Intel Corporation, Multimedia notebooks, New PC technologies

Fujitsu introduces mid-size LifeBook laptop

2010-08-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Fijitsu says that the 15.6 inch notebook offers a little more muscle for your money, with the $1,199 LifeBook AH530 packing a Core i5 processor and 500GB hard drive.

It doesn’t seem like long ago that the first $1,000 notebook brought forth howls of protest throughout laptop land.

Well, those were howls of protest from the notebook manufacturers who didn’t have a $1,000 dollar deal claiming that there would now be a race to the bottom, profits and margins were being sacrificed, yadda yadda yadda.

We people who buy notebooks were howling with delight, of course. And naturally it wasn’t long before every notebook manufacturer was playing at the affordable end of town – and they soon discovered that while margins might be lower, sales will be higher.

Fast forward to today, and what you can get for around the $1,000 mark is truly astounding. It’s also proof why notebooks are far outselling desktops.

For more information, please visit: http://apcmag.com/Content.aspx?id=6108

Lenovo launched IdeaPad Y560d multimedia 3D laptop

2010-07-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

Lenovo has launched its first multimedia 3D laptop with the release of its IdeaPad Y560d notebook.

The 3D laptop is designed for the high-end gaming market and users that seek high performance, gaming and multimedia capabilities said Chet Joshi, an account executive at Lenovo Canada.

The IdeaPad Y560d is a 15.6-inch slim form factor laptop that's 3D enabled, providing its users with a 3D experience similar to what they'd get at home or in a movie theatre, he added.

"Right now the 3D notebook is still a niche market," Joshi said. "But there are actually a lot of games that were developed in years past that are 3D-ready, and with 3D becoming popular with movies we think the market will exponentially explode. This provides instant gratification because users are viewing multimedia in 3D."

For channel partners, even though 3D laptops serve a niche community, because the units are designed to be higher-end the margins are better, Joshi said. Partners can also see their revenues soar when they sell complementary accessories such as speakers, adapters, batteries and multimedia remote controls.

The notebook features a high-definition 16:9 widescreen display and comes with a pair of polarized glasses which are compatible with 3D movies and games. The average battery life for the unit is estimated to be about four to five hours, with the possibility of more, depending on how the notebook is used, Joshi said.

In addition, the laptop is built with TriDef 3-D technology, which enables users to view their standard 2D video and photos in a 3D format.

"TriDef takes standard movies and photos and converts them to make them 3D on the screen," he said.

For more information please visit:
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=58445

"HP LaserJet Pays You Back" - LaserJet printers to SMBs across EMEA

2010-07-06T03:31:00.000-07:00

HP Middle East today unveiled the "HP LaserJet Pays You Back" global marketing campaign to demonstrate how an HP Color LaserJet Multifunction Printer (MFP) printing professional colour in your office pays you back.

The "HP LaserJet Pays You Back" campaign features a game-changing value proposition to illustrate the amazing return on investment (ROI) of an HP Color LaserJet Multifunction Printer: over time, the printer continues to pay customers back through energy, paper and toner savings.

The thought-provoking, fully integrated communications program combines social media, digital influencers and strategic partnerships including LinkedIn and International Data Group (IDG) to engage SMB and IT decision makers and broaden awareness of the HP LaserJet as a genuine business investment to the SMB community in the Middle East.

Unheralded heroes of business ROI

The campaign, which kicks off today, will run throughout the summer highlighting the measurable contribution of many other unheralded aspects of day-to-day business life that are able to generate quantifiable value. Discussions and debate will be initiated throughout the region on whether, how and how much practices such as a morning coffee break, the walk to work, a trip to the gym, an attractive working environment or a drink after work (with or without colleagues!) contribute to workplace productivity.

As Amin Mortazavi, General Manager IPG, HP Middle EastHP Middle East, explains, the campaign is about looking at products and practices which people typically consider as a cost in a different way.

"Many of these day-to-day workplace activities are considered a simple expense, when - in reality they generate a positive and measurable contribution to the overall business. As such, they can be considered as 'unheralded heroes' of office productivity, representing a fresh look at how we can view strategic investments in technology, personnel and every day costs," says Amin Mortazavi.

For more information please visit:
Zawya.com

DACC trustees approve bid for computers, networking to Zhai Network Parametrix

2010-06-23T05:07:00.000-07:00

DANVILLE – Danville Area Community College will continue to improve technology on campus this summer.

Trustees on Tuesday awarded a $78,836 bid to Zhai Network Parametrix for 70 Lenovo desktop computers, 70 monitors and 12 laptops. The equipment will be installed in four existing computer labs throughout the main campus.

Trustees also awarded an $80,474 bid to CDW-G for Cisco networking equipment. That will improve wireless Internet capabilities on campus.

The computer equipment will be purchased with Perkins grant funding, and the networking equipment will be purchased with the remainder of a 2008 technology and equipment bond.

"There were a little bit of funds that were left over," Chief Financial Officer Gail Morrison said of the $1 million bond, which DACC officials issued to make technology improvements across campus. "That will exhaust any remaining money."

The college used to rely on an annual $250,000 technology grant from the state to do that, but that money dried up several years ago. Afterward, the college replaced some items using grants, but not nearly as many or as frequently as it should.

A first round of funding was used to buy more than 200 computers, monitors and other equipment in the 2009 fiscal year, and a second was used to buy more than 250 computers, monitors and 62 laptops this current fiscal year.

"We're certainly much more up-to-date with our technology than we were," President Alice Jacobs said, adding that couldn't have been done without the bond. "We have to have computers and equipment that's as up-to-date as other institutions of higher education and the high schools to meet not only the needs of the students but the needs of the area employers, as well."

Source:

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2010-06-23/dacc-trustees-approve-bid-computers-networking.html

Lenovo Y560d laptop: works great for gaming

2010-06-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

The 3D revolution making headlines in 2010 goes beyond just TVs and actually extends to Blu-ray players, game consoles, and even laptops. It seems every computer manufacturer has hopped on the 3D laptop display train, and now Lenovo is finally aboard too with the new IdeaPad Y560d.

Lenovo slow to follow

In terms of 3D laptops, Lenovo can be considered something of a slow starter since both Acer and Asus already come out with 3D notebooks of their own late last year in 2009. By now, over a half a year later, Lenovo was one of the few PC makers to have not released a 3D laptop model, although all this has been changed with the new IdeaPad Y560d. Of course, what do we mean by a 3D laptop? Well, we’re referring to the computer’s 3D display, but there’s also more to it.

3D display

A 3D display alone isn’t enough if you only have 2D content, so something else is required to turn the standard 2D media into three dimensions. One option for 3D laptops to display photos, movies and games in 3D is none other than Nvidia’s 3D Vision Kit, complete with glasses, that we introduced earlier in the year. Models like the recently unveiled Toshiba Satellite A665 3D notebook make use of the Nvidia alternative, and reviews, especially for 3D gaming, are generally positive with the Vision Kit. To the contrary, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d, with its ATI GPU, goes another route by employing TriDef’s 3D tech.

TriDef 3D technology

The TriDef 3D solution was also used in Acer’s first 5738DG 3D laptop from late last year, to much less positive reception. Criticism included no support for DirectX 10 games, something that’s still an issue, a poor 3D HD experience, and a failure to work well with incompatible games (for a full list of tested games we refer you to TriDef’s homepage). Then, even when the effect did work as planned, it was nothing too spectacular. Granted, these experiences were with an Acer, not Lenovo, laptop, but many of the TriDef exclusive problems extend to the Y560d. Another glaring TriDef 3D issue is the fact that the service doesn’t work with Blu-rays, at all. So if you’re expecting a portable 3D Blu-ray player with this 3D IdeaPad Y series computer, then think again. Still, it’s not all bad news as the TriDef Photo Transformer software was said to do an excellent job of bringing 2D photos into three dimensions. Oh, and unlike Nintendo’s new 3DS, polarised glasses are of course still mandatory.

Impressive gaming specs

Aside from its 3D prowess, the IdeaPad Y560d packs some of the latest and fastest in hardware. We’re talking about the latest Intel Core i7 2010 CPU, complete with Intel’s performance enhancing Turbo Boost tech, a high-end ATI Radeon HD5730 graphics card, an HDMI port, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, up to 8GB of RAM, as well as support for HD graphics on its 3D capable 16:9 widescreen. Furthermore, switchable graphics for the Radeon card work much in the same way as Intel’s CPU Turbo Boost feature, by only boosting performance when needed, and save both power and battery life in the process.

Unique and stylish design

Looking at the IdeaPad’s appearance, moreover, it seems Lenovo have taken a page out of Alienware’s book when designing gaming rigs. The sleek black 15.6 inch 3D laptop comes with a large tribal etching on its back, struck through the middle by a white beam, lending the computer a very fashionable and unique presentation.

For more information please visit:
http://news.idealo.co.uk/news/7792/lenovo-y560d-laptop-great-for-gaming-alright-for-3d.html

MSI Unveils GT660 Gaming Notebooks

2010-06-09T01:49:00.000-07:00

MSI recently unleashed its GE600 gaming notebook for gamers. Now the company has announced the MSI GT660, calling it the ultimate gaming notebook and bestowing upon it the title of the king of gaming laptops. The MSI GT660 is born out of a collaboration between MSI and professional recording and sound system manufacturer Dynaudio. The device is first notebook in the world to feature MSI’s TDE+ (Turbo Drive Engine+) technology which enhances processor, memory and graphics performance.

The GT660 uses the Intel Arrandale notebook platform with the Intel Core i7 processor. It comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 285M discrete graphics card with 1 GB GDDR3 display memory. With sound technology from world renowned Dynaudio, the GT660 immerses you in your games or multimedia.

MSI’s TDE+ technology enhances both processor and display performance. One touch of the luminescent Turbo hotkey above the keyboard allows users to control processor, memory and display chip performance. The laptop’s GeForce GTX 285M graphics card comes with 128 3D stream processors and supports Nvidia Cuda and Nvidia PhysX technology.

The MSI GT660 notebook comes with three DDR3 memory slots which enables users to expand memory to 12 GB. It also features the latest USB 3.0 ports which are capable of data transfer at speeds of up to 4.8 Gbs.

In terms of looks, the MSI GT660 packs a one-of-a-kind LED light show with LEDs lighting up around the edges of the notebook. This light show is controlled by a hotkey and the LED lights pulsate to the beats of music.

Source:
http://www.gameguru.in/hardware/2010/09/msi-unveils-gt660-gaming-notebook/

New products from Intel

2010-05-24T04:05:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Toshiba's 13-inch Laptop Has Turbo-charged Battery

2010-05-10T04:18:00.000-07:00

Toshiba’s latest up and coming 13-inch laptop might be the world’s lightest, but it’s got another trick up its sleeve to banish battery life woes permanently. How? By adding a special second battery. Read on to discover what’s so special about the Toshiba 13-inch super-slim laptop.

Toshiba looks set to create a stir in the ultraportable laptop market by launching not only the world’s slimmest 13-inch laptop but it’s claimed by VozExpress to also deliver turbo-charged battery options.

Toshiba has yet to announce a name and price for its ultra-thin 13-inch laptop. However we are longer privy to some of its specifications. One of the most interesting is its battery. The new Toshiba laptop relies on a standard-voltage Intel processor and will be offered with an Intel Core i3 and Intel Core i5 options. This usually has an impact on battery life.

To get around this, reports Engadget, Toshiba has also added a second battery that uses Super Charged ion Battery technology capable of recharging to 90 per cent in just 10 minutes. If true, we can imagine Toshiba’s latest laptop being great for working on the move – a quick ten minute recharge in the local café, and you’re set for the rest of the day.

Other specifications to consider include a 512GB solid state drive, 500GB hard drive and a choice of Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7-620 processors with 4GB of memory. Hopefully it’ll include Intel Wireless Display too.

We’re hoping to get further details of the Toshiba ultra-slim laptop in the next couple of days.

Source:

http://www.my-laptop.co.uk/2010/05/10/toshiba-13-inch-laptop-has-turbo-charged-battery/

Intel EU+ Expansion Growth Award Won by Avnet Technology Solutions

2010-04-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

Avnet Technology Solutions / Avnet Technology Solutions Wins Intel EU+ Expansion Growth Award processed and transmitted by Hugin AS. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Avnet Technology Solutions (www.ts.avnet.com), the solutions distribution leader and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (www.avnet.com) (NYSE: AVT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating (www.ir.avnet.com)), was awarded the Intel EU+ Expansion Growth Award by Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating?) at the recent Intel Distributor Enabling Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Avnet was recognized amongst more than 40 EMEA distributors for excelling and maximizing growth opportunities in 2009. The award was presented to Francesco Capizzi, European Intel product manager, Computer Components, Avnet Technology Solutions, EMEA.

Avnet Technology Solutions' Computing Components division is Europe's premier distributor of leading-edge PC components. The division has a focused line card that ensures a close relationship with each supplier and a sales force that is able to deliver in-depth knowledge on each product.

recognized Avnet with this prestigious award not only because of their ability to drive growth in Europe for Intel products, but also because of their expertise in channel management and solutions development," said Maan Ahmadie, EMEA Director of Distribution at Intel. "Our partnership with Avnet has enabled Intel to serve a broad set of geographies and customers in Europe. We appreciate their dedication to the Intel channel, and their ongoing commitment to generating profitable growth for their business partners."

Avnet Technology Solutions' Computer Components division distributes Intel's leading-edge products, including processors, motherboards, networking and servers, which are designed to work together to deliver a complete technology solution. With a centralised logistics facility, Avnet Technology Solutions' Computing Components is able to hold large stocks of products from leading manufacturers, such as Intel and other complementary suppliers, providing next day delivery in many cases across Europe.

For more information please visit:
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/press-release/avt_intc_tscc_avnet-technology-solutions-wins-intel-eu-expansion-growth-award-929579.html

Intel Core 2 Duo

2010-03-22T02:16:00.000-07:00

New 32nm Westmere-based Xeon CPUs Launched by Intel

2010-03-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

Intel today launched what it calls its "most secure data center processor" in the new Xeon 5600 series, which is a 32nm update over the previous Xeon 5500's 45nm process. As many of you can figure out, the new Xeon 5600 series is based on the new Intel Westmere core technology.

What sets the Xeon 5600 apart from the consumer-level Core i3, i5 and i7 chips are two new security features -- Intel AES-NI, and Intel TXT -- that enable faster encryption and decryption performance for more secure transactions and virtualized environments.

For more information please visit: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-xeon-westmere-32nm-nehalem,9905.html

Desktop PC Buying Guide

2010-03-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

Once you've determined the type of desktop system you want a compact PC, a budget system, a mainstream all-purpose model, or a performance crackerjack--you need to know what components to look for. The processor and graphics chip you choose will determine many of your machine's capabilities, as will the system's memory and hard drive. Understanding those components will help you get the performance you need, without paying for things you don't.

You'll also want to consider details like the layout of the case, which can also make the difference between a pleasant workstation and a nightmare PC.

Graphics Cards

The GPU (graphics processing unit) is responsible for everything you see on your display, whether you play games, watch videos, or just stare at the Aero desktop baked into Windows 7.

If you aren't interested in gaming on your PC, integrated graphics built onto the motherboard--or in the CPU itself with Intel's new Core i3 and Core i5 Clarkdale chips--is the way to go. Integrated graphics help keep a system's cost low, and they deliver enough power to run simple games or high-definition Flash video. Intel's integrated graphics chips are widely used, but some PCs include an nVidia Ion graphics chip, which offers superior integrated video performance.

Processor

The CPU is one of your PC's most important components. The processor you choose is likely to determine your PC's shape and size, and will definitely determine its price. Generally, the higher the CPU clock speed, the faster the performance you may see--and the higher the price. A 3.46GHz Core i5-670 PC will trounce a 2.93GHz Core i3-530 system, but you'll pay nearly twice as much for the faster CPU. Another spec to watch is cache size: More is better, here: Core i3 and Core i5 parts have 4MB caches, while performance-geared Core i7 chips have 6MB or 8MB caches.

Desktop Case

A good case can make your everyday work easier and can simplify such tasks as upgrading and servicing components in a workplace. A well-designed case provides tool-less access to the interior, hard drives mounted on easy-to-slide-out trays, readily accessible USB ports and memory card slots, and color-coded cables for internal and external parts.

Operating System

It may be a decade old, but Windows XP remains a stalwart--even on some new systems. Nevertheless, most systems on the market today run Windows 7. Microsoft's latest operating system has received generally positive reviews, improving on many of Windows Vista's foibles.

For more information please visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031600059.html

Review on Advent Vedona P

2010-03-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

The Advent line of laptops is exclusive to PC World stores and the Advent Verona P is the latest ultra-slim machine on offer. It comes with 1 13.3-inch screen and entry-level CPU. It’s also a good looking with plenty of style. Find out how practical it is with our Advent Verona P review.

The Advent Verona P is an entry-level laptop based around a 13.3-inch screen and uses Intel’s new CULV processor, in this instance the Intel Pentium Processor SU2700, to deliver performance akin to that of a netbook.

Backed by 3072MB of memory and rounded out with a 250GB hard drive, the Advent Verona makes a decent secondary laptop, idea for using around the house, for example.

What’s more, it’s an incredibly slim laptop and compact laptop that weighs in at just 1.7kg, so is incredibly easy to take on the road with you. Sadly, the basic machine only comes with a 3-cell battery pack, which offers up to three hours of battery life at best.

For more information please visit: http://experts.thelink.co.uk/2010/03/08/advent-verona-p-review/

Intel will sell boxed Pentium CPUs as Core-based processors in Q1 2010

2010-02-24T01:32:00.000-08:00

While it’s fun to target the latest Intel “Extreme” processor and hear about the performance tweaks that have been implemented over the previous iteration, the fact is that most buyers can’t afford to drop $1,000 on a CPU, or even $200-$300 for its still-powerful but more affordable siblings. Even Intel is aware that people are still satisfied with a Pentium dual-core processor instead of a Core i5; according to Fudzilla, Intel projects that Pentiums not only will outsell Core i3s, i5s, and i7s this first quarter of 2010, but also Core 2 Duos and Core 2 Quads. In other words, the company’s humbler assistance will outpace all of the other boxed Intel CPUs, including the few bargain-priced (and -powered) Celerons that will still be available.

While the latest games and certain applications like Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro can make use of some of that extra processing horsepower, most people are using Microsoft Office, surfing the Web, and maybe doing their taxes on their PCs. They can run multiple applications like these at the same time and use Windows 7 with a Pentium-based PC. Most users don’t need Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technologies, and certainly won’t pay for them with the economy still in flux.

In case you’re curious, here’s the approximate breakdown in terms of projected sales of Intel’s other boxed processors:

Celeron (both single and dual core), 11%
Core 2 Duo, 12%; Core 2 Quad, 7%
Core i3, 5%; Core i5, 5%; Core i7, 2%
Core i9, 4%.

Sony Vaio CW Series - Fiery Red

2010-02-19T02:52:00.000-08:00

Sony’s renowned Vaio range of laptops deliver good performance but come with outrageous price tags. However, back in November the company put to fore its CW Series of power-packed multimedia notebooks. The CW series is where the company really worked on lowering the price points yet offering an efficient performance. The device emerged as a powerful multimedia device at an affordable price, bringing in some competition to manufacturers like Dell. Well, the CW series wasn’t just about performance as Sony maintains its love for style and elegance. The device is splashed with several colors. As the Sony Vaio CW Series Red notebook hops onto their desks, here’s an exclusive review of the Sony machine that runs on Windows 7.

Well, the impressively designed Fiery Red Vaio caught their attention from the moment the device was unboxed. It oozes super-stylish looks with a bright Red color to woo the ladies. All tech-savvy style icons with a budget can opt for the Sony Vaio CW notebook and if Red is not your color then Sony lets you pick among the hues of Black, Pink, Blue and White.

Talking about its design, the eye-catching device is dipped in glossy Red hue. The stylish 14-inch notebook’s lustrous outer body (lid) and the palm rest reflect style and sophistication. But one cannot escape the smudged finger prints on the lid and palm rest. As each time we used the notebook, our fingerprints settled on its glossy textured body. The other parts of the notebook sport a matte black finish.

Notebooks usually come with a small locking system to securely fold back the notebook. However, the Sony Vaio CW does not follow the usual game and features a slightly smaller lid (breadth-wise). This leaves a narrow horizontal space which houses LED indicators for power, battery and Wireless mode. The front part also equips memory slots for Standard SD cards and proprietary Memory Stick Duo cards. Well, we wonder if Sony wanted to add to the style (didn’t look like) with the distinctly designed lid. However, it leaves the device with smooth, rounded edges for additional comfort.

For more information: http://www.techgadgets.in/reviews/2010/28/fiery-red-sony-vaio-cw-notebook-reviewed/

Intel Corporation -PC chipset stores

2010-02-18T00:06:00.000-08:00

Intel AMT enhances the security and central remote management of business PCs by providing a firmware-based out-of band communication channel through which a management console can reach the PC even when it is powered off or the operating system (OS) is non-functional or missing. A management engine within the PC chipset stores authentication information in non-volatile memory that it uses to pass information across the same physical network interface used by the host OS, but with its own logical identity and IP address.

This mechanism allows system administrators to dramatically extend their management reach, including the ability to remotely discover hardware and software, power machines up and down, and deploy security patches and other software, regardless of system state. Using Intel AMT, support organizations can also isolate PCs from the rest of the network if they become compromised by malware.

Industry Challenges that Inspired Intel Trusted Execution Technology

Where the traditional focus of network protection has been. Coupled with the fact that a compromised PC may offer the means to obtain access to servers and other network assets, these characteristics have created an incentive for hackers to focus their efforts on client computing platforms.

Attack tools are widely available on the Internet, and IT organizations too often find themselves in a reactive mode in trying to fend off malicious intruders. The diversity and flexibility of intrusion attempts has largely outpaced the ability of today's protection models to cope with them.

As vulnerabilities in popular operating systems and application software are publicized, exploits are generated, often before security patches can be created to guard against them.

Financial incentives associated with the theft of data will continue to grow and encourage attempts to breach system defenses. Because of the increasing significance of the business PC in overall security, it has become necessary for IT organizations to look beyond perimeter defenses in protecting their networks.

Memory-chip company - Folsom

2010-02-17T23:57:00.000-08:00

When it’s not operating as the largest privately held, global technology company in the Sacramento region, Numonyx B.V. could serve as a marketing extension of the Folsom Chamber of Commerce, the city council and the mayor’s office.

Headquartered in Switzerland, the privately held company, which claims to be the world’s third-largest supplier of memory technology and the number one provider of memory chips for mobile phones, is a major booster of doing business in Folsom.

Numonyx picked the city as its North American headquarters and opened nearly 100,000 square feet of office and laboratory space at 2235 Iron Point Road in December. The site is staffed by nearly 450 employees working in or supporting strictly research and development. There’s no manufacturing.

Folsom won the nod partly because of the nearness of the Numonyx facility to the Intel Corporation campus. Numonyx was formed in 2008 when Intel and STMicroelectronics joined their flash memory businesses to create the independent company focused solely on memory technologies. Until the move into its new building, Numonyx employees temporarily worked at the Intel site.

For more information, please refer this page: http://folsomtelegraph.com/detail/142054.html

BMO Capital Markets Maintain Nokia (NOK) and Intel (INTC) Ratings

2010-02-17T23:51:00.000-08:00

Analyst Tim Long from BMO Capital Markets met with Nokia Corp. Executive Vice President Tero Ojanpera at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and discussed the company's Meego operating system that was developed in partnership with Intel Corporation.

Long maintained his Market Perform rating for Nokia Corp. He said he believes that the focus on Meego will cause a slower than expected recovery for Nokia's smartphone business.

The analyst also said that while Nokia is expanding its services businesses, that prices are falling and that he doesn't think the businesses will be very profitable.

BMO Capital Markets also maintained their Outperform rating for Intel Corporation.

OpenBSD

2009-07-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

OpenBSD is a Unix-like computer operating system descended from Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It was forked from NetBSD by project leader Theo de Raadt in late 1995. The project is widely known for the developers' insistence on open source code and quality documentation, uncompromising position on software licensing, and focus on security and code correctness. The project is coordinated from de Raadt's home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Its logo and mascot is a pufferfish named Puffy.

OpenBSD includes a number of security features absent or optional in other operating systems and has a tradition of developers auditing the source code for software bugs and security problems. The project maintains strict policies on licensing and prefers the open source BSD licence and its variants—in the past this has led to a comprehensive licence audit and moves to remove or replace code under licences found less acceptable.

As with most other BSD-based operating systems, the OpenBSD kernel and userland programs, such as the shell and common tools like cat and ps, are developed together in a single source repository. Third-party software is available as binary packages or may be built from source using the ports tree.

The OpenBSD project maintains ports for 17 different hardware platforms, including the DEC Alpha, Intel i386, Hewlett-Packard PA-RISC, AMD AMD64 and Motorola 68000 processors, Apple's PowerPC machines, Sun SPARC and SPARC64-based computers, the VAX and the Sharp Zaurus

Processor architectures

2009-07-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

ARM

ARM is designing and licensing high-performance chips requiring a relatively low power envelope, which would constitute an ideal basis for netbooks, and has touted these as an alternative platform. Despite this, ARM has had very little success in establishing a market for their chips in netbooks, likely because of incompatibilities of their ARM architecture to the established x86 software ecosystem (primarily the dominant Microsoft Windows operating system, Linux is fully compatible). Freescale, a manufacturer of ARM chips, has projected that by 2012 half of all netbooks will run on ARM and there has been much speculation as to a version of the upcoming Windows 7 compatible with ARM. In June 2009 nVidia announced a dozen mobile Internet devices running Tegra, some of which will be netbooks.

MIPS

Some Ultra-Low Cost netbooks feature a MIPS CPU. The 64-bit Loongson MIPS microprocessor is also used for higher-end applications.

x86

One report at the end of 2008 suggested the typical netbook featured a 3-lb (1.4 kg) weight, a 9-inch (23 cm) screen, wireless Internet connectivity, Linux or Windows XP, an Intel chip, and a cost of less than US$ 400. The x86-compatible VIA Technologies C7 processor is powering netbooks from HP and Samsung. VIA has also designed the Nano, a new x86-64-compatible architecture targeting lower priced, mobile applications like netbooks.

Net Work Cards

2009-06-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

What is a network card?

A network card (also called a Network Adapter or Network Interface Card, or NIC for short) acts as the interface between a computer and a network cable. The purpose of the network card is to prepare, send, and control data on the network.

A network card usually has two indicator lights (LED's):

* The green LED shows that the card is receiving electricity;

* The orange (10 Mb/s) or red (100 Mb/s) LED indicates network activity (sending or receiving data).

To prepare data to be sent the network card uses a transceiver, which transforms parallel data into serial data. Each cart has a unique address, called a MAC address, assigned by the card's manufacturer, which lets it be uniquely identified among all the network cards in the world.

Network cards have settings which can be configured. Among them are hardware interrupts (IRQ), the I/O address and the memory address (DMA).

To ensure that the computer and network are compatible, the card must be suitable for the computer's data bus architecture, and have the appropriate type of socket for the cable. Each card is designed to work with a certain kind of cable. Some cards include multiple interface connectors (which can be configured using jumpers, DIP switches, or software). The most commonly used are RJ-45 connectors.
Note: Certain proprietary network topologies which use twisted pair cables employ RJ-11 connectors. These topologies are sometimes called "pre-10BaseT ".

Finally, to ensure that the computer and network are compatible, the card must by compatible with the computer's internal structure (data bus architecture) and have a connector suitable for the kind of cabling used.

Video Feature Connector Pinouts.

2009-06-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Pinout details

Pin	Name	Function
1	PD0	Dac Pixel data bit 0
2	PD1	bit 1
3	PD2	bit 2
4	PD3	bit 3
5	PD4	bit 4
6	PD5	bit 5
7	PD6	bit 6
8	PD7	bit 7
9	-	Dac Clock
10	-	Dac Blanking
11	-	Horizontal Sync
12	-	Vertical Sync
13	-	Ground
14	-	Ground
15	-	Ground
16	-	Ground
17	-	Select Internal Video
18	-	Select Internal Sync
19	-	Select Internal Dot Clock
20	-	Not Used
21	-	Ground
22	-	Ground
23	-	Ground
24	-	Ground
25	-	Not Used
26	-	Not Used

And I assume that pins 1 - 12 are outputs, and 17 - 19 are inputs. Is this correct?

The reason is this - I have a Rombo Media Pro+ video digitising card. It chroma keys its output into the vga monitor signal. However, although it is supposed to work with an ET-4000 with Hi-colour RAMDAC, the colours on screen behave as if the top 2 bits of colour information are missing, and red, green, blue signals are swapped around. Rombo has suggested that this may be due to insufficient buffering on the feature connector outputs, and is happy to sell me a buffer device for 50 pounds. I would rather save about 45 pounds, and build my own. I assume it would require (for example) a 74F244 buffer IC(or two).

KVM switch problems

2009-05-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

There are two problems with VGA and KVM switches: the pin-9 problem and the pin-12 problem.

The pin 9 problem

Some monitors wait for a valid +5V level (TTL) on pin 9, using this signal to detect the computer. If the KVM switch doesn't provide +5V (pin 9 is floating) or pin 9 is missing on the connector of the cable, the monitor will not startup properly (sometimes the I/O light will flash slowly). The solution is to hardwire the console-side pin 9 of the KVM switch to +5V and ensure that the cable between the KVM switch and console has a wired pin 9.

The pin 12 problem

As mentioned under 'Disabling DDC', a machine connected to a KVM switch, but during startup not connected throughout the KVM switch to the console, will fall back to the default (lower) resolution. The solution is to remove the pin from one end of the VGA cable and to disable any plug and play for the monitor. Systems which use X11 to control the display (such as GNU/Linux or *BSD) will need to edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf so that:

Random Access Memory

2009-04-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Random access memory (usually known by its acronym, RAM) is a form of computer data storage. Today it takes the form of integrated circuits that allows the stored data to be accessed in any order (i.e., at random). The word random thus refers to the fact that any piece of data can be returned in a constant time, regardless of its physical location and whether or not it is related to the previous piece of data.

This contrasts with storage mechanisms such as tapes, magnetic discs and optical discs, which rely on the physical movement of the recording medium or a reading head. In these devices, the movement takes longer than the data transfer, and the retrieval time varies depending on the physical location of the next item.

The word RAM is mostly associated with volatile types of memory (such as DRAM memory modules), where the information is lost after the power is switched off. However, many other types of memory are RAM as well (i.e., Random Access Memory), including most types of ROM and a kind of flash memory called NOR-Flash.

Intel integrated circuits

2009-04-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

Among the most advanced integrated circuits are the microprocessors or "cores", which control everything from computers to cellular phones to digital microwave ovens. Digital memory chips and ASICs are examples of other families of integrated circuits that are important to the modern information society. While cost of designing and developing a complex integrated circuit is quite high, when spread across typically millions of production units the individual IC cost is minimized. The performance of ICs is high because the small size allows short traces which in turn allows low power logic (such as CMOS) to be used at fast switching speeds.

Intel dual-core x86 CPUs

2009-04-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Core brand refers to Intel's 32-bit mobile dual-core x86 CPUs that derived from the Pentium M branded processors. The processor family used a more advanced version of the Intel P6 microarchitecture. It emerged in parallel with the NetBurst (Intel P68) microarchitecture of the Pentium 4 brand, and was a precursor of the 64-bit Core microarchitecture of Core 2 branded CPUs.

The Core brand comprised two branches:

1.The Duo (dual-core)
2.Solo (Duo with one disabled core, which replaced the Pentium M brand of single-core mobile processor).

Read-only memory (ROM)

2009-03-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

Read-only memory (usually known by its acronym, ROM) is a class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Because data stored in ROM cannot be modified (at least not very quickly or easily), it is mainly used to distribute firmware (software that is very closely tied to specific hardware, and unlikely to require frequent updates).

In its strictest sense, ROM refers only to mask ROM (the oldest type of solid state ROM), which is fabricated with the desired data permanently stored in it, and thus can never be modified. However, more modern types such as EPROM and flash EEPROM can be erased and re-programmed multiple times; they are still described as "read-only memory"(ROM) because the reprogramming process is generally infrequent, comparatively slow, and often does not permit random access writes to individual memory locations. Despite the simplicity of mask ROM, economies of scale and field-programmability often make reprogrammable technologies more flexible and inexpensive, so mask ROM is rarely used in new products as of 2007.

Intel 8088

2009-03-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Intel 8088 is an Intel x86 microprocessor based on the 8086, with 16-bit registers and an 8-bit external data bus. It can address up to 1 MB of memory. The 8088 was introduced on July 1, 1979, and was used in the original IBM PC.

The 8088 was targeted at economical systems by allowing the use of 8-bit designs. Large bus width circuit boards were still fairly expensive when it was released. The prefetch queue of the 8088 was shortened to four bytes (as opposed to the 8086's six bytes) and the prefetch algorithm slightly modified to adapt to the narrower bus.

Variants of the 8088 with more than 5 MHz maximum clock frequency include the 8088-2, which was fabricated using Intel's new enhanced nMOS process called HMOS, and specified for a maximum frequency of 8 MHz. Later followed the 80C88, a fully static CMOS design, which could operate from DC to 8 MHz. There were also several other, more or less similar, variants from other manufacturers. For instance, the NEC V20 was a pin compatible and slightly faster (at the same clock frequency) variant of the 8088, designed and manufactured by NEC.

Intel 8008

2009-03-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

The Intel 8008 was an early byte-oriented microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel and introduced in April 1972. Originally known as the 1201, the chip was commissioned by Computer Terminal Corporation (CTC) to implement an instruction set designed for their Datapoint 2200 programmable terminal. As the chip was delayed and did not meet CTC's performance goals, the 2200 ended up using CTC's own TTL based CPU instead. An agreement permitted Intel to market the chip to other customers after Seiko expressed an interest in using it for a calculator.

The chip (limited by its 18 pin DIP packaging) had a single 8-bit bus and required a significant amount of external support logic. For example, the 14-bit address, which could access "16 K x 8 bits of memory", needed to be latched by some of this logic into an external Memory Address Register (MAR). The 8008 could access 8 input ports and 24 output ports.

Intel 80386

2009-03-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

The Intel 80386, otherwise known as the i386 or just 386, is a microprocessor which has been used as the central processing unit (CPU) of many personal computers and workstations since 1986.

As the original implementation of the 32-bit form of the 8086-architecture, the i386 instruction set, programming model, and binary encodings is still the common denominator for all 32-bit x86 processors. As such, it has remained virtually unchanged for over 20 years, enabling modern processors to run most programs written for earlier chips, all the way back to the original 16-bit 8086 of 1978.

Successively newer implementations of this same architecture have become several hundred times faster than the original i386 chip during these years (or thousands of times faster than the 8086). A 33 MHz i386 was reportedly measured to operate at about 11.4 MIPS.

The i386 was launched in October 1985, but full-function chips were first delivered in 1986[vague]. Main boards for 386-based computer systems were at first expensive to produce but were rationalized upon the 386's mainstream adoption. The first personal computer to make use of the 386 was designed and manufactured by Compaq.

In May 2006 Intel announced that production of the 386 would cease at the end of September 2007. Although it had long been obsolete as a personal computer CPU, Intel, and others, had continued to manufacture the chip for embedded systems, including aerospace technology.

Intel 80286

2009-03-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Intel 286, introduced on February 1, 1982, (originally named 80286, and also called iAPX 286 in the programmer's manual) was an x86 16-bit microprocessor with 134,000 transistors.

It was widely used in IBM PC compatible computers during the mid 1980s to early 1990s.

After the 6 and 8 MHz initial releases, it was subsequently scaled up to 12.5 MHz. (AMD and Harris later pushed the architecture to speeds as high as 20 MHz and 25 MHz, respectively.) On average, the 80286 had a speed of about 0.21 instructions per clock. The 6 MHz model operated at 0.9 MIPS, the 10 MHz model at 1.5 MIPS, and the 12 MHz model at 1.8 MIPS.

The 80286's performance was more than twice that of its predecessors (the Intel 8086 and Intel 8088) per clock cycle. In fact, the performance increase per clock cycle of the 80286 over its immediate predecessor may be the largest among the generations of x86 processors. Calculation of the more complex addressing modes (such as base index) had less clock penalty because it was performed by a special circuit in the 286; the 8086, its predecessor, had to perform effective address calculation in the general ALU, taking many cycles. Also, complex mathematical operations (such as MUL/DIV) took fewer clock cycles compared to the 8086.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

2009-02-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

RAM (random access memory) is the place in a computer where the operating system, application programs, and data in current use are kept so that they can be quickly reached by the computer's processor. RAM is much faster to read from and write to than the other kinds of storage in a computer, the hard disk, floppy disk, and CD-ROM. However, the data in RAM stays there only as long as your computer is running. When you turn the computer off, RAM loses its data. When you turn your computer on again, your operating system and other files are once again loaded into RAM, usually from your hard disk.

RAM can be compared to a person's short-term memory and the hard disk to the long-term memory. The short-term memory focuses on work at hand, but can only keep so many facts in view at one time. If short-term memory fills up, your brain sometimes is able to refresh it from facts stored in long-term memory. A computer also works this way. If RAM fills up, the processor needs to continually go to the hard disk to overlay old data in RAM with new, slowing down the computer's operation. Unlike the hard disk which can become completely full of data so that it won't accept any more, RAM never runs out of memory. It keeps operating, but much more slowly than you may want it to.

Intel 8080

2009-02-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

The Intel 8080 was an early microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel. The 8-bit CPU was released in April 1974 running at 2 MHz (at up to 500,000 instructions per second), and is generally considered to be the first truly usable microprocessor CPU design. It was implemented using non-saturated enhancement-load NMOS, demanding extra voltages.

The Intel 8080 was the successor to the Intel 8008. It used the same instruction set as the 8008 (developed by Computer Terminal Corporation) and was source code compatible. The 8080's large 40 pin DIP packaging permitted it to provide a 16-bit address bus and an 8-bit data bus, allowing easy access to 64 kilobytes of memory.

As the chip was delayed and did not meet CTC's performance goals, the 2200 ended up using CTC's own TTL based CPU instead. An agreement permitted Intel to market the chip to other customers after Seiko expressed an interest in using it for a calculator.

Pioneer 10

2009-02-09T12:54:00.001-08:00

Pioneer 10 (also called Pioneer-F) was the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt, which it entered on July 15, 1972, and to make direct observations of Jupiter, which it passed by on December 3, 1973. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 36A on March 2, 1972. Pioneer 10 is heading in the direction of Aldebaran, located in Taurus. By some definitions, Pioneer 10 has become the first artificial object to leave the solar system. It is surely the first human-built object to have been set upon a trajectory leading out of the solar system. However, it still has not passed the heliopause or Oort cloud.

Its objectives were to study the interplanetary and planetary magnetic fields; solar wind parameters; cosmic rays; transition region of the heliosphere; neutral hydrogen abundance; distribution, size, mass, flux, and velocity of dust particles; Jovian aurorae; Jovian radio waves; atmosphere of Jupiter and some of its satellites, particularly Io; and to photograph Jupiter and its satellites.

Intel 4004

2009-02-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

The Intel 4004 is a 4-bit central processing unit (CPU) released by Intel Corporation in 1971. The 4004 is the first complete CPU on one chip, the first commercially available microprocessor, a feat made possible by the use of the new silicon gate technology allowing the integration of a higher number of transistors and a faster speed than was possible before. The 4004 employed a 10 μm silicon-gate enhancement load pMOS technology and could execute approximately 92,000 instructions per second (that is, a single instruction cycle was 11 microseconds).

The 4004 was released on November 15, 1971. Packaged in a 16-pin ceramic dual in-line package, the 4004 is the first computer processor designed and manufactured by chip maker Intel, which previously made semiconductor memory chips. The chief designers of the chip were Federico Faggin and Ted Hoff of Intel, and Masatoshi Shima of Busicom (later of ZiLOG, founded by Federico Faggin).

Digital Equipment Corporation

2009-01-26T02:03:00.000-08:00

Digital Equipment Corporation was a pioneering American company in the computer industry. It is often referred to within the computing industry as DEC (this acronym was frequently officially used by Digital itself, but the trademark was always DIGITAL). Its PDP and VAX products were arguably the most popular minicomputers for the scientific and engineering communities during the 1970s and 1980s. DEC was acquired in June 1998 by Compaq, which subsequently merged with Hewlett-Packard in May 2002. As of 2007 its product lines were still produced under the HP name. From 1957 until 1992 its headquarters was located in an old wool mill in Maynard, Massachusetts.

Digital Equipment Corporation should not be confused with Digital Research; the two were unrelated, separate entities; or with Western Digital (despite the fact that they made the LSI-11 chipsets used in Digital Equipment Corporation's low end PDP-11/03 computers). Note, however, that there were Digital Research Laboratories where DEC did its corporate research.

NOR memories

2009-01-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

Reading from NOR flash is similar to reading from random-access memory, provided the address and data bus are mapped correctly. Because of this, most microprocessors can use NOR flash memory as execute in place (XIP) memory, meaning that programs stored in NOR flash can be executed directly without the need to first copy the program into RAM. NOR flash may be programmed in a random-access manner similar to reading. Programming changes bits from a logical one to a zero. Bits that are already zero are left unchanged. Erasure must happen a block at a time, and resets all the bits in the erased block back to one. Typical block sizes are 64, 128, or 256 KB.

Bad block management neither is a relatively new feature in NOR chips. In older NOR devices not supporting bad block management, the software or device driver controlling the memory chip must correct for blocks that wear out, or the device will cease to work reliably.

The specific commands used to lock, unlock, program, or erase NOR memories differ for each manufacturer. To avoid needing unique driver software for every device made a special set of CFI commands allow the device to identify itself and its critical operating parameters.

Memory wear

2009-01-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Another limitation is that flash memory has a finite number of erase-write cycles. Most commercially available flash products are guaranteed to withstand around 100,000 write-erase-cycles, before the wear begins to deteriorate the integrity of the storage.[citation needed] The guaranteed cycle count may apply only to block zero (as is the case with TSOP NAND parts), or to all blocks (as in NOR).

This effect is partially offset in some chip firmware or file system drivers by counting the writes and dynamically remapping blocks in order to spread write operations between sectors; this technique is called wear levelling. Another approach is to perform write verification and remapping to spare sectors in case of write failure, a technique called bad block management (BBM).

For portable consumer devices, these wearout management techniques typically extend the life of the flash memory beyond the life of the device itself, and some data loss may be acceptable in these applications. For high reliability data storage, however, it is not advisable to use flash memory that has been through a large number of programming cycles. This limitation does not apply to 'read-only' applications such as thin clients and routers, which are only programmed once or at most a few times during their lifetime.

Flash memory

2008-12-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

Flash memory is non-volatile computer memory that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It is a technology that is primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives for general storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products. It is a specific type of EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) that is erased and programmed in large blocks; in early flash the entire chip had to be erased at once. Flash memory costs far less than byte-programmable EEPROM and therefore has become the dominant technology wherever a significant amount of non-volatile, solid state storage is needed. Example applications include PDAs (personal digital assistants), laptop computers, digital audio players, digital cameras and mobile phones. It has also gained popularity in the game console market, where it is often used instead of EEPROMs or battery-powered SRAM for game save data.

Flash memory is non-volatile, which means that no power is needed to maintain the information stored in the chip. In addition, flash memory offers fast read access times (although not as fast as volatile DRAM memory used for main memory in PCs) and better kinetic shock resistance than hard disks. These characteristics explain the popularity of flash memory in portable devices. Another feature of flash memory is that when packaged in a "memory card," it is enormously durable, being able to withstand intense pressure, extremes of temperature, and even immersion in water.

486, Pentium, and Itanium

2008-12-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

Intel introduced the 486 microprocessor in 1989, and in 1990 formally established a second design team, designing the processors code-named "P5" and "P6" in parallel and committing to a major new processor every two years, versus the four or more years such designs had previously taken. The P5 was earlier known as "Operation Bicycle" referring to the cycles of the processor. The P5 was introduced in 1993 as the Intel Pentium, substituting a trademarked name for the former part number (numbers, like 486, cannot be trademarked). The P6 followed in 1995 as the Pentium Pro and improved into the Pentium II in 1997. New architectures were developed alternately in Santa Clara, California and Hillsboro, Oregon.

The Santa Clara design team embarked in 1993 on a successor to the x86 architecture, codenamed "P7". The first attempt was dropped a year later, but quickly revived in a cooperative program with Hewlett-Packard engineers, though Intel soon took over primary design responsibility. The resulting implementation of the IA-64 64-bit architecture was the Itanium, finally introduced in June 2001. The Itanium's performance running legacy x86 code did not achieve expectations, and it failed to effectively compete with 64-bit extensions to the original x86 architecture, first from AMD (the AMD64), then from Intel itself (the Intel 64 architecture, formerly known as EM64T). As of November 2007, Intel continues to develop and deploy the Itanium.

DRAM to microprocessors

2008-12-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

In 1983, at the dawn of the personal computer era, Intel's profits came under increased pressure from Japanese memory-chip manufacturers, and then-President Andy Grove drove the company into a focus on microprocessors. Grove described this transition in the book Only the Paranoid Survive. A key element of his plan was the notion, then considered radical, of becoming the single source for successors to the popular 8086 microprocessor.

Until then, manufacture of complex integrated circuits was not reliable enough for customers to depend on a single supplier, but Grove began producing processors in three geographically distinct factories, and ceased licensing the chip designs to competitors such as Zilog and AMD. When the PC industry boomed in the late 1980s and 1990s, Intel was one of the primary beneficiaries.

Pentium flaw

2008-12-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

In June 1994, Intel engineers discovered a flaw in the floating-point math subsection of the Pentium microprocessor. Under certain data dependent conditions, low order bits of the result of floating-point division operations would be incorrect, an error that can quickly compound in floating-point operations to much larger errors in subsequent calculations. Intel corrected the error in a future chip revision, but nonetheless declined to disclose it

In October 1994, Dr. Thomas Nicely, Professor of Mathematics at Lynchburg College independently discovered the bug, and upon receiving no response from his inquiry to Intel, on October 30 posted a message on the Internet. Word of the bug spread quickly on the Internet and then to the industry press. Because the bug was easy to replicate by an average user (there was a sequence of numbers one could enter into the OS calculator to show the error), Intel's statements that it was minor and "not even an erratum" were not accepted by many computer users. During Thanksgiving 1994, The New York Times ran a piece by journalist John Mark off spotlighting the error. Intel changed its position and offered to replace every chip, quickly putting in place a large end-user support organization. This resulted in a $500 million charge against Intel's 1994 revenue.

Ironically, the "Pentium flaw" incident, Intel's response to it, and the surrounding media coverage propelled Intel from being a technology supplier generally unknown to most computer users to a household name. Dovetailing with an up tick in the "Intel Inside" campaign, the episode is considered by some to have been a positive event for Intel, changing some of its business practices to be more end-user focused and generating substantial public awareness, while avoiding (for most users) a lasting negative impression.

Purely way in Croydon

2008-11-07T14:41:00.001-08:00

Purley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in Croydon, London and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping locale alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a sidestep for Croydon and was opened in April 1925. In 1932 Purley Way became the first road in the United Kingdom to be lit with sodium lights. Industry History The IKEA chimneysCroydon Airport (operational 1928 - 1959) is situated on Purley Way. The opening of Purley Way attracted industry to the area and it became the main industrial area of Croydon. Industry concerned to the area included Redwing Aircraft Ltd, Trojan Ltd (car manufacturers) and Tizer Ltd. There were also more than a few metal companies including Standard Steel Co, Croydon Foundry Ltd, Metal Propellers Ltd and Southern Foundries Ltd.
Croydon 'B' Power Station was built in the behind 1940s and opened in 1950. It shut down in 1984, was demolished in 1991 and an IKEA amass was opened on the site. The huge chimneys of the power station were retained and remain a local landmark. Retail history The first retail warehouse on Purley Way, Queensway furniture store, opened in 1980. Sainsbury's opened its first Homebase hoard in 1981. The initial PC World opened on Purley Way in 1991. The retail units were not division of the local planning guidance and were part of a national trend towards out of town shopping. These retail parks were not officially recognised by Croydon Council until the publication of its 1997 Unitary Development Plan.

386 microprocessor

2008-10-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

During this period Andy Grove radically redirected the company, closing much of its DRAM business and directing income to the microprocessor commerce. Of perhaps greater importance was his choice to "single-source" the 386 microprocessor. Prior to this, microprocessor developed was in its infancy, and developed problems often reduced or stopped production, interrupt supplies to customers. To mitigate this risk, these customers typically insisted that multiple manufacturer produce chips they could use to ensure a consistent supply. The 8080 and 8086-series microprocessors were shaped by several companies, notably Zilog and AMD. Grove made the choice not to license the 386 design to other manufacturers, instead produce it in three geographically distinct factories in Santa Clara, CA; Hillsboro, OR; and the Phoenix, Arizona suburb of Chandler; and convincing patrons that this would ensure consistent release. As the success of Compaq's Deskpro 386 recognized the 386 as the dominant CPU choice, Intel achieve a position of near-exclusive supremacy as its supplier. Profits from this funded rapid growth of both higher-performance chip design and higher-performance developed capabilities, propelling Intel to a position of unquestioned management by the early 1990s.

Intel, x86 processors, and the IBM PC

2008-10-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

Despite the ultimate significance of the microprocessor, the 4004 and its successors the 8008 and the 8080 were never major revenue contributor at Intel. As the next processor, the 8086 was finished in 1978; Intel embarked on a major advertising and sales campaign for that chip nicknamed "Operation Crush", and planned to win as many customers for the processor as probable. One design win was the newly-created IBM PC division, though the significance of this was not fully realized at the time.

IBM introduced its personal processor in 1981, and it was rapidly successful. In 1982, Intel shaped the 80286 microprocessor, which, two years later, was old in the IBM PC/AT. Compaq, the first IBM PC "clone" manufacturer, in 1985 produced a desktop scheme based on the faster 80286 processor and in 1986 quickly follow with the first 80386-based system, beating IBM and establish a competitive market for PC-compatible systems and setting up Intel as a key component dealer.

In 1975 the company had started a project to expand a highly-advanced 32-bit microprocessor, finally free in 1981 as the Intel iAPX 432. The project was too ambitious and the processor was not at all able to meet its recital objectives, and it failed in the marketplace. Intel extensive the x86 architecture to 32 bits instead.

Intel's SRAMS and the microprocessor

2008-10-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

The company's first goods were shift register memory and random-access memory integrated circuits, and Intel grew to be a leader in the fiercely competitive DRAM, SRAM, and ROM markets all through the 1970s. Concurrently, Intel engineers Marcian Hoff, Federico Faggin, Stanley Mazor and Masatoshi Shima imaginary the first microprocessor. Originally urbanized for the Japanese company Busicom to restore a number of ASICs in a calculator already shaped by Busicom, the Intel 4004 was initiate to the mass market on November 15, 1971, although the microprocessor did not become the core of Intel's business until the mid-1980s.

Intel Corporation

2008-09-29T02:03:00.000-07:00

Intel Corporation is the world's largest semiconductor corporation and the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most individual computer. Founded on July 18, 1968 as Integrated Electronics business and base in Santa Clara, California, USA, Intel also makes motherboard chipsets, network cards and ICs, flash memory, graphic chips, fixed processors, and other devices connected to infrastructure and computing. Founded by semiconductor pioneers Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, and widely linked with the executive management and vision of Andrew Grove, Intel combines advanced chip design ability with a leading-edge manufacturing capability. Originally known primarily to engineers and technologists, Intel's winning "Intel Inside" advertising campaign of the 1990s made it and its Pentium processor household name.

Skepticism and controversy

2008-09-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

The field which studies certain types of telepathic phenomena such as telepathy is called parapsychology. There is a agreement among parapsychologists that some instances of telepathy are real. Skeptics say that instances of obvious telepathy are explain as the result of fraud or self-delusion and that telepathy does not exist as a telepathic power.

Parapsychologists and skeptics agree that many of the instance of more popular psychic phenomena, such as mediumism, can be attributed to non-paranormal technique such as cold reading. Magicians such as Ian Rowland and Derren Brown have established techniques and results similar to those of popular psychics, but they prefer mental explanations instead of telepathic ones. They have identified, described, and developed complex psychological technique of cold reading and hot analysis.

A technique which shows statistically significant confirmation of telepathy on every time has yet to be discovered. This lack of reliable reproducibility has led skeptics to argue that there is no believable scientific evidence for the survival of telepathy at all. Skeptics also point to past cases in which were exposed flaws in experimental design and infrequent cases of fraud. Parapsychologists such as Dean Radin, president of the Parapsychological union, argues that the statistical significance and constancy of results shown by a meta-analysis of many studies provides evidence for telepathy that is almost not possible to account for use any other means.

Types of telepathy

2008-09-08T03:27:00.000-07:00

Parapsychologies describe several diverse forms of telepathy, counting latent telepathy and precognitive telepathy.

Latent Telepathy, previously known as "deferred telepathy", is describe as being the move of information, through Psi, with an observable time-lag between broadcast and receipt.

Precognitive Telepathy is described like being the move of information, through Psi, about the future state of an individual's mind.

Technologically enabled telepathy

2008-08-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Some people infrequently referred to by themselves or others as "transhumanists", consider that technologically enable telepathy, coined "techlepathy", will be the predictable future of humanity. Kevin Warwick of the University of Reading, England is one of the leading proponents of this view and has base all of his recent cybernetics study around mounting practical, safe for directly between human nervous systems collectively with computers and with each other. He believes techno-enabled telepathy will in the opportunity become the primary form of human message. He predicts that this will happen by income of the principle of natural assortment, through which almost everyone will have the need for such knowledge for economic and social reasons.

Telepathy in popular culture

2008-08-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Telepathy is normally used in fiction, with a quantity of superheroes and supervillains, as well as figures in many science literature novels, etc., use telepathy. Notable fictional telepaths take in the Jedi in Star Wars. The procedure of telepathy in fiction varies widely. Some fictional telepaths are restricted to receiving only opinion that is deliberately sent by other telepaths or even to getting thoughts from a precise other person. For example, in Robert A. Heinlein's 1956 novel Time for the Stars, certain pairs of twin are able to send telepathic post to each other. Some telepaths can read the opinion only of those they touch. At the opposite end of the spectrum, some telepathic characters incessantly sense the opinion of those around them and may manage or dampen this ability only with complexity, or not at all. In such cases, telepathy is often portraying as a mixed approval or as a curse.

Some fictional telepaths have mind control ability, which can include "pushing" opinion, feelings, or hallucinatory visions into the brain of another person, causing pain, paralysis, or unconsciousness, altering or erase memories, or totally taking over another person's mind and body . Examples of this type of telepath contain the Carpathians from the novel in the Dark Series, the White Queen beginning Marvel Comics. Characters with this capability may or may not also have the capability to read thoughts.

Technological Telepathy is also at hand in science fiction, typically connecting the usage of neural implant of some description. A good model is the Conjoiners in the Revelation Space sequence by Alastair Reynolds. Conjoiners rely on their technical telepathy to the amount that they no longer in fact speak. Certain Conjoiners are clever to read attack and control the mind of other Conjoiners and machines using digital attack, often having similar effect to other telepaths in literature.

Telepathy

2008-08-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

Telepathy describes the alleged convey of information on thoughts or feelings between persons by means other than the five classical senses. The term was coined in 1882 by the traditional scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, particularly to restore the earlier expression mind-reading. A individual who is able to make use of telepathy is said to be able to read the minds of others. Telepathy, along with psychokinesis forms the main twigs of parapsychological study, and many studies seeking to detect and realize telepathy have been done in the field.

Telepathy is a general theme in fiction and science fiction, with many superheroes and supervillains having telepathic ability. Such ability includes both sensing the thoughts of others, and controlling the minds of other group. Transhumanists judge that technically enabled telepathy, called "techlepathy", will be the predictable future of humanity, and seek to expand practical, safe devices for directly linking human nervous systems.

Sports

2008-08-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

Sport is an action to make possible is governed by a set of rules or customs and regularly engaged in competitively. Used by itself, sports usually refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the member are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome, but the term is also used to encompass activities such as mind sports and motor sports where psychological acuity or equipment quality are main factors. Sports are used as hobby for the player and the viewer. It has also proved by experiments that daily exercise would improve mental strength and power to study.

Sports have been ever more organized and maintenance pace from the time of the Ancient Olympics up to the present century. Industrialization has brought enhanced leisure time to the citizens of developed and developing countries, leading to more time for people to be present at and follow spectator sports, greater contribution in athletic activities, and increased accessibility. These trends sustained with the beginning of mass media and global statement.

IP telephony

2008-07-28T00:19:00.000-07:00

Internet Protocol (IP) telephony recognized as Internet telephony is an examination based on Voice over IP, a disturbing technology that is quickly gaining ground beside traditional telephone network technologies. In Japan and South Korea up to 10% of subscribers, as of January 2005, have switch to this digital telephone tune. A January 2005 Newsweek article recommended that Internet telephony may be "the next big thing.

IP telephony uses a broadband Internet connection and IP Phones to broadcast conversation as data packets. In addition to replace POTS, IP telephony is also challenging with mobile phone networks by offering free or lower cost associations via WiFi hotspots. VoIP is also used on secret wireless networks which may or may not have a tie to the outside telephone network.

IP telephony technology transform many non-telephone electronics strategy into unified transportation devices which simulate telephone usage, such as adding telephone-like features to moveable game devices, digital picture frames, or handheld GPS receiver, typically by incorporate a voice engine. When used on a personal computer, an IP telephone is referred to as a soft phone.

Canon Pixma iP3500 Inkjet Photo Printer

2008-05-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone likes to keep a record of their unforgettable funny and touchy moments, for which photography has been introduced. It is easy to capture images but you have to take great care while you get prints. Using an inkjet photo printer is one of the right ways to get high quality photographs. Various models are designed and marketed around the UK. Canon Pixma iP3500 Inkjet Photo Printer is a new arrival to the UK market with adorable features.

Canon is the authorized manufacturer for the unit. If you are expecting a fast printing with impressive quality, Canon Pixma iP3500 Inkjet Photo Printer will be the right choice. Just 2 Pico litres ink droplets are used to make a single dot which delivers smooth colour gradations.

The results will be equal to professional lab-quality. Highest printing resolution of the device is exactly measured as 4800 dots horizontally and 1200 dots vertically. Borderless printing can be enjoyed and you can print a photo with a standard size of 10 x 15 cm. Users can print directly from compatible digital cameras or camcorders. There are possibilities to brighten faces and to remove red eye impacts with the help of software’s.

Monochrome photographs can be printed with the maximum speed up to 25 pages per minute. You can print maximum 17 pages per minute with colour. You may use maximum 4 different colour cartridges. You can make use of the USB 2.0 connectivity for connecting external devices with the printer. Edge to edge printing is offered by the smart device which demands Windows and Mac Operating Systems to run promptly.

Digital Wireless Phone Service

2008-05-05T03:15:00.001-07:00

Digital wireless phone service is the premier means of accessing the Internet today. Digital wireless phone service is like the kinds of digital communications that you can find in other sectors today.

Digital wireless phone service provides a person who regularly uses a wireless phone a wide range of option in regard to that cell phone. First of all, digital wireless phone service allows a person to have crisper and clearer and more constant wireless phone service. Again, digital technology represents the premier and most up to date means of accessing cell phone service today.

In addition to allowing for better wireless phone connectivity, digital wireless phone service also expands the manner in which you can utilize your wireless phone today. Digital wireless phone service also allows a person to access other technological services through a wireless phone unit. This can include such things as allowing a person the ability to surf and use the Internet and World Wide Web more effectively through a wireless phone unit.

In addition, a person is able to use other types of video and audio services through a wireless phone thanks to the advent of digital wireless phone technology.

Telephone Features Information

2008-04-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

These features are for digital telephones only. You may refer to the campus directory, on page A-5 for analog instructions. Should you have any questions about these features, please contact Silvia at extension 5050.

Placing A Call - Pickup the handset, or press the "Handsfree" button.

Transferring - Press the "Transfer" button, without putting caller on hold. Dial desired extension and press the "Transfer" key again.

Conference - Without putting caller on hold, press "Conference" button. Dial desired phone number and press "Conference" button again. Continue this process until all parties are connected.

Call Forward - This feature is used when you are either out of the office or you don't want to be disturbed. Simply press "Forward" button, enter extension you would like to forward to (6060 for voice mail). Press "Forward" button again. To cancel, press "Forward" button again. If you need to forward to the same number again, press "Forward" button twice.

Message Waiting - On all digital phones, you have a red light that with light up when you have messages. Simply press your "Message" key, enter 6060 to access voice mail (unless you have auto login).

Last # Redial - This feature allows you to call that last number dialed without dialing the entire number again. Lift your handset and press your extension button twice. If you have handsfree, you may simply press the extension button twice.

Hold Button - Press the "Hold" button and it puts the caller on hold. To retrieve the call, press your line button next to the flashing indicator.

Ring Again - This feature allows you to call a number (on campus only) continuously until the line becomes available. When you hear the busy tone, press the "Ring Again" button, then hang up. When your phone rings, and the "Ring Again" button flashes, press the "Ring Again" button to complete the call. However, Ring Again does not work when the called number has voice mail.

Call Pickup - To answer another phone in your call pickup group, lift your handset and press the "Call Pickup" button.

Speed Call - This feature allows you to place calls to frequently called numbers by entering a 1- or 2- digit code. Press the "Speed Call" button and dial the code.

Voice Mail - This feature allows people to leave messages for you through Meridian Mail. On digital telephones, a red light will blink when new messages have arrived. Simply press the "Message" button to access your voice mail.

About Cheap Computer Motherboards

2008-04-17T03:29:00.000-07:00

Motherboards that have various peripherals built into them are very popular these days and are a good buy. If you are not a high end gamer or you are not going to be setting up a sound studio, onboard audio is a good way to save a few bucks. The same goes for an onboard modem if you need a dial-up internet connection and onboard ethernet if you need networking for LAN.

In my personal and professional experience, motherboards that have most peripherals built into them work very well even for gamers unless you need a special feature. The exception to this rule is onboard is video. Even the famous ATI Radeon and nVidia Geforce GPUs (Graphics Processing Unit) that are built onboard perform poorly.

If you use your computer mostly to surf the net and use office applications, onboard video is the way to go. If you are an avid gamer or you create video intensive media, you will want to use a faster, more powerful, add-in video card. You know who you are.

Warning: Be careful when buying a cheap motherboard like Biosta... I strongly advise purchasing a name brand motherboard. A cheaply built motherboard is not cheap; it will cost you later in frustration, heartaches, headaches and maybe even replacing it. An inferior motherboard can cause unexplainable system crashes, driver problems, the Windows "Blue Screen of Death" and a worthless warranty. Remember, the motherboard is the heart of your system and if you look around you can find a good name brand motherboard with all the bells and whistles for $100 or less.

My top 5 motherboard manufacturers are: ABIT, AOpen, ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI. Not necessarily in that order. Choose your motherboard for features first and brand second. This is by no means a definitive list there many good motherboard manufactures.

POWER

2008-04-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

Mobile phones are generally obtaining power from batteries which can be recharged from mains power source. previously, the most common form of mobile phone batteries were nickel metal-hydride, as they have a low size and weight. Sometimes lithium-Ion batteries are used, as they are lighter and do not have the voltage depression that nickel metal-hydride batteries do. Many mobile phone manufacturers have now changed to using lithium-Polymer batteries as to oppose the older Lithium-Ion, the main advantages of this being even lower weight and the possibility to make the battery a shape other than strict cuboid. Mobile phone manufacturers have been experimenting with alternate power sources, including solar cells etc….

In addition to the battery, most cellphones require a small microchip, called a SIM Card, to operate.. Approximately the size of a one-cent postage stamp, the SIM Card is installed underneath the battery in the rear of the unit, and stores the phone's configuration data, and information about the phone itself, such as which calling plan the subscriber is using. When the subscriber removes the SIM Card, it can be re-inserted into another phone and used as normal this can be done easily..

Each SIM Card is activated by a unique numerical identifier ; once activated, that identifier is locked down and the card is permanently locked in to the activating network. Sim cards plays a major role in the mobile phones….

Mobile Phone Radiation and Health

2008-03-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning of mobile phones, apprehensions have been raised about the potential health forces from regular use. As mobile phone penetrations grew past fixed landline penetration levels in 1998 in Finland and from 1999 in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, the Scandinavian health authorities have run permanent long term studies of effects of mobile phone radiation effects to humans, and in particular children. Numerous studies have reported no significant relationship among mobile phone use and health. Studies from the Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute and researchers at the Danish Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen for model showed no link between mobile phone use and cancer. The Danish study only covered analog mobile phone tradition up through 1995, and subjects who started mobile phone tradition after 1995 were counted as non-users in the study. The health concerns have grown as mobile phone saturation rates throughout Europe reached 80%–90% levels earlier in this decade and prolonged experience studies have been carried out in almost all European countries again most reporting no effect, and the most alarming studies only coverage a possible effect. However, a study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of 4,500 users found a borderline statistically important link between tumor frequency on the same side of the head as the mobile phone was used on and mobile phone usage.

The Telephone

2008-03-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

The telephone is a telecommunications device that is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly speech), generally two people conversing but occasionally three or more. It is one of the most universal household appliances in the world today. Most telephones operate through transmission of electric signals over a complex telephone network which allows almost any phone user to communicate with almost anyone.

ICE Age

2008-03-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

An ice age is a period of long-term downturn in the temperature of Earth's climate, resulting in an increase of the continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers. Glaciologically, ice age is often used to mean a period of ice sheets in the northern and southern hemispheres; by this description we are still in an ice age. More colloquially, when speaking of the most recent few million years, ice age is used to refer to colder periods with extensive ice sheets over the North American and European continents: in this sense, the last ice age ended about 10,000 years ago. This article will use the term ice age in the former, glaciological, sense; and use the term 'glacial periods' for colder periods the duration of ice ages and 'interglacial' for the warmer periods.

During the last few million years, there have been many glacial periods, occurring firstly at 40,000-year frequency but more recently at 100,000-year frequencies.

2008-03-03T18:35:00.001-08:00

Natural Science

Natural sciences form the foundation for the applied sciences. Together, the natural and applied sciences are distinguished starting the social sciences on the one hand, and from the humanities, theology and the arts on the other. Though Mathematics, statistics, and computer science are not considered natural sciences, they supply many tools and frameworks used within the natural sciences.

Alongside this established usage, the phrase natural sciences is also sometimes used more narrowly to refer to its everyday usage, that is, related to natural history. In this sense "natural sciences" may refer to the biology and perhaps also the earth sciences, as illustrious from the physical sciences, including astronomy, physics, and chemistry.

Within the natural sciences, the word hard science is sometimes used to describe those sub-fields that rely on experimental, quantifiable data or the scientific method and focus on accuracy and objectivity. These generally include physics, chemistry and many of the sub-fields of biology. By contrast, soft science is often used to explain the scientific fields that are more reliant on qualitative research, including the social sciences.

There is some explore, collectivelly known as graphism thesis, that indicates that natural science relies on graphs more than soft sciences and mathematics do.

2008-02-24T18:25:00.001-08:00

Paper

Paper is thin material habitually used for writing upon, printing upon or packaging. It is formed by the amalgamation of fibers, characteristically vegetable fibers composed of cellulose, which are subsequently held together by hydrogen bonding. While the fibers are generally natural in origin, a wide variety of synthetic fibers, such as polypropylene and polyethylene, may be incorporated into paper as a way of imparting desirable physical properties. The most general source of these kinds of fibers is wood pulp from pulpwood trees. Vegetable fiber resources such as cotton, hemp, linen, and rice are also used.

2008-02-17T17:53:00.001-08:00

Daisy wheel printers

Daisy-wheel printers operate in much the same style as a typewriter. A hammer strikes a wheel with petals (the daisy wheel), every petal containing a letter form at its tip. The letter form strikes a ribbon of ink, depositing the ink on the page and thus printing a character. By rotating the daisy wheel, various characters are selected for printing.

These printers were also referred to as letter-quality printers since, for the duration of their heyday, they could produce text which was as clear and crisp as a typewriter (though they were nowhere near the quality of printing presses). The fastest letter-quality printers printed at 30 font per second.

2008-02-10T18:03:00.000-08:00

Computer Printer

A computer printer, or more generally a printer, produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics) of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are mainly used as local computer peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable to a computer which serves as a document source. Some printers, commonly known as network printers, have built-in network interfaces (typically wireless or Ethernet), and can provide as a hardcopy device for any user on the network. Individual printers are often designed to support both local and network linked users at the same time.

In addition, many modern printers can straight interface to electronic media such as memory sticks or memory cards, or to image capture devices such as digital cameras, scanners; some printers are combined with a scanners and/or fax machines in a single unit. Printers that contain non-printing features are sometimes called Multi-Function Printers (MFP) or Multi-Function Devices (MFD).

A printer which is shared with a scanner can function as a photocopier if so designed. Most MFPs include printing, scanning, and copying among their features.

Printers are planned for low-volume, short-turnaround print jobs; requiring virtually no setup time to achieve a hard copy of a given document. However, printers are usually slow devices (30 pages per minute is considered fast; and many consumer printers are far slower than that), and the cost-per-page is relatively high.

In contrast, the printing press (which serves much the same function), is planned and optimized for high-volume print jobs such as newspaper print runs--printing presses are capable of hundreds of pages per minute or more, and have an incremental cost-per-page which is a fraction of that of printers.

The printing press remains the machine of option for high-volume, professional publishing. However, as printers have improved in excellence and performance, many jobs which used to be done by professional print shops are now done by users on local printers; see desktop publishing.

The world's first computer printer was a 19th century mechanically driven tools invented by Charles Babbage for his Difference Engine.

In 2007, a study exposed that toner-based printers produced pollution as harmful as that from cigarettes.

2008-02-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Systems Engineering

Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary pasture of engineering, that focuses on the development and organization of complex artificial systems. Systems engineering integrates additional disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort, forming a structured development process that proceeds from concept to production to operation and disposal. Systems engineering considers equally the business and the technical needs of all customers, with the goal of providing a quality product that meets the user needs.

2008-01-27T18:19:00.001-08:00

Purely way in Croydon

Purley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in Croydon, London and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping locale alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a sidestep for Croydon and was opened in April 1925. In 1932 Purley Way became the first road in the United Kingdom to be lit with sodium lights. Industry History The IKEA chimneysCroydon Airport (operational 1928 - 1959) is situated on Purley Way. The opening of Purley Way attracted industry to the area and it became the main industrial area of Croydon. Industry concerned to the area included Redwing Aircraft Ltd, Trojan Ltd (car manufacturers) and Tizer Ltd. There were also more than a few metal companies including Standard Steel Co, Croydon Foundry Ltd, Metal Propellers Ltd and Southern Foundries Ltd. Croydon 'B' Power Station was built in the behind 1940s and opened in 1950. It shut down in 1984, was demolished in 1991 and an IKEA amass was opened on the site. The huge chimneys of the power station were retained and remain a local landmark. Retail history The first retail warehouse on Purley Way, Queensway furniture store, opened in 1980. Sainsbury's opened its first Homebase hoard in 1981. The initial PC World opened on Purley Way in 1991. The retail units were not division of the local planning guidance and were part of a national trend towards out of town shopping. These retail parks were not officially recognised by Croydon Council until the publication of its 1997 Unitary Development Plan.

2008-01-17T18:18:00.001-08:00

After 1944 in Croydon Airport

In 1944, Croydon became the base of RAF Transport Command, and in outstanding course civil aircraft operations began again. In February 1946, the airport returned to civilian organize. Gradually it became obvious that with technical advances, post-war airliners were going to be bigger and the use of airports serving capital cities would intensify. Croydon, however, had no room for further development and would shortly be too small to meet evident travel demands. Heathrow was therefore designated as London's airport and a resolution to close Croydon's airport was made in 1952. Blackbushe in Hampshire and Northolt Aerodrome in Middlesex also served airlines in service European scheduled flights during the 1950s. Croydon's most recent scheduled flight departed on 30 September 1959. The De Havilland Heron external Airport HouseThe site may still be seen. Much of it has been built over, but several of the terminal buildings near the main road are still visible, obviously identifiable as to their former purpose, and a De Havilland Heron, a small (fewer than 20 seats) airliner of the 1950s, is currently (2002) displayed outside on struts flanking the entry path. A Tiger Moth in RAF training scheme livery is suspended within the preserved booking hall which functions as a dining room when necessary. A memorial to the Battle of Britain stands somewhat to the south. Although Croydon Airport has long ceased operation, the two ends of Plough Lane that had been separated have never been reunited, the area having been urbanized instead into parkland, playing fields and the Roundshaw residential estate with its roads aptly named after aviators and aircraft.

2008-01-09T18:55:00.001-08:00

Croydon Airport in 1939

A further item that caught the eye of visitor and traveller alike was the time zone be head and shoulders above in the booking hall with its dials depicting the times in different parts of the world. The aerodrome was known the world over, its fame being extend by the many aviators and pioneers who touched down at Croydon. Here is a list of them: Alan Cobham, who flew from Croydon to Cape Town and back in 1925-6; Charles Lindbergh, who flew into Croydon in 1927 shortly later than completing the first solo trans-Atlantic flight; Bert Hinkler, who made the initial flight from Croydon to Darwin, Australia in 1928; Charles Kingsford Smith, who beat Hinkler's record; Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly from Croydon to Australia, later to return to Croydon to a jubilant welcome. When war was stated in September 1939, Croydon Airport was closed to civil aviation. It played a very important role as a fighter station during the Battle of Britain and was attacked in the first major raid over the London area. Factories in its instant vicinity were approximately destroyed with the loss of six airmen and over 60 civilians

2007-12-30T18:37:00.001-08:00

Croydon Airport

Croydon Airport is in south London on the restrictions of the London Boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was once the main airport for London, previous to it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport.. Beddingt on Aerodrome, one of a numeral of small airfields around London which had been created for protection against the Zeppelin raids in about May 1915, and Waddon Aerodrome of 1918, a test-flight aerodrome adjoining National Aircraft Factory No1. At the end of that war, the two airfields were shared into London's official airport as the gateway for all international flights to and from the capital. Croydon Aerodrome opened on 29 March 1920, in the mid 1920s, the landing field was extended, some adjacent roads being permanently closed to allow heavier airliners to land and depart safely. A new complex of buildings was constructed adjoining Purley Way, together with the first purpose-designed air terminal in the world, the Aerodrome Hotel and extensive hangars, all opening on 2 May 1928. The terminal building, the booking hall within it with its colonnade balustraded in the geometrical design typical of the period, and the Aerodrome hotel were all built in the Art Deco style of the 1920s and 1930s.

2007-12-23T22:40:00.001-08:00

Qantas Empire Airways

In Australia in 1934 Imperial and Qantas (Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd) created Qantas Empire Airways Limited to extended services in Southeast Asia. But it was not until 1937 with the Short Empire flying boats that majestic could offer an 'all air' service from Southampton to the Empire. The journey to the Cape consisted of flights to Marseille, Rome, Brindisi, Athens, Alexandria, Khartoum, Port Bell, Kisumu and beyond by land-based craft to Nairobi, Mbeya and eventually Cape Town. Survey flights were also completed across the Atlantic and to New Zealand. By mid-1937 Imperial had completed its thousandth service to the Empire. Speed Wings Over the World, statue on a portal above the Empire Terminal's main entrance; by Eric Broadbent The Empire Air Mail Program began in July 1937, delivering anyplace for 1½ d./oz. By mid-1938 a hundred tons of mail had been delivered to India and a related amount to Africa. In the same year, construction was started on the Empire Terminal, intended by A. Lakeman and with a statue by Eric Broadbent, Speed Wings Over the World gracing the entrance above the main entrance. The terminal provided train associations to flying boats at Southampton and to the since closed Croydon Airport. The terminal operated as recently as 1980. Imperial Airways Speedbird logoCompared to extra operators it was lagging behind in Europe and it was suggested that all European operations be handed over to British Airways Ltd (founded in 1935) which had more contemporary aircraft and better organization. However in November 1939 both Imperial and British Airways Ltd were compound into a new state-owned national carrier: British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). The new carrier adopted the Imperial Speedbird logo, which has evolved into the current British Airways Speedmarque, and the term continues to be used as BA's call sign.

2007-12-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

Commercial Flight

The first commercial flight was in April 1924, when a on a daily basis London-Paris service was opened. Additional services to other European destinations were started all the way through the summer. The first fresh airliner was commissioned by Imperial Airways in November 1924. In the first year of process the company carried 11,395 passengers and 212,380 letters. The extension of service to the British Empire was not begun until 1927 when, with the adding of six new aircraft, a service was instituted from Cairo to Basra. But the first service from London for Karachi did not start until 1929 using recently purchased Short S.8 Calcutta flying boats, even then the passengers were transported by train from Paris to the Mediterranean where the Short flying boats were. In February 1931 a weekly service stuck between London and Tanganyika was started as part of the proposed route to Cape Town and in April an experimental London-Australia air mail flight took place; the mail was transferred at the Netherlands East Indies, and took 26 days in total to reach Sydney. The buy of the 8 Handley Page 42 four-engined airliners boosted the range of services, in 1932 the service to Africa was extended to Cape Town.

2007-12-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

Intelligence, IQ, and g

Intelligence, IQ, and g are very different. Intelligence is the term used in ordinary discourse to refer to cognitive ability.

However, it is usually regarded as too imprecise to be useful for a scientific treatment of the subject. The intelligence quotient (IQ) is an index calculated from the scores on analysis items judged by experts to encompass the abilities coverd by the term intelligence.

IQ measures a multidimensional magnitude: it is an amalgam of dissimilar kinds of abilities, the proportions of which may differ between IQ tests.

The dimensionality of IQ scores can be premeditated by factor analysis, which reveals a single dominant factor underlying the scores on all IQ tests.

This factor, which is a hypothetical construct, is called g. Variation in g corresponds very much to the intuitive notion of intelligence, and thus g is sometimes called general cognitive ability or general intelligence.

2007-11-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

Privatisation - British Airways

Sir John King, later Lord King, was selected as Chairman in 1981 with the mission of preparing the airline for privatisation.When King knew Colin Marshall as CEO in 1983. King was credited with turning just about the loss-making giant into one of the most profitable air carriers in the world, boldly claiming to be "The World's Favourite Airline", while many other large airlines struggled. The airline's flotilla and route map were overhauled in the early years of King's tenure, with brand and advertising experts being recruited to overhaul the airline's image. Over 23,000 jobs were shed in the early 1980s, though King managed the extensive trick of boosting staff morale and modernise operations at the same time. Lord King also recognised the importance of Concorde to the company's business plan, and used the supersonic airliner to win business customers by guaranteeing a certain number of Concorde upgrades in return for corporate accounts with BA.

The flag carrier was privatised and floated on the London Stock Exchange in February 1987 by the traditional government, with the initial share offering being 11 times oversubscribed. In April 1988 British Airways effected the contentious takeover of Britain's second-force airline British Caledonian, and in 1992 absorbed Gatwick-based carrier Dan-Air.

2007-11-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

British Airways

British Airways is the major airline of the United Kingdom. It is also one of the biggest airlines in the world, with more flights from Europe across the Atlantic than any other operator. Its main hubs are London Heathrow and London Gatwick, with wide-reaching European and conjugal shorthaul networks, including smaller hubs at other UK airports including Manchester, from which some longer-haul flights are also operated.

The airline's origins go back to the birth of civil aviation and the original days after the First World War. On 25 August 1919 its predecessor company, Aircraft Transport and Travel, launched the world's first daily international scheduled air service, between London and Paris. On 31 March 1924, Britain's four hatchling airlines - Instone, Handley Page, Daimler Airways and British Air Marine Navigation - merged to form Imperial Airways, which developed its Empire routes to Australia and Africa.

2007-11-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

Storage of Vegetables

Many root and non-root vegetables that produce underground can be stored through winter in a root cellar or additional similarly cool, dark and dry place to prevent mold, greening and sprouting. Care should be taken in thoughtful the properties and vulnerabilities of the particular roots to be stored. These vegetables can final through to early spring and be nearly as nutritious as when fresh.

During storage, abundant vegetables lose moisture and vitamin C degrades rapidly. They should be stored for as small a time as possible in a cool place, in a container or plastic bag.

2007-11-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

Colours of Vegetables

The green color of leafy vegetables is due to the existence of the green pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is pretentious by pH and changes to olive green in acid conditions, and bright green in alkaline conditions. Some of the acids are released in steam during cooking, mainly if cooked without a wrap.

The yellow/orange colors of fruits and vegetables are payable to the presence of carotenoids, which are also affected by normal cooking processes or changes in pH.

The red/blue coloring of some fruits and vegetables (e.g. blackberries and red cabbage) are due to anthocyanins, which are sensitive to changes in pH. When pH is neutral, the pigments are purple, when acidic, red, and when alkaline, blue. These pigments are very water soluble.

2007-10-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

In the diet of Vegetables

Vegetables are eaten in a multiplicity of ways as part of main meals and as snacks. The nutrient content of dissimilar types varies considerably. With the exclusion of pulses, vegetables provide little protein and fat. Vegetables contain water soluble vitamins like vitamin B and vitamin C, fat-soluble vitamins together with vitamin A and vitamin D, and also contain carbohydrates and minerals and fiber. Among the nutrients vegetables may have contain antioxidants, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticarcinogenic nutrients. Also, decaying or rotting vegetables (plant matter in general) may have compact nutrients, but are often full of probiotic bacteria.

2007-10-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Etymology of Vegetable

Vegetable is also used as a legendary term for any plant: vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom. It comes from Latin vegetabilis (animated) and from vegetare (enliven), which is derivative from vegetus (active), in reference to the process of a plant growing. This in turn derives from the Proto-Indo-European base , which is also the source of the English wake, meaning "not sleep". The declaration vegetable was earliest recorded in print in English in the 14th century. The meaning of "plant grown for food" was not recognized until the 18th century.

2007-10-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Fruit, vegetable

Since “vegetable” is not a botanical term, there is no negation in referring to a plant part as a fruit while also being considered a vegetable (see diagram). Given this general rule of thumb, vegetables can also embrace leaves (lettuce), stems (asparagus), roots (carrots), flowers (broccoli), bulbs (garlic), seeds (peas and beans) and botanical fruits such as cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and capsicums (bell peppers). Botanically, fruits are reproductive organs (ripened ovaries containing one or many seeds), while vegetables are vegetative organs which keep up the plant.

The question "is it a fruit, or is it a vegetable?" has even found its way into the United States Supreme Court, which ruled generally in Nix v. Hedden, 1893, that a tomato is a vegetable for the purposes of 1883 Tariff Act, even though botanically, a tomato is a fruit.
Commercial production of vegetables is a division of horticulture called olericulture

2007-10-08T00:34:00.000-07:00

Vegetable

Vegetable is a term which generally refers to an suitable for eating part of a plant. The meaning is traditional rather than scientific and is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. All parts of herbaceous plants eaten as food by humans, whole or in piece, are normally considered vegetables. Mushrooms, though belonging to the biological kingdom fungi, are also generally considered vegetables. In general, vegetables are thought of as being spicy, and not sweet, although there are many exceptions. Nuts, grains, herbs, spices and cookery fruits are usually not considered vegetables.

2007-10-02T03:03:00.000-07:00

Postal Marking

A postal marking is any kind of marginal note applied to a letter by a postal service. The most frequent types are postmarks and cancellations; almost every letter will have those, less common types include forward addresses, routing annotations, warnings, postage due notices and explanations, such as for smashed or delayed mail. A key part of postal history is the credit of postal markings, their purpose, and period of use.

Service marks give in sequence to the sender, recipient, or another post office. Advice marks notify about forwarding, miss ending, letters received in bad condition, letters received too late for delivery by a certain time, or the reason for a delay in mail delivery. Dead letter offices would use a variety of markings to keep track of their progress in finding the addressee, such as a notation that the letter had been advertise in the local newspaper. The tracking process for register mail may entail many marks and notations.

Shortly after the eruption of the American Civil War, the Northern authorities affirmed the existing postage stamps invalid and issued new types. Letters using the demonetized stamps received a marking "OLD STAMPS NOT RECOGNIZED", an accidentally humorous comment much prized by collectors today.

2007-09-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome

Some users of mobile handsets have reported feeling several unspecific symptoms during and after its use, such as flaming and tingling feelings in the skin of the head and extremities, fatigue, sleep disturbances, dizziness, loss of mental attention, reaction times and memory retentiveness, headaches, malaise, tachycardia and disturbances of the digestive system. Some researchers, implying a causal relationship, have named this syndrome as a new diagnostic entity, EHS or ES. The World Health Organization prefers to name it “idiopathic environmental intolerance", in order to avoid the insinuation of causation.

2007-09-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

Salwar kameez

Salwar kameez is also spelled shalwar kameez and shalwar qamiz is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. It is now and then known as Punjabi suit due to its popularity in the Punjab region and the Pathani suit, due to the fact that the Pathans of Kabul introduce the dress to the rest of South Asia.

It is loose pajama like trousers the legs are wide at the top and narrow at the bottom,
The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The part seams known as the chaak are left open below the waist-line, which gives the wearer greater freedom of movement. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is the favored garment of both sexes. In Bangladesh and India, it is most normally a woman's garment. Though the majority of Indian women wear traditional clothing, the men in India can be found in more conservative western clothing. Shalwar kameez is the traditional dress worn by a variety of peoples of south-central Asia. In India and Pakistan it is a particularly popular style of dress. Shalwar or Salwar is a short loose or parallel trouser.

2007-09-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

Dutch East Indies

The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, (Dutch: Nederlands-Indië; Indonesian: Hindia-Belanda) was created from the nationalized colonies of the former Dutch East India Company that came under administration of the Netherlands throughout the nineteenth century, and now form modern-day Indonesia.

2007-09-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

Pollution

Pollution is the opening of pollutants chemical substances, noise, heat, light, energy and others into the environments which effect in deleterious effects of such a nature as to cause danger to human health, harm living resources and ecosystems, and impair or interfere with amenities and other legitimate uses of the environment Pollution is formed by vehicle which make the health spoil.

2007-08-26T21:42:00.001-07:00

Pulses

Pulses are defined by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as yearly leguminous crops yielding from one to twelve grains or seeds of variable size, shape and color surrounded by a pod. Pulses being used for food and animal feed.

The term pulses, as used by the FAO, are kept for crops harvested solely for the dry grain. This therefore excludes green beans and green peas, which are measured vegetable crops. Also barred crops which are mainly grown for oil extraction oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts, and crops which are used exclusively for sowing (clovers, alfalfa).

Pulses are main food crops due to their high protein and necessary amino acid content. Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in crop turning round due to their capability to fix nitrogen.

2007-08-19T22:04:00.001-07:00

Denim

Denim, in American usage since the late eighteenth century, shows a rough cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two (twi- "double") or more warp fibers, producing the memorable diagonal ribbing specialized on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim was conventionally colored blue with indigo dye to make blue "jeans," though "jean" then denoted a different, lighter cotton textile; the up to date use of jean comes from the French word for Genoa, Italy (Genes), from which the initial denim trousers were made.

2007-08-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Electric

The first electric cars were built in the early 1880s shortly before interior combustion powered cars appeared. For a period of time electrics were measured superior due to the silent nature of electric motors compare to the very loud noise of the gasoline engine. This supreme benefit was removed with Hiram Percy Maxim's invention of the muffler in 1897. Thereafter internal combustion powered cars had two critical advantages:
1) Long range and 2) high specific energy (far lower weight of petrol fuel against weight of batteries). The building of battery electric vehicles that could competitor internal combustion models had to wait for the introduction of modern semiconductor controls and enhanced batteries. Because they can deliver a high torque at low revolutions electric cars do not need such a complex drive train and transmission as internal combustion powered cars. Some post-2000 electric car designs are able to speed up from 0-60 mph (96 km/hour) in 4.0 seconds with a top speed around 130 mph (210 km/h). Others have a variety of 250 miles (400 km) on the EPA highway cycle requiring 3-1/2 hours to completely charge. Equivalent fuel efficiency to internal combustion is not well defined but some press reports give it at approximately 135 mpg.

2007-08-06T04:39:00.000-07:00

The computer

A computer is a machine for manipulate data according to a list of commands known as a program. Computers are tremendously adaptable. In fact, they are universal information-processing machines. According to the Church–Turing theory, a computer with a positive minimum entrance capability is in principle capable of performing the responsibilities of any other computer. Therefore, computers with capability ranging from those of a personal digital supporter to a supercomputer may all achieve the same tasks, as long as time and memory capacity are not consideration. Therefore, the same computer design may be modified for tasks ranging from doling out company payrolls to controlling unmanned spaceflights. Due to technical progression, modern electronic computers are exponentially more capable than those of preceding generations. Computers take plentiful physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, while whole modern embedded computers may be lesser than a deck of playing cards. Even today, huge computing conveniences still exist for focused scientific computation and for the transaction processing necessities of large organizations. Smaller computers designed for personage use are called personal computers. Along with its convenient equivalent, the laptop computer, the personal computer is the ubiquitous in order processing and communication tool, and is typically what is meant by "a computer".

However, the most general form of computer in use today is the embedded computer. Embedded computers are usually comparatively simple and physically small computers used to control one more device. They may control equipment from fighter aircraft to industrial robots to digital cameras. In the beginning, the term "computer" referred to a person who performed numerical calculations, frequently with the aid of a mechanical calculating device or analog computer. In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard made an improvement to the presented loom designs that used a series of punched paper cards as a program to weave involved patterns. The resulting Jacquard loom is not considered a true computer but it was an essential step in the growth of modern digital computers.

2007-07-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

Wireless Application Protocol

WAP is an open global standard for application that uses wireless communication. Its main application is to allow access to the internet from a mobile phone or PDA.

A WAP browser is to grant all of the fundamental services of a computer based web browser but cut down to function within the limits of a mobile phone. WAP is now the protocol used for the mainstream of the world's mobile internet sites, known as WAP sites. Presently the Japanese i-mode system is the only other major competing wireless data protocol.

Mobile internet sites, or WAP sites, are websites written in, or vigorously transformed to, WML (Wireless Markup Language) and accessed via the WAP browser.

Before the introduction of WAP, service providers had enormously restricted opportunities to offer interactive data services.

2007-07-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

Fertilisation

Fertilisation or fertilization also known as conception, fecundation and syngamy, is fusion of gametes to form a new organism of the same variety. In animals, the process involves a sperm fuse with an ovum, which finally leads to the development of an embryo. Depending on the animal species, the process can occur within the body of the female in interior fertilisation, or outside in the case of external fertilisation.

The entire process of development of new persons is called procreation, the act of species reproduction.

2007-07-15T21:12:00.001-07:00

Nonfood uses

Because fruits have been such a major part of the human diet, different cultures have urbanized many different uses for various fruits that they do not depend on as being edible. Many dry fruits are used as streamer or in dried flower arrangements, such as unicorn plant, lotus, wheat, annual honesty and milkweed. Ornamental trees and shrubs are frequently refined for their colorful fruits, as well as holly, pyracantha, viburnum, skimmia, beautyberry and cotoneaster.

Fruits of opium poppy are the basis of the drugs opium and morphine. Osage orange fruits are used to keep away cockroaches. Bayberry fruits provide a wax frequently used to make candles. Many fruits give natural dyes, e.g. walnut, sumac, cherry and mulberry. Dried up gourds are used as streamer, water jugs, bird houses, musical instruments, cups and dishes. Pumpkins are imprinted into Jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween. The spiny fruit of burdock or cocklebur were the motivation for the invention of Velcro.

Coir is a fiber from the fruit of coconut that is used for doormats, brushes, mattresses, floortiles, sacking, lagging and as a growing medium for container plants. The shell of the coconut fruit is used to make memento heads, cups, bowls, musical instruments and bird houses.

2007-07-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Waka

In the Maori language, waka are Maori watercraft, usually canoes. Similar craft are encounter in Polynesia, with connected names such as vaka. Waka range is from small, lightweight canoes, such as waka tiwai used for fishing individuals, during very large waka taua, manned by up to eighty paddlers and up to fourty mtrs in length, large double-hulled canoes for oceanic voyaging.

Many waka are single-hulled vessels locate from hollowed tree trunks. Small waka consist of an only piece as large waka typically consist of some pieces jointed and lashed together. Some waka, mainly in the Chatham Islands, were not usual canoes but were constructed from raupo stalks. Ocean waka, Paddled could be in any size, but were usually propelled by sail. Waka taua are paddled to put across their mana.

Small efficient waka are commonly plain and simple. Superior canoes waka taua in testing are extremely carved. Waka taua are no longer used in fighting but frequently for official purposes.

2007-06-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sampan

A sampan (舢舨) is a comparatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat from twelve to fifteen feet long. Some sampans include a small shelter on board, and may be used as a permanent occupancy on inland waters. Sampans are normally used for fishing or transportation, in coastal area or river. It is unusual for a sampan to sail far from land as they do not have the means to survive rough weather conditions.

The word sampan literally means three planks in Cantonese language; it is derived from the words Sam (three) and pan (plank).

Sampans are still exploited by rural residents of Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Sampans may be propelled by oars or may be fixed with outboard motors. These motors may be motorized by petrol. However, not all outboard motors are petrol powered (eg: electric motors used in a Malaysian firefly sanctuary, as petrol fumes are toxic to fireflies.)

2007-06-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Pleasure craft

A pleasure craft is a boat used for individual leisure or sometimes sporting purpose. Typically such watercrafts are automatic and are used for holidays, for example on a river or canal. Enjoyment craft are normally kept at a marina. They are not essentially intended for speed. They may comprise accommodation for use while moored to the bank. Many narrow boats have been transformed into pleasure craft from their previous use for cargo transport on canals.

2007-06-05T00:13:00.000-07:00

Dugout

A dugout is a boat which is essentially a hollowed tree trunk; other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. Monoxylon (Pl: monoxyla) is Greek -- mono (single) + xylon (tree) -- and is frequently used in classic Greek texts.
Dugouts are the oldest boats archaeologists contain found. Within Germany they are called Einbaum (English translation: One tree). Einbaum dug-out boat finds in Germany day back to the limestone Age. The length of bark and hide canoes, these dugout boats were used by American Indians. This is probably because they are made of enormous pieces of wood, which tend to preserve better than, e.g., bark canoes.
Construction of a dugout begins with the collection of a log of appropriate dimensions. Sufficient wood needed to be removed to make the vessel comparatively light in weight and buoyant, yet still strong enough to support the crew and cargo. Particular types of wood were often favorite based on their strength, durability, and weight. The shape of the boat is then fashioned to reduce drag, with sharp ends at the bow and stern.
First the bark is detached from the exterior. Before the exterior of metal tools, dugouts were then hollowed-out using controlled fires. The burnt wood was then detached using an adze. Another method using tools is to chop out parallel notches crossways the interior span of the wood, then split out and remove the wood from between the notches. Once hollowed out, the core was dressed and smoothed out with a knife or adze.
For traveling the rougher waters of the ocean, dugouts can be fitted with outriggers. One or two smaller logs are mounted parallel to the major hull by long poles.

2007-05-28T00:12:00.001-07:00

Jet-Ski

Jet-Ski is the brand name of personal watercraft (PWC) affected by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd... The name, however, has become a widespread trademark for any type of personal watercraft. Jet Ski (or Jet Ski) can also specially refer to versions of PWCs with pivoting handle poles known as "stand-ups".
Jet Ski becomes leading colloquial term for stand-ups because, in 1973, Kawasaki was in charge for a limited production of stand-up models as intended by the recognized inventor of jet skis, Clayton Jacobsen II. In 1976, Kawasaki then began mass manufacture of the JS400-A. JS400s came with 400 cc two-stroke engines and hulls based upon the previous incomplete release models. It became the harbinger of the achievement Jet-Skis would see in the market up through the 1990s.
In 1986 Kawasaki broadened the world of Jet Skis by introduce a two person representation with lean-in "sport" style handling and a 650cc engine, dubbed the X-2. Then in 1989, they innovate their first two traveler "sit-down" model, the Tandem Sport (TS) with a step-through seating area.
In 2003, Kawasaki famous the Jet Ski brand by release a special 30th anniversary edition of its current stand-up model, the SX-R, which has seen a renewal of interest in stand-up jet skiing. The X-2 has also been efficient, based on the SX-R platform and re-released in Japan. Kawasaki continues to produce three models of sit-downs, as well as many four-stroke models.

2007-05-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

Hydroplane

A hydroplane (or hydro, or thunderbolt) is a very specific type of motorboat used completely for racing.
One of the unique things about these boats is that they only use the water they're on for propulsion and steering (not for flotation)—when going at full speed they are primarily detained aloft by a principle of fluid dynamics known as "planning", with only a tiny portion of their hull actually touching the water.
The basic hull design of most hydroplanes has remained comparatively unchanged since the 1950s: two sponsors in front, one on either side of the bow; behind the wide bow, is a narrower, mostly rectangular section housing the driver, engine, and steering equipment. The aft part of the vessel is supported, in the water, by the lower half of the propeller, which is intended to operate semi-submerged at all times. The goal is to stay as little of the boat in contact with the water as possible, as water is much denser than air, and so exerts more drag on the vehicle than air does. Basically the boat 'flies' over the surface of the water rather than actually traveling through it.