Mac OS X Mavericks Requirements

OS X Mavericks is to be the next major release by Apple for desktop and server operating systems for Mac computers.  OS X Mavericks is the next step for the Mac OS after Mountain Lion.  OS X Mavericks is scheduled to be released this fall but is currently available in beta version for developers.  To upgrade to OS X Mavericks some requirements must be met.

One of the first requirements is that you will need to have OS X Snow Leopard or later.  OS X Snow Leopard or later is required because it needs to be downloaded via the Mac App Store.  In addition, the system requirements call for 64-bit, Intel-based Macs with 8GB of free disk space for installation.

The list of Macs that will run Mavericks is similar to those that were able to use OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.The following is a list of Macs and OS X Mavericks compatibility:

• MacBook Pro - you'll need to have either a 13-inch from mid-2009, 15-inch from mid/late 2007 or 17-inch from late 2007 or later
• MacBook - 13-inch 2008 from 2008 in aluminum, early 2009 or later
• iMac - it needs to be mid 2007 or newer
• MacBook Air - it needs to be at 2008 or newer
• Mac Mini - it needs to be early 2009 or newer
• Mac Pro - it needs to be early 2008 or newer
• Xserve - early 2009

The list of Macs that won't be able to upgrade to Mavericks is long.  MacBooks pre 2008, pre mid 2007 MacBook Pros and Mac Mini/iMac and most notably the original MacBook Air will not be able to be upgraded.  

References:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/11/macs-capable-of-running-os-x-mountain-lion-likely-compatible-with-os-x-109-mavericks
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/computing/apple/os-x-mountain-lion-compatibility-will-your-mac-take-it-1064310

New Features of Mac OS X Mavericks

The release of OS X Mavericks will bring more than 200 new features over and above those in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. As with Mountain Lion, there's further integration with the company's mobile operating system iOS.  The update places emphasis on battery life,  Finder enhancements, other enhancements for power users, and continued iCloud integration, as well as bringing more of Apple's iOS apps to the OS X platform.  Of the many new feature in OS X Mavericks, I will highlight a few of them.

One of the new features of OS X Mavericks is multiple monitors.  OS X Mavericks now makes the dock and menu bar follow the user on whatever screen they're working.  Also each display can now be shown independently.  Mavericks also added the ability for desktop activity to be wirelessly sent to a HDTV via an Apple TV box and Airplay.

Notifications is another new feature of OS X Mavericks.  You can now see notifications without closing the app that you are currently in.  You can also respond in the notification itself.  Now you can sign up with websites to get notifications regarding such things as news or sports.  All of this can be done without Safari running.  iOS notifications sync with OS X so that users can alerts sent to the computer or the mobile device.

Another new feature involves OS X Safari.  Apple claims that Safari has become smoother, and outperforms its rivals in energy and memory efficiency, and JavaScript performance.  Apple also claims that its changes has made Safari more responsive, stable and secure.

Finder tabs have been added to OS X Mavericks.  Finder Tabs makes it possible to declutter your desktop by consolidating multiple Finder windows into one.   Finder tabs position a plus symbol to the top right of Finder that allows new tabs to be opened or dragged into other positions.  Users can customize views for individual tabs, move files between tabs, and run the Finder with multiple tabs open in full-screen.

References:

https://www.apple.com/osx/preview/

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-get-the-best-features-of-os-x-mavericks-right-no-512602094

Important Steps in Upgrading to OS X Mountain Lion

The process of updating your Mac is a relatively easy process as long as you are running Mac OS Lion.  If you are skipping Mac OS Lion it will be a bit more complicated.

The first thing you want to do is check to see if your Mac compatible.  If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” or Mac OX 10.6 “Snow Leopard,” the answer is most likely yes. If you’re running an older Mac with Mac OS 10.5 “Leopard” or Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger,” the answer is maybe.  Running an older Mac probably will mean your path to Mountain Lion will be a bit complicated.

Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion requires a Mac with at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an “advanced” graphics processor, and (since Mountain Lion is 64-bit through and through) a logic board that can support a 64-bit kernel.  The following systems will support Mountain Lion: iMac (mid 2007 or newer), MacBook (2008 or newer), MacBook Pro (2007 or newer), MacBook Air (2008 or newer),  Mac mini (2009 or newer), and Mac pro (2008 or newer).

In order to get Mountain Lion you will have to purchase it online from the Mac App Store since it will not be available on DVD.  The file is around four GB in size and costs approximately $19.99.  If you have a high bandwith internet connection the download will be quick, but if your bandwith is low it may take a few hours to download.  To be able to access the Mac App Store you must Mac OS X 10.6.8 or newer, an Apple ID, and either App Store credit or payment information (like a credit card) on file.

Before installing Mountain Lion, you will want to make a bootable duplicate of your existing Mac OS X system to a separate hard drive or partition.  The purpose of this is so that you can return your Mac to its previous version in case something goes wrong.  Once you make a bootable backup you will want to test it to make sure it works.

Prior to upgrading to Mountain Lion you should check to see if your everyday software will work with it. This tends to be more of an issue if you’re upgrading from Mac OS X 10.6 or earlier, but if If you’re already using Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, you should not have many problems.  

References:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-prep-your-mac-for-os-x-mountain-lion/

https://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/

5 Hidden Features of iOS 6

With the release of iOS 6 came several known updates,such as Maps, Siri,and Passbook, that Apple advertised when they introduced their new mobile operating system.  Along with those features came several other lesser known ones that Apple did not advertise.

1. Pull to Refresh

iOS 6 finally allows you to pull down to refresh your mail accounts and various other data sources.


2. Many New Emojis

Emojis are the icons you can add to messages, emails, or really anywhere that accepts text in iOS. Apple just added new options. If you have your emoji keyboard enabled already, you don't have to do anything. If not, you can enable it in the Settings app.


3. Limit Ad Tracking

This feature makes it possible to stop advertisers from tracking your activity and serving up targeted ads. iOS 6 lets you turn off tracking with a simple switch. In order to limit ad tracking, head to Settings > General > About > Advertising and flip the switch to On.

4. Alarm Songs

Apple has finally added the option to select alarm songs from your iTunes library on your device. Prior to iOS 6 you had to download a third party app to accomplish this.

5. Late Night Listening

This feature is a new EQ setting that allows you to lower bass levels and attempts to make your music less-intrusive in the evening so you can listen and fall asleep easily without being distracted by anything too obnoxious.



References:
http://smartphones.wonderhowto.com/how-to/10-handy-but-hidden-features-ios-6-0139290/
http://lifehacker.com/5944961/top-10-secret-features-of-ios-6

New Features of Mac OS Mountain Lion

Mac OS Mountain Lion is a major release of OS X for Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers.  OS X Mountain Lion was released on July 25th, 2012 where it was available for purchase or download through the Mac App Store.  There are several new changes that were included with OS X Mountain Lion.  Of the many new features of OS X Mountain Lion, I will highlight a few of them.

One of the new features is Messages.  With Messages you can send messages to anyone on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 5.  Some of the things you can do is send videos, photos, documents, and contacts.  You can also see when someone receives your message, is typing a reply, and they can see when you read their message.

Another new feature is Notes.  Notes is a built-in application and part of the iCloud system preferences. When you have your notes set to work with iCloud on your iPhone or iPad, they will stay in sync.  Some of the things you can do with notes are: add, delete, flip through them, search through them, share them, and pin them to the desktop.

Notification Center is another new feature.  With Notification Center, a banner appears in the top right hand corner of the computer screen when you receive an e-mail, a message, a software update, or a calendar alert.  You receive a preview of the message so you don't have to stop what you were doing in order to see what's inside of the message is.

AirPlay Mirroring is another feature added to OS X Mountain Lion.  AirPlay Mirroring you can connect laptop to a television or other projection device in order to share what you have on your computer.  This can only be accomplished by using the right adapters.  This can be great for both the home and business.
AirPlay Mirroring is a feature that was present on iPad 2 and Apple TV before migrating to OS X Mountain Lion.

The last feature I will be discussing is iCloud.  iCloud is what makes it possible for a Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to work together.  With iCloud, when you add, change, or delete something from your Mac, it will also be deleted from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod as well.  In order to make iCloud work, all you do is sign in once and all the rest is automatic.


References
https://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/wadefulton/2012/09/26/five-great-features-of-apples-os-x-10-8-mountain-lion/

Why Carbonite Should Be Used

Carbonite is an online backup service that is available to both Windows and Mac users.  With Carbonite you can backup documents, e-mails, photos, and settings in a secure location that is not on your computer. Carbonite was the first backup service to allow unlimited backup space for a fixed price while all other services were charging by the gigabyte.

One of the main reasons Carbonite should be used is that it is a good way to save important documents from your computer in a secure location that is not on your computer.  With Carbonite, computer failures are no longer a reason to fear losing important documents that are on your computer.

Another reason to use it is because of its easy to use scheduler.  The scheduler allows you to setup and perform automatic backups at a date and time of your choice.  Once your computer has been backed up, you can configure Carbonite to backup up your new and updated files by whatever interval you want, whether its by the hour or the day.

Carbonite's settings can be adjusted to automatically backup your files when your computer is not in use, or when the least amount of resources are being used.  When you do this valuable bandwith resources are not being used up while you are using the computer.  Files can be restored individually, all at once, or restore missing files to any computer as long as it can connect to the internet.

With Carbonite it is easy to know which files have been backed up from your computer by looking at the color of the status dot.  A green dot on a folder signifies that the contents of that folder has been backed up.  A yellow dot on a folder signifies that the contents of that folder are awaiting to be backed up.  The easy to understand color coding is a simple way to know which files on your computer have been backed up.

Carbonite is very secure.  It supports redundant storage and provides double encryption before the information leaves your computer.  You may also use your own encryption code if it makes you feel safer.
In order to access your information you must enter your password.  Remote access to your account may result in additional safe guards being used such as answering security questions and an approved e-mail address.



References
http://www.carbonite.com/
http://online-data-backup-review.toptenreviews.com/carbonite-review.html

New Features of iOS 6

iOS 6 is Apple's latest operating system for its mobile devices and was released on September 19th, 2012. Mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads, and iPods can all use iOS 6. Devices that did not come with iOS 6 installed on it can obtain it by downloading it through iTunes. Along with the release of iOS 6 came several new features and changes as well.

One of the new features is being able to link your Facebook account with iOS. This allows you to do such things as: allowing you to directly post photos from your photo album to Facebook, update your status from the notification center, and sync your contact list with each person's corresponding Facebook account.

Another new feature of iOS 6 is the ability to take panoramic photographs. Prior to iOS 6 apps existed for panoramic photos but now it's a built in feature of the iPhone camera. With the ability to take panoramic photos, you can now take photographs that span up to 240 degrees without installing additional apps on your phone.

Siri was improved with iOS 6 as well. Apple improved Siri by including the ability to make restaurant reservations, launch apps, dictate Facebook or Twitter updates, retrieve movie reviews and detailed sports statistics.  In addition to iPhone 4s, Siri is now supported on iPhone 5, fifth-generation iPod Touch, third- through fourth-generation iPad and iPad mini.

Passbook is another new feature in iOS 6.  With Passbook you have the ability to use your phone screen as a scannable gift card/plane ticket/voucher/etc.  By using Passbook you no longer need to have a wallet filled with a bunch of cards.  All you need to do is hand your phone to the clerk and have it scanned.

One of the changes brought with iOS 6 was the removal of Google Maps.  Apple instead created its own default mapping as an alleged improvement over Google Maps.  Some of the improvements include turn by turn navigation, vector based graphics, business information card, and the integration of Siri.

References

http://gizmodo.com/5944514/all-the-best-new-features-of-ios-6

https://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/

What is CISPA

Today I listened to a podcast on Tech Talker by Eric Escobar titled "What is CISPA."          (http://techtalker.quickanddirtytips.com/what-is-cispa.aspx)  Eric begins by giving a short overview of what CISPA is. CISPA is the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. Eric then explains that the bill was designed to allow better communication between the U.S. government and private companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc. by allowing this communication to be used to aid in stopping cyber-attacks. To accomplish this there would be open communication between the government and companies. The government could notify companies if they detect an attack that might take down their website. Also companies could notify the government if they notice unusual activity on their networks that might suggest a cyber-attack. This would allow for a quick response when dealing with cyber-attacks.

Eric goes on to state that the bill sounds good and then he points out that there are vaguely written parts of the bill. Those parts of the bill that are vaguely written would allow companies to share user information directly with the government. Information such as what is found in the cloud, email, and Facebook could possibly be read by the government without a warrant. You won't be notified when your data is given away and thus you won't know if your data had been given away. Companies would be protected from legal consequences that would result from sharing the user data. Eric admits that this is a worst case scenario but says it is all possible within the scope of the bill.

Will CISPA become law? When compared to SOPA and PIPA, CISPA is not facing quite as much opposition. That is because it is designed to fight cyber threats that cost companies large sums of money. Several large companies such as AT&T, HP, Comcast, and Verizon are supporters of this bill. CISPA made it through the House of Representatives but has not made it through the Senate. Without making it through the Senate, CISPA will not become law.

Eric explains that he's not against laws that would help govern the internet, but believes that this bill went too far since it has the ability to infringe too far into personal information collected from users of the internet. He then says that he would like to see a bill passed that respects the privacy of U.S. citizens by requiring warrants, notifications, and transparency in the process of sharing personal information.

While I agree with this bill based on the belief that its intention was to help the government, companies, and the public, I also believe that some changes need to be made before it should be made law. Plans need to be made to amend the bill to address many of the concerns of its opponents. Issues that need to be addressed include the following: 

• limiting its scope to a narrower definition of cyber-threats
• stating that the theft of intellectual property refers to the theft of research and development
• penalties if private companies or the government uses data from CISPA for purposes  unrelated to cyber threats

By addressing opponent’s complaints, support for the bill should grow. The bottom line is that laws do need to be passed to help govern the internet and to make it a safer place.

Ted Talks: All Your Devices Can Be Hacked

This posting will be a review of a recent presentation I watched on TED Talks. The presentation I watched was by Avi Rubin and the topic was “All Your Devices Can Be Hacked” (http://www.ted.com/talks/avi_rubin_all_your_devices_can_be_hacked.html).  Avi Rubin is a professor of computer science and director of Health and Medical Security Lab at Johns Hopkins University. His current research is focused on the security of electronic medical records.

To summarize the presentation, Avi Rubin listed several items that could be hacked.  The first item addressed were implanted medical devices.  Implanted medical devices have networking capabilities and are thus open to hacking.  Researchers were able to hack devices and were able to do such things as disabling the device, running down the battery, obtaining patient information, and other devious things as well.

The second item addressed were automobiles.  Since automobiles come with computers in them nowadays, hackers can hack into them.  Researchers were able to wirelessly hack into the vehicle and were able to control it from a chase car.  They were able to disable the brakes, apply the brakes, install malware, track it by using its gps, and were able to do other things.

The third item addressed was using reflections to capture smart phone passwords.  Researchers accomplished this by recording people on a bus, and then post processing the video.  They were able to see a reflection in the glasses worn by the individual who was typing on their smart phone.  They then wrote software to stabilize the phone, process it, and had a language model for detecting typing.  This resulted in the researchers being able to track what people were typing on their phones.

The fourth item addressed were P25 radios which are used by law enforcement and other government agencies.  Researchers were able to make a jammer that made it so the radios could not communicate with one another.  Researchers were also able to use a scanner that operated at the same frequency as the radio and were able to get information from wiretaps, info from confidential informants, and other confidential information.

The last item addressed was stealing keystrokes.  Researchers were able steal keystrokes by leaving an iphone by a computer keyboard.  They were able to use the vibrations created from typing and measure the change in the accelerometer reading to determine what the person had been typing.

Overall I found this presentation to be very good.  The topic was presented in a manner that made it both intriguing and scary at the same time.  The topic was something I never considered before.   The presentation opened with humor but then turned serious and continued in a serious manner until the end.  The material was presented in such a way that there was not a need to use humor throughout the presentation to keep me interested, it operated more on the fear factor approach.  Throughout the presentation, slides were used to present important material in an effective manner to keep people interested and emphasize important points.  The presentation did not really include questions but it did not need to because the topic in itself was interesting. 

Social Media Tools and Businesses

Social media is an effective tool for businesses to use to keep in contact with consumer needs and to increase sales.  The use of social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter are rapidly being utilized by companies.  Two Wisconsin Companies that have a social media presence are Kohl’s and Stevens Point Brewery.

When looking at Kohl’s Facebook and Twitter pages it is quite apparent that they post on both of them regularly.  Kohl’s use of social media has been successful.  According to their Facebook page they have 10,249,744 likes and their Twitter account has 54,978 followers.  Kohl’s use of social media mainly focuses on marketing.  Their use of social media for marketing involves sharing three types of content.  The first type of content shared is providing useful information about the organization.  For example on Kohl’s Facebook page, they state that their stores now have Wi-Fi to make shopping easier.  The second type of content shared is information that is geared toward getting the attention of customers with creative catches.  An example of this would be the videos on their Facebook page that show their product line.  The third type of content shared is savings opportunities for their fans.  Customers who follow Kohl’s on Facebook and Twitter are notified of additional sales.  By using social media for marketing Kohl’s is able to reach out to a broad base of consumers with the intention of increasing sales.

One way Kohl’s uses Facebook and Twitter is by providing educational content.  The goal of providing educational content is to make an educated customer which in return makes the customer more likely to make a purchase.  Another way that Facebook and Twitter are used is by posting pictures of their products.  By posting pictures, fans are able to envision what the products would look like on them.  According to the Kohl’s CEO, their target audience is “A two-income family with kids at home. They don't have a lot of time, and they are looking for value.”  This is quite apparent when you have a look at their Facebook and Twitter pages.  Kohl’s manages its relationships by reaching out to its customers by asking for feedback.  Kohl’s appears to care what the customer thinks by allowing them to post comments on the Facebook and Twitter pages. 

When looking at the Facebook and Twitter pages it is apparent that Stevens Point Brewery is active in both.  Stevens Point Brewery has a well-established social media plan.  According to their Facebook page they have 17,922 likes and their Twitter account has 4,219 followers.  Steven Point Brewery’s use of social media is similar to Kohl’s in that its main focus is marketing.  Like Kohl’s, Stevens Point Brewery’s use of social media for marketing involves sharing important information about the organization, and using information that is geared toward getting the attention of customers with creative catches.   The difference between the two companies use of social media is that Stevens Point Brewery does not notify customers of additional sales over Facebook and Twitter.  By looking at the webpage, Facebook page, and Twitter page it appears that they target males who are 21 and over.  Stevens Point Brewery manages it relationship in a similar manner to Kohl’s by reaching out to its customers and engaging them over Facebook and Twitter.

The use of social media by corporations has many benefits.  Facebook and Twitter pages encourage both customers and potential customers to like, comment on, and tweet about your personal brand.  Using social media is like marketing by word of mouth.  Customers that are satisfied with your product post comments and testimonials for potential customers to see, thus they are doing your advertising for you.  Since more and more people are using social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, it only makes sense for corporations to use it as a way to connect to their target groups.  As corporations see the benefits of using social media, the use of social media by them will increase.


References
1.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-small-business/post/how-do-you-use-twitter-and-facebook- for-marketing/2012/04/20/gIQA7NXwZT_blog.html  
2.  http://www.business2community.com/social-media/5-unmissable-benefits-of-social-media-for-business-including-infographic-0222260
3.  http://www.kohls.com/
4.  http://www.pointbeer.com/

Resume Keyword Scanning

Screening resumes is the process of narrowing down the application pool.  The goal is to find the most qualified candidates for the job. The first step in screening can be done automatically by using computers. Scanning resumes for keywords is done through the use of specialized software. From the job description, several keywords are selected. These keywords are used to narrow down the pool of applicants. The program then searches the resumes for the specific keywords or phrases. Resumes that have the keywords that are looked for are then forwarded on.
 

There are a couple advantages to using a keyword search to start the screening process.  The recruiter or employer doesn’t have to read every resume. This software narrows the fields of applicants, which allows the employer to spend more time to review the most likely prospects.  Another advantage to a keyword search is that it saves businesses money. This software saves money by eliminating the time spent by employees in reviewing the resumes.

There are also a few disadvantages to the keyword search.  A qualified candidate’s resume could be skipped over because they did not provide the exact word(s) that the employer was looking for. By not having the word that was being looked for the applicant appears to be unqualified. Another disadvantage of the keyword search is that the applicant can try to cheat the system by putting in keywords from the job announcement or by flooding their resume with keywords. By people forcing in those keywords it defeats the purpose of having the software since this would cause the employer to have to review all resumes that it was aiming to bypass.

Using keyword searches to screen applicants is a fair practice. This can be beneficial to any business that receives an extremely large amount of resumes for job openings.  First, it narrows the pool of applicants in an efficient and mostly effective manner. This practice saves companies both time and money. By saving companies time in the initial steps, by weeding out applicants, more time is able to be spent reviewing the most qualified applicants. Even though applicants can try to cheat the system by flooding their resume with keywords, technology in scanning software is improving. The software can be tweaked to catch attempts at keyword flooding. If the resume makes it through the scanning process it would still be caught in the next steps when a person reviews the resume. It is important to remember that the keyword search does not make the hiring decisions, it just flags resumes that meet the criteria. The hiring manager meets with the applicants and hires the person that meets the needs of the company. The time and money saved by companies using this software far outweighs the negatives against using it.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screening_resumes

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/career/why-keyword-scanning-tools-are-used-on-resumes-a-recruiters-perspective/2554

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/career/why-you-may-be-cheating-your-company-when-you-use-keyword-scanning-apps/2506

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/08/business/resume-software-scanning/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

Why I am at Matc

  Currently I am enrolled at MATC in the IT Support Program.  Prior to enrolling at MATC, I was employed, for 12 years, by the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department as a Correctional Officer.  After 12 years of working in the jail I decided it was time for a career change.  I chose to enroll in the IT Support Program because I have an interest in learning about computers and being able trouble shoot problems with them.  I feel that I would enjoy the satisfaction of being able to solve computer problems.