3-D Printers

Technology is taking over by storm.This is an overview on what is a 3-D printer.

There are a variety of very different types of 3D printing technologies, but they all share one core thing in common: they create a three dimensional object creating it layer by successive layer, until the entire object is complete.

Each 3D-printed object begins with a digital Computer Aided Design (CAD) file, created with a 3D modeling program, or which was scanned into a 3D modeling program with a 3D scanner. To get from this digital file into instructions that the 3D printer understands, software then slices the design into hundred or thousands of horizontal layers.

The 3D printer reads this file, and proceeds to create each layer exactly to specification. As the layers are created, they blend together with no hint of the layering visible, resulting in one three dimensional object.

The first commercially available 3D printer (not called a 3D printer back then) used the stereolithography (SLA) method. This was invented in 1986 by Charles Hull, who also at the time founded the company, 3D Systems. A SLA 3D printer works by concentrating a beam of ultraviolet light focused onto the surface of a vat filled with liquid photocurable photopolymer (resin). The UV laser beam draws out the 3D model one thin layer at a time, hardening that “slice” of the eventual 3D model as the light hits the resin. Slice after slice is created, with each one bonded to the other, and next thing you know you have a full, extremely high-resolution three dimensional model lifted out of the vat. Unused resin is reusable for the next job.

3D Printing is a Game Changer

Instantly printing parts and entire products, anywhere in the world, is a game changer. But it doesn’t stop there. 3D printing will affect almost every aspect of industry and our personal lives.

Medicine will forever be changed as new bioprinters actually print human tissue for both pharmaceutical testing and eventually entire organs and bones.

Architecture and construction are changing as well. Now, 3D-printed models of complex architectural drawings are created quickly and inexpensively, rather than the expensive and time-consuming process of handcrafting models out of cardboard. And experimental, massive 3D printers are printing concrete structures, with the goal of someday building entire buildings with a 3D printer.Art is already forever changed. Digital artists are creating magnificent pieces that seem almost impossible to have been made by traditional methods. From sculptures to light fixtures, beautiful objects no longer need to be handcrafted, just designed on a computer.

The Future of 3D Printing

This is a disruptive technology of mammoth proportions, with effects on energy use, waste, customization, product availability, art, medicine, construction, the sciences and of course manufacturing. It will change the world as we know it. Before you know it.for more go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DconsfGsXyA and watch documentaries on 3-D printers.

 

Are companies waisting their time with social media profiles?

Companies are not wasting their time in social media profile, they just need some of the best strategies from starting slow and getting creative .Small companies have an advantage, he says, since they don't have layers of management getting in the way. Use your Facebook page to keep customers and prospects informed about special offers and company news.  Companies can develop plans around the major social networking sites, or they can investigate more targeted, industry-specific forums and blogs. Mainstream sites such as Facebook, twitter and Google Plus are best for companies marketing consumer goods. Twitter, for instance, is a "must-do" for anyone working in the technology industry, For company`s own branding.  Larger companies can afford to hire an agency or even a team of people to handle the time-consuming chores of creating content, making regular updates and monitoring corporate social media pages. A small company may only have a part-time resource. Even having one person dedicated to your social media profile better have an intense payoff at the other end.

Company’s social media networking helps people to communicate with each other through the company's media profiles and learn more about a company's product offering which creates an opportunity for advertising and improve company's brand reputation. All social media profiles require the user to utilize communication technologies that works to aids people to be technologically literate. This can help small companies to learn and become a contributor.

What Companies are trying to get from social media is to acquire and engage new customers, to gain leads and referrals, and to boost awareness. Facebook was most cited as the hardest-to-maintain platform and many small businesses worry their customers will leave them if they don’t interact with them on social media. Companies are not wasting their time in social media profiles, is just another strategy of getting closer to the people.

TweetDeck vs Hootsuite

Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are both regarded as two of the most popular social media management tools. Clients are constantly asking which is the best one. BOTH do have a favorite, but what works for one, doesn’t always work for another and I think you have to decide what you want your management tool to do for you.
Hootsuite and Tweetdeck offer excellent easy to use features, but in order to find out which might work best for you would be useful to identify the pro’s and cons of each management tool by going through some of their features.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a web-based application and a Social Media dashboard tool, which allows you to integrate various social networks including Facebook, Twitter,linkedin Google+, Foursquare and WordPress.
Hootsuite has over 300 million users, boasting several awards including “Best Twitter app”.
Hootsuite offers free versions where users can manage up to 5 profiles and it doesn’t limit you to one account per network. Hootsuite also has a free mobile app which is very easy to use.

Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck is a Social Media dashboard tool, which allows you to integrate various  social networks. Tweetdeck is a software programme that you can download onto your desktop.
Tweetdeck is currently the most popular Twitter application. Tweetdeck also offers a free mobile app.

On the side of TweetDeck advantages, I would actually add that its auto-complete function when you are typing in a Twitter username is better. With HootSuite you actually have to have physically typed the username once for it to regster; with TweetDeck, the user just has to be one that you are following.

Finally, the 2 features that put HS over the top for me are the ability to schedule tweets for later and the option to monitor/track your links and click-throughs. Prior to HS you had to use third parties for this kind of thing and now it’s all in one place.

Both TweetDeck and HootSuite will allow you to add multiple social media accounts so you can manage everything at once. TweetDeck combines all of your accounts into one window whereas HootSuite provides a tabbed interface with a tab for each account you add.
The special feature you will find with HootSuite is that you can also add multiple users because of it’s browser based interface, allowing you to create posts from multiple users and even allowing them to add a signature to each of their specific posts.  This is particularly beneficial if you are using social media as a customer service tool. Hootsuite and Tweetdeck allow you to update your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles regardless of whether or not you are using the free or paid version.  However, HootSuite’s features allow you to update your Facebook Business and Brand Pages , Foursquare and WordPress.com accounts.

T.I Chastises Media for connecting Boston bombing to Hip Hop

T.I. says Hip Hop isn't "about hurting innocent people."

One of the many reports that have come out in the wake of the Boston Marathon Bombing last week was the fact that bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev often visited Real-HipHop.com, even having an email address associated with the website.
While various media outlets have used the connection to infer that Hip Hop may have played a role in Tsarnaev's actions, T.I. dismisses that notion.
"Hip Hop narrates the activity and conditions of our culture," said Tip to TMZ. "It doesn't create them."
"Hip hop ain't never been about hurting innocent people," he continued, adding that the bombing "was a horrible tragedy and my prayers go out to the families involved."
Interestingly, TMZ had reported earlier in the week that Tsarnaev was "heavy into Hip Hop," drawing the very connection that upset T.I. in the first place.
Tamerlan's younger brother Dzhokhar, the other suspect in the bombings, was captured alive on Friday (April 19th).

Twitter Etiquette: 5 Rules to Keep in Mind

A lot of people think that the internet is a lawless place where they can 'communicate' and 'share' freely, without taking care of legitimacy, source or the intellectual property of the information they share. Well, it is not such a place.
"Do you remember what teachers told us in college regarding decorum and plagiarism? I do! And I kept these lessons in mind until today because if you ever publish any content over the internet, these rules do apply to you as well".Florence Poirel.
For more info...http://bit.ly/10esOEi

Six Ways PR Was Different When Started

1.       The Internet was, say, rudimentary at best. If you were lucky enough to have Internet access, you needed the patience of a Saint for times when webpages would stall when loading. Also, it was crazy heavy with text. There were minimal images and graphics – primarily because webpage templates were eight or ten years from commonality – but there was lots and lots of text to read.

2.        Email was comically bad. It existed but was buggier than Lake Winnipesaukee. You would commonly read an email, and never see it again. And that was only the beginning. It was exceptionally unreliable and, without naming names, a number of my clients weren’t comfortable using it. It was really an “internal only” tool and, as a result, I managed a lot of telephone calls with clients and press.

3.        Faxing happened with good regularity. I clearly recall “reserving” time on a row of fax machines at our office and faxing like wild when I had piece of client news. Amid fax number lists – like contacts lists, but for fax numbers – and fax machines were cover letters. Lots of cover letters. I’m certain the world is an improved place with less fax use. (Author’s note #1: I just heard from a colleague that faxing is still huge in Japan. I had no idea, and think that’s kind of odd. Author’s note #2: I once represented the full line of Sharp Electronics fax machines – a HUGE part of its home office line-up at the time.)

4.       Voice mail was a way of life. In fact, Kodak, a major client of mine, had a voice mail system independent of dialing a particular office. You would leave a recorded message that was intended to be picked-up by another party. Mobile connectivity for business was a long way off.

5.        Stuffing press kits was a BIG part of the gig. Especially around trade shows like Comdex (remember that one?), Toy Fair or significant client events. I clearly remember stuffing, unstuffing when an error was identified, and then stuffing again. Lots of press kit stuffing, with dividers between the releases, sleeves of slides, and thick spines on the press kit. I think the Kimberly-Clark press kit weighed four pounds – and it was all paper.

6.    One-directional communication. While PR – in contrast to advertising or other disciplines within marketing – has always been about engaging with an audience rather than directly talking to it (e.g., media and analyst relations requires that you engage, not just spit out messages) the most dramatic change in communications over the length of my career has resulted in companies engaging with their end-audience, directly, through social media. Previously, a wall of third parties (media, analysts) interpreted and translated key messages before moving them forward. Now, however, the channel exists for more direct client-to-end-audience communication, and that makes our role in the process more valuable. The PR skills we’ve always had for engaging are now enormously beneficial

how hard is it to adapt to change

it is hard to adapt to change in terms of changing the way we eat,drink,speak,dress etc.but change is good for everyone so that we can be able to grow to what we want to be.  for more info go to www.cput.ac.za