Thingternet My Nest article got me thinking about smart metering. In my head, smart metering is all about energy efficient homes constantly connected to utility companies, controlling all my appliances to minimise my energy use. The reality is a bit different A few hundred thousand UK homes have had smart meters installed so far. The full roll-out will start in 2014 and should be complete by 2019. The meters being rolled out in the UK use the mobile telephone network to send usage data back to your supplier. Benefits to us are that smart meters should eliminate the massive variations that seem to exist in bills based on estimated usage. In theory, making energy meters into addressable, networked devices should be the start of a huge market. I think they’re making a mistake. Filed under Energy One of the hottest new items in the Thingternet is the Nest, a $249 home thermostat designed by Tony Fadell, co-creator of the first iPod. Nest is a very clever piece of kit. - it’s small. - it’s cheap.
The Science Creative Quarterly & A DIALOGUE WITH SARAH, AGED 3: IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT IF YOUR DAD IS A CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR, ASKING "WHY" CAN BE DANGEROUS SARAH: Daddy, were you in the shower? DAD: Yes, I was in the shower. SARAH: Why? DAD: I was dirty. The shower gets me clean. DAD: Why does the shower get me clean? SARAH: Yes. DAD: Because the water washes the dirt away when I use soap. DAD: Why do I use soap? DAD: Because the soap grabs the dirt and lets the water wash it off. DAD: Why does the soap grab the dirt? DAD: Because soap is a surfactant. DAD: Why is soap a surfactant? DAD: That is an EXCELLENT question. DAD: Why does soap form micelles? DAD: Soap molecules are long chains with a polar, hydrophilic head and a non-polar, hydrophobic tail. SARAH: Aidrofawwic DAD: And can you say ‘hydrophobic’? DAD: Excellent! DAD: Why does it mean that? DAD: It’s Greek! SARAH: Like a monster? DAD: You mean, like being afraid of a monster? DAD: A scary monster, sure. (pause) SARAH: (rolls her eyes) I thought we were talking about soap. DAD: We are talking about soap. (longish pause) DAD: Why do the molecules have a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail?
Z code Z Code (like Q Code and X Code) is a set of codes used in CW, TTY and RTTY radio communication. Actually, there are different sets of Z-codes: one originally developed by Cable & Wireless Ltd., for commercial communications in the early days of wire and radio communications, another one independently developed by NATO forces later for military needs and use. The NATO Z Code is still in use today, and is published in the unclassified document ACP-131. There are other set of codes internally used by Russia's military and other operating agencies. The old C&W Z Codes are not widely used today. A lot of the old C&W codes are derived from mnemonics (ZAL = (a)lter wave(l)ength, ZAP = (a)ck (p)lease, ZSF = (s)end (f)aster, etc. See also[edit] External links[edit]
Q code The Q code is a standardized collection of three-letter message encodings, also known as a brevity code, all of which start with the letter "Q", initially developed for commercial radiotelegraph communication, and later adopted by other radio services, especially amateur radio. Although Q codes were created when radio used Morse code exclusively, they continued to be employed after the introduction of voice transmissions. To avoid confusion, transmitter call signs are restricted; while an embedded three-letter Q sequence may occur (for instance when requested by an amateur radio station dedicated to low-power operation), no country is ever issued an ITU prefix starting with "Q". The codes in the range QAA–QNZ are reserved for aeronautical use; QOA–QQZ for maritime use and QRA–QUZ for all services. Early developments[edit] The following table reviews a sample of the all-services Q codes adopted by the 1912 Convention: Later usage[edit] Breakdown by service[edit] Amateur radio[edit]
The Ard-Vark by Kerwin Lumpkins The Ard-Vark is a basic electronics box that can be remotely controlled by an app on your iPhone, iPad or Android phone. It is Arduino compatible. Have you ever wanted to build a project that needed electronics but you didn't know how to start? Would you like to add motion to one of your creations, and be able to control it with your phone or tablet and not have to learn electronics, soldering, programming and a few hundred other things? Then the Ard-Vark is for you. Shown here with optional silicon case. The Ard-Vark has built-in light and temperature sensors, and you can check these easily on a mobile device app. One of the "you set it" inputs can be set up for a sonar sensor. You can control up to 4 hobby servo motors, 2 DC motors, a built-in LED and a speaker to make sounds (mess with your cat remotely). For example, as shown in the video, I added servos to a stuffed toy tiger to make him dance. You can see a quick tutorial on youTube for how to make this at
The Internet map The map of the Internet Like any other map, The Internet map is a scheme displaying objects’ relative position; but unlike real maps (e.g. the map of the Earth) or virtual maps (e.g. the map of Mordor), the objects shown on it are not aligned on a surface. Mathematically speaking, The Internet map is a bi-dimensional presentation of links between websites on the Internet. Every site is a circle on the map, and its size is determined by website traffic, the larger the amount of traffic, the bigger the circle. Users’ switching between websites forms links, and the stronger the link, the closer the websites tend to arrange themselves to each other. Charges and springs To draw an analogy from classical physics, one may say that websites are electrically charged bodies, while links between them are springs. Also, an analogy can be drawn from quantum physics. Anyway, the real algorithm of plotting The Internet map is quite far from the analogies given above. Semantic web The Internet Phenomenon
Rhein Tech Labs (RTL) Khan Academy The Kneeslider — Doers and Builders Congregate Here