For a layman, Fiber optic cables or FOCs as they are often called, is a plastic or glass fiber which permits the transmission of communications over large distances and at higher rates. They have almost rendered metallic wires redundant, as they transmit the same but with lots of losses. These cables are unique as they are immune to electromagnetic interferences. Fibers used in these cables are used in carrying images.

Each of these cables cannot be bent beyond a permissible limit. The fiber optic cables are very secure and far more reliable compared to traditional copper wires. Most of these cables operate in high voltage environments. The assembly of a fiber cable includes a tube, a track and fasteners in addition to the regular fiber bundles. The cable tubes have both front and rear surfaces to it. These cables operate with the help of photons. These photons are transmitted to a second quantum dot which is placed between mirrors. These mirrors absorb the photons and bounce them back to the quantum dot until it absorbs it.

The fiber optic cables are used for carrying different services pertaining to data, voice, cable TV, and video. The fiber optic cables keeps the electronic equipments far away from environment that are subjected to high temperature, steam, dust, smoke and so on. The unique feature of these fiber optic cables is that stainless steel lens and fiber cables can be easily replaced without any further calibration.

For the installation of fiber optic cables, fiber optic cable blowers are designed. The unique feature of these optic fibers is that they carry information in the form of light. These cables are very useful in transporting both audio and video signals over short and long distances. If a fiber optic cable is broken, another cable has to be fitted in between the connectors rather than soldering or twisting them. Fiber optic technologies have found its place in many applications. They are widely used in telecommunications, CCTV security places, and local area networks and so on.

Glass fibers are made use of for fiber optic cabling. They hardly provide any change in the signals they carry over long distances. Engineers have found that by adding few additional chemicals to the existing silicon dioxide, they can alter the properties of the glass used in these cables. Although, both glass and plastic can be used for making cables, glass is the preferred one for making cables that are used for transmitting communications for long distances. Glasses use total internal reflection for transmission purposes.

A fiber optic cable consists of a core which is made of glass silica. Through this core, the light is guided. The core is covered with a material whose refractive index is slightly lower than that of the core. Two optical fibers are connected via mechanical splicing or fusion splicing. This process involves lots of skills as microscopic precision is required to align them.

Irrespective of the applications in which fiber optic cables are used, they are here to stay. Their unique features and capability of transmission have ensured they will be continued to be used widely in the communication sector for many years to come.

For most people surfing online will probably be done with the default Windows Internet Explorer browser. The browser is the most successful and most used out of them all. But Microsoft have just amazingly warned that you should swap to a rival browser as all of Microsoft’s IE from 5 and upwards have been exploited by hackers.

The security breach was spotted last week, but the hackers have only been targeting rival gamers and stealing their codes. Although Microsoft are rushing to put together a patch, they have told users to temporarily propagate over to other browsers such as Firefox, Opera and the new Chrome.

The flaw basically lets hackers gain access to any person’s computer that has recently visited an infected site. The most worrying aspect is that users do not actually need to download anything; simply viewing the site is enough to leave yourself open to a whole world of vulnerabilities. This seems somewhat very risky to a lot of the online users as it potentially will get infect a lot of internet surfers.

Antivirus specialists claim that almost 10k sites have been hacked to display the harmful code, one positive thing, as mentioned above is that all that the hackers seem to be interested in is gaining access to computer game passwords so that they can sell them on the black market.

People are effectively calling this a “zero-day” vulnerability because it has effectively been out since the IE was launched, therefore hundreds of thousands of people could have been hacked over the past few years, which when you think about it is quite terrifying. As per information floating around on the internet, there are a few things that you can do to help yourself.

Firstly you can check your settings and switch the internet zone security to the highest level; although this may slow down the speed it is a lot more safer.

You should always keep your anti virus software up to date and run a check every week to make sure nothing has crept past. While this is happening try not to give your windows profile full administration rights, as if a hacker does get in then they can play around with everything.

As per Microsoft’s advice try to temporarily switch to another browser, Safari and Firefox are one of the better options. Other than that make sure you download a patch when it becomes available, to avoid any further security risks.

Google and Facebook are probably the two fastest growing sites in the world. Google is a well known and established search engine but have their hands in almost every other industry as well. Facebook is a unique social networking site that has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years.

Google was initially founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin the geniouses behind it all, while they were studying at Stanford University. The company first registered their domain name on the 4th September 1998. They made a one million plus investment and since then have grown to become the biggest site on the internet, now worth billions.

Facebook have also grown at tremendous speeds they have more than 120 million active users worldwide. The site connects friends and old school friends, as well as allowing webmasters to create applications that can be uploaded onto the site. The founder was a student from Harvard University called Mark Zuckerberg. On October 24, 2007, Facebook Inc. sold a 1.6% stake to Microsoft Corp. for $240 million. Mark Zuckerberg is now also said to be the youngest self made millionaire ever.

So this brings us to the current date and the current top searches being performed on Google. You would have thought that with the overwhelming popularity of Facebook and its platform, that users do not and would not need to actually need to search for it, but Facebook is the number one searched keyword on Google in 2008.

Ten most popular search terms

1) Facebook
2) BBC
3) YouTube
4) eBay
5) Games
6) News
7) Hotmail
Bebo
9) Yahoo
10) Jobs

Ten fastest-rising search terms

1) iPlayer
2) Facebook
3) iPhone
4) YouTube
5) Yahoo Mail
6) Large Hadron Collider
7) Obama
Friv
9) Cam4
10) Jogos

Ten most searched-for politicians

1) Gordon Brown
2) David Cameron
3) Barack Obama
4) Tony Blair
5) Sarah Palin
6) John McCain
7) George Osborne
Alistair Darling
9) Boris Johnson
10) Nicolas Sarkozy

As you can see from the above the second most popular term is the BBC which in all honesty also has the fastest rising search term due to the launch of there innovative iPlayer that was launched at the beginning of the year.

So finally this just goes to show how popular Google still are and will be for the foreseeable future. No one bookmarks the sites they visit anymore or types in the URL, instead they visit Google and type in the search term as they trust that Google will deliver them the best possible results and Google never fail to deliver.

Digital cameras are probably the most notable invention of past decade or so. They have in a way; revolutionized the way photography is carried out. They are totally different from the traditional cameras in the fact that latter were always dependent on the chemical processes for a photo printout.

Digital cameras have an inbuilt computer incorporated in them, which enables it to record all the images electronically. When the digital cameras made their foray into the market, they were very expensive and were thus beyond the reach for most customers. However, their prices have come down drastically over the past few years.

Batteries are a critical component of any digital camera. How long a digital camera does last; largely depends upon the performance of the battery. Basically, two types of batteries are used in these cameras. They are Alkaline AA and NiMH batteries. The former has a low life span and cannot be recharged once it is done with. It is advisable to go for a NiMH battery as they are durable and can be recharged when the charge gets lowered.

Even though they are a bit costlier, durability factor will add an edge to your digital camera. If you are planning for a long vacation, ensure that your camera is bestowed with a reliable set of NiMH batteries. If it is possible, carry extra batteries with you. The digital cameras are known to consume lots of power. You never know when they can come handy. Also, do not forget to latch on to your chargers. Only then you will be able to recharge the batteries.

There are few tips that one can follow to ensure the longevity of their cameras. Few of them are as follows.

a) Never let your digital camera get wet, as they can easily corrode the batteries and there by affect your camera’s performance.

b) If the camera is not in use, you can remove the batteries from them. This procedure will ensure that the camera will last longer.

c) Turn off your digital camera, if it is not in use.

d) If the situation doesn’t demand, refrain from snapping pictures quickly. Always take a second or two to take the pictures of a still object. This will certainly save a lot of energy.

e) Do not keep checking your camera for their functionality. This will consume lots of power and lower your battery power. Doing it once in a while, should be fine.

f) To ensure that your battery doesn’t get drained out quickly, keep the image playback option at its minimum position.

g) If you have opted for a higher end digital camera with a LCD viewfinder facility, ensure that it is turned off when not in use.

h) Keep in mind that both the batteries used in the cameras have the same mAh value. If one of them has a lower value; it can add extra strain to the remaining one.

i) Always ensure that the batteries used are of similar types.

j) If your NiMH batteries have stopped performing, do not throw them. Refer the matter to the manufacturer and follow their instructions in having them recharged again.

These days, almost all commercial enterprises make use of video analytics solutions. These include different service firms, office complexes, warehouses, manufacturers and so on. If intelligent video software is used in conjuncture with video surveillance, the combination can provide an array of services and can even improve the efficiency and provide security.

Among the fastest growing technology in the world is video analytics technology. They are widely used in different applications as they are known to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of video surveillance systems. This powerful software is capable to study video; pixel by pixel.

What’s more, all this is done in a real time. All the information can be captured and transferred to the concerned person whenever and wherever they need it. Video analytics are built on internet networks and as a result they can be remotely accessed by employees, security personnel and managers. All you need is an internet connection. This solution can remotely monitor and gather information in different times of a day. They can then be transferred to any end user, irrespective of their location.

Highest possible level of encryption is employed to protect the online surveillance system. If this is not enough, multi-level password mechanism is incorporated into the software that prevents the unauthorized people from accessing them. Most of us are well aware of the importance of security in all sensitive applications. This software is intelligent enough to keep a close tab on all restricted areas of an application. In case an intruder trespasses this area, an automatic trigger is activated. This will intimate the concerned security personnel and the manager. The interesting aspect of this software is that it can be operated round the clock.

These software programs are also utilized to recognize objects and their capabilities. This can be achieved by feeding the object features into the software as a special program. If any changes are recognized on the objects, the software will immediately notify the concerned authority of the sequence of events. This capability of the software is particularly useful for manufacturing plants and warehouses as they generally have many tangible components that are not only very expensive but also very dangerous to operate with. In addition to this aspect, the program can also be used to detect suspicious behavior or acts. If any personnel are found doing something suspicious, it can notify the superintendent; the situations in hand and there by bring them under control.

Video analytics are also found very useful in employee management. The inbuilt software ensures all employees follow their procedures and instructions correctly. The management of an enterprise can thus keep a tab on their workers, to see to it that they don’t deviate from their routine works.

So, in whichever enterprise these programs are used; the objective is to meet the efficiency level and to keep a record of all the sequence of events, operations for further study. If the order of the day is to cut costs while performing all activities in automatic mode, then this technology is it.