Aug 31

This week the first person to step onto the surface of the moon turns 80. Neil Armstrong is no stranger to public attention but he has not indicated how he will celebrate the momentous day.

Armstrong’s famous walk on the Moon was viewed by around 500 million people back in 1969. Even though the best images that NASA could supply the nation were in black and white, and very grainy at that, it did not matter. America had won the race to the Moon and Armstrong and his buddies were heroes.

Armstrong, Commander of the Apollo 11, and Buzz Aldrin spent less than three hours exploring the vicinity of their lunar lander. Yet, that time was enough for them to take a host of photos, collect samples of the lunar rocks and soil and experience the low gravity of the Moon.Armstrong later said that the surface of the satellite was almost like powdered charcoal.

Born in 1930 in Ohio, Neil Armstrong grew up fascinated by aircraft. He was so taken up with them that as a teenager he took up a job at a nearby airfield. Eventually he took flying lessons and on his 16th birthday he became a licensed pilot. He joined the Navy thereafter and was stationed overseas in the Korean war where he flew 78 missions for the U.S. Navy. Thereafter he spent some time studying and earned a M.Sc. in aerospace engineering.

In 1955 that he decided to become a test pilot and he spent 7 years at Edwards Air Force Base in California flying around 50 different varieties of aircraft. It was at the end of this period that NASA chose him to be trained as an astronaut and the rest, as they say, is history.

Jul 21

Gone are the days when those little hurricane lamps were all one needed to get around. In this age of technology that almost completely depends on electricity, almost everyone is looking for alternative solutions such as a standby generator, DIY solar panels and so on and so forth to bring an end to this electricity crisis, so to speak.

Until research and its scientists are able to invent a solution for electricity that is scalable, we will have to resort to ‘cruder’ forms of generating electricity such as the burning of coal and so on and so forth. One of these so-called crude methods is the use of diesel generators.

Take for example, the 40 kw diesel generator, which is sufficient enough to run an entire house for a certain period of time. While selecting one of these generators is not necessarily a task that a layman can do, one should carefully check all the details of their house’s requirements with an electrician before they go out to purchase a unit.

Similarly, a 60 kw diesel generator which packs more power can be used for small to medium-sized businesses that experience frequent interruptions of power that can spell doom for the business if nothing is done about it.

And one can safely assume that the use of generators to provide uninterrupted power will be around for a long time.

Jul 13

Ever since artificial turf has been used for professional sports such as field hockey and football, the business has extended to several commercial and home-based applications such as lawns for establishments as well as for the home.

They’re everywhere these days, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be. The beauty of getting an artificial turf lawn done is that it looks so real even though several folks might refer to it as a fake lawn. However, you look at it, this invention has worked wonders in reducing the risk of player injuries due to the consistent surface they get to show their skills on but also in the durability and sheer comfort that one can experience if they do opt to build a ‘fake lawn’ in their home.

As you should also know that the synthetic turf grass used is very similar to the real thing, and is normally offered with infill which makes the grass stand as if it were the real thing itself.

However, one must be cognizant of the fact that there are several organizations that provide this kind of product and hence one must look for an organization that is able to provide the best deals available. For this, people can get instant quotes over the internet and perhaps this is where one must begin their journey to enjoying the comfort of a lawn at home.

Jul 2

Many business owners around the world are making the switch to solar power, and you can too. In fact, companies are realizing the benefits of investing in solar power, which include reducing or eliminating their electric bills. Whether you own a treatment plan, corporate building, hospital or warehouse facility, it is easy to transform your roof into a financial asset by installing solar power systems.

Commercial and residential solar power systems can be installed on all types of roofs including ground mount, canopy and BIPV roofs. SunWize, a leader in engineering and installing solar panels, will assess your facility and draft a preliminary proposal of an affordable solution. From site planning and design to final installation and maintenance, SunWize can help your company Go Green once and for all.

Mar 29

Almost every computer user has at one point of time or the other experienced ‘a hard disk failure’ at one point of time or the others. There are several reasons for this to occur due to exposure to high magnetic waves, fire or water and even suffering trauma which leads to the most common reason for hard disk failure known as the ‘head crash’.

Apart from causing damage to the hard disk, if not attended to properly by an expert, the biggest inconvenience with a hard disk failure is data loss. In the case of retrieving data after hard disk failure, that happens due to physical damage to the disk or due to logical damage to the file system. For the former, disk imaging and hardware repair seem to be the most common methods used whereas the latter employs consistency checking and data carving to recover data loss.

Here is a list of software that can be used to recover either deleted files and restore a deleted partition, among other functions:

Recuva - The best of the lot that checks for deleted files while being very user-friendly. With a setup size of 646 KB, it throws up detailed information of every file that have been deleted apart from recovering files from bugs, viruses and crashes.

Undelete Plus - This recovery software recovers files that have been deleted using the SHIFT + DELETE keys, emptied from the Recycle Bin and those that have been deleted from within a Command Prompt and a network drive.

UndeleteMyFiles - With a easy-to-use interface for customers, all you have to do is select the disk where the files needs to be recovered from, and the folder where they need to be placed. You also have the Delete File Search option that can allow you to view a file before actually recovering it.

Sep 7

Is Morgan Hill, California up for the SunWize Challenge? The residential solar power installer is challenging residents of the Bay Area city to make the switch to solar energy and is willing to put its money where its mouth is to make it happen. The company’s goal is to convert 60,000 watts of residential power to solar by July 31 and they are taking some unusual steps to make it happen.

For starters, the company is willing to give up to $500 for every Morgan Hill resident who goes solar. The rebate will begin at $100 but be increased by $10 for every new home that installs home solar panels. If the town reaches the 60,000 watt goal by July 31, SunWize will donate $6,000 to the Morgan Hill Community Foundation. Please visit http://www.sunwize.com/morganhill/index.php for more information on the SunWize Challenge in Morgan Hill.

Aug 18

A man in the US state of Florida, along with two Russian hackers, has managed to break into the database of a large payment system with customers like the retail chain 7-11. The American man was named as Albert Gonzalez, 28, but the identity of the Russian men has not been disclosed. Gonzales and his co-conspirators managed to steal the data for roughly 130 million credit cards, which officials say is the largest case of identity theft in US history.

Prosecutors have charged him with intending to sell the credit card information to others, allowing them to make purchases with the data that belonged to the original customers. If he is found guilty, he could serve up to a 25 year jail sentence: 20 for fraud and an additional 5 for conspiracy. In addition to the jail time, he would be liable for a $500,000 fine.

The attack was performed using SQL injection, a technique which takes over the code used to put information into a database and instead uses it to take information out or do other equally harmful tasks. SQL injection is a common type of attack when trying to retrieve sensitive data from protected databases. However, fraud experts say that the code used in this particular attack was highly sophisticated, unlike most examples available online.

Unfortunately, SQL injection attacks are not preventable by consumers, so there is no feasible way to protect against them when making purchases. Online attacks are slightly more vulnerable, but as seen by this case, not even purchases in the real world are 100% safe.

Feb 18

Wireless communication has made it possible for people to do business no matter where they travel to. Whether you are at a trade show in the same city or on business trip in another country, staying in touch with the office in real time plays an important role in the success of a company these days. If you are planning to leave the office and need to stay connected to the workplace, you may want to consider renting a laptop.

Laptop rentals offer employees numerous benefits and services so that they can meet the demands of a normal work day even while away from the office. A great reason to rent a laptop instead of taking your own is that many rentals are designed to withstand the extreme conditions of the road. These laptops are built with magnesium-alloy internal frames, steel hinges, and have been tested for shock and fatigue for ultimate performance even on the bumpiest roads. In addition, laptop rentals include the latest software and equipment so that you are always in sync with what you have at the office. Coupled with an aircard rental, you can access the internet with your laptop and connect to corporate networks while on the go!

Sep 15

If you own a septic system, there are many reasons why it may break down or not work as well. One of the primary reasons involves washing machines. A combination of using too much water during laundry and an overabundance of lint particles can cause serious problems for septic systems. The good news is that you can make a few changes in your laundry habits to avoid any major problems.

Using too much water overstresses the operation of the septic system. While there are many ways to conserve water, including using high-efficiency toilets and fixing various leaks throughout the house, it is also important to consider the water used during laundry. You can conserve water during laundry by choosing the right cycle. In other words, don’t wash small loads of laundry on the large-load cycle. In addition to conserving water, it is also important to allow enough time for the septic tank to treat wastes. When too much water is pumped through at once, it causes flooding in the drain field. To avoid this problem, don’t do several loads of laundry in one day. Try to spread your laundry usage throughout the week.

Lint from the washing machine is another problem that affects the septic system. Every washing machine comes with build in lint screens and traps to capture the lint from our clothes. However, these screens and traps only capture about 5% of the lint. The other 95% are too tiny to capture. They end up being washing into the septic tank and, because they are so small and light, they get sent out to the drain field. Eventually, they clog the pores in the soil bed. To avoid lint from entering the septic system, you can use inline filters. These filters are attached to the washing machine discharge hose and safely dispose of unwanted lint.

Visit www.allbreakers.com if you’re searching for new and reconditioned circuit breakers including FPE circuit breakers, transformers, switches, disconnects and more.