The cellphone is one of the defining technologies of the early 21st century, with a December 2012 Pew Internet study showing that more than 87 percent of American adults own at least one. While the negative societal consequences of cellphones have been well documented, it’s also true that they can bring many benefits. Mobile technology allows users to interact with family, friends and colleagues in ways that weren’t possible for previous generations....

Chatroulette is one of the stranger parts of the Internet, where random users are connected via webcam; when a conversation gets boring (or weird), one user can press the “Next” button to move on to a new partner. As you might imagine, any time two strangers come together via webcam, there’s a chance for inappropriate behavior and even outright law-breaking. Writer Bio

While the prognosis for a Mac that doesn’t recognize the internal hard drive might seem poor, several options exist that could help you recover your hard drive and determine if you really have an issue with your hard drive. Macs provide several clues to help you isolate and troubleshoot most hard drive issues. In some cases, you only need to re-establish the startup disk. More extreme problems require you to check the integrity of the hard disk and in some cases install a new hard drive for your system....

Choosing a Tumblr Theme Many free Tumblr themes do include the description section, either in the header of the theme or on the sidebar. Avoid single-column themes, as they’re more likely to lack the description. The best bet is to look at two-column themes, which usually include a traditional sidebar. Modifying Your Theme You can modify your theme to include the description section. On the customization page, click “Edit HTML” by the theme thumbnail....

Having a personal firewall can quell the jitters you might have about your computer getting attacked. An Internet connection, especially an always-on type like broadband, is the entry point for hackers who want to get to your computer. A firewall polices your connection and is an essential tool in a basic computer security arsenal, along with an anti-virus tool. The book “Network Security First-Step” likens a firewall to an Internet border security officer because of its role in disallowing the wrong things from entering your computer from a network or the Internet....

Apple’s iPhone is a smartphone that can do many things, depending on what you as the user need. The iPhone not only includes applications that are already present on the phone, but you can access the application store and download an application for nearly anything you can imagine. Explore your iPhone to find out what uses best fit your needs. Writer Bio

“Minecraft” is a game that encourages sharing your creations with other players. It can be annoying, then, to find yourself unable to connect to the server on which you have been building those creations. If you’re dealing with an Outdated Client error, waiting for the problem to solve itself isn’t likely to work.

In today’s high-tech society, caller ID is a given for almost any phone, taking away the mystery of who is calling when the phone rings. The slang term “ghost phone” applies to those times when this is not the case. Writer Bio

Old fashioned telephones had a physical hook switch which was pressed down while the receiver was resting on the cradle base. This small button is no longer visible on modern phones, but maintains an important purpose. Writer Bio

Those crystal-clear HD pictures with surround sound that many people enjoy on their flat-screen TVs take bumpy rides between the locations of their original broadcasts and their final destinations. TV signals needed to be “repeated” so they can be transmitted clearly over long distances to multiple locations. Repeaters are the devices that move the signals between legs of their journeys. Writer Bio

Though the iPhone is often thought of as a pioneer smartphone, the defining feature of smartphones–the ability to install third-party apps–was actually added in iOS 2. This feature, along with the many other abilities and apps that make up the iPhone’s basic operations, are collectively known as the iPhone’s firmware, and come installed on every model of the device. Writer Bio

Hackers revealing the latest bug fixes, heated arguments between PC and Mac users, families debating the best child-friendly vacation spots – the Internet is home to an endless number of small pockets of discussion on every topic imaginable. These virtual spaces to make conversation are called chat rooms, and they are found all over the Web. While it may be revelatory to find a group of other people interested in the same topic as yourself, participants should remain aware of certain dangers as they talk the talk....

The TCP/IP Internet protocol supports two types of packets – TCP and UDP. The Transmission Control Protocol is used when there must be a guarantee and a response that the information has been successfully received. TCP ensures that if there is an issue, the packet will be resent over the network. The User Datagram Protocol is a “lightweight” and faster option than TCP. UDP packets arrive more quickly and are processed faster because they don’t require verification of receipt....

Under normal use, motherboards should be silent: the only noises a motherboard should make are optional boot message beeps and ambient noise from any fans attached to devices that connect to the motherboard. High-pitched noises coming from a computer motherboard can indicate a failing component. Very high-pitched noises that are higher than what a person could emulate with their voice indicate hardware problems. It can be difficult to be sure the motherboard is making the sound because other parts like the power supply unit make similar noises when failing....

Navigate to Blogspot.com in your Web browser and log in. Click the “Design” link next to the name of your blog on the Dashboard page. Click “Add a Gadget” on the right side of the Design page and click the “+” button next to “Subscription Links” in the new window. Click “Save.” Open your Blogspot blog in a new browser tab. The right side of the page displays a new gadget titled “Subscribe to....

While Airplane Mode will quickly disable your phone’s wireless functions when taking a flight, issues can develop over time that cause this mode to persist even when toggled off. This leaves you unable to utilize your Android phone for calls, texts or emails until the problem has been resolved. Troubleshooting this issue is not difficult, but you should be prepared to exchange or replace your device if software solutions fail....

Bluetooth and USB are two data transfer technologies widely used with computers, smartphones and other electronic devices. Barring the first USB standard, USB devices blow away Bluetooth device speeds. However, USB devices are encumbered by a connection cable, whereas Bluetooth devices feature wireless communication. Both standards feature cross-generation compatibility and continue to receive performance boosts with version upgrades. Writer Bio

HughesNet is exclusively a satellite Internet service provider. If you require home or mobile phone service, you will need to contact a landline, mobile or digital phone provider to establish service. If you have HughesNet satellite Internet or are considering this provider’s Internet service, it is possible to use a VoIP phone service through your satellite Internet connection. Writer Bio

Linkedin is a social networking site used by professionals to connect with coworkers, former employers and, hopefully, future employers. When you create a Linkedin profile, by default, it is made available to search engines and is visible on the Web. Using the built-in Linkedin privacy settings, you can set your public profile so that it is “hidden,” or visible only to connections. You can also tweak other settings in your Linkedin account to keep any kind of Linkedin activity private....