Tag Archives: internet

Art

The Power of Words: How to Harness Linguistics in Domain Name Selection

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In today’s rapidly-evolved internet landscape, finding an effective domain name can be crucial to online success. Yet have you considered its immense power when choosing words? Linguistics – which studies language structure – is an indispensable asset when selecting domain names; in this article, we’ll look into how understanding its fundamentals can assist with building memorable and effective names for domain registrations. Let’s start this discussion with an example to highlight its significance!

Real-Life Story: 

Sarah is passionate about sustainable living and has launched an eco-friendly store online. Sarah spends hours brainstorming possible domain names that reflect her ideals and those of her target market audience. Finally, after extensive research and studying linguistic principles, Sarah opted for “Greenovation.com.” This domain name captures both her brand’s essence and commitment to eco-consciousness instantly – her intuitive understanding of linguistics proved instrumental as this domain name resonated strongly with customers resulting in increased brand recognition and, ultimately, business success.

History & Foundation of Linguistics in Domain Names:

Its historical context must be investigated to understand linguistics impact on domain name selection. Early internet domain names were selected based on keyword availability or company names. However, as more domains crowded the online landscape, linguistic principles significantly distinguished one domain from its competition.

Linguistics encompasses numerous components that can substantially affect domain name selection, such as phonetics, semantics, and syntax. By understanding their function, you can craft memorable domain names that elicit positive emotions among your target audience and are easily pronounceable.

Domain names need to take into account language factors when creating domain names:

  1. Phonology: Selecting domain names with appealing sounds and easy pronunciation will make them more memorable and accessible, like CrispClean.com, which features repeated “c” sounds that create a catchy rhythm while emphasizing cleanliness.
  1. Semantics: Words have meanings, so selecting domain names that resonate with your brand’s values and offerings can increase its overall impact. For instance, specifying EcoGuru.com as the domain name conveys both environmentalism and expertise – creating instant trustworthiness associated with eco-friendly practices.
  1. Syntax: The arrangement and order of words within a domain name can have an enormous effect on its readability and memorability, such as ShopQuickly.com, which utilizes simple syntax making it easily understandable and memorable.

Take advantage of the large choice at Squadhelp when looking for a domain name akin to exploring a linguistic treasure trove. From playful alliterations to clever word combinations, the linguistic aspect of domain names allows businesses to craft a distinctive online identity that resonates with their target audience.

Utilizing Linguistics in Domain Name Selection:

Building an impactful domain name takes careful thought and strategy. Here are a few helpful pointers:

  1. Research Your Target Audience: Take steps to learn about and comprehend their language preferences, cultural nuances, and values to ensure your domain name resonates with them.
  1. Focus on clarity and simplicity: Choose words that are easy for people to remember. Avoid complex or obscure terms which might mislead or confuse the audience.
  1. Consider Emotional Appeal: Words can evoke strong emotional responses in people. Choose words that produce this desired emotional reaction in your target audience while aligning with your brand tone and messaging strategy.
  1. Be distinctive and memorable: Separate yourself from the competition by choosing an eye-catching domain name that conveys the spirit and value proposition of your brand or value proposition.

Other considerations also play a part in domain name selection besides language considerations, including availability and compliance with your brand’s legal requirements. Furthermore, domain extensions like (.com.net.ca or org) could provide more relevant options that meet industry or target audience demands. For the Silo, Grant Polachek.

Conclusion: 

In today’s digitally competitive landscape, harnessing linguistics as part of your domain name selection strategy can give your online presence a significant edge. Harnessing their power can give them a significant competitive advantage by understanding basic linguistic principles and considering historical context when selecting domain names for online ventures, harnessing their power can give them a significant competitive advantage. Words hold power that can impact perceptions and emotions and ultimately leave a lasting, impactful memory, so make wise selections when selecting names for online endeavors to maximize their full potential and achieve maximum returns from online ventures!

Gaming

Why You Keep Getting Disconnected From Online Games

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It’s almost impossible to play a video game anymore without having to be online. Even single player games on consoles like the Playstation 4, 5 or Xbox One often require you to be connected in order to receive updates or be a part of leaderboards.

The problem with this is that if you don’t have a strong internet connection, then you could be constantly disconnected from your game without meaning to. This can be especially problematic for games meant to be played online like Fortnite or League of Legends.

One minute you’re happily in game and the next you’re disconnected and you’ve lost the match. This can seriously affect your gameplay which is why it’s important that you’re paying more attention to the kind of internet you have as well as who is providing it.

Choose the Right Provider

People often think that as long as they spend the big bucks for a decent computer rig or for a next gen console that they’ll be able to play their games without interruption. In the process, many forget the importance of having a reliable internet connection with a decent amount of bandwidth as well as upload and download speeds.

If you’re looking for unlimited usage with great upload and download speed options, you should check out internet packages in Canada from Poynt 360 for the best deals. They offer FTTN (fiber to the node) as well as cable packages that are both affordable and ideal for gamers.

FTTN stands for fiber to the node (or neighbourhood) and is the term used to describe providing internet to homes using fiber optic lines as opposed to traditional copper wires. Broadband connection and other data services are delivered to a common network box (often referred to as a node), and from there these services are delivered to individual destinations like your home.

One disadvantage of FTTN is that it is not available yet in every neighbourhood, so you may not have this option to begin with. You will need to check with your preferred service provider first to see they have fiber optic wiring in your area.

If You Can’t Get FTTN

If you can’t get FTTN in your neighbourhood you should still be able to get an internet package with cable that works for you. Though it’s possible to experience slowdowns using cable internet, you won’t be likely to notice them, especially if you get packages with the right speeds.

For instance, if you’re a gamer who also likes to stream, check out the option for 75 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds. If you have a large family, consider going higher with your download speeds at 150 Mbps.

Flexible, Affordable Options

When it comes to choosing your internet provider you might be tempted to go with one of the big guys, but they rarely have your best interests at heart. Consider signing up with a third-party provider who can get you the best deals and who will help you choose the best package for all your gaming needs.

Sci-Tech

1 In 2 Canadians Always Accept Browser Cookies

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Digital privacy expert explains why often accepting cookies poses cyber risks

According to new research commissioned by internet security company NordVPN, only 3.5% of Canadians never accept cookies. To make matters worse, a whopping 43% say they always accept cookies. While most HTTP cookies are safe, some can be used to track people without their consent. Even more, cookies can sometimes be spied upon or used to fake the identity of a user, to gain access to their account or use their identity to commit a crime.

 “HTTP cookies are vital to the internet, but they are also a vulnerability to people’s privacy. As a necessary part of web browsing, cookies help web developers to provide more personal, convenient website visits. Because of cookies, websites remember you, your logins, shopping carts, and even more. But they can also be a treasure trove of private information for criminals to spy on,” says Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN. 

What are cookies, and why are they a threat?

Also known as an HTTP cookie or browser cookie, a cookie is a piece of data that’s stored on your browser whenever you visit a website. When enabled, the website will remember your preferences and any small changes you made during your last visit.

Cookies are a normal and necessary part of the internet. Without them, you couldn’t log into a website or fill your online shopping cart. However, too many cookies can become a threat to both your security and privacy.  

“People need to be aware that cookies follow you online. Even if you hide your IP address with a VPN, cookies can track what you do online and form a partial ID of who you are. Moreover, third parties can sell your cookies. Some sites earn revenue by serving third-party cookies. These aren’t functional – their purpose is to turn a profit from your data. Also, cookies are a vulnerability. With the wrong browser settings or when visiting the wrong website, cookies can introduce security vulnerabilities to your browsing experience,” says Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert.

68.5% of Canadians feel that their online data is used for targeted ads

Research shows that Canadians feel the consequences of collected cookies:

  • 68.5% feel that their online data is used for targeted ads;
  • 66% feel that it’s being sold to other companies.
  • Moreover, 57% and 53% respectively believe that their ​​data is analyzed by websites for their internal use and that it’s used by social media platforms for people to find the most relevant information 

“Canadians must be pretty aware of the constant pop-up requesting them to ‘Accept all cookies?’ while visiting online websites. It happens in order to comply with data privacy laws, which were designed to protect users’ personal information and force companies to state what kind of data is being collected and how it is being used,” says Daniel Markuson.  

How to stop cookies from tracking you

There are plenty of tools and tips to make your online activity more private. 

“First, navigate to your browser’s settings and choose to delete all the cookies stored in your browser. Most browsers also offer features to block unnecessary cookies automatically.  Second, use incognito mode. While incognito mode does not equal privacy, this is exactly what it was made for — setting aside a single browsing session that won’t save cookies and your history.

On a related note concerning personal data- The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) tracked 33 million Canadians via their mobile devices to “monitor lockdowns” during to coronavirus pandemic. Privacy advocates said they were concerned about the data tracking.

Finally, use a VPN. One of a VPN’s core features is to hide your IP address, which is critical if you want your online searches to stay private. You can also look at installing various types of tracker blocker programs. That means that third-party cookies won’t be able to gather data about people’s browsing habits and create a detailed profile on you.

Methodology: The survey was commissioned by NordVPN and conducted by the external company Cint on October 4-12, 2021. The survey’s target group was residents of France, the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland aged 18+ (nationally representative), and the sample was taken from national internet users. Quotas were placed on age, gender, and place of residence. 7800 people were surveyed in total, made up of 800 people from Spain and 1000 people from each of the remaining countries.

Culture

Sixty Six Percent Of Canadians Take Smartphones Into Bathroom

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Study: Lots of Canadians use smartphones while on the toilet

A digital privacy expert provides tips on protecting your phone on and off the john:

A recent survey by the cybersecurity company NordVPN revealed that as much as 65.6% of Canadians bring their smartphones with them into the toilet. That’s a bit less than the average of all surveyed countries. While most Canadians (60%) scroll through social media during that time, barely anyone thinks of growing threats online and hackers’ attempts to compromise people’s phones.

“Canadians seem to need smartphones a lot.”

“Our previous survey already showed that Canadians spend a lot of time online- more than 22 years per lifetime which is a third of their lives,” says Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN. “Even though the majority (83%) name smartphones as the device that tracks their online behavior the most, Canadians still haven’t developed good cyber habits to protect their online lives,” he says.

Using social media and gaming — top activities for Canadians while on the toilet

The majority of Canadians admit that their time on the toilet is mostly spent scrolling through social media (60%), gaming (40%), and reading or listening to the news (35%). This shows that Canadians like entertaining themselves while in the bathroom.

Among other activities, Canadians also watch videos, movies, or television programs (33%) check work email and other tools, for example, Slack, Microsoft Teams (33%), and call or message other people (31.5%).

“While most of Canadians’ time on the loo is spent on social media, people also feel concerned about Facebook (80%) and Instagram (40%) collecting the biggest amount of their users’ data. Social media networks, ISPs, third-party organizations, websites, and governmental institutions regularly collect users’ personal data and track browsing habits for marketing or other purposes,” says Daniel Markuson.

Cybersecurity refresher for Canadians

Smartphones are evolving at a rate that is beyond belief, making us stay connected even while on the loo. However, Canadians are encouraged to not forget about their online safety, even while immersed in social media, conversations, games, or the news.

Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN, shares key tips on protecting your phone on and off the john:

  • Keep apps and the phone’s operating system (OS) up to date. Don’t skip software updates.
  • Do your research. Never download unknown apps — read up on them first.
  • Avoid unofficial app stores. They’re more likely to contain malware-ridden apps.
  • Avoid using unknown Wi-Fi. And always use a VPN when you do.
  • Be vigilant. Don’t click on suspicious links, don’t give out your number to strangers, and be wary of unknown numbers.

Methodology: The survey was commissioned by NordVPN and conducted by the external company Cint on January  19-26, 2022. The survey’s target group was residents of France, USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania aged 18+ (nationally representative), except for Lithuania (18-74) and the sample was taken from national internet users. Quotas were placed on age, gender, and place of residence. 9800 people were surveyed in total, made up of 800 people from Spain and 1000 people from each of the remaining countries. 

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Politics

Cons: Federal Libs C-10 Bill Has Massive Potential for Abuse of Power

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Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Leader of the Official Opposition, issued the following statement calling on Justin Trudeau to withdraw Bill C-10:
 
“In a democratic society, abuses of power and authority can and should be called out without fear of retribution. Social media has rapidly become the platform for this purpose, from cellphone videos of interactions with police to social media posts by survivors of sexual assault and harassment leading to the #MeToo movement.

“But in the midst of a pandemic, while Canadians are stuck at home and relying on social media for information, connectivity, and entertainment more than ever before, the Liberal government is quietly moving to radically change how Canadians use the internet.
 
“In a society that values freedom of speech and expression, Bill C-10 leaves the door open for a massive abuse of power on the rights of Canadians. 
 
“Canada’s Conservatives support creating a level playing field between large foreign streaming services and Canadian broadcasters, and championing Canadian arts and culture. A Conservative government would do so without compromising Canadians’ fundamental rights and freedoms.
 
“We are calling on Justin Trudeau to withdraw Bill C-10 today. If this is not done, a Conservative government will stand up for Canadians and repeal this deeply flawed legislation. While the NDP and the Bloc may look the other way on the freedom of expression, Canada’s Conservatives will not.” 
 
Le chef des conservateurs Erin O’Toole demande à Justin Trudeau d’annuler le projet de loi C-10 

 
Ottawa (Ontario) – L’honorable Erin O’Toole, chef des conservateurs du Canada et de l’Opposition officielle, a fait la présente déclaration demandant à Justin Trudeau d’annuler le projet de loi C-10 :
 
« Dans une société démocratique, les abus de pouvoir et d’autorité peuvent et doivent être dénoncés sans crainte ni représailles. Les médias sociaux sont rapidement devenus la principale plateforme à cet effet, qu’il s’agisse de vidéos d’interactions avec la police réalisées à l’aide de téléphones portables ou de messages publiés sur les médias sociaux par des victimes d’agressions et de harcèlement sexuels, qui ont donné naissance au mouvement #MeToo.
 
« Or, en pleine pandémie, alors que les Canadiens sont coincés chez eux et dépendent des médias sociaux pour obtenir de l’information, se connecter et se divertir, plus que jamais auparavant, le gouvernement libéral a discrètement tenté de changer radicalement comment les Canadiens peuvent utiliser les médias sociaux.
 
« Dans une société qui valorise la liberté de parole et d’expression, le projet de loi C-10 ouvre la porte à un abus de pouvoir et à une atteinte aux droits des Canadiens.
 
« Les conservateurs soutiennent des conditions égales entre les gros services de diffusion continue étrangers et les radiodiffuseurs canadiens, ainsi que la défense des arts et de la culture du Canada. Un gouvernement conservateur le ferait sans compromettre les droits fondamentaux et la liberté d’expression des Canadiens.

« Nous demandons à Justin Trudeau d’annuler le projet de loi C-10 aujourd’hui. Si cela n’est pas fait, un gouvernement conservateur défendra les intérêts des Canadiens et abrogera cette loi profondément défectueuse. Le NPD et le Bloc peuvent fermer les yeux sur la liberté d’expression, mais pas les conservateurs. » 
Copyright © 2021 Conservative Caucus
Our mailing address is:
Conservative CaucusBusiness131 Queen StOttawa, ON K1P 0A1Canada
Sci-Tech

VisaNet Connects Two And A Half Billion Credit Cards

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One of the many ways the Internet is driving the global economy is through digital payments, making it easy for consumers to buy just about anything from anywhere. VisaNet is the largest payment processing network in the world, connecting 2.4 billion credit cards at 36 million locations across 200 countries.

Sci-Tech

Current State of Cybersecurity Doesn’t Work

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“You pay your money, as the saying goes, and you take your chances.” says Falkowitz, CEO of Area 1 Security. “More and more these days, it seems like this ‘policy’ is the rule rather than the exception, in everything from health care insurance to the commuter parking lot. Even though you’ve paid for the product or service, no one’s really responsible for some reason when you suffer damages while consuming whatever it is you bought. Or worse yet, you somehow find that whatever you bought doesn’t really do what you bought it for. And there’s an asterisk somewhere in the fine print to explain why. Unfortunately, nowhere is this more prevalent than in today’s cybersecurity industry.”

Despite the billions spent on cybersecurity we continue to suffer the most debilitating and expensive breaches imaginable, and some that cannot be imagined under any circumstances. Yet experts predict the worst is still to come. Cybercrime has moved from data theft and website defacement to a trajectory that includes data manipulation, data loss and eventually, if something is not done to change the economics of being a bad guy on the internet, threats to the stability of society itself.

“Cybersecurity companies seem to be content to collect their millions with the caveat that they can’t really offer protection in exchange,” continues Falkowitz. “Their customers likewise collect mountains of data on their customers and are appropriately contrite when that data is stolen or misused but the apology is not accompanied by compensation. Even the government can’t protect itself, or its citizens even if they’re attacked by another nation-state.”

Phishing

The excuses and the explanations are familiar: Cybersecurity is too complicated. Hackers are too clever. Attacks are unprecedented.

“Nonsense. Every bit of it.” says Falkowitz. “Cybersecurity is no more complicated than hundreds of other things we do routinely, from sending astronauts into space or open heart surgery. Hackers are human, just more persistent about how to fool the rest of us. And attacks are based on the same tried and true methods—phishing—they’ve been using for decades.”

Oren J. Falkowitz is the co-founder and CEO of Silicon Valley’s Area 1 Security. Oren held senior positions at the NSA and United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) where he focused on Computer Network Operations & Big Data and is a predominant cybersecurity industry thought-leader committed to keeping high-level national security conversations relevant.  For the Silo, by Jennifer Vickery. 

Supplemental- What exactly is phishing?

Sci-Tech

The Broadband Struggle Of Modern Living In UK Rural Areas

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Living in a rural location has its perks. It’s peaceful, it’s quiet, and you’re out the way of all that city centre pollution. Bliss. However, when it comes to keeping up with technology, it can become a bit of a broadband nightmare.

In this piece, we’ll be delving into the struggles that people living in rural communities are facing and find out what is being done by the government and other people in the rural communities to help get these affected areas better connected in the 21st century.

For example, we’ll be showing you via the infographic below just why rural communities have such a poor internet connection and what one MBE industry leader is doing to help. We’ll discover the future of deliveries to rural areas, take a look at a trust that is installing defibrillators in phone boxes and much more.

Compliments of fuelfighter.co.uk Click me for more!
Compliments of fuelfighter.co.uk
Click me for more!

Sci-Tech

FCC Promoted American Broadband Competition And Net Neutrality

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In late 2014- early 2015, the FCC stood up for more competition and more choice in local broadband. This is a critical step in making faster, cheaper Internet available for all Americans.

You may have heard that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just put in place rules to protect ‘net neutrality.’ That’s big news. But there was another important decision today to help keep the Internet competitive and open — and while it’s getting less attention, it may be just as important. As part of its agenda to encourage meaningful competition in high speed broadband for Americans, the FCC supported allowing cities to make their own decisions about investing in new broadband networks. More needs to be done to drive innovation in bigger, faster broadband, but this was a good step.
Canadian ISP client

While the FCC’s net neutrality rules can help prevent Internet access providers from relegating some applications to a “slow lane,” this move alone won’t lead to a world where every consumer has an ultra fast connection to the entire Internet. That’s going to take more competition and innovation in new broadband networks.

It’s been nearly five years since we offered to build a fiber-optic network in one U.S. city as an experiment — and as we’ve expanded Google Fiber into a business, we’ve seen firsthand how faster speeds can improve lives and give cities new platforms for economic development. Google is not the only one innovating in this area. Along with investments by other private providers, cities like Lafayette, LA and Chattanooga, TN have been investing in their own networks and developing public-private partnerships to that end.

The FCC decided that it’s important for users to be able to control their own Internet connections and for communities to make their own choices to suit their local needs for broadband. While it may not make sense for most governments to operate broadband networks themselves, we think faster, better broadband for all Americans is too important to remove an option for deployment.

Thank Chairman Wheeler and the FCC for supporting local choice and competition in broadband networks: https://takeaction.withgoogle.com/thank-the-fcc     For the Silo, Derek Slater Google Inc.

P.S. If you want to learn more about the ingenuity of cities supporting broadband investment and competition, check out Next Century Cities.

Supplemental- Test if your Internet Service Provider is “throttling down” your internet connection speed. (requires Java plug-in installed)

How competitive is the Canadian Residential Broadband Market?  ( Essay from 2009- has anything improved since?)

 

Sci-Tech

The Web Just Turned 25 This Week

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Okay we know...technically the web has been around since the 1960's (Arpanet) and even we've been browsing the online world via BBS services since 1989 on an 'old' Atari 1020ST and land line phone access. (ahem) But for most of us the world wide web as we know it- complete with browsers and search engines turned 25 years old this week. CP
Okay we know…technically the web has been around since the 1960’s (Arpanet) and we’ve been browsing the online world via BBS services since 1989 on an ‘old’ Atari 1020ST and land line, but for most of us the world wide web as we know it- complete with browsers and search engines turned 25 years old this week. CP

Mountain View, CA  Some of us remember what the world was like before the web and have seen how much it’s changed things. Many younger people today have never known a world without the web.

Which are you? Choose the statement below that applies to you — then share it along with your memories of how the web has affected your life.

I remember the world before the web:

Google+: https://takeaction.withgoogle.com/Older-GooglePlus
Facebook: https://takeaction.withgoogle.com/Older-FB
Twitter: https://takeaction.withgoogle.com/Older-Twitter

I’ve never known the world without the web:

Google+: https://takeaction.withgoogle.com/Younger-GooglePlus
Facebook: https://takeaction.withgoogle.com/Younger-FB
Twitter: https://takeaction.withgoogle.com/Younger-Twitter

There’s no better way to celebrate the web’s 25th birthday than by sharing on the web how much it’s meant to all of our lives. More coming soon. For the Silo, Derek Slater /Google.

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