Blog Archives

How to choose the best password ???

11/25/2016

Use a password generator app or software
Passwords generating apps or software are especially designed to create highly secure passwords that are difficult to crack or guess. Users are given the option to select from the criteria they want and the passwords are generated automatically. The number of options you choose from the criteria can be increased for tougher security of passwords.

Use passphrases and convert them to passwords
Users can even consider generating their passwords from a sentence or pass phrase. For example, one can select a book, a page number and a sentence of up to 8 words or more. The best part about pass phrases is that they are easy to remember and only unique to the individuals that select them.

Use non-English passwords where possible
Translate the least expected language for example Sanskrit, into English and use them as passwords. The chances of hackers predicting your password is minimized.

Never use the same passwords for all accounts
It can get annoying to keep a track of different passwords for different accounts but it is most advisable to do so. The reason is fairly simple; if the hacker is able to figure out the password for one account, he/she will be able to access all the other accounts, as well.

Extracted from | http://www.asianage.com/technomics/what-should-you-change-your-password-999

1 Comment

Video Job Interviews - Hiring for the Selfie Age !!!

11/25/2016

0 Comments

Robo-recruiting speeds up the hiring process, widens reach and increases number of candidates interviewed, Hiring Managers Say.

For job seekers looking to make a good first impression, a working webcam and a tidy room might be the new firm handshake.

First-round job interviews are the latest part of the hiring process to undergo digitization as companies use videointerviews to cut recruiting costs and times. Cigna Corp. , Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and International Business MachinesCorp. are among the employers now asking some applicants to log on to a website and submit video responses tointerview questions in lieu of talking with a human. The method has grown in recent years as nearly everyone has access to a laptop or smartphone with a front-facing camera, and companies say it is an efficient, fair and inexpensive way to process hundreds of applicants.

Salt Lake City, Utah-based HireVue Inc., which provides video interviewing software for Goldman Sachs and 600 other firms, said it hosted nearly three million video interviews last year, up from 13,000 five years ago.

Most video-interviewing programs require applicants to click a link or install an app. Interviews begin with a prompt such as “Tell us about a time you had to deal with a conflict” that stays on-screen for about 30 seconds. Then, the camera turns on and the candidate has anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes to respond before the next question pops up.
Human-resources staff then review the videos and pass along promising applicants to managers for consideration. Applicants who make the cut are typically invited to a one-on-one interview. That doesn’t always mean it will be in-person, though. Varsha Paidi, a software engineer hired by IBM last year, had subsequent online interviews and eventually received her job offer via text message.
Lights, Camera…Interview
Pointers for a successful video interview from recruiters and former applicants at IBM and Cigna:

Treat video interviews like an in-person interview: dress appropriately, maintain eye contact and silence cellphones and other devices.
Check your internet connection, camera and audio levels before starting the interview.
Secure a quiet room, free of housemates or pets. Make sure distracting posters or art cannot be seen in the camera frame.
For the camera-shy, resist the urge to play back responses or watch yourse

Speeding up the hiring process allows recruiters to look at more applicants than before, giving companies wider reach, said Obed Louissaint, the human-resources lead for IBM’s Watson division.
Applicants, however, say that computer-guided interviews take some getting used to. Amy Hall was never the type to get nervous during job interviews, but when the 29-year-old had to complete a video interview last year for an internal jobswitch at Cigna-Healthspring, she recalled feeling apprehensive and camera-shy. She waited until after work hours and used a computer in the IT department. With the door closed, she clicked a link to Cigna’s video-interviewing site.

Replaying footage of her interview responses was “very uncomfortable” at first, she said. She resubmitted two responses, but ultimately found her stride and even preferred the video format because, she recalled, “you’re not trying to perform.” Last January, she got the job as a senior data analyst managing records for Medicare doctors.

Video interviews have significantly reduced travel costs for Cigna recruiters. Frank Abate, a senior recruiter there, said one of his colleagues racked up more than $1 million annually just traveling to meet candidates. Since adopting videointerviews four years ago, that colleague’s expenses are now under $100,000.

Companies say they seek similar traits in video interviews as they do in traditional interviews. Recruiters at IBM and Cigna said they evaluate candidates based on how well the person communicates his/her thought process, whether the person answers all parts of the question—and whether he/she makes eye contact.

According to Mary Wilson, a Cigna hiring manager, Ms. Hall’s interview stood out because her responses seemed like they were addressed to an actual person, not a camera.
“Others tend to fidget or look away, but she looked directly into the camera and answered the questions thoughtfully and completely,” she said.

HireVue, InterviewStream, WePow and other vendors that make video-interviewing software say their programs make hiring more fair because all applicants must answer the same questions, placing substance over schmoozing and small talk.

Video interviews might also present some problems because managers cannot ask follow-up questions or engage candidates further on a point, said Carol Miaskoff, assistant legal counsel for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In letters to vendors, Ms. Miaskoff has suggested that companies assign more than one person to review individual videos to ensure hiring decisions aren’t made hastily.

Taking robo-recruiting one step further, some HireVue customers have an algorithm review the video interviews for them. Using data about the skills and attributes companies are seeking for a given role, a program called HireVue Insights scansvideos for verbal and facial cues that match those skills then ranks the top 100 applicants.

Human evaluation can help when things go wrong mid-interview. Bruce DelMonico, the assistant dean for admissions for the Yale School of Management—which requires M.B.A. program applicants to respond to video prompts—said that unforeseen interruptions like a roommate barging in mid-interview show how applicants think on their feet.

“All is not lost,” said Mr. DelMonico. “We pay attention to how well you respond and recover.”

Source | http://www.wsj.com/articles/video-job-interviews-hiring-for-the-selfie-age-1471366013

0 Comments

DNA is the Future of Data Storage !!!

11/25/2016

0 Comments

Some 50 years from now, optical, magnetic and flash drives will become obsolete and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) will be used for large-scale data storage. In July 2016, a team from Microsoft Research and the University of Washington along with Twist Bioscience, a San Francisco start-up, reached a milestone by successfully storing 200 MB of digital data in DNA. The size of this synthesized DNA containing data was comparable with the tip of a pencil.

DNA possesses some of the attractive properties important for storing data, firstly, it is very stable; synthetic DNA can remain intact for thousands of years. Secondly, DNA is never going to become obsolete as it holds blueprint of the living system. Thirdly, it has high packing density — 1 kg of DNA is enough to store all the data available in the world.
DNA consists of nucleotides, and each nucleotide, in turn, contains a phosphate group, a sugar group, and a nitrogen base. There are four nitrogen bases, namely (A)denine, (T)hymine, (G)uanine and (C)ytosine. The sequence of base is a kind of genetic code that is passed from parents to children. Oligonucleotides are short DNA molecules, these small bits of nucleic acids can be synthesized in the laboratory as single strand molecule with any user specified sequence. This fact is used by engineers and biologist to store information.

The concept of storing data is not new to DNA. In fact, much before the advent of semiconductors, DNA has been carrying genetic data for generations. The only difference is in the format of data. DNA carries data in form of sequence of nitrogen base pair, for example, GATCAG, whereas semiconductors carry data in form of binary digits, for example, 11010.

Let's understand the mechanism. Suppose we wish to store an image in DNA. The image is broken down into pixels. The brightness value of each pixel, available in form of binary number is uniquely mapped to nitrogen base pair sequence, for example, 11010 is mapped to GATCAG. Once the complete DNA map is ready, DNA can be artificially synthesized in a laboratory. This process is analogous to writing data in DVD. Once synthesized, DNA can be stored in test tubes for hundreds of years. When we wish to retrieve the data we just have to read the synthesized DNA using a DNA sequencing machine. This process will generate the exact sequence of base pair, which can be translated back into binary data and, in turn, the image can be regenerated.

But, there are few bottlenecks too, semiconductor memories read and write data in microseconds and they are very economical, on the other hand, encoding and decoding data in DNA is a complex task, it requires more time and money. In 2013, researchers at European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), Hinxton, UK estimated the cost of encoding and decoding data in DNA as $12,400 per MB and $220 per MB respectively. Of course, the cost is high when compared with conventional semiconductor memories, but technology is rapidly advancing and cost of DNA synthesis is falling.

About 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated every day. While storing data in digital format is easy, data archival is a complex task requiring continuing maintenance and regular transferring between storage media. Ideally, DNA provides an alternative to conventional semiconductor for secure and long-term data storage.

Source | The Hindu | 5 September 2016

0 Comments

Best ebook reader apps !

11/25/2016

0 Comments

If you want to carry a collection of books with you, you don’t necessarily need an ebook reader thanks to a selection of free-to-download ebook apps for mobile devices.

For book lovers who don’t fancy picking up a dedicated ebook reader, we’ve rounded up some of the best apps for reading ebooks on a smartphone or tablet. Read on for the details.
Best Buy ebook readers – not tempted by apps? Grab an ebook reader insteadThe best apps for reading ebooks
1. iBooksPrice: book prices vary (free books also on offer)
Available for: iOS
Apple’s own app for reading ebooks, predictably named iBooks, is a great place to start for iOS users. The stock reading app is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and you can turn your device landscape to view two pages at a time. The free iBooks app (with over 2.5 million titles) also lets you adjust the appearance of the screen so that text is displayed on a black background, great for readers that like to relax with a book in the evening.
The iBooks experience is also available on Macs running OS X Yosemite or later. There are a selection of free books on offer, but the majority of content is paid-for.

2. Google Play BooksPrice: book prices vary (free books also on offer)
Available for: iOS, Android
Google’s own ebooks app lets you bookmark pages, highlight text and make notes. Some titles support text-to-speech, and there are over four million books in total. Some books on the store are free, while others can be rented or purchased to keep for good.
Books are synced to your Google account, so you can start reading a book on your tablet then carry on from where you left off on your smartphone the next morning.

3. KindlePrice: book prices vary (free books also on offer)
Available for: iOS, Android
Just like iBooks, the Kindle app for iOS and Android is free to download, and you don’t need a Kindle ebook reader of your own to use it. Kindle for smartphones and tablets has a range of free titles to flick through (including Pride and Prejudice and Treasure Island), and it arrives with a built-in dictionary that makes looking up complicated words and phrases hassle-free.
There are over 1.5 million books to choose from, and the app also supports popular magazines and newspapers. According to Amazon, over 650,000 titles on the Kindle app are on sale for £3.99 or less. There are also 200,000 Kindle-exclusive titles.

4. Kobo Reading AppPrice: book prices vary (free books also on offer)
Available for: iOS, Android
Kobo’s own mobile ebook app is home to over five million paid-for and free titles, covering magazines, comics and books suitable for kids. Kobo’s Night Mode will reduce eyestrain during those late-night reading sessions, and the app can sync your bookmarks, notes and highlights so you can continue reading a book across different devices.
We’ve tested a range of Kobo ebook readers in our test lab. Head over to our Kobo ebook reader reviews page for more.5. 50,000 Free eBooksPrice: Free
Available for: iOS, Android

This mobile app from Oodles is packed with free ebooks, so whether you’re an English literature student or a commuter looking for a new read, there’s plenty of choice. Books can be downloaded right to your mobile from the app, and you can read them without an internet connection. Font style and size is customisable, and you can also download audiobooks for your offline collection.

It’s worth noting that Oodles is better for classic novels than modern bestsellers, but the app is free after all.

Link | https://blogs.which.co.uk/technology/app-review/best-ebook-reader-apps/

0 Comments

Think Training, Think Digital !

11/15/2016

0 Comments

Online tools have now become a major component of learning and development programmes in the corporate world.

The world is hurtling towards a culture of ease. Product designs are dictated by considerations of ready access and quicker response. In fact, this thinking permeates all spheres of activity, which include growing human capital. In other words, training programmes for employees, crafted in-house or outsourced, now invariably come with a digital component. Digital training tools serve multiple purposes. They make the training an ongoing process. They ensure continual reinforcement of lessons. They reduce outlay on training programmes. Most important of all, they save time. “Companies are increasingly encouraging its employees to take management and learning-and-development related courses on reputed digital learning platforms, which include Coursera, Udemy and Simplylearn . Many of these popular platforms may offer these courses free, but charge if the participant requires a certification, which includes taking an examination, and many companies are now prepared to sponsor these certification programmes. There are also many companies now that have e-learning tools designed to drive their learning and development programmes. They may outsource the designing of these tools, but drive the programmes themselves, which ensures they have greater control over the content. While training their freshers, many companies work out a combination. Fifty percent of these freshers would be trained in a traditional classroom setting, which requires them to stay away from regular work, and the other fifty would be trained through a digital platform that can be accessed anytime and therefore, allows them to continue doing the regular work — this way, these companies ensure work is not hindered,” explains Sorav Jain, digital marketing consultant and thinker-in-chief at echoVME. As everyone is under the sway of digital technologies, training service providers are challenged to use these resources effectively to deliver a programme that can be accessed anytime. To give one example, as part of the training tools for its clients, Kestone Intergrated Marketing Services offers a customised app aimed at sales personnel.

“In a crowded market, a company cannot afford to send its sales force to the training room often. At the same time, the sales personnel have to be skilled in selling techniques and know how to plan their time in meeting their targets. The solution lies in providing them with a resource that they can access on the go,” explains Piyush Gupta, president, Kestone.

Training institutions can establish a long-lasting connection with those in the industry they are serving through a digital programme that supplements the traditional classroom traning.

Here’s an example. Scaled Agile Academy offers training and certification in Scaled Agile Framework (called SAFe), which includes teaching of Agile and Scrum methodologies geared towards better management of enterprises. In 2016, the Academy ensured its students were updated on the latest SAFe practices by launching a massive online programme. “In 2016, the Academy launched SAFe 4.0, which was an upgrade on SAFe 3.0. To enable those who were trained and certified in SAFe 3.0 to update their skills, it offered SAFe 4.0 to them through a webinar and e-learning model, sparing them the trouble of going through a classroom-based learning process,” says Mahesh Varadharajan, senior Agile consultant, SolutionsIQ.

Source | The Hindu | 14 September 2016

0 Comments

How to choose the best password ???

Video Job Interviews - Hiring for the Selfie Age !!!

DNA is the Future of Data Storage !!!

Best ebook reader apps !

Think Training, Think Digital !

This Blog is a fantastic place to share our knowledge with you !
Check out our Monthly posts on the AIJCG Library Blog to
read about interesting bits.

Archives

Categories

How to choose the best password ???

Video Job Interviews - Hiring for the Selfie Age !!!

DNA is the Future of Data Storage !!!

﻿Best ebook reader apps !

Think Training, Think Digital !

This Blog is a fantastic place to share our knowledge with you !​Check out our Monthly posts on the AIJCG Library Blog to read about interesting bits.

Archives

Categories

Best ebook reader apps !

This Blog is a fantastic place to share our knowledge with you !
Check out our Monthly posts on the AIJCG Library Blog to
read about interesting bits.