Changes to the site in 2024
This site is being redeveloped to work with ADA (American's with Disability Act) compliances making sure that images, icons, menus, and every object on each page works with ADA guidelines.
Videos will be reproduced to provide closed captioning. Thankfully, video production has been switched to We Video to create the proper captioning using their AI systems.
A third server will be introduced this year to handle session traffic on all sites providing a third encrypted system.
These changes will be implemented across all websites operated on this server farm.
In over 20 years of web development, these past few years have been spent studying compliances to ensure security, privacy, and easy access as change is constant in this industry.
40 years of IT Support
In 1984, IT changes were happening in two different areas that would direct how the future was going to look like.
Intel released the 286 microprocessor that would allow an operating system to use Xenix (a version of the mainframe Unix operating system)
to operate a computer that could work with government, small business, and non-profit organizations to use off the shelf programs (written in COBOL)
to handle accounting and other business tasks without the need for having a main frame or mid range computer.
1984 was also the year of the Apple Macintosh computer. A computer that would transform the graphic arts and media industry by creating an electronic method for
desiging artwork that would eventually lead to desktop publishing, audio and video production into an electronic and digtal format.
As the first phase of IT training was completed in Seattle, in March of 1984, these two technologies would be used heavily for work and support until Windows and the internet was released.
When the time came to relocate to the Willamette Valley, cloud technology was beta-tested and used for both Google and Microsoft years before it would be used in colleges and major business settings giving many in the community an opportunity to see the next era as Central and Eastern Oregon would house many of the servers used for backing up our computer and mobile devices in a secured setting.
Within 40 years, these technologies have been integrated into home and business settings that are the same (many 80's home computers weren't compatibale with the business computers) while integrating mobile technology that can communicate to home, office, or cloud servers quickly to take care of many of our daily tasks.
In August of 2020, the opportunity of bringing in house cloud servers was presented (through Nextcloud) using the next generation of smaller computers to provide network security services, collaboration services for office documents, and this year a solid state way of handling and managing website services through a computer no bigger than a pack of cigarettes with more power than most 1980's computers IBM or HP made.
As many are working more from homes, the technology between home and office is transparent with high speed internet connections to procress data, voice, and video at the same that in 1984 would have been regarded as science fiction.
Expo 74
Plans are underway to travel to Spokane to cover the 50th anniversary of Expo 74.
While many associate Seattle's two worlds fairs for the University of Washington and Seattle Center, Riverfront Park stands on the site of the only World's Fair held in the United States during the 1970's.
It is one of the smallest cities to have such an event with many changes that would shape the attitude for future fairs.
Keeping your deivces backed up
This year, remote file services and backup options are in the works to be covered.
While these topics are already covered on the website, many of them are in need of an update which will occur this year.
Your smartphone is a computer. Like a computer, your information should be backed up at all times.
Apple does make it possible through ICloud while Android devices rely on Google One.
There are other choices as well including Microsoft (One Drive) and Dropbox for backups of all your photos and documents.
For those that don't trust using other cloud services providers, there is a way to keep your data synched through having your own cloud server such as Nextcloud.
Your information (stored in your phone) can be accessed from tablets, computers, and even your own television to use it with all devices you have access too on a daily basis. Sometimes, if you aren't using a VPN or plugging your phone into a public chargingstation, your information can become available to others.
The storage you have in your phone, should be concerning as it is insecure and can get into the wrong hands very easily and very quickly.
A smartphone with 1TB of memory doesn't make you a professional if you can't back it up the whole phone from a remote system that you pay to use or own.
You can even back up you devices to flash memory drives that can be securly stores in another location after the information has been copied.
Being professional with technology means you are being safe with the information it stores.
It can cost your job or your business if you don't have a backup/recovery option.