Employee Burnout Can, and Should, Be Avoided

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Your employees are your greatest asset, which means that they need to be carefully managed and maintained, just like any of your other productivity-boosting assets. The difference is, your employees aren’t just another solution – they’re human beings, and as such, they aren’t tirelessly motivated. In fact, if your employees aren’t treated properly, they could… burn out.

Burn out? 

Oh, no! That certainly wouldn’t be a good thing… but how can you prevent such a thing from happening in the workplace, when you really can’t tell if workplace stress has worn them down, or if it was a more personal issue? You can’t keep things from influencing their personal lives, after all. 

Maybe they just need to get more sleep, or something.

Besides, what if you just happen to work in an industry that creates more stress upon its workers by nature of the work? It isn’t as though you can help that, either.

Sure, that’s fair.

You can’t be expected to be in control of your employees’ personal lives… but you should be in control of their professional environment.

What Leads to Employee Burnout?

While general stress can contribute to burnout, certain job factors and features can create “special” kinds of stress that contribute specifically to burnout tendencies. Let’s consider these factors briefly.

Non-Stop High Stress

Look, I’m not saying that a business should be a stress-free area. That just isn’t realistic.

However, businesses typically experience busy, stressful times and once those times are over, there is usually a period of time that employees get the chance to recover. Bookending stress with these low-stress times (and adequately compensating your team for their stress) can make employees feel better – but keeping them in a constant pressure-cooker certainly won’t.

Unclear and Unreasonable Tasks

How frustrating would a puzzle be without a picture on the box to reference?

Each and every time an employee is given an unclear task, they feel that same frustration. They’re just trying to do their job, but they can’t if it is unclear what that job is. It only gets worse if the tasks that they are assigned literally (yes, in the literal sense) can’t be done.

The more stress and frustration that builds up with tasks like these, the more likely burnout becomes.

Huge Consequences for Failure…

Some workplaces have higher stakes than others. For instance, you have those who work for child services, whose work frequently takes them into risky and heartbreaking situations.

People in positions like that have a much more stressful job than, say, a fortune cookie writer or the greeter at a superstore. It probably wouldn’t surprise you to hear that high-stakes workplaces frequently see higher rates of burnout.

…With No Recognition for Success

How would you feel if your considerable efforts were, day-in and day-out, overlooked? If you went above and beyond in everything you did, and not one word was said to you?

Chances are, you’d probably feel unappreciated, demoralized, and unmotivated. Workplaces like this can have a severe morale problem. 

Welcome to burnout.

Communication is Neither Efficient nor Effective

Without proper communication, any of the other problems your business is experiencing will only get much, much worse. Unclear and incomplete statements will make issues more complicated, especially if you are trying to deal with an employee’s issue.

As a result, demoralization and burnout become very real risks.

Lacking Leadership

Finally, if a strong, fair, and supportive leader isn’t present in the business, employees could be accelerated on their way to burnout by the lack of guidance the missing leader should be providing. Employees may feel like they aren’t getting something out of their employment – be it recognition, support, or job security – and swiftly lose the drive to perform well.

Clearly, there is no shortage of ways for an employee to reach the point of burnout… but how can you tell when one really has?

The Symptoms of Burnout

There are quite a few signs that can indicate if an employee is truly burning out, or if one is simply having an “off” day. I’m pretty confident that we’ve all felt and exhibited some of these signs – maybe even all of them – at one point at least.

How many of these symptoms have you seen among your employees?

  • They feel distant from their work, cynical about what they do and who they do it with.
  • They may be suffering from a variety of symptoms, including headaches, sour stomach, and intestinal issues.
  • They have slipped in their tasks at work, but their home life is unaffected.
  • They may keep themselves emotionally distant from their coworkers.
  • They may lack creativity, and will have trouble concentrating.
  • They are low energy, feel drained, and feel that they can’t cope.
  • They are visibly frustrated and stressed.

Again, we’ve all had an “off” day, where these kinds of things are almost to be expected. It’s just a part of life.

It is when these symptoms have become chronic, stretching out beyond hours or days to weeks, that your employees may be suffering from burnout. Thanks to these symptoms, burned-out employees may appear depressed, and are actually at a higher risk of developing depression later on.

Why This Really Matters to You

So, why should you care?

Well, basic human decency aside, burnout can have some significant impacts upon your business itself. For instance, sick leave is much more commonly taken among employees who are burned-out, and they are also far more motivated to find another job.

If they are successful in the latter, you will need to spend the significant costs associated with hiring a new employee to replace them.

You also need to consider the “typical” state of your employees. They might actually be some of your top performers, simply struggling through a hard time. What impact on their productivity will your business be able to just absorb?

A burned-out employee in the wrong position can exacerbate the problem, too, as a burned-out manager can easily create a burned-out team… killing productivity and morale on a wider scale. 

You also need to consider the optics that burnout can produce – what business or potential employee would want anything to do with a business that has what is really a very visible issue?

(I certainly wouldn’t.)

Bringing basic human decency back into consideration, this condition can actually do a number on a human being. Not only can the influence of burnout impact an employee’s personal life and relationships, it makes them slightly more likely to visit the emergency room.

What You Can Do to Help a Burned-Out Employee

Keeping these warning signs in mind can help you to better spot when one of your employees is clearly going through a rough patch. While you may not see it as your job as their boss, it is your job as a fellow human being to offer them some support.

The easiest way to start this process? An honest conversation.

Discuss It with the Employee

Have an informal sit-down with this employee and just talk to them about it. Express your sincere worry for them as a person and offer your support with whatever they have been going through.

This support itself could help greatly, and if it is another personal issue, some personal time may be all it takes to help.

Redistribute the Workload

Even the most competent employee you have could potentially bite off more than they could chew. Whether they overstuff their schedules, offer to help with anything they can, or both… before long, this employee is going to fall behind schedule. 

You should go through that schedule with them, organizing it and trimming some of the fat to make sure it is humanly possible to accomplish, redistributing some tasks if need be, if not pausing them.

If your business has any collaboration tools, they can certainly come in handy here.

Teamwork makes the dream work, as some say, so if you can leverage your collaboration platform to help the task-redistribution process, it just makes sense to. You can make use of your platform as you manage your team, assigning them certain responsibilities and sharing the weight of their tasks between multiple resources, not just the one. 

Email is a great collaboration tool, but many employees can find the amount of emails they receive overwhelming, which (among other things) makes them less productive. You can help them out by introducing them to the different tools that email solutions can offer, like filters and rules to help organize incoming messages, and snoozing, to give them some uninterrupted time. 

Switch It Up

If you had an employee that was particularly good at Task A, it only makes sense that you would want them covering Task A as much as possible, right? 

However, designating that employee to Task A will likely make that employee pretty sick of Task A before long… and all the employees who always get Task B, or Task C will likely feel a similar way. Try rotating the responsibilities of your team on occasion, taking their preferences and goals into consideration.

Preventing Burnout in the First Place

As we’ve alluded to here, there are many warning signs of impending burnout issues, and we’ve barely scratched the surface here. Doing everything you can to keep burnout from happening at all is a reasonable strategy. 

Fix your company culture to focus on self-care. Try bringing in external experts to keep your employees happy and healthy, whether that’s a yoga instructor or accounting services. Remember that your employees have lives outside the workplace to live, and encourage them to enjoy them. 

These, and/or many, many other behaviors will help keep your employees engaged, motivated, and happy.

One great way to keep burnout from taking hold is to allow your employees to work how (and when and where) they work best. Remote working solutions can allow you to give your employees the freedom to shape their work habits around their lives.

While this may sound like a way to let employees slack off on work time, many employers have found the effects to productivity more than worth it… and employees have certainly shown their appreciation for the flexibility.

At the end of the day, your employees are going to feel a certain way – you can only try and help them feel more positively about their workplace by giving them better technology, more initiative, and an ear to turn to when needed.

We can help where the technology is concerned.

For solutions to help your employees be more productive, more communicative, and more successful, reach out to NuTech Services at 810.230.9455.

29
Jul, 2019
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Getting a New Computer? We Can Help, Part V

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By now it should be clear that the same computer might not work for two different businesses’ needs. In previous articles we discussed how to select the right CPU, RAM, storage, and display for your desktop. This final post will be dedicated to some of the topics that couldn’t fit into previous parts.

Deciding on a Brand

Brand can boil down to something as simple as user preference, but ultimately, all computer manufacturers–namely Dell, Asus, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and friends–have access to the same basic components and parts. It doesn’t start to get complicated until you reach the higher end of the spectrum, like with gaming rigs and video production.

Brand does, however, make a big difference in regard to laptops and all-in-one-devices. For example, HP and Microsoft have high-end graphic design all-in-one desktop computers. Microsoft, HP, and Lenovo have laptop options with the option for pen input from artists. Beyond this, we start talking about specialized hardware and devices meant to be used for certain tasks. In addition to reading a lot of reviews from big box stores, we recommend working with NuTech Services to help your business find the best specialized hardware.

Full-Size Desktop vs Compact Desktop

This has to do with the size of the desktop case. Full-size desktops are easier to upgrade and maintain, and they often cost less. Compact desktops are slim desktops, but they might have a limited capacity to upgrade. Smaller designs are easier to deploy for office workstations, whereas gaming PCs and video production machines require more space for hardware and cooling.

Read Reviews and Benchmarks

There are many sites out there that are invaluable for finding information on specific models of desktops and computer hardware. The Internet is full of reviews, but the most valuable might be some on the websites of stores you visit regularly. High-end systems will have more specific information mentioned in their reviews simply due to the fact that there are bigger nerds picking up these devices. You will want to pay attention to make sure you’re not spending more than you need to on desktop or laptop hardware.

Be Aware of Bloatware

Pre-configured desktops from certain brands can come with pre-installed software. It’s not always bad–a free trial of Microsoft Office might be just what you need–but often times, the pre-installed software can slow down your device. You’ll want to remove some of this software so you can continue to use your centralized antivirus and licenses for Office.

Eliminating Your Old PC

When you migrate your data to a new computer, you’ll need to take great care in wiping your old drives thoroughly. You should leave this task to the professionals, unless you plan on physically destroying the drives. Depending on your industry’s standard procedures and compliances, you may need to make sure it gets done professionally.

You also have several options for recycling your PC, but we always encourage users to not just throw their computer in the trash. Computers have many harmful elements in them that simply can’t be disposed of in the traditional sense. We also recommend against donating a PC that your business used previously without having it professionally wiped first. While it’s a nice gesture to donate something you don’t need anymore, it could put your business at risk.

Need Desktops for Your Office?

If you want to purchase desktops, it’s best to do so with the help of trained IT professionals who know how to configure, optimize, and license your devices to help your staff work as best they can. We can also help on the infrastructure and network side of things to make sure your office can accommodate growth. We also offer 24/7 monitoring and maintenance to keep your computers working properly. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

5
Jun, 2019
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Tip of the Week: Company Culture Can Be a Huge Business Strength

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When considering a business’ strengths, there is a tendency to focus on its more quantifiable aspects – it generates x dollars in revenue, or leverages advanced solutions a, b, and c. While these kinds of competitive advantages are valuable to have, it is also important to recognize how critical one of your more qualifiable strengths can be: your company culture.

Your company’s culture is its identity – the impression that your company leaves when someone makes contact. As such, there are assorted reasons that it pays to create an engaging and inclusive company culture.

Draws in Talent

Let me ask you this: would you rather work someplace that had a reputation of nurturing incoming talent and ensuring that this talent had the resources and access that they needed to succeed in their position, or someplace notorious for leaving new employees to fend for themselves, providing minimal direction when direction is necessary to successfully complete a task? My money is on the first option.

One of the biggest benefits to creating a positive culture in the workplace is that more people will want to make it their place of work. This gives you a wider pool of talent from which to select the best candidates, creating a stronger business.

Of course, attracting this talent is one thing, having it stick around is quite another.

Retains Talent and Reduces Turnover

As long as your company culture matches its reputation, the individuals who accept your offer of employment are less likely to leave, barring any personal circumstances that force them to. This is important, as the sudden loss of an employee can have assorted impacts on your business. These impacts can include dropped processes, missed opportunities, and the costs associated with finding, hiring, and onboarding someone to replace the lost employee.

Of course, you don’t have to worry so much about these impacts if your employees aren’t motivated to leave. This is where having a positive company culture is so valuable – you can better avoid the significant costs of losing an employee, continuing to benefit from their skills in the workplace. Research conducted by Gallup indicated that only 37 percent of employees engaged with their work were actively seeking new employment opportunities, compared to a staggering (albeit understandable) 73 percent of those who had disengaged from their work.

Columbia University conducted research as well, and their results followed in the same vein. According to their results, organizations with strong company cultures saw turnover rates of 13.9 percent. 13.9 percent, compared to the 48.4 percent turnover rates at companies with poor company culture.

Boosts Productivity

A happy employee is a productive employee, which translates to direct benefits for your business if your employees remain satisfied. The right company culture can motivate your employees significantly.  The same Gallup research referenced above demonstrated that engaged employees saw productivity boosts of 21 percent. Another study, by IBM-owned Kenexa, suggested that organizations with an engaged workforce were able to bring in twice the income as an organization without these levels of engagement.

Reduces Employee Burnout

There are many reasons that an employee can experience some level of burnout, whether their schedules are overpacked or their hours are simply too long to be sustainable. However, a negative company culture is often overlooked as the root cause of an employee becoming disengaged with their work.

While employee burnout may seem like more of the employee’s problem at first consideration, there are some very real consequences that a business will need to deal with. For instance, employee burnout has been linked to an estimated 49 percent increase in workplace accidents, and a 60 percent increase in errors.

Stressed out employees are a liability to your company, but helping them to reduce that stress with a better company culture can turn these liabilities into true assets.

Better Attendance

Speaking of assets, your employees aren’t going to be very good ones if they are never in the office. A Harvard Business Review study reported an increase in employee absenteeism of 37 percent among disengaged employees. Naturally, if your employees aren’t completing their responsibilities due to this absenteeism, it is going to have an impact on both your business’ success and internal morale.

However, a more positive company culture encourages your employees to report to work, and as discussed above, leads to improved productivity while they’re there.

Is Company Culture Really So Important?

Based on the outcomes discussed above, it is pretty clear that the better your company culture is, the more effectively your business will be able to operate. So, how can you improve yours?

One way is to give your team the tools they need to complete their tasks more easily than they could with outdated and insufficient IT solutions – and the efficiency boost that new IT solutions will bring can free up some time to develop your company culture even more. NuTech Services can help to make sure that you are using the tools that are best suited for your company’s (and by extension, your employees’) needs. Give us a call at 810.230.9455 to learn more.

12
Oct, 2018
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Are American Voting Systems Secure?

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Election Day for the United States is November 6th, and regardless of your feelings regarding U.S. politics, the fact of the matter is that millions of Americans will soon go to the polls and cast their ballots. Unfortunately, what many of them don’t realize is how insecure their voting machines actually are, and how they are potentially putting their vote at risk.

What Most Polling Places Have
The majority of American polling places are operating with equipment that is fast approaching 15 years old. For reference, here’s a brief list of products and technologies that haven’t even been around for ten years yet:

  • Google Chrome
  • Airbnb
  • Spotify
  • Kickstarter
  • 4G
  • Mobile GPS
  • Instagram
  • The iPad

One cofounder of nonprofit group Open Source Election Technology, Greg Miller, puts it this way: “You have equipment that was introduced in 2005. In that time frame, how many times have you changed your mobile phone? And how many times have we replaced our laptops?” In short, the American voting system is reliant on, as Miller described it,”… obsolete hardware [and] software that relies on a diet of spare parts.”

The other cofounder of the nonprofit OSET, John Sebes, has demonstrated just how vulnerable these systems could potentially be to manipulation.

Most polling places collect all of the voting data onto a piece of portable media, like a CD or a USB drive, and bring it to a separate location to be tallied. Unfortunately, the machines used here are also usually outdated, as is the software used to process the results of the vote.

In a live demonstration on a national news network, Sebes used one of these machines to tally votes for two fictional candidates, Thorfer and Varda. In the example, Thorfer had won in a landslide with over 3,000 votes, the opposing Varda only receiving 100. However, with a very simple malware, Sebes was able to just switch the tallies, making “Varda” a fraudulent winner – and while access to these tallying computers is secured, some may not be secured as well as others are.

Furthermore, many polling places maintain a paper backup of the vote, just in case there needs to be a recount, but there are also many who have no paper backup at all. This includes some states known as “battleground” or “swing” states, where a much smaller number of votes can potentially have a significant impact on the final outcome.

How to Minimize the Issue
Unfortunately, the easiest solution to this problem is also impossible. One would think that there would be a singular set of standards for all polling places to abide by – but since the American Constitution specifies that each state is in control of its own electoral procedures, this consistency is effectively made impossible.

However, there are other ways that have been suggested to protect voting technology… some of which are decidedly lower-tech.

Temporarily Eliminate Online Voting
Some states have made online voting available, primarily to service members or other citizens who may be abroad, and many allow email ballots to be submitted. However, until security is improved for these methods, it has been suggested that they are suspended.

Utilize Physical Backups
Yes, we know. We generally say that all of your backups should be saved to the cloud, but in this case, that would be counterproductive. After all, a physically-generated paper backup that records each vote isn’t hackable (unlike a digital system) and could easily be used to cross-check any contested results.

Invest in Improved Voting Equipment
As one might imagine upon hearing that most American voting machines are over a decade old, updating the infrastructure that enables the prime responsibility of democracy is clearly not a priority for those dispersing the funds. It has been suggested that Congress get involved, funding research into improving these machines and replacing the problematic older machines, as was last done in 2002.

Americans view the right to vote as a basic human right, so it seems especially bad that their infrastructure can get in the way of their doing so. Don’t let your business technology do the same to your employees and their work. Reach out to NuTech Services for a better solution by calling 810.230.9455.

27
Jul, 2018
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How Technology is Transforming the Way Students Learn

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To educate the leaders of tomorrow, using technology from the past isn’t going to cut it. While some schools are still using technology from the last century, others are moving forward. Today, we will take a look at classroom technology innovations, and how to get this exciting new technology in the hands of more students.

The Modern Classroom
Like the modern office, the modern classroom is beginning to run on technology; and as a result, it is changing the way teachers need to teach. Teaching strategies that have been the same for decades are being questioned and altered, making the children of today more-or-less guinea pigs in the new way of learning. They are well-equipped for this alteration, however, as they are the first generation of people that have lived in the age of social media and are likely well more advanced at using technology to solve problems than previous generations. So while there are some inherent problems with kids growing up in the age of social media, for education, the concept is a major win.

One strategy modern teachers are using nowadays is called flipped learning. This is where children are asked to watch online lectures, videos, and other materials at home, then do what used to be called homework during class. The classwork isn’t just people sitting quietly at their desks with their five-pound textbook open any longer, it’s now a chance for the children to work collaboratively to solve problems and hone practical skills that can be used throughout their lives. Best yet, flipped learning allows for a more analytical approach to teaching, whereas in the past kids that had trouble with certain concepts would work on problems they didn’t understand at home, away from educators, leading to frustration and higher degrees of failure.

For the school that isn’t ready to flip education completely on its head, there is blended learning, which is a strategic combination of using traditional face-to-face teaching with technology-based assignments to get more out of each lesson plan. So, while there are still in-class lectures, and individual assignments, integrating the use of technology to find answers, present homework, and introduce concepts can go a long way toward getting the children using technology and gaining the skills they are going to need as a member of the future workforce.

What Are Some of the New Technologies?
There are several technologies that are being developed to help students (and people in general) learn more about the world around them. Let’s start in the classroom. One technology that is starting to become common in the classroom is the smartboard. If you haven’t seen one, it is in essence a whiteboard that is hooked up to a computer and has multi-touch capabilities. This provides a more immersive educational experience than the old overhead or slide projector. One feature that a smartboard has is that it can be mirrored to any Internet-connected computer, giving students (or whomever is viewing this content) the chance to follow along when they are out of the classroom or on their personal device within the classroom itself.

Another great tool is the smart table. Smart tables are computer-based, and Wi-Fi connected touchscreen tables that typically have many multi-touch points, some have as many as 80 unique touch points at the same time. Since the technology is more accessible, the smart table is great for younger students that need more hands-on learning.

Another technology that the classroom of tomorrow will almost certainly feature is virtual and augmented reality glasses. These technologies are just in their infancy, but the more applications they begin to create, the more they will be found in schools. AR specifically is a technology that many students can benefit from. Since it is a digital overlay over real life objects, it makes instructional learning more immersive and provides a student practical instruction rather than providing conceptual instruction. It won’t be surprising to see apps developed for tablets and smartphones that will provide step-by-step instructions to students in a wide variety of disciplines.

Securing the Technology
The process of getting students and teachers more connected and modernized isn’t just about acquiring new hardware and software. It’s also critical that teachers and administrators are taught how to use the technology and how to use it safely. Without proper security measures, sensitive information could be at stake, and putting a student’s identity or privacy at risk has deep ramifications. It’s critical that schools consult IT experts who understand IT security before deploying technology that connects to the Internet or the network in general.

How to Get Kids the Technology They Need
One big problem facing a lot of public schools is that they simply don’t have the funding to get enough of the technology into classrooms to make a difference for the students. Most school boards won’t propose major tax increases in order to fund classroom innovation, and it’s unreasonable to expect that educators foot the bill for this technology. For situations like this, teachers have turned to crowdsourcing and social media. The most popular platform used by educators is DonorsChoose.org, which was started by a teacher and can be used by educators to raise funds for school supplies and technology.

Another form of funding can come from social media. Reddit does a gift exchange for teachers. There are people from all around the world looking to help kids get a better education by providing them technology. Another is Digital Wish, where teachers can purchase donated technology and software. The site allows donations that can go into their Digital Wish account to help them purchase the technology they need.

Of course, you can always go the traditional route: writing to your congressman/woman, but a lot of times you’d be better off turning to Adopt a Classroom, a foundation set up for teachers who, on average, spend nearly $600 a year on classroom supplies. Go to adoptaclassroom.org for more information.

The world has seen its technology change quickly and education is going to have to represent where we are in society. Do you know of any technologies that students use nowadays that we didn’t touch on? Leave your thoughts with us in the comments section below and return to our blog for more great technology-based content.

23
Jul, 2018
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A Better Way to Be Rid of Old Cables

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Are you drowning in old computer cables? Do they sit in a drawer and take up space? Chances are that you’ll have quite a lot of old cables that are sitting around collecting dust due to your organization picking up new devices that come with even more new cables. Sure, you might think you still need that old 25-pin serial cable for that legacy scanner from 1997, but it’s probably time to let go. While there is some merit to keeping old cables around just in case, the proper alternative to throwing out unneeded cables is to recycle them.

Take an Inventory
First, you need to see what cables you have on-hand. This includes cables, wires, and adapters. Basically, keep an eye out for anything that might be of value to your organization. This doesn’t mean to hoard them–rather, keep an eye out for anything that could potentially be useful, but not obsolete in the near future. For example, smartphone chargers with USB Type-A and Type-C cables might come in handy for travel or to keep as spares for staff.

Recycle (Don’t Discard) Your Unwanted Cables
If there are any cables remaining, you should always, always recycle them rather than throwing them in the trash. Modern computer and video cables are typically made out of valuable materials, such as copper and gold. On their own, they might not be worth much, but if everyone recycled their old cables instead of throwing them out in the trash, it would have a pretty large impact.

You can reach out to NuTech Services for assistance with getting rid of your unneeded and unwanted hardware. This goes for more than just cables–if you have anything at all that you simply don’t need, we’ll take it off your hands. If you just want a place to drop off your unneeded hardware, just call 1-800-RECYCLING or visit the National Center for Electronics Recycling website.

For help with recycling your unused technology, give us a call at 810.230.9455.

15
Aug, 2016
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Couple Jailed for Scamming More Than a Couple Dollars From the IRS

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It all goes to show: don’t mess with the IRS. The prison system has two new residents, after Anthony Alika, 42, and his wife Sonia, 27, were sentenced for filing fraudulent tax returns through the often-exploited “Get Transcript” site maintained by the Internal Revenue Service. In addition to their incarceration, the Alikas will each be responsible to pay restitution to the IRS.

Ultimately, Anthony is to serve 80 months in prison followed by three years of supervision upon release, in addition to paying $1,963,251.75 in restitution for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sonia was handed down a sentence of 21 months of jail time, also followed by three years of supervision, and an IRS restitution totalling $245,790.08 for structuring cash withdrawals to avoid the required bank reporting. Each pled guilty to their charges.

These sentences were passed after the Alikas were found guilty of laundering $1 million in money stolen from the US Treasury by filing fraudulent forms, specifically income tax returns populated with data stolen from the Get Transcript vulnerability. The Get Transcript function, meant to allow taxpayers to review their past returns with clearly spelled-out information, also allowed the Alikas to obtain the data they needed to make off with their ill-gotten funds.

The Alikas, along with co-conspirators, would purchase prepaid debit cards and registered them to the identities they had stolen, before filing false returns for those identities and receiving the refunds on the prepaid cards. They would then use these cards to purchase money orders, deposit that money into bank accounts, and withdraw their loot in multiple small increments to avoid the bank reporting of the transactions.

This isn’t the first time hackers have used the Get Transcript portal, either. In May of 2015, 100,000 tax accounts were stolen and used to take almost $50 million from the IRS. This is all because the authentication requirements to access the necessary information are flimsy.

Reacting to this case, the United State Department of Justice put out a press release outlining some best practices to keep personal information and accounts as safe and secure as possible.

File Early
A tax refund criminal can’t file a false return if the return has already been filed by the actual individual who should be doing the filing. The longer a return goes without filing, the more opportunity a criminal has to file one fraudulently.

Use Strong Usernames and Passwords
This one goes for any and all online accounts, but especially for those containing information as sensitive as a tax return does. If a close family member could get pretty close to the credentials with a guess, those credentials are nowhere near strong enough.

BONUS TIP: Randomized strings of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and (if permitted) symbols are the most secure option when selecting a password.

For more tech security information to help keep your data–and yourself–safe, keep coming back to the NuTech Services blog.

22
Jul, 2016
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Ancient Greek Computer in Serious Need of Firmware Update

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When you picture an old computer, do you see a giant machine that takes up an entire room? These days, people might consider even something like a CRT monitor and a device running Windows XP to be ancient. Yet, the oldest “computer” in the world may actually be a bronze contraption found off the coast of Greece; the Antikythera mechanism, which was used to predict and track astronomical events, like the movement of the planets and occurrence of eclipses.

The Antikythera mechanism was supposedly discovered around the turn of the 20th century. Sponge divers off the coast of Antikythera, a Greek island, found it submerged in 45 meters of water, buried with other treasures, including pottery, statues, and coins. The antique device was originally dated at around 60 BC to 200 BC, but recent studies suggest a more specific timeline that places the device closer to 125 BC.

At first, the device seemed to be nothing but an old pile of bronze and wood. A closer inspection revealed that the mechanism was something quite extraordinary for its time. The Antikythera mechanism consists of bronze gears, and was designed to predict astronomical cycles. While the device was originally discovered in one heap, it was later split into three sections for study. Those who have tried to recreate it believe that, in its prime, the Antikythera mechanism consisted of up to 30 bronze gears that functioned like clockwork.

Click here to view a photo gallery of the Antikythera mechanism on display.

Today, the Antikythera mechanism is in 82 different pieces, each of which are being studied. In particular, the text carved into them is of interest, but highly unreadable. There are inscriptions on the gears that are so small, the human eye can’t make out what it says. Thousands of years have eaten away at it, so researchers had to use x-ray and visualization technologies in order to decipher the meaning.

At first, the Antikythera mechanism was thought to be purely scientific, but recent findings have found that it may have had a more astrological use. It’s been found that the Ancient Greeks would try to predict the colors of eclipses, which had an existential meaning for how the Greeks viewed the world around them. We can consider the Antikythera mechanism as an object that they designed to understand how the world around them worked. The device is currently on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, where it continues to be studied.

Who knew that something so advanced existed some two-thousand years ago? It makes you wonder what other civilizations came up with. We may be credited as the most technologically advanced civilization known to man, but take a moment to consider the fact that the Antikythera mechanism was advanced and high-tech for its time. In fact, this type of astronomical clock was hundreds of years ahead of its time, and the knowledge of how to build such a machine would eventually be lost until the 14th century. So, what other lost technologies are out there, waiting for us to discover them?

This may not have much to do with business, but we thought we’d share this interesting development with you. After all, as tech geeks ourselves, we love learning about old technologies that have come and gone. Did you like this article? If so, subscribe to our blog for more technology news, tips, and tricks.

27
Apr, 2016
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Tip of the Week: 10 Google Easter Eggs to Get You Through the Workday

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Perhaps one reason why Google is so popular is because the company knows how to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. One way that Google shows us their silly side is with Easter eggs they’ve incorporated into their search engine. Here’s a list of ten of our favorites.

To access these Easter eggs, you first have to go to Google.com, and then enter the following in the search form:

Type “Atari breakout” and click Images
Doing this will transform your screen of images into a playable game of Super Breakout, complete with music and a score counter.

Type “Askew”
This will tilt your screen. Don’t worry, your browser isn’t broken. It will return to normal after you leave the page.

Type “Festivus”
Festivus is a made up holiday popularized by the television show Seinfeld. Actually, Googling “Festivus” will tell you preciously what the holiday is and what it’s about, as well as display a fun Festivus pole to the left of the search results. A Festivus pole isn’t anything fancy (it’s just an aluminum pole that stands upright), which is why it’s such a fitting symbol of the holiday.

Type “Google in 1998”
Doing this acts as a time machine that will transport your Google search back to the way things were in 1998.

Type “Zerg rush”
In another nod to video games, Google transforms the search result into an offensive attack by Google letters, characteristic of the Zerg race from the popular game StarCraft. Only you can stop the assault by clicking multiple times on each letter until it disappears, which will only cause more Zerg-like Google letters to appear. For this egg, you’ll also see a handy score counter on the side.

Type “flip a coin,” or “roll a die”
Each of these search results will provide an animated coin or die that will give you a random result once the page has completed loading. It’s handy for decision making when you can’t get ahold of the real thing.

Type “[actor’s name] Bacon Number”
This is in relation to the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” not the food. As you may recall, this game involves trying to figure out how many films separate the actor from another film that Kevin Bacon has acted in. Admittedly, having Google automate this game kind of takes the fun out of it.

Type “fun facts”
This will bring up a random fact card with a bit of trivia to boot. This is a stimulating way to satisfy a moment of curiosity, or turn time with friends into a trivia game.

Type “The answer to the ultimate question of life the universe and everything” (no punctuation)
Fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will appreciate this one. The answer, of course, is 42.

Type “Google Pacman”
One last Google game for you. Entering this into Google will display a pop-up screen with a playable game of Pac-Man. Google made this as a doodle to celebrate Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary in 2010 (costing the US economy $120 million in lost productivity, or 5 million wasted work hours) and the game has stuck around as fun Easter egg ever since.

These are our top 10 favorite Google Easter eggs, there are actually many more to be found. Can you think of one or two eggs that we didn’t go over? Share them with us in the comments!

Bonus egg: “Do a Barrell Roll!”

1
Apr, 2016
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Is the “Send Me to Heaven” App the Best Technology Prank Ever? [VIDEO]

b2ap3_thumbnail_applications_and_pranks_400.jpgIf someone asked you to throw your expensive smartphone high up into the air and risk dropping it, just for the fun of it, you would probably say no. However, for the hundreds of thousands of smartphone users who have downloaded an app designed to do just that, they may have fallen for one of the best (or dumbest) technology pranks of all time.

The app we’re referring to is S.M.T.H. (Send Me to Heaven) and it’s found on Google Play. However, unlike Google, Apple isn’t falling for it. Apple actually banned the game from their App Store, claiming that it was “encouraging behavior that could result in damage to the user’s device.”

To Apple’s credit, they’re not wrong, as evidenced by a WIRED interview of the app’s creator, Petr Svarovsky. In the interview, Svarovsky admitted that he had “hoped to have people shatter as many iPhones as possible.” Why would someone want to do such a thing?

Unlike your average mischief-maker who wants to watch the world burn just for the fun of it, Svarosky’s motivation is to get back at people who buy expensive devices as a status symbol. He admitted as much to WIRED, “The original idea was to have very expensive gadgets, which people in certain societies buy just to show off, and to get them to throw it.” One can only imagine the devastation Svarsoky could unleash upon the world if he designed the S.M.T.H. app for smart TVs.

How Does the S.M.T.H. Work?
Like all great mobile gaming apps, S.M.T.H. is ridiculously simple. With the app activated, you simply chuck your smartphone into the air and catch it. After it lands safely in your hands, you’ll then check the screen to see how high your throw was. As seen in this tutorial video:

To give you the motivation to keep throwing your smartphone and putting it at further risk, the app registers the throw’s height and uploads the result to leaderboards such as; World Top 10, Week Top 10, Day Top 10, Local Top 10 (national) and Facebook Friends lists.

Safe to say, there has been many phones destroyed because of this game, earning it the infamous title, “the last game your phone will ever play.” However, for those who aren’t all that concerned about breaking their phone, S.M.T.H. actually makes for a fun and competitive gaming experience where you have to get creative in order to break your old record. Take it from these guys using rubber bands to launch their phones and a blanket to catch it:

What do you think about S.M.T.H.? Does it seem like a fun and exhilarating way to do something new with your smartphone? Are you going to give it a try, or perhaps recommend it to a friend as a practical joke? Share with us your thoughts and high score (well, maybe not) in the comments!

30
Oct, 2015
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The Wolfman is an Executable Virus and 3 Other Monster/Malware Comparisons

b2ap3_thumbnail_fight_night_it_400.jpgIt’s the time of year when we reflect on scary things. For an IT company, it doesn’t get much scarier than an organization’s network getting slammed with a malicious computer virus. There are a variety of really bad viruses out there, each one with its own unique ability to cause some scary results. The way we see it, each computer virus is kind of like a classic monster.

An Overwrite Virus is The Fly

  • What an overwrite virus does: Deletes information in the infected files. In this case, the infected files would be rendered totally or partially useless. Additionally, the only way to effectively rid a system of this virus is to delete the file, which would cause the original content to be completely lost.
  • Why The Fly is an overwrite virus: Before The Fly was a monster, he was a scientist who successfully developed teleportation technology. Unfortunately, during a teleoperation test run involving the scientist, a fly found its way into the teleportation pod, causing his DNA to slowly become overwritten with fly DNA. This turned him into a hideous monster. He was no longer useful as a productive scientist and the only way to stop his reign of terror was to “delete him.”

An Executable Virus is the Wolfman

  • What an executable virus does: An executable virus is a nonresident computer virus that stores itself in an executable file and infects other files each time the file is run. Until the file is executed, it remains dormant–until a predetermined command activates it. Activating the file could require something simple like opening a specific program, or even a remote activation by a hacker.
  • Why it’s the Wolfman: The thing about the wolfman is that he’s an average dude during the day, and even during most nights when the moon isn’t full. All the while, he’s out mingling in the real world like a normal person and nobody’s the wiser. Then, the full moon happens, his werewolf side is activated (or “executed”), and he goes on a path of destruction. This is what the an executable virus does; it sits dormant on your PC, waiting to be remotely activated by a force that’s beyond your control.

Botnets are Zombies

  • What a Botnet does: A botnet is programmed to spread its destructive malware to other systems. This, in turn, creates more bots, and these systems bond together into a botnet. These entities can mask their presence and creep into your system disguised as everyday Internet traffic. It can then proceed to collect as much information as it needs to spam you, steal your company’s data, or overwhelm your system and shut it down with a DDoS attack.
  • Why it’s a zombie virus: A zombie virus spreads from person to person by completely taking over their body, forcing them to do something that they wouldn’t normally do–eat brains. This, in turn, only serves to spread the virus and create even more zombies that want to devour even more brains. Botnets have the capability to take over your company’s computers in the same zombie-like way.

Ransomware is an Alien Conquest

  • What Ransomware Does: Once a computer is infected with a ransomware like CryptoLocker, the virus will encrypt the files on the computer. It will then lock the user out of their PC and demand that you pay the hackers money for an encryption key. Additionally, CryptoLocker displays a clock that counts down. If the clock hits 0:00 and the hackers haven’t received their money, then all of the PC’s files will be deleted.
  • Why Ransomware is Aliens: Ransomware like CryptoLocker is one of the nastiest viruses that we’ve seen, and it actually combines a variety of different viruses. Therefore, we’re going to chalk this one up to aliens. One reason for this association is because there are so many different types of aliens that attack Earth in so many different ways. When it comes to aliens, we see two common themes that coincide with ransomware, 1) The complete takeover of our planet (like the complete takeover of a PC), and 2) the abduction of people (which is similar to the abduction of a user’s data). Even though alien races don’t seem particularly interested in exchanging their human captives for Bitcoins, we feel like we can still make a connection because some hackers have been known to delete a user’s data even after the user has paid the ransom–now that’s scary!

Mutants, werewolves, zombies, and aliens, all of these fictitious monsters are nothing compared to the scare you’ll receive if your business were to be hit with any of these viruses. To prevent scary viruses like this, you need a proven network security solution in place like NuTech Services’s Unified Threat Management appliance, and you need to have a data backup solution that allows you to recover a version of your data before your files were infected. Call NuTech Services today at 810.230.9455 to implement these solutions and take the fear out of computing!

14
Sep, 2015
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Hillary Clinton Learns the Hard Way Why Network Security Best Practices Must Be Followed

b2ap3_thumbnail_hillary_server_snafu_400.jpgWith the United States’ Presidential election ramping up, it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing Hillary Clinton’s face. The former U.S. secretary of state and first lady, Clinton is making her second attempt at the Presidency. She has gained some negative attention recently in regards to emails she had sent from a personal email address when she was the United States’ top diplomat and it’s opened up some questions about data security at the highest reaches of government.

Every potentially scandalous political situation presents some question of motive, and this particular one is no different. The situation started when The New York Times’ Michael Schmidt broke the story on March 2, 2015. At the time, the reporter recalled, that he didn’t think much of the story. “It was curious and it was interesting,” Schmidt told the Huffington Post, “but it didn’t seem like it was going to be some type of major story.” In fact, the situation was so under the radar that Schmidt left for vacation the day after it ran in print.

Of course, what we know now is that it has snowballed into a political scandal that many Republicans hope derails her campaign. The basics of the story are this: While she was secretary of state under President Obama she used her personal email address to conduct official state business, potentially violating federal requirements that officials’ correspondence be retained as an official record of proceedings. Moreover, Mrs. Clinton did not use a state-issued email address throughout her tenure at the state department. That alone is not the issue, however. The issue is that her staff did not preserve that correspondence, a clear failure to comply with the Federal Records Act.

Many government officials have commented on this issue, with the consensus being that Mrs. Clinton had not been in breach of any law, but that the practice of not using the state-sponsored email address is highly unusual, and deserves further investigation. Of course, Mrs. Clinton is running for the highest office in the land and the scrutiny, especially from the opposite party, has intensified. Clinton agreed to turn over the email server to the FBI; the server that her account was hosted on for the entire time she was secretary of state. The former first lady gave it over willingly, without legal precedent to do so, which suggests that Clinton doesn’t feel as if she did anything criminal. She also does not seem to have a grasp on the best practices of network security.

Since turning over the server August 12, the FBI has begun probing the server to see if, in fact, Mrs. Clinton has violated the law by mishandling classified information. In doing a damage assessment, the FBI has also begun attempting to ascertain if the email address she was using at the time, or the server itself, had been hacked. Clinton herself recently dismissed the chances that the old email server could have been infiltrated by stating that the email address “[…] was set up for President Clinton’s office. And it had numerous safeguards. It was on property guarded by the Secret Service. And there were no security breaches.”

There has been some concern from authorities and the Judge overseeing this situation, Emmet Sullivan, that Clinton or her Colorado-based IT provider had wiped the server in question when the Clintons upgraded their IT and migrated all the information from their old servers to their new ones. The provider that hosted the email server, Platte River Networks, who also turned over the server to the FBI, acquired the server in question in 2013. They have gone on the record to proclaim that there are almost certainly backups of the deleted files on the server.

Since any good IT provider will ensure their clients’ IT is backed up properly, you can bet that the content of that server, with years worth of diplomatic correspondence is someplace. The FBI’s probe will focus on getting the emails back and to ascertain how the email data was protected, whether traces of code that suggest an attempt at infiltration had taken place, and whether or not it is possible to reconstruct the logs of what machines actually accessed the server when Clinton was working for the state department.

Outside of the political realm, the whole issue brings up some interesting topics for the security of an organization’s IT. When you wipe a computer, what are you actually deleting? What kind of information can be accessed after you think everything is off your old technology? When you absolutely have to send secure emails, what solution do you use to ensure that they are received without tampering?

Although your company might not receive the same media scrutiny as a politician, suffering from data theft or hacker infiltration can be a seriously complicated situation that could cost you a lot of time, money, and even your reputation. Making sure your data is in check and your network is secure is becoming even more crucial, even for smaller businesses.

Whether you are dealing in state secrets or not, data security is important for any organization. NuTech Services’s technicians can answer all of your IT security questions, and find your organization the solutions they need to keep downtime to a minimum. Call us at 810.230.9455 to get your pressing IT security questions answered today.