Archive for October, 2007
October 23, 2007
By Ann Knapp
Knives were one of the first kinds of tools developed by early humans and although they are most commonly thought of as weapons they are still used as tools. Take a look at this guide to the most commonly used tool-knives.
Retractable Blade Utility Knife
This is a general-use tool designed to cut materials such as drywall, cardboard boxes, laminates and plastic. The blade retracts into the body of the knife for safer operation and storage.
Some models have up to 3 different blade positions for different cutting depths. Higher-end models have rubber grips and ergonomic designs for better gripping.
The handle generally unscrews or swivels open to permit blade changes. Many models have extra blade storage in the handle and some models have spring-loaded blades that automatically retract when the knife is released.
Fixed Blade Utility Knife
The blade on these knives locks between the halves of the knife to provide more blade stability than retractable models. The handle generally unscrews or swivels open to permit blade changes. As with retractable knives, higher-end models have rubber grips and ergonomic designs for better gripping. Unlike retractable knives, these knives accept larger or special-purpose blades that can”t retract into the handle.
Snap Blade Knife
The blade sections snap off (generally between 8 and 13 per blade) without having to open the tool to change blades. They are generally used for cutting light- and medium-duty materials such as wallpaper, rubber, vinyl and leather, or materials with adhesive backing that will stick to the blade and prevent sharp, accurate cutting.
Carpet Knife
Carpet knives are designed for trimming and cutting carpet and other flooring materials. Their angular design provides easier access to hard-to-reach places. Many models feature retractable blades and blade storage in handle.
The Precision Knife
This is a pencil-sized tool used for precision cutting of lightweight materials, such as paper or poster board. It is also called a hobby knife or X-Acto knife. It is equipped with ultra-sharp blades made from surgical steel and the blades come in a variety of sizes and in triangle and curved shapes. These knives contain a built-in chuck to hold and secure the blades. Some models feature blade storage in the handle.
Cooking Knives
Cooking knives comes in many shapes and sizes and are designed for specific tasks. Selecting the knife you need depends on your culinary experience, the style of cooking you prefer and how much money you wish to spend. Here is a list of the common types of knives and the basic purpose behind their design:
Boning Knife: It has a 4-5″ blade and is a flexible knife for separating meat from the bone. This knife is more efficient for this purpose than a rigid knife
Bread Knife: With a 9″ blade these knives have sharp, scalloped blades that “bite” the bread without squashing the loaf.
Chef’’s Knife: Sporting a 4-12″ blade, these versatile knives serve a variety of purposes but are particularly suited to chopping and dicing. When buying a chef’’s knife you should select a blade length that is comfortable for you.
Cleaver: With a strong 6″ blade the cleaver chops through bones and joints. You can even use the flat side of the cleaver to crush peppercorns and other spices.
Fish Filet: It has a 7″ blade. This thin, long blade has great flexibility and is perfectly suited for filleting fish. It is a superior tool.
Ham Slicer: With a 10″ blade it has been specifically designed for slicing through the unique texture of a ham.
Oriental Cleaver: It has a 7″ blade and it’’s called a “cleaver” but it’’s really a fine chopper and dicer of vegetables, herbs, meats and fruits. It is not to be used to chop bones.
Paring Knife: It has a 3-4″ blade and is the most commonly used knife in the kitchen. It is used primarily for hand-held tasks when control is essential. Variations of this knife include the Bird’’s Beak which is designed for peeling small round fruits and vegetables.
Salmon Slicer: It has a 12″ blade. This long thin and exceptionally flexible blade is designed for slicing smoked salmon.
Slicer/Carver: An 8-10″ blade that is used for carving paper-thin slices of meats, fruits and vegetables. The pointed tip cuts around bones or pieces of melon.
Steak Knife: With a 5″ blade this sharp knife cuts through thick steaks and chops. It is designed to be an integral part of any place setting
Tomato/Bagel Knife: This serrated knife has a 5″ blade and is great for cutting something that’’s soft on the inside and tough on the outside, like a tomato or a bagel!
Utility Knife: With a 6″ blade it is a cross between a paring and chef’’s knife. This all-purpose knife is designed for a variety of everyday tasks
There you have it. These are the most common knives that we use as tools in our everyday life.
About The Author
Ann Knapp writes for Safecutters Inc. a distributor of the Klever Kutter and Klever Koncept - among the safest packaging cutting utility knives available. For more information about Safecutters products, visit http://www.safecutters.com
October 22, 2007
By Christine Sargaeant
An answer tone, also called a ringtone, is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call. The term, however, is most often used to refer to the customizable sounds available on wireless cell phones. This facility was originally provided so that people would be able to determine when their phone was ringing when in the company of other mobile phone owners.
Ringtones originally were simply monophonic. They have since improved to become polyphonic, mp3 and even full music answer tones. This has revolutionized the era of cell phone answer tones and quickly bloomed into a $4 billion per annum industry securing its position even on the Billboard Charts!
There are many sources that are available for obtaining new answer tones. Consumers have become increasing aware of these sources and availability of real music answer tones. Some of the most popular ringtones can be purchased individually for $1.99 each, but a preferred way is to just download them complimentary. No credit card is required.
One company will provide 15 tones instantly, to customers of Verizon, Sprint, Cingular, T-Mobile, and AT&T.
Most people have become very choosy about their ringtones. Answer tones are a personal accessory very similar to clothing and style, and have started to become a mode of creating personal identity.
Many people want to add bling into their cell phones by changing to a different tone every week. Others will have an assortment of their 7 favorite answer tones, and rotate them daily, so that they know which day of the week it is by the answer tone on their phone!
According to the latest survey, ringtones contribute to almost one fifth of the music revenue in US. This ratio has been increasing steadily with each passing year as answer tones gain in popularity.
There are many phones available that are accompanied by different features. Depending upon your requirement and budget, you can choose them and add to your collection. Owing to the advancement of technology, increased numbers of phones are packaged with full music and mp3 support. Very soon we”ll be enjoying our digital music through answer tones that are easy to make and available via different resources.
At present, real music tones are the hottest form of digital music. We will have to wait and see the next direction that will be taken by the music industry, and if anything can be created that is more popular than the answer tone!
About The Author
Christine Sargaeant is a ringtone and answer tone specialist. For more information about answer tones, please visit her site at http://answer-tones.net/download/
October 22, 2007
By MIKE SELVON
An mp3 player has become one of the must haves in this age of technology. No longer is the public need for bulky portable radios and cd players necessary.
With the age of such techmology a person can carry as much music that twenty cds can hold in a device that is smaller than a deck of cards and that is the capacity that these cheap devices can carry.
Several types of an mp3 player are on the market for today’’s consumer, and if one knows what they are looking for, buying one can be an enjoyable experience.
One type of an mp3 player available is called a flash mp3 player. It is the lightest and easiest to carry. These players hold the fewest amounts of songs of all the mp3 players.
These are perfect for those who only need something for their morning run. Another great advantage of this one is that its batteries last the longest because of its small size.
This can keep the price down for one who feels that they are constantly having to purchase expensive batteries for their musical enjoyment. A popular brand of one is the ipod mp3 players. These are a hot item for anyone looking to have music on the go.
One of the types of a mp3 player that some people may choose over a flash player is the hard drive players. These ones hold more songs than their flash counterparts. However, they are larger and they use more battery power.
This can get expensive and May be an aspect that will keep many people from purchasing a hard drive player. Some people may also not be interested in a hard drive player because unlike the flash players, they have moving parts that can cause the music to skip just like a cd.
But, this type of device can hold an entire music collection that a person owns, and this fact alone may sway some into buying this type of music player.
If a person still longs for a cd for nostalgia reasons, the mp3 players portable cd technology is also available. This type of player will play the cds that are burned on a computer and the old collection of cds that someone may have.
They are cheaper, but they act just like a cd player in the fact that they will skip and jostle easily. Another disc form of a player that is available uses mini disc technology. This 1 gb mp3 player will hold up to forty-five hours of music, and the battery usage is minimal.
An mp3 player is the best thing that has happened to the music scene since the cd revolutionized the way people listen to tunes. With the variety of these gadgets that a person has to choose from, anyone can listen to music and be hip at the same time.
Not only are they nice to look at, but one can also be bought at a reasonable price. Now technology can provide endless hours of musical enjoyment.
About The Author
A whole world of information about the mp3 player eagerly awaits you from Mike Selvon portal at http://mp3players.niche-education.com/. We appreciate your feedback at our blog at http://www.mynicheportal.com/technology/.
October 19, 2007
By Christine Sargaeant
Ringback tones offer you a fun way to entertain your callers while they wait for you to answer their call. They no longer have to listen to that boring old “ring ring” sound. Instead you can choose to amuse your friends with the latest pop, rock, hip-hop, alternative or country music while they are on hold.
These tones originally were simply monophonic. They have since improved to become polyphonic, mp3 and even full music tones. This has revolutionized the era of cell phone music and quickly bloomed into a $3+ billion per annum industry securing its position even on the Billboard Charts!
There are many sources that are available for obtaining new tones. You don”t have to settle for the few that are pre-installed in your new cell phone. Consumers have become increasingly aware of these sources and availability. Some of the most popular Ringback tones can be purchased individually for $1.99 each, but a preferred way is to just download them complimentary. No credit card is required.
Most of the people have started to become very choosy about their Ringback tones. They have become a personal accessory very similar to clothing and style, and are incrasingly becoming a mode of creating personal identity.
Many people want to add bling into their cell phones by changing to a different tone every week. Others will have an assortment of their 7 favorite tones, and rotate them daily, so that they know which day of the week it is by the Ringback tone on their phone!
The novelty of Ringback tones has caught on in a big way and cell phone owners are eager to create unique tones to entertain their friends with. They are fun and are easy to download and manage. They can be personalized and set so that any one friend or group of friends can hear one specific song that you”ve chosen to play when they call. You can set another tune for a different group of friends.
Owing to the advancement of technology, increased numbers of phones are packaged with full music and mp3 support. Very soon we”ll be enjoying our digital music through tunes that are easy to make and available via different resources.
At present, these tunes are the hottest form of digital music. We will have to wait and see the next direction that will be taken by the music industry, and if anything can be created that is more popular than the Ringback tone!
About The Author
Christine Sargaeant is a ringtone specialist. For more information about answer tones, please visit her site at http://best-ringback-tones.com/download/
October 19, 2007
By MIKE SELVON
A media player can offer a person a great way to view video and listen to audio at the same time. After the introduction of Apple’’s fifth generation iPod with video playback capabilities, companies that make the various types of such a player have taken notice of Apple’’s sales and jumped on the bandwagon.
These devices have become more popular than their previous counterparts that were only digital audio only. The audio mp3 player may becoming a thing of the past as quick as it was ushered into the market.
When a person chooses a media player they must first know what they are looking for, and with a little investigating, an individual can quickly decide what is best for them.
One thing that a person looks for when buying electronic equipment is the brand name. A media player is one type of device that also can be graded on the brand name.
One of the top brands of electronics is Toshiba. Toshiba was the first electronics giant to debut a portable audio player capable of expanded video playback.
They have two hard drive models, the 30GB MES30V and the 60 GB MES60V, that range in price from $299.99 to $399.99. These provide users the ability to use audio, video, and photo digital media files.
The video that consumers use with these products can come from a variety of sources including recorded television, online video rentals, and downloads from subscription services. These products will offer a consumer more range of use than a portable mp3 player can.
Another giant of the electronics market that offers a variety of a media player for consumers to purchase is Samsung. In 2006 they had two new portable media player offerings for the public.
One was the YP-D1 for $249. It has a 1 GB storage capacity, and for a little more, $299 to be exact, a person can upgrade to 2 GB. Samsung advertised this one as the first flash mp3 player with one of the best digital cameras built right in.
With this device, a person can listen to music and take pictures at the same time. The battery has up to twenty hours if fully charged.
Although several brands of a media player are on the retail market today, a person should look for quality and proven performance from the company they are purchasing the media player from.
Both Samsung and Toshiba are great companies that a person can get quality products at a reasonable price. Cheap mp3 and media players are numerous, but cheap is not always the best answer for a long term solution.
About The Author
A whole world of information about the media player eagerly awaits you from Mike Selvon portal at http://mp3players.niche-education.com/. We appreciate your feedback at our blog at http://www.mynicheportal.com/technology/.
October 18, 2007
By Madison Greene
If you are like me, you love photography. To me there is nothing more relaxing than going out into the woods with my backpack and camera to shoot some amazing wildlife. Unless I am hiking with friends, I usually always bring my tripod along, that way I can get good still, focused photographs of whatever I choose.
I have a backpack for my camera gear, but I have always had trouble lugging the tripod through the woods. What I found online last year has made my life a lot easier. What is it you ask? A backpack to hold my camera’’s tripod.
Yes You Can Buy Tripod Backpacks Online
There are many digital online accessory stores online. Are some better than others? Yes, but if you look around the net you will surely find one that carries what you are looking for at a reasonable price.
There are two advantages to buying digital accessories, like tripod backpacks. One is that you can get what you are looking for at a great price because it is easy to shop around and pick the best deal. Second, you can find what you need. You don”t need to drive from store to store trying to find accessories that match your digital equipment.
If you are a photographer, at a good camera accessory website you should be able to find:
* Cameras
* Lenses
* Tripods
* Flash lighting meters
* Filters
* Other lens accessories
* Films
* Binoculars and scopes
* Books
* DVDs
* Backpack bags for camera tripods and other kinds of bags that would be of help to you when you are shooting on different locations
* Cases
* Projection and viewing accessories,
* Replacement batteries and chargers for any laptop, camera or other digital equipment
If you are looking for a backpack bag for your camera’’s tripod, shop for yourself. There are many different kinds, and in my opinion, what size and style you like is completely up to you, it just depends on what you want and need.
Features of a Tripod Backpack
Whatever backpack tripod camera bag you choose, there are some features you should be aware of that one of these bags can offer. For one, you will be able to replace your regular backpack that you have been stuffing your stuff into.
Most of the tripod camera backpacks have plenty of room for all of your stuff. Multiple pockets make it a great way to organize and keep track of your cameras, lenses, batteries, etc. Hopefully you won”t have to worry about keeping track of all you stuff or losing vital pieces of equipment in all the packing and unpacking chaos.
If you are like me and like to venture to far off places to take your photos, then you will find a backpack to hold your tripod and all other camera gear very handy. It hasn”t necessarily improved my photography, but it has enabled me to get where I need to go easier and faster. Best of all, it keeps me organized so I don”t forget or lose anything.
About The Author
Madison Greene’’s favorite hobby is photography. But, to her, there is nothing more annoying than when the batteries in her laptop or camera lose power and she can”t find a store that carries them. Visit: http://www.OnlineDigitalAccessories.com
October 18, 2007
By MIKE SELVON
Itunes mp3 players are a wonderful addition to someone’’s electronic device stash, but they will only play a certain authorized musical format, and if a person has anything other than an iPod, they may be out of luck in using the music they purchased.
What can a person do if they have bought these forms of music for their computer, but have something other than an iPod for a portable mp3 player? Answers are available if one only takes the time to look and not get too frustrated with Apple.
Many may ask why their itunes mp3 players need to say iPod in order for them to work with music they have purchased. Itunes are protected because of the DRM or Digital Rights Management.
This group was created to ensure that musical piracy was hopefully stopped. The only problem with this is that when a person purchases iTunes for their computer and tries to transfer to a player brand other than an iPod the transfer fails. Many people do not realize this is an issue until it is too late.
Although these players are limited to just iPods, ways do exist to get around this road block. An easy method is to burn the tracks onto a CD.
Then an individual can open the CD in iTunes and the Convert Selection to MP3 option will allow a person to do whatever they wish with the music. What must be remembered is that when burning the CD, a person should burn an audio CD and not a data CD.
A data CD can keep a person from importing tracks from the CD. The only problem with this method is that a person will have two copies of their tracks. But, if one is persistent, then they can be assured that their efforts to make their itunes mp3 players compatible will not go wasted.
However difficult this may seem to convert itunes mp3 players music to use in any portable mp3 players system another way does exist to ensure that a person can listen to their purchased music without the use of an iPod.
Software exists to help one who has a huge amount of music on their computer to convert. Types of software such as NoteBurner or CD Emulator can help. Another brand of software is JHymn, and it can help a person to make sure their fair-use rights under copyright laws will help free the iTunes that a person has from the restrictions of the DRM.
The apple ipod ones are a great asset to have for the itunes mp3 players that they operate with. However, a person who has anything other than an iPod can be out of luck in a hurry.
If one is not aware of what they are doing, itunes can be purchased with the intent of transforming them onto a portable mp3 player. But, this is not the case, and one can spend a ton of money on something they cannot use in the future if they do not do through research.
About The Author
A whole world of information about your itunes mp3 players eagerly awaits you from Mike Selvon portal at http://mp3players.niche-education.com/. We appreciate your feedback at our blog at http://www.mynicheportal.com/technology/.
October 17, 2007
By Dwayne Garrett
When people hear the words “Information Technology,” the first things that come to mind are computers and the Internet. It may also bring up words like “network,” “intranet,” “server,” “firewall,” “security,” as well as more arcane expressions such as “router,” “T-1,” “Ethernet,” or the mysterious and exotic-sounding “VoIP” (pronounced “voyp”).
In fact, information technology is all of these things, and more. It’’s hardly new, however. Information technology is as old as the brain itself, if you think of the brain as an information processor. As far as I.T. being a science, even that goes back as far as the earliest attempts to communicate and store information.
And that is essentially what information technology is: the communication and storage of information, along with the ability to process and make use of the information stored. In this chapter, we”ll begin with a brief history of I.T., what it comprises today, and the different major types of I.T. systems available today.
A Short History of Information Technology
As human societies have grown in size and complexity, so has the need to collect, store and transmit information. While it could be argued that brains represent a form of “bio-information technology,” Greek word “Tektra” - from which we get the word “technology” - really refers to scientific or mechanical knowledge, particularly that which involves the use of tools. Therefore, we”ll begin our journey with humans first attempts to record and transmit knowledge through mechanical means.
The Neolithic Period and the Bronze Age
We might not have thought of it as “information technology” several thousand years ago when we as a species were painting animals on cave walls. But in fact that may be exactly what it was.
Using a combination of tools that included manganese “crayons” and clay that was colored with various pigments, early humans left these images on the walls of a cave near Lascaux, France and on cliffs in the Algerian Sahara.
These have been dated as being approximately 18,000 and 8,000 years old respectively. Unfortunately, there is no way to be certain exactly what message was being communicated (a problem our own descendants 15,000 years from now may very well encounter from what we leave behind!)
Since the images depict animals that were commonly hunted at the time, and given the importance of game animals to a hunting-gathering culture, it’’s possible that such images were attempts to present information about such game, or part of a rite designed to ensure a successful hunt.
The invention of writing systems - including pictograms such as hieroglyphics, alphabetic writing and “syllabic” systems - seems to have taken place almost at the same time as the development of agriculture. Agriculture introduced such formerly unknown concepts as land ownership, advanced trade and the accumulation of wealth, which in turn led to more complex societal structures.
As you might expect, this necessitated more detailed and efficient record-keeping. Alphabetic writing has a substantial advantage over pictograms (hieroglyphs), because a relatively limited number of symbols (letters) can be used over and over in infinite combination to communicate nearly anything. (As you will see later, modern I.T. uses only two of these symbols!)
Preserving and storing such information posed certain challenges; information either had to be inscribed on stone or clay tablets (which were heavy) or animal skins, wax tablets or papyrus (which weren”t durable).
The Hellenistic World
The Classical Greeks were the first people of record to attempt to find scientific, rational explanations for natural phenomena. Some of the earliest proto-computers known were mechanical devices developed by the Greeks. One of these was a form of abacus (which also developed and was used in ancient China). The device facilitated and simplified mathematical calculation.
Consider REALLY early Greco-Roman Abacus
Another early computational device was the antikthera, greek in origin. An antikthera was discovered by a Greek sponge diver over a century ago, it was only recently that this 2100-year-old device was reconstructed and shown to be an early form of computer designed to chart the movements of the sun, moon and five planets known at the time.
Early Programmable Devices
By the time the gradual break-up and fall of the Roman Empire was complete in the year 476 C.E., scientific and technological advances in the Western world had ground to a halt. While much of the scientific knowledge of the Greeks was preserved by Irish monks and Arab scholars, it wasn”t until the fourteenth century that principles of engineering were rediscovered and applied to information. The first of these was of course the printing press.
Although the concept of movable type printing had been developed in China some four hundred years earlier, it was Gutenberg’’s device in 1447 that revolutionized communications, making it easier and faster to record and disseminate information than ever before. The first truly programmable device would not come along for another 354 years, however.
The Jacquard Loom of 1801 was a product of the Industrial Revolution. This invention used a series of specially punched paper cards that functional as templates, allowing for the automatic weaving of highly intricate patterns. Those punch cards became very significant to computing in the 1950′’s, 60′’s and 70′’s.
The next development was Charles Babbage’’s “Analytical Machine” - a fully-programmable computer that unfortunately was never actually built. Babbage worked on designs from 1837 until his passing in 1871. This steam-powered mechanism would have also utilized punch cards, with a central processing unit (CPU) and a form of memory storage in the form of a system of pegs inserted into rotating barrels.
The Analytical Machine would have been capable of storing 1,000 numbers of up to fifty digits each, and perform six different mathematical operations, including the calculation of square roots. Babbage’’s ideas were incorporated into early electronic computing devices being developed in the late 1930′’s and 1940′’s, although not all of these were actually programmable. The first truly programmable computers - able to store and use information - did not come into common use until the 1950′’s, and yes - made use of punch cards (those born before 1965 may remember playing with them).
Of course most people born in the 70′’s, 80′’s and 90′’s just take for granted that the Information Technology we have today is from fairley recent developments in science, mechanics and electronics. But we know different now don”t we. And therefore can better appreciate what we have available to us now.
About The Author
Dwayne Garrett is the author of several eBooks and popular software applications, he also offers an affordable IT Resource Guide that will help you to make sense of Information Technology and your business. http://www.InfoTechForSmallBusiness.com
October 17, 2007
By MIKE SELVON
Downloads mp3 players can use have become more than just music. With the advances in technology, people now have the option of seeing television shows, watching the news, and reading various materials on their portable mp3 players. With these advances one must wonder where they can go to get the best information at the right price.
Some websites offer free information and others require special software, but with a little research, a person can find the right information with a few clicks of the mouse, and two of the best places on the net to find the information is Audible and Audiofeast.
Audible has been offering downloads mp3 players information since the technology has been on the market. Since 1997, this company has been offering information through wonderful partners such as Bantam, C-SPAN, The New York Times, and even Time Warner.
This company has over thirty four thousand hours of listening enjoyment that a person can enjoy for a subscription fee.
With that subscription several promotions such a free mp3 player or discounts on monthly rates may seem enticing to some, however, one must understand that in order to run the stored information of this company, a person must purchase the compatible software. But, the content that is downloaded can be kept for as long as a person wishes.
Many downloads mp3 players use come from well known services. Apple and Windows both offer subscriptions to some form of audio, but when a company is new, they have to offer something that the others do not in order to gain customers. Audiofeast does just that.
They have a yearly fee instead of a monthly and the going rate is only $49.95. For this low price a person has access to NPR, the Weather Channel, and even the Discovery Channel. For a portable mp3 player, this can be a great offer even if the company is new to the market.
Downloads mp3 players now access are not limited to just music. A person can watch recorded television shows, live news feeds, and even find the most up to date weather for the area that they are in.
Portable mp3 players have come a long way from when they first came on the market, and with the advances in technology, they are sure to only become more progressive as time goes on.
Finding the best downloads for one’’s mp3 players is just a click away if one is willing to look hard enough for the perfect service to subscribe to.
About The Author
A whole world of information about using your downloads mp3 players eagerly awaits you from Mike Selvon portal at http://mp3players.niche-education.com/. We appreciate your feedback at our blog at http://www.mynicheportal.com/technology/.
October 16, 2007
By James Copper
Electrical power around the globe is still primarily generated by fossil fuel. Legislators, environmentalists and others who have an interest in saving our planet abhor this.
Green energy, the use of renewable electrical energy by means of wind, sun and water, is promoted extensively in just about every country on the planet by environmentalists, researchers and others concerned with the harm carcinogens are causing the environment. Fossil fuel, unfortunately, still remains the number one source of electrical power.
In February of 2007 the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA published its latest report on climactic conditions and the use and means of electrical energy. This 2007 February was reportedly the coldest since we first started keeping U.S. records in 1895. The nation averaged 32.86 degrees Fahrenheit. This was nearly two degrees below the mean temperature for the entire 20th century. During the month, the heating degree days turned out to be just under 16 percent higher than the prior February and well over 15 percent higher than what is considered normal. As a result of this colder weather and its resulting electrical heating power increase, the total net electrical energy generation increased more than five percent over February of 2006.
The NOAA report broke down the electrical energy use by the various fossil fuel resources and other sources of electrical power. Coal generation, statisticians noted, went up nearly three percent and nuclear generation increased more than four percent. Natural gas increased by a whopping 23.8 percent over the prior year. The liquid fire generation of petroleum was up over 200 percent although what it contributed to the overall fuel generation was still comparatively minimal as opposed to natural gas, coal and nuclear means of electrical power.
Overall the net electrical power generation had increased nearly seven percent since February 2006. The net electrical power generation that could be attributed to plants fired by coal was up 3.4 percent and commercial nuclear use increased by 3.5 percent. Petroleum liquid as a commercial electrical power resource increased by more than 62 percent while natural gas as a commercial electric provider went up nearly 32 percent. Conventional hydroelectric electrical power sources were actually one fourth lower than the prior February although the total electrical power only decreased 14.4 percent. Wind powered renewable energy as a source of electrical power went up 31.8 percent from the prior year, which may account for the reduction in hydroelectric power.
Discouraging, however, is the fact that in spite of rampant green energy efforts and even legislation in the UK and other parts of Europe and voluntary programs in the United States to implement, fund and reward the use of renewable energy, more than half of the U.S. electrical power still came from coal and coal-fired plants. Nuclear energy accounted for just under 21 percent, natural gas for 17.4 percent and petroleum for 2.2 percent. 6.7 percent was provided by conventional hydroelectric means. The small portion of electrical power remaining came from the use of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.
About The Author
James Copper is a writer for http://www.newcareerskills.co.uk