Television ---- Plasma Vs LCD -

With the various models available in the market, you will truly find a hard time deciding which LCD is the best. We have the Samsung 57 1080P Flat Panel LCD HDTV, Sharp Plasma TV, Panasonic Television, and the Sony KDL 40-Brx6 among the wide variety of models available today. But do not worry, help is always around. Read on and think about the following information.
First, let's decide first which product you intend to buy. Would you like to have a new set of the standard TV, or impressive Plasma, or an immensely huge LCD? It seems like a Samsung-Sony TV or LCD-Plasma commercial is needed. Still cannot decide? Let us take a look at the requirements to help you differentiate the three and decide which home-theater monitor is for you.
1. Screen size. Which size would you prefer? Which size fits your home and the location where you want to put the TV unit? Would you like to have it mounted on a wall or placed in a TV cabinet?
Standard televisions are way bulkier than Plasma TVs; but Plasma seems to be a bit bulkier than the sleek LCDs. However, Plasma appears to be more affordable than the sophisticated Liquid Crystal Display technology.
2. Image Clarity. You will buy a TV for the purpose of viewing right? So better find a unit with the best of the best picture quality. An impressive and outstanding image resolution and picture quality will be useful in other TV functionalities such as replacement for your computer monitor or for movie watching and video game playing. Find a product where you can get the best value for your money.
Look for possible defects and future complaints. A plasma television sometimes has a burn area. This is when the image sets on the screen for a long time; it tends to burn the image in the specific area. Their LCD counterparts do not have this.
On the other hand, Plasma TVs have great contrast and visibility. Although LCDs at present are already developed and have a slight and almost unnoticeable difference with the Plasma, LCDs still have some graying effect on the picture which damages the clarity of the image.
3. Angle of vision. There is a 160-175 maximum degrees of viewing angle for LCDs but note that the quality of the image decreases as the angle increases. Plasma, however, can maintain a good picture quality even at a 160 degree angle.
4. Life span. Consider the screen life to ensure that you will enjoy your money's worth for a considerable length of time. LCDs are proud of its 40 year screen life compared to the 20 year of Plasma.
5. Energy Saving. You may think that you will get Plasma because of its extremely affordable price but think again. It may come to you as cheap at first, but reviews have shown that Plasma's power consumption will drain your wallets and bank accounts. There is a tendency that you will actually pay more for the energy consumption of your Plasma as compared to buying the LCD TV itself.
So what can we conclude now? Review your needs. Then base your decision on those needs. Consider the following factors and organize your thoughts. Would you settle for a temporary form of entertainment or go with something that will last for years and years to come?

Earn a 25th Hour

All those precious seconds waiting in line and browsing at the video store add up. Here, 12 ways to streamline your day.

1. Send gift certificates for presents. Phone in the order no shopping, no wrapping, no exchanges.

2. Buy bagged salad greens and rotisserie chickens, two cornerstones of quick, healthy dinners. Add shredded chicken to casseroles, salads, soups, and pastas.

3. Ask for the earliest appointment. The later in the day you book a doctor's visit, a haircut, or a meeting, the greater the chance it will be delayed.

4. Keep a stash of all-purpose birthday cards on hand, at home and in the office.

5. Put a list of movies you want to rent and books you want to read in your wallet or Palm Pilot.

6. Keep doubles and triples of things you use all the time (scissors, tape, reading glasses, cleaning supplies) in every corner of the house. This will prevent extra trips up and down the stairs for minor projects.

7. Get an electronic tag for your car if it is accepted at toll plazas in your area.

8. Invest in a wireless handheld e-mail device (such as a BlackBerry). Keep in touch with friends during unexpected downtime.

9. Sign up for automatic bill paying at your bank's website.

10. Buy a case of your favorite olive oil or wine so you don't have to make last-minute trips for hostess or birthday gifts.

11. Buy movie tickets in advance using Moviefone or Fandango to avoid wasting time on lines.

12. Whenever possible, double a recipe. Eat half right away, and freeze the rest for a future meal.

What are Radars?

Radar is a system used to pinpoint the location, speed, or course of an object. Radar can be used to track anything from aircraft to weather formations. It can also be used to detect speeding traffic, wind speed, and uneven terrain. The term RADAR is an acronym meaning Radio Detection and Ranging, although the term is now used as a single word rather than an abbreviation. The first radar patent was filed in 1904, but it wasn't until the Second War World that the radar was truly used.

Radar works by sending radio waves into the air, which are reflected back by the object and interpreted by a receiver. Radar has an almost unlimited range, since radio waves can be amplified using several mechanisms. There are basically five types of radar:

• Detection and search radar: Such as the "early warning radar," which is used for long-range detection of objects, and the Target Acquisition (TA) Radar Systems, used to locate surface-to-air missiles (SAM). These types of radar are frequently used in the military and in coastal surveillance, as well as for detecting car speed during highway patrol. 

• Missile guidance systems:are radar used to locate the target of a missile. This is often present in military aircraft.http://jafv09.blogspot.com/

• Radar for biological research: bird and insect radar are used frequently by scientists to track the migration patterns of animals. Bird radar is also being used at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to track the presence of birds, especially vultures, near launching pads. Trap and release programs have been implemented to prevent birds accidentally impacting the shuttles after liftoff.  

• Air Traffic Control and navigation radar: used by airports to ensure the safety of planes, this type of radar detects the proximity of an aircraft and identifies the identity and altitude of the plane. Radio beacons and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) also fall into this category. 

• Weather-sensing radar systems: mostly used to measure and locate precipitation, this type of radar can also measure wind direction and speed.

whar are Robots?

The word robot is usually used to refer to a mechanical agent that performs one or more tasks in which it mimics a human or animal agent either through programming or commands. Another word used synonymously is automaton. Virtual robots exist, but are most often called by the abbreviated name bots.

The name robot comes from the Czech word robota, which means drudgery or servitude. It was coined by Karel Capek, a Czech playwright, in his play R.U.R., which stands for Rossum’s Universal Robots. It was published in 1921, and entered English in 1923. The field of study of robots is referred to as robotics, and people who specialize in robotics are called roboticists.

Robots can be classified in a number of ways. Robot creators may use the means of locomotion as their categories, differentiating their creations by whether they are static, on the one hand, or whether they have treads, a propeller, fins, legs, wheels, rotors, or other means of propulsion, on the other hand.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), however, classifies robots in several different ways on their “Types of Robots” web page. First, it classifies them by whether they work on Earth or in space. Second, it classifies them by the industry they work in. And third, it classifies them by the type of jobs they do.

Robots are employed in industries such as manufacturing, medicine, the military, and transportation. They are used widely in assembly operations, in which they complete tasks such as:

• arc welding
• diecasting
• fettling machines
• gas welding
• manipulating machine tools
• placement of items into a structure that’s being built
• sealant application
• spot welding
• spray painting

Robots are also used for parts inspections, making glass, cleaning, monitoring radiation, sorting, loading and unloading, fastening, forging, and sand blasting. Because they are not human, they can be used in hazardous situations such as firefighting, military warfare, and bomb detection. Surgical robots are under development and robotic hands, for example, are already used in some surgical operations, allowing the human surgeon more control in laprascopic procedures, those done through a very small incision.

Droid is the name for a type of intelligent robot. The name droid comes from a shortening of the word android which means “an automaton that has features of a human being.” Examples of droids include C-3PO and R2-D2 of Star Wars fame. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, has trademarked the term droid.

In the real world, a number of companies are working on android robots that closely resemble humans and are able to interact with real people. Much of the current work is being done in Japan and South Korea. South Korea hopes to make robots a household item in the next decade or so

Biometrics: It's All About You

One thing users who are nervous about using fingerprint technology often don't realize is that once their fingerprint is scanned for use in such security applications, it is not saved, George Skaff, vice president of marketing for biometric vendor DigitalPersona, pointed out. "We don't keep the fingerprint image -- just the data, which we use to construct an algorithm."

If one were to conduct a survey of technology publications over the past decade or so, it's a good bet there would be at least one instance in each of those years in which someone declared that "this is the year of biometrics."

Full of promise but long constrained by a diverse set of obstacles, biometrics -- or the use of body or physical characteristics for secure authentication and identification -- has not yet lived up to the hype.

Yet, lest we let 2007 slip by without the required declaration, let it be know that, indeed, this may well be the year biometrics takes hold on a broader scale, particularly its uses in security applications.

"This really is the year of biometrics," Walter Hamilton, chairman of the International Biometric Industry Association, told TechNewsWorld. "There's a lot of activity going on, and the market is beginning to see some widespread adoption that will actually touch consumers."

Retail Applications

For example, technology from Pay By Touch is being used in retail grocery chain Piggly Wiggly to allow customers to pay by simply providing their phone number and touching their finger to a fingerprint sensor. If the two match, it will automatically perform a transfer of funds to the merchant's account using electronic check clearing.

The result? For the merchant, fewer fees to pay on credit and debit transactions, less need for managing cash and faster checkout lines. For the customer, quicker checkout, the ability to shop wallet- and PIN-free and what Hamilton calls "the benefit of anonymity," which reduces the chances of identity theft by virtue of the fact that shoppers no longer have to present a card.

Three million customers have registered for the program, Hamilton said. "There are a lot of advantages. The primary ones are efficiencies of cost for the merchant and convenience for the consumer."

Widely Varying Attitudes

"Biometrics is a very sexy technology," Ant Allan, research vice president for Gartner Group (NYSE: IT) , told TechNewsWorld. "The challenge is having a workable, cost-effective system. The opportunity cost can be high, because money could always be spent on other, more proven technologies."

Allan is skeptical that retail point-of-sale systems like Pay By Touch will achieve widespread adoption in the near future, largely because of consumer attitudes.

"Stores are thinking it makes customers move through faster, but the value proposition for customers is different, and not as convincing," Allan explained. "The bottom line is, does it really enhance the customer experience enough to make them bother with it? Most folks are probably thinking, 'I'm perfectly happy doing it the way I already do.'"

Cultural Differences

Interestingly, those consumer attitudes toward biometric technology seem to be very culturally based, with acceptance rates much higher in some countries than in others.

"There are more than 30 million users out there using our technology, but about half of those are outside the United States," George Skaff, vice president of marketing for biometric vendor DigitalPersona, told TechNewsWorld. "In places like Latin America, Europe and Africa, people don't have this notion of Big Brother watching" that Americans sometimes do, he said. "It's just a convenience."

DigitalPersona provides fingerprint technology for user authentication, and the technology is increasingly being built into notebook computers from Lenovo, Fujitsu , Toshiba and others. This is one of the fastest areas of uptake DigitalPersona sees, Skaff noted, because "fingerprint authentication is the most convenient way to replace a password for logging into computers, networks or Web sites."

Security Concerns

One thing users who are nervous about using fingerprint technology often don't realize, he pointed out, is that once their fingerprint is scanned for use in such security applications, it is not saved. "We don't keep the fingerprint image -- just the data, which we use to construct an algorithm."

There was also an early trend, Skaff explained, in which notebook manufacturers got "too enthusiastic" about what they could let users do with fingerprint technology, with the result that users got overwhelmed and confused. "In our current discussions, we're trying to figure out which are the right applications to use the fingerprint readers," he said.

Unlike DigitalPersona's use of fingerprint scans, the U.S. government now uses them in such a way that fingerprint images are saved. Specifically, the Department of Homeland Security now requires that foreign visitors to the United States who arrive via air or sea have their fingerprints scanned for national security purposes, and when that is done, the fingerprint image is saved, Skaff said.

Uses in Banking

Another consumer-facing application of biometrics currently in use today is in banking, as a replacement for PINs and ATM cards. In Korea, a number of banks are using fingerprints for these technologies, whereas in Japan, vein patterns seem to be preferred, Gartner's Allan said.

Fingerprint sensors can be fooled, he explained -- at least theoretically in test situations -- but it's near impossible to replicate the pattern of veins in an individual's hand. In addition, vein readers are noncontact -- that is, they work without requiring that the user touch them -- which is particularly attractive in a country like Japan, Allan noted, where cultural attitudes often make people averse to touching things that have already been touched by others.

Other consumer uses of biometrics include biometrically enabled smartphones that serve as electronic wallets, smart door locks that require the right fingerprint before they'll open and turnstyles at Walt Disney parks, Hamilton added, which now link tickets with ticketholders' fingerprints to prevent fraud such as sharing of tickets.

In Nigeria, voters in this spring's elections will be required to verify their identity by using their fingerprint. In preparation, some 10 million citizens are now having their fingerprints scanned, according to Skaff.

In the Enterprise

Enterprises are also increasingly making use of biometric technologies internally, particularly for access control. While Gartner currently estimates adoption is less than 20 percent of corporations worldwide, it predicts that in two to three years, that will increase closer to one third. Smart cards and one-time passwords, meanwhile, will reach about 50 percent adoption, Allan said.

One example on the enterprise side is the use of voice recognition for automatic telephone-based password reset systems, allowing corporate users to reset computer passwords without having to involve help desk staff.

Sensitivity of the voice recognition can be tuned, Allan noted, so that it minimizes user frustration while allowing the majority of calls to be handled automatically. For instances where the software can't match the voice with the user, the call can automatically get forwarded to a live help desk staffer. "It's easier for the user, and for the company," Allan said. "It's a natural fit."

In the government, a personal identity verification system is currently being implemented that will require all federal workers and contractors who require unescorted access to present a smartcard with a chip on it that includes two fingerprints, Hamilton said. Once it's in place, he estimates it will touch 6 million military staff and civilians.

One Last Caution

It's a diverse area in which a number of widely varying vendors and technologies are all grouped under the umbrella term "biometrics," and a frequent mistake is to assume they all involve similar pros and cons, Allan warned.

"This is often one of the things that really misleads some organizations," he explained. "They see the successful use of biometrics in one application, and believe it should apply to another. We see organizations invest in one area because of a success in a noncomparable application, when in fact the same success criteria often don't apply."

Nevertheless, "the market is definitely picking up," Hamilton said. "As the government implements more programs, people will become more comfortable and familiar with biometrics. It's a pretty exciting time."

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