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Death isn’t something most of us want to spend time thinking about, but it’s inevitable for all of us. We need to think about passing on our digital assets as well as our physical and financial ones. Most of us know that we should have a will and beneficiaries designated on investment accounts so that our assets are distributed to the right people, but many people don’t even take this first step. However, those of us who live and work … [Read more...]
It might not come as any surprise that streaming videos makes up a huge percentage of the Internet’s traffic. Netflix is the largest consumer of Internet bandwidth in North America with 32% of all downstream traffic. In a recent report put together by Akamai, The Akamai Network: A Platform for High-Performance Internet Applications, Harvard University, and University of Massachusetts researchers suggest that “it is reasonable to expect that … [Read more...]
In this new era where "content is king," a big problem for agencies is finding someone with the time to create articles, emails, press releases, sales letters, white papers, and even something as simple as bios to put on the agency website. Enter Heather Sloan at InsuranceCopywriting.com. Sloan understands the financial services industry so you don't have to spend time explaining what's different. Her portfolio includes a wide range of content … [Read more...]
General Motors is testing a new OnStar system service for parents that will be able to track the travels of their teenage drivers. The system, called “Family Link,” lets the owners of cars and trucks equipped with GM OnStar log onto a website to find their vehicle’s location at any time. Owners can also sign up for email or text message alerts about the vehicle’s location. “Our subscribers have asked us for a solution to help them … [Read more...]
Grandview, Mo. School District Superintendent Michael Brown is testing a pilot project to take the school system paperless. Using Android tablet devices, students are moving from physical textbooks to electronic ones. Note and test taking are also taking place without pen and paper using the technology. Earlier this year, district officials purchased 20 HaiPad Android electronic tablets at $145 apiece and are in the process of distributing … [Read more...]
MakerBot is bringing the price of 3D printing within reach of almost anyone. The magic of 3D printers—and digital fabrication in general—is that it takes a computer-created model and/or a digital design, and turns it into a real, physical object by “printing” using plastic to build up the model or a tool to cut out the object. 3D printing allows anyone with an idea to create a manufacturing plant in their garage. I wonder how carriers … [Read more...]
Google has launched Google Wallet, a mobile payments system, in partnership with MasterCard and Citigroup, Inc. The service utilizes Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that allows customers to wave or tap their phones at the checkout counter to pay for purchases. NFC is a wireless technology that enables data transmission between two objects when they are brought within a few inches of each other. Smartphones enabled with NFC technology … [Read more...]
As expected, just a few months after Applied Systems purchased Artizan Internet Services, they have announced final integration of their online customer service tool, CSR24, with Applied TAM and Epic. With the integration, the CSR24 system will be able to access client policy data from either system and post it through a secured connection to Artizan’s servers. The data will then be available online for staff and policyholders. The … [Read more...]
