Word of the Week: Flash

By Colleen03/23/2010 Leave a comment

It isn’t uncommon for a website to incorporate moving images into its design; however, web browsers need to be able to read these files and play them correctly. Flash is an animation technology that gives your browser the ability to play movies and animated clips without sacrificing the speed or performance of your PC. Flash is updated on a regular basis, so as long as you download the latest plug-ins upon request, you can seamlessly view the wide array of websites, videos, and other media files on the Internet.

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Word of the Week: ISP

By Colleen03/16/2010 Leave a comment

ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. An ISP is a company that equips users with Internet access. You cannot connect to the Internet without first establishing an account with an ISP; however, once you do create an account, your ISP will set you up with a username, password, account phone number, and a software package. This package  will provide you with everything you need to surf the Internet to your heart’s content.

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Word of the Week: HTML

By Colleen03/09/2010 Leave a comment

(HyperText Markup Language)

HTML is a mark-up language that uses tags to organize text into various forms such as paragraphs, lists, headings, and links. This language lets web browsers render and display the text and images that appear on a website. Nearly every site on the Internet is coded in HTML, even the simplest plain-test sites rely on the language.

If you’d like to see how a web page’s HTML looks, simply click “View” at the top of your browser, and then select “Source” to check out the code!

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Top 5 Ways to Satisfy Your March Madness

By Colleen03/05/2010 1

March Madness 2010 begins on Thursday, March 18th – Are you ready?

  1. CBS Sports Bracket Manager – If  you’ve organized a few friendly wagers among your family, friends, or coworkers this season, then you should definitely check out the CBS Sports Bracket Manager. This site allows you to register your entire group, and even gives you your own private URL to access your brackets and other information. The Bracket Manager is also outstanding in the sense that it allows your group to set its own rules. Once you register with the site, and load your information and participants, you can sit back and relax and enjoy the games while the site does all the hard work for you. CBSSports.com also allows you to interact with all users through communal message boards where you can trash talk all you want.
  2. NCAA.com – NCAA.com is a great source for up to date information regarding March Madness stats. Not only will the site be constantly updated with the newest scores and other information throughout the tournament; it will also stream nearly every March Madness game for free. The extra features on NCAA.com will surely satisfy any March Madness fan. The site features extras such as player and coach interviews, the Westwood One radio broadcast of every game, and featured videos such as the 10 Greatest NCAA March Madness Games of the Decade.
  3. ESPN tournament Challenge – If your friendly ventures won’t prove to be rewarding enough for your tastes this season, then the ESPN Tournament Challenge may be worth checking out. Not only does this site let you load your brackets to compete with friends and other fans, ESPN.com gives you an extra incentive – $10,000 in cash. The Tournament Challenge will crown one first prize winner (the individual who acquires the most points over the course of the tournament), who will walk away with the grand prize, and another second prize winner who will take home $5,000. The site also contains a number of fun interactive features, as well as live updates, which will keep you in the know throughout the series.
  4. March Mania App – If you’re planning on leaving your couch or computer at any time during March Madness, then the March Mania App is definitely worth downloading. Compatible with the IPhone and the IPod Touch, this app is a simple and concise way to keep track of your brackets on the go, and it is constantly updated with the latest tournament news and scores. Last year’s most popular March Madness app, March Mania promises to be even better than it was last year. As long as you download the app and make your picks no later than 5 minutes before the opening game, you will be able to track your scores whenever you may be.
  5. Joost.com – Joost is an Internet TV service that allows you to watch television, movies, music, and more anytime on your computer. This year, the site has teamed up with CBS Sports to bring March Madness fans a quality live stream of the games, absolutely free of charge. Joost has successfully streamed March Madness games for the last few years, and promises to continue to deliver quality live feed to its users.
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Tech Spotlight: EasyBloom Plant Sensor

By Colleen03/05/2010 Leave a comment

After an unusually nasty winter, the prospect of springtime is sure to feel like a well-deserved victory for everyone. If you’re looking to celebrate the fairest season by planting a garden, you may want to check out the EasyBloom Plant Sensor. This innovative new gadget can help your plants reach their full potential whether your thumb is green or not.
To use the EasyBloom, you simply place the sensor anywhere, inside or outside, where you wish to grow a plant. After 24 hours, you can connect the EasyBloom to the USB port on your home computer, where your own personal “My EasyBloom” dashboard page will load and assess the data collected from the sensor. During the time it spends in the ground, the EasyBloom sensor will measure sunlight, temperature, drainage, and humidity; the software will also take your geographic location and climate into consideration. The software comes equipped with detailed information on over 5,000 plants, and will be able to recommend which plants will fit best with the specific conditions of your garden soil. The sensor also has the unique ability to act as a “doctor” to any ailing plants you may already have. Simply place the EasyBloom sensor in the dirt next to your sick plant, and after 24 hours the EasyBloom software will diagnose its condition, and provide you with the necessary steps to successfully revive your plant life.

Posted in Tech News

Product of the Month: Spring Cleaning Your PC

By Colleen03/05/2010 Leave a comment

If you’ve been following our blog, then by now you should know that defragging your computer on a regular basis is a great way to keep your PC running smoothly; however, tis the season for Spring Cleaning, and if you’ve spent the last few months neglecting your cluttered hard drive then Orbis is here to help. Give us a call and we can help spruce up your computer – ridding it of spyware, malware, and installing the latest antivirus tools!

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Word of the Week: Hyperlink

By Colleen03/02/2010 Leave a comment

Also referenced to as simply a “link,” a hyperlink is a simple and neat method through which websites connect users to supplementary media or information. A hyperlink allows a user to click through a tag (text, icon, or photo) in order to access additional content. Typically coded through HTML, hyperlinks are commonplace in modern web design.

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Orbis Turns 10!

By Chris03/01/2010 Leave a comment

This month, Orbis Solutions is proud to celebrate its tenth year in business. It’s a big milestone for us, and it would not have been possible without the help of many people. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with great customers who trust us and treat us like valued partners, not simply vendors. We are equally fortunate to have an exceptional team of employees who are always willing to put in the extra time and effort to provide our customers with the high level of service they truly deserve.

A lot has changed since 2000 and many more changes are in store for the future, but our focus on helping our customers to operate more efficiently and effectively through the use of technology remains the same. We are extremely grateful for everyone who has helped us over the past decade and look forward to an exciting future together.

Thank you for your continued support,

Chris DiPiazza and Alex Yee

 

 

 

 

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Word of the Week: IP Address

By Colleen02/23/2010 Leave a comment

An IP Address is a number assigned to both servers and users connected to the Internet. For servers, the IP address comes to be the domain name through a Domain Name Server (DNS). For individual users, it is assigned by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) when the user logs on. This address could be the same number each time you log on – if this is the case then it is known as a “static IP” – however, your IP address could also be a newly assigned number each time you connect, based on what is available. A static IP address is the most common. IP addresses can be especially helpful for combating identity theft and cyberfraud.

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Top 5 Podcasts for Business

By Colleen02/18/2010 1
  1. The Starbucks Experience: Once a week Dr. Joseph Michelli hosts a podcast based on the principles related in his bestselling books The Starbucks Experience and The New Gold Standard. Dr Michelli analyzes business strategies implemented by the Starbucks Corporation – and relates these wildly successful procedures to how they can be applied to running a small business. No matter how you feel about Starbucks’ entity as a whole, it is undeniable that the corporation has become not only one of the strongest and most profitable businesses in recent years, but it has also become a sort of cultural phenomenon. The advice Dr. Michelli offers every week can undoubtedly help any business become more profitable, and reach its full potential.
  2. Wall Street Confidential: Every trading day, CNBC’s Jim Cramer and his team of leading financial commentators review the goings on of the stock market that day, and relate this information to how it can be helpful to businesses. This timely method of reporting could prove to be extremely beneficial to your business, or individual portfolio. Cramer’s in-depth analysis of important trends and events on Wall Street (and the financial world, globally) can be profitable to anyone who is looking to finance a business, make important buy/sell decisions, or save for retirement.
  3. Hesh Reinfeld Business Humor - Sometimes all this business talk can leave you feeling bewildered and maybe even slightly overwhelmed. For a much needed and well deserved mental break, we suggest a podcast hosted by Pittsburgh-based business writer Hesh Reinfeld. Reinfeld covers topics ranging from marketing, sales, and investment advice, to running a family business and advice for entrepreneurs. His stories and anecdotes will make you laugh, while his hard-hitting advice will keep you in the know.
  4. Business Explained: Business Explained is a weekly podcast by spirited Harvard Business School and MIT Grad Stever Robbins. Eager to help people accomplish great things with their lives, Robbins proves to be as insightful as he is expressive. Each week he provides an executive perspective on important events in business, through which he aims to widen the perspective of his listeners. The ability to look at your career in a different mindset is a great advantage in the business world, and if you are looking to breathe new life into your profession Stever’s podcast might just be the jolt you need.
  5. Wall Street Journal Podcasts: The Wall Street Journal’s website is not one, but instead a collection of various daily and weekly business-related podcasts, many of which could prove to be extremely beneficial to any small business. Your Money with Chuck Jaffe is one example of a popular featured podcast that provides money management tips for both businesses and individuals. WSJ.com hosts dozens of podcasts geared specifically towards small business, CEO’s, and everyone in between. Updated daily, this site has what you need to stay informed about the most modern and efficient ways to make the most out of your business and finances.
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