Are Robotic Lawn Mowers Safe?
October 31, 2007
Are Robotic Lawn Mowers Safe?
by: Kerry Clabaugh
You’re standing in your front yard minding your own business when a robot with three razor sharp blades spinning at 5,800 rpm starts racing toward you. What do you do?
Is this some kind of nightmare? No, you’re awake and this is really happening, so once again, what do you do?
The answer is nothing. It will just bounce off you and go another direction. Rather anti-climatic ending wasn’t it? That is just the way the robotic lawn mower companies want it to be.
The greatest concern most people have about robotic lawn mowers is safety. ‘Bots with Blades’ just can’t be safe. According to Ames Tiedeman, National Sales Manager for Systems Trading Corp., the US distributor for the Friendly Robotics Robomower, over 72,000 emergency room visits involved lawn mowers in 2005. ZERO involved robotic lawn mowers.
These mowers have so many safety features and shut-off triggers that it is amazing that they are actually functional.
The Friendly Robotics Robomower turns the blades off at 16 degrees, not even high enough to get a hand under. Even if a small hand could get under, the blades are far back and recessed into a chamber in the body. It would take creativity, not stupidity, to get to the blades while they are still turning.
How To Buy An MP3 Player
October 30, 2007
Are you looking for an MP3 player but am not sure which type and model to buy? There is a wide variety of MP3 players out there, from flash memory based players to hard drive based players. Choosing a good player from the market is no easy task. What features should you look for? What are the key considerations? This article aims to answer those questions and more. Now, let’s see how we can pick the perfect MP3 player.
Types of MP3 player There are essentially four types of MP3 players in the market today. These include flash-based players, hard-drive based players and MP3 CD players. Let’s look at them in turn.
Flash-based MP3 players Flash-based MP3 players have a flash memory chip built-in. They tend to be very tiny, ultra-portable and have no moving parts. As a user, you can do all your sports activities without worrying about your music skipping a beat. The downside to flash players is their high cost per megabyte. These players range from 32MB to 2GB, and the most popular models tend to be those from the Creative Muvo line, the iRiver iFP series and more recently, the Apple iPod Shuffle.
Digital Camera Vs. Film - Pros And Cons
October 29, 2007
Digital Camera Vs. Film - Pros And Cons
by: Brandon Layne
Consumers have been pretty receptive to the lower priced “point and shoot” models (some 5 million digital cameras were sold in the U.S. during the Christmas 2005 holiday season), but there are still some holdouts.
Great strides have been made in digital technology over the past few years, but more sophisticated digital cameras have only recently come down in price enough to attract the “serious amateur” market. In the past, the price of high-end digital camera equipment was more suited to the professional who could turn that investment into an income source.
Even traditional film buffs are slowly coming around to the benefits of digital photography. Among the holdouts, the chief problem seems to be confusion. There are so many choices, with a broad range of options, and just as many price ranges.
It’s cheaper not to make a decision, than to make a mistake.
They get lost in the terminology, and have reservations about the quality of digital photos and about the reliability of the digital cameras. With the whirlwind of innovation flooding our lives everyday, it’s become really difficult to keep up.
Satellite TV FAQ
October 28, 2007
Satellite TV FAQ
by: Brian Stevens
As the owner of a satellite TV website I get asked a lot of questions, so I decided to write a satellite TV FAQ (frequently asked questions) article to answer the most commonly asked questions.
If you have questions I haven’t answered in this satellite TV FAQ, you can visit my website to get more satellite TV information by clicking on one of the links below this article.
1. What is satellite TV and how does it work?
A satellite TV center broadcasts a TV signal to a satellite in the sky. The satellite sends the signal back to earth, where it is picked up by a satellite dish, converted to a TV picture by a receiver, and displayed on a TV screen.
2. I’ve heard you can get satellite TV for free. Is this true?
Yes, you really can get a satellite TV system for free. However, you do have to pay for satellite TV programming service in order to get a free system.
3. Where can I get a satellite TV cost comparison?
Maintain Your Computer ? Keep Your Business Running
October 27, 2007
Maintaining your computer is extremely important ? especially if you are an Internet Marketer. As you know, without your computer, your business can come to a screeching halt. There are 4 important steps in which you can perform on a regular basis, to help protect your computer and your livelihood.
First line of defense, invest in quality virus software. Be it Norton AntiVirus, McAfee Virus Software or another software program, protect yourself and your computer.
I personally have set Norton to run every evening. It may seem like a hassle when you’re trying to get a project done, however, a 10 minute break in the action is far better than a one or two days of down time ? and possible loss data, if your computer crashes. And trust me, I’ve learned this from experience.
Second line of defense, invest in ad ware software. I use Ad-Aware SE Personal ? you can get the freeware version or the shareware version ? the decision is yours. I’m currently using the freeware version, but will eventually be going to the paid version for added protection. Anyway, Ad-Aware SE will protect your computer from such critters as, data-mining, scumware, parasites, mulware, browser hijackers, to name just a few.
New Innovations
October 27, 2007
New Innovations
by: Steve Gillman
How do you produce ideas for new innovations? Here is a great technique: Extract some basic ideas from existing products and inventions, and then apply them to new areas.
If you look at a thermostat, for example, you might think “A device to control the indoor climate.” This is certainly an idea that can be used to come up with something new. You have to look a little deeper, though, if you want more creative innovations. Continue with, “It measures the temperature and then, using that information, turns the heater on or off, to keep the house comfortable.”
Continuing even deeper, we see that it uses measurement in order to control something. Let’s work with that concept. With the technology that exists today, we can make things happen automatically, according to almost anything we can automatically measure. This is a powerful concept that can and will lead to some fantastic new innovations.
USB Drives - What to Look For in a USB Device
October 26, 2007
Those small USB drives have so many names, pocket drives, thumb drives, USB Pen, Jump drives, and several other names, but when it comes down to it, we are all talking about a small portable, reusable storage media that fits in the palm of your hand!
There are a couple major factors you should consider when you select a USB drive. The size of the storage media you require, and the size and shape of the device itself.
With the costs of USB pen drives dropping all the time it’s cheap and easy to purchase one with several gigabytes (GB) in storage. This will allow you to keep lots of your media, documents and pictures on this device. As an example, I have a 128 MB one that was the first USB Device I purchased, it works great, however its’ capacity is far lower than I require. I like to hold a bunch of my MP3s on it, and I can only fit about 35-40 of decent quality MP3s. With the costs constantly dropping for these devices I decided to go get a 2 GB one, which gives me far more than I require for day to day transfer media. It’s smaller than my original one (physical size) and faster too!
The Cell Phone Facts You Need to Know
October 25, 2007
The Cell Phone Facts You Need to Know
by: Ted Anders
The popularity of cellular phones all over the world has simply exploded and you can’t go anywhere in the world, not even a poor country that does not even have hot water, where people are not walking around with cell phones. The popularity of these phones is obvious because it makes interpersonal communication significantly easier and faster, however are there any drawbacks to cell phones or even health risks you should be aware of? Of course, when you go buy a cell phone the vendor does not clue you into to anything other than the great benefits, however you should review some of the potential safety issues as well so you know all the benefits and drawbacks to owning a cellular phone.
Is there a Health Risk?
Quick System Restore with ASR Backups
October 24, 2007
ASR (Automated System Recovery) is a feature available on the Windows XP Pro and Windows Server 2003 operating systems for quick and efficient system backup and restore.
Typically, the restore process involves reinstalling the operating system and configuring all physical storage to their original settings before restoring data and settings. Rebuilding the system in this way is a time-consuming and often problematic task, causing many headaches for administrators and technical staff.
ASR significantly automates the process of rebuilding the system, thus allowing you to fully restore your system quickly and efficiently in the event of an emergency or complete system failure, even to a “bare” computer with no software installed.
ASR backups are written to a backup medium, such as tape, which can then be used to restore the system to its prior state. Also required is a floppy disk, which is inserted when the ASR Wizard is run.
To restore, the Windows Installation CD is used to boot up the machine. The ASR floppy disk is inserted, and the ASR restore process commences. The process is completely automated, and the system is restored without further intervention.
Tips For Buying A Pouch Laminator
October 23, 2007
Tips For Buying A Pouch Laminator
by: Ken Morris
The pouch laminator is the most common and economical laminating equipment for most homes and offices. They are compact and don’t require a laminator stand. They can be used on any counter, furniture or desk top and can be stored when not in use. Laminators vary in size and are available in sizes up to 20 inches.
A pouch laminating machine costs less and is easier to operate than a roll laminator. You can find them in any office supply store, online or in most stores that sell office equipment. A variety of sizes are available to laminate anything from an ID card to legal sized documents.
How a Pouch Laminator Works
These laminators use pouches of laminating film that are shaped like a folder. The document is placed inside the film and is then fed into the machine. The document is sealed inside the pouch. This method forms a permanent bond between the film and the document. There is a slight overlap of the film, which leaves a clear edge around the document.
