Factors to Consider when Buying a Laptop for your College Course

There are many factors to consider when buying a laptop for college, and to help you out, I've listed them here under three main headings. So read on, and hopefully what you see will help you to choose the correct laptop for you..

1 – Functionality:

The most important thing to take into account when shopping for a laptop is whether it will be able to do everything you need it to do. If your course requires high performance computers for applications such as video editing or 3D design, or if you want to be able to use your laptop for recreational gaming on the side, then speed is important. On the other hand, if your course only requires word processing and powerpoint presentations, with a bit of web research thrown in, then there is no need to stretch your budget.

Processing Power – The CPU of any computer is what decides how fast it will be able to run applications. There are several tiers of processor on the market, with newer faster tricore and quadcore processors being optimal for graphic design and video editing. Faster and newer does lead to an increase in cost, however, and if your needs don't call for the top of the line processors, a slower model is probably the best option for you.

RAM – This memory works along side the processor to make sure applications run quickly and smoothly. Many programmes have a minimum RAM requirement, so make sure that the laptop you buy meets the requirements of any programmes you will be using as part of your course.

Ergonomics – Is the laptop comfortable to use? As you decrease the size of your laptop to increase portability, keyboard and screen size shrink too. If possible, test out the keyboard on the laptop before buying it, to see if your hands fit comfortably. Another thing worth checking is whether the touchpad is easy to use.

2 – Portability:

what are your portability needs? Will you need to bring the laptop into college with you on a daily basis, or will you be doing most of your computer work from home? This depends on both course requirements and personal preference.

Size and Weight – The size of laptop you choose plays a big part in how portable it is going to be. The smaller the better where frequent transport is concerned. There is no point in getting a nice big screen if you are not willing to carry it around all day.

Durability – Is the laptop case made of good quality materials? Are the hinges well constructed? It may sound like a simple thing, and it is. But it's still an important factor to take into consideration when looking at a prospective model. If it's going to see a lot of moving around the place, and spend a good portion of it's life in a bag hanging from your shoulder, you want to be sure it won't break easily.

Battery Life – The longer the better is generally the case, But if you won't be spending a lot of time away from a power source, it is not much of an issue. Most colleges have libraries with plugs available for laptop chargers. Beware though, manufacturers often overstate battery life, and you can expect a significant reduction from what is advertised on the box.

3 – Affordability:

Price is an all important factor, especially in times of recession, which is why it gets a heading all of it's own. When looking at laptops, it is easy to get carried away with more RAM, better processors and bigger hard drives, as well as the temptation to buy a slimmer, more sleek looking model. Just remember to keep asking yourself the question “Can it do what I need it to do?”. It is always a good idea to decide on your budget before you start shopping, as it's all too easy to get carried away..

I hope this guide has helped clarify some of the things you should consider before buying a laptop for use throughout your time in college, or at least brought some issues to your attention that you might not have thought of before.

More on Seeing Robots..

This little guy QBO is a lot more aesthetically pleasing than NICO, and as you can see in this video, he does recognise himself in the mirror. From what I've read though, I don't think it's quite as impressive as the stuff NICO is doing over at Yale. still, this guy QBO can do quite a bit, as the other videos on his YouTube channel show.

An Area of Technology that Interests me

      The technology behind robots is something that has been fascinating to many for a long time, and with movies like 'I, Robot' making humanoid servants seem like a sci-fi creation of the not-too-distant future, I decided to take a look at the steps that are being made today, not just by Honda's 'ASIMO', but by the programmers and visionaries behind the technology that makes these incredible machines run, jump and recognise objects. 

      One problem that is proving a tough nut to crack is the issue of sight and recognition. We are born with the ability to see, and from day one our brains learn to recognise the constant stream of electrical impulses being sent along the optic nerve, through the thalamus and into the occipital lobe. This information is then processed and sent on to different areas of the brain, so that an object can be recognised, by drawing on memory and reasoning. But the human brain works in a very different way to the brain of a robot.



      Just another step in the journey towards producing passable humanoid robots, 'NICO', the brain child of Justin Hart and Brian Scassellati from Yale University, is a robot who is learning to be self-aware. NICO can look in a mirror and recognise the reflection of his arm. It can use this information to find the exact position of the limb in space, with accuracy to the nearest centimetre. The next big challenge for NICO is passing the mirror test. This is a classic test used by researchers to see if animals are aware that the reflection they see in a mirror bears any relationship to their own body. It is performed by sedating an animal, then placing a patch of coloured ink on their face. If the animal is able to look in a mirror and recognise from the reflected image that it has a patch of ink on its own face, it is said to have passed the test.
      While older learning robots have been programmed to learn about their surroundings, NICO's primary objective is to learn about itself and how it affects the environment around it through moving its arms. This idea is inspired in part by the fields of developmental psychology and neuroscience. It is this self-awareness that allows NICO to recognise that objects seen in a mirror are reflections, and do not exist behind the mirror.

      While making a robot that can see, and have a certain level of self-awareness is impressive in and of itself, NICO’s designers have great plans for how to use this revolutionary ability to see. Once NICO has become properly aware of himself, he will be able to monitor his interactions with objects in his environment. In much the same way a baby develops, he will learn that once he is holding a block in his gripper it acts as an extension of himself. With this learning process in place NICO will hopefully learn to use tools and interact with his environment in order to achieve goals, thus reaching an even higher level of intelligence and making human kind yet another step closer to creating truly intelligent robots.

      While NICO certainly doesn't look anything like a human, it is still another step on the way to having robots walking around in our homes. An important note on NICO's self-awareness is his ability to interact with humans safely. If robots cannot recognise their arm as being their own, they could pose a danger to humans, as they will not be able to recognise fully where their own arm is in 3-dimensional space. And if a robots hand suddenly tries to occupy the same space as a human's body, it will effectively be hitting the human in order for this to happen.
      NICO is a small, yet important step, and while it is not as visually impressive as seeing Honda's ASIMO run across a stage or walk up a flight of stairs, it all adds up. With research like this taking place, the future where personal robots take out the bins, brush the floor and do the gardening might not be as far away as people think...
      These two articles definitely show that steps are being made in the right direction, and with each new piece of research being done we come a little closer to a world similar to the one depicted in 'I, Robot'. I just hope that this future becomes reality in my time on this increasingly technology driven planet.

Article from Yale University

Article from Kurzweilai

Some useful Psychology Websites

Here are some links to websites that contain useful information about Psychology:

Ted Talks on Psychology - This website contains videos of talks given by experts across many areas, including Psychology

The American Psychological Association - A huge wealth of resources to any budding psychologist, this site can be taken as a reliable source of information on the web.

Google - If you have questions, this is a great place to start looking for answers

The future of AI and Robotics

He may not be pretty, in fact he looks a little like a terrible 90s movie prop, but this is NICO the robot. The hopes are that he will be the first robot to successfully recognise itself in a mirror. The mirror test is used to check if an animal has a certain level of self-awareness, and there are only a few species that have been able pass it.

An Introduction, of sorts..

     
     Welcome to a small source of everything technological. It shall become painfully obvious as you read on that I am no great pool of computer related knowledge, but it's ok, I don't have to be.. 
     Because I know how Google works, to a certain extent (type & enter), and I know how to trawl the internet for fun and interesting facts about technology and put them here..

     Just one more thing.. You may, at some stage, become aware that I also have an interest in Psychology, which could put a bit of a spin on some of my posts, but hey, we're all psychologists to a certain extent, and what's the harm in expanding on that? 
     So please, take some time to look around and don't be afraid to tell me what you think..
Cheers,

Alex