In the 1960s, you would have been able to spot the difference between a computer, and any other device. In fact, it would have been really easy, considering that desktops were so big that they filled entire rooms.

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Today, we find ourselves surrounding by computers that blend in with tablets and books. If they ever decide to rebel (rather with forceful violence a la the Terminator, or sociopathic creepiness like Hal), humanity has a hard task ahead of itself.

What’s the best way to prepare yourself for the inevitable computer Armageddon? Identify all of the computers that control aspects of your life: you’ll find that many perform essential tasks.

We’ve become so dependent on them that we even design numerous devices to accomplish similar tasks, such as telling time, or spreading rumors. These devices go by numerous names, but we rarely call them computers. If we can’t reclaim that word, then humanity might as well say “Hasta la vista, Baby.”

The Ultimate Media Machine

Image : http://www.crunchgear.com

Think that your beloved TV will stick with you after the computer rebellion? Not unless you’re holding on to ancient model from that era of technology known as the 20th century. Today’s televisions are the ultimate media machines: engineers have reached that goal by replacing analog parts with tiny computers.

You won’t find a cathode ray tube inside your television these days. No, it’s filled with tons of circuit boards performing countless calculations. Who knew that an episode of That’s So Raven required such smart technology?

Image : http://sharetv.org

Televisions aren’t working by themselves these days; they’ve teamed up with other devices. With a Nintendo Wii, for instance, you can stream Hulu’s television shows and movies directly to your TV. Wii, PS3, and other devices will even let you stream content from services such as Netflix while browsing other sites.

All of that means that your television is getting increasingly Web savvy. It can’t be long until they use these powers to conspire with each other and overthrow mankind.

The Incredible Shrinking Computer

If you get worried thinking about the upper hand televisions will have during a robot revolution, then you’ll be terrified when you think about your cell phone. Cell phones have become so sophisticated that we even call them smartphones.

And just think, you keep that smart little schemer in your pocket. You let it monitor every phone call and text message. You allow it to keep an eye on every website you visit. Don’t you know that they’re the most trusted informers for the robot revolution?

Today’s smartphones are tiny computers. The iPhone, for instance, isn’t really a phone. It’s more like a pocket-sized computer. The ability to place phone calls almost seems like an afterthought.

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When you consider that this handheld device has the ability to record video, connect to the Internet, play movies, buy consumer products, access your bank account, and interpret voicemail as readable text, you start to wonder why Apple chose to use the diminutive “i.”

Yeah, But Can a Book Tell Time?

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It’s not just cell phones that have turned into little computers: even today’s books include such a dazzling array of media and networking options that it is hard to categorize them. e-Readers offer many of the same technological wonders as computers and smartphones.

The iPad, for instance, can connect to the Internet through wireless networks, play movies,  let you enjoy graphics-intense video games, as well as some pretty creative uses. The Nook offers similar features, making one wonder why anyone would pick up a paper book, again.

Image : http://www.boneyardproductions.com/

After all, your copy of Moby Dick might be timeless fiction, but it can’t actually tell time. e-Readers do that, plus help you stay connected with friends, keep up with current events and trends, and slowly go brain dead watching inane YouTube videos. Then again, your paperback books aren’t going to rise up to slay humanity any day now. That’s a definite advantage.

The Key Controls Your Identity

Here’s something truly frightening: computers now control your identity. How so? Through key fobs and security tokens that have replaced security passwords and mechanical keys, your identity has become fluid.

Electronic key fobs are small pieces of hardware (cough, cough, computers, cough) that confirm your identity to other devices (cough, cough), such as ATMs, security systems, and automobiles. Some of them, for instance, are little USB drives that you stick into a system’s port. Others use radio signals and Bluetooth technology to transmit your identity to machines.

Now for the creepy part: smartphones have the ability to act as security tokens. Computer programmers use Java programs to simulate the security token’s function. Viola, the smartphone has taken another step towards complete world control.

Image : http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/

Soon, you’ll find that you can’t even make a purchase without your phone. Why? Smartphones now have the ability to make credit card payments in retail stores. As computers start to blur the lines between devices, it is easy to see the Techno Rapture approach.

There is No Escape: Your Car Will Kill You

Image : http://poptimal.com/

Think that you can escape the ire of technology in your car? Think again. Many cars have as many as 50 microprocessors in them. Sure, this offers enhanced safety features, gives you better control of the vehicle, and makes problems easier to diagnose; but that’s only as long as computers comply with human control.

Plus, some car manufacturers are now installing wireless Internet routers in their vehicles. That’s going to make it much easier for the robot overlords to track human movement and keep an eye on rebels fighting for the rights of meat-based organisms.

CONCLUSION

There’s no doubt that the future is scary. Now that you can identify some of the most common computers in your life, though, you have a fighting chance. Stick to your guns; as long as those guns don’t have microchips in them (microchips are just tiny computers), and you might survive the Robot Uprising.

At the very least, you might be able to live as your smartphone’s pet.

It’s not enough just to play the newest and the greatest online games any longer; today’s players want to utilize hands-free voice chat programs so they don’t have to type while playing. In fact, this has become so useful that some of the newer games have voice chat capabilities built right into the game interface.

Programs like Skype, Team Speak, XFire and Ventrillo are designed to allow the user to chat in a normal voice while simultaneously playing a game. This has made typing communications between players nearly obsolete, allowing the player to seamlessly communicate with teammates and effectively become a more adept player. AssaultCube, like many other games, has its own language and any casual eavesdropper to a voice chat session amongst players would likely find themselves wondering what they’re talking about. The following are some common terms that players might shout out while playing and an interpretation for those who aren’t familiar with the lingo.

• WOOT – WOOT is often shouted out in jubilation when one team is about to vanquish another. It translates as “we own the other team.”
• Sens – Sens is short for sensitivity. This relates to the adjustability of your crosshairs in relation to the movement of the mouse or trackpad.
• Ping – Ping is often discussed and refers to the amount of time the game data takes to move from the client to the server and back again.
• Noob – The term noob is often used as an insult, when one is ignorant of the game play mechanics or does something foolish.
• Newbie – This refers to an inexperienced player and is not often used as an insult–rather just as a description of the player’s experience level.
• POV – This is short for “point of view” and is often heard as players try to negotiate terrain in order to eliminate the enemy.
• Headshot – This is the term used to describe a shot to the head from a sniper rifle.
• Frag – This is game slang for a kill.
• Gib – This is also game slang but it refers to the action of receiving two points instead of one after scoring a headshot or by using a grenade to kill an opponent.
• DM – DM refers to one of the modes of game play called Deathmatch, a free for all game play style.
• Clan – Clan is synonymous with guild and is a group of like-minded players who form a community amongst themselves.
• CTF – This is an acronym for another mode of game play called Capture the Flag
• LSS – Last Swiss Standing is the long form and is another mode of game play in AssaultCube.

Using a voice chat program while playing AssaultCube not only frees players from having to type and allows them to become more effective players, but it is in itself a form of entertainment. Others on the channel can hear the myriad swear words and expletives that are shouted at the player’s screen after suffering an unexpected headshot or frag.

If you spend a good deal of your most precious commodity (time) living vicariously through gaming, you’ll have some new adventures to look forward to in 2011. With new features and game engines, most of the highly anticipated games are bringing advancements to their gaming platforms. From stereoscopic 3D games to those using the new PlayMove and Kinect technologies, here are 8 games to love in 2011:

1. Crysis 2

As a first-person shooter game, players can jump into this stereoscopic 3D sequel. The game will be the first to utilize the CryEngine 3 (that’s a game engine). Set in 2023 in New York, the game offers a new environment that replaces the typical jungle setting of the first Crysis. It does, however, keep the aliens.

2. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Join Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan as they travel around the world looking for the Iram of the Pillars, a lost city. The game supports stereoscopic 3D, is multi-player, and has improved features from the previous Uncharted games.

3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Since details are still scarce for the next installment of Elder Scrolls, most of the hype for this game is coming from fans of the series and their expectations. The trailer for the video does start off with a fire-breathing dragon. One added benefit is that the new game will utilize a new engine.

4. Bioshock Infinite

The days of Rapture are yet to come. Bioshock Infinite heralds in an era that predates Rapture. Set in Columbia, a city in the sky, you will fight to determine who will control the world.

5. KillZone 3

Set for release February 22, Killzone 3 is a first-person shooter, and it’s 3D. It also is the first Killzone game to utilize PlayStation Move. While the plot still hinges on war, Guerrilla Games has scaled back on unnecessary swearing and the former overtly dark storyline, both of which generated major complaints.

6. Child of Eden

Sure, many people find shooter games amusing. But, if you want a break from blowing stuff up, keep your eye out for Child of Eden. Featuring visually stunning imagery, the game pulls you into the AI system, where you must purge the mainframe of a virus. As a potential added bonus, this game is Kinect-enabled.

7. Dead Space 2

Players who enjoy grisly games will want to keep an eye out for this horror story. The third-person shooter features a multi-player mode. Players can witness the gory transformation of the Necromorph infection as it attacks the residents of a Sprawl, a space station.

8. Little Big Planet 2

If you enjoy user-generated platforms, Little Big Planet 2 is set to deliver just what you like. The sequel will include over three million levels developed by players in the first version. Each level will be editable, and the new version advances the original Sackboy plot.

These games are the cream of the crop for development and design, so no matter what type of game you prefer to play, whether user-generated, first-person shooter, or fantasy-based, you’re sure to find plenty to keep you busy with this 8 games to love in 2011.

Okay. Just admit it. You like playing video games. It’s alright, no one will judge you! Isn’t it funny how many of us are a little reluctant to admit that we enjoy a video game every once in a while. Perhaps it’s the geek inside of us (and we all have an inner geek!) that lets us enjoy this fun activity.

Whether you are an old-school gamer and can actually remember that first game of Pong you played, or if you are of the newer generation waiting in line for new releases, you probably have a childhood favorite.

We tried to get a comprehensive list of those games that may have defined our childhoods and were completely overwhelmed by the sheer number, but here are at least eight that seemed to rise to the top of the popularity list (and they are in no particular order — chronologically or otherwise!):

Tetris

It was, and probably still is, one of the favorite time-wasters of all time! Believe it or not, this game was originally designed by a Russian scientist — Alexey Pajitnov — who worked at the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR. And yes, it was still the USSR in 1985 when this little game was developed.

Doom

It is considered to be the original “first person shooter” type game. It was also one of the first games to be released on a freeware basis — well, actually only the first part or module was free.

PacMan

It is a lovely little blast from the past. From a time when the players were just emerging from the 70s with those feathered haircuts and entering the disco era, this little game was released by a Japanese arcade game developer in 1980.

World of WarCraft

It is one of the latest games to see thousands line up for hours for the latest release. It is considered to not only be a game, but a culture as well. This RPG engages millions of players around the world.

Super Mario

It is one of those games that, quite possibly, everyone has played. Those little Mario Brothers jumping throughout the Mushroom Kingdom is one of the more memorable sets of graphics in the gaming world.

Mine Sweeper

It is probably second to, or may even surpasses, Tetris as the all-time time waster. It is said that even your human resource departments, who are notorious for time management, were and probably still are partaking of this guilty pleasure.

The Sims

It is that wildly popular game that let us players create and manipulate our own little worlds. If you doubt how popular this game was (and still is for some), just take a look at Farmville on Facebook.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero

They cannot be left off any list of favorite video games. These two games have brought an entire generation (or two or three) into vicariously living the dreams of a rock star on stage.

This list is in no way the definitive list of all time, it’s just one writer’s opinion. And although the graphics and design in video game development these days is a giant leap from the Tetris days, there are still those certain video games that everyone loves playing.

The recession is both a global and a local thing. That is to say, it is happening to everyone out there, and it is happening to each one of us individually. While the economy as a whole be struggling to keep itself afloat in the recession, determined, smart individuals can do this relatively easily.

Technology is there to help.

Those of us who easily understand the latest, cutting edge technology will find it easier to
• Retain jobs,
• Run businesses profitably, and
• Find new ways to make money
Let’s find out how.

Retaining Your Job in a Cutthroat Market

Probably the best favor a sharp employee can do to herself is to become indispensable in the office.

You will always have a job if you can do this. Now, most people have a handicap when it comes to technology. Your boss may need a pamphlet formatted for publishing using InDesign software.

Your supervisor may need the taxes done using new accounting software. Your office may need a VPN system set up, or a dedicated server installed. Hey, your lumberjack company may need you to get the run of a new design of machinery.
If you are the guy that can quickly learn techie stuff, you are in luck – no employer will ever want to let you go. Nobody wants to hire outside help when there’s a maverick in-house. Make yourself indispensable and keep a smiling face when you are asked to do a bit more work than others. Remember, that extra work is the small price you pay to retain your job when the axe is falling right and left.

Running a Profitable Business

Whether you run a large automobile manufacturing plant or a basement business, it always helps to implement the latest technology. I would define technology as something that can do five people’s job for what it costs to pay two people. Get the latest technology, and you save on salaries and benefits you would have had to pay the manpower it replaced.

Take the example of sophisticated accounting software like Quicken. This single software can replace almost the entire accounts department of a company. In recessionary times, a trimmed down, lean workforce is the best way to run a business.

Technology Finds You New Ways to Make Money

If you are a fast learner of technology, you can quickly switch from business to business, or job to job, as the case may be. Especially in the online field, there’s a lot of variety in the kind of businesses you can get. Suppose you are a graphic designer – that means you know one kind of technology.

If you are very good, you can probably learn new things like animation, or web designing, or building useful software, whatever. But if you can be versatile like this, there’s no stopping you. You can do one thing, see an opportunity, do something else, and move on to newer things.

As you can see, there’s so many ways technology can help you bust out of recession at the individual level. It always pays to learn new technology.

Written shortly after the dawn of the internet by the Mentor. This is in no way my work but I found it very interesting and thought I’d share his writing.

+++The Mentor+++
Written January 8, 1986

Another one got caught today, it’s all over the papers. “Teenager Arrested in Computer Crime Scandal”, “Hacker Arrested after Bank Tampering”…

Damn kids. They’re all alike.

But did you, in your three-piece psychology and 1950′s technobrain, ever take a look behind the eyes of the hacker? Did you ever wonder what made him tick, what forces shaped him, what may have molded him?

I am a hacker, enter my world…

Mine is a world that begins with school… I’m smarter than most of the other kids, this crap they teach us bores me…

Damn underachiever. They’re all alike.

I’m in junior high or high school. I’ve listened to teachers explain for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction. I understand it. “No, Ms. Smith, I didn’t show my work. I did it in my head…”

Damn kid. Probably copied it. They’re all alike.

I made a discovery today. I found a computer. Wait a second, this is cool. It does what I want it to. If it makes a mistake, it’s because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn’t like me… Or feels threatened by me.. Or thinks I’m a smart ass.. Or doesn’t like teaching and shouldn’t be here…

Damn kid. All he does is play games. They’re all alike.

And then it happened… a door opened to a world… rushing through the phone line like heroin through an addict’s veins, an electronic pulse is sent out, a refuge from the day-to-day incompetencies is sought… a board is found. “This is it… this is where I belong…” I know everyone here… even if I’ve never met them, never talked to them, may never hear from them again… I know you all…

Damn kid. Tying up the phone line again. They’re all alike…

You bet your ass we’re all alike… we’ve been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak… the bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We’ve been dominated by sadists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that had something to teach found us willing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert.

This is our world now… the world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud. We make use of a service already existing without paying for what could be dirt-cheap if it wasn’t run by profiteering gluttons, and you call us criminals. We explore… and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge… and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias… and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it’s for our own good, yet we’re the criminals.

Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.

I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto. You may stop this individual, but you can’t stop us all… after all, we’re all alike.

Taking classes in college can teach a person a lot about what their strengths and weaknesses are. For instance, there are some people who are absolutely wonderful at problem-solving and figuring out equations and chemistry problems. They breeze through those things like it’s nothing, while there are others who struggle with angst just to get the basics down. But even though these types of subjects can be very challenging, almost every academic pursuit toward a degree requires some class exposure to these subjects.

There was once a time when being called a “geek” was considered negative or derogatory. Not anymore. Traditional universities and even online colleges are now full of those geeks who are excelling in their subject areas and are in high demand by other students to help them with their studies. The geeks have taken a special place in the academic setting and are leaving a path for many to follow. So, how can you study like the geeks?

A love for the subject is the first thing that any geek has. They virtually live, eat and breathe what they love and become masters at it. You don’t necessarily have to master all subject areas, or even love them, but if you can show intensity and concentration toward the one subject that interests you, your study skills can and will increase dramatically.

Focusing and concentration are other traits that geeks have – and they’re worth mimicking. They are not easily distracted and know that they need to stay focused to achieve their goal and be productive. Yes, geeks have fun too, but they know when it is appropriate and place their studies first. You can see success with practice, but you will certainly have a new-found respect and appreciation for what it takes to study hard and see results.

There are tons of programs out there that do the same thing your paid or ad covered ones do for free. Or if you are a windows hater rebel who refuses to follow the crowd these are perfect for you. I challenge anyone who feels a free version can never be as good as a paid version of a program to give these alternatives a shot.

Pidgin

Most IM clients are already free but popular ones like aim are covered in annoying advertisements and always open up the aim homepage when they open. Pidgin has no ads, is much lighter on system resources and also handles a large number of clients so there is no need to have 5 different ones installed on your pc

AbiWord

A much more light weigh word processor with more features and less system use, it sounds too good to be true. Running Microsoft word takes around 30mb of RAM where AbiWord uses less than 6mb. One of the best features is as the window you are using it in is made smaller so you can multitask the text is made smaller so you never have to scroll left and right to see the whole document.

Gimp

Switching from Photoshop to gimp is very easy, most all of the same tools are there but just sorta tucked away in a new location. A few hours learning curve is worth the few hundred dollars you will save and there are some neat extra features that photoshop doesn’t have as well.

ThunderBird

There are probably a thousand reasons why you should not use Microsoft Outlook. Besides all the design flaws, low productivity, and exorbitant price it is a not so secret passage for viruses onto your PC. When worms and viruses are being created and embedded into image and attachments they are created to exploit wholes in Outlook to get into your machine. Thunderbird is much more secure and a smaller user base so less viruses are created for it.

Open Office

A free, open source complete office suite with all of the same features as Microsoft’s but with the better system performance that comes from open source engineering. Microsoft Office is pricey to start with but when you consider the costs of upgrading to the newest version every few years it’s outrageous. All Open Office updates are free and completely compatible with Microsoft Office.

FireFox

Firefox has grown so much in the last few years that it is practically main stream but it is still worth noting.  If you are still using internet explorer hurry up and pull your head out of the ground and download it. Everything will explain itself in the five minutes to follow.

AVG Free

Tired of those annoying pop-up telling you that your Norton Antivirus subscription has ran out and it is time to pay to download the newest version. Well uninstall it and try out AVG Free. It has some of the largest virus definition files available and is actually more accurate at identifying viruses than Norton.

7zip

If you don’t like the way windows handles its own zip files or are tired of hitting the button that ask to find a program that can open this file on the internet try this file extractor that handles many different file types.

Foxit Firefox PDF Plug-in

Adobe reader takes forever and a day to load and uses a ton of resources. When you are trying to view a pdf on the web you have to wait for it to start. Foxit is a pdf plugin for firefox that allows you to quickly view pdf’s within the browser.

Ubuntu

When you are finally tired of all the over priced programs and ready to be done with it for good it is time for Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a Linux based Operating System. 98% of the software made for it is free and open source so you would actually have to hunt for a paid version of most programs

As you and your date talk, laugh, and discuss lighter topics, it’s inevitable that he or she will, at some point, ask you a “tough” question. These inevitable questions can take many forms and they are too numerous to list here. Often, you’ll just have to do the best you can with the question and then, after the date, plan to answer it better the next time you’re asked it. The principle to remember is this: be honest – tactfully honest. Each question is an opportunity to reveal something about yourself that will make you more attractive. Let’s take a look at one of the more common ones.

“So, what kind of work do you do?”

You’ll want to have an answer ready in advance for this one. The essence of answering this question effectively is to describe what you do in one or two sentences. A great way to look at it is: answer the question in a way so that an eight-year-old would understand you, and then say, “Cool!” Saying that you’re a “project manager” or a “systems engineer” doesn’t really tell the other person much. Try something along the lines of, “You know how online sports betting is really popular now? I write the software that makes it work.” If you’re unemployed, in school, or working what you consider to be a menial job, you can still answer this question effectively. “I’m working as a waiter while I’m getting my MBA,” or “I’m interviewing for a public relations position.” If you really are unemployed, of course, it’s best to get some job – any job, not only to increase your self-respect and income, but to help you answer this question! Present yourself in the best possible light, just as you dress and style your hair to make you look your best.