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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Bringing solar light bulbs to the world


Denver (CNN) -- It started with such a simple concept: A solar light bulb that charges up during the day and lights the night when the sun sets.

Inventor Steve Katsaros perfected his design in June 2010, and four days later he had a patent in hand.

He knew it was a good product, but he didn't know what to do with it.

"It wasn't until after we created it that we asked ourselves, 'How do we market this,'" Katsaros says. "And we learned that the largest market was the developing world."

As Katsaros began researching markets in developing countries, he began to realize that his solar light bulb could potentially make a huge impact on the 1.4 billion people around the world who don't have access to an electrical grid.

Many use fuel lamps that burn kerosene, which is costly, dirty and can also be unhealthy.

He dubbed his company Nokero -- short for "No Kerosene" -- and set out to get his bulbs into as many hands a possible in the developing world.

First, Katsaros had to answer a key question that would determine how he would have the strongest impact: should his company be nonprofit, or for-profit?

Katsaros found inspiration from the 2008 book by Paul Polak, "Out of Poverty."
Communities that do not have access to electricity could benefit from Katsaros' solar light bulbs.

Polak, who has worked in developing nations for 30 years, believes that the charity model of aid used by nonprofit organizations doesn't work -- despite its good intentions.

CEO Richard Branson: Treat charity like a business Video

The best way to help people, according to Polak, is to treat them as consumers. If you can sell to them, he says, you can help them.

"In the beginning I was a nut case and nobody paid attention," Polak says. "The consensus was 30 years ago that this is what caused poverty, and to be involved in business was outrageous and evil."

Today, that is starting to change, he says. But that doesn't mean that nongovernmental organizations have rolled out the red carpet for Polak's ideas.

"Many NGOs say it's making money on the back of the poor, but I love to make money on the back of the poor," Polak says.

"You can feel really good about yourself giving stuff away ... but if you are going to sell things to people, you need to have respect for them because no one is going to buy something if you have contempt for them."

He says market forces will ensure that the right products get into the marketplace and ultimately lead to empowering people in developing countries to be better able to fend for themselves.

"If you have a village that's used to the dole, it's very hard to get them off of the dole," Polak says. "We have to face the fact that conventional development aid has failed.

"It just doesn't work."

After interviewing more than 3,000 families who live on $3 a day or less, Polak concluded that they know best how to care for their families.

They will respond to a free market that presents them with products that will fit their needs, he says.

"They are stubborn creative survival entrepreneurs," Polak says. "They make life and death decisions about how to spend their meager income. They are used to investing their money very wisely."

In 1981 he founded International Development Enterprises. Though the company itself is a nonprofit, it uses a model called "social entrepreneurship," which utilizes capitalist principles to assist people in the developing world.

What Google is buying: Motorola's 83-year history of invention


When Google agreed to buy Motorola Mobility, it bid for a company that predates it by 70 years.
Brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin founded the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation in 1928, based in Chicago. Their first product was a battery eliminator, a power converter that allowed battery-powered radios to be plugged into household electrical outlets.
The company soon began to try its hand at revolutionizing the radio itself, putting radios in everything from cars to backpacks to hands. Three-quarters of a century and one name change later, Motorola has amassed 17,000 patents and developed some truly groundbreaking technology.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

The 3rd Generation Of The Games System From Sony Was Released To Worldwide Fanfare.

I am not sure the precise statistic, but I know that a scratched disk isn't altogether odd. Having a backup of a game disk is a massive relief when you're playing. Pondering it on another level, this also defends your original purchase, keeping the disk in spotless condition, which is excellent for resale. I know That I fret about it whenever I am playing with the original. The 3rd generation of the game system from Sony was released to worldwide fanfare. Playstation three was originally released and sold out in 2006. The games system was such a hot item that stores could not keep them on the shelving and folk waited patiently for hours so as to be well placed to put this present under the tree for their children. The system sold about 100,000 units inside twenty-four hours of being released.


Now on to the controller – The Playstation three controller is lighter and masses more cosy to handle than that of the Playstation two. Now onto the Xbox 360 controller that has also had a new design. The changes in design are meant to permit the user hours of enjoyment with sore hands. It's been designed with huge buttons to permit straightforward gameplay. For both games systems the new controller design has been well received. Sony is anticipated to release a cheaper version of Playstation three and Microsoft has just recently released a colourful Radiance three version of Xbox 360 at a lowered price.

Sales of the Playstation three Nintendo game consoles have been modest at best since its release. That is because of lots of factors including a pricey first sales cost of five hundred to six hundred bucks per unit, and an absence of any computer games that have achieved cultural phenomenon standing like Radiance three did with Xbox 360. Xbox and Playstation three don't have this function. Nintendo Wii has been outselling both typically because of its reasonable cost of two hundred and fifty bucks, and the technically advanced Wii remote with the motion sensor feature. This is also found on the Playstation and Wii consoles but Microsoft has incorporated more functionality to its online market. This allows for a rather more delightful online play of games. Xbox 360 is the best console to play games against your mates without being in the same room as them.

The WEP And WPA Encryption Further Secure Connection.

Cisco is a renowned for its products in networking like Linksys ADSL Wireless Router. It preferred product Linksys ADSL Wireless Routers and wire routers are famous across the entire world. Launched in California in 1988, it not only brought revolutions in the world of LAN and Dismal , but also in Linksys ADSL Wireless Routers. These are the most trusty and most productive routers now present in the market. It's one of the best feature that several routers have just one input port to attach to the Net. Usually , a wireless router features many a router, modem, firewall, port switch and a wireless access point.

It makes your broadband simply sharable among others in you office or at home. While installation, it must watch out about which socket on your router is the proper one for connecting it to the port on the wall. Unacceptable connection could well lead to transient access loss consuming hours together to mend it. Setting up a wired router should be relatively simple by following the directions manual given with the router. For your security, this device supports WPA and WEP encryption.


This model enables net sharing either wirelessly or wired. It may also function as an access point and an adapter. The WEP and WPA encryption further secure connection. It has an automated switching capacity from access point to router mode so it does away with any reconfiguring. When it comes down to lower cost, easy paths to get web access, inexpensive wireless routers reign ultimate. If you do enough research, you will presumably find an ISP that provides their clients with a router to hire so as to create a Net connection, these rentals often run less than 5 bucks a month. Most wireless users feel that inexpensive routers have a minuscule money risk and permit them to experience the web while deciding if a wireless PC network is the best call. After you gain a larger understanding with reference to PC networks and wireless web connections, you'll have a brilliant idea of irrespective of whether it is time to upgrade your router. The smooth metal surrounding features curved edges with an easy fan exhaust grating built into the interior lip on top of the device to keep the electronics cool. The plastic stand permits you to position or mount the device in a way that's handy for your style and office space.

This is an excellent product to optimise the wireless coverage in all areas of your house. Netgear DGND3300 RangeMax Twin Band Wireless-N Router with Inbuilt DSL Modem For active online game players or people who stream live video frequently, this model of Netgear wireless routers offers a fast alternative choice to the Wireless-G gizmo. The firmware has compatibility with older PCs too, whether or not they continue to use the 802.11b custom – any mandatory adjustments will configure mechanically, so all you have got to do is add the PC to the network and let and let the most widely-applicable of the Netgear routers do the rest.