Thursday, March 19, 2020
iPad 2.0 could herald the paperless office (at last) - Emphasis
iPad 2.0 could herald the paperless office (at last) iPad 2.0 could herald the paperless office (at last) Printer manufacturers must be getting a bit twitchy about the iPad. Or if theyre not, they should be because it could well make a serious dent in their profits, writes Rob Ashton. Generally, Im in the pro camp when it comes to technology. Ive bought a fair few examples over the years. And although I discarded some once the novelty wore off, others became an integral part of my life. The iPhone could have been invented just for me. I realise that not everyones like this. And even I admit that modern technology is often no substitute for more traditional devices. But in business, technology tends to be adopted wholesale when theres a sound financial reason for doing so. And thats why I think we might see a dramatic reduction not just in paper usage but in printer-toner sales in the next few years. It wasnt so long ago that we used to send documents to each other in the internal mail. Now were much more likely to email them. Yet most people still tend to print them out to read them. Despite the cost and the terrible waste of paper, we still like flipping through the real thing. But the business world may not be far behind the newspaper industry in seeking to cut the use of paper. This is because there are huge potential cost savings to be made if technologists could produce a way of reading onscreen that more people would accept. Influential technology blog Silicon Alley claimed last year that printing the New York Times costs twice as much as sending every subscriber an Amazon Kindle e-book reader on which to read the electronic version. Now universities in the US are experimenting with delivering textbooks this way. Just before the iPads launch, the technology was already there for acceptable forms of electronic reading. The worlds biggest technology show in Las Vegas earlier this year was awash with electronic alternatives to paper. Electronic paper or e-paper, as its inevitably being dubbed, helps overcome objections from people who prefer the look and feel of real paper rather than a chunky electronic device. And documents displayed in this way should be much easier to proofread. But problems with lighting mean that, at present, electronic paper can display only black and white images, as can e-book readers such as the Kindle. Such technology relies on electronically magnetised ink, which also needs good lighting conditions to be readable. The iPads colour screen and LED back-lighting get round these problems. And while some have commented that these cause eyestrain, ophthalmologists have disputed this. Whats more, the iPad electronically reproduces the action of flipping through a document, bringing the experience a step closer to the real thing but without the waste of printing. If the iPhone is anything to go by, it will probably be the second-generation iPads that truly find popular appeal, once Apple have ironed out any post-launch teething problems. But whether e-ink, iPad or iPad 2.0 wins the day, the paperless office may at last be just around the corner. iPad 2.0 could herald the paperless office (at last) iPad 2.0 could herald the paperless office (at last) Printer manufacturers must be getting a bit twitchy about the iPad. Or if theyre not, they should be because it could well make a serious dent in their profits, writes Rob Ashton. Generally, Im in the pro camp when it comes to technology. Ive bought a fair few examples over the years. And although I discarded some once the novelty wore off, others became an integral part of my life. The iPhone could have been invented just for me. I realise that not everyones like this. And even I admit that modern technology is often no substitute for more traditional devices. But in business, technology tends to be adopted wholesale when theres a sound financial reason for doing so. And thats why I think we might see a dramatic reduction not just in paper usage but in printer-toner sales in the next few years. It wasnt so long ago that we used to send documents to each other in the internal mail. Now were much more likely to email them. Yet most people still tend to print them out to read them. Despite the cost and the terrible waste of paper, we still like flipping through the real thing. But the business world may not be far behind the newspaper industry in seeking to cut the use of paper. This is because there are huge potential cost savings to be made if technologists could produce a way of reading onscreen that more people would accept. Influential technology blog Silicon Alley claimed last year that printing the New York Times costs twice as much as sending every subscriber an Amazon Kindle e-book reader on which to read the electronic version. Now universities in the US are experimenting with delivering textbooks this way. Just before the iPads launch, the technology was already there for acceptable forms of electronic reading. The worlds biggest technology show in Las Vegas earlier this year was awash with electronic alternatives to paper. Electronic paper or e-paper, as its inevitably being dubbed, helps overcome objections from people who prefer the look and feel of real paper rather than a chunky electronic device. And documents displayed in this way should be much easier to proofread. But problems with lighting mean that, at present, electronic paper can display only black and white images, as can e-book readers such as the Kindle. Such technology relies on electronically magnetised ink, which also needs good lighting conditions to be readable. The iPads colour screen and LED back-lighting get round these problems. And while some have commented that these cause eyestrain, ophthalmologists have disputed this. Whats more, the iPad electronically reproduces the action of flipping through a document, bringing the experience a step closer to the real thing but without the waste of printing. If the iPhone is anything to go by, it will probably be the second-generation iPads that truly find popular appeal, once Apple have ironed out any post-launch teething problems. But whether e-ink, iPad or iPad 2.0 wins the day, the paperless office may at last be just around the corner.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
How to Use the French Preposition Contre (Against)
How to Use the French Preposition Contre (Against) Contre is a French preposition that usually means against, while its antonym, pour, means for. Contre is used often alone or as part of common idiomatic expressions, such as par contre, which means, on the other hand, whereas and but. Contre is required after certain French verbs and phrases that need an indirect object. The term contre also has other English equivalents, depending on the context. Common Uses of Contre 1. Contact or Juxtaposition    sappuyer contre le mur   to lean against the wall   la face contre terre   face down (face the ground) 2. Opposition    Nous sommes contre la guerre.   Were against war.   à ªtre en colà ¨re contre quelquun   to be angry with someone 3. Defense or Protection    un abri contre le vent   a shelter from the wind   une mà ©decine contre la grippe   medicine against the flu 4. Exchange    à ©changer un stylo contre un crayon   to trade a pen for a pencil   Il ma donnà © un livre contre trois magazines   He gave me a book (in exchange) for three magazines 5. Relationship / Rapport    deux voix contre une   two (votes) to one    un à ©tudiant contre trois profs   one student vs three teachers 6. After Certain Verbs, Phrases That Need an Indirect Object    sabriter contre (le vent)  to take shelter against (the wind)   sappuyer contre (un arbre) to lean against (a tree)   sasseoir contre (son ami) to sit next to (ones friend)   sassurer contre (lincendie) to insure against (fire)   se battre contre to fight against   se blottir contre (sa mà ¨re, son chien)  to cuddle up next to (ones mother, dog)    donner quelque chose contre  to give something in exchange for   à ©changer quelque chose contre quelque chose  to exchange something for   something else   à ªtre en colà ¨re contre  to be angry at   se fà ¢cher contre  to get mad at   se mettre contre le mur  to stand against the wall   serrer quelquun contre sa poitrine/son cÅ“ur  to hug someone   troquer quelque chose contre quelque chose  to swap something for   something els e   voter contre  to vote against
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)