PCATT and Technology News Bytes/Emerging New Media have recently partnered together to offer a social media academy that is geared towards individuals who are looking to further their knowledge and application of social media in either their day-to-day lives, or to use it towards promoting their businesses and brands.  The program promises to be filled with exciting curriculum that touches on topics of presentation, fundamentals of social media outlets, (facebook, twitter, youtube, etc.), advance social media techniques, and more to come.  Most of the courses within the program run about 2 hours per meeting day, with a duration of approximately 2-5 meetings depending on the class.  Courses start towards the middle of January 2012, and will be held here at our PCATT facility. 

For more information on the list of courses, times and dates contact quincy@emergingnewmedia.com, or view the information on our website.

One of our instructors, Wayne Lewis, recently brought to our attention an article that made mention of the continued evolution of mSATA SSD's (Mini-Serial ATA interface Solid State Drive's).  At the beginning of December 2011, Samsung Electronics announced that it would start production on its newest line of mSATA SSD's to suite the needs on mobile devices.  Recently, our mobile devices have allowed us to do many office-centric tasks remotely and on-the-go.  With the ability of new solid-state drives to become smaller, stronger, and more energy efficient it has allowed for a shift in our work culture. 

       That being said, our abilities to multi-task and become more productive at different times of the day, in different places, will greatly add value and convenience to our lives.  The software side of the industry has also responded to this new hardware trend.  Mobile apps and cloud-based apps and services now exist at the Enterprise-level and companies are quickly adopting them into their productivity models.  This revelation is nothing new to the vast array of articles and blogs about the subject.  But, what is noteworthy is the fact that PCATT is in the process of ramping up its Mobile App creation courses, as well as its Programming courses to help support the need for new and diverse apps.  For a complete course offering and description, visit our website. 

In this final edition of our eZine for 2011, PCATT is always looking towards the future to examine trends and technologies that have yet to come down the pipeline and enter into people's lives.  Most future technology is way ahead of its time and often is too far "out there" for most people to embrace.  A recent technology that has been made news-worthy is Google's self-driving car.  The idea of a self-driving car may appeal to some, perhaps even most.  But, the fact that an automobile that has the capability of traveling at speeds of 50-60 mph without the control of a human driver might scare even the most technology-confident consumers. 

       Google has developed software and hardware that hinges on the development of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and robotic engineering to bring their concept and dream to reality.  The intention of the Google Car is not replace a driver, but to add an option, or supplement, to the ability of a vehicle to safely carry passengers to and from their destinations.  More importantly, Google seeks to reduce the amount of yearly traffic accidents by half, and to one day eliminate traffic and backlogs on our roadways.  More information and video's may be found by searching for: Google AI car.

       No matter the opinion, the fact is that artificial intelligence is at the forefront of many industries (military, electronics, medical, etc.).  Artificial intelligence will serve as the supplement system to our own organic way of life.  One can only imagine the possibilities of such a technology and its applications.  With that idea, PCATT will continue its mission to advance the technological skill and knowledge base of Hawaii's workforce to meet the new challenges of future technologies and their incorporation into our lives. 

And finally, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but I bet that there are some of you who still have to do some last minute shopping for the people on your gift giving list. Keith Shaw, Programming Director at Network World has collected this holiday season's top 20 "techie" gifts that have been tested and given the "Cool Yule Elf" approval. 

View the slideshow here. 

       If that doesn't give you any ideas, check out this list by Liane Cassavoy of CIO. It's got everything from smartphones, tablets, e-readers, to video game consoles and dvds. 

       On behalf of everyone at PCATT we would like to wish you all a very happy holiday season and a prosperous new year!