Overclock: why & why not?

Overclocking is the process of running a computer component at a higher clock rate (more clock cycles per second) than it was designed for or was specified by the manufacturer, usually practiced by enthusiasts seeking an increase in the performance of their computers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking)

We can say that overclocking will 'force' our computer (especially the CPU and/or graphic card) to work harder in order to make it able to produce more and better result than usual in a period of time. For people who want to increase the performance of their computer without upgrade, overclocking is the best (for several cases) solution.

Why:

• Great solution for low-end computers, you don't have to upgrade the components
• Reducing lag on heavy memory usage
• Faster data processing
• Better game performance and graphics 
• Increase time before an upgrade is needed 
• Can be used to test the component's durability

Why not:

• Overclocking will damage your computer's component, reducing its lifespan
• More electrical power consumption
• Overclocked components produce more heat that may damage another components
• Excessive heat (risk of fire) demands computer to be turned off every several hours
• Void the component's warranty
• Overclocked components have very low reselling prices
  

Sample of overclocking results

Strong password for better protection

To get a better protection for your account (online/offline) you'll need a strong password. Here are some tips in building a strong password:

1. Use words/sentence that are hard for people to guess, but easy for you to remember, make sure it's long enough so that people can't brute-force it
Example: iloveblogging

2. Include uppercase and numbers, make it complex, but make sure you can remember it
Example: 1loveBlogginG

3. If possible, use at least one special character ~!@#$%^&*()<>?
Example: 1(love)BlogginG!

4. Check the password strength using Microsoft's Password Checker

And a strong password isn't enough:

1. Never log in to your account on an unsecure network.
2. If you need to log in to your account using another person's computer, be sure to use one of these software to avoid keyloggers.
3. Don't write down your password, that's too risky. If you find it hard to memorize password, just write a hint so that you can remember it.
4. Using a random password generator isn't recommended, it has several patterns that can be easily brute-forced

 Beware! Brute-force attackers are everywhere!

Undelete your lost files

Woke up on Monday morning, back to the desk, turned on the PC, and shocked: Those important documents I typed last night were gone! Have you ever experienced similar situation? Whatever the cause is (system error, human error, or virus), the file is still there, but the computer won't display the file because it's marked as deleted (actually it's still there even if you emptied your recycle bin, as long as it's not yet overwritten by anopther file). All we need is an undelete software. You can find some on Google, click here to search for free undelete softwares.

How to avoid accidentally losing important files:
1. First, and most important, never ever never ever never ever check the "Do not move files to the recycle bin. Remove files immediately when deleted" checkbox on Recycle Bin properties. Checking that checkbox will really help people out there who want to ruin your day.
2. Always check the "Display delete confirmation dialog" checkbox on Recycle Bin properties. The confirmation dialog is not an annoyance, it's your file's saviour.
3. If you have a lot of free space, try not to empty the recycle bin, you might need those trash later. Recycle Bin will only use a small amount of space, it depends on your setting (the default is 10% of total drive size).
4. Whenever you realized that your files are missing, don't do anything (copy files, create documents, defragmentation) on the missing file's drive. This prevents your missing files from being overwritten.
5. Use undelete software as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the lower the file's "health" will be, which means it can't be perfectly recovered anymore.
6. Backup is the most space consuming way to protect your important files, but it's also the best way to avoid losing them. Backup your data (especially those important files) at least once a day. Another way is by saving your files twice on different location (different drive if possible) each time you updated them.
7. Last, keep your important data on secure location, don't mix it with common documents in order to avoid accidental deletion.

Let's fight plagiarism!

This blog post is not about technology, but it's related to technology (the dark side of technology). We hate it, but sometimes whether on purpose or not, we are the doer of plagiarism.

What is plagiarism?

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own


• to use (another's production) without crediting the source


• to commit literary theft


• to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

According to Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary:

• use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work

Facts about plagiarism (http://www.plagiarism.org)

A study by The Center for Academic Integrity found that almost 80% of college students admit to cheating at least once.

According to a survey by the Psychological Record 36% of undergraduates have admitted to plagiarizing written material.

A poll conducted by US News and World Reports found that 90% of students believe that cheaters are either never caught or have never been appropriately disciplined.

The State of Americans: This Generation and the Next (Free Press, July 1996) states that 58.3% of high school students let someone else copy their work in 1969, and 97.5% did so in 1989.

A study conducted by Ronald M. Aaron and Robert T. Georgia: Administrator Perceptions of Student Academic Dishonesty in Collegiate Institutions found that 257 chief student affairs officers across the country believe that colleges and universities have not addressed the cheating problem adequately.

According to the Gallup Organization (October 6-9, 2000), the top two problems facing the country today are: 1) Education and 2) Decline in Ethics (both were ranked over crime, poverty, drugs, taxes, guns, environment, and racism, to name a few).

A national survey published in Education Week found that 54% of students admitted to plagiarizing from the internet; 74% of students admitted that at least once during the past school year they had engaged in "serious" cheating; and 47% of students believe their teachers sometimes choose to ignore students who are cheating.

And although many instructors are aware of the problem, most feel powerless to stop it.

A study conducted by Donald L. McCabe titled Faculty Responses to Academic Dishonesty: The Influence of Honor Codes found that 55% of faculty "would not be willing to devote any real effort to documenting suspected incidents of student cheating".

"With respect to cheating, I'm just in denial. I just don't want to deal with it because I know it is a huge problem." -- San Luis Obispo professor, as reported in Net Learning.

"Who wants to sit around looking for websites trying to find out if a paper is plagiarized or not... pretty soon you're a private investigator." -- a Stanford University professor, from an article in TechWeb News.

"[Plagiarism] is one of those areas in the academy that no one wants to talk about and is often rewarded for not addressing actively." -- an Associate VP of Student Life, as posted in The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Colloquy."

"Too few universities are willing to back up their professors when they catch students cheating, according to academic observers. The schools are simply not willing to expend the effort required to get to the bottom of cheating cases" -- as stated by The National Center for Policy Analysis.


Plagiarism is a serious academic offense, and the doer of plagiarism is a thief. Nowadays, some bloggers are plagiarism doers and that's the reason I posted this blog post. Let's fight plagiarism together.

How?

1. No more unauthorized copy and paste, always ask for permission first.
2. Use your own words, using another person's idea is okay (for certain conditions and not for commercial use) but remember to write it in your own style.
3. Loves blogging? Keep your blog free from plagiarism.
4. Use plagiarism checker (great for lecturers), click here to find some freewares or online checkers that you can use to fight plagiarism.
5. Are you a victim of plagiarism? Report it here.

Inspired by my lecturer, Mr. Todd Teeztel

Computers around us