Make Your Own Solar Charger

Keep your gadgets powered even when the grid fails you

It's a dark and stormy night—too dark. Your home has lost power. Fortunately, you've got a fully charged power plant, built from an inexpensive solar panel and a rechargeable battery. Eight hours of sun will produce enough juice to watch An Inconvenient Truth—twice—on a portable DVD player. You can even find inverters that will turn the station into an AC outlet. Add additional panels and batteries, and you could power the margarita machine and the flat-panel too.

Build a Solar Power Station
Cost: $150
Time: 3 Hours
Easy | | | | | Hard

Parts

• A. Bamboo scraps ($7; local flooring store)
• B. Sunforce five-watt, 12-volt solar panel ($48; amazon.com )
• C. Quarter-inch plastic mono plug (50¢; allelectronics.com; #SPH)
• D. Solar DC charger controller for solar panel ($28;allelectronics.com; #SCN-2)
• E. 12-volt 12AH rechargeable battery ($36;allelectronics.com; #GC-1214)
• F. Four feet of 18-gauge wire ($5.65; allelectronics.com; #WRB-18)
• G. Two female terminal disconnects (23¢; jameco.com; #109112)
• H. 15-amp DC panel meter ($12; allelectronics.com; #PMD-15A)
• I. Reese "Towpower" connector ($9; local auto-parts shop)
• J. Cigarette-lighter "Y" adapter ($3.65; allelectronics.com; #CLP-Y)

Step-by-Step

1. Build the case
   To make a cheap, eco-friendly case, we glued up bamboo flooring scraps (bamboo is fast-growing and renewable). Cut holes in the box for airflow and easy carrying, and build frames to hold the DC charger controller and the battery.
2. Add the panel
   Attach the solar panel at an angle roughly equal to your latitude for optimum charging (go to census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer to find yours). Add a tilt bracket for additional adjustability. Leave space underneath both the panel and the controller for airflow.
3. Wire it up
   Snip off the cigarette-lighter plug and solder the quarter-inch mono plug onto the "Y" adapter. Insert the mono plug into the 12-volt output outlet on the controller. Connect all four power leads from the battery and the solar panel to the controller's input terminals. Hook up the meter to the controller's input terminal for the solar panel. For more power, attach additional solar panels, and add extra batteries—but don't exceed the 12-volt rating of the controller.
4. Connect the battery
   Test all connections with a volt- meter before attaching the battery. Connect the red wire with a female- terminal disconnect to the battery's positive (+) terminal, and connect the black wire to the negative (–) terminal. Place the station in the sun, and plug something in.

Basic SEO Tips

People round the world target three major search engine Google, Yahoo and MSN. The main idea is to drive in maximum traffic through these Search Engines. But how do you actually get to rank on all the three.

The page should be properly structured along with quality content. By quality content I mean content which should be unique and should contain targeted keywords distributes according to the need of the page. But this does not mean that you should start spamming the page with keyword spamming.

The navigation of the page should be user friendly with no flashy images or javascript buttons. And even if they are used then it should be kept in mind that the noscript tag should be used for search engine bots to crawl the links.

The images should have proper Alt Attributes to explain the image and not just put in long list of keywords to fool the Search Engines. Remember that Search Engine are smarter.

Build quality links to you pages. This will help gain trust in the eyes of the Search Engines. Links build on the basis of quality content or editorial links stands out. Otherwise you deal with link farms and link building partners and get banned by Search Engines in the near future.

Make sure that your site is submitted to quality directories. By quality directories I mean quality and they are very few. Do not submit to directories that ask for a reciprocal link back. Also, make sure you learn the pros and cons before submitting to a particular category.

Now to sum up the main points that affect the Search Engines I have listed them down in point wise to make a better understanding.

On Page Optimization

Title Tag – Should be compact and should only contain targeted keywords. It is one of the main criteria’s so should be handles effectively. Do not try to spam the page title with lots of keywords or repetitive keywords. You should always try to limit your keywords in the title to less than three.

Meta Description – Another important tag that helps search engines to denote the content of the page.

Meta Keywords – This should actually contain the targeted keywords and the keywords used in the page. Should not be huge list of keywords or occurrence of keywords. Remember GOOGLE, google, GoOgLe all them gives the same result. Try it out at Google.

Heading Tag – It is equally important as rest of the tags. Should be considered as the heading of the content and should be generated down the order.

Image Alt Attribute – Provide this tag for each of the image used in the site. This should depict the content of the image.


Off Page Optimization

Link Building – As discussed by Matt Cuts. Editorial links are always preferred. But quality links gathered through unique content on the site is also favorable.

Anchor Text – Anchor Text is another very important factor. The anchor text should be very well chalked out according to the need of the optimization plan.

Page Targeting – It is always considered to be of utmost importance that you should try to target two to maximum three keywords per page. This way you can target most keywords to your site rather than targeting 10 keywords per page.

Time Management Tips

It's 10 p.m. -

Does it seem like there's never enough time in the day to get everything done? Feel like you're always running late? Here are some tips for taking control of your time and organizing your life.

1. Make a "To Do" List Every Day.

Put things that are most important at the top and do them first. If it's easier, use a planner to track all of your tasks. And don't forget to reward yourself for your accomplishments.

2. Use Spare Minutes Wisely.

Get some reading done on the bus ride home from school, for example, and you'll kill two birds with one stone.

3. It's Okay to Say "No."

If your boss asks you to work on a Thursday night and you have a final exam the next morning, realize that it's okay to say no. Keep your short- and long-term priorities in mind.

4. Find the Right Time.

You'll work more efficiently if you figure out when you do your best work. For example, if your brain handles math better in the afternoon, don't wait to do it until late at night.

5. Review Your Notes Every Day.

You'll reinforce what you've learned, so you need less time to study. You'll also be ready if your teacher calls on you or gives a pop quiz.

6. Get a Good Night's Sleep.

Running on empty makes the day seem longer and your tasks seem more difficult.

7. Communicate Your Schedule to Others.

If phone calls are proving to be a distraction, tell your friends that you take social calls from 7-8 p.m. It may sound silly, but it helps.

8. Become a Taskmaster.

Figure out how much free time you have each week. Give yourself a time budget and plan your activities accordingly.

9. Don't Waste Time Agonizing.

Have you ever wasted an entire evening by worrying about something that you're supposed to be doing? Was it worth it? Instead of agonizing and procrastinating, just do it.

10. Keep Things in Perspective.

Setting goals that are unrealistic sets you up for failure. While it's good to set high goals for yourself, be sure not to overdo it. Set goals that are difficult yet reachable.

Consider these tips, but personalize your habits so that they suit you. If you set priorities that fit your lifestyle, you'll have a better chance of achieving your goals.

How will be the WORLD after 100 years

I'm thinking that if we aren't careful with all this pollution and war - the only ones who will have to worry about getting around may be the paramecium.However, if I let my imagination free and assume that we humans survive the current state of affairs and try to conjure up what transportation could be like in 100 years, I suspect we will be using a propulsion system based on pulling the power right out of the atmosphere and the sunlight and will have dropped our primitive system of using fossil fuels as well as the (purely profit motivated) system of having raw electricity forced through wires. Tesla's designs made this unnecessary from the start of the 20th century.The vehicles will then be very different - lighter and mostly using some form of flight for all but very local travel and will not need roads and highways so much as very well organized flight paths. Local urban travel will be only by use of publicly controlled vehicles following carefully organized grids which will be part of the buildings themselves and will not require the type of road systems as at present - so there will be walkways and nature where we now have roads and highways, throughout the towns and cities. Personal (publicly owned and maintained) vehicles will be smaller and lighter and will fit together in such a way as to make them stackable and easy to store and access from vehicle tubes that will be affixed to the buildings. Timeless visual designs will highlight the beauty of the materials used, being kept sleek, simple, uncluttered and efficient and with features that ensure optimum simplicity for implementing advances in technical details. Planned obsolescence will by then have been declared a punishable offence and will have been replaced with production that is rewarded for the longevity and upwards mobility of the design. Advances in the technical details will be frequent (since the creativity will be directed into improvement of functionality rather than extreme competition for sales) and will be inexpensive and easy to implement. Imagine what could already have been done by now if the money funneled during the past 100 years into war and the physical and mental machinery of the subjugation of most by the few - for personal power and material gain - had instead been used to develop and improve life for everyone.Dream along with me...

Forex Mistakes - 5 Common Mistakes Losers Make and How to Win at Forex

Forex trading is more popular than ever and it's a known fact that everything about Forex trading can be specifically learned but 95% of traders still lose. So how do you avoid the losing majority and enter the elite 5% of traders, who make huge gains? Let's find out.

Here are the reasons the vast majority of traders lose and there all avoidable mistakes.

1. They think they can get rich with no effort

These traders follow cheap software packages which claim big gains with no effort and they soon get wiped out. If you want to make money, you need to make an effort - it's as simple as that.

2. Not Understanding the Dangers of Leverage

Leverage can work for or against you and most traders simply leverage their money to much and get wiped out. Over leveraging an account, will sooner or later lead to a wipe out so use sensible leverage. Leverage of 10 or 20:1 is enough for most traders.

3. Over Trading

Forex trends last for many weeks, months or years yet, most traders try and scalp a few pips in a day or two. The result is they take low odds trades, lose or make marginal gains which never cover their inevitable losses.

Keep in mind, you don't get rewarded for how much you trade, just how much you make per trade! So focus on high odds trades which are long term.

4. Over Complicating a Trading System

Many traders think 10 indicators are better than 2 but this is not true. If you make your system to complex, with to many rules, it will simply have too many elements to break in real time trading. All the best systems are simple and yours should be too.

5. Not Trading With Discipline

If you want to enjoy profits longer term, you need to have strict money management and trade with discipline. This means you take your losses and keep them small -Sounds simple?

Well most traders can't do it, they let their emotions get involved, run losses or override their system rules and lose. Forex trading is not about ego or being right all the time, it's about making money and you can actually lose far more trades than you win and still make money, if you run your profits and cut your losses.

All traders even the top ones, will lose for periods and you will too and how you deal with these losses, will determine if you enjoy long term currency trading success or not.

Winning at Forex Trading

If you want to win at Forex trading you can. You need a simple robust trading strategy you have confidence in combined with the discipline to trade it.

You need to keep losses small and run your profits - this has always been the way to succeed and always will be. If you put in the effort and have the right mindset, no other business can make you as much money as global Forex.

Learn to Trade Forex - 5 Simple Yet Powerful Trading Rules

Do you think that forex trading is easy or difficult? If you are like most people, you would feel that forex trading is a risky and difficult financial game.

If you think it this way, how can a game with only two options (buy and sell) be so difficult?

It has lesser commands than your typical Xbox360 game! The reasons why most traders can keep losing money are that they are not following the simple rules that have made the top traders so rich. Now learn to trade forex with these 5 simple and powerful trading rules that the top traders use.

1. Obey the trend or else they will kill you

People say that trends are friends. Well, I would say trends are like wave of tsunami that sweeps anyone away who goes against it. Do not try to trade against trend or you will surely get killed.

Trends are so powerful because they are directed by the majority of the traders. They all have the same opinion where the prices should go. So learn to trade forex by following the trend. It will greatly improve your net profits in the long term.

2. Stick to your trading plan and embed it into your DNA

If trend is like a tsunami wave, a trading plan would be the actions to get you out safety and profitably.

Most traders get confused in the trading market due to the zig zag manner in how the prices move. These are noises in the market and will often interfere with your emotions to trade properly. In this kind of situation, you need to follow your trading plan to keep calm. Learn to trade forex like a robot who only follows the trading plan.

3. Trade with the money you simply do not care

Money is the holy idol of many people. Nothing wrong about that but the temporary loss and gain of it during trading will constantly affect you to trade properly.

If you are having this problem, treat your money as a business inventory instead. It is simply an expendable business inventory that you have to sacrifice to make you more money.In order to do that, you should allocate money that you can afford to lose without any pain. Learn to trade forex without any pain and then you can follow your trading plan faithfully!

4. Trade the currencies that is world is looking

Noise is a killer in forex trading. It causes traders to exit or enter at the wrong time. The noise level in thin currencies is the worse. Big traders can manipulate the currencies easily to hit your stoploss before continuing your intended direction.

We do not want to put ourselves in difficult spot so we only trade the major currencies. These currencies are traded by most the forex traders in the world and thus they follow a steady trend.

Learn to trade forex using the big 5 currencies only: USD/EUR, USD/JPY, USD/GBD, USD/CHF, and EUR/JPY. They have high liquidity as they are traded by the majority of the traders.

5. Make Forex dull and professional

Make forex trading another dull routine of yours. Every day you simply fulfill this routine by following your trading plan.

Excitement and any kind of emotions do not make you any money. They are merely making you ineffective in trading. If you are trading with the money you can lose without any pain, there is absolutely nothing in forex trading that can cause your emotions to go wild.

Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard

If you need a full-size (compact) keyboard for your PDA or Smartphone, or simply want to find the best input device on the planet, can not go beyond this futuristic tool called Bluetooth virtual laser keyboard.

Ready for a 63-key full QWERTY tastature for any (non-reflective) surface, the Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard will follow the movements of your finger, and wirelessly transmit these virtual keystrokes on your computer to laptops, PC, or Smartphone PDA. Magic.
A sporty red blood, red laser diode as its light source, have a 11 / 6 "(295mm) x 3.74" (95mm) projection keyboard that is ideal for their jobs and write in equipment. With a detection rate of up to 400 characters per minute, which will keep even the fastest typist among us - quickly transmitted as much as 9 feet of your device. This unit includes simulated key click sounds during reviews for its use and its base of lithium-based battery that is good for up to 120 minutes of solid writing, so you can use it anywhere without the need related to a wall . The Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard supports most major operating systems including PalmOS 5, PocketPC 2003, Windows Smartphone, Symbian, Windows 2000/XP and also work on native Mac OS X via Bluetooth its support (though without drivers, and therefore no settings).

Measuring just 1:38 (35mm) x 3 / 6 "(91.4mm) x 1" (25.4 mm), the Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard is tirelessly tracking tens digits.

I-Tech Virtual Keyboard uses a light projection of a full computer keyboard on almost any surface. Use with smartphones and PDAs, the Virtual Keyboard provides a practical way to do email, word processing and spreadsheet tasks, enabling users to leave laptops and computers at home.

VKB's adaptable technology studies the user's finger to interpret and record keystrokes movements. Because the virtual keyboard is projected from an image of light, which disappears completely when not in use.

When using the VKB settings can be changed, either through your laptop, your PC or your compatible Smartphone and PDA:

• Sound: sound effects monitor Virtual Keyboard (keyclicks)
• Connection: Connection to laptop / PC port
• intensity: The intensity of the projected virtual keyboard
• Time: the time of ordination to the preservation of battery life, virtual keyboard
• sensitivity: adjustable sensitivity of the virtual keyboard
• Auto-repeat: allows the VKB to automatically repeat a key based on the parameters outlined