virtual

Clients no longer have to go to the gym to work out with a personal trainer - which is a big relief for those individuals who just don t have the time in their busy schedules. Some personal trainers are now offering custom designed workout programs for their clients that they can access from the comfort of their own home.

Cyber training is one of the fitness industry s top five trends. And with today s technology, the fitness industry doesn t expect this fad to pass anytime soon. Online videos via email and pod-castings delivered to your cell phone and mp3 players seem to be the way of the future - putting fitness tips and your own exercise program literally into the palm of your hand!

Your personal trainer will use your personal information and current state of health to design your own custom virtual exercise program. Nutrition plans that can also be delivered to you via email and based on your personalized fitness and health goals for example: weight loss, weight gain, muscle gain, body toning, endurance training, post-pregnancy training, etc. For the exercise training + nutritional menus personal trainers are often teaming up with registered dieticians and nutritional consultants to provide their clients with proper nutrition expertise. Then personal trainers will handle the video portion, which includes visuals of live models, music, sound effects, and stylized routines. Some virtual fitness online even comes available in a number of different languages.

In a way virtual fitness is kind of like home video workout tapes. However they are now available over the internet and you get to work with a personal trainer - just not in the flesh and blood. For most people, they don t need a personal trainer holding their hand through the exercises - All that s needed is a mental connection between trainer and client, which can be achieved through a number of videos, emails and phone calls.

The benefits of virtual online personal training are as follows:

You can workout in the comfort of your own home so you escape what s sometimes considered a competitive gym environment .

You can schedule your workouts any time of day this is great for people who work shift work or like to workout before 6am or after 11pm.

You are free to do other tasks virtual workouts are convenient for those who can t get to a gym because of other responsibilities child care, home businesses, etc.

Feel free to break up your workouts doing fitness at home means if you don t have time for a full workout program you can split it up into 10 to 15 minute segments.

Virtual is less expensive - Another BIG reason why clients are drawn to virtual training is the lower cost! The virtual downloads are much less expensive than hiring a personal trainer - which could cost between $50 and $100 an hour.

So why do LEDwall use the Virtual Pixel Technology? And what is it exactly? These are very common questions when you approach the LEDwall industry for the first time. The answer might look obscure at first, but it is actually very simple once you understand a few basic principles. The Virtual Pixel is a video-management feature that allows a 400% increase in image quality. Yes, 400%. So why LEDwall manufacturers use it is pretty obvious: they use it to show better quality, realistic-looking images.

But why do LEDwalls need to increase the image quality through a video-management feature in first place? It's pretty simple: despite of its huge size, a LED screen has usually many LESS pixel than a common PC screen you are watching right now. How is that possible? Because on a LED screen, the distance between 2 pixels can be up to 30mm or even more. As a result, on a normal PC screen, you can have 1024 x 768 physical pixels or more - while on a 4x3 meters LED giant screen you could have 192 x 144 physical pixels! Big difference, uh?

So how can we actually see anything on a LED screen with a resolution of only 192 x 144 (27.648 physical pixels in total)? Easy! Thanks to the virtual pixel technology, we can double the number of pixels in length and the number of pixels in height: therefore we can increase the number of pixels perceived by the human eye, by 4 times! Therefore, the same screen with virtual pixel technology will have a perceived resolution of 384 x 288 pixels (or 110.592 pixels!). Isn't that beautiful?

Now you are probably asking how is that possible? Well, there are two different types of virtual pixel: the so called, "geometrical or squared" and the "interpolated". Let's start from the first one. geometrical / squared virtual pixel: this technology is based on a pretty simple geometrical concepts. If you have two identical shapes placed next to each other, by taking half of each shape, you can create other two identical shapes. Clear, isn't it? Now, as I said, if you have two identical shapes placed next to each other, by taking half of each shape, you can create 2 more shapes. For example, if you have 2 identical pixels lying next to each other, by taking half of each pixel, you can create 2 more pixels... identical to the first two.

So, what happen when you combine the first 2 Real pixels, with the second 2 pixels that you created "virtually"? You just doubled the number of pixels (from 2 to 4)! Now imagine to double the number of pixels you have in length, and - with the same technique - double the number of pixels you have in height: well, you increased the number of pixels (and therefore the image quality) by 400%!

So this is how the "geometrical / squared virtual pixel". Pretty good, uh? Unfortunately Not. There are some limitations and side-effects of this technology, especially when compared with the "interpolated technology" which is the latest technology used on LEDwalls. The geometrical / squared virtual pixel seems to be a pretty useful and "smart" technique. It uses half of two adjacent pixels to create other two. It is pretty easy and straightforward once you understand the mechanism. So what are the limitations of this technique? Well, there is only one main limitation, but it could be important. Let's see if I can explain it clearly:

We just saw how two adjacent pixels can create other two by "switching" the side LEDs of each pixel. In this case everything worked fine because the distance between the LEDs is the same distance we have between the pixels. But let's say for example that I have a LEDwall with a bigger pixel pitch, for higher viewing distances. What happen if the distance between LEDs and Pixels is not the same anymore? Well, in this case the virtual pixel you created is not identical to the Real Pixel anymore. The virtual pixels are more stretched then the Real ones and therefore the overall image quality will be affected.

Over the past 15 years some manufacturers developed a technology that allows to go beyond these limitations and guarantee a superior image quality with ANY resolution. Does it mean that the geometrical / squared virtual pixel is not a good technology? Well, let's just say that it is definitely not the most recent one! Some LEDwall manufacturers still use it, so be careful: when considering your LEDwall supplier, make you check how their virtual pixel technology works.

Although very little credit is given to cheap host solutions when it comes to the internet boom, the truth is that without affordable host solutions there was no way so many websites could have been hosted online. The price of host has been on a steady decline and new technologies like VPS (virtual private servers) have made hardware sharing an affordable reality. To better understand how VPS has impacted web host one must first understand what a virtual private server is.
A virtual private server is a method of partitioning a physical server computer into multiple servers; each virtual server has the appearance and capabilities of running as a dedicated machine. In addition, a virtual private server can have multiple instances of different operating systems running at the same time. A virtual private server boots up like any normal web server, the server then executes a virtualization software that allows a single server to host multiple virtual machines. The servers administrator decides exactly what resources are available to each virtual machine. Contrary to popular belief, a virtual private server is in no way inferior to a dedicated server and is far more cost effective.
A webmaster is usually assigned a super-user account on the virtual private server, and a webmaster can choose to install any software he wants. Unlike a dedicated server, there are very little restrictions on the type of software a webmaster can install, and everything from firewalls to anti-virus programs can be installed on a virtual private server. Although, virtual private servers with multiple operating systems are becoming popular, a virtual private server with multiple instances of the same operating system is believed to perform better.
A super-user also has access to various features like root SSH and memory management. As mentioned earlier in the article, the virtual private servers administrator has the rights to decide how much RAM is allocated to each virtual server thus ensuring that each virtual server is allocated enough space and memory and is not deprived of system resources.
Advantages of virtual private servers
Cost effective
The biggest advantage of virtual private serves is that they are cost effective. Compared to a dedicated server, a virtual private server is nearly 75% cheaper and can offer the same features as a dedicated server.
Greater flexibility
A webmaster can choose exactly how many hardware resources he wants allocated to his website. In addition, a webmaster can reboot the web server as and when he wants without having to worry about downtime for other websites. Virtual servers can be rebooted individually, and do not affect other servers that are running on the same virtual private server.
Expandable
Depending on a webmasters requirements, a virtual server can be assigned greater system resources and space. For example, an e-commerce site might require more server space as its business grows. A virtual private servers administrator can assign additional server space and system resources to a website in real time with very little or no downtime.
Unmanaged virtual private servers
A virtual private server need not be managed by the servers administrator alone. A webmaster can also be granted super-user access to the virtual server and can manage the server himself. Webmasters that require access to the root SSH (Secure Shell) can choose to manage their virtual server themselves. In addition, webmasters that want to install specialized software can also manage their virtual server themselves. However, a webmaster acting as the administrator of his own virtual server does not receive support for pre-installed software nor receive any pre-installed software updates. In addition, a webmaster is responsible for monitoring the server himself and any software problems are the webmasters responsibility and only hardware issues are managed by the service provider. In a nutshell, unmanaged virtual private servers are ideal for webmasters with technical know how.
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Conventional classrooms

Think learning and the first picture that comes to mind is that of an organized classroom where students listen to the gems of wisdom from the teacher in rapt attention, sometimes out of curiosity and often out of fear of a chide from the stern teacher. But this set up has long been relegated to the days of yore by the leapfrogging technology. Such has been the impact of technology on learning that it has almost made traditional learning methods look obsolete.

The arrival of virtual classrooms

Even though e-learning has taken over conventional learning for better or worse, it had not been able to successfully and completely replace traditional learning methods, mainly because it provided self learning content for learners that was fed into a CD or a website. There has been much pondering over the causes and solutions to this blow to e-learning. And only when experts had started to concede that traditional classroom training has no substitute, virtual classrooms happened. And they changed the face of e-learning altogether. This, in no way, means that virtual classrooms are a worthy replacement to their traditional counterparts. But, they are definitely proving to be valuable conjuncts to live classrooms.

The arrival of virtual classrooms on the scene made way for real time broadcast of lectures given by an instructor or a subject matter expert. Also known as webcasts or webinars, the live online events are synchronous short programs that take anywhere between half an hour to two hours to get completed. Led by an instructor, the participants usually vary from 25 to 30 learners.

Virtual classroom vis a vis traditional classroom

A traditional classroom set up is essentially a learning platform, where learning happens through communication, dialogue, and other learning aids such as text, figures, charts and diagrams. All this is done in a closed room to incubate students in an environment free of external disturbances in order to aid concentration. In this set up, students and the teacher need to be present at the same physical location and in real time.

As opposed to this, in a virtual classroom, a learning platform is created in a virtual or web based environment. All other features for learning remaining unaltered, the virtual classroom liberates learning of all physical shackles, by aiding learners to learn from remote locations. The omnipresent internet has made remote learning a reality, making success stories out of concepts such as the virtual classroom. A web based classroom scores in its easy and familiar interface and liberty from geographical boundaries, with features such as discussion boards and chat rooms, but is ridden with maladies such as security concerns, copyright issues, et. al.

Features of a virtual classroom

The classroom activities inside a virtual classroom comprise of

Learning through gaming

Group discussions with peers, instructor, and guest trainers

Giving out of homework and assessment of solved exercises

Defining work modules for the complete course

Synchronous chatting and forum discussions

Quizzes and surveys

Individual and group learning activities

The virtual classroom utilizes the following tools to deliver learning material.

Power point slides

Electronic flip charts

Websites

Explanation tools like arrows or bullets

Live software applications like word or excel

Apart from this, the learner participation is aided by tools that allow learners to

Write on electronic flip charts

Derive useful notes from the content with the help of annotation tools

Practice software applications first hand

Question or discuss through voice over internet protocol (VOIP) or teleconferencing

Question or discuss with peers or instructors through public chat

Question or discuss exclusively with the instructor through private chat

Answer polls and multiple choice surveys

Visit useful websites

Play games to enhance certain skills

Other features of the virtual classroom include

Platform for posting information

Separate homepages for students

Grade books

Calendar and timetable

Equipment required for a virtual classroom

A regular computer connected to the internet is enough to join a virtual classroom session. Regardless of the speed of the internet connection, students can successfully participate in a virtual classroom, but instructors are recommended to have computers with faster processors and larger memories, if application sharing is essentially a part of the virtual classroom. In case the classroom makes use of VIOP based communication, the learner might require a sound card and a microphone, while if teleconferencing is the chosen means of communication the participant will need two telephone lines.

Wrap up

Though a virtual classroom has covered most of the benefits of a traditional one, it mainly lacks in making an optimal use of the features that its software offers. You don’t need to be no techno-wizard to pull the features together and juxtapose effective content seamlessly to deliver a rich learning experience. The key to achieving this is creativity in delivery.