Geek-of-All

A proxy server is a computer that sits between a client and a server to intercept requests. There are several uses of a proxy server, but the most common is to speed network traffic by caching pages or files that are requested often. By doing so, the server can deliver the request quickly, only polling the server when required. In this way, it not only speeds up network traffic, but also relieves server load. Major Internet hubs and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) employ dozens of proxy servers. Filtering or censorship is another use for a proxy server. A company that provides Internet connectivity to its employees might configure such a server to block requests for certain websites. It can also filter content based on configurable criteria to help enforce acceptable use policies. If a proxy server does not require a Web browser to be configured to use the proxy, it’s called a transparent proxy. Otherwise, the Web browser must point to the proxy in order to ...

A subscriber identity module, otherwise known as a SIM, is a circuit which stores networking information and subscriber information for a mobile device, such as a cell phone or computer. The subscriber identity module acts to uniquely identify an individual on the specific network, validating their right to use the network along with other specific information such as passwords and services to which the user has subscribed. Without a working subscriber identity module, the network capabilities of the associated device are thereby crippled. Think of a subscriber identity module as ticket allowing the end-user to see a movie or show. It provides them with access to the theater, the mobile network to which they are connecting. It does this by storing Integrated Circuit Card Identifiers (ICCID) numbers. Integrated Circuit Card Identifiers numbers are comprised by a combination of the identifier for the network carrier — such as the specific cell phone company — the cou...

Have you been in the market for a new TV lately if so you've probably noticed that the TV manufacturers and big-box stores use a number of tricks to lure you in, they mostly focus their advertising on the same stuff high resolutions huge screen sizes and rock-bottom prices all designed to convince you to buy them but there's a crucial often ignored element, one that is arguably the biggest determinant of overall picture quality Constrast Ratio. But what the heck is that, well although it's not something that's always easy to find if you're buying a TV or a monitor off the shelf at a brick-and-mortar store but you should have encountered contrast ratio at some point on a spec page if you're shopping online. What do those values one thousand to one 1 billion to one even mean??? Well you see contrast ratio is essentially the difference between the brightest white that a screen can produce and the darkest black, which is very important because having the corr...

Computers are widespread, with a great many things being computerized, including things that we don't normally think of as being computerized. These computers, large and small, doing jobs tiny and massive, run on varying complexities of codes. One such code is QR Code. Given the lack of imagination of the folks who name computer codes, it is perhaps no surprise that the term stands for nothing more interesting than Quick Response Code. Such code can be found today running thousands of different things, from cars to camera phones. Despite its many uses, QR Code is a plain old matrix code. It is confined to two dimensions, so you can't see a real picture of it. QR Code was manufactured with the intent of decoding it at very high speeds, so the third dimension wasn't deemed necessary. It is also a relatively new code, having been created in 1994, in Japan. That country, by the way, still sees its most prevalent use, although much of what it powers is expor...

Getting a standard blood transfusion cannot and will not change your DNA. Most people only receive red cells or blood plasma during medical procedures, and neither one of those blood components contain any DNA material. Transfused blood still needs to be a match to the recipient's blood type, including the ABO blood groupings. A blood test performed after a standard blood transfusion would reveal only the patient's DNA profile. This isn't to say that human blood does not contain any DNA, however. White blood cells, which are usually removed from donated blood by a centrifuge, do contain DNA. If someone were to require a whole blood transfusion, the donor's white cells would enter the recipient's bloodstream and remain there until they expire, generally within four to eight days. Such whole blood transfers are rare, however, and the donor's DNA would not survive long enough to have an effect on the recipient's DNA. Conceivably, a bloo...

A hotspot is any public area where computers that have been fitted with wireless network technology can gain access to the Internet. The computer accomplishes this by contacting a nearby wireless network with its internal NIC (Network Interface Card). The NIC seeks out the radio waves generated by wireless networks. When it detects a signal strong enough, it asks permission to log on to the network. Though this access is often free, other times the wireless network requires registration and a small fee before it will grant the computer access. Many cafés now feature a wireless network environment or hotspot, so that customers can sit leisurely, sip coffee and work on their laptops with full Internet access. Establishments that offer hotspots are referred to as being wired , somewhat of a misnomer since the technology is wireless. Ad A network that generates a hotspot basically consists of a wireless router and modem. The RF, or radio frequency, waves used by a w...