Pease visit this link if you want to get more information about this topic.
You can get to know other young people who engaged in this kind of experience.
http://www.gapyear.com/things_to_do/
Monday, January 22, 2007
Gap Year
Pease visit this link if you want to get more information about this topic.
You can get to know other young people who engaged in this kind of experience.
http://www.gapyear.com/things_to_do/
Friday, January 19, 2007
Benefits of Taking a Year Off
Many students head off to college right after high school because that’s the customary path. But if you are thinking that you are not quite ready for college, then you may want to consider taking a year off to explore foreign countries, gain work experience, or improve upon your studying skills. Check out the following benefits of taking a gap year before you begin college.
• You will become more mature. Students who take a year off before they enter college mature earlier than their peers who come straight to college from high school. Taking a year off to travel foreign places or work full-time will give you real world experience. Think about how much you would mature if you got to travel to Ghana by yourself and teach English to schoolchildren or if you got to explore South East Asia by working in the rain forests. On so many levels, you develop a certain maturity when traveling on your own and experiencing new people and customs. That maturity will allow you to become excited about going to college and allow you to get through the social and intellectual stressors of the four or more intense years to come.
• You will become more focused. When you take a year off to discover who you really are, you will be more focused on what you want to do with the rest of your life. Many students, who thought they knew what they wanted to major in, realized that they did not enjoy working in their presumed major after they delved into their gap year of full-time work. These students were able to take the rest of their gap year to explore different jobs in order to find out what they wanted to major in at college. If you are not exactly sure what you would like to major in, then consider taking a year off to explore different career fields.
• You will be academically prepared for college. Students who lack basic study skills may run into difficulties at college. If you feel that your grades or your study skills are not up to par by the time you graduate from high school, then you may want to consider taking a gap year to improve yourself academically. Contemplate the option of enrolling in a postgraduate program to enhance your concentrated studying. There are many programs that offer refresher courses in algebra, geometry, English, etc. Some programs even offer introductory college-level classes. These postgraduate programs can help students master the art of college writing and studying and can possibly help students boost their grades before applying to college.
• You will have an appreciation for college. If you are going to college because that’s what your parents want you to do, then you may have a hard time appreciating what college has to offer you. A gap year may shed a new light on college. Consider the following situation: You take a year off from college to work full-time. You work long hours with very low pay. It won’t take you very long to realize that in order to get ahead in life, you need a college degree. When your gap year is over, you will have a new appreciation for college and know that you really want to be there, instead of just going because that is what your parents want you to do.
Remember that taking a gap year isn’t for everyone. If you already know exactly what you want to major in, and you think that you are mature enough for the intense work that comes along with college, then you probably want to continue on to college right after high school. Weigh out your options and pick the best decision for you. If you do decide to take a year off, it is best to apply to college during your senior year of high school. After you receive an acceptance to the college, you can request to have the acceptance deferred for one year. Some colleges will allow you to defer; others will request that you reapply. Be sure to make a plan and set goals for your gap year. Decide on an activity that will be beneficial for you in the long run, such as volunteering in a foreign country, exploring different career paths, or improving your study skills. Whatever you decide to do, one thing is for certain: you will enroll in college a changed person.
Many students head off to college right after high school because that’s the customary path. But if you are thinking that you are not quite ready for college, then you may want to consider taking a year off to explore foreign countries, gain work experience, or improve upon your studying skills. Check out the following benefits of taking a gap year before you begin college.
• You will become more mature. Students who take a year off before they enter college mature earlier than their peers who come straight to college from high school. Taking a year off to travel foreign places or work full-time will give you real world experience. Think about how much you would mature if you got to travel to Ghana by yourself and teach English to schoolchildren or if you got to explore South East Asia by working in the rain forests. On so many levels, you develop a certain maturity when traveling on your own and experiencing new people and customs. That maturity will allow you to become excited about going to college and allow you to get through the social and intellectual stressors of the four or more intense years to come.
• You will become more focused. When you take a year off to discover who you really are, you will be more focused on what you want to do with the rest of your life. Many students, who thought they knew what they wanted to major in, realized that they did not enjoy working in their presumed major after they delved into their gap year of full-time work. These students were able to take the rest of their gap year to explore different jobs in order to find out what they wanted to major in at college. If you are not exactly sure what you would like to major in, then consider taking a year off to explore different career fields.
• You will be academically prepared for college. Students who lack basic study skills may run into difficulties at college. If you feel that your grades or your study skills are not up to par by the time you graduate from high school, then you may want to consider taking a gap year to improve yourself academically. Contemplate the option of enrolling in a postgraduate program to enhance your concentrated studying. There are many programs that offer refresher courses in algebra, geometry, English, etc. Some programs even offer introductory college-level classes. These postgraduate programs can help students master the art of college writing and studying and can possibly help students boost their grades before applying to college.
• You will have an appreciation for college. If you are going to college because that’s what your parents want you to do, then you may have a hard time appreciating what college has to offer you. A gap year may shed a new light on college. Consider the following situation: You take a year off from college to work full-time. You work long hours with very low pay. It won’t take you very long to realize that in order to get ahead in life, you need a college degree. When your gap year is over, you will have a new appreciation for college and know that you really want to be there, instead of just going because that is what your parents want you to do.
Remember that taking a gap year isn’t for everyone. If you already know exactly what you want to major in, and you think that you are mature enough for the intense work that comes along with college, then you probably want to continue on to college right after high school. Weigh out your options and pick the best decision for you. If you do decide to take a year off, it is best to apply to college during your senior year of high school. After you receive an acceptance to the college, you can request to have the acceptance deferred for one year. Some colleges will allow you to defer; others will request that you reapply. Be sure to make a plan and set goals for your gap year. Decide on an activity that will be beneficial for you in the long run, such as volunteering in a foreign country, exploring different career paths, or improving your study skills. Whatever you decide to do, one thing is for certain: you will enroll in college a changed person.
Monday, January 08, 2007
TeenTexters' Tabs Take Off
(CBS) Many parents consider cell phones a necessity, so they agree to spend the money to provide them to their teenagers. However, says The Early Show correspondent Trish Regan, teens often turn cell phones into tools for socializing. And all this socialization is costing their parents lots of money. If teens were just making calls, it might not be that much of a problem. But they're taking advantage of additional features on phones, features that are frequently not included in service plans. Such as text messaging. Its popularity is exploding among teens, and it's become one of the most common forms of communication among them, Regan reports. More than 2.5 billion text messages are sent each month, triple the number of just three years ago, and most are sent by teens and young adults. They also happen to be the ones most often not responsible for paying their cell phone bills. Regan spoke to numerous teens and asked the simple question: Why is everybody texting? "Sometimes, it's easier just to communicate like that when you can't be on your actual phone. So, you just send a text message and you just wait for a response. It's easier and quicker," one teen explained to her. And so, says Regan, they're texting -- all the time. But what many teens and their parents don't realize is that it costs money every time a message is sent. Unable to make money on traditional long distance calls, cell phone companies are cashing in on texting and other add-on services. "The cell phone companies are looking to things like text messaging, picture messaging, ring tones as a way of increasing their revenue," observes Consumer Reports magazine Deputy Editor David Heim. …Texting certainly does add to the cell phone companys' bottom line. Do the math. …The problem for the cell phone customer is that those text messages really add up quickly. And if you're not careful, you can be spending 10 dollars a month extra, $100 a month extra." Still, notes Regan, it doesn't take too many of these additional charges before parents wise up, and look to take action. She tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm text messages generally cost a nickel to a dime apiece, which doesn't sound like a lot, but if you are sending 70-80 messages a day, it accumulates pretty quickly. So how can parents avoid getting hit with these overage charges in the first place? First of all, says Regan, parents need to talk to their kids about how use their phones. A lot of parents don't even know what text messaging is until they get hit with the bill. So, it's important to know what the phone will be used for. Once they know, they need to make sure they're signed up for the right plan. Cell phone companies offer plans that include text messaging so, the key is to find a reasonable plans. The other alternative is to simply limit the kids' use of their cell phones. Parents need to tell their kids exactly what a plan includes and if the kids go over the limits, let there be consequences -- maybe the teens pays the overage themselves, or perhaps the phone is even taken away.
Cell Phone Etiquette
Cell-phone etiquette is really just common courtesy. Most people today have a Mobile phone. In fact, many people can't imagine how they ever got along without a portable phone. However, many people also complain about cell phone users. People complain about other people loudly discussing personal matters in public places. They complain when cell phones ring in movie theaters and concert halls. They complain about people driving too slow, and not paying attention to where they are going because they are talking on a cell phone. And they complain about people walking around talking to people who aren't there.
Whenever a new communications technology becomes popular, it changes the way society is organized. Society has to invent rules for the polite way to use the new devices. Our social etiquette, our rules of politeness for cell phones, is still evolving.
Cell-phone etiquette apply to most public places. Always try to keep your phone ringer as low as possible or put your mobile phone on vibrate, so it does not distract the people around you. A good time to leave your phone at home, or at least in the car, would be at a funeral, wedding or some event along those lines.
Basic Cell phone etiquette rules include :
Switching it Off : Know when to turn it off or vibrate it. eg meetings, movies, worship, seminars, etc . Vibrate mode when in places where you can take a call, but don't want to disturb others.
Be Brief : When you get a call and you're with friends, keep the call short.
Permission : Often, it is correct etiquette to inform others at the beginning of the meeting that you are expecting an important call and get their permission.
Be Polite : Don't scream : speak in a lower-than-normal voice, you will be heard by the caller, and not others in the room
Don't Distract : Avoid talking where you may be distracting to others.
Driving : It is not only very dangerous, but also unlawful in most countries ( even India ) to drive & talk on your cell Phone
TEST ON REPORTED SPEECH
Change the following sentences into reported speech using appropriate verbs in the main clause where necessary:
1. The managing director, 'Bring me the new plans as soon as possible, Neil!'
2. The doctor, 'Get more exercise, Tom! You are getting too fat'.
3. The personnel manager asked Mr Jonson, 'Would you like a bigger desk?'
4. She said, 'I didn't have any breakfast this morning.'
5. Mrs Russ says to her son, 'You must go shopping tomorrow.'
6. He asked the teacher, 'May I leave the room?'
7. He replied, 'I will have finished my homework in ten minutes.'
8. Mary asked Tom, 'Do you think I will understand the problem?'
9. His friend responded, 'I am sorry, but I won't be able to come because I already have an appointment tomorrow morning.'
10. Martin said, 'Don't spoil the new carpet with your dirty shoes! It has just been dry-cleaned.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Protecting Privacy in the Global Market:A German-American Concern
While the transatlantic trade battle over bananas might have been solved last week, another problem remains a serious challenge. It is one that has been a research topic at AICGS since 1996 -- the protection of consumer privacy in a global economy.
Last week, the EU and the U.S. squared off -- not for the first time -- over how to regulate the transfer of personal data across the Atlantic. The current situation is a tense one as, during the next decade, major obstacles will emerge in trade relations and the further development of electronic commerce. With a huge market at stake, Germany and the U.S. are major contenders in this area.
Internet penetration rates are soaring throughout Europe, particularly in Germany, but commerce online has been slower to develop. While users of the World Wide Web are growing worldwide, Internet shoppers and the products and services that they are purchasing online are not, in part because of concern about privacy. The United States still tends to dominate electronic commerce. But that will change in the coming decade, provided adequate safeguards for data protection are implemented.
Consumers in both the United States and Europe report fear of invasion or misuse of information supplied as part of an online transaction. This shared interest, as well as the experience of European countries in providing greater privacy protection, heightens the tensions between U.S. and European leaders seeking a consensus on regulating the problems.
In the fall of 1998, the European Directive on data protection went into effect with a regulatory approach that governs the handling of private data across the industrial spectrum. It contains a particular provision that prevents the transfer of personal data to third countries unless they can prove they have an adequate standard for data protection. American industrial leaders expressed concern about the meaning of "adequate" because the American approach to data protection has always been a mixture of sector-specific laws and self-regulation within the industry. Without agreement about standards, the EU directive could result in significant trade barriers to American trade on the Internet and e-commerce development, argue both American government and industrial leaders.
An effort to resolve this clash was made last year. The so-called Safe Harbor agreement worked out by the Department of Commerce and the European Union is a self-regulatory framework that is designed to satisfy the EU adequacy standards. U.S. industry engaged in data flow accepts the objectives of the EU directive on a voluntary basis and is subject to the supervision of U.S. authorities. Because they are doubtful about its effectiveness, few U.S. companies have associated with the Safe Harbor framework and are seeking other means to address the privacy requirements.
While the EU voted to accept the safe harbor agreements, the current clash stems from the American concern about the intended enforcement of the EU Directive. It requires the consent of individuals for the use of their data, prevents transfer of the data to third parties and demands erasure of the data after its use. With billions of dollars in e-business at stake, American government and industrial leaders are arguing that such requirements are out of sync with the demands of the global market place. The EU replies that any company that does not measure up to the Safe Harbor standards or alternative models will be prevented from exporting data. That, according to Representative Bill Tauzin, Chairman of the House Commerce and Energy Committee, could be "one of the largest free trade barriers ever seen."
Within the EU framework, Germany has played a key role in setting the standards for data protection. It's own domestic standards and administration are the most rigorous in Europe. In addition to a federal Data Protection Officer, each of the Länder have their own as well. The federal data protection law stipulates that any company using data must employ a privacy officer to oversee its business operations.
In the wake of the Nazi era, mistrust of government use of personal data was pervasive in Germany. Two decades ago, the Greens successfully led a campaign against a planned national census claiming it was too intrusive. Today, concerns about the use of data by corporations is equally extensive. The current Federal Data Protection Officer, Joachim Jacob, recently issued a report very critical of a significant increased sale of addresses and the potential misuse of gene testing.
The conflict sparked between Germany and the EU with the United States stems from different historical experiences and legal approaches to privacy rights. It has to do with different approaches to the role of government in protecting individual freedoms. And, it has to do with difficult questions relating to the jurisdiction over privacy in a global economy. But with the increasing pace and power of worldwide e-commerce developments, there is also an increasing need to find solutions to these problems.
While the transatlantic trade battle over bananas might have been solved last week, another problem remains a serious challenge. It is one that has been a research topic at AICGS since 1996 -- the protection of consumer privacy in a global economy.
Last week, the EU and the U.S. squared off -- not for the first time -- over how to regulate the transfer of personal data across the Atlantic. The current situation is a tense one as, during the next decade, major obstacles will emerge in trade relations and the further development of electronic commerce. With a huge market at stake, Germany and the U.S. are major contenders in this area.
Internet penetration rates are soaring throughout Europe, particularly in Germany, but commerce online has been slower to develop. While users of the World Wide Web are growing worldwide, Internet shoppers and the products and services that they are purchasing online are not, in part because of concern about privacy. The United States still tends to dominate electronic commerce. But that will change in the coming decade, provided adequate safeguards for data protection are implemented.
Consumers in both the United States and Europe report fear of invasion or misuse of information supplied as part of an online transaction. This shared interest, as well as the experience of European countries in providing greater privacy protection, heightens the tensions between U.S. and European leaders seeking a consensus on regulating the problems.
In the fall of 1998, the European Directive on data protection went into effect with a regulatory approach that governs the handling of private data across the industrial spectrum. It contains a particular provision that prevents the transfer of personal data to third countries unless they can prove they have an adequate standard for data protection. American industrial leaders expressed concern about the meaning of "adequate" because the American approach to data protection has always been a mixture of sector-specific laws and self-regulation within the industry. Without agreement about standards, the EU directive could result in significant trade barriers to American trade on the Internet and e-commerce development, argue both American government and industrial leaders.
An effort to resolve this clash was made last year. The so-called Safe Harbor agreement worked out by the Department of Commerce and the European Union is a self-regulatory framework that is designed to satisfy the EU adequacy standards. U.S. industry engaged in data flow accepts the objectives of the EU directive on a voluntary basis and is subject to the supervision of U.S. authorities. Because they are doubtful about its effectiveness, few U.S. companies have associated with the Safe Harbor framework and are seeking other means to address the privacy requirements.
While the EU voted to accept the safe harbor agreements, the current clash stems from the American concern about the intended enforcement of the EU Directive. It requires the consent of individuals for the use of their data, prevents transfer of the data to third parties and demands erasure of the data after its use. With billions of dollars in e-business at stake, American government and industrial leaders are arguing that such requirements are out of sync with the demands of the global market place. The EU replies that any company that does not measure up to the Safe Harbor standards or alternative models will be prevented from exporting data. That, according to Representative Bill Tauzin, Chairman of the House Commerce and Energy Committee, could be "one of the largest free trade barriers ever seen."
Within the EU framework, Germany has played a key role in setting the standards for data protection. It's own domestic standards and administration are the most rigorous in Europe. In addition to a federal Data Protection Officer, each of the Länder have their own as well. The federal data protection law stipulates that any company using data must employ a privacy officer to oversee its business operations.
In the wake of the Nazi era, mistrust of government use of personal data was pervasive in Germany. Two decades ago, the Greens successfully led a campaign against a planned national census claiming it was too intrusive. Today, concerns about the use of data by corporations is equally extensive. The current Federal Data Protection Officer, Joachim Jacob, recently issued a report very critical of a significant increased sale of addresses and the potential misuse of gene testing.
The conflict sparked between Germany and the EU with the United States stems from different historical experiences and legal approaches to privacy rights. It has to do with different approaches to the role of government in protecting individual freedoms. And, it has to do with difficult questions relating to the jurisdiction over privacy in a global economy. But with the increasing pace and power of worldwide e-commerce developments, there is also an increasing need to find solutions to these problems.
Ethics in Advertising
Advertising. The attempt to send information to people to convince them to spend their money with a certain company. This concept is the foundation of much of the modern financial world. The ads can attack any of the senses. Sight, hearing, touch even smell or taste. For example movie popcorn has a specific smell that's been refined over years to entice others in the movie theater to buy their own large bucket.
Advertising is big business. Billions of dollars are spent each MONTH on advertising. Many industries exist solely due to the influx of money advertising brings in. The cable TV industry, magazines, newspapers and many other media and non-media industries would be drastically changed if they couldn't sell advertising space.
Plus we wouldn't know what to buy.
Because of these facts, companies try all sorts of tactics to get our attention and money. Sometimes these attempts involve illegal, underhanded or dirty tricks.
Some examples of illegal tricks involve the old bait and switch. This tactic requires placing an ad for an item at tremendous value. Upon reaching the store, the shoppers finds that the item is "no longer available" and in order to alleviate their sorrow at missing the deal they are directed to a similar item that, while not as good of a bargain (sometimes no bargain at all) closely matches what they came in for.
An example would be an ad for a brand new computer with P3 1.2 Gig processor, 256 megs of Ram, 60 Gig hard drive, DVD, cd-writer and free software for only $599.95. What a bargain! As soon as you inquire: "I'm sorry, we're all sold out of that amazing deal, but since you need a computer, I can show you this one. It only has half as much processing power, ram or hard drive, but that sale item was probably too big for you anyway. It's a steal at just $600. If you need the DVD, I can have one installed for only $99..." and off you go being sold an item that you didn't initially want.
Why is this advertising method illegal? For two reasons.
It relies on false information
It works way too well
One of the main problems is that often times, these underhanded techniques work all too well. They're based on deception, misdirection and other highly refined but sharply unethical techniques.
In many ways, and especially on the internet, the porn industry has had its share of unethical advertising.
One of the most common tactics used by the porn industry websites is to create pages that rank well for unrelated but "free" stuff. You are searching for something, say information on the latest Angelina Jolie movie, on the search engines and you see a search result offering free videos of Ms. Jolie. Sounds cool of course and you head to a page which flashes tons of banner ads (Which the owner gets paid for if you click on any of them. Another unethical practice.) The page offers secret pictures and videos of Ms. Jolie completely naked. Just click this link. You click and go to another dizzying array of ads before finding another link. You end up at a page that offers plenty of sexy naked women. All you have to do is fill in your name and credit card number...
And there you are, tempted to pay for pictures that have nothing to do with Angelina Jolie (Or if they do, they are often her face placed on top of some nude model.) but there you are anyway. You most likely don't even remember what you were searching for in the first place. (Info on her latest movie ring a bell?)
Does this technique work? Would the entire industry use it if it didn't?
Sometimes, the advertising attempt is covered in a veneer to make it sound OK to people with objections. They say they are just trying to offer "relevant content" to people that may want it, or say that all they have to do to stop receiving the ad is... If you receive e-zines with ads on them and don't want the e-zine anymore, sometimes it involves an act of congress and a true sighting of Godzilla to get off their list.
Advertising works best when it's aimed at "people who would most likely use the product". Because of this many unethical attempts are done to place ads in places they shouldn't be.
Let's say that Nike created an ad campaign of spray painting ads onto sidewalks. After all, people who are walking obviously need shoes, and they'll want the latest from Nike, right? Hey, this isn't defacing property. This is a major corporation simply marketing it's products to it's customers. That shouldn't be a problem, right? Never mind that they didn't pay the owners of the sidewalks for ad space. That's no big deal. (NOTE: To date, I'm not aware of Nike or anyone else doing this kind of ad campaign.)
I'm waiting for the day when someone creates prescription glasses that the wearer gets for free. The glasses simply flash occasional ads on the bottom right hand portion of the lens. Would this be unethical? What if you weren't told about the ads until after you got the glasses?
Where to draw the line?
So what line can we draw to tell unethical advertising from ethical advertising? The simplest method is: Does the ad campaign rely on misinformation or misdirection? If the ad lies to the customer promising one thing but then tries to deliver something else, that is unethical. Period.
How much further can advertising go? I think I found it.
The bottom of the barrel?
A company that I have found recently is guilty of many unethical practices, all at the same time. That company is Ezula.
They have a made a program that creates link ads on all webpage you view. They sell particular words or phrases to companies as advertising fees. This browser plug-in reads the words on the webpage you're reading and if it finds one of these words/phrases, it creates a link out of it that goes to the paying customer. For example, if the webpage you're reading has the phrase "hotel reservations" and you have this plug-in, then it creates a link out of that phrase that points to expedia.com. Nevermind that I, as a web designer didn't want that link there. That money making link shows up whether I like it or not.
You don't even have to download this program. It comes with another popular, but unrelated program: Kazaa. A program to find and download mp3's. Kazaa has raised in popularity with Napsters demise.
So let's see what's happening:
The company Ezula creates a browser plug-in that can make links on every webpage you view based on a database of phrases. If the phrase is in the database, the link is made.
Since it's a browser plug-in, they don't have to adjust anyone's HTML coding. It doesn't affect the computer next to you or the one next door, it just adjusts the computer it's installed on.
Ezula then "sells" these phrases, or rather sells the link. When we click on this link, they pay money to Ezula.
Let's see just how many unethical practices this entails:
Stealing ad space They are selling the phrases on MY website and they aren't paying me a dime. I, as a website developer get nothing from this. They are selling ad space on my site, and not paying me.
If I created a device that could be placed on the TV cable outside your home and inserted little ads into your TV shows that the cable company didn't authorize, I could then sell advertising space. Of course, what I was doing would surely be found illegal and they would make me stop.
Defacing property There is also the fact that they are defacing my site, in terms of adjusting it without my consent, or even knowledge.
There is the argument that web designers already don't have much control over how a webpage is presented because different browsers can show the same webpage in slightly (in some cases drastic) ways. Therefore, they shouldn't complain that some program might alter the look their sight.
However website developers care very much about how their site is presented. We care so much, that we often remake our entire site in three or four ways then use methods to send browsers to the correct version so the viewer will get what we want them to get.
But what do I do about this? I would have to search all my entire sites for ezula-linked words and change my wording. This is impossible since some of the words Ezula links are simple ones like "sports" or "mortgage". These words are hard to skirt around all the time.
Gambling with people's honor Then there's the matter of honor in terms of content. If I write an article about gambling, links would be created that point to websites that I don't endorse. If someone doesn't understand that I didn't place that particular link and they get angry at me thinking that I am endorsing something that I'm not, what can I do? My reputation depends on making sure certain ethical standards aren't crossed.
One page on a site I work on focuses on kid friendly links. Parents trust that page and expect me to keep it very clean. If a sentence like "I'm betting this will work." shows up and the term betting creates a link to an online gambling casino, I'm in trouble.
Back door installation This program comes piggybacked almost hidden in Kazaa's program. there is nothing on Kazaa's website that even remotely suggests that this program will also be downloaded and installed along with the program you intend to get. This in itself is unethical, although an increasingly common tactic.
Ezula claims that all you have to do is opt-out when you install Kazaa. There is one (and only one) screen where you can choose to not have Ezula's program installed. You are barely even told what the program does. As we have already mentioned, not everyone on the internet is computer savvy. To get a program installed is quite a feat, much less install just the correct one's when multiple programs are added.
When you install Internet Explorer, it installs some programs that are associated with it, such as Macromedia Flash plug-ins.
The Ezula program has nothing to do with Kazaa's program whatsoever. Shame on Kazaa for installing this, and three other unrelated, programs.
Even though I am computer savvy, if I didn't know about this program, I would have installed it too without thinking about it. The only reason anyone would be given to not install it would be because of bad publicity like this program deserves.
Changing identities This program used to be called Toptext, this is the name most who know this situation still call it, but right after the bad news came out, they have changed the name of the program. In fact they have changed the name four times. There program has been called TopText, HOTtext, DesktopDollars and now ContextPro.
The only reason for doing this that I can think of would be to escape the bad publicity this program is generating.
Hacking in the name of corporate business They are hacking sites, in the sense that they are altering the look of the sites without my consent.
If I somehow could place ad links on all the government sites that they didn't authorize, how soon do you think they would label me a hacker and shut me down? It wouldn't matter if I hacked into their site, or created a browser plug-in and gave it secretly to tons of users.
But, since this is done in the name of business I guess it's OK.
If I created a company called Duplitech Inc. and grabbed a bunch of popular and expensive software programs and hacked them so anyone could install them without having to register them and offered the hacked versions for sale at $5 each or 5 for $20, I would make tons of money. Since this is done in the name of business I guess it's OK. (NOTE: Some of you might think this is at odds with my article on hacking, but re-read it and you'll see it's not.)
Opting out takes trust In Ezula's defense, they have a system where they can place domains on a "do not place links here" list. Being on this list keeps links from showing up on your site. So anyone who doesn't want links can just place their sites on this list and everything is OK, right?
Of course not. I dare you find out how to get on this list. There's no information about it on their website. There's information about this list in their install information, privacy policy, terms of use, nothing. There is no public place that tells you how to be placed on this list. If you can't find the list, you can't get off of it.
OK so you finally find out that in order to get on the list you must email support@ezula.com with a list of the domains that you want no links to appear on. Well, now you have to wait and see if they place your domains on the list. What if they "forget"? Then you have to contact them again, and again and...
Also, what if someone downloads a local version of your site? Or what if a cached version of the page appears, such as in Google's Cache section? The links show up again and there's nothing you can do about that one ever.
Hypocrites in action This is by far the crowning piece of unethical advertising.
Ezula claims that this marketing action is not intrusive to any website. They claim it's not hurting anyone to place these simple links on other people's site. Oh Really?
One of the phrases currently being sold is "online business", which happens to be on their own site at http://www.ezula.com/news/media_coverage.asp. But if you have their program and look at that page, you'll find that phrase isn't linked.
Well, maybe it somehow doesn't meet the link criteria. Maybe there's two spaces between the words so it doesn't match. Let's look at google's cached version of that page. Since the cached page is at google.com which isn't on the list.
Low and behold the link appears. Let's go back to their page and download a local version and look at that. Gee, there's the link again.
Ezula claims their links don't cause any harm to anyone, but they don't allow the links on their own site!!
If I sold some unethical product and claimed it was perfectly safe for everyone, but refused to use it myself, what would people think?
Is Ezula the bottom of the barrel? Unfortunately not. Will people and businesses stoop to lower depths? Yep. But as long as we let obviously unethical and illegal actions go unpunished, these actions will get larger and more invasive.
8/7/2001 Update
It appears that another company has been trying the "keyword sale" game. Gator sells keywords which create popup ads. This is being used to create popup ads at competitor's websites. For example going to AmericanAirlines.com would popup an ad for Delta Air Lines. The reasoning is this: Someone shopping the competitor would be a perfect target for promotions.
Here's a question: What if Chevy sent tons of people to stand outside BMW dealerships with bullhorns. Whenever a customer comes onto the BMW lot the Chevy people would yell through the bullhorn, "HEY, YOU THERE, ON THE BMW LOT. COME ON OVER TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND I'LL GIVE YOU A COUPON FOR $50 OFF A NEW CAR. I'LL EVEN DRIVE YOU THERE FOR FREE." Those people aren't on private property, they're just marketing to people just like these keyword popup ads.
I'd love to see businesses doing this. That would be great during lunch.
HEY, YOU IN THE MCDONALDS DRIVE THROUGH. I'LL GIVE YOU $5.00 OFF YOUR NEXT MEAL AT WENDY'S IF YOU DRIVE THROUGH WITHOUT PAYING.
Maybe I need to start selling bullhorns. I'd be rich.
HEY, YOU. $9.00 OFF YOUR NEXT BULLHORN FROM ACE HARDWARE!
Who said that?
Advertising. The attempt to send information to people to convince them to spend their money with a certain company. This concept is the foundation of much of the modern financial world. The ads can attack any of the senses. Sight, hearing, touch even smell or taste. For example movie popcorn has a specific smell that's been refined over years to entice others in the movie theater to buy their own large bucket.
Advertising is big business. Billions of dollars are spent each MONTH on advertising. Many industries exist solely due to the influx of money advertising brings in. The cable TV industry, magazines, newspapers and many other media and non-media industries would be drastically changed if they couldn't sell advertising space.
Plus we wouldn't know what to buy.
Because of these facts, companies try all sorts of tactics to get our attention and money. Sometimes these attempts involve illegal, underhanded or dirty tricks.
Some examples of illegal tricks involve the old bait and switch. This tactic requires placing an ad for an item at tremendous value. Upon reaching the store, the shoppers finds that the item is "no longer available" and in order to alleviate their sorrow at missing the deal they are directed to a similar item that, while not as good of a bargain (sometimes no bargain at all) closely matches what they came in for.
An example would be an ad for a brand new computer with P3 1.2 Gig processor, 256 megs of Ram, 60 Gig hard drive, DVD, cd-writer and free software for only $599.95. What a bargain! As soon as you inquire: "I'm sorry, we're all sold out of that amazing deal, but since you need a computer, I can show you this one. It only has half as much processing power, ram or hard drive, but that sale item was probably too big for you anyway. It's a steal at just $600. If you need the DVD, I can have one installed for only $99..." and off you go being sold an item that you didn't initially want.
Why is this advertising method illegal? For two reasons.
It relies on false information
It works way too well
One of the main problems is that often times, these underhanded techniques work all too well. They're based on deception, misdirection and other highly refined but sharply unethical techniques.
In many ways, and especially on the internet, the porn industry has had its share of unethical advertising.
One of the most common tactics used by the porn industry websites is to create pages that rank well for unrelated but "free" stuff. You are searching for something, say information on the latest Angelina Jolie movie, on the search engines and you see a search result offering free videos of Ms. Jolie. Sounds cool of course and you head to a page which flashes tons of banner ads (Which the owner gets paid for if you click on any of them. Another unethical practice.) The page offers secret pictures and videos of Ms. Jolie completely naked. Just click this link. You click and go to another dizzying array of ads before finding another link. You end up at a page that offers plenty of sexy naked women. All you have to do is fill in your name and credit card number...
And there you are, tempted to pay for pictures that have nothing to do with Angelina Jolie (Or if they do, they are often her face placed on top of some nude model.) but there you are anyway. You most likely don't even remember what you were searching for in the first place. (Info on her latest movie ring a bell?)
Does this technique work? Would the entire industry use it if it didn't?
Sometimes, the advertising attempt is covered in a veneer to make it sound OK to people with objections. They say they are just trying to offer "relevant content" to people that may want it, or say that all they have to do to stop receiving the ad is... If you receive e-zines with ads on them and don't want the e-zine anymore, sometimes it involves an act of congress and a true sighting of Godzilla to get off their list.
Advertising works best when it's aimed at "people who would most likely use the product". Because of this many unethical attempts are done to place ads in places they shouldn't be.
Let's say that Nike created an ad campaign of spray painting ads onto sidewalks. After all, people who are walking obviously need shoes, and they'll want the latest from Nike, right? Hey, this isn't defacing property. This is a major corporation simply marketing it's products to it's customers. That shouldn't be a problem, right? Never mind that they didn't pay the owners of the sidewalks for ad space. That's no big deal. (NOTE: To date, I'm not aware of Nike or anyone else doing this kind of ad campaign.)
I'm waiting for the day when someone creates prescription glasses that the wearer gets for free. The glasses simply flash occasional ads on the bottom right hand portion of the lens. Would this be unethical? What if you weren't told about the ads until after you got the glasses?
Where to draw the line?
So what line can we draw to tell unethical advertising from ethical advertising? The simplest method is: Does the ad campaign rely on misinformation or misdirection? If the ad lies to the customer promising one thing but then tries to deliver something else, that is unethical. Period.
How much further can advertising go? I think I found it.
The bottom of the barrel?
A company that I have found recently is guilty of many unethical practices, all at the same time. That company is Ezula.
They have a made a program that creates link ads on all webpage you view. They sell particular words or phrases to companies as advertising fees. This browser plug-in reads the words on the webpage you're reading and if it finds one of these words/phrases, it creates a link out of it that goes to the paying customer. For example, if the webpage you're reading has the phrase "hotel reservations" and you have this plug-in, then it creates a link out of that phrase that points to expedia.com. Nevermind that I, as a web designer didn't want that link there. That money making link shows up whether I like it or not.
You don't even have to download this program. It comes with another popular, but unrelated program: Kazaa. A program to find and download mp3's. Kazaa has raised in popularity with Napsters demise.
So let's see what's happening:
The company Ezula creates a browser plug-in that can make links on every webpage you view based on a database of phrases. If the phrase is in the database, the link is made.
Since it's a browser plug-in, they don't have to adjust anyone's HTML coding. It doesn't affect the computer next to you or the one next door, it just adjusts the computer it's installed on.
Ezula then "sells" these phrases, or rather sells the link. When we click on this link, they pay money to Ezula.
Let's see just how many unethical practices this entails:
Stealing ad space They are selling the phrases on MY website and they aren't paying me a dime. I, as a website developer get nothing from this. They are selling ad space on my site, and not paying me.
If I created a device that could be placed on the TV cable outside your home and inserted little ads into your TV shows that the cable company didn't authorize, I could then sell advertising space. Of course, what I was doing would surely be found illegal and they would make me stop.
Defacing property There is also the fact that they are defacing my site, in terms of adjusting it without my consent, or even knowledge.
There is the argument that web designers already don't have much control over how a webpage is presented because different browsers can show the same webpage in slightly (in some cases drastic) ways. Therefore, they shouldn't complain that some program might alter the look their sight.
However website developers care very much about how their site is presented. We care so much, that we often remake our entire site in three or four ways then use methods to send browsers to the correct version so the viewer will get what we want them to get.
But what do I do about this? I would have to search all my entire sites for ezula-linked words and change my wording. This is impossible since some of the words Ezula links are simple ones like "sports" or "mortgage". These words are hard to skirt around all the time.
Gambling with people's honor Then there's the matter of honor in terms of content. If I write an article about gambling, links would be created that point to websites that I don't endorse. If someone doesn't understand that I didn't place that particular link and they get angry at me thinking that I am endorsing something that I'm not, what can I do? My reputation depends on making sure certain ethical standards aren't crossed.
One page on a site I work on focuses on kid friendly links. Parents trust that page and expect me to keep it very clean. If a sentence like "I'm betting this will work." shows up and the term betting creates a link to an online gambling casino, I'm in trouble.
Back door installation This program comes piggybacked almost hidden in Kazaa's program. there is nothing on Kazaa's website that even remotely suggests that this program will also be downloaded and installed along with the program you intend to get. This in itself is unethical, although an increasingly common tactic.
Ezula claims that all you have to do is opt-out when you install Kazaa. There is one (and only one) screen where you can choose to not have Ezula's program installed. You are barely even told what the program does. As we have already mentioned, not everyone on the internet is computer savvy. To get a program installed is quite a feat, much less install just the correct one's when multiple programs are added.
When you install Internet Explorer, it installs some programs that are associated with it, such as Macromedia Flash plug-ins.
The Ezula program has nothing to do with Kazaa's program whatsoever. Shame on Kazaa for installing this, and three other unrelated, programs.
Even though I am computer savvy, if I didn't know about this program, I would have installed it too without thinking about it. The only reason anyone would be given to not install it would be because of bad publicity like this program deserves.
Changing identities This program used to be called Toptext, this is the name most who know this situation still call it, but right after the bad news came out, they have changed the name of the program. In fact they have changed the name four times. There program has been called TopText, HOTtext, DesktopDollars and now ContextPro.
The only reason for doing this that I can think of would be to escape the bad publicity this program is generating.
Hacking in the name of corporate business They are hacking sites, in the sense that they are altering the look of the sites without my consent.
If I somehow could place ad links on all the government sites that they didn't authorize, how soon do you think they would label me a hacker and shut me down? It wouldn't matter if I hacked into their site, or created a browser plug-in and gave it secretly to tons of users.
But, since this is done in the name of business I guess it's OK.
If I created a company called Duplitech Inc. and grabbed a bunch of popular and expensive software programs and hacked them so anyone could install them without having to register them and offered the hacked versions for sale at $5 each or 5 for $20, I would make tons of money. Since this is done in the name of business I guess it's OK. (NOTE: Some of you might think this is at odds with my article on hacking, but re-read it and you'll see it's not.)
Opting out takes trust In Ezula's defense, they have a system where they can place domains on a "do not place links here" list. Being on this list keeps links from showing up on your site. So anyone who doesn't want links can just place their sites on this list and everything is OK, right?
Of course not. I dare you find out how to get on this list. There's no information about it on their website. There's information about this list in their install information, privacy policy, terms of use, nothing. There is no public place that tells you how to be placed on this list. If you can't find the list, you can't get off of it.
OK so you finally find out that in order to get on the list you must email support@ezula.com with a list of the domains that you want no links to appear on. Well, now you have to wait and see if they place your domains on the list. What if they "forget"? Then you have to contact them again, and again and...
Also, what if someone downloads a local version of your site? Or what if a cached version of the page appears, such as in Google's Cache section? The links show up again and there's nothing you can do about that one ever.
Hypocrites in action This is by far the crowning piece of unethical advertising.
Ezula claims that this marketing action is not intrusive to any website. They claim it's not hurting anyone to place these simple links on other people's site. Oh Really?
One of the phrases currently being sold is "online business", which happens to be on their own site at http://www.ezula.com/news/media_coverage.asp. But if you have their program and look at that page, you'll find that phrase isn't linked.
Well, maybe it somehow doesn't meet the link criteria. Maybe there's two spaces between the words so it doesn't match. Let's look at google's cached version of that page. Since the cached page is at google.com which isn't on the list.
Low and behold the link appears. Let's go back to their page and download a local version and look at that. Gee, there's the link again.
Ezula claims their links don't cause any harm to anyone, but they don't allow the links on their own site!!
If I sold some unethical product and claimed it was perfectly safe for everyone, but refused to use it myself, what would people think?
Is Ezula the bottom of the barrel? Unfortunately not. Will people and businesses stoop to lower depths? Yep. But as long as we let obviously unethical and illegal actions go unpunished, these actions will get larger and more invasive.
8/7/2001 Update
It appears that another company has been trying the "keyword sale" game. Gator sells keywords which create popup ads. This is being used to create popup ads at competitor's websites. For example going to AmericanAirlines.com would popup an ad for Delta Air Lines. The reasoning is this: Someone shopping the competitor would be a perfect target for promotions.
Here's a question: What if Chevy sent tons of people to stand outside BMW dealerships with bullhorns. Whenever a customer comes onto the BMW lot the Chevy people would yell through the bullhorn, "HEY, YOU THERE, ON THE BMW LOT. COME ON OVER TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND I'LL GIVE YOU A COUPON FOR $50 OFF A NEW CAR. I'LL EVEN DRIVE YOU THERE FOR FREE." Those people aren't on private property, they're just marketing to people just like these keyword popup ads.
I'd love to see businesses doing this. That would be great during lunch.
HEY, YOU IN THE MCDONALDS DRIVE THROUGH. I'LL GIVE YOU $5.00 OFF YOUR NEXT MEAL AT WENDY'S IF YOU DRIVE THROUGH WITHOUT PAYING.
Maybe I need to start selling bullhorns. I'd be rich.
HEY, YOU. $9.00 OFF YOUR NEXT BULLHORN FROM ACE HARDWARE!
Who said that?
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Exercise on Reported Speech
Helen is in front of the class holding a presentation on London. As Helen is rather shy, she speaks with a very low voice. Your classmate Gareth does not understand her, so you have to repeat every sentence to him.
Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns and verbs.
Helen: I want to tell you something about my holiday in London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: I went to London in July.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: My parents went with me.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that...
Helen: We spent three days in London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: London is a multicultural place.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: I saw people of all colours.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: Me and my parents visited the Tower.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: One evening we went to see a musical.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: I love London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that...
Helen: The people are so nice there.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen is in front of the class holding a presentation on London. As Helen is rather shy, she speaks with a very low voice. Your classmate Gareth does not understand her, so you have to repeat every sentence to him.
Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns and verbs.
Helen: I want to tell you something about my holiday in London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: I went to London in July.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: My parents went with me.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that...
Helen: We spent three days in London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: London is a multicultural place.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: I saw people of all colours.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: Me and my parents visited the Tower.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: One evening we went to see a musical.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Helen: I love London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that...
Helen: The people are so nice there.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ...
Reported Speech
Choose the correct option
Mary "I love chocolate."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ chocolate."
a. loved
b. loves
c. loving
Mary: "I went skiing."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ skiing."
a. went
b. had gone
c. have gone
Mary: "I will eat steak for dinner."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ eat steak for dinner."
a. willing
b. will
c. would
Mary: "I have been to Sydney."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ to Sydney."a. had beenb. has beenc. was beingAnswera
Mary: "I have had three cars."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ three cars.a. hasb. has hadc. had hadAnswerc
Mary: "I'm going to go to Long Beach."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ going to go to Long Beach."a. isb. wasc. wentAnswerb
Mary: "I don't like spinach."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ like spinach."a. doesn'tb. don'tc. didn'tAnswerc
Mary: "I have never been to London."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ never been to London."a. hadb. hasc. haveAnswera
Mary: "I was swimming."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ swimming.
a. has been
b. had been
c. have been
Mary: "I had a cat."Jill: Mary said (that) she had ___ a cat."
a. have
b. has
c. had
Mary: "I can't swim."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ swim."
a. can't
b. couldn't
c. can not
Mary: "I won't buy a new car."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ by a new car."
a. won't
b. will
c. wouldn't
Mary: "I have to do my laundry."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ to do her laundry."
a. had
b. has
c. have
Choose the correct option
Mary "I love chocolate."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ chocolate."
a. loved
b. loves
c. loving
Mary: "I went skiing."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ skiing."
a. went
b. had gone
c. have gone
Mary: "I will eat steak for dinner."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ eat steak for dinner."
a. willing
b. will
c. would
Mary: "I have been to Sydney."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ to Sydney."a. had beenb. has beenc. was beingAnswera
Mary: "I have had three cars."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ three cars.a. hasb. has hadc. had hadAnswerc
Mary: "I'm going to go to Long Beach."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ going to go to Long Beach."a. isb. wasc. wentAnswerb
Mary: "I don't like spinach."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ like spinach."a. doesn'tb. don'tc. didn'tAnswerc
Mary: "I have never been to London."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ never been to London."a. hadb. hasc. haveAnswera
Mary: "I was swimming."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ swimming.
a. has been
b. had been
c. have been
Mary: "I had a cat."Jill: Mary said (that) she had ___ a cat."
a. have
b. has
c. had
Mary: "I can't swim."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ swim."
a. can't
b. couldn't
c. can not
Mary: "I won't buy a new car."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ by a new car."
a. won't
b. will
c. wouldn't
Mary: "I have to do my laundry."Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ to do her laundry."
a. had
b. has
c. have
WHAT IS TELEMEDICINE?
Medical science is at its best today. However, its benefits are available to privileged few in the urban areas. Even though the majority of population lives in the rural backyard, only two per cent of India’s qualified doctors practice in the countryside. What’s needed is a system that facilitates medical aid from a distance. Telemedicine does just that. A confluence of communication technology, information technology, biomedical engineering and medical science, telemedicine helps patients in distant and remote areas to avail timely consultations from specialist doctors without going through long hours of travel across distances, incurring huge expenses. Telemedicine consists of customized medical software integrated with computer hardware along with diagnostic equipment like ECG, X-ray, pathology microscope etc, connected through satellite-based communications means like the VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) system at each location. The facility transmits patient’s medical images and medical history to the specialist doctors, either in advance, or in real-time, who studies it, diagnoses and advises the local doctor or the paramedic at the patient’s end during the two-way audio and videoconference. Apart from providing timely medical assistance, telemedicine is also cost-effective. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), as part of application of its programme ‘Space Technology for Healthcare and education’, under GRAMSAT (rural satellite) has initiated a number of telemedicine pilot projects.
Medical science is at its best today. However, its benefits are available to privileged few in the urban areas. Even though the majority of population lives in the rural backyard, only two per cent of India’s qualified doctors practice in the countryside. What’s needed is a system that facilitates medical aid from a distance. Telemedicine does just that. A confluence of communication technology, information technology, biomedical engineering and medical science, telemedicine helps patients in distant and remote areas to avail timely consultations from specialist doctors without going through long hours of travel across distances, incurring huge expenses. Telemedicine consists of customized medical software integrated with computer hardware along with diagnostic equipment like ECG, X-ray, pathology microscope etc, connected through satellite-based communications means like the VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) system at each location. The facility transmits patient’s medical images and medical history to the specialist doctors, either in advance, or in real-time, who studies it, diagnoses and advises the local doctor or the paramedic at the patient’s end during the two-way audio and videoconference. Apart from providing timely medical assistance, telemedicine is also cost-effective. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), as part of application of its programme ‘Space Technology for Healthcare and education’, under GRAMSAT (rural satellite) has initiated a number of telemedicine pilot projects.
Telemedicine
What is Telemedicine/Healthcare Telematics?
Telematics is the use of telecommunications technologies to solve a wide variety of problems, remotely. Healthcare Telematics or Telemedicine is the application of telematics to medicine to facilitate healthcare delivery.
Telemedicine can be defined as the investigation, monitoring and management of patients, using systems which allow ready access to expert advice and to patient information, no matter where the patient or relevant information is located.
This involves the transfer of medical information from one location to another. Increasingly, computer technology will allow much of the work currently being carried out in hospital, to be carried out in people's homes, in an effort not only to improve the efficiency and standards of patient care, but to reduce its cost drastically.
There are four main components of telematics, all of which are applicable to healthcare:
Remote database access/update
Tele-monitoring
Tele-Video Conferencing
Case Handling/Message Passing
The Benefits of Telemedicine:
Despite the initial outlay costs of investing in the computer hardware, it is anticipated that there are considerable savings to be made in the long term, by decentralising patient care and moving it from the hospital to the local or even the European community. Remote patients who would not otherwise have received speedy treatment can be dealt with easily, and medical data can be transferred instantaneously, saving time and energy.
In short, Telemedicine improves the mobility of patient care, and assists the access to all kinds of medical information. The patient gets improved treatment, and scarce resources are used more efficiently, securing the reputation of Healthcare Telematics as the future of medicine.
Telematics is the use of telecommunications technologies to solve a wide variety of problems, remotely. Healthcare Telematics or Telemedicine is the application of telematics to medicine to facilitate healthcare delivery.
Telemedicine can be defined as the investigation, monitoring and management of patients, using systems which allow ready access to expert advice and to patient information, no matter where the patient or relevant information is located.
This involves the transfer of medical information from one location to another. Increasingly, computer technology will allow much of the work currently being carried out in hospital, to be carried out in people's homes, in an effort not only to improve the efficiency and standards of patient care, but to reduce its cost drastically.
There are four main components of telematics, all of which are applicable to healthcare:
Remote database access/update
Tele-monitoring
Tele-Video Conferencing
Case Handling/Message Passing
The Benefits of Telemedicine:
Despite the initial outlay costs of investing in the computer hardware, it is anticipated that there are considerable savings to be made in the long term, by decentralising patient care and moving it from the hospital to the local or even the European community. Remote patients who would not otherwise have received speedy treatment can be dealt with easily, and medical data can be transferred instantaneously, saving time and energy.
In short, Telemedicine improves the mobility of patient care, and assists the access to all kinds of medical information. The patient gets improved treatment, and scarce resources are used more efficiently, securing the reputation of Healthcare Telematics as the future of medicine.
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