• File Compression
• Identity Theft
• Mistaken Identity
• Streaming Media

File Compression
Lossy discards some data. Lossless uses repeated patterns. WinZip, PKZip, and IZArc are file compression/decompression utilities.

File compression reduces the size of files making them more efficient to store and to transport across the Internet. There are two types of file compression: lossy and lossless.

• With lossy file compression some of the data in a file is discarded. This type of compression is typically used with pictures. Data elements that record subtle color changes or shading may be eliminated without seriously degrading the image.
• Lossless file compression does not discard any data. This approach looks for repeated patterns in the data and creates a dictionary of the repeated patterns. The repeating patterns in the uncompressed file are replaced in the compressed file with a pointer to the appropriate location in the dictionary.

You may have received compressed files in an email attachment or downloaded them from the Internet. Frequently, these files have a .zip file extension and are called zip files. Before you can use the files, they must be decompressed or unzipped. Some files can be decompressed by simply clicking on them and others require special compression/decompression utilities such as WinZip or PKZip.

One free compression/decompression utility that is growing in popularity is IZArc. To learn more about this utility, visit their Web site at http://www.izsoft.dir.bg.

Identity Theft
Illegal assumption on another’s identity is identity theft. It is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States.

Identity theft is the illegal assumption of someone’s identity for the purposes of economic gain. It is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. Could it happen to you? It has happened to millions of other people. To learn more about identity theft, click here to view the TechTV article and video.

Mistaken Identity
Benign mistaken identity can be easily resolved. Electronic identity typically associated with social security numbers.

Most of us have had the experience of receiving a telephone call or mail intended for someone else. Often times this happens because we have a similar name. This is an example of benign mistaken identity. All you need to do is to inform the person or party that you are not the person they intended to contact. Typically, that resolves the mistaken identity.

But, what if your electronic identity is switched or crosses paths with someone else? For example, what if your social security number is some how linked to another person? That’s just what happened to a man in Ohio who over a period of several years lost his home, his family, and his job. And he was repeatedly rejected for jobs for which he was well qualified.

What happened? It started with a simple recording error at one of the police precincts in Cleveland, Ohio. As a dangerous criminal with a violent past was being booked, the booking officer mistakenly entered the criminal’s 4 digit street address as the last four numbers for his social security number. That incorrect social security number matched the innocent man’s. From that point forward, whenever a standard background check was made on the innocent man, the criminal’s record was mistakenly reported.

Could this happen to you? It may already have. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to recognize. Here are a few things to look for:

• Have you ever been unexpectedly rejected or fired from a job or denied a promotion without an explanation?
• Have you been unexpectedly turned down for a loan or a credit card?
• Have you received recurring mail, email, or telephone calls intended for someone else?
• Have you experienced unexpected unfriendly or cold behavior from someone who had previously had been friendly?

If any of these has happened to you, you may want to check for mistaken identity. You might start by conducting a background check on yourself. You can locate numerous organizations that provide this service without charge by conducting a search on the Web using the key words background check. You might directly ask why you were turned down for a job, promotion, loan, or credit card. Be persistent, you have the right to know. You might even hire a professional investigator to research your electronic identity.

Streaming Media
Downloading a file transfers the entire contents to your computer. Streaming a file transfers packets that are stored temporarily in a buffer.

Almost all information sent over the Internet is contained in files. For example, when your browser connects to a Web site, the site sends a document file back to your computer. Once the entire file has been received, your browser interprets the file and displays a Web page. This process works very well for small files because the time required to deliver the file over the Internet is short. It does not work as well for large media files such as audio and video files.

There are two basic ways in which file content is delivered via the Internet to your computer: downloading and streaming.

• Downloading a file transfers the entire contents of the file to your computer. After the file has been downloaded, it can be used. For example, to download an MP3 music file, you right click on the link, choose Save as, and specify the location on your computer to save the file. Downloading a file can take a few minutes or in the case of video files it can take hours. Once the file has been stored onto your computer, you can play the music or the video.
  
  
• Streaming a file does not transfer the entire contents of the file to your computer. Rather, the file is broken down into parts or data packets. These data packets are temporarily stored in a buffer or special part of your computer’s RAM. Once the buffer has received several packets, these packets can be used at the same time more data packets are being received. For example, a streaming MP3 music file can be listened to at the same time it is being downloaded. A streaming audio or video file can begin playing within seconds and continue to play until the entire contents have been delivered.