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Friday, November 1, 2013

Solar energy

Solar Energy: The Importance of the Sun


        We cannot ignore seriousness of the future and the importance of improving our lives! The sun, king of kings, is the most abundant and free energy source of our solar system. Yet, we have not taken advantage of it as fully as we should have to enhance our future. Let us harness the sun light by transforming it , radiation into a source of energy collectible and reusable.
Companies and private researchers around the world are studying the ways to make this process more efficient. In this case, we are taking a look at two layers of silicon for test study.

Q:What you should know about the sun?
Q:What is solar energy and what is the process that transforms the sunlight into an usable source of energy?
Q:How will it impact the future?

Let us answer some questions...

Q:What you should know about the sun!
A:
The sun is a spherical star located in the center of the solar system. It's gravitational pull/force (Heliosphere) produces an enormous pressure and temperature which allows all planets to rotate around it. Mostly composed of gases (charges particles ionized, called plasma) that are converted into a huge amount of energy (nuclear fusion) in the sun's core. The energy is radiated/rejected slowly from its core to its surface (outer layer) which is then release into the solar system as radiation/heat and light/charges particles. This process can takes millions of years.

The sun is composed of multiple layers (6 layers). Each layer has its unique physical properties.
Thus, in the core, hydrogen atoms fused to form helium at a temperature approximateley equal to 15 millions degree Celsius. The second layer is called Radiation zone where energy released at the sun's core will radiate. It will take almost 100,000 years for a photon (massless energy) to leave/travel this dense region and arrive in the region called Convective Zone. In the convective zone, it will take about 30 days for a photon to travel the region and enter the subsurface flows. The photon will continue its journey into the photosphere (  the surface from which the solar light is emitted or radiated) and finally arrive to chromosphere ( a layer above the photosphere). Photon will continue to travel into the corona , a layer of the sun above the chromosphere which expands into the sun's surface.


Facts: It takes sunlight an average time of 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel from the Sun to the Earth.
Speed of light: 3.0E8m/s
Age: 4.57 billion years
Core temperature: 27 million degrees F or 15 million degrees Celcius
Radius: 695,500 Km
Surface temperature: 5,778 K
Distance to Earth: 92,960,000 miles (149,600,000 km)
Volume: 1412E21 Km
Mass: 1.9891E30 kg
Composition(% Number of atoms)
-Hydrogen (H) 91.2%
-Helium (He) 8.7%
-Oxygen (O) 0.078%
-Carbon (C) 0.043%
-Iron (Fe) 0.030%
-Nitrogen (N) 0.0088%
-Silicon (Si) 0.0045%
-Magnesium (Mg) 0.0038%
-Neon (Ne) 0.0035 %
-Sulfur (S) 0.015%
-and 50 other elements...

Q:What is solar energy and what is the process that transforms the sunlight into an usable source of energy?
A:
Solar Energy is the process that transforms the sun's light into a collectible and usable energy. Looking at sun power, its energy can be used to power every home on earth, cars, streetlights, calculators, and more. It is an amazing fact! 
The sun releases an energy from its core in form of electromagnetic radiation ( waves or tiny charges particles). This energy  gets captured ( by solar panels) , and converted into
electricity using photo voltaic cells.

What is a photo voltaic cells?

Photo ("light") voltaic ("electricity") is a process that converts photons into Electrons hence converts sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity.

What is an inverter ?
An inverter simply converts the DC (current) into an AC (current) that is used to power the entire house.
A solar panel contains two layers of silicon (on top: phosphorus-doped, on bottom: boron-doped) that allow electrons to flow and conduct electricity between them. The flow of electron is possible because of the metal conductor strips.

How to set up the cell  to receive the sun light?

Note that the there is no transfer of electrons without first established  an electric field.
The phosphorus-doped layer contains extra electrons (negative charge) which will be transfered to the boron-doped layer that has less electrons. After the transfer, the boron will be negatively charged the phosphorus layer will be positive.

How the electricity is generated?

When the sunlight light (photons) reach the top of layer, electrons are excited and moving freely in both silicon layers. At this point, an electric field gets established and electrons get released out of the top of the silicon layer (metal conductor strips) where electricity is being produced.

How electrons flow?

Electrons flow through wires into specific destination (house) where they are used to power electrical components and then  they flow back to the cell through the cell's metal backing. This electricity produced by the cell is then absorbed/store by the silicon layer which ensure the particles of sunlight (photons) do not get reflected (anti-reflective coating)  through the process. The anti-reflective coating is very important because it keeps the alternative current flowing in back and fourth.

NOTE:
The electricity generated by the solar panel can run out depending on how much the sunlight is received. However, note that your house will need to be connected to any other source of power when your not using the solar panels, the power grid. Hence you are still connected to the utility grid (convention electricity) and this will make sure that you can always use electricity in case of raining day, night, very cloudy day etc...


Q:How will it impact the future?
A:
Solar Energy is one the most unused energy sources today! This technology is still being improved to make it more efficient and cost effective. I believe that solar panels will be vital in the future and solar energy will power most of our electric machines from buildings to cars as well as key chains, public traffic lights, etc. In the future years it will become more affordable and attainable to average consumer making it the primary energy source !


Thursday, October 17, 2013

3d printer - the future of printing technology

3D printer: Future of Printing!


Technology is moving faster than ever and yet there is still more to be done.  Leaders of tech companies as well as independent researchers are waking up every day, realizing that they have to keep innovating their products in order to stay in business .If they don't some else will, this frustration is what drove and kept some great companies alive. Remember one thing, to stay competitive you have to step up your game by attacking new frontiers.

3D printing is here,companies are presenting some of their latest inventions! These inventions are being constantly improved. Thus, while others are trying to understand 3D printing, some are even thinking deeper in the printing world! I am talking about 4D printing! Yep 4D printing..
Well, before going further we need to get some questions answered!

What is 3D(dimensions) space?
How does 3D printing started?
What is 3D printing? 
How does 3D printing work? 
How much it cost? 
How will it impact the future?

Q:What is 3D(dimensions) space?
AIn mathematics, Three-dimensional space is refer  in (X,Y,Z) coordinates. Note that the world we live in, the physical universe is constituted of 4 dimensional space including the parameter t refering to time. What we see everyday is in 4D...

Q: How does 3D printing started?
A:The idea of 3D printing started in 1990s , a manufacturer used RP (rapid prototyping) to build a prototype for testing that was used to produce the final product. As a result the product was created faster and easier.During 1990s, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and a company 3D Systems were the earliest developers of 3D printing technologies. In addition to MIT and 3D Systems, some other companies such as Stratasys, Hewlett-Packard company, Autodesk, Dassault Systems SA, Exa corporation etc... have dominated the market with their 3D printing products.

Q: What is 3D printing?
A: 3D printing is the process of creating three-dimensional solid object from a digital model . The process used in making a three-dimensional solid object is additive process.
Basically, it is a machine that can make a copy of anything in 3D, very cool.
Printing in 3D is done by building layer by layer of an digital object.

Q:How does 3D printing work?
A:  3D printing system can be a complex mechanism. Done with a computer aided design or with an animation modeling software, starting with a computer  model to be printed . Once the model is done, it is send to a 3D printer using a specific language called: STL (Standard Tessellation Language or stereolithography). STL or Stereolithography  is an additive manufacturing 3D printing technology used for producing advance models, patterns, prototypes and parts. The technology was developed by 3D systems corp.

 Note that all 3D printing process are similar, these are the fundamental steps in which it takes to build physical object from the digital model:

1- First, CAD (computer aided design) or animation modeling software is used to build or to create a 3D model. 3D model is then analyzed before it gets send to the printer. After analysis is done, the CAD model gets converted  into the STL format.

2- The transfer to AM (additive manufacturing) and STL File Manipulation, allows users to create
copies of the STL file to the computer that controls the 3D printer.

3- When the STL file is ready, the designer sends the file to the printer that will use a specific material such as rubber, plastics, laser, to build the object.

4-Now, the printer is active and doing its job. This job is done automatically. Depending
on size of the project, the printing process can take few hours up to days to be completed.
The printer builds the physical object  layer by layer as close as 1/10 of mm.
Once the final object is done, it is removed from the printer and gets cleaned for inspections.

5-Excellent job! printer.
Printing in 3D can be more complicated than you think! Its all depends on your machine
and how user friendly it can be.

Q:How much it cost?
A: The prize of 3D printers can vary tremendously. 
The expensive ones can cost up to $500,000.which are used in large companies for heavy duties.
However, average ones can varies from  $1,000 to $100,000. The ones costing in range of $1,000 are mostly used to build small items such toys ,other small gadgets such as earrings, shoes, rules, sandals, glass etc..
Here are the list of some 3D printers and their prices:


- Printrbot  from $399 - $699 - $999

- Buccaneer 3D  Printer  $347


-Solidoodle 3D printer $499 - $799
-Bukobot 8 v2 kit X3  $1,299

-Tantillus 3D printer $925 - $1,500




-RepRapPro $1,189 

      
and more...

Q:How 3D priting impact the present and the future?
A:
In health Industry:
3D printing is and will be used by doctors to build specific organs of need such as bionic ear, jaw bone, skins. Example: Last year, A Belgian woman received the first 3D printed jaw bone ,which was a revolution.
In Aerospace:
3D printing has been use in aerospace to create aircraft parts such as plane wings etc..

In foods Industry:
 Some foods companies are making foods by printing chocolate, candies etc..

In Fashion/ Furniture:
Some designers used the 3D technology to build cool 3D toys, such  small electric cars, cup of tea, glass, folds, shoes, earings,etc..


In conclusion, 3D printer is the future and I believe that every home will have one.
3D printer might be expensive for average consumer but sooner or later the cost will drop making it affordable for an average home! Majority of homes will have one and will be  able to print anything they want , I mean anything that will not go against the law.. hahaha.. example building a gun.
To be continued...

Sunday, September 22, 2013

how to build a website in html and css step by step


WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW?

Lets begin! First you will need to know what your website is about. 
Determining what will be the content of your websites is an important step before starting anything else.
NOTE:
*NO CONTENT = NO IDEA -> NO WEB PAGES -> NO WEBSITES..

I will give you step by step approach in what it takes for beginners, a pro, web designers to build a website.

Lets Go! 

Step1: Lets Draft a Plan for Your Website


1-Lets determine what type of website  you be working on.
        Make a pick from the following:
* Personal site,            
* educational site,
* e-commerce site,        
* company sites,
* social networking site,  
* file sharing site,
* forum sites,                
* blog and online sites,
* search engine sites,      

2. Now its time to start drafting a plan for your website.
        Revise,Revise until  final draft is done!

Step2: Choose Your Site Name and Layout


1- Decide your site name,domain name
Example: www.mysite.com

2- Choose a hosting company to check if your domain is not already taken.
     Example of hosting companies: 
* www.Godaddy.com      
*  www.Justhost.com
* www. Hostgator.com   

With HOSTGATOR:
  GET 25% OFF by using coupon code: "waycheaper" 
  OR $9.95 by using coupon code: "cheaperfor"

*  www.Hostmonster.com
* www.Ipage.com         
*  www.Bluehost.com 
3- How many pages will you need for the website?

4- Decide the general Layout of your site.


Step3:  Files ( images, videos, notes)

1- Important Note : If  you are not designing the website yourself,  you will need to give all of the following items to the designer.

* Images:
Make a list of images for your website. Images are important because they bring the site to life!

* Videos: 
Most websites such as educational, news use videos to target audience. However, some sites instead like to use slideshow to replace videos. So feel free to choose what you prefer for your site.

*Audio:
Some sites use audio such as radio, music,  audio effects.etc...

Step4: The Coding/Programming Part. 


Websites pages are written in an specific language called HTML ( hyper-text markup language),which is a set of markup tag such as <p> paragraph</p>. 

Web browsers such Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer convert HTML Code into web pages which can be readable. 

 Despite html, Designers have to use CSS (Cascading style sheet)  language ,which brings life to webpages.It allows designer to add color, images, boxes. videos, text formatting, etc.

In Addition,designers use JS (JavaScript)  a scripting language for the web that allows the pages to be more dynamic and interactive.

What you should use:  HTML + CSS + JAVASCRIPT = WEBSITES

Once you are completed with the coding part of the site, Its time for the world to see your website!

Step5: PUT YOUR SITE ONLINE UNDER YOUR DOMAIN NAME


           Now, its time to upload your web pages! This is done with an FTP client.
FTP (File transfer protocol) allows you to upload your files to your public_html file directory.Some FTP clients are FileZilla, SmartFTP.
NOTE: You will have to register a ftp account with the hosting company before transferring files.

Remember:
           When you bought your domain name,  you or the designer was able to add a domain plan that various by companies. Some company charges $8 to $15 per month to host you site.  You  have to choose a plan that you prefer and once purchased, it will take 24 to 48 hours for your domain name to propagate. Then you will need upload your file through your ftp client you created earlier.

USE COUPON CODE ON HOSTGATOR.

"waycheaper" and Get 25% OFF for new hosting. or "cheaperfor" and Get 9.94% OFF.


NOTE:
For beginners, these steps can be frustrating but don't let it be the reason to quit.. You can do it !:)

Step6: YOU ARE ALIVE ON THE INTERNET.

Note:
You website is now online and the world is ready to see it.

Note: These are the basic steps in what it takes to create and publish a website.
However, there is more to know so feel free to do some extra research on your own.
There is always more learn...

Congratulations!

Hope this was helpful for you;)

Saturday, August 31, 2013

How to use viewport meta tag to zoom on mobile browsers


What you should know?

     In past, most websites developer/designer used to create web pages for bigger screen  or monitor.
These large monitors varied in sizes such as: 800 pixel  wide and 600 pixel height. 
Well, with time 800X600 pixel resolution was left behind because largest screen starting appeared on the market. 1020x 768 pixel  resolution screen became more common and people enjoyed it.
However, this larger resolution screen was not effective and it was hard  for people to read web pages that was design for bigger screen ( 22 in or 28 in) on a small screen. Consequeces:
The text was too small and unreadable.

      Today,  mobile devices such tablets,  mobile phones, are more in use than ever and they have smaller screen resolution.
Most mobile phones such as, Iphone, Android, Blackeberry, Nokia etc.. have each different sizes width and height which makes a little bit complicated for developers to target every phones while developing a site.

Solution:

Using  mobile meta viewport tag makes everything simpler and easier. Developer do not need to worry too much in writing code for every mobiles phones. 
They simply use a meta tag to target all devices in one
<html>
<head>
<title> I love meta tag </title>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width/> 
</head>
<body>

</body>
</html>

NOTE: 
1-Users/clients can easily access different location in websites without squeezing every page.
2-This meta tag is used now in many mobile browsers across the globe.
3-This meta tag is not an standard tag for the web.

Others: You may also try this in case the above meta tag is not working.
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, 
minimum-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0" />
Thank You! Hope this was helpful for you.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Warning: session_start() [function.session-start]: Cannot send session cache limiter or cookie

PHP WARNING:

Warning: session_start() [function.session-start]: Cannot send session cache limiter or
Warning: session_start() [function.session-start]:Cannot send session cookie - headers already sent by 


Explanation:
This problem is normally cause because an html code was placed above the header. You need to be careful on that. header must be parse BEFORE html code.  

Definiton: 

The header() function sends a raw HTTP header to a client. 
It is important to notice that header() must be called before any actual output is sent (In PHP 4 and later, you can use output buffering to solve this problem): for more... w3schools.com

<html>
<?php
// This results in an error.
// The output above is before the header() call
header('Location: http://www.example.com/');
?>

Solution1:
ALWAYS MAKE SURE THAT session_start() is in the first line.

1  <?php
2  session_start();
3  ..................
4  ..................
5  ..................
6  ?>

Solution2:
You can place this line into  your code.

// place this at the top of your page : ob_start()  stored the output in the buffer
<? ob_start(); ?>
// place this at bottom of you page :  ob_flush() flush the buffer
 <?ob_flush();?>



Thank You, Hope this was helpful

Sunday, August 18, 2013

How to auto hide left panel in Ubuntu


HOW TO HIDE LEFT-PANEL IN UBUNTU

DEFINITION:
Ubuntu is an operating system based on the Linux kernel and the Linux distribution Debian, with Unity as its default desktop environment. It is distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of ubuntu, which often is translated as "humanity towards others" or "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity".  for more visit: Wikipedia

Ubuntu

HERE ARE THE STEPS:

 GO to System Settings --> Appearance --> Behavior --> Switch-OFF

Thank You!

Hope this was a helpful for you...



Saturday, August 10, 2013

How to show line numbers in Eclipse SDK



You should know:
Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment or IDE (Intergrated Development Environment) that allow software developer to build robust applications by targeting many devices such as  mobile, tables and desktop. Java is the main language used.

NOTE:
Eclipse sdk is set to default after downloaded from Google site: download sdk.
However, to add a line numbers you have to open your eclipse and go to:

Windows ---> Preference ---> General --> Editors ---> select Show line numbers.



Hope this is helpful.
However, if you have any questions about how to download  eclipse sdk and start coding in java please let me know.

Thank You :)

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

html5 templates

BASIC HTML5-CSS3 LAYOUT

Your layout should look like this:

HTML CODE

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
           <meta charset="utf-8" />
           <title>   Your site title  </title>
           <style>  Put your style here</style>
           <script> Put you script here</script>
</head>

<body>

       <div id="container">
        
            <nav>
                    <ul>
                          <li> <a href="#"> Home</a> </li>
                          <li> <a href="#"> News</a> </li>
                          <li> <a href="#">Video</a> </li>
                    </ul>
             </nav>

            <header>
                   Put you header code here...
            </header>

            <div id="content">
                  Put your content code here...
             </div>

             <footer>
                 Put your footer code here...
            </footer>

      </div>

</body>

</html>

Here is the basic html5 page layout. You can also customize by adding more content.
Thank You!