12 Challenges Facing Computer Education in Africa

 While ICT continues to advance in western and Asian countries, African countries still experience a lag in its implementation, and that continues to widen the digital and knowledge divides. In a recent study by Kiptalam et.al (2010), observed that access to ICT facilities is a major challenge facing most African countries, with a ratio of one computer to 150 students against the ratio of 1:15 students in the developed countries.

Whereas results indicate that ICT has penetrated many sectors including banking, transportation, communications, and medical services, the Africa educational system seems to lag behind. Further, recent report by the National Council for Science and Technology (2010) indicated that computer use in classrooms is still in its early phases, and concluded that the perceptions and experiences of teachers and administrators do play an important role in the use of computers in classrooms. I see a dozen challenges facing implementation of computer education in Africa. They are:

1. Lack of qualified teachers to teach ICT in schools: The demand for ICT learning has been tremendous and the number of teachers who are trained to teach ICT cannot meet the demand. There are more students willing to be taught computing skills than there are teaches to transfer the skills.
2.  Lack of computers: Computers are still very expensive and despite spirited efforts by the government agencies, NGO, corporate organizations and individuals to donate computers to as many schools as possible, there still remains a big percentage of the schools unable to purchase computers for use by their pupils.
3. Lack of electricity: Many schools are still not yet connected to electricity; Africa being a developing continent , the government has not been able to connect all parts of the country to the national electricity grid. Consequently those schools that fall under such areas are left handicapped and may not be able to offer computer studies.
4. Computers are still expensive in Africa: in a country with a GDP of $1600, majority of the individuals and schools cannot afford to buy a computer and consider it as a luxury item, more expensive than a TV. While 2nd hand computers cost as little as $150 and branded new computers being sold at $500 or higher.
5. Broken down computers: while a good number of schools have benefited from donated used computers, they have not been adequately equipped with the same on maintenance and repair, hence its very common to see a schools computer lab full of broken down computers, some repairable and some not. This has actually been a major problem, and the government has now put strict measures on any person, NGO or corporate bodies willing to donate 2nd hand computers. (It is seen as a dumping ground); e-waste management.
6. Burglary: the fact that computers are still very expensive in Africa, makes them a target for thieves who usually have ready markets to another party at a much less figure. This has made many schools to incur extra expenses trying to burglar proof the computer rooms. This extra expense makes some schools shy away from purchasing computers for their students.
7. Fear by the administration: there is still a strong perception especially by the older generation that computers require highly skilled personnel to operate them, while this may not be the case, some school administrators also fear that their students will be exposed to adult sites and other undesired sites, through the use of the internet. Some also fear the infection of viruses to their computers leading to data loss, while this may be true to some extent, proper education on the safe use of computers and help alleviate some of this fears.
8. Fear by the teacher: the teacher may fear being rendered irrelevant by the introduction of computers in his/her class. The ‘feel’ that the teacher still remains an authority and a ‘know it all’ in class is something that most teachers cherish, and anything that makes them otherwise is deemed an enemy of the classroom.
9. Lack of internet or slow connectivity: most schools are not able to connect to the world wide web, due to the high costs involved in the connectivity. On average, it may cost approximately $120 per month to connect to about 15 computers on a bandwidth of 128/64kbps. This is considered as very expensive for a very slow speed.
10. Lack of initiative by the community leaders: the community leaders who are charged with looking at the interests of a given community do not see the need to purchase and subsequent installations of computers to their schools as a priority. They consider health care, provision of water and other amenities as more important than buying computers for their schools.
11. Obsolete computers: lower the morale of both the teacher and the student; it is very common to find some schools using very old computers running on win98 or win 95.
12. Increased moral degradation: internet pornography, cyber bullying and other anti-social behaviors is a worrying emerging problem. 

ICT can play a significant role in equalizing opportunities for marginalized groups and communities. But the paradox is that for those groups that are unable to cross the technology divide, ICT is yet another means to further marginalize them. Education has a major role to play in resolving this problem. Thus, unless ICT becomes part of both the delivery and content of education, the disadvantage will deepen and development will suffer.

Customize your own MTN Callerfeel!!!

 There is a new way to share your conversations and this time, you are not limited to any social network- your callers are your new listeners.

MTN CallerFeel welcomes you to a new world of possibilities and self-expression. Whether you are in business, having fun, or you just have great news to share…

This is what it does for you:

Current and potential customers hear about your products and new offerings

Multiple persons share in your great news

Quick updates that make you feel good about expressing yourself are available to whoever calls your phone!

This is how it works:

Instead of listening to a ring-back (Caller) tune,  MTNCallerFeel allows for  your personalised messages to appear as pop-up notifications on your caller’s phone screen anytime they call; so now, they get to see and feel your message.

Think of the quick updates on your BBM, Facebook and Twitter; it works just the same -only cooler, as it can now be done on your MTN lines!

Subscribe Now! Send REG to the short code, 50016 or log onto the CallerFeel website, enter your MSISDN and select the option to subscribe to the service.

Modular has yet to work for phones — could it work for watches?

Technology and fashion have usually been two unrelated fields, but the growing smartwatch and wearables market is putting that notion on trial. Some people want a stylish watch: one that’s round, sleek, and eye-catching. Other enthusiasts want a real smartwatch, with LTE, Wi-Fi, and a host of other smartphone capabilities. Given the limitations of current technology, this probably explains why current smartwatches are still in their infant stages.
But if the geek-versus-sleek debate isn’t quite raging, the smart-versus-round one is. It seems as though few smartwatch manufacturers can make a compelling case to consumers at large. Could a modular design break the logjam? Blocks Wearables, a UK startup, wants to add a new layer to current smartwatch debates: customizable-versus-controlled. Blocks has its sights set on creating the first modular smartwatch, a goal the company says was inspired by Google’s own Project Ara modular smartphone idea.
Essentially, Blocks Wearables’ modular smartwatch would allow you to exchange device parts as you see fit. If you want a basic smartwatch now, but crave a heart rate monitor or GPS later on, you can just buy the add-ons. Blocks can do this by way of sensor modules that are built into individual smartwatch links, such that the links “snap” together to create a smartwatch. As of last fall, Blocks showed off a teaser video of what its smartwatch could be, with a plan to start its release earlier this year.
Six months into 2015, that still hasn’t happened yet. Blocks says it needed time to secure some relationships — Qualcomm for manufacturing the processor; a manufacturer to begin mass production — as well as finalize the block-links design that detaches one part of the wrist wearable from its other modular parts.
The OS is another question. Blocks was considering Android Wear, Google’s own smartwatch platform, as well as Samsung’s Tizen (although Intel and others are backing the fledgling OS as well), and the familiar Android 5.0 Lollipop, which would make it much closer to a standalone Android device. Currently the goal is to build it with Android 5.0 and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, and have it come in a range of luxury styles with help from local luxury brand Tateossian. Company co-founder Alireza Tahmasebzadeh expects to begin shipping watches to consumers 7-8 months after it crowdfunds the project.
As for price, the company is targeting $120 for the main body of the watch (the touchscreen watchface) with an additional $20 to $40 per sensor type. At that rate, expect a $200+ price tag when all is said and done.

Google looks to patent smart contact lenses for ‘iris fingerprint’ detection

Google’s getting more and more fascinated with biometric security measures. According to a recent patent filing, the Mountain View, California search engine giant is looking to integrate fingerprint authentication into its latest Android M update that will arrive this Fall. In addition to Google’s mobile efforts, the company has also been flirting with the idea of smart glasses (a la Glass) as well as smart contact lenses with an integrated camera for those who’d rather not bring too much attention to themselves.
Google also aims to design smart biometric technology to aid the health of humanity with its smart contact lenses, which can detect blood sugar levels via tear ducts. But the company also sees technology in a broader light, including security. To this end, Google’s latest patent shows it’s moving toward more secure forms of biometric identification – and iris fingerprints are more difficult for a hacker to “lift” than hand fingerprints.
The patent, dated June 2, 2015, covers a smart contact lens and a circuit containing light sensors (situated slightly over the iris) that scan the eye to form an “iris fingerprint” of an individual. The iris fingerprint detected by the light sensors would then be compared with an iris fingerprint on a computing device (whether desktop, mobile, etc.) for user authentication for a website or account, for example. As with prior smart contacts patents, the iris fingerprint detection system presented here would also call for a wireless power source of some kind.

In line with its commitment to user identification and internet security, Google says that “users can opt out of providing personal information” with an iris fingerprint detection system, and that data could be “anonymized” while still safeguarding account users.
Smart contact lenses could serve a number of purposes beyond biometric identification and measuring blood glucose levels. For one, smart contact lenses could also deliver medication doses over time (say, each hour or two), instead of requiring patients to take large medication doses at once. Night vision would be another benefit of smart contact lenses — a huge help for those who have trouble seeing at night, such as the visually impaired. And tear ducts contain an ingredient called lacryglobin that detects various cancers (breast, lung, brain, and so on), so smart contact lenses could help doctors and patients detect early, troubling signs or monitor for remission.
Google is but one of a few entities working on the future of contact lens technology: Swiss company Sensimed wants to use smart lenses to measure ocular inflammation in glaucoma patients; Seattle, Washington company Innovega has its sights set on creating smart lenses that can handle high-resolution displays while not affecting user vision; and the University of Michigan wants to create infrared lenses that provide night vision.
While plenty of patents are filed that never come to fruition, Google’s interest in smart contact lenses seem to be growing, which explains why the company announced its new partnership with Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis last year to begin the production of its smart contact lenses. Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez said that consumers can expect to see Google’s contact lenses on the market no earlier than 2019. Regardless of when the smart eyewear arrives to market, you can be sure that smart contact lenses will do more than just look fashionable.

Do You Know You Can Now Locate Your Lost Phone Using Google Search?

Losing your phone is a nightmare, and things get worse when you know there is hardly any way to track it down.
Well but if you are an Android user, then you are in for a pleasant surprise.
Google recently introduced a new feature which can track down any Android phone or tablet by simply using ‘Google Search’. Here’s how it works!

Step 1: Make sure you are using/share the same Google account on your PC and Android phone or tablet. (Even if you aren’t, it will prompt you once you type in ‘find my phone’ in the Google search bar.)

Step2: Now type in ‘find my phone’ in the Google Search bar.
As soon as you hit enter, Google will start locating your phone on Google Maps.
Give it a few seconds and your phone’s preciselocation will be right in front of you.
It even shows how far it is from where you are sitting.
But what if your phone is under a pillow or stuck in a bed side.
Well, for that, there’s an option called ‘Ring’ which will make your phone ring at maximum volume for over 5 minutes.

Drones now set to be used for Invigilation during exams

 Severe?..Yeah! They've resorted to the usage of drones to invigilate in an exam arena, as college students there have gotten so advanced in their ways that the whole thing from their glasses, pen, as much as their footwear has been 'technologically changed'.

Properly not so excessive because the drones do not have firearms installed but they're capable of come across suspicious radio indicators from an height of about one thousand six hundred feet (1600ft) and they can rotate as much as 360 degree to scan.

The location of those signals, springing up from mobile telephones, electric pen, pc glasses and even earphones is then dispatched to the main operators if you want to pinpoint who's cheating and in which.

This anti-cheating drone have be confirmed to have caught some suspects within the past year and their are criminal penalties for those convicted of examination Mal-practices in China.

I sincerely thinks this new development will reduce cheating in the examination hall...At least for now...Not until students start the use of Jamming gadgets to intercept the alerts transmitted by using the drone. You already know students are so clever and they will do anything to get what they want and these drones will lead them to be more hard working both in studying for exams and also in devising higher methods for cheating.

The Instagram site is getting a big redesign this week – see it here before it goes live

If you love taking photos and you pride yourself on your Instagram library, likes and followers, then you’ll be happy to learn that your Instagram photo experience is about to get much better. And you might just end up getting even more likes and followers once the company rolls out a major redesign for its website.

As The Verge puts it, Instagram’s website “is about to look much nicer.” The most important change concerns pictures, which will appear much larger on the page than they do now, both on the desktop and mobile version of the website.
Profile pages will display three large images in each row, rather than five smaller ones as it does right now. Other changes include round profile pics and the removal of the grid of cover images at the top.
The new webpage layout will also be presented on hashtag pages, the blog says, and similar design changes will hit the desktop feed and mobile profiles.
Instagram’s new website will be rolled out starting today, and should be visible to everyone by the end of the week, according to the company. In the meantime, you can see exactly what it will look like in the image at the top of this post.

Meet who makes $20,000-$25,000 monthly

Have You Looked Into Working From Home?

 

Paul Maxwel from Nigeria never thought about trying to make a living on the internet, until he read about making money online and filled out a simple online form. In a very short time, he realized he had stumbled across something big, a way to provide for his wife and children.
Paul's story has gone viral and we decided to feature his story in our weekly Employment report. In our phone interview he told me his amazing story. "I actually make $20,000 - $25,000 a month from home. It's enough to easily replace the income from the 3 jobs I was working, especially considering I only work about 15-20 hours a week from my home.

Paul says anyone can get cheques like this

Working online has been a big break for Paul, who has been unemployed for months, unable to find a decent job. "I lost my job right as our newest child was born, I needed stable income, I wanted to avoid the "get rich quick" scams that seem to be all over the internet. The pyramid scams or programs where you have to sell to your friends and family. I really needed a legitimate way to earn money to support my family. The best part about this is working from home and having more time with my kids. Thanks to the Digital Cash Course I am giving my kids the childhood they deserve and my wife is happier then ever."
I asked him about how all of this began and he said. "It was really simple, I filled out a short form and applied for a work-at-home kit. It wasn't free, but it was inexpensive and seemed to have a lot of good user feedback. I got the kit and within two weeks I was making over $10.000 a month. It's really simple, I am not trained in computers, but I know how to use the internet. I was happy to find that I didn't have to sell anything to anyone. Large companies are always recruiting people for this, so you'd be missing out on something big if you didn't try it."
The companies that recruit for this are worth over 100 billion dollars and are the most popular websites in the internet market place. Sites like Amazon, Google, Walmart, Delta, Apple and many more. You're using the top ranked sites in the world, over 50 percent of all internet visitors see them each day. It's not widely known but this has been helping people make money at home for over 5 years. You have to ask yourself why wouldn't you want to get in with the biggest companies on the internet?
There are a lot of scams on the internet that will make claims that you can earn $20,00/month, but these are obvious scams. From my interview with Paul, "I am finally making a stable income and from working at home, less than a year ago I was out of a job in a very tough economy. I thank God every day that I found this oppurtunity and filled out that form."
Quickly, Paul Maxwel was able to use the simple Digital Cash Course to make consistant income from home.

"I actually make $20,000 - $25,000 a month from home." -Paul Maxwel

Paul had never shared his story before, this is the first time he's going public.

How do I Get Started?

Step 1
Go to Digital Cash Course, and fill out the form to get instantly activated.
Step 2
Follow the instructions at the Digital Cash Course and set up your account. From there, you will be guided through the process. Everything is tracked and taken care of for you.
Step 3
Have your earnings deposited by cheque or direct bank transfer. (Making money this easy is amazing. Get ready for your life to change.)

Twitter’s periscope app zooms into world map

Periscope, Twitter’s mobile app that allows users to stream live videos from their phones to the internet, recently released an iOS update that makes it easier for users to find videos from around the world.

Among other new features, the app now includes an interactive world map that displays the locations of available live feeds.

The ‘Explore the world’ feature for example, enables users to explore live broadcasts on an interactive map. Users can now see the most recent broadcasts sharing location all over the world.
Twitter’s communication Officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, EMEA, Julie Dilger said that Periscope’s new developments are helping bring to life the original vision for the app. She said “When we started building Periscope, our first idea revolved around a map.

We wanted to be able to see anywhere in the world, but we questioned whether we would have enough broadcasts for a map to be compelling. “What are the odds that anyone would even be live?,” we asked ourselves. So we shelved the map, and promised to revisit the idea when it made more sense. We could never have predicted the magnitude of broadcasts happening in every corner of the world, continuously throughout the day.

Because of the incredible Periscope community, we can bring our original vision to life.” As a result of the new updates, Periscope is now localized in 29 languages, a development Twitter hopes will “broaden the community.” Also, replays are now instantly available. There is no need to users to wait for a replay to upload after broadcasting. Users can also share the link to a live broadcast or they are watching on Twitter.

5 perfect online businesses

With all the doom and gloom news about the economy, there's never been a better time to make an extra paycheck online with a minimal amount of time and effort.
If you have an internet connection, you can get started on the road to having the internet pay for your mortgage, car payment, kids' college tuition, or even that special vacation you've wanted. Now, don't worry that you have to be a tech whiz to start a business online--I'm a complete techno-dunce.
A perfect part-time business would have to be very easy to start, require little time and money and no technical expertise, be easy to maintain with just a few hours a week and have a proven track record with a high probability of success.
There's actually one other important criteria--it has to be perfect for you! Experience has taught me that it's different strokes for different folks, and there is no "one size fits all" perfect business. You're much more likely to be successful if you do something you find fun and interesting.
With that in mind, here are five of the best ways to make extra cash moonlighting on the internet:

1. Information marketing: We're in the information age, and the internet provides you with the ideal medium to exchange know-how for money. Do you know the best fishing holes? How to play guitar? The secrets to a successful marriage? A recipe for moist and delicious brownies? A trick for saving gas?
Think about your career, your hobbies and your interests. Virtually anything you know can be turned into extra cash. And don't worry if you think you're not an expert--as long as you know more than the average person on the topic, that information is valuable.
However, if you don't believe you know anything that others would pay for (highly unlikely), you can take someone else's know-how and make money that way! It could be as easy as interviewing a veterinarian to help you create a dog-training product.
Ninety-two percent of people go online looking for information, and you could be one of the many people cashing in on selling it.

2. eBay: One of the largest online marketplaces makes it a piece of cake to get your own business going. You can open an account and start making money within hours on eBay!
While I dislike that whole "sell your garbage on eBay" thing, there is some validity to it as many people get their start on eBay by selling items from their garage or attic that pre-eBay would have been thrown out. This approach is fine, but where is the business once you run out of those items? If you want to create an eBay business that doesn't require tons of time and effort, you need to leverage products that can be sold over and over again.
This is one of the reasons I'm not a fan of the "eBay seller for hire" kinds of opportunities, where you sell things on eBay for other people. You get access to stuff people want to sell, but because each item is unique you have to work to list each and every one. There's no leverage there!
Take a look at some of the largest eBay PowerSellers and notice how they specialize in very specific products (iPods, cell phones,

dog

grooming kits, etc.). This allows them to leverage their efforts. A listing is created once, and money is collected over and over again.Unlike information marketing, this business requires the handling of physical goods, but even that can be automated, so it shouldn't prevent you from considering this idea.

3. Affiliate marketing: This may possibly be the absolute laziest way to make money because it doesn't require you to have a product, make a sale or ever have any interaction with customers.
This is essentially a "referral" business, or as one of my book contributors likes to call it, "passionate recommendations." Basically, you can get paid a referral commission just for sending people to sites (or vendors) that are set up to pay affiliate fees once a sale is made. The vendor does all the selling, fulfills the purchase and handles any customer service issues--and you just collect your check..not bad!
Some people choose affiliates based on who or what is paying the highest commissions, and that certainly is a viable option. Most people opt to choose products or goods they are passionate about so that the process is much more fun and engaging.
Insurance and credit card companies pay high commissions for referrals that convert to customers ($40 to $150 and up), but the competition is fierce. It may pay well, but is this something you'll enjoy doing for the long haul?
Alternatively, you could take a look at your hobbies and other things you enjoy and see which affiliate programs are a good match. As always, do your research to verify the viability of your market. A good place to look for ideas (and downloadable products just waiting for an affiliate) is ClickBank.com.

4. Blogging: This business is best suited for folks who enjoy communicating about a particular subject. Think of blogs as journals of sorts. Although you can have a personal blog, writing about a particular topic will have a higher chance for financial success.
The range of topics is virtually endless--photography, sports cars, parenting, dieting, star gazing, the latest gadgets,

Hollywood

gossip--you name it, as there are blogs on just about everything you can imagine. Don't worry about competition. Folks who read one blog are apt to read others on a topic they're passionate about, as long as you have something interesting to say.Once your blog starts getting traffic, you can make money passively with things like AdSense (Google's ad revenue sharing plan) or actively by doing a little bit of affiliate marketing. You can see both types of moneymaking strategies at SparkleCat.com, which is a blog about a person's

cat

. What makes it interesting is that it's written from the cat's perspective and often refers to her "human." At the top of the page are Google AdSense ads, and sprinkled throughout are suggestions for things like cat furniture and premium cat food, which are tied to an affiliate program. Pretty cool, no?

5. Yahoo! Store: This business is very similar to eBay in the sense that it's a monster-sized marketplace but more similar to a store in the true sense of the word. Think having your own retail outlet but without the hassles of rent, employees, utilities and all the other expenses of a traditional brick-and-mortar store.
The neat thing is that it can be as hands-on or as hands-off as you want it to be because of companies called drop-shippers, which can do most of the work for you. In fact, you don't even pay for the inventory until you make a sale. How cool is that?
Most people think the hard part of this business is creating your virtual store, but nothing could be further from the truth. Yahoo! has made the templates and wizards so easy that, dare I say, even a caveman can do it!
The best way to ensure your success is to do your homework and research what products people most want to buy. You need to find a niche. Once again, start with things you enjoy. Let's say you love fishing. What products do fishing folks want to buy most? (Or get even more specific, like, what are bass fishermen looking to buy?)
Then the task is to find the right source of those products so you can carry them in your Yahoo! Store. In most cases, you'll be able to pull pictures and product descriptions directly from your sources and plug them right into your store.
As you can see, this business requires a little bit more upfront work, but once it's done it can be maintained with very little regular input on your part.
There you have it--five perfect part-time businesses. Are you ready to start moonlighting on the internet now?

Nigerian student wins Microsoft social good contest

Microsoft has announced the result for the 2015 Youth Spark Challenge for Change, a contest that asked young people from around the world to submit an idea to address a social issue through technology in their communities.
Saviour Okusenogu from Lagos, Nigeria was among this year’s grand prize winners, representing youth from Chile, Ecuador, Greece, India, Nepal, Nigeria, United States, and Uruguay.
The winners represent outstanding local youth who is passionate about contributing to social change, I’d be happy to put you in touch with him.
Saviour Okusenogu from Lagos, Nigeria wants to develop a project to spark an interest in science and engineering for more kids in developing countries by bringing fun and interactive science experiments and other projects to secondary schools with hopes that they will get kids far more excited than the abstract, conceptual ways many kids learn about those topics now.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/nigerian-student-wins-microsoft-social-good-contest-2/#sthash.bu5liLZK.dpuf

Microsoft has announced the result for the 2015 Youth Spark Challenge for Change, a contest that asked young people from around the world to submit an idea to address a social issue through technology in their communities.
Saviour Okusenogu from Lagos, Nigeria was among this year’s grand prize winners, representing youth from Chile, Ecuador, Greece, India, Nepal, Nigeria, United States, and Uruguay.
The winners represent outstanding local youth who is passionate about contributing to social change, I’d be happy to put you in touch with him.
Saviour Okusenogu from Lagos, Nigeria wants to develop a project to spark an interest in science and engineering for more kids in developing countries by bringing fun and interactive science experiments and other projects to secondary schools with hopes that they will get kids far more excited than the abstract, conceptual ways many kids learn about those topics now.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/nigerian-student-wins-microsoft-social-good-contest-2/#sthash.bu5liLZK.dpuf

Microsoft has announced the result for the 2015 youth spark challenge for change, a contest that ask young people from around the world to submit an idea to address a social issue through technology in their communities.

Saviour Okusenogu from Lagos, Nigeria was among this year's grand prize winner, representing youth from Chile, Ecuador, Greece, India, Nigeria, United States, and Uruguay.

The winner represent outstanding local youth who is passionate about contributing to social change.
Saviour Okusenogu from Lagos Nigeria want to develop a project to spark an interest in science and engineering for more kids in developing countries by bringing fun and interactive science experiments and other projects to secondary schools with hope that will get kids far more excited than the abstract conceptual ways many kids learn about those topics now.

Later this year, these winners will travel to Nicarague to learn about social entrepreneurship and development issues.

Microsoft also gave out $2,500 cash grant and also a Microsoft technology bundle ( Surface Pro3, Windows phone and office 365) to help develop their project further.

a contest that asked young people from around the world to submit an idea to address a social issue through technology in their communities. - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/nigerian-student-wins-microsoft-social-good-contest-2/#sthash.3BxjJMvL.dpuf

Korean Robot Takes Home $2M Prize in DARPA Challenge

POMONA, Calif. ­– A robotics team from South Korea took home the $2 million first-place prize in a competition this weekend to design robots that could aid humans in a natural or man-made disaster.
During the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals, which took place here Friday and Saturday (June 5 and 6), the winning team's DRC-HUBO robot finished all eight tasks in less than 45 minutes. The winning bot had a humanoid design that could transform itself into a wheeled kneeling position for faster, more stable movement.
The Running Man robot from Florida's Institute for Human and Machine Cognition claimed second, finishing all the tasks in just over 50 minutes. Team Tartan Rescue's CHIMP robot came in third, completing all the tasks in just over 55 minutes. The second and third place teams took home $1 million and $500,000, respectively.

 

Essential Tips to Improve the perfromance of your Andriod Device

With just a few tweaks and changes, you’d probably be able to breathe life into your Android specifically those that have been updated to Android 4.0 and above.

1. Know your Device

It is important that you learn about the capabilities and drawbacks of your phone. Don’t overburden your phone with resource-hungry apps which would otherwise degrade your phone’s performance at your expense.

2. Update your Android

If you haven’t updated your Android phone to the latest firmware, you should. Google brings great improvements to each new release of the Android operating system, including updates that ensure stability, higher performance speed and connectivity along with other user-friendly new features.

3. Remove Unwanted Apps

Every app you install in your phone take some storage space and runs some background processes. The more storage space occupied or the more background processes running on your phone, the slower your phone’s performance.
Don’t install apps you hardly use. Keep only the apps that you need and if you have got an app that isn’t really useful, you can uninstall or disable it.

4. Disable Unnecessary Apps

‘Performance assistant’ was introduced in Android ICS to help you disable apps that you don’t need. Disabling apps is different from uninstalling apps – uninstallation remove application files from the phone but no file is removed/deleted when you disable it. These disabled apps are not shown on the home screen or app tray but you can re-enable them for use whenever you need them.

5. Update Apps

You should regularly update your phone’s installed apps from Google Play. Try to get updates your apps when they are available in Google Play. Developers fix bugs and add features in new released versions of apps. Updated apps perform better and faster, and will less likely crash your phone.

6. Use High-Speed Memory Card

The memory card is the storage space of your phone. Phones with low internal memory can get a boost from high-capacity memory cards for maximum storage space. But it adds not only capacity but also speed to the mix. You can get between 2GB to 32GB worth of storage space to support high speed read/write operations. Always go for memory cards of Class 6 or Class 10 for your Android phone if you seek performance for your phone.

7. Keep Fewer Widgets

Widgets are not apps, which only run once you choose to activate them. No, widgets are always running in the background; they are active all the time. While some Android users use it to keep track of the weather, and their important dates, others use widgets like ‘Extended controls’ for quick access for essential configurations such as switching Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or their GPS on or off.
They do have their uses but bear in mind that having too many of them running on your homescreen will cause your device’s performance to slow down.

8. Avoid Live Wallpapers

You must be loving Android’s live wallpaper feature. Phones (from different manufacturers) come with different live wallpapers but you should know that live wallpapers that are badly made will need more CPU cycles to run, thus draining the battery faster. Everytime you activate the home screen, you run not only your apps but also your live wallpaper.

9. Stop Syncing

Sync is a very good feature which synchronizes your data with Google servers. Keeping sync on, you can get notifications whenever new mail comes in or when you get new notifications or updates for apps. To do this, it does a refresh at every preset interval (e.g. it checks your mail every 5 minutes for new incoming mail), and this will eat into your android’s performance for other activities.

10. Turn off Animations

What animations? Well, if you haven’t noticed, your phone screen actually fades out and in as you switch from one task to the other. To see this in action Go to Settings > Developer Options > Window Animation Scale > Animation scale 10x. Then choose Window Animation Scale again to see the fade in effect in ‘slow-mo’.
When you choose Animation off, the screen just snaps to position without animation. You can also turn off Transition Animation Scale in the same way. If you are a heavy user, you’d probably notice that your Android performs faster with all animations off.

10 tips to improve your system speed

Many of us think that when a computer starts performing poorly that it's time to buy a new computer. Does your desktop or laptop always hangs when in use?

Tips to improve your computer

l. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any application.
2. Refresh the computer after closing any application. This will remove any unused files from the RAM.
3. Do not set any large size image as your wallpaper. Do not keep large wallpaper if your PC has a low Memory.
4. Do not clutter your system with a lot of shortcuts. Each shortcuts on your system uses up to 500 bytes of RAM.
5. Empty recycle bin regularly.
6. Delete the temporary internet files regularly.
7. Defragment your hard disk once every two months. This will free up a lot of space on your hard drive and rearrange the files so that your application can run faster.
8. Always make two partitions in your hard drive.
9. When installing a new software disable the options of having tray icon. the tray icons use up available RAM and also slow down the booting of your computer.Also delete unwanted software to free up space in the hard drive.
10. Protect your computer from dust. Dust causes the CPU cooling fan to jam and slow down therefore gradually heating your CPU and affecting the processing speed. Use compressed air to blow out any dust from the CUP.

Reasons why your smartphone gets hot

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use the phone consume a lot of power form the battery and this cause it to get hot.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot, sometimes the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when it contact with your body. In the worse case the phone may shut down.
Also know that heat drains the battery of your phone faster.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR PHONE GETS HOT

1. Keep it down for a while and let it cool off.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in all smartphones.
3. Don't use your phone in extremely hot condition e.g scorching sunlight, near oven.
4. Turn off all battery draining apps. Those are apps that usually run in the background and using your internet connection e.g social networking apps, maps apps.
5. Uninstall bad apps, they also cause problem to your phone.

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use, the phone draws a lot of power from the battery and this causes it to warm up.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot. Sometimes, the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when in contact with your body. In worse cases, the phone may shut down, become unresponsive or reboot.
In the worst case scenario, the device may combust – burst into flames.
Also, note that heat drains the battery of your phone faster. The hotter it gets, the faster your battery drains, so you get the most out of your battery if you keep your phone from heating up too much.
What To Do If Your Phone Gets Hot During Use
1. Put it down a while and let it cool down.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in any smartphone. By disabling your internet connection, you cut off this factor, and of course mostly likely will put down your phone
3. Don’t use your phone in extremely hot conditions e.g near ovens, in direct, scorching sunlight.
4. Turn off battery draining apps. Those are usually apps that run in the background and using your internet connection. These may include Map apps, email apps, and ocial networking apps.
5. Sometimes, the problem is a rogue app – a badly written app – running in the background. Find it. Kill it. Uninstall it. Do not be merciful.
- See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/02/10/tech-reason-smartphone-gets-hot/#sthash.U0ILeNzd.dpuf

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use, the phone draws a lot of power from the battery and this causes it to warm up.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot. Sometimes, the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when in contact with your body. In worse cases, the phone may shut down, become unresponsive or reboot.
In the worst case scenario, the device may combust – burst into flames.
Also, note that heat drains the battery of your phone faster. The hotter it gets, the faster your battery drains, so you get the most out of your battery if you keep your phone from heating up too much.
What To Do If Your Phone Gets Hot During Use
1. Put it down a while and let it cool down.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in any smartphone. By disabling your internet connection, you cut off this factor, and of course mostly likely will put down your phone
3. Don’t use your phone in extremely hot conditions e.g near ovens, in direct, scorching sunlight.
4. Turn off battery draining apps. Those are usually apps that run in the background and using your internet connection. These may include Map apps, email apps, and ocial networking apps.
5. Sometimes, the problem is a rogue app – a badly written app – running in the background. Find it. Kill it. Uninstall it. Do not be merciful.
- See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/02/10/tech-reason-smartphone-gets-hot/#sthash.U0ILeNzd.dpuf

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use, the phone draws a lot of power from the battery and this causes it to warm up.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot. Sometimes, the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when in contact with your body. In worse cases, the phone may shut down, become unresponsive or reboot.
In the worst case scenario, the device may combust – burst into flames.
Also, note that heat drains the battery of your phone faster. The hotter it gets, the faster your battery drains, so you get the most out of your battery if you keep your phone from heating up too much.
What To Do If Your Phone Gets Hot During Use
1. Put it down a while and let it cool down.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in any smartphone. By disabling your internet connection, you cut off this factor, and of course mostly likely will put down your phone
3. Don’t use your phone in extremely hot conditions e.g near ovens, in direct, scorching sunlight.
4. Turn off battery draining apps. Those are usually apps that run in the background and using your internet connection. These may include Map apps, email apps, and ocial networking apps.
5. Sometimes, the problem is a rogue app – a badly written app – running in the background. Find it. Kill it. Uninstall it. Do not be merciful.
- See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/02/10/tech-reason-smartphone-gets-hot/#sthash.U0ILeNzd.dpuf

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use, the phone draws a lot of power from the battery and this causes it to warm up.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot. Sometimes, the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when in contact with your body. In worse cases, the phone may shut down, become unresponsive or reboot.
In the worst case scenario, the device may combust – burst into flames.
Also, note that heat drains the battery of your phone faster. The hotter it gets, the faster your battery drains, so you get the most out of your battery if you keep your phone from heating up too much.
What To Do If Your Phone Gets Hot During Use
1. Put it down a while and let it cool down.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in any smartphone. By disabling your internet connection, you cut off this factor, and of course mostly likely will put down your phone
3. Don’t use your phone in extremely hot conditions e.g near ovens, in direct, scorching sunlight.
4. Turn off battery draining apps. Those are usually apps that run in the background and using your internet connection. These may include Map apps, email apps, and ocial networking apps.
5. Sometimes, the problem is a rogue app – a badly written app – running in the background. Find it. Kill it. Uninstall it. Do not be merciful.
- See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/02/10/tech-reason-smartphone-gets-hot/#sthash.U0ILeNzd.dpuf

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use, the phone draws a lot of power from the battery and this causes it to warm up.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot. Sometimes, the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when in contact with your body. In worse cases, the phone may shut down, become unresponsive or reboot.
In the worst case scenario, the device may combust – burst into flames.
Also, note that heat drains the battery of your phone faster. The hotter it gets, the faster your battery drains, so you get the most out of your battery if you keep your phone from heating up too much.
What To Do If Your Phone Gets Hot During Use
1. Put it down a while and let it cool down.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in any smartphone. By disabling your internet connection, you cut off this factor, and of course mostly likely will put down your phone
3. Don’t use your phone in extremely hot conditions e.g near ovens, in direct, scorching sunlight.
4. Turn off battery draining apps. Those are usually apps that run in the background and using your internet connection. These may include Map apps, email apps, and ocial networking apps.
5. Sometimes, the problem is a rogue app – a badly written app – running in the background. Find it. Kill it. Uninstall it. Do not be merciful.
- See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/02/10/tech-reason-smartphone-gets-hot/#sthash.U0ILeNzd.dpuf

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use, the phone draws a lot of power from the battery and this causes it to warm up.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot. Sometimes, the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when in contact with your body. In worse cases, the phone may shut down, become unresponsive or reboot.
In the worst case scenario, the device may combust – burst into flames.
Also, note that heat drains the battery of your phone faster. The hotter it gets, the faster your battery drains, so you get the most out of your battery if you keep your phone from heating up too much.
What To Do If Your Phone Gets Hot During Use
1. Put it down a while and let it cool down.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in any smartphone. By disabling your internet connection, you cut off this factor, and of course mostly likely will put down your phone
3. Don’t use your phone in extremely hot conditions e.g near ovens, in direct, scorching sunlight.
4. Turn off battery draining apps. Those are usually apps that run in the background and using your internet connection. These may include Map apps, email apps, and ocial networking apps.
5. Sometimes, the problem is a rogue app – a badly written app – running in the background. Find it. Kill it. Uninstall it. Do not be merciful.
- See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/02/10/tech-reason-smartphone-gets-hot/#sthash.U0ILeNzd.dpuf

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use, the phone draws a lot of power from the battery and this causes it to warm up.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot. Sometimes, the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when in contact with your body. In worse cases, the phone may shut down, become unresponsive or reboot.
In the worst case scenario, the device may combust – burst into flames.
Also, note that heat drains the battery of your phone faster. The hotter it gets, the faster your battery drains, so you get the most out of your battery if you keep your phone from heating up too much.
What To Do If Your Phone Gets Hot During Use
1. Put it down a while and let it cool down.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in any smartphone. By disabling your internet connection, you cut off this factor, and of course mostly likely will put down your phone
3. Don’t use your phone in extremely hot conditions e.g near ovens, in direct, scorching sunlight.
4. Turn off battery draining apps. Those are usually apps that run in the background and using your internet connection. These may include Map apps, email apps, and ocial networking apps.
5. Sometimes, the problem is a rogue app – a badly written app – running in the background. Find it. Kill it. Uninstall it. Do not be merciful.
- See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/02/10/tech-reason-smartphone-gets-hot/#sthash.U0ILeNzd.dpuf

All smartphones warm up a little during intense use. This is quite normal and nothing to be alarmed about. During intensive use, the phone draws a lot of power from the battery and this causes it to warm up.
What is abnormal is where your phone heats up tremendously and becomes hot. Sometimes, the only thing to fear is a burning sensation when in contact with your body. In worse cases, the phone may shut down, become unresponsive or reboot.
In the worst case scenario, the device may combust – burst into flames.
Also, note that heat drains the battery of your phone faster. The hotter it gets, the faster your battery drains, so you get the most out of your battery if you keep your phone from heating up too much.
What To Do If Your Phone Gets Hot During Use
1. Put it down a while and let it cool down.
2. Turn off WiFi or 3G/4G data. Internet usage are key power drainers in any smartphone. By disabling your internet connection, you cut off this factor, and of course mostly likely will put down your phone
3. Don’t use your phone in extremely hot conditions e.g near ovens, in direct, scorching sunlight.
4. Turn off battery draining apps. Those are usually apps that run in the background and using your internet connection. These may include Map apps, email apps, and ocial networking apps.
5. Sometimes, the problem is a rogue app – a badly written app – running in the background. Find it. Kill it. Uninstall it. Do not be merciful.
- See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/02/10/tech-reason-smartphone-gets-hot/#sthash.U0ILeNzd.dpuf

10 tips to stay safe and secure online

The internet can be a dangerous place.
while you are enjoying the convenience of online shopping, internet banking and subscription websites, hackers and fraudster lurk around the corner.

Tip 1 - Avoid the obvious
passwords base on personal details are too easy to guess. avoid using names, favorite sports teams, places or "password".

Tip 2 - Make it non-dictionary
one option a thief might try to crack your password by using words in the dictionary. So avoid using words that can be found in the dictionary.

Tip 3 -  Use the full 8 characters  
the more character a password contains the more secure it becomes, so fill the password field to the max.

Tip 4 - Mix the case
password should be mixed with upper and lower case letters. the combination of upper case letters and lower case letters add more protection to your password.

Tip 5 - Include non-alphabetic character
Add numbers and non-alphabetic character to your password which makes it very difficult to crack by hackers.

Tip 6 - Don't write it down
writing your password is a bad habit cos someone may come across with it which makes your password insecure.

Tip 7 - Assigning different password to each login id
if thieves get hold of your password, they will try it in every online system available. use separate password for each website and you wont have all the eggs in one basket.

 Tip 8 - Employ a password manager
Remembering multiple secure password can be challenging . Special software like http://www.robot-form.com manages your password securely and automates the login process.

Tip 9 - Logout when you are done
Always hit the logout button when are done using secure site like online banking.

Tip 10 - Close the browser 
Always close down your browser once you are done to enhance more protection to your password.

Follow this simple steps and enjoy greater online security.