CSS: Cascading Style Sheets

Posted by thegeek | Posted in Tech | Posted on 22-10-2009

The most common applications that style most web pages written in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and XHTML (Extensible Hyper Text Markup Language) is labeled as CSS – Cascading Style Sheets.

CSS is a style sheet language used to describe the look and formatting of a document written in a markup language. A markup language is a system for interpreting a text in a way which is distinguishable from that text.

Cascading Style Sheets were designed to allow the separation of document content (which includes HTML or similar markup language) from document presentation (which includes the layout, colors, or fonts). When this separation has occurred, content accessibility will improve, flexibility and control in the specification of present characteristics, enable multiple pages to share formatting, and reduce complexity and repetition in the structural content.

A priority scheme is determined when dealing with CSS. In this so-called cascade, priorities or weights are calculated and assigned to rules, so that the results are predictable.

CSS Example
selector [, selector2, ...][:pseudo-class] {
property: value;
[property2: value2;
...]
}
/* comment*/

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) maintains the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) specifications. Internet media type (MIME Type) text/css is registered for use with CSS by RFC 2318.

CSS Sources

  • Author Styles
  • User Style
  • User Agent Style

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About CODANK Charlotte Website Design and Markjeting Company

CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services.

For more information, visit us at http://codank.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/css-cascading-style-sheets-1368961.html

Solar Cooling and Solar Heating As Practical Renewable Energy Solutions

Posted by thegeek | Posted in Tech | Posted on 22-10-2009

Solar cooling is provided by the same solar energy that gives us warmth in the cooler months of the year.

There are a few ways solar cooling can be achieved. Solar cooling can be made by using a passive solar cooling system. The passive solar cooling system has a storage medium that gathers heat from the sun during the daylight hours. During the daytime the solar collector stays shaded and at night the solar collector is taken off of the solar cooling system. Once the solar collector is taken off of the system, the heat that was stored during the daylight hours is slowly dispersed so it can be used in the evening.

The key to a very successful solar cooling system is to start using it very early in the morning and letting it operate all day. If you start using the solar cooling system very early in the morning, you may keep your home 20 degrees cooler than if you had started later in the day.

To shade the solar cooling system you can use an easy to remove retractable shade. Make sure it is simple to use as you will be moving the retractable shade every day most likely in the morning and in the evening.

An example of being able to use the solar collector for solar cooling is an air conditioner. If you follow the above method, you can save enough solar energy/electricity to use your air conditioner without spending a penny. You will feel no guilt in spending money on air conditioning especially if you are on a budget. Plus, you will have extra money to save in the bank for your children’s college or your retirement or use the money for entertainment purposes such as vacations, family outings, going out for meals, babysitters, etc.

By using solar cooling not only are you saving money on one of your highest monthly bills, but you are keeping the Earth healthier and cleaner. Fossil fuels cannot make that statement. If you really sit and think about it, we need to keep our air clean as it is our means of breathing and living. The less chemicals that are released into the air, the better it is for all mankind. By using solar cooling, energy is conserved, less pollution and gases are in our air as well. Just think if the majority of people used solar cooling, the less energy power plants would need to create for us.

Back in the day, even the Romans had the idea of solar cooling. They used running water on the outside of their homes. The water on the outside of the home would evaporate due to the sun. While the water was evaporating on the outside of the home, the heat on the inside of the home would dispel.

We have the knowledge and we can step into the future and begin the process of saving our Earth by using solar cooling and changing the way we depend on fossil fuels. When one person tries to save money and energy, it may inspire others to follow suit.

Salla sol Solar contracts: Concentrated Solar Power plant projects. It is the leading developer of Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants and Solar Electricity systems.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/solar-cooling-and-solar-heating-as-practical-renewable-energy-solutions-1369553.html

Solar Power; The Untapped Resource For Abundant Clean Energy

Posted by thegeek | Posted in Tech | Posted on 22-10-2009

Solar power is a fantastic way to get energy. If we used solar energy from the sun, there actually is enough energy in one hour of the sun that would supply the Earth’s energy for an entire year. This is truly amazing.

Solar energy is clean and renewable versus fossil fuels. Therefore, it is extremely good and healthy for our environment.

We probably do not see a massive amount of solar power plants due to the cost of solar power plants being much more expensive than other power plants. Due to the high cost, consumers would have to pay the difference. Although the good news is that technology is improving and solar plant costs are decreasing.

In order to use solar power plants, massive land and sun is needed. The desert would be the perfect place to put solar power plants, but that is not reasonable due to the fact that the majority of the population does not live in the desert. Since the population is so far away, this would lead to yet another cost of running high voltage power lines. Running high voltage power lines would have to be run through regulatory processes and may fail environmental issues.

By using solar power from solar power plants, at this time it is only useful during the daylight hours. More development is needed on electricity storage so that solar power can be used in the evening hours as well.

Ways that a solar power plant can be of use is to produce smaller size solar plants. By building smaller solar power plants they can be within the community of humans. Giving rebates and other promotions to get people interested and using solar power plants would be of help. Most people are into “going green” and would welcome saving our Earth for ourselves and future generations. Lately, people are realizing more and more that we need to protect our world. Once one country takes the plunge to help solve the energy solution, other countries should follow for maximum effect.

Another positive in using solar power plants versus current fossil fuels and windmill solar energy is that the solar power plant is not dangerous to birds. The solar windmills may catch a bird’s wing, therefore, causing the bird to become injured and/or die. Fossil fuels continually pollute our world. Some folks argue that the pollution is causing many allergies in people as more and more people are diagnosed with asthma than in the years past.

Knowing that the United States of America uses over 25% of global energy but accounts for only 5% of the global population is a huge amount of consumption. If you think about it, some third world countries do not even have electricity which accounts for two billion people.

The large corporation, Shell, has predicted that by the year 2040 half of the world’s electrical energy will come from much more Earth friendly resources. Hopefully in the near future we will see more and more solar power plants all over the world. This will help to keep our planet healthy and preserve our resources in the long run.

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The life span of computers

Posted by thegeek | Posted in Tech | Posted on 22-10-2009

The life span of computers

The average desktop PC has a functional lifespan of roughly two to five years maximum. The length of the lifespan greatly depends upon the type of system purchased, advances in hardware components and changes in the software that we run. Over time, users will tend to notice that their systems just aren’t as fast as they used to be, they don’t have enough space to store their files or don’t meet the requirements for the latest software. When this happens, users have the option of either upgrading or replacing their PCs, this can be costly.

To determine which choice might be better for your computer system, it is best to look at a cost comparison of what you will get out of each of the two options. My rule of thumb is that upgrades should typically be done if the costs of the upgrades will be roughly half of the cost of getting a new system. This is just a guideline based on most upgrades giving you a functional lifespan of roughly half of what replacement will get you. It always best to upgrade wherever possible.

The advantage that desktop PCs have is a greater amount of upgrades that can be made to them compared to a laptop computer. The problem is that with so many components that can be upgraded, the costs of upgrades can quickly outpace the cost of replacement

If you shop around it is easy to find a cheap <a href=” http://www.moneysupermarket.com/c/shopping/sp/computer-and-software/desktop-pcs/”>desktop pc > keeping the above guide in mind should ensure you have a good knowledge on pc’s before you buy a cheap desktop.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/the-life-span-of-computers-1367576.html

Guide to laptops

Posted by thegeek | Posted in Tech | Posted on 22-10-2009

This guide will help you to look at some of the key items you want to look at before you purchase your next PC laptop system.

Size and Weight

Obviously the size and weight of a laptop is important. Ultraportables offer light weight and sizes but sacrifice items such as drives. Desktop replacements have equivalent power to desktop systems but they are heavy and bulky making them difficult to carry around. When shopping for a laptop, make sure to pick up the systems and verify its something you are willing to carry.

Memory (RAM)

Laptops are generally more restricted in the amount of memory they can have compared to desktops. When looking at computers you want to make sure to check out the maximum memory the system can handle as well as the amount that is installed in the computer. It’s also useful to find out if a memory upgrade can be done yourself or if it has to be done by a technician.

Displays and Video

The video on a laptop computer is comprised of the display and the video processor. The display is defined by the screen size and the native resolution. The larger the display, the higher the resolution will typically be,but it also will impact how portable the system is. The graphics processor will determine the performance of the computer in things such as 3D graphics and high definition video acceleration.

Drives

How much storage space will you need? Hard drives are fairly straight forward in terms of the size and the performance may be impacted by the rotational speed. Optical drives play a more important role when purchasing a Laptop PC.

Networking

The ability to connect to the net is integral to most laptops today

Battery Life

How good is a portable computer going to be if you are only able to get 30 minutes of computing time on a single charge? Look to get a system with at least 2 hours of battery life under normal conditions.

If you shop around it is easy to find a cheap <a href=” http://www.moneysupermarket.com/c/shopping/sp/computer-and-software/desktop-pcs/”>desktop pc > keeping the above guide in mind should ensure you have a good knowledge on pc’s before you buy a pc.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/guide-to-laptops-1367601.html

Affordable Computing For Students Worldwide

Posted by thegeek | Posted in Tech | Posted on 22-10-2009

Wouldn’t it be nice if the developed countries helped the developing. We’ll this is what Microsoft are doing. Microsoft Windows is now available on the XO laptop with trials to begin in key emerging markets as early as next month.

It’s good to see that humanity continues to make progress. Microsoft and One Laptop per Child (OLPC) announced an agreement that will make the Microsoft Windows operating system available on OLPC’s low-cost XO laptops for the world’s poorest children. Through this agreement, trials of the XO running Windows are planned to begin as soon as June in key emerging markets. Recognizing that the challenge of providing high-quality education for children in the developing world is too large to be solved by any single organization, Microsoft and OLPC are committed to working with governments and nongovernmental organizations to ensure the success of these pilot programs.

Windows is the most widely used operating system and essentially form the backbone of today’s communication network. The availability of Windows, in addition to Linux, on the XO laptop will allow customers to have an expanded choice of operating environments that best fit their requirements. The intention is to create a version of the XO laptop that provides the ability to host both Windows and Linux operating systems, giving users the ability to run either on the XO laptop.

Children in the developing countries who would otherwise never have access to computers are afforded the some of the same opportunities as the developed world. Transforming education is a fundamental goal of Microsoft Unlimited Potential, the ambitious effort to bring sustained social and economic opportunity to people who currently don’t enjoy the benefits of technology. By supporting a wide variety of affordable computing solutions for education that includes OLPC’s XO laptop, they aim to make technology more relevant, accessible and affordable for students everywhere.

From the beginning, the goal of OLPC has been to use technology to transform education by bringing connectivity and constructionist learning to the poorest children throughout the world. With future plans for a dual boot version of the XO laptop, OLPC will work with third parties to port its user interface, called ‘Sugar,’ to Windows.

Customers and partners worldwide have requested Windows support for the XO laptop, because it opens the door for students and educators to access the benefits of existing Windows-based educational software and tools, as well as a broad ecosystem that provides extensive relevant and local educational content.

Technology’s positive impact can lead to the accelerated development of competencies and life skills for students everywhere. The benefits of Microsoft’s proven technology platforms for all program areas offered in conjunction with OLPC’s XO laptop create enormous potential for children and teachers to learn, grow and contribute to their communities.

Microsoft has spent more than a year working with a variety of partners to develop customized drivers that enable Windows to run on the XO laptop. Windows now supports the laptop’s e-book reading mode, standard Wi-Fi networking, camera, writing pad and custom keys, as well as the power-saving and other features of the XO hardware. The adaptation of standard Windows for the XO laptop means that hundreds of thousands of third-party applications and devices available for Windows will now be compatible with the XO laptop, extending the power and advantages of the full Windows ecosystem to XO laptop users.

Elmo Populous is a computer enthusiast who tests and reviews laptops including Toshiba laptops for a living.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/affordable-computing-for-students-worldwide-1367888.html