Dual purpose training at its best. Why create two CDs when one can serve a dual purpose? This is the question that The Timken Company recently asked WRL. Our response was to create the new Timken Tech Series Interactive Training CDROM. The CD is a robust tool for training, is a handy a resource library filled with product information, and is a great tradeshow or product demo tool. Thanks to advanced technologies that use the same content and controls, WRL produced an award-winning product that is used both inside and outside the company. When the CD starts, the user is prompted to select one of two modes: I'll Take the Wheel and I'll Ride Along . I'll Take the Wheel allows the user to quickly navigate freely through the interface to access information, download, play 3D animatons and video and view or print from an extensive collection of Timken Literature. Demonstration videos and interactive exercises also help to engage the user. I'll Ride Along is very different. It is a passive mode that can be set to play on a screen during a tradeshow or meeting. The same information is displayed with narration from a professional voiceover talent. Making the CD in this way saved The Timken Company time and money, and was also an efficient use of resources.
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We see them everywhere now. In Times Square, along the interstate, on main street. Digital signage has definitely arrived. But what is it, and why is it so popular? "Digital signage" is a term that covers a wide range of different technologies and applications. Generically, we think of them as an electronically controlled sign that can be changed with a series of keystrokes instead of physically adding to or removing an existing sign. Because of this, changes can be made literally at will, specifically targeting the message for a specific event or occasion, with the capacity to distribute that message to hundreds or thousands of displays at once. A digital sign can be made up of a scrolling message board, plasma monitors, or large projection screens. Other forms of emerging technology can be used, such as innovations like polarized projection film, which allows high-contrast digital images to be projected directly onto store windows. From a single application to a network of signs, the potential of this technology is impressive. Further, because the messages displayed can be customized so easily, it opens the door for creativity. For example, your business could sublet space on a digital sign that could be sold or given to clients, with their message added in to the mix. This could help offset the cost of the signage, and create an additional source of revenue.
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I've see it so many times. Someone cleans a CD by wiping in a circle motion on the CD data surface. This can destroy the data tracks! It is recommended when cleaning a CD that water is used. However, if the substance on a CD cannot be removed using water, pure alcohol can also be used.
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Using Your TV as a Computer Screen Why use your TV as a computer screen? Why not? Most people think that only a laptop can send the right signal to put your copy of Halo 2 on your television set. However, most video cards now come with either an S-Video port or a standard RCA port. Simply run a line from these connections into your TV or VCR and zap! You're slugging it out with bad guys or (more importantly) working that spreadsheet on your big screen. If, after doing this, your operating system doesn't automatically recognize the TV, you may need to make some adjustments. Right-click the desktop, select Properties, then Settings. Every video card is different, but the controls should be found within Settings. That done, you can add other Cool Computer Tricks to your repertoire. Try remotely surfing the web by adding a wireless keyboard and mouse - just make sure the wireless is strong enough to reach your TV area or you'll have to get a wireless relay point device. Another option that is becoming very popular is the use of a Media Center . While expensive, these little machines fit right into your current component set up and work like a charm. It will allow you to record multiple movies and shows to your hard drive or burn directly to DVD. Media Center computers can do everything a laptop or desktop computer can do and then some. Check it out!
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| Current WRL Clients can get priority Multimedia help from James Hill. Email him! | ||
