Innovative or Simply Post-Modern? New Paradigms in the Study of "Radio"

Radio is the wireless transmission of signals through free space by electromagnetic radiation of a frequency significantly below that of visible light, in the radio frequency range, from about 30 kHz to 300 GHz. These waves are called radio waves. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space.
Information, such as sound, is carried by systematically changing some property of the radiated waves, such as their amplitude, frequency, phase, or pulse width. When radio waves strike an electrical conductor, the oscillating fields induce an alternating current in the conductor. The information in the waves can be extracted and transformed back into its original form.
Etymology
The etymology of “radio” or “radiotelegraphy” reveals that it was called “wireless telegraphy”, which was shortened to “wireless” in Britain. The prefix radio- in the sense of wireless transmission, was first recorded in the word radioconductor, a description provided by the French physicist Édouard Branly in 1897. It is based on the verb to radiate .
The word “radio” also appears in a 1907 article by Lee De Forest. It was adopted by the United States Navy in 1912, to distinguish radio from several other wireless communication technologies, such as the photophone. The term became common by the time of the first commercial broadcasts in the United States in the 1920s. The term was adopted by other languages in Europe and Asia. British Commonwealth countries continued to commonly use the term “wireless” until the mid-20th century, though the magazine of the BBC in the UK has been called Radio Times ever since it was first published in the early 1920s.
In recent years the more general term “wireless” has gained renewed popularity through the rapid growth of short-range computer networking, e.g., Wireless Local Area Network, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, as well as mobile telephony, e.g., GSM and UMTS. Today, the term “radio” specifies the actual type of transceiver device or chip, whereas “wireless” refers to the lack of physical connections; one talks about radio transceivers, but another talks about wireless devices and wireless sensor networks.
Processes
Radio systems used for communications will have the following elements. With more than 100 years of development, each process is implemented by a wide range of methods, specialized for different communications purposes.
Transmitter and modulation
Each system contains a transmitter. This consists of a source of electrical energy, producing alternating current of a desired frequency of oscillation. The transmitter contains a system to modulate some property of the energy produced to impress a signal on it. This modulation might be as simple as turning the energy on and off, or altering more subtle properties such as amplitude, frequency, phase, or combinations of these properties. The transmitter sends the modulated electrical energy to a tuned resonant antenna; this structure converts the rapidly changing alternating current into an electromagnetic wave that can move through free space.
Amplitude modulation of a carrier wave works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in proportion to the information being sent. For example, changes in the signal strength can be used to reflect the sounds to be reproduced by a speaker, or to specify the light intensity of television pixels. It
was the method used for the first audio radio transmissions, and remains in use today. “AM” is often used to refer to the mediumwave broadcast band .
Frequency modulation varies the frequency of the carrier. The instantaneous frequency of the carrier is directly proportional to the instantaneous value of the input signal. Digital data can be sent by shifting the carrier’s frequency among a set of discrete values, a technique known as frequency-shift keying.
FM is commonly used at VHF radio frequencies for high-fidelity broadcasts of music and speech . Normal TV sound is also broadcast using FM.
Angle modulation alters the instantaneous phase of the carrier wave to transmit a signal. It is another term for Phase modulation.

Say I’m in a high-speed car chase, what’s the best way to escape the police?

(Asked by Nick from Kent)

In my experience, the weapons cheat usually works a treat. I find that a roadblock is considerably less of an issue if you’re armed with a rocket launcher and twin uzis…

As for the real world, one wonders just why you’re asking me, Nick? (I really don’t want this article popping up as evidence at your trial while I go down for aiding an abetting you). Still, I must answer the questions my editor selects for me, so I’ll give this one a go (but don’t come crying to me if you end up serving several consecutive life sentences, OK?)

These days, law enforcement agencies tend to avoid car chases of any sort. The risks to police, bystanders, motorists and even to the criminal him/herself are simply considered to be too great. There are also the issues of lawsuits and collateral damage to consider.

If the vehicle represents a danger to others on the road, however, then all bets are off and police will act as swiftly as they can to rectify the dangerous situation. The first rule, then, would be don’t drive your getaway car whilst drunk (this rules out committing violent crimes on New Year’s Eve, St. Paddy’s Day, or your birthday).

OK, so let’s assume you’ve actually committed the initial crime and you’re emailing me from the getaway car. What then?

The police’s general tactic, in most cases, will be to outnumber and outmanoeuvre you. They’ll communicate with each other and co-ordinate their efforts, herding you towards an area full of their colleagues. Also, the longer the chase goes on for, the more units will be dispatched to join in. They’ll simply keep sending cars after you; it’s just a process of wearing you down, really.

In addition, the rozzers are trained for this sort of thing, whereas you likely aren’t (playing GTA IV until 5AM the night before simply doesn’t count). This means that they will have an easier time driving at high speeds and making split second decisions, while you will probably find the process of driving at high speeds mentally and physically exhausting.

If the cops figure out where you’re headed, they’ll close down all possible routes. If you have no destination in mind, they’ll eventually be able to head you off at every conceivable pass anyway. Once the helicopter is dispatched (assuming you last that long), they can track you with thermal imaging technology, even if you leave the car.

They’ll also use a device called the stinger, which lays flat across the road and, quite simply, bursts your tires, making driving impossible. By the time the stingers are laid down, police with dogs are already on their way…

Essentially, once you get in that car, you are on a time limit. The longer you are in the car, the less likely your escape will be. The best thing to do, then, would be to use the car only for a very short period of time, just to get you from one designated place to another. Where possible, changing cars would likely help. If you are going to commit a crime, meticulous planning (together with an awareness of modern police methods), is going to be much more useful to you than a souped-up speed machine that is far more likely to forcibly insert you into a lamp post than it would be to allow you to retire to the Fiji islands and live like a king.

In truth, the vast majority of car chases end spectacularly badly (did you ever see anyone get away cleanly on ‘Police, Camera Action’?) and they endanger innocent lives. Being a paraplegic prisoner for the rest of your life isn’t really a fun thing to think about, neither is ending the day of your first big score as dog food.

I must say though, this is still preferable to living in America, because over there they just shoot you, weapons cheat or no weapons cheat. My advice? Stick to GTA and working for a living, it may not be glamorous, but there’s far less chance of being forcibly sodomized in prison and then ending up as a guest on ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ saying something like “I’ve made mistakes, I admit that, innit” as if it exonerates you from all culpability.

How Large are the Batteries in a Typical Bluetooth Earpiece?

The size of the battery actually depends on the Bluetooth earpiece. Some of the more basic earpiece models run on a single AAA battery, the kind that you can find in any shop. Others, however, operate on a Lithium Ion Polymer battery. This battery is usually just a little smaller than the main body of the earpiece itself.

The battery is often (but not always, as you will read below) small enough to fit inside the earpiece itself, so they tend to only be about an Inch in total length and only a couple of millimetres in diameter (yeah, I know, I mixed my measurements, get off my case already…).  The external batteries I’m talking about below are a little bigger, but even they are typically not much bigger than 2-3 Inches long.

Now, the received wisdom regarding rechargeable earpiece batteries is that you cannot change the Lithium Ion batteries once they give out. It is also said that you cannot improve battery life by adding better batteries to your earpiece, both edicts are actually untrue. If (for whatever reason) you are emotionally (or physically, hey, I’m not judging) attached to your earpiece and you don’t want to buy a new one, then it is actually possible to replace the battery. It’s a bit tricky, but this is how it’s done.

First, you have to obtain a new Lithium Ion battery (obviously). Then, you remove the outer casing of the earpiece itself.

Inside most Bluetooth earpieces, you’ll find a circuit board, which is attached to the earpiece’s own internal Lithium-Ion battery (usually by a couple of wires). Nudge the board and the battery loose until they are separated and easily accessible. Next, cut the wires carefully, severing the link between battery and board.

Now, carefully solder the remaining wires together with the new battery’s wires (or the new battery itself, depending on what model you happen to be using) and fold the whole thing back together just as you originally found it. If you’ve gone for a better battery, your new external battery ought to work just as well as the old one did, except with a far greater battery life and thus, far better talk time. The external battery can be a bit of a pain, so I don’t recommend this procedure unless you are absolutely sure that you want it.

If you’ve opted for the same battery again, then the approach detailed will also work, but you’ll be without the added annoyance of having a much bigger earpiece.

Monty Python Will Reunite For One Night Only

…And now for something completely different.

Members of the British comedy group ‘Monty Python’ will reunite for a one-off live show next July. According to a press conference given by the comedy legends, the group wants to see if they are “still funny”.

Original members Michael Palin, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones will perform together for the first time in over 30 years.

According to the group, the show’s content will include “some of Monty Python’s greatest hits, with modern, topical, Pythonesque twists”. However, John Cleese has promised that there will also be some new material.

‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’, a surreal, DaDa inspired comedy sketch show, first hit British screens in 1969 and remained extremely popular with audiences until it ended in 1974. The show acted as the voice of a new generation, with a fresh approach to comedy and an irreverent, sometimes controversial, edge. Many of the group’s most famous sketches have become treasured parts of British popular culture.

The group released their first feature film ‘And Now For Something Completely Different’ in 1971, but it wasn’t until 1974’s ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ that they filmed an entire movie of new material. The film is an enduring comedy classic, as is its sequel, the controversial ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’ (1979). The group’s third feature film ‘Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life’ (1983) was a jet black comedy that was closer in style to the sketch show format of the series, but did not fare as well critically or commercially, despite garnering strong fan support.

In 1989, founding member Graham Chapman sadly passed away from cancer, which put any future reunions in jeopardy.

Following Chapman’s untimely passing, Eric Idle famously stated, “We would only do a reunion if Chapman came back from the dead. So we’re negotiating with his agent.”

Since then, the Pythons have occasionally reformed, with the shows usually featuring an urn containing the ‘ashes’ of Chapman (in reality, his ashes were scattered on Mount Snowdon, Wales by his partner David Sherlock). The urn was, in one instance ‘accidentally’ knocked over on stage before being vacuumed up with a Dust Buster.

The new show is going to feature classic sketches that have never been performed live. Idle, who is also the show’s director, has said that it is going to resemble “a huge musical” in style, whilst John Cleese warned, “The main danger we have is that the audience know the scripts better than we do.”

During the aforementioned press conference, Michael Palin stated that the group “still enjoy getting together to be very silly”.

“After you turn 70, you can be absolutely shameless,” joked Terry Gilliam.

Prior to this news, the troupe’s most recent live performance took place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in September 1980, but it has been 40 years since the Pythons last performed on stage in the UK.

 The most expensive tickets have been announced at £95, but the cheapest seats will costs just £26.50, with Idle quipping that it was “only £300 cheaper than The Stones”

“I hope to be able to pay off my mortgage!” said Terry Jones.

The show will also be made available on DVD & Blu Ray later in the year.

SOURCES

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25031520

Robot Rugby League,

 This is a games of Robot Rugby League, the english commentator has a slightly different take on the rules and game of american football. I laughed!!!!

Who Invented the Tablet PC?

That’s actually quite tough to pinpoint. Computer scientist Alan Kay first came up with a concept (and then a prototype) for what he called a ‘Dynabook’ in 1968. Depending on which version you look at, the Dynabook concept can be viewed as a prototype tablet PC (as well as a direct ancestor of the laptop).

 

In science fiction, tablet-like devices can be seen in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ as well as ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’. While in comics, Jack Kirby’s ‘Motherboxes’ (as featured in the 1970’s ‘New Gods’ series) can be considered to be ‘super-tablets’ by any other name. So the idea for the tablet was firmly entrenched in fiction and popular culture long before the iPad was even a glint in Steve Jobs’ eye. 

 

Jeff Hawkins developed the first modern-style tablet PC in 1989, this invention led to a prototype named Lombard (for some silly reason) that was released in 1992. However, before that, in 1987, Apple had designed hardware for a touchscreen and stylus operating system, which was a primordial version of the iOS that you would use today on the aforementioned iPad.

 

In 2002, Microsoft launched the ‘Tablet PC’, which was a grand idea on paper, but, for too many reasons to list here, the invention never took off. It would take ten long years (and the rapid rise of mobile phones) before Apple dusted off the idea and proudly produced their iPad, in 2010.

 

So, in a very real sense, no single person invented the tablet PC. It was a culmination of wild-eyed science fiction dreamers, wild-haired computer scientists and the market-driven will to profit as utilized by companies like Microsoft and Apple.

 

Personally, if I had to pick just one name out of the hat, it would be Alan Kay. Now, before all you tech-bods rush out to correct me, consider this: John Logie Baird invented the television, but his initial invention is barely recognizable compared with today’s net-ready, Blu-Ray playing, surround-sound enabled living room leviathans, so its just a question of who had the first idea.

 

I’ve seen sites that credit Jeff Hawkins, which is fair, but honestly, the idea (and an early version of the eventual tech) actually existed 30 years or so earlier, so I’m not going to personally subscribe to that one. 

Who Invented the Tablet PC?

Review of the DP 3400

We are grateful to be able to review the Motorola DP3400 2 way radio, this has been on the market for a while, but over the last few years you would have seen this radio used in many shopping centres, office buildings and venues across the UK.

THE SPECS

There’s quite a lot that makes the DP 3400 more than just another two way radio. For a start, the DP3400 employs a single-site trunking solution that can allow over a thousand users to share information, and even data, with each other, without adding new frequencies.

The DP 3400 also comes complete with an emergency button, this button, when pushed, automatically alerts the supervisor (or dispatcher) to any possible trouble without the user having to speak even a single word. Such a safety feature works in tandem with the DP 3400’s ‘Emergency Signalling’ capability, a function that will send an emergency signal to a pre-determined person or group.

The Motorola DP3400 is capable of signal migration for both analogue and digital signals; it easily (and handily) combines traditional radio technology with cutting edge digital methods.

The radio comes in both UHF (4w) and VHF (5w).

This model also comes with a cradle that charges your battery for you, it is an excellent charger, representing an efficient design and complete user-friendliness.

THE PRICE

This is a neat little gizmo, but Motorola know that. The price of £350 might seem a little steep at first, but if its professional quality you’re after, then you should be prepared to pay a professional price.

THE PERFORMANCE

Despite having a decidedly utilitarian feel overall, the outer design actually benefits from a softer, ‘sanded down’ finish. With smoother edges and a more contemporary feel, this two-way radio doesn’t seem as Spartan as a more military or security-centric model might. It provides all the same functions, but the end result is a little bit more aesthetically pleasing and somehow more reassuring. In short, this model will be better for business.

The brightly lit buttons are also very useful if you’re using the radio at night. It’s a Tricolour LED, so the lights appear modern and pleasing.

This is a very tough little device, with a sturdy outer casing and what appears to be shock proofing all the way around. The body of this radio is so well sealed that not even a particle of dust or grit can penetrate it. It can even be fully submerged in water for 30 minutes without succumbing to permanent damage.

The belt clip is sturdy and holds the radio to your belt so well, that you never fear it will fall off. You also get a dust cover, which protects the open accessory port in the event that you aren’t using any accessories. This is a welcome feature that is always nice to see. The addition of programmable side buttons is also a very welcome feature of the DP 3400.

The DP 3400 also benefits greatly from a very long battery life, which is ideal for outdoor work.

THE VERDICT

This is a marvellous radio. It is suitable for any number of events/functions. The sound comes through clearly, the large microphone/speaker setup allows for ease of use and the entire package is exceptionally well made. The DP 3400 is smart, user friendly and very high quality.

The only knock I’d give it is that the battery, although excellently designed, is somewhat heavy. That’s it.

However, I still think that the aforementioned episode of ‘Spaced’ would have gone a lot more smoothly if they’d invested in a couple of these little beauties.