Forecasting Future Trends Futurologists predict likely futures through refined and systematic versions of the same methods we use every day: brainstorming ideas imagining situations (gaming, scenario building) considering the past (historical analysis) gathering opinions (polling) following trends (scanning, trend analysis and monitoring) picturing desirable futures (visioning) Of course, they take a wider view and employ […]
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Meltdown: Thermal Transfer Fax Machine Though thermal paper is still useful for thermal printers of receipts and bar codes, a different kind of thermal method has taken over for most modern thermal fax machines [source: Sems]. Whereas thermal paper allows for direct application of heat to the paper, the thermal transfer method uses a third
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Cell phones are complex electronic devices, sensitive to heat, cold and excess moisture. But a cell phone’s sensitivity isn’t limited to extreme weather conditions. Analog cell phones, as opposed to the newer digital phones, can be cloned. This means that someone can tap into your cell phone’s personal identification number and makes calls on the
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Reality Show Structure So, just how real is reality TV? While it certainly varies from show to show, consider this: All of the concepts were created by someone (usually the producer), the people who populate the show were auditioned or hired in some way, and, while the footage may be real, it is usually extremely
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Traditional speakers produce sound by using an electromagnet to move a flexible cone back and forth. They use drivers to help translate electrical signals into physical vibrations so that you can hear recorded sounds. A tweeter is the type of speaker driver that produces the highest range frequency. The other two main drivers are woofers
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Price: free Device: Android, iPhone Food lovers and serious foodies alike can find quick, delicious, and unusual foods at local food trucks, and the Eat St. app. helps you track down the best of the best. A spin-off from the Food Network program of the same name, the app uses your current location to find
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Over the years, HowStuffWorks.com has evolved. The Web site remains the core of what we do. But we also have thousands of videos, more than 10 popular podcasts (audio and video) and blogs. Our podcasters and bloggers have Facebook and Twitter accounts. More than ever before, HowStuffWorks.com is an interactive experience. But the Web site
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How Television Works Television has been around long enough to seem entirely ordinary, but the box that brings TV shows into your home is an amazing device. What kinds of signals are being transmitted? How is the picture formed? Where does the color come from? Find out what’s going on inside a TV set. Learn
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Monster-sized headphones became all the rage back in the 1970s. Portable music players began to emerge in the 1980s, and headphones began to shrink. Then Apple debuted the iPod in 2001, and included a pair of sleek, white earbuds in every package [source: Hormby]. Suddenly, earbuds were all the rage for listening to music on
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Creating the Picture The heart of an SED-TV is the millions of miniature CRTs, called surface-conduction electron emitters (SCEs). An SCE is microscopic, and it consists of a layer of carbon with a gap down the center. One half of the carbon layer connects to a negative electrode, and the other connects to a positive
