Automobile industry jargon - What is the meaning of BFD and what is its utility while driving a vehicle?

Brake Force Display (BFD) is a system developed by BMW for alerting tailgating drivers of a potential hazard in front of their vehicle. It works by increasing the intensity of the brake lights under heavy braking. The extra lighting is triggered only after the ABS sensors detect a rate of deceleration in excess of 5 m/second (emergency braking), but not under normal braking in order to avoid unnecessary illumination.

Related post
What is ABS?

Computer games technical term Anti-Aliasing - What is Anti-Aliasing with respect to graphics and laptop resolution?

Anti-Aliasing
A method used to better define higher resolution objects in lower resolution. For example, you would use anti-aliasing if you have two lines that are so close together that at 320×200 they look as if they are one double-width line and you want to represent them better.

This is most noticeable when dealing with curves, such as circles. For example, if you look at a circle drawn in a simple paint program at a low resolution, you can see the “steps,” or “jaggies”–the points it takes to make the circle. If you raise the resolution you’ll notice the “steps” much less. If you use anti-aliasing, different shades of the circle’s color are used to “fill in” the gaps caused by low resolution, smoothing out its appearance to the user.

Typical uses for anti-aliasing are for smoothing out fonts and straight lines in 3D images. If you are using a system with jagged-looking fonts, chances are that it’s not anti-aliasing the fonts.

Television and display screen jargon - Aspect ratio, explained in simple words

Aspect Ratio
The ratio of the width by the height on a monitor or television screen. Most TVs and monitors have a 4×3 aspect ratio–the screens are 4 units wide and 3 units high. A movie screen has an aspect ratio of 16×9 (a bit wider than 5×3), and that’s why we have letterboxed movies (when you show a movie in true form on a TV you get black boxes on the top and bottom of the screen). HDTV screens today and some monitors support 16×9 aspect ratios, but most televisions and monitors still retain the 4×3 aspect ratio.

Blog, Forum and Twitter - What is the difference between these three forms of social networking and online content platforms

Blog
A blog (short for "weblog") is a journal that’s available on the internet. Updating a blog is referred to as “blogging” and the person keeping the blog is a “blogger”. Blog posts are usually listed in chronological order, with the most recent entry first. Many blogs are available as RSS feeds, which means they are delivered to a feedreader.

Forum
A forum is a web-based application that allows people to hold discussions through individual posts. The posts will be displayed in chronological order or as threaded discussions.

Twitter
Twitter is the largest of the microblogging/microsharing services. It’s a web service that allows individuals and organizations to share short (140 characters or less) messages with the people who “follow” or subscribe to their twitterstream. An individual message (or “update”) posted on Twitter is called a “tweet”.

Computer jargon - "Bandwidth", explain the term in simple words. What is the unit of measurement of bandwidth?

Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transferred from one place to another within a certain amount of time. Digital devices measure bandwidth in bytes per second. The bigger the bandwidth, the faster the data can be transferred.

Internet jargons - What is the difference between Wi-Fi and Wiki

Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is short for “wireless fidelity”. This refers to certain kinds of wireless local area networks. People with handheld devices such as Blackberries or iPhones, or laptops with wireless cards can connect to the internet using a Wi-Fi network.

Wiki
A wiki is a website or piece of software that allows users to create and edit webpages. Users are able to link to outside sites and collaborate on the information that is posted.

Virus, Spyware and Spam, differentiate between them with respect to information and computer security

Virus
A virus is a piece of code that copies itself without help from users and is usually attached to a program or files that can be downloaded. Some viruses display messages, install other software or files, or delete information.

Spyware
Software that is installed on your computer without your knowledge or consent, usually when other software is being installed, is often referred to as spyware. Most try to get the user to look at advertisements or certain websites. Some spyware sends information about the user to other computers over the Internet.

Spam
Spam is email that users receive when a mailing list is used inappropriately and a message is sent to a large number of people who didn’t ask to receive it.

Explained in simple terms. What is the difference between Social Networking and Social Bookmarking?

Social Networking
A social networking site allows you to identify your contacts and establish a link between you and each of your contacts.

Social Bookmarking
The practice of sharing and bringing links to content that you find of value to the attention of others. Sites such as Digg, Facebook and Orkut are popular variations of this type of link sharing.

Describe what do you mean by the term SEO and SEM with respect to internet and computer technology

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization is also known as SEO. This is the process of improving the amount of traffic and the quality of traffic to a website from search engines using algorithmic search results for keywords.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
An advertising strategy designed to bring visitors to a particular web site. Typically used in conjunction with search engine technology to deliver ads for businesses to appear in search results with other related content.

What is a Screencast? How it is relevant to online content developers and bloggers. What is the difference between screencast and podcasting?

Screencast
A screencast is digital recording of a computer screen, usually with audio narration. They can be used to show users how software works and can help report problems in software. The screencast software is typically used by video publishers of youtube.

Podcasting
Podcasting is a kind of audio broadcasting that uses the Internet, like an on-line radio show. The name was created by combining “iPod” and “broadcasting”. Podcasting involves making one or more files available in an RSS feed. A pod-caster (the creator of the podcast) makes a list of music and/or other audio files and makes the list available for other users to retrieve.

What do you mean by the term Baby Boomer, often used in demographic and consumption trend case studies

Baby Boomer - A person who was born between 1946 and 1964. The baby boomer generation makes up a substantial portion of the North American population. Representing nearly 20% of the American public, baby boomers have a significant impact on the economy. As a result, baby boomers are often the focus of marketing campaigns and business plans.

After the end of World War II, birth rates across the world spiked. The explosion of new infants became known as the baby boom. During the boom, an estimated 77 million babies were born in the United States alone! The large increase in population produced a substantial rise in demand for consumer goods, stimulating the post-war economy.

Define Arbitrage, in context of online stock trading and high frequency trading in Forex, commodity and futures trading

Arbitrage - The simultaneous purchase and sale of an asset in order to profit from a difference in the price. It is a trade that profits by exploiting price differences of identical or similar financial instruments, on different markets or in different forms. Arbitrage exists as a result of market inefficiencies; it provides a mechanism to ensure prices do not deviate substantially from fair value for long periods of time.

Given the advancement in technology it has become extremely difficult to profit from mispricing in the market. Many traders have computerized trading systems set to monitor fluctuations in similar financial instruments. Any inefficient pricing setups are usually acted upon quickly and the opportunity is often eliminated in a matter of seconds.

Define Amortization, what is the difference between amortization and depreciation, with respect to financial valuation and balance sheet entry.

Amortization - The deduction of capital expenses over a specific period of time (usually over the asset's life). More specifically, this method measures the consumption of the value of intangible assets, such as a patent or a copyright.

Suppose XYZ Biotech spent $30 million dollars on a piece of medical equipment and that the patent on the equipment lasts 15 years, this would mean that $2 million would be recorded each year as an amortization expense.

Difference between Amortization and Depreciation
While amortization and depreciation are often used interchangeably, technically this is an incorrect practice because amortization refers to intangible assets and depreciation refers to tangible assets.

Amortization can be calculated easily using most modern financial calculators, spreadsheet software packages such as Microsoft Excel, or amortization charts and tables.

Who is an Actuary? What is the nature and scope of Actuarial Analysis with respect to finance and insurance sector.

Actuary - A professional statistician working for an insurance company. They evaluate your application and medical records to project how long you will live. Actuaries are intensively educated and their knowledge is used in many different fields in order to predict future events based upon past occurrences.

Actuarial Analysis - The examination of risk by a highly educated and certified professional statistician. Actuarial analysis uses statistical models to manage financial uncertainty by making educated predictions about future events. Insurance companies, banks, government agencies and corporations use actuarial analysis to design optimal insurance policies, retirement plans and pension plans and to analyze investment risks.

For example, actuarial analysis is an essential task performed by insurance companies to analyze data and estimate the probability of an insurance claim being filed for a given event. This work allows insurance companies to predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy the amount of claims they will pay out, which helps them determine what premiums they must charge to remain profitable.

What is the meaning of AAA (triple A) with respect to banking and finance sector especially bonds

Definition of 'AAA'
The highest possible rating assigned to the bonds of an issuer by credit rating agencies. An issuer that is rated AAA has an exceptional degree of creditworthiness and can easily meet its financial commitments. Ratings agencies such as Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings use the AAA nomenclature to indicate the highest credit quality, while Moody's uses Aaa.

As bonds that are rated AAA are perceived to have little risk of default, they offer investors the lowest yields among bonds of comparable maturity. The global credit crisis of 2008 resulted in a number of companies, including General Electric, losing their AAA rating. By the end of 2009, only four companies in the S&P 500 possessed the coveted AAA rating: Automatic Data Processing, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft and ExxonMobil.

With respect to vehicles and auto sector what does ADC and APS meaning, importance and function of ADC and APS

ADC (Automatic Distance Control)

The Automatic Distance control (ADC) technology is similar with the DISTRONIC system from Mercedes-Benz. It is in essence a combination between Cruise Control and a radar based speed control system. When activated, the speed control system can make the car keep a constant distance to another vehicle in front independent of driver input.

If the radar determines an impending frontal crash is unavoidable it emits a collision warning and then automatically slows down the car to avoid it. Newer generations are actually able to bring the vehicle to a full stop behind the car ahead if necessary.


APS (Acoustic Parking System)
The Acoustic Parking System (APS) uses ultrasonic sensors installed at the rear as well as at the front of a vehicle to make parking easier. Using information from the sensors, a microprocessor calculates how far is the car from an obstacle. An intermittent warning tone or lights on a display are usually used to give the driver warning of an impending impact with any object caught by the ultrasonic sensors' sight.

In automobile industry, what does ACC stands for and what are it's benefits?

Automatic Climate Control (ACC)

The Automatic Climate Control is an air-conditioning unit which can automatically set the temperature desired by the driver without being influenced by the outside temperature or other factors. The most advanced climate control systems nowadays use different sensors and can take into account outside temperature, the sun rays' intensity and even the angle on which they're setting on the car in order to automatically regulate the temperature requested by the driver.

What does the acronym ABS stands for? What is the significance of ABS in aviation and auto industry with respect to passenger safety?

Antilock Braking System (ABS)

Originally developed for aircraft braking systems in the first half of the twentieth century, the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is essentially used to improve stability during braking and in some cases it can even shorten braking distances altogether. Appearing in various mechanical forms before, the first modern electronic four-wheel ABS system was co-developed by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch.

In cars without ABS, during hard braking the wheels lock, thus making impossible for the car to be steered and the vehicle most likely skids into the obstacle the driver is trying to avoid. The ABS prevents wheel lock-up during braking maneuvers by using sensors which can determine if any wheel is slowing down more than the others and computer-controlled valves which can limit the pressure delivered to each brake cylinder on demand. The whole system is controlled via a master ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

Since the ABS constantly pumps the brakes during a braking maneuver the driver can concentrate on steering the car while applying constant pressure on the brake pedal, without fear of losing control of the car's direction. Also, while braking on uneven surfaces (left tires on gravel and right ones on tarmac, for example) the ABS can keep the car's stability under control.

What is the meaning of 4WD and 4X2 with respect to automobile industry and vehicle in general

4WD (Four Wheel Drive)
Four Wheel Drive is a system which transfers engine power to four wheels independently and is mostly found on SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and all-terrain vehicles. By using differentials it can transfer almost any amount of power percentage to any of the four driving wheels.

4X2 (Two Wheel Drive)
This expression is used to describe a vehicle with only two wheel drive. The first figure is the total number of wheels, and the second is the number of driving wheels. In some countries it's essentially a different name for rear-wheel drive vehicles (RWD), unlike 2X4, which can be used for describing a front-wheel drive vehicle (FWD).

Internet and blogging - What is the full form the acronym RSS and what is it's use ?

RSS

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. An RSS feed is a document that contains either a summary of content from a web site or the full text of a website. RSS feeds makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites automatically rather than checking them manually.

What is a cookie with respect to internet and computer industry

Cookies

A cookie is information sent by a web server to a web browser. The browser saves the cookies and sends it back to the server when additional requests are made to the server. The browser may or may not accept the cookie and will save the cookie for a short or long period of time. Information that is contained might be login or registrations, shopping cart information, etc.

Internet and Information technology industry - Cloud Computing explained in simple words

Cloud Computing

A new approach to computing in which you access applications (word processing, spreadsheets, photo storage) through the web instead of through programs stored on your computer. Data is stored online and is accessible and often shareable with others from any computer, not just your own. For example, you might use Google Documents for word processing instead of Microsoft Word.

Glossary Term : What is the difference between of Alpha and Beta test? - Computer, Information technology, software and hardware industry term.

Alpha
A term given to a very early version of a hardware or software product which is not yet stable and may lack features. After some testing and some revision, the product will assume beta status.

Beta
A term given to a product that isn’t ready for public consumption, but is good enough for a wider testing scope. Many companies publicly release their beta software to a fraction of their users to let them get experience with the new software while the company gets feedback on bugs and features.

What are the full form of the acronym B2B and B2C ?

B2B
This acronym stands for business to business. The term describes activity between businesses, such as marketing or sales.

B2C
This acronym stands for business to consumer. The term describes activity between businesses and consumers. This relates mostly to online businesses and their products and services. Consumers are most likely reached through a form of Internet marketing.

Housing and construction sector terms - What is the difference between Full Bathroom and Half Bathroom

Full Bathroom
A bathroom with sink, toilet and bathing facilities including one or more of the following: shower, bathtub, Jacuzzi/whirlpool, spa, and sauna.

Half Bathroom
A bathroom with only a sink and toilet; no bath, shower or spa.

What does the acronym VOC stand for? - Home improvement and paint industry

VOC is an acronym for volatile organic compounds, which are gases that can trigger allergic reactions, asthma and upper respiratory infections.

What does the abbreviation TTY and TDD stands for with respect to telecommunication industry?

TTY - Teleprinter or Teletypewriter or Teletype Printer, a typewriter paired with an electronic communication channel, used for telecommunications or as a computer terminal.

TDD - Telecommunications device for the deaf or TDD, a teleprinter specifically designed for text communication over public switched telephone network.

How to contact UPS (United Parcel Service), United States, Customer Service? Complete list of important phone numbers

Customer Service Phone Numbers -  United Parcel Service (UPS), United States

Domestic Package Services : 1-800-PICK-UPS or 1-800-742-5877

Have a UPS Infonotice? : 800-833-9943

Freight Services - Ground/LTL (shipments >150lbs.) : 800-333-7400

Freight Services - Air/Ocean (shipments >150lbs.) : 800-443-6379

Supply Chain Solutions : 800-742-5727

International Import/Export Services : 800-782-7892

TTY/TDD Access for Hearing Impaired : 800-833-0056

Help Wells Fargo - Report Fraud, ID Theft or Lost/Stolen : For Credit, Debit/ATM card, Checks, Phish and Email Scams

If you notice fraudulent activity on your Wells Fargo account(s) or you suspect identity theft, please contact the bank immediately using the phone numbers given below.

For Debit/ATM card or checks
1-800-869-3557

For Credit card
1-800-642-4720

For Identity Theft
1-800-869-3557

To Report other suspicious online activity
1-866-867-5568

To Report Phish and Email Scams
reportphish@wellsfargo.com

What are the customer care numbers for Wells Fargo - General Banking Questions and Online Banking and Bill Pay Service

Following are the phone numbers for Wells Fargo customer service.

For General Banking Questions:
1-800-869-3557

For Online Banking and Bill Pay Service:
1-800-956-4442