More and more computer networks use wireless methods to move data from one system to another, however many networks still use some type of cabling (Copper or Fiber Optic) to connect systems. The way that cable and hardware, or wireless signals connect to one another to form a network is known as the Network Topology. Historical network topologies include Bus, Ring, and Star, while modern topologies include Hybrid, Mesh, Point-to-Multipoint, and Point-to-Point.

Historical Topologies

Bus: A bus topology uses a single bus cable that connects all of the computers in a line, and data goes out on the entire bus. To prevent data from reflecting at the ends of the cable and creating unnecessary traffic a bus topology needs terminators at each end of the cable.

Ring: A ring topology is similar to a bus topology except that it connects all computers with a central ring cable, so there are no ends to the bus and it does not require termination. The data flows in a circle from one computer to the next in the same direction.

*If a cable is broken at any point in a bus or ring topology the entire network stops working. The broken ends in a bus topology creates reflection of data between the still connected computers because the termination point is no longer connected to the network. A broken cable in a ring topology breaks the circuit and stops the flow of data.

Star: A star topology uses a central connection point for all computers on a network, which offers fault tolerance not available with bus or ring topologies. If any one connection is broken in a star topology the other systems on the network are not affected and are still able to send and receive data.

Modern Topologies

Hybrid: A hybrid topology combines the features of the bus and ring topologies with the star topology by shrinking the actual bus or ring into a small box called a hub which serves the purpose of the central connection point or star. Star-bus and star-ring topologies physically look like star topologies however the actual electronic schematics act like a bus or ring. Any topology that combines a physical topology with an electronic signalling topology is known as a Hybrid Topology.

Mesh: A mesh topology connects every system to every other system in a network via two or more routes, sometimes requiring particular routes to traverse through another system in the mesh network. A partially meshed topology includes at least two systems with redundant connections, and every computer does not need to connect to every other computer. In a fully meshed topology every computer connects directly to every other computer. A meshed topology is very robust and if a single connection is broken the systems are not affected, however because of the complexity of connecting cables to and from every computer in a network the mesh topology is not practical for cabled networks and will usually only be seen in wireless networks.

Point-to-Multipoint: A point-to-multipoint topology includes a single computer system that is used a common source through which all of the other systems on the network converse. Similar to the star topology in that there is a central point, the difference is in the device that exists in the center of the network. The center of the star topology is little more than a path for the data to travel to the various systems, whereas the center of a point-to-multipoint topology includes an actual hub, router, or switch which controls the data flow to the various other systems in the network. The point-to-multipoint topology is sometimes referred to as a Tree Topology and is known as an Infrastructure Network.

Point-to-Point: A point-to-point topology includes two computers directly connected together with no need for a central hub, router, or switch. Point-to-point topologies are found in both wired and wireless networks. They are known as Ad-hoc or Peer to Peer networks.

History

Putting isolation transformers into a UPS system is not new. In fact, some technologies relied on the transformer to create the power waveform (ferro-resonance). In most cases the need for the transformer was due to it’s ability to step up an AC voltage. This allowed an inverter to output a low AC voltage due to limitations on the voltage capacity on the power electronic components. More recently advances in power electronics have enabled the transformer to be removed and the inverter output connected directly to the load. This is called a high frequency design and is the basis for modern online double conversion UPS.

The 1/2V 10V Myth

Some UPS manufacturers include an isolation transformer to allow the Neutral to be bonded to the earth thereby creating a new N-E bond and eliminating any Neutral to Earth Voltage. Claims have been made that common mode voltage (and that means a voltage referenced to a common source – in this case the ground or earth conductor) of over V or normal mode (between live and neutral) of over 10V can cause equipment malfunction.

However, Neutral to Earth voltage does not cause malfunction with modern electrical equipment. This can be easily demonstrated by going to Germany and plugging something into the wall socket. You can then unplug it, turn the Schuko lead around by 180 degrees and plug it in again. Hey presto, what was once live is now neutral and vice versa and guess what – the electrical equipment works just the same without any problems at all, despite the neutral to earth voltage being 230V. Or you could simply rewire your mains lead to demonstrate.

In the UK, the neutral and earth are bonded at the consumer unit in any case, and any significant N-E voltage is an infra-structure issue that would require addressing by an electrician. Now perhaps such claims were meant for higher frequencies and so the use of the isolation transformer is to eliminate noise, after all I’ve heard such claims that the isolation transformer “removes noise from the earth, and since many electronic devices use earth as a logic reference any noise of over V here can cause logic errors“. Noise on the earth is a misleading phrase. Electrical Noise is simply a high frequency voltage which is measured between two points. You cannot have noise on the earth in isolation, it must be between earth and some other point and in this case the claim is between Neutral and Earth.

This would mean that for any malfunction to occur with as little as 0.5V of N-E noise, the Neutral conductor must, in some way be used within the logic of the electronic apparatus. Now many years ago this could have been the case, but nothing manufactured over around the last 20 years would have this drawback. Electrical safety standards require that the Live & Neutral conductor are separated from the earth with a high degree of isolation (tested at up to 3000 Volts). To do this they use internal isolation. All computer devices use DC power derived in the main from a device known as a switched mode power supply (SMPS). This contains an isolation transformer which operates at a high frequency which allows it to be substantially smaller than a mains frequency equivalent. The output DC logic levels of the SMPS are completely isolated from the input AC Live and Neutral conductors. Devices that do not utilise SMPS often use rectifiers from a low level AC source, derived from a step down isolation transformer.

This internal isolation negates the need for an external isolation transformer as Neutral to Earth Noise on the input cannot propagate to the DC levels used by the computer logic except in extreme cases.

This is not to say that noise on the AC power line can not cause problems, but there are other ways of addressing this such as simple filtering or improved earthing. The isolation transformer also requires additional filtering to deal with noise and is effective only as a filter in this scenario. The EMC directive has also required equipment to be more robust to the effects of electrical noise.

The Schuko Lead. Proof that N-E Voltage isn’t an issue.

Voltage Regulation

An issue with transformers is that they have an output voltage that is dependent upon the loading on the transformer. This is called Regulation. The output voltage of an isolation transformer under no-load is higher than the output voltage under full load.

This causes the terminal voltage to vary with changing loads. It also means that there is the potential to have dangerously high or too low voltages on the output. The input and output voltages of a transformer are dictated by the ratio of the number of windings on the primary side to the number of windings on the secondary side. In order to overcome the regulation issue with transformers operating at close to their capacity is to slightly step up the voltage. This is so as the transformer becomes loaded, the output voltage falls. So for a 230V input at 0% load, the output may be a few % higher than a nominal, and at 100% load the output would be a few % lower. How big this % is depends upon how good the design of the transformer is. The problem is, if your input voltage is on the high side (the specification for the UK is 230V10%, so that could be 253V) adding a few % more makes the output voltage dangerously high and may cause equipment damage. Equally if your mains voltage is on the low side (207V) then a few % lower may cause your equipment to stop operating.

Some UPS overcome this with buck and boost circuits, however I have known for the output voltage from a transformer based UPS, even with a buck function to be at 260V.

RCDs Don’t Trip

It is perhaps one of the most disturbing aspects that many people installing a power protection device containing an isolation transformer are unaware that any residual current device that was put into the infrastructure to provide fast disconnection in the event of a fault will not operate. Of course, large fault currents as created during short circuits will cause other protection measures to operate, but small fault currents that RCDs are designed to protect against will not cause the RCD to trip.

This is because an RCD operates by detecting an imbalance between the Live and Neutral conductors. Since the isolation transformer isolates the secondary side from the primary, any fault current to earth -no matter how large- causes no deviation from the incoming Live and Neutral current balance as the fault current loop (secondary Live to earth) is contained entirely within the secondary side of the transformer.

This is, in fact, why isolation transformers are used for safety, and are also used in critical power applications such as operating theatres, intensive care wards and chemical plants etc., where an earth fault should not cause disconnection of the supply, and ensures that personnel are safe from electric shock even with a fault. However, this is only true if the output conductors are floating with respect to earth, that is, there is no Neutral to Earth Bond.

If your infrastructure has your circuit protected with an RCD due to the risk of electric shock caused by low fault currents (as recommended where water is nearby) then you should be aware that the RCD will never operate.

This drawback is used however for other purposes – where there is a requirement to remove earth leakage and this is one of the situations where the isolation transformer comes into it’s own.

Power Conditioning

It is interesting to note that for all the recognised power quality problems as defined by the Leonardo Power Quality Initiative ( http://www.leonardo-energy.org/ ) not one of the solutions recommends the use of an isolation transformer. This despite the fact that UK Copper Development Association is one of the members and has some great guides on power quality http://www.copperinfo.co.uk/power-quality/power-quality-guide.shtml that again do not call for the use of an isolation transformer.

In fact, most power quality issues that are noise related can be addressed with improved earthing and many other problems such as harmonic content cannot be addressed with isolation transformers.

Ground Loops

A ground loop is where an earth current flows from one earthed point to another usually through some unexpected path such as data lines and causes malfunction and damage. Now an isolation transformer can stop a ground loop for one piece of attached equipment, if the earth is isolated and the output left floating. You could of course, just cut the earth wire which would have the same effect but this of course is electrically unsafe. As discussed above the isolation transformer can be used for safety purposes and this how in can be used in this context to prevent a ground loop from occurring by effectively disconnecting the earth.

However, if the isolation transformer has the earth straight through, as is the case with transformer based UPS then ground loops will not be prevented.

Transformer Hum

Transformers are known to hum and this is due to poor construction, poor AC power quality or both. Transformer hum increases inefficiency and is of course annoying.

Successful Trials

One of the methods of selling a power quality solution is to offer to trial and see the benefits. This is all well and good but is not particularly scientific. Personally I knew one large corporation who spent millions of pounds on transformer based power protection solutions due to a successful trial. However this trial was not without it’s critics, who suggested to me that the problem with the trial is that they were comparing doing nothing with fitting one type of power protection solution. Other avenues to address their power quality issues were not explored.

The key is to understand what power quality problems exist and how to eradicate them effectively.

Demonstrations

I’ve witnessed demonstrations of power quality improvements using bespoke equipment that prints out endless reams of paper, and by using an oscilloscope display attached to some sort of box connected to the mains supply. You can flick the lights on and off and wow, an endless stream of spikes appear on the oscilloscope. You then put an isolation transformer based power protection solution in the way, flick the lights on and off again and lo and behold this time no spikes.

It’s a fairly impressive demonstration but has some serious flaws. The first one is fairly obvious. If all these damaging spikes occur just by switching on the lights, then surely computers would be falling over up and down the country. There’d be outcries against manufacturers producing substandard equipment that is susceptible to a light switch.

I’m not saying these spikes are not there, but they’re not what they are made out to be. The intensity of them is extremely low, and they carry no destructive threat. The reason you can see them is because you’re viewing through a very high impedance source of over 1M?. Add any sort of load to the output and you would see these spikes disappear. They’re a bit like radio signals and don’t do anything.

Another concern is that nobody knows how this magic box works. Is it active or passive? Is it amplifying any signals that happen to be there, and if so by how much? Does 1V noise on the oscilloscope equate to 1V noise on the mains? Is it calibrated? If so, how and by who?

That said, you can clearly see the isolation transformer remove the apparent noise, showing that it is doing something. However I’ve also seen the same effect using nothing more than a transorb costing a few pence in a device created by a rival power protection firm.

Like the trials, it is an understanding of real power quality issues that is required.

International Standards on Power Quality

There are several international standards that deal with power quality problems and acceptable limits. Not one of these standards raises a concern about a half volt of electrical noise on the mains supply. Power monitoring equipment manufactured by some of the most respected test equipment manufacturers does not contain measurement tools for such levels of noise either.

It begs the question where do these limits come from? The answer goes way back to a conference in California some time in the 1980′s to do with semiconductor test equipment. It was a paper that was presented and that’s it. There has been no recognised international standard written to endorse or otherwise substantiate the claims presented in that paper.

About Me

Nitro RC car or Gas powered RC car is a radio controlled model car that runs on a special fuel — a mix of oil, nitro-methane and methyl alcohol.

The ESP of a Nitro Remote Control car is that it is far more powerful and runs longer compared to Electric RC cars. They are a little more expensive than their electric counterparts – both to own and maintain. While electric RC cars are ideal for beginners, Nitro RC cars are ideal for serious hobbyists and racers.

Basically, a Nitro RC car has an internal combustion engine of 2-stroke or 4-stroke type. Fuel is supplied from a little tank that contains its special fuel. Normal gasoline will not work in these engines. It starts either with pull start cord or starter box.

As with real cars, these engines have a carburetor, air filter and such other subsystems of the internal combustion engine. They also have the universal subsystems like, electronic radio control, servo speed control, transmission / gear system, drive train, differentials, steering system, shock absorbers, and batteries for head lights.

OK, then what makes an RC car so special and expensive? First, the complex internal combustion engine and its subsystems are costly, compared to the simple motor in the electric RC car. In addition, the battery is a simple one time investment compared to recurring fuel cost of Nitro RCs.

Also, Nitro RC cars gather more dirt and grease. More the running components in any system mean there will be more wear and tear. Both these add to the maintenance cost.

But for the sheer power and racing range, the Nitro RC cars are the leaders in RC toys. For your choice, they are available in 1/8, 1/10, 1/12, 1/20 scales as well as mini nitro RC cars. The 1/8 and 1/10 scale Nitro Nitro Remote Control cars are popular with racers and serious hobbyists. One can buy them in any hobby stores or in internet commerce sites for between $200 to $400.

This is a hefty price, indeed! But it does not cost you a fortune like the real racing cars, yet helps fulfil your racing dreams. At 60 to 100 kmph speeds, they are very fun and exciting!

Your filing cabinets may not look like trees. But they are. The typical four-drawer file cabinet holds 20,000 sheets of paper. A Coopers & Lybrand study shows that the documents in that file cabinet will be copied an average of 19 times. What does this mean? Replacing just one file cabinet with a document scanning and document management system will save the equivalent of a 70-foot tree. Replacing all of the paper documents in an office with a workflow automation system will not only help save the environment, but also:

• Save time, money and space;
• Boost efficiency; and
• Improve your business processes and workflow

The environmental cost of paper

According to the Association of Information and Image Management (AIIM), businesses use millions of tons of paper every year, with the average worker printing 10,000 pages per year, including 1,410 wasted pages.

That paper ads up: in the United States, we use enough office paper each year to build a 10-foot-high wall that’s 6,815 miles long, or the distance from New York to Beijing.

Add in the environmental costs of manufacturing, transporting and storing that paper, and the environmental costs are even more staggering. A 2007 State of The Paper Industry Report by the Environmental Paper Network estimated that cutting office paper use by just 10% would be the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road and reduce greenhouse gases by 1.6 million tons.

The benefits of document scanning and web-forms

Document scanning, web-forms and document management are excellent for the environment, and they have many other benefits as well:

• Efficiency, accessibility and security are enhanced, because scanned documents and web-forms are never lost, borrowed or unavailable for any reason, and information is protected, safe and secure. The mistakes and wasted time of manual data entry are eliminated, and audit preparation and regulatory compliance are simplified. Because critical files can be accessed remotely at any time from a computer with a web browser, information is instantly available whenever and wherever it’s needed.
• Storage needs plummet: Instead of file cabinets and boxes taking up space (and filled with paper documents that can take hours or days to find), information is at the fingertips of everyone who needs it. Documents never have to be physically retrieved, eliminating both the time and cost of finding critical information. That savings is huge: AIIM research shows that the average time per day spent looking for paper documents, document files, emails, intranet and web pages is 51 minutes, compared to the seconds it takes to find and retrieve an electronic document.
• Web-forms eliminate the need for paper completely and allow captured data to automatically flow into other applications used by your human resources and accounting departments, management team, or anyone else in your organization. No paper changes hands, no information needs to be rekeyed, and information gets where it needs to go instantly.
• Workflow automation, which can use both web-forms or scanned documents as data sources, increases the efficiency of business processes, such as cutting late payments by 50% in accounts receivable, according to the AIIM.

A document management system can be implemented quickly and easily with little or no capital outlay, and return on investment is usually realized in a short three to six months.

Be Green. Save green.

As April 22, the 41st Earth Day, approaches, companies are examining the ways they can reduce their impact on the environment. A document management system that includes scanning of existing documents, web-forms to capture data, and workflow automation can reduce your company’s impact on the planet while boosting efficiency, saving time and money, and helping your bottom line. It’s a win-win for your company, your employees and your planet.

Recently, when discussing EMR with a colleague, I was asked about customization of different electronic medical records systems. Some of the systems available today highlight ease of use, or perhaps that templates aren’t required. This more modular approach could be sufficient within some special practices, but overall this solution seeks simplicity at the expense of ability. Sure, it would be great to have patient records in electronic format, but it may not be any easier to derive valuable meaning from the information, or use it practically.

The field of ophthalmology requires a robust EMR system able to document both SOAP-notes and high resolution drawings and images. Several years ago we talked with an IT firm developing an ophthalmology EMR system; we ended up working with them in developing a beta test site, thinking that if the system would work in ophthalmology it could also function within other specialties. Unfortunately, the system wasn’t quite ready for prime-time then, and as a result we became immersed in growing amounts of basic programming work. Unfortunately, our previous EPM vendor didn’t have another appropriate product available for the field of ophthalmology then, although a strong competitor in the overall market.

When customizing, the consequence to consider is the need to apply more time and effort to system modifications. Many systems are ready for basic set-up out of the box; however, the true potential of these systems resides in their ability to modify overall operations to the individual needs of the physicians and practice. To move the basic EMR system into an enhanced work flow tool at the practice, some modifications are necessary. The best way to do this, we have found, is through the use of mind-mapping software.

Mind-mapping software allows members of a group to ‘think out loud’ in the visual sense. Participants can actually see the workflow diagram, from the entering of patient info, to the selection of an open examination room, to billing and check-out. By examining the overall flow of the examination process, we have been able to modify the electronic medical records to better fulfill our needs. This process has helped up find places where workflow can be improved, streamlining the process and creating a more efficient system at the practice.

When most crafters think about Makita, we generally think about really great power tools, about superior performance with no exceptions. This is no accident, of course, Makita doesn’t cut corners and the result is uncompromising power tools like the 2507 benchtop table saw.

Maktia’s 2705 is designed for total accuracy and super-smooth operation. The saw’s 15 AMP motor delivers 4,800 RPM for controlled cuts in rough stock and, thanks to a precision machined, die-cast aluminum table top (that’s truly true and totally flat right out of the box), you can rely on both a powerful motor and Makita’s super-precise design (it’s table size (LxW): 22-1/4″ x 29-5/8″ – 42″). The saw’s tool-less modular blade guard is simple to remove and reinstall and features a 3-position adjustable riving knife that, yes, adjusts surprisingly easily. This makes it simpler and safer for users to accommodate different cut-types and encourages users to reinstall the blade guard. The guard is additionally designed for better visibility ensuring users can see the blade as is contacts the cut material.

For improved versatility, the saw’s T-slot miter gauge accepts accessories with T-formed shanks. Two independent anti-kickback pawls keep you safer in kickback situations and with adjustable, dual-slide guards, Makita’s 2705 offers easier cut set-ups and simple measurements from blade to rip fence. Designed with a cam-locking rip fence with a bevel locking handle, the saw offers dead-on accuracy as well as fast and simple adjustments. A two-pole slide system additionally renders blade depth adjustments super-smooth, simple and efficient, and because the saw allows you to store the blade underneath the saw table, the machine is safer to transport.

Despite being a benchtop tool, the table saw offers an extended 25-inch ripping capacity and a large cutting capacity capable of cutting 4x material in one pass. The saw has a large on-off switch, features an easy to read scale for faster adjustments and also offers an electronic brake for improved productivity. – To keep everything you need exactly where you need it, Makita has also outfitted the 2705 with on-board storage space with the capacity to hold your most commonly used accessories (for example, you can comfortably stow a saw blade, dado blade, miter gauge, rip fence, safety guard, push stick, wrench and etc).

Though this benchtop saw doesn’t include a stand, the machine offers totally superior performance. The 2705 table saw includes a 32-tooth carbide-tipped blade, a rip fence, miter gauge, push stick, socket wrench and wrench #5 and #19.

You might well, sooner or later, end up in possession of sensitive papers or other portable assets of great value that should be kept in a safe place – like an offshore safety deposit facility.

What kind of things are we talking about? Any valuable papers. Things like automobiletTitles, Coins (rare), Passports, Bearer Shares, Citizenship Records, Bills of Sale, Pension records, school transcripts, trust documents, immigration papers, rare stamps, mortgage documents and so on. You may also wish to store data such as USB memory sticks or backup DVDs securely off-site.

A safety deposit box is also recommended by many experts for estate planning purposes. To pass the contents of a safe deposit box to your heirs without any formalities, all that is necessary is that another person have access and a key. This is accomplished by having the inheritor be a signer on the box. If you don’t want them to have access during your lifetime, you keep the key and arrange for it to be delivered to them in a sealed envelope with instructions, upon your death or disablement.

Should you Use a Bank or an Independent Safe Deposit Box Company?

Generally the best solution is to rent a safety deposit box in a reliable major, first class bank – not just a box company. Many banks will require that you also have an account with them and that withdrawals to pay the box rent be authorized in advance.

Why should you use a bank rather than an independent safe deposit company? Because independent companies seem to fold or get robbed with great regularity. Like public storage facilities, they are also frequently used by less desirable characters.

On the other hand, a private storage outfit may not require any identification to open a box. They may accept any nom de plume you care to give them. Customers may be admitted on the basis of a plastic card without any need to sign in. As such a box is not linked to any account or payment facility, it behooves the user to pay several years in advance. This will avoid the box being opened and the contents sold for non-payment of rent.

One client told me the sad story of how after a long hospital stay due to cancer, he discovered that his box in a public self-storage unit had been opened after a year for non-payment of rent. The contents were sold at auction. He had a collection of old stock certificates that were worthless as stocks, but of great value to collectors. One had a rare original signature of inventor Thomas Edison. They were disposed of as scrap paper.

The Best Countries for Offshore Safe Deposit Boxes

Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg are traditional safe havens that are perfect for safe deposit boxes. A good country for a box is one where there is no need to show a passport or go through any formal border controls. This is not the case with Switzerland – unless you take your chances on one of the very few unmanned border crossings!

Vienna and Zurich airports are also convenient national airline hubs. You can conveniently pass through these countries when travelling between other cities. Just arrange a stop over long enough to visit your stash; putting in or taking out what you need. For a safety deposit box locale you don’t need to seek out a tax haven. Any peaceful, stable country where property rights are respected is just fine.

Almost all banks offer safety deposit boxes. If yours is located in a country where you have no problems, it doesn’t matter much which one you use. But you should have at least one person you trust who knows about the box and is able to access it. If you have an accident it is important that your box not be forgotten or abandoned.

Keep the Key Safe!

When you have opened the box, consider depositing the key in a sealed envelope with the bank’s safekeeping office or your personal private banker. By doing this you ensure that the key won’t be discovered on your person or among your possessions by anyone with dubious intentions, like your soon-to-be ex-wife.

Many bank safety deposit boxes have two keys – one is held by you. The second (a general pass key) is kept by the bank. Only with both can the box be opened.

In the very latest high-tech safe deposit boxes, there is no key. These safe-deposit boxes can be opened only with fingerprint scans. Another solution is to use boxes in places where they have combination locks. Experienced safe-crackers are good at opening combo-locks. They are less secure than complex keys – in our experience. We are likewise not keen on secret memorized numbers. Why? Because we have more than once forgotten an important combination or password.

Be sure that you can access the box without showing ID, in case you lose it and need to get at your backup copies that you thoughtfully secured within the box! Some banks, particularly those in Zurich, want to see and photocopy ID every time you access your box – even if you are well known. Where ever your box may be, be sure you are introduced to several of the staff who can help you access your box without ID should you need to. Tell them to take a good look and remember you personally so you can always access your box or the money in the account without any identification. Tell them your favorite stupid joke or story and tell them to remember it so that you can tell it again many years later. Then they will remember you!

Shhh… Can You Keep a Secret?

Don’t just take a safe deposit box key and keep it on a gold chain around your neck at all times. This is something that movie villains do.

If you want something secret, always think ahead. Don’t tell anyone about it. Leave the key and instructions with your personal banker or someone you trust implicitly. Also think ahead! Leave death instructions in your box – just in case something happens to you. These can be written, or can be on a CD in video form. Your box will be opened after about a year or two of inactivity – if and when the annual fees don’t get paid.

Sometimes a safe deposit box is forgotten for decades. About seventy years after the criminal mastermind and reputed billionaire Al Capone died in prison, a closed bank that he once owned in Chicago was found to have a long forgotten, secret locked underground vault registered in his name. His money had never been found. A national television network bought rights to show the drilling and re-opening of this vault ‘live on TV.’ Many people, myself included, tuned in for the grand opening. We thought it would be an event to equal the discovery of King Tut’s fabulous tomb in Egypt. What happened? It was a good show with a let-down for an ending. Apparently, someone with a spare key to Al Capone’s safe deposit facility had arrived there first. Nothing of the slightest interest was in the vault.

Will Your Secrets Die With You?

Most offshore banks will require that you have a bank account with them and that they be authorized to withdraw your annual safety deposit box rent payments from that account. With such instructions and automated payment you could be dead for many years before you are presumed dead and your box is drilled. Thus your banker should perhaps be instructed to open your instructions (not your box) in case he doesn’t hear from you for a certain period of time, like say three years. Better yet, your banker should be instructed “after 3 years of no contact, please contact my attorney, XYZ, or your kids, wife, best friend.” Someone you trust should have instructions on what to do with your assets in the event of your death, disappearance or disability. Your banker should be told what to do or how and when he is to contact those persons who will surely know where you are.

Perhaps someone you trust, who has nothing to gain from suing you, should be given a sealed power of attorney or an assignment plus a valid will so that all loose ends are tied up. Without this, in Switzerland for instance, the bank just keeps your assets! Simple as that. In English speaking countries there is usually an escheat law covering dormant accounts and abandoned safe deposit box contents. In England, unclaimed money and assets go to ‘The Crown.’ In California, box contents and accounts dormant for over seven years go to the Teachers’ Pension Fund.

In such cases, the heirs have only a very limited time to make claim. Most never do because they never learn of the assets.

Your Anonymous Safe in an Austrian Palace

The Swiss and the Austrians generally excel at running discreet safe deposit facilities. In nearly all countries, ID is required to rent a safe box. But in Austria, at the time of writing, there is one safe deposit company offering anonymous safes. It has been around for years and was highly recommended by a reader. It’s a good place to store second passports, bank cards and other PT paraphernalia that you may not want to keep in your home country.

This company has its facilities in the basement of a beautiful Viennese palace. It’s name is Das Safe and its website is http://www.dassafe.com If you are in Vienna, you can visit them at Auerspergstrasse 1. We predict they will stay in business for a long time to come, but for how long they will be allowed to take anonymous business is open to question.

Other recommended safe deposit facilities in Austria are at the Schoellerbank branches (where no key is required – access is regulated by an electronic fingerprint scan) and at the Raiffeisenbank in the ‘secret’ enclave of Jungholz.

A Reliable Safe Deposit Company in Prague

Another service we know of is Prague Safe Deposit in the Czech Republic. They require valid ID to open a box. The service from then on is highly professional and discreet with no ID required for later access. You can pay up to five years in advance. Entry to the main vault is self-service with a swipe card system at the main door. You can give the door card and key to anyone. They can then gain access to your safe-box without the need to meet any staff or identify themselves in any way.

This particular enterprise is a joint venture between one of the Czech banks and the Chequepoint chain of money changers. It has been around since 1992. They are located in the basement of an old bank building just off the famous Wenceslas Square. They welcome visitors to stop by and inspect the facilities. The street address is 28 Ijna 13. The website is not currently available in English, but if you do visit them you will find they speak English.

Understanding External Backup devices

There are quite a few backup devices available and we get a lot of questions about which ones to use. A recent case which crossed our bench reminded us how important it is that you the user knows what some of the terms mean when you’re buying these devices.

In this recent case a customer submitted a device with the word RAID on the outside that had failed, he was a bit confused and thought the device had redundancy built in to protect his files because it said RAID. The fact is there are several kinds of RAID drives and the kind he had was a simple stripe set. Although it provides large size and good performance it is the worst for reliability as any failure on either drive will cause all data on both drives to be lost.

When buying a RAID device for your data be aware that:

RAID 0:

• Gives best performance for the dollar
• Gives best drive size for the dollar
• Has no redundancy
• Splits data between two physical drives
• Data will be lost and unusable if either drive fails
• Requires 2 or more drives
• Can be implemented with a hardware controller or through most operating systems built in drive management

RAID 1:

• Provides cheapest form of Real Time Backup
• Makes an exact copy of each byte of data from one drive to another
• Allows for quick recovery
• Requires 2 or more drives
• Can be implemented with a hardware controller or through most operating systems built in drive management

RAID 5:

• Provides best performance of redundant drives
• Uses algorithyms to store redundancy data across all drives for the array
• Allows data to survive any single drive failure and be rebuilt after the failed drive is replaced
• Requires 3 or more drives
• Requires a special controller or server software to manage the splitting of data

When buying an external backup device, most do not include RAID and should be used only as a backup, never trust a single form of storage. For RAID 0, these drives should only ever be used for short term storage and should not be relied on as a backup device due to their tendency to fail. RAID 1 or 5 should be used for redundant storage, if your data space and performance needs are minimal a RAID 1 NAS box or external device should suffice, if you deal with a great amount of data or require both large sized drives and redunancy then RAID 5 becomes the better choice despite the additional costs.

As always feel free to submit your questions and we will answer as many as we can between our FAQ and this blog.

The most ubiquitous packaging materials are of course bubble wrap and peanuts. The pros and cons of both are well documented, but the most important thing to know is they are typically made from plastics (as in oil) and are not bio-degradable. With the amount of bubble wrap and peanuts used around the world each day the problem is pretty self evident.

These products are made from some pretty nasty stuff Polyethylene, Polystyrene and Polyurethane (which consists of all sorts of harsh chemicals including acetone, methylene chloride and fluorocarbons).

Aside from the toxic chemicals used with most plastic based packing materials and the huge energy resources that going into creating them; the amount of landfill taken up after they are discarded is significant.

Here are some ideas for alternative packaging options to consider using when preparing your customer orders for shipment.

Soy based expandable foam products are a more eco-friendly option. Derived from soy, and therefore renewable and biodegradable, this product conforms precisely to the shape of your products. This maximizes protection by minimizing movement on the inside of the carton. The product is also very light weight, reducing the additional shipping expense of heavier materials. Realistically expandable foam is best for larger operations due to the space the specialized equipment and process will require.

Consider using old newspapers as they can also be a good option as well. Shredded or balled up newspaper has decent cushioning ability. My opinion is that shredded paper has a neat look in the box and adds some “eco-cred” to your products. Aesthetically the balled up news print leave a little to be desired, and there is no efficient way to “ball up” enough paper to keep up with a high volume fulfillment operation. Shredded paper, although requiring an extra step (to shred) does led itself to a higher volume set up.

Again, it’s not as pretty, but old cardboard boxes can be cut into strips and then rolled tightly. Place the rolls vertically into the packing box around the item in the box, the rolls will then expand providing a cushion. Similar to newsprint, if some care is taken up front to cut or prepare the boxes neatly the end product could work in a way that looks good to your customers.

Reusing something like paper or cardboard for packaging is always preferable to recycling, and of course, MUCH better than throwing those items away. Cushion packaging is sold that is made from one hundred percent post consumer waste paper – give that a try if you don’t like the look of used newspapers.

Biodegradable packing peanuts are available, made from grain sorghum and corn starch. For environmentally friendly soft foam in rolls, starch-based products such as GreenCell have the added bonus of being anti-static which is great for cushioning computer parts and electronic equipment.

For wrapping and packaging inside the box, use or reuse something. And the same goes for the cartons you are using – go for boxes made from recycled cardboard. The options these days for recycled corrugated boxes are very diverse and any place selling boxes will likely provide these product options as well.

Introduction

Quantum dots are nano-meter-scale “boxes” for selectively holding or releasing electrons. Over the past 14 years they have been transformed from laboratory curiosities to the building blocks for a future computer industry. Quantum dots are small metal or semiconductor boxes that hold a well-defined number of electrons. The number of electrons in a dot may be adjusted by changing the dot’s electrostatic environment. Dots have been made ranging from 30nm to 1 micron in size, and holding from zero to hundreds of electrons.

Brief History

During the1980’s ideas concerning the Quantum Dot surfaced when researchers in the field of computing were trying to construct something close to “nano-scale” in the field of computing.

The Mechanism of Quantum Dot

By using an external light (e.g. Ultraviolet) on nano-crystals (e.g. made from semiconductor materials such as zinc sulphide, cadmium selenide, indium phosphide or lead sulphide), the nano-crystal will absorb the light and then, as a result of the crystal being stimulated by the absorbed light, it will re-emit the light, usually of a certain colour, depending on the size of the quantum dot.

It has been observed in experiments and shown theoretically that reducing the dimensions of a quantum dot raises the effective operating temperature of the electron confinement device. Present day quantum dots are large enough (approximately 1-10 microns long and wide) that they require cooling with liquid helium or, at least, liquid nitrogen, to cryogenic temperatures. However, for a practical technology with widespread applications based upon such quantum-effect devices, it will be necessary to achieve room temperature operation. This requirement implies that it is necessary to invent and manufacture molecular-scale quantum dots that are only approximately 1 to 10 nanometers in linear dimension. Such a quantum dot would probably be constructed as a single molecule i.e. a molecular quantum dot. Molecular quantum dots are one example of the next-generation technology known as Molecular-scale electronics.

Professor James Tour of the University of South Carolina and Professor Mark Reed of Rale University are collaborating on the chemical synthesis and testing of molecular wires. These operate by allowing electrons to move nearly ballistically along the length of a chain of ring-like chemical structures with conjugated pi-orbitals.

It has been suggested by Tour and by others, that it may be possible to insert chemical groups of lower conductance into such a molecular wire, creating paired barriers to electron migration through the chain. Such barriers might create a molecular quantum-effect device that would function in a fashion similar to solid-state resonance tunnelling devices that already have been fabricated, tested, and applied in prototype quantum-effect logic.

Work in the area of quantum-based devices for nano-scale metrology will be directed to fabricating an ultra-small SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) for applications in single-particle detection. The fabrication of such a device will be a significant achievement, and should prove important in areas such as future nano-scale frequency standards, emerging quantum computer and single-particle sensor technologies and in the study of adatom-surface interactions.

Many researchers in nano-electronics are talking of a possible architecture for computer logic based on quantum dots. As mentioned previously, a quantum dot is a box that holds a discrete number of electrons. Adjusting electric fields in the neighbourhood of the dot, for example by applying a voltage to a nearby metal gate, can change this number. Of course, since quantum dots are fabricated in solids, not in vacuum, there are many electrons in them. However, almost all of these are tightly bound to atoms in the solid. The few electrons spoken of are extra ones beyond those that are tightly bound. These extra electrons could roam free in a solid were they are not confined in a quantum dot.

In nano-structures, the electrical properties can be markedly different from their macroscopic equivalents thereby revealing many novel effects. “Progress in the field has been hampered by two problems,” said Arizona State University Chemistry Professor Devens Gust. “The first has been in making robust, reproducible electrical connections to both ends of molecules. After this has been achieved, the next problem is knowing how many molecules there actually are between the electrical contacts.”

Applications

The uses or possible future uses of Quantum Dots can cover various applications with impressive futuristic results.

The following are just few examples:

1. Quantum computers.

2. Domestic and office lighting applications.

3. Medical Applications.

4. Television screens and monitors.

5. Silicon Photovoltaic cells

Conclusion

Generally speaking, atoms are quantum dots, however, adding a number of molecules together in small space, produce the quantum dots effects.

Addition or removal of an electron changes the properties of a quantum dot, resulting in a “benefit” in one way or another.

Quantum Dots and their applications are the next step in the field of nanotechnology, which in the future will bring applications in commercial and non-commercial fields. Quantum Dots may be still in the research stage at the present time, however, their applications and the benefits which they will bring along has already encouraged companies and governmental organisations to invest heavily in this field.

References

1. A. F. van Driel, G. Allan, C. Delerue, P. Lodahl,W. L. Vos and D. Vanmaekelbergh, Frequency-dependent spontaneous emission rate from CdSe and CdTe nanocrystals: Influence of dark states, Physical Review Letters, 95, 236804 (2005).
2. Reed MA, Randall JN, Aggarwal RJ, Matyi RJ, Moore TM, Wetsel AE (1988). “Observation of discrete electronic states in a zero-dimensional semiconductor nanostructure”. Phys Rev Lett 60 (6): 535-537. PMID 10038575. (1988).
3. Reed MA (1993). “Quantum Dots” (PDF). Scientific American 268 (1): 118.