Category: Discussion

 

One of my resolutions for 2017 is to be more Eco-conscious. I’m not necessarily making an entire green overhaul, but I am trying to think about how the things I use affect the environment. In the first few weeks, I’ve realized that one of the biggest places I can make an impact is actually at work.

Being the nerd that I am, I’ve fantasized about heading a campaign to make my entire office more environmentally friendly. I’m not an office or HR manager, so all I can do is advocate for a greener office, and you can do the same. Need some help convincing the powers that be? There are actually some great reasons to adopt sustainable business practices. Not only does it save money and cut down on office waste; it also shows that your company is socially responsible, which is something that more and more consumers are looking at as of late.

 

If you’d like to be a green office geek as well, here are my top tips for greening your office:

 

Is Paperless Realistic?

For many offices, going completely paperless is not quite attainable, even today. However, aiming to be as paperless as possible is definitely a goal that is within reach. Read as much as you can on-screen, and keep notes in a digital format as opposed to a notebook. Only print those documents in which you need a signature, and use as small a font as possible while still making it comfortable to read. When printing or making copies, print on both sides, and make sure every piece of office equipment is set to an environmentally friendly (and cost-saving) default setting. Whatever paper products you do buy should be made from recycled materials and recycle the documents you do use, unless it’s important for them to be shredded, in which case they will likely be recycled once they are destroyed. If you want to be a real geek about it, be a stickler for accuracy and double-check to make sure all the paper you order is the right size and type.

 

Reusable Is Best

When it comes to other office supplies, there are plenty of ways to go green as well. You can opt for refillable pens, pencils made from recycled newspaper, erasers made from recycled rubber, these days there are even chairs and cabinets made from recycled plastic. There are also options for the rest of the workplace, like using hand dryers instead of paper towels, and buying cleaning supplies that are nontoxic and eco-friendly. Another great way to help the earth out is to keep tabs on office supplies to discourage wastefulness.

 

Starve The Energy Suckers

Sure, every workplace needs light, heat, and electricity. But there are more ways to cut down on office energy consumption than you can shake a stick at. From using smart strips and programmable thermostats to banning screensavers, the list goes on and on. Even switching to CFL or LED light bulbs can save vast amounts of electricity and money. You’ll want to encourage employees to turn their computers (and the lights) off every night before they go home, and also ask that everyone unplugs chargers when not in use. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to office energy conservation.

 

Water, Water Everywhere

Water truly is everywhere we look, but that doesn’t mean we should take advantage of it. One of the biggest things businesses overlook when going green is water. Using motion controlled faucets isn’t just for fancy establishments, it conserves water as well. On top of that, many businesses offer water bottles to office employees, but this is an extremely wasteful practice, especially since they’re often not recycled, and are even less often made from recycled materials originally. Encourage employees to bring reusable water bottles to work to make every day earth day.

 

Green Commute

If you work for a medium to large sized company, starting a carpooling program is a great way to help the environment, improve company culture, and save employees money. If you work in an industry where working from home is feasible, you’d be happy to learn that it cuts down on driving, which cuts down on harmful exhaust fumes in the air. It also consumes less energy than maintaining a large office, as employees are only consuming slightly more of the energy they’d be using to heat, cool, and light their homes whether or not they’re there. There’s currently a lot of discourse about the reliability of telecommuting, but it’s actually easier than you’d think to implement an effective remote office policy.

 

Casual Friday: All Week!

This isn’t just lazy me who doesn’t want to spend an hour getting ready every morning talking here. Implementing a business casual dress code is actually a great way to help the environment. No, it’s not too good to be true. Not having to wear suits cuts down on energy costs, especially in hot summer months. It also cuts down on dry cleaning, which is not necessarily the best thing for the environment.

 

Happy Greening!

I hope these tips were helpful, and remember: eco friendliness isn’t just for big companies and large office buildings. Small businesses can also go green by taking small steps that have a huge impact. Whoever you are and wherever you work, 2017 can be they greenest year of all.

 

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Guest Blog Post : AJ Earley

AJ is a personal chef, caterer, freelance writer, travel junkie, and root beer float aficionado from The Pacific Northwest, USA.

 

For the geeky gadget lover, there’s nothing better than having your home life be synced, scheduled, and set to optimal efficiency, and to move through each day with the help of your handy devices. However, with these gadgets, it’s about more than just convenience. It’s also about making your home into a place that’s fun, innovative and always ready for a party—just ask Ivee below to turn on the music and you’ll know what we mean…

Here are 4 gadgets that every tech lover needs to have in their home.

 

via Blossom Coffee

Blossom Coffee

For the coffee loving geek who believes that a great cup of java requires as much science and engineering as computer programming does, you’ll find yourself in good company with Blossom Coffee. In an effort to uncover the “core science” behind what makes coffee really great they created the Blossom Brewer, a coffee making machine that executes the process flawlessly each and every time. With temperature regulating technology and precise user interaction software that claims to be even better than a smartphone, both you and your Blossom Coffee Brewer will be the perfect geeky pair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

via Gadgets360

BEDDI Alarm Clock

The BEDDI Alarm Clock is sort of like having your Mom and a hotel concierge service wake you up each morning. From the moment your alarm gently goes off, a mood lighting setting begins to slowly rouse you from a deep sleep. BEDDI’s next task is to dutifully alert you of both traffic and weather conditions to let you know exactly how much time you have until you need to leave for work and what to wear before you head out the door. But wait, it gets even geekier: wake up to your favorite Spotify playlists and get a pot of coffee brewing before you even leave your bed so that you start your day feeling well rested and refreshed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

via Ivee

 

Ivee Voice

For the ultimate in geeky futuristic lifestyle gadgets, there’s Ivee Voice. Ivee can sync to all your wireless smart devices and act as a main hub to connect and control your house, phones, electricity, and even order you a pizza! Perhaps one of the most intriguing (or creepy—you decide) aspects of Ivee is the way you can speak to her as if you were talking to a fellow geeky friend. Since the device is meant to be voice-control only, it instinctively picks up and memorizes the unique sound of your voice to anticipate your wants and needs. Besides getting to know you and all your little quirks, Ivee can even play music or read you an e-book!

 

Nest Thermostat

What better way to tend to your nest than with an energy efficient home gadget like Nest Thermostat? At Modernize we’re passionate about creating a space that makes you and the world a better place through eco-friendly design and that warm and fuzzy feeling of knowing your home is exactly the way you like it—and Nest’s smart technology does just that. As you set the daily temperature for your home, Nest will memorize the times and temperatures throughout the day and night and intuitively change it for you. It can even be synced up with Ivee Voice!

 

 

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Guest blog by: Katherine Oakes

Modernize.com

 

 

These days it seems like you can’t go a day without hearing that one company or another has had a data breach. While company problems are not necessarily the same as those on your home computer, they highlight an increased need for security. But where does security start?
There are a few programs that will help keep your data safe on your computer, but before you go downloading a bunch of things, there are some behavioral changes that can make a huge difference in the security of your computer and information. Good habits are essential to maintaining a safe environment inside of technology.

Wait, Don’t Click That!

In a world of popup blockers and anti-virus software, it might see pretty safe to cruise around the net looking at just about anything. But that hasn’t stopped the bad guys from disguising otherwise safe looking text or pictures as links to some seriously dangerous malware. Before you go following that next link, take a few steps to make sure it’s okay.
First, try to use reputable websites. If you’re on the third or fourth page of Google search results, you may want to be much more careful about where you navigate. But there’s an easy trick for that: simply read the actual URL address on the bottom of your browser. Whatever the picture or text says, the actual address will always show when you hold your mouse over the link.
If you’re using a smartphone, it’s a little trickier; hyperlinks are not something you can simply hover over and check, so it’s important to be more alert as to where you’re taking the link from. In case you did click on something though…

Don’t Open Pandora’s Box

You may have followed a link to somewhere unfamiliar by accident, but that doesn’t mean you’re in trouble—yet. In many cases, malware will actually ask if you want to save it to your computer (it won’t be named “virus.exe.”) If you did click an email or website link, and it asks to save, be sure you were really looking to save a file.
If you are planning to save it, don’t select the “Open” option unless you’re absolutely certain about that file. Supposing grandma sends you an email and that email reads “check on these pics” with a link, you may not want to go ahead and open whatever tries to save from that; doesn’t exactly sound like something grandma would be saying (unless your grandma is super hip or something).

However, there will be times where you do save a suspicious file on your computer. If so…

Get An Anti-Virus

Yes, yes, your computer probably came with one, but is that one really any good? Perhaps you have a pre-installed version of McAfee or Norton—on a 30 day trial. The moment that trial ends, you’re held essentially at gunpoint to buy their software or face the doom of not having protection on your machine.
Well, most good anti-virus software is free for regular users. That means no entering CD keys, no registering for 1-year subscriptions on recurring payments, and no paying. Some good examples are Panda Free Antivirus, AVG, and Avast!. So, armed with one of these programs, you can actively scan any files you’ve downloaded to make sure that they’re safe. Most will do it automatically though.

Knock, Knock

Who’s there—right? Well, if you aren’t using the internet with a VPN, then chances are anyone and everyone knows whenever you stop in. While that might not seem like a problem, websites aren’t the only ones monitoring traffic: your ISP, hackers, and (tin foil hats on) even the government can tell who, when, and where you’ve been accessing from. And trust me… that Windows Firewall you have isn’t helping very much.

With a VPN, you’re connecting to a virtual server who then routes your data through an encryption pattern, making it impossible to say much about you; it’s the VPN that gets “tracked,” but since other people are also using that VPN, no one actually knows who is requesting the information. Many VPNs also have the added perk of allowing you to choose where to say you’re connecting from, which lets you access content that is sometimes restricted to select countries.
If you’re on a laptop, smartphone, or tablet, it’s really important: Wi-Fi networks are prime locations for people to steal your information. If you’re connected through a VPN, you can pretty much put that worry to bed, and if you happen to be traveling, you won’t run into problems accessing Hulu or something because “sorry you’re not in the US.”

Psst…What’s the Password?

I’m as guilty as anyone else on this, but it can be really difficult to keep making up good, unique passwords. Because of the sheer number of websites and apps we access today, each one asks for its own password—and each one has its own set of rules. What that usually leads to is the old, bad habit: reusing the same password, with slight variations as required by the password rules.
This basically means that the majority of passwords are something like: Password, password, password1, Password1; all are very easy to guess, and once someone figures out one password, it won’t be hard for them to figure out your other passwords too. A VPN helps a lot with this, because if someone does “hack” your password, they don’t necessarily know who to associate it with.
The best rule of thumb for passwords is to make them as long as you’re allowed: use phrases instead of actual words. A passphrase is far harder to guess, usually contains more characters (and is thus harder to brute force), and can be easier to remember than a single word. Try to use different phrases for different things you access, and if all else fails, keep a backup list of your passwords somewhere safe (a sticky note with all your passwords at your desk is probably not the most ideal location to store them!).

A final note on passwords: sometimes you’ll need to create “security questions” in case you forget your password. Birthdays and the names of schools you’ve attended (or anything you have on your social media account, for that matter) are terrible choices for security questions. Always go for something less obvious, like your first car or anything else that people you don’t like or know aren’t likely to figure out.

Lastly, You

There are plenty of things you can do to make your use of technology safer. Whether it’s using helpful software, being mindful of your passwords, or having some discretion about where you navigate on the net, there is a single unifying point to be made about all of this. The one in charge if your security is not some company or foreign entity: it’s you.
No matter how many safeguards are added to technology, your own habits and behaviors will ultimately determine how secure your machines and data are. Sometimes it will mean you’ll need to actually read a few things, and other times it may mean containing your curiosity for the sake of your safety (ooh, I wonder where this link goes?).

 

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Guest blog by Cassie Phillips

Cassie is a writer and blogger who specializes in website and internet security for Secure Thoughts