Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Freeze Your Butt Off to Save on Your Winter Heating Bills?

save money on winter heating without feeling like this

Packed snugly in a recent local utility mailing—somewhere between the return envelope and that electrical extortion invoice our supplier calls a “bill”—was their monthly newsletter offering sound advice to help keep us safe and save us money during the upcoming winter. (Sidebar: I’ve always wondered why utility companies send newsletters with tips for saving you money on your utilities; shouldn’t they send you tips for spending more on utilities or perhaps saving money on groceries and health care so you can spend more on gas and electric?) One of the tips in this newsletter was a little startling because it runs contrary to every American home in which I’ve ever set foot:

Set your thermostat at 68 degrees during the day and 60 degrees at night, if health permits.

First, let’s look at the 68 degrees during the day recommendation. Thinking of the homes of random family and friends, here’s a sampling of the various daytime winter temperatures I recall seeing on their thermostats:

  • 75 degrees
  • 74 degrees
  • 72 degrees
  • 72 degrees
  • 72 degrees

I cannot ever recall seeing any thermostat in any home set at below 70 degrees during winter days. The only exception is our own home whose thermostat currently sits at a cozy and warm 68 degrees. People who enter our house when it’s 68 often complain that it’s chilly. On the other hand, when we enter someone’s house at 75 degrees, it feels like a sauna.

So if you’re currently running your home at 70+ degrees in the winter, try dropping it a degree each week and be amazed at how well your body can adjust to the temperature change.

Now how about that 60 degrees at night recommendation? Once again, let’s look at a random sample of nighttime winter temperatures from the homes of friends and family.

  • 75 degrees
  • 74 degrees
  • 72 degrees
  • 72 degrees
  • 72 degrees

Holy crap, it’s the same list from above! For some inexplicable reason, these five households need their 70+ degrees while their bodies are in bed, asleep, inactive, totally unconscious. My utility’s advice to drastically lower the thermostat setting at night is a good one; it can save a boatload of money on heat your body doesn’t even need.

I’ll admit that the 60-degree recommendation surprised even us. We keep our nighttime thermostat set at around 64 during the winter months. We find that any colder than that is enough to wake us in the middle of the night.

If you’re a member of the 72 Degrees At All Times Club, you might be wondering how we survive in consistently sub-70-degree temperatures. It’s pretty simple, actually.

  • Lots of clothes. It’s not hard to pile on an extra layer or two. Each one seems to allow us to tolerate an extra degree or two below 70.
  • Mini heaters. We have a portable electric heater that we can set in whatever room we’re currently occupying. That way, we can keep that room as toasty as we like without wasting heat in other rooms. It’s fuel-free, simple to operate, weighs just a couple of pounds, and costs just pennies an hour to run.
  • Ceiling fans in reverse. Over the summer, we equipped our four most-used rooms with ceiling fans to keep rooms cool. When operated in reverse (clockwise motion), the fan blows the hot air that would otherwise rise to the ceiling and out the roof back down to the floor. Yes, it really works and can help maintain a room temperature a lot longer.
  • Smart thermostat use. While we have a programmable thermostat, we typically operate it manually, setting the temperature at 68 when we’re home and awake or 64 if we’re away or asleep. If you have a predictable schedule, you can use a programmable thermostat to boost the temperature just before you wake or return home from work.
  • Lots of cuddling. There’s nothing cozier in the winter than a warm body, and keeping one really close to you ensures you two are exchanging heat with each other rather than losing it to the air. Just be sure to ask before cuddling someone, though they’ll usually agree once you give a detailed presentation on the fuel savings cuddling can provide.

Now it’s your turn to provide your wintertime stats. At what temperature do you set your thermostat during winter days and nights?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

What is the difference between a deep copy and a shallow copy?

Shallow copies duplicate as little as possible. A shallow copy of a collection is a copy of the collection structure, not the elements. With a shallow copy, two collections now share the individual elements.

Deep copies duplicate everything. A deep copy of a collection is two collections with all of the elements in the original collection duplicated.

In short, it depends on what points to what. In a shallow copy, object B points to object A's location in memory. In deep copy, all things in object A's memory location get copied to object B's memory location.

This wiki article has a great diagram.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_copy

Breadth vs Depth; think in terms of a tree of references with your object as the root node.

Shallow:

Before Copy Shallow Copying Shallow Done

Deep:

Before Copy Deep Copying Deep Done

In object oriented programming, a type includes a collection of member fields. These fields may be stored either by value or by reference (i.e., a pointer to a value).

In a shallow copy, a new instance of the type is created and the values are copied into the new instance. The reference pointers are also copied just like the values. Therefore, the references are pointing to the original objects. Any changes to the members that are stored by reference appear in both the original and the copy, since no copy was made of the referenced object.

In a deep copy, the fields that are stored by value are copied as before, but the pointers to objects stored by reference are not copied. Instead, a deep copy is made of the referenced object, and a pointer to the new object is stored. Any changes that are made to those referenced objects will not affect other copies of the object.


How can I clone ArrayList but also clone its items in Java 1.5?

For example I have:

ArrayList<Dog> dogs = getDogs();
ArrayList<Dog> clonedList = ....something to do with dogs....

And I would expect that objects in clonedList are not the same as in dogs list.

Thanks for any answer!






Answers



You will need to iterate on the items, and clone them one by one, putting the clones in your result array as you go.

public static List<Dog> cloneList(List<Dog> list) {
List<Dog> clone = new ArrayList<Dog>(list.size());
for(Dog item: list) clone.add(item.clone());
return clone;
}

For that to work, obviously, you will have to get your Dog object to implement the Cloneable interface, and the clone() method.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Tango App for Free Calls to other users

Tango Voice & Video Calls

Tango
Top Developer

Description

Free Voice and Video Calls!

Tango allows you to make free phone calls and free video calls over 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi. Make calls to any other person who has Tango installed on their PC, phone or tablet. Start a Tango call with just voice, and easily move into a video call when you have something to share. It’s easy to use, it’s fun, and it works.

Tango Features:

★ Free calls between Android and iOS phones and tablets, and Windows PC
★ Save money with free international calls to other Tango members
★ Start a phone call with Tango and switch to a video call when you have something to show by tapping the camera icon
★ We automatically find the friends that already have Tango
★ No log in and password - create an account in less than five seconds
★ Invite your friends by Text and Email
★ Simple and easy to use

Learn more at http://www.tango.me/
Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TangoMe
Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tangome
Watch us on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/TangoMe
Need Help? Visit http://support.tango.me

Skype App for Free Calls to other users

Skype

Skype

Description

Make free Skype-to-Skype video calls, and call phones at Skype rates on the move

Skype 2.5 for Android lets you make free voice and video Skype-to-Skype calls, and call phones and landlines at great Skype rates on the move.

Video calling now supported on more Android phones.

Features:
Free* Skype-to-Skype IM, calls and video calls over 3G or WiFi.
Cheap calls and SMS to landlines or mobiles at great Skype rates

Some notes:
If you're using Android 2.2 (Froyo) or greater on a device not listed in the What's New section, you should still be able to enable video calling in Skype settings. Please note that video call quality may not be as good as on a certified device.

On Android 2.2 (Froyo), only the back camera will work. This is because only devices running Android OS 2.3 or higher allow apps to access the front facing camera.

If the setting to enable video calling is not available in the Skype Settings on your device that means video calling is not yet supported on your phone.


Please visit here to see the Skype for Android FAQ:
http://goo.gl/vV9FD
--

* Data plan or WiFi connection required
You need Android v2.2 to run Skype on a Samsung Galaxy S
Please sign out of Skype to close the application.

(These handsets already support video calling)
Samsung Nexus S
Samsung Galaxy S 4G
Samsung Galaxy S
Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate
Samsung Droid Charge
Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 WIFI
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Verizon
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus
HTC Desire
HTC Desire S
HTC Incredible S
HTC Desire HD
HTC EVO 4G
HTC EVO 3D
HTC Sensation 4G
HTC Thunderbolt
HTC Flyer
Sony Ericsson Xperia neo
Sony Ericsson Xperia pro
Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY (Rest of world)
Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY (China)
Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro
LG Revolution

The following devices have also been white-listed for video calling in this release:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (T-Mobile)
HTC SHOOTER (KDDI)
Sony Ericsson Xperia Live with Walkman
Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
Acer Iconia Tablet (A500)
LG Optimus Black LANDSCAPE ONLY
LG Optimus 3D LANDSCAPE ONLY
LG Optimus 2x LANDSCAPE ONLY
Motorola Photon
Motorola Droid3 LANDSCAPE ONLY
Motorola Bionic LANDSCAPE ONLY
Motorola Xoom
Motorola Atrix
Acer Iconia Smart
--
Like Skype? Why not try GroupMe as well?
With GroupMe you can start a group, add your friends, and we’ll give you a free phone number for it. It is the easiest way to start group conversations and it’s totally free. Visit: http://groupme.com/a?market

Viber - Android and iOS App - Free Calls to other users

Viber : Free Calls & Messages

Viber Media, Inc

Description

Viber - Be Free to Communicate. Call and text anyone, anywhere.

Viber is an Android* and iPhone application that lets you make free phone calls and send free text messages to other users that have Viber installed. When you use Viber, your phone calls to any other Viber user are free, and the sound quality is much better than a regular call. You can call any Viber user, anywhere in the world, for free and now also text them. All Viber features are 100% FREE and do not require any additional “in application” purchase.
Read our privacy policy here: http://www.viber.com/privacy

******************************************************
WHY USE VIBER VS. OTHER VOIP (VOICE OVER IP) SOLUTIONS
******************************************************

* COMPLETELY FREE AND WITH NO ADS: Viber and all Viber features are absolutely free and do not require any additional “in application” purchase. Once you and your friends install the free Viber application, you can use it to talk and also text as much as you want. Just makes sure all your friends get Viber! All you need is an Internet connection: 3G or Wi-Fi where available. On top of that, Viber doesn’t contain any annoying ads.
* NO INTERNATIONAL CHARGES: It doesn’t matter where you or your friends are, be it on the same network or in a totally different country. You can talk for as much as you want, for free. Just make sure your friends have Viber too.

* NO USERNAMES, PASSWORDS OR REGISTRATION: You know your friend’s phone number, so why bother with yet another username and password? Viber uses your phone number as your “identity” and lets you make free Viber phone calls to any of your friends that have Viber – using THEIR phone number.

* NO NEED TO ADD BUDDIES: Unlike applications like Skype, Windows Live Messenger or Fring where you need to “add buddies” and have them approve you, Viber behaves just like a phone. Just like you don't need to “add” someone in order to call them, you don't need to add your friends in order to call them on Viber. If you know their phone number, then you know their Viber number, and you’re ready to go!
* DON’T KILL YOUR VIBER: To make sure you always get incoming calls/messages notifications, we strongly recommend you to keep Viber running in the background. This doesn't drain your battery or use up memory and improves your Viber experience.

* SOUND QUALITY: Viber uses state of the art technology in order to make sure the sound quality you get is much better than GSM or a regular phone call.

* MUCH MORE COMING: We are hard at work bringing many more features to your Viber phone. More ringtones (and custom ones), wallpapers, location based services and more are all coming soon to Viber!
-----
We’d love to hear from you! If you have any feedback, questions, concerns or just want to share a Viber moment with us, please email us at support@viber.com, go to http://helpme.viber.com/ or find us on Facebook and Twitter:

http://facebook.com/viber
http://twitter.com/viber

----
* Operator data charges may apply
* For best experience, Android 2.2 or above is recommended. Please note that Viber for Android is currently in a Beta stage. If you have any comments or suggestions, we’d love to hear about it!

CSipSimple - Android App - Free Voice Calling

CSipSimple

Regis Montoya
(4,246)

Description

CSipSimple - High quality OpenSource SIP

OpenSource (GPL) project for SIP on Android.

* High performances
* Rewriting/filtering rules for integration with Android
* SIP SIMPLE for Messaging
* Record calls
* Simple configuration
* Fancy UI
* Many codecs (HD codecs, optimized codecs)
* Themes

Please report your bugs to the bug tracker of the project. If you let only a comment on the market for a bug I CAN'T help you !!! So Go on the website and explain what is your problem. We will probably be able to help you with the problem AND you'll help us to make a better software !!!
Users make the apps : It's an opensource app !

About permission required by CSipSimple :
http://code.google.com/p/csipsimple/wiki/PermissionsUse


keywords : SIP, codecs, voip, GPL, dialer, voice over IP, talk free, free softphone, sip softphone, sip phone, telephony, softphone software free, voip phone free, softphone sip, pbx, virtual pbx, internet phone free, free phone

Make Calls Using MagicJack on your Android Phone

October 27, 2010 By:

Difficulty:
1
Make Calls Using MagicJack on your Android Phone

Thanks to XDA member yozpalang for pointing out this little trick for those with MagicJack accounts. If you have one, you can now make calls from your phone using it. As quoted from the post made by the member:

Get the CSipSimple here or search the market and follow the steps here to get your magicjack’s password then make free calls all day long.

remember your majicjack user name is E yourmagicjackphonenumber 01
and your sever info is proxy1.yourcityname.talk4free.com
and your password looks something like this 2345GH45TDRF35THY234 it is 20 char

Reminder: magic-jack costs $20 a year

It uses an app called CSipSimple. To learn more about this check out the discussion thread.


How to get the password via windows right now.

Ok So it seems that the illusive password has done its little trick and moved around in the dump file. After doing about 50 dumps I feel confident I can tell people where bouts to look. I say it that way because it’s never going to be in the same location when we go hunting for it, it will be in about that same place when we do though.



1. Download this file and unzip it to your desktop, we are only going to be using SIPDump.exe but it needs the other files to work for it to work correctly.

2. Navigate to the folder which you unzipped the files to
sipdumppic1
3. Double click on SIPdump.exe

4. In the box type 4 or 5 but don’t push ok yet
sipdumppic2
5. Plug in and start the magicjack software

6. As soon as it looks like the picture click Ok on the SIPdump.exe file you still need to be super fast clicking the OK
sipdumppic3
7. Let it run till you get this output as pictured ignore what it says though
sipdumppic4
8. Open the folder if you closed it note the file size I have found that unless the file size is at least 22,000KB then the password wont be there.
sipdumppic5
9. Open the first dump that is as least 22,000 KB

10. Search for “SIP.Connection.Refresh” with out the quotes and make sure that you have match whole word only selected. The click the search button wait for first result…then click search once more.
sipdumppic6

11. Password should be with in 5-10 lines up or down as pictured

sipdump7

fring - Android App - Free Video Calls

fringfringland

Description

Group Video Chat, Voice Calls & Text Chat

* Group Video Chat with 4 friends video chat at the same time!
* Video chat with DVQ™ technology (more below) on 3G,4G & WiFi
* Free calls to other fring users worldwide
* Free live text chat (no more expensive SMS)

THE ULTIMATE VIDEO CHAT APP

The ONLY GROUP VIDEO CHAT app. Group Video with friends on Android or iPhone/iPad. Up to 4 participants can group video call, jam, reunite, sing, dance or whatever you do when you get together. 4 friends on 1 screen.

The HIGHEST QUALITY Video chat possible! fring's video calling DVQ™ technology (Dynamic Video Quality) gives you the best video and audio quality possible by automatically and continuously adjusting your video call quality to match your connectivity.

Get fring and get…
* The only free mobile Group Video Call service in the world!
* Video call/Call any other Android, iPhones, iPod touches, Nokia and more
* See your friends real-time status; you can chat with your friends before video-calling them
* Fun and easy to use

Learn more at www.fring.com
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/fring
Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/fring
Follow our blog at http://www.fring.com/blog

Having issues with fring or one of fring's features? We appreciate your feedback. Please email us with a description of the issue to support@fring.com

GrooVe IP - Android App - Free Voice Calling

GrooVe IP

snrb Labs

Description

Voice without Minutes! Make and receive VoIP calls using Google Voice!

This app, in conjunction with Google Voice, lets you make unlimited calls to any phone in the U.S. or Canada using the data connection of your mobile device (including Wi-Fi and/or 3G,4G) without using your mobile minutes. Once you get a free public phone number from Google Voice, use this app to make or receive calls to/from anyone in the world. (To learn how to get a free US phone number, low international calling rates, or any other details, please visit the Google Voice website google.com/voice.)

Enjoy a single number that calls you anywhere, online voicemail, free calls within U.S. and Canada, incredibly low rates everywhere else, and the ability to send incoming calls to voicemail. If you have a smartphone with Wi-Fi connectivity but no mobile plan, use this app to convert it to a free, full-featured working phone.

This app has a separate dialer that can be used to make calls. Alternatively, the native dialer, call-log, contacts, and favorite functionality can be shared between the phone and app on a call-by-call basis.

** NOTE ** Please ensure that your Google Voice account is associated with either a gmail or google apps account.

** NOTE ** To receive incoming calls you MUST go into your Google Voice account and forward calls to Google Chat.

For requirements, setup details, answers to frequently asked questions, known issues, or more information, please visit http://snrblabs.com/snrb/grooveIp.aspx

If you have any questions, feature requests, or run into any problems please contact us! We can not help you if you only leave a comment on the market.

*** FINE PRINT ***
Google Voice℠ services are provided by Google, Inc. snrb Labs, Inc is NOT affiliated with Google, Inc.
Google Voice℠ is a call enhancement service which will not route emergency (911) calls.
GrooVe IP uses the same interface as Gmail calling. Rate information can be found here http://www.google.com/chat/voice/compare.html

Monday, November 14, 2011

Warning! No prorated billing for porting out of T-Mobile
I recently left T-Mobile for AT&T. Just so you know, T-Mobile will NOT prorate your final bill. My billing cycle ends on the 19th. I left on the 4th. But they charged me for the full month. That's actually what it says on the contract, so you should really port your number right before your billing cycle ends.

Furthermore, if you have a corporate or educational institution discount (I had 15% off through my school), they will NOT apply the discount on your final bill. I don't really have a copy of the contract for the discount, so who knows if this is legit or not.

Perhaps T-Mobile wants to make sure that people who leave T-Mobile never come back to T-Mobile by leaving a sour taste in their mouth.

there is a way around it if you didnt sign up recently
Here are their terms and conditions:
t-mobile.com/Templates/Popup.aspx?PAsset=Ftr_Ftr_TermsAndConditions&print =true]Unsupported Browser

They did put a clause in their Terms and Conditions where they wont prorate you on the latest two revisions(See Section C). The older versions do NOT have this.

Do note per their T&Cs "Did you activate (or renew) service prior to July 24, 2011? If yes, please click the date for the applicable version of the Terms and Conditions:" so the older versions of the T&Cs are what is applicable to you dependent on when you signed up for service.

If you are an older customer, that Clause does not apply to you and you have a fight.

When you call TMobile start by asking when you signed up and then figuring out what T&Cs apply to you. Then kindly ask the rep to show you on your T&Cs does it state that they wont prorate. Explain you see it on the newer versions, but not the ones you agreed to. They cant.

They will tell you that the terms and conditions are subject to change (they do not say that) so ask them to show you where that is. They cant.

You will likely have a heck of a fight. Took 3 phone calls and a few escalations before someone finally conceded and agreed that I was right. Have them put a note on the account and then call right back and verify they put the note.

Its possible, but its a pain.
Reply With Quote

Port your number into Google Voice FAQ

Overview

About Number Porting

What you need to know before you port your mobile number to Google Voice.

FAQs

About Number Porting | Back to Top

You have two options when selecting a Google Voice number: number porting your existing number or selecting a new Google number.

Number porting is a feature in which your existing mobile number will become your Google Voice number. It allows you to take advantage of the full set of the Google Voice features like, one number to ring all of your phones, online voicemail, and more. Number porting also costs a one-time fee of $20, payable via Google Checkout. Note that you will still need carrier service (Sprint, T-Mobile, Cricket, etc.) to receive calls on your mobile phone.

Remember, if you do not want to port your existing number, you can always choose a free Google Number upon set up of Google Voice, or if you’ve already created an account, by clicking on your Phones tab of your Settings, and selecting the link to Get a Google Number.


What you need to know before you port your mobile number to Google Voice | Back to Top
  • There is a one time $20 fee to port your number.
  • Your mobile phone service plan will be terminated when you port your number to Google Voice and your carrier may charge you an early termination fee. You may also experience disruptions in sending and receiving text messages for up to 3 business days after the porting process is complete
  • Once porting is complete, you will not be able to receive calls to your mobile phone until you complete the following steps:
    1. Google Voice is not a mobile phone service provider, so you must setup a new mobile phone service plan (with your existing carrier or a new carrier) and request a new number.
    2. Once you’ve secured a new mobile service plan and a new number, you will need to add this new number to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone. Learn how to add a forwarding phone
  • You should not cancel your mobile service plan before porting is initiated. You will need your phone to be able to accept calls in order to complete the porting verification process.
  • If you already have a Google number on this Google Voice Account, it will be replaced by the number that you wish to port and will be completely removed from your account 90 days after porting is complete

Can a landline be ported at this time?

No, we currently are unable to port landline numbers.

Can a corporate number be ported at this time?

No, we currently are unable to port corporate numbers.

How long will it take for my number to be ported?

Your number should be ported within 24 hours.

What will happen once my number is ported?

You will receive an email confirmation once the porting process is complete.

Please note that your mobile phone service plan will be terminated and your carrier may charge you an early termination fee (Note that your service provider may not inform you that your contract is being terminated, what the fee is and how to start a new line of service.) You may also experience disruptions in sending and receiving text messages for up to 3 business days.

Also, you will not be able to receive calls to your mobile phone until you complete the following steps:

  1. Google Voice is not a mobile phone service provider, so you must setup a new mobile phone service plan (with your existing carrier or a new carrier) and request a new number.
  2. Once you’ve secured a new mobile service plan and a new number, you will need to add this new number to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone. Learn how to add a forwarding phone

When will I be able to receive calls on my mobile phone?

In order to continue to receive calls on your mobile phone, you will need to contact a carrier to get a new mobile number and service plan. (Example carriers are AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Alltel.)

How can I prevent my mobile phone service from being disrupted during the porting process?

If you would like to take extra steps to try and prevent phone service disruption on your mobile phone during the porting process, try one of the following options below. However, please note that any of these actions may incur fees or new contract agreements from mobile carriers. Be sure to discuss these with your carrier to insure against any unexpected charges.

  1. Keeping service with your existing carrier: Prior to initiating the porting process, contact your carrier and add a second mobile number to your existing mobile phone account. As soon as this second number is added to your account, go to voice.google.com, click on the gear icon, click Voice settings and under Phones add this new, second number as a forwarding phone.
  2. Getting service with a new carrier: Prior to initiating porting, contact a new carrier and select a new phone plan and number. As soon as this number is setup, add it to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone.

What do I do once I have my new mobile number?

Once your new mobile number is established on your account, you have to set it up as a forwarding phone on your Google Voice account. To add a forwarding phone, log in to Google Voice, click the gear icon on the right side of the page, and click Voice settings. Then, click the Phones tab and add the number you want to forward your calls to.

If I already have a Google number on this account what happens to it after the port?

Once you've completed the number porting process, both your original Google number and your newly ported number will appear in the Phones tab for three months. Calls to your old number will continue to forward to your Google Voice account for 90 days, giving you time to tell your contacts about your new number. At the end of the 90 day period we will email you with a list of contacts who are still using your original Google Voice number so that you can update them.

However, if you wish to permanently keep your original Google Voice number as a secondary number you can do so for a one time fee of $20. All calls and text messages to your original Google number and your new number will still reach you. However, your primary Google number (the number that was ported in) is the only one that will display on the caller ID when you make calls or send text messages. You can access this option by going to the Phones tab in your Voice Settings.

If you wish to keep your original Google number as a secondary number you must claim it within 90 days of porting your number. After 90 days the number will no longer be tied to your account and you will no longer be eligible to keep it permanently.

If I have issues after porting my number to Google Voice, what should I do?

Please contact us.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Stock Market - Trading Hours

Trading Hours

Regular market hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Extended hours trading is also available for NASDAQ National Market and Listed Securities on normal market days and half-day market holidays, but no trading, regular or extended hours, is available on market holidays.

Following are the regular and extended trading hours for U.S. markets:

Normal Market Day

7 to 9:28 a.m. ET Pre-Market Hours
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Regular Market Hours
4:02 to 8 p.m. ET After-Hours Trading

Half-Day Market Holiday

7 to 9:28 a.m. ET Pre-Market Hours
9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET Half-Day Market Hours
1:02 to 5 p.m. ET After-Hours Trading

Market Holiday

Pre-Market, Regular and After-Hours Trading are unavailable.

There are nine market holidays in a year. They are:

New Year's Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Presidents' Day
Good Friday
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

Market half-day holidays may include July 3 or 5, the day after Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Eve, depending on how the calendar falls in a given year.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

SCEA Certification (Part 1): CX 310-052



"The act of getting certified will make you a better architect." (Humphrey Sheil, CTO, SCEA, and SCEA examiner)

This certification is for enterprise architects responsible for architecting and designing Java EE compliant applications with an emphasis on making the best use of Java EE features to create flexible, scalable, secure designs.

SCEA Certification Benefits:

The SCEA certification "signifies that its holders can handle advanced design responsibilities and lead roles in creating applications. To succeed, SCEA candidates must demonstrate a deep understanding of appropriate uses of modern design architecture and current Java EE technologies for business applications." (Ed Tittel and Dr. Bill Brogden)

  • Demonstrate to your employer, peers & customers that you are proficient in Java Technologies Architecture and use industry-respected best practices.
  • Improve your knowledge and skills using the process of achieving the certification and hence deliver better results.
  • Enhance your salary, job opportunities and credibility through this respected credential.

SCEA Certification Target Audience:

This exam is for enterprise architects responsible for architecting and designing Java Platform, Enterprise Edition technology-compliant applications that are scalable, flexible, and highly secure. This exam is designed for candidates with experience in the following areas (typically 5 or more years: Application design: concepts and principles, common architectures, integration and messaging, business-tier technologies, web-tier technologies, Java EE technology, patterns and security.

SCEA Certification Exam Objectives:

  • Application Design Concepts and Principles
  • Common Architectures
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SCEA Certification Exam Details:

  • Delivered at: Authorized Worldwide Prometric Testing Centers
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Other exams/assignments required for this certification: Step 2 (CX-310-301A), Step 3 (CX-310-062)
  • Exam type: Multiple choice, and drag-n-drop
  • Number of questions: 64
  • Pass score: 57% (37 out of 64 questions)
  • Time limit: 120 minutes

SCEA Certification Exam Preparation:

Preparing for the Sun Certified Enterprise Architect (SCEA 5) Certification Exam (CX 310-052 ) might be slightly tougher than the other exams as it demands solving real life architecture scenario's and not just hypothetical knowledge of JEE technology & Design Patterns. Also it has 3 parts and you need to pass all 3 to be Sun Certified Enterprise Architect (SCEA). From our experience of supporting SCEA candidates since 2000, we have created a very simple and yet incredibly reliable and efficient approach to Get Certified in 1st Attempt.

  • Familiarize yourself with Sun Certified Enterprise Architect (SCEA) Certification Exam process understanding the SCEA Exam registration, SCEA Exam Pattern, SCEA Exam Objectives, course material, process etc.
  • Get started with some good book like the Cade book, UML Distilled, the Sun Press SCEA book, J2EE Design Patterns, Head First Design Patterns, GOF Design Patterns, and then Java Modelling in Color to help you on part II of the exam.
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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Inductive charging

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Magne Charge wall, handheld, and floor mount

Inductive charging uses an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. This is usually done with a charging station. Energy is sent through inductive coupling to an electrical device, which then can use that energy to charge batteries.

Because there is a small gap between the two coils employed in each of the sender and receiver of the energy within the respective devices, inductive charging is considered a short-distance "wireless" energy transfer, despite the fact that there are typically more wires used with inductive charging than direct-contact charging, because it frees the user from having to deal with wires between the two devices. This is advantageous for many reasons.

Induction chargers typically use an induction coil to create an alternating electromagnetic field from within a charging base station, and a second induction coil in the portable device takes power from the electromagnetic field and converts it back into electrical current to charge the battery. The two induction coils in proximity combine to form an electrical transformer.[1][2]

Greater distances can be achieved when the inductive charging system uses resonant inductive coupling.

Contents

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[edit]Advantages

Inductive charging carries a far lower risk of electrical shock, when compared with conductive charging, because there are no exposed conductors. The ability to fully enclose the charging connection also makes the approach attractive where water impermeability is required; for instance, inductive charging is used for implanted medical devices that require periodic or even constant external power, and for electric hygiene devices, such as toothbrushes and shavers, that are frequently used near or even in water. Inductive charging makes charging mobile devices and electric vehicles more convenient; rather than having to connect a power cable, the unit can be placed on or close to a charge plate.[3][4]

Inductive Charging. The primary coil in the charger induces a current in the secondary coil in the device being charged.

[edit]Disadvantages

The main disadvantages of inductive charging are its lower efficiency and increased resistive heating in comparison to direct contact. Implementations using lower frequencies or older drive technologies charge more slowly and generate heat for most portable electronics.[citation needed]Inductive charging also requires drive electronics and coils that increase manufacturing complexity and cost.[1][2]

Newer approaches diminish the transfer losses with ultra thin coils, higher frequencies and optimized drive electronics, thus providing chargers and receivers that are compact, more efficient and can be integrated into mobile devices or batteries with minimal change.[3][5] These technologies provide charging time that are the same as wired approaches and are rapidly finding their way into mobile devices. The Magne Charge system employed high-frequency induction to deliver high power at an efficiency of 86% (6.6 kW power delivery from a 7.68 kW power draw).[6]

[edit]Examples

  • In 2006, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that they had discovered an efficient way to transfer power between coils separated by a few meters. The team, led by Marin Soljačić, theorized that they could extend the distance between the coils by adding resonance to the equation. The MIT wireless power project, called WiTricity, uses a curved coil and capacitive plates.[7][8]
  • April 28, 2009: An Energizer inductive charging station for the Wii remote is reported on IGN.[9]
  • At CES in January 2009, Palm, Inc. announced their new Pre smartphone would be available with an optional inductive charger accessory, the "Touchstone". The charger came with a required special backplate that became standard on the subsequent Pre Plus model announced at CES 2010.[3][10][11]
  • In August 2009 A consortium of interested companies called the Wireless Power Consortium announced they were nearing completion for a new industry standard for low-power Inductive charging[12]

[edit]Electric vehicles

As mentioned above, Magne Charge inductive charging was employed by several types of electric vehicles around 1998, but was discontinued[13] after the California Air Resources Board selected the SAE J1772-2001, or "Avcon", conductive charging interface[14] for electric vehicles in California in June 2001.[15]

In 2009, Evatran, a subsidiary of MTC Transformers, formally began development of Plugless Power, an inductive charging system they claim is the world’s first hands-free, plugless, proximity charging system for Electric Vehicles.[16] With the participation of the local municipality and several businesses, field trials were begun in March, 2010, on the system scheduled to be available in fourth quarter 2010.[4][17]

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed an electric transport system (called Online Electric Vehicle, OLEV) where the vehicles get their power needs from cables underneath the surface of the road via non-contact magnetic charging, (where a power source is placed underneath the road surface and power is wirelessly picked up on the vehicle itself. As a possible solution to traffic congestion and to improve overall efficiency by minimizing air resistance and so reduce energy consumption, the test vehicles followed the power track in a convoy formation. In July 2009 the researchers successfully supplied up to 60% power to a bus over a gap of 12 cm.[18]

In one inductive charging system, one winding is attached to the underside of the car, and the other stays on the floor of the garage.[19]

The major advantage of the inductive approach for vehicle charging is that there is no possibility of electric shock as there are no exposed conductors, although interlocks, special connectors and RCDs (ground fault detectors) can make conductive coupling nearly as safe. An inductive charging proponent from Toyota contended in 1998 that overall cost differences were minimal, while a conductive charging proponent from Ford contended that conductive charging was more cost efficient.[20]

In 2010 onwards, car makers are signaling their interest in wireless charging as another piece of the digital cockpit. A group was launched in May 2010 by the Consumer Electronics Association to set a baseline for interoperability for chargers. In one sign of the road ahead a General Motors executive is chairing the standards effort group. Toyota and Ford managers said they also are interested in the technology and the standards effort.[21]

Daimler’s Head of Future Mobility, Professor Herbert Kohler, however have expressed caution and said the inductive charging for EVs is at least 15 years away and the safety aspects of inductive charging for EVs have yet to be looked into in greater detail. For example, what would happen if someone with a pacemaker is inside the vehicle? Another downside is that the technology requires a precise alignment between the battery and the charging facility.[22]

[edit]See also