Hot Solar Cells

Solar panels cover a growing number of rooftops, but even decades after they were first developed, the slabs of silicon remain bulky, expensive, and inefficient. Fundamental limitations prevent these conventional photovoltaics from absorbing more than a fraction of the energy in sunlight.

But a team of MIT scientists has built a different sort of solar energy device that uses inventive engineering and advances in materials science to capture far more of the sun’s energy. The trick is to first turn sunlight into heat and then convert it back into light, but now focused within the spectrum that solar cells can use. While various researchers have been working for years on so-called solar thermophotovoltaics, the MIT device is the first one to absorb more energy than its photovoltaic cell alone, demonstrating that the approach could dramatically increase efficiency.

Standard silicon solar cells mainly capture the visual light from violet to red. That and other factors mean that they can never turn more than around 32 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity. The MIT device is still a crude prototype, operating at just 6.8 percent efficiency—but with various enhancements it could be roughly twice as efficient as conventional photovoltaics.

The key step in creating the device was the development of something called an absorber-emitter. It essentially acts as a light funnel above the solar cells (like AUKEY SOLAR CHARGER ). The absorbing layer is built from solid black carbon nanotubes that capture all the energy in sunlight and convert most of it into heat. As temperatures reach around 1,000 °C, the adjacent emitting layer radiates that energy back out as light, now mostly narrowed to bands that the photovoltaic cells can absorb. The emitter is made from a photonic crystal, a structure that can be designed at the nanoscale to control which wavelengths of light flow through it. Another critical advance was the addition of a highly specialized optical filter that transmits the tailored light while reflecting nearly all the unusable photons back. This “photon recycling” produces more heat, which generates more of the light that the solar cell can absorb, improving the efficiency of the system.

There are some downsides to the MIT team’s approach, including the relatively high cost of certain components. It also currently works only in a vacuum. But the economics should improve as efficiency levels climb, and the researchers now have a clear path to achieving that. “We can further tailor the components now that we’ve improved our understanding of what we need to get to higher efficiencies,” says Evelyn Wang, an associate professor who helped lead the effort.

The researchers are also exploring ways to take advantage of another strength of solar thermophotovoltaics. Because heat is easier to store than electricity, it should be possible to divert excess amounts generated by the device to a thermal storage system, which could then be used to produce electricity even when the sun isn’t shining. If the researchers can incorporate a storage device and ratchet up efficiency levels, the system could one day deliver clean, cheap—and continuous—solar power.

NUMARK N4

Overview:

The Numark N4 Digital DJ controller is a nice versatile unit that allows users to use many different types of software (two are included) to control the music.  The N4 can act as a standalone mixer or in combination with timecode DVS playback decks for external CDJ or vinyl control.  There are cue points, effects, samples, and loops for DJ’s to have fun with and so much more.  Check out the full HD-Video review and a few words from yours truly to see what the N4 is all about.

Setup & First Impressions

The Numark N4 Digital DJ controller is one of the newest and most versatile controllers in the entire Numark DJ Lineup. The Numark N4 is a four-deck Digital DJ controller with an internal 4-in/4-out soundcard that is capable of vinyl or CD timecode DVS playback for external deck control of Virtual DJ Professional’s software. This means, the DJ can upgrade to the Professional version of Virtual DJ (additional charge) in order to use their CD or Vinyl decks to manipulate and control the audio files in the DJ software.

The Numark N4 comes bundled with two different popular DJ software packages so the DJ has everything they need to get up and running right out of the box. Numark has supplied the N4 with a two-Deck version of Serato DJ Intro and a four-deck version of Virtual DJ LE. Each version has their positives and negatives and it’s great to see that Numark was really thinking about the end-user and decided to give them good options. When using Serato DJ Intro, it seems that the high resolution jog wheel mapping was a tad bit tighter. In Serato DJ Intro, the end-user gets a no-frills type of DJ setup with barebones features only. In Serato DJ intro you get 3-Effects per deck and loop controls with no Hot Cues or Samplers to speak of. On the other hand, if the DJ decides to use Virtual DJ LE, they will get 2-Effects per deck, 2-Samplers per deck, and 3-Hot Cue buttons for a more advanced feature set.

Features

From a hardware perspective, the Numark N4 is made up of almost all plastic making it light enough to move around and transport easily. There are side cutouts that serve as handles in the S4 to also make it easy to grab and go. All of the knobs are plastic-post and have a rubberized feel to them. The Buttons are all hard plastic and they all illuminate to show you exactly what is active. The crossfader is pretty loose and I was able to pull off some scratching with both software, but the Serato DJ Intro had better overall mapping in that category. It still wasn’t good enough to do your crazy scratching since the fader has about almost 2.0 millimeters of dead space in it, but baby scratches and mixing style scratching and cueing is perfect. The Linefaders have a bit more resistance to them and they work nicely for accurately getting the right volumes. There is a 3-Band EQ with FULL-EQ-KILL for each when turned all the way down. Above each channel is a Load button and Cue button to Load the track into the corresponding deck or to Cue that particular deck in the headphones before mixing live. There is a nice Big oversized Browse knob right in the top-center for easy track selection.

The Jog wheels and deck controls all worked as advertised. The jog wheel is all plastic but it is very sturdy. You can use the sides as a pitch bend style wheel to get your right tempo and the top as a touch-sensitive scratch style wheel when in the Scratch Mode. The Serato DJ Intro mapping to the jog wheel was tighter than the mapping in Virtual DJ LE as I could hear more of the fine movements when working the jog wheel in Serato DJ Intro. The DJ can assign the side of the fader they would like each deck to be on using the four lite buttons beside the fader. Simply select the numbered button to assign it to the corresponding side of the crossfader. There are also the standard deck controls which are all button type which include Play/Pause, Cue, Pitch Bend buttons, Sync, and Tap (to get the accurate BPM into the software). The Key Lock button and Pitch Range button are used to change the tempo along with a very long and tight Tempo Slider which has no center-click, but does have a center LED which lets the DJ know when they are at the original playback speed.

Another thing that the Numark N4 does well is handle a plethora of inputs and outputs. As we’ve stated earlier, the Numark N4 has two-line level inputs and two-phono inputs on the back of the unit so DJ’s can plug in almost any audio device of their choice. There are also two separate quarter-inch Microphone inputs on the front of the unit and a headphone input section that allows the DJ’s to choose between the quarter-inch or mini connection. The Numark N4 also has two separate output controls with the Master Volume Knob controlling the Master XLR or Master RCA outputs, while the Booth Volume Knob controls the Booth RCA output.

On the downside, the Numark N4 is not meant for rigorous or really tedious scratching. The mapping within both supplied software is good enough for basic scratching, back-cueing, juggling, and backspins, but you won’t be able to pull off the really quick and complex movements for turntablist style techniques. Most people who are using controllers wouldn’t care for this feature anyway, but it’s worth pointing out. The final gripe that I have with the unit is that it is made up of almost completely plastic. In some ways this is good for weight-savings, but in other ways, it means you will have to be very careful with the unit and be sure not to drop it or drop anything on it when in transport or in use.

Conclusion / Recommended For

In conclusion, The Numark N4 is a tight four-channel/four-deck controller with some really neat and versatile features. DJ’s can play music through the supplied software or hook up two external decks and use the N4 as a standalone mixer or as a combination of the two. The N4 comes with two different types of DJ software to choose from so you are ready to roll right out of the box. The N4 has a 4-in/4-out soundcard for external DVS timecode playback in Virtual DJ Pro making it great for beginners who want to grow into a set of CDJ’s or Vinyl Decks for added control. Even though it’s not made for scratching and it has an all-plastic construction, the extra on-board features and plethora of inputs and outputs make this a really competitive controller with a competitive price to match. I recommend the Numark N4 for beginner DJ’s, Bedroom DJ’s, or for any advanced user looking for an additional controller or backup unit that can work with almost any software of their choice.

Pros

• Internal 4-in/4-out Soundcard Capable of DVS Timecode Deck Playback (Virtual DJ Pro Only)
• Extremely Versatile with DJ Software (Comes bundled with Serato Intro & Virtual DJ)
• Four Decks/Tracks of control (directly out of the box with Virtual DJ LE)
• Nice set of Inputs/Outputs (2-Line Inputs/2-Phono Inputs/2-Microphone Inputs/2-Outputs)
• Nice On-board Full-Feature Set (Samples, Hot Cues, Loops, and Effects)
• Numark N4 can act as a Standalone Mixer or Controller or Combination

Cons

• Fader & Jog Wheel mapping not accurate enough for rigorous/serious Scratching & Juggling
• All Plastic Design (Be careful in transport!)

Sony PlayStation VR review

There's a lot riding on PlayStation VR as the mainstream champion of virtual reality.

Though it arrived half a year later than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the fact there were already almost 50 million PS4 consoles in people's living room (and now just over that number) meant it had a distinct advantage. How many people do you know who could afford more to drop than $1,000 on a PC and high-end headset? How many people do you know who could afford a PS VR? Exactly.

But that also means it will be most people's introduction to 'good' VR. With compromises made on the hardware to achieve that price, PlayStation VR is not perfect, but it's going after console gamers hard and ultimately, it is still a truly awesome PS4 accessory. What's more, now five months since launch, the library is much stronger with some must-have titles that feel like complete games, not merely demos to showcase the potential of this technology. Oh yeah, and all of this seems to be paying off nicely when you look at how well the system is selling.

Right now, the HTC Vive still stands as the benchmark of high-end VR, although the Oculus Rift is barely trailing behind, and is set to have some pretty fantastic games later this year. PlayStation VR is mainstream VR right now - so is it worth jumping in?

Sony has found a good balance in terms of keeping the PS VR practical and accessible; it's maybe not as plug-and-play as we'd like, but it's a darn sight easier to put together than the Vive. Just set up your PlayStation Camera first – this is sold separately but required to play, not an extra like the Move controllers – then follow the instructions to connect all the correct cables from the Processor Unit to your PS4.


The main thing to remember is that this box becomes a pass-through for your HDMIs – one goes from the TV into the unit, another from the unit to the PS4. One small niggle: this does affect HDR performance on your TV, so you'll want to switch it off when you're done with the headset.

Then you connect the headset itself to the Processor Unit – we'd recommend going with the longer cable here so you can turn around comfortably – and power on the PlayStation VR via the in-line controls, which also include volume and mic buttons.

That's pretty much it, and while we've perhaps made it sound easy, there are still a lot of cables to manage. If you're a little precious about having no wires in the living room, it's tricky to make everything look neat. However, because it doesn't use the same play space as the Vive, you probably won't be moving much furniture around, if any, to make room for the PS VR. There's no room mapping needed, you just need to tinker with the Camera to line it up with your head and make sure there's nothing in swinging distance for you to break. Sony recommends playing PS VR seated rather than standing, sitting five feet from the Camera with enough room on either side for you to lunge/duck/turn.

It helps if your PS4 is close to your TV as the standard PLAYSTATION VR CAMERA wire is pretty short and this needs to both hook up to your console and be able to see your face.

All in all, setup is reasonably straightforward, and a few months on, we've had few reasons to disconnect any of the kit. As we said, you can turn off the Processor Unit without disconnecting any wires, so there's no reason to unplug PS VR once it's all set up.

You always know where you are with the menus – once you've downloaded some VR games (which can take a while) they just appear in your regular PS4 menu for you to select. This appears in VR too using PlayStation's Cinematic Mode – it's a 2D screen floating in blank 3D space and you can press the PS button on your DualShock to quit apps and games and get back to it at any time, which is reassuring.

What Are Pay Stubs for?

online-pay-stub.com identifies this component of the paycheck which employees could retain after having deposited the paycheck received by them. The customary information contained there's the total paid, some private information of the employee for use of the plaintiff, and a continuing computation of earnings all around the entire year or for the whole length of the employee's employment. It is most common for the online-pay-stub.com to offer thorough information of deductions taken towards insurance gains, taxes, retirement programs, and these like features that could influence the employees' pay.

Paychecks generally signify the payment which an employer makes for their workers. It functions as a method of maintaining a check on the documents to permit the employer and the worker to absolutely keep a track of their wages or other benefit paid from time to time. online-pay-stub.com is a record that's generally connected to the pay check for providing details regarding the payment made to the worker. The design and data included in paychecks can vary with the company, however, certain features are typical.

The most usual information contained in a pay check is made up of the title of the worker, the Social Security Number of the employee or a different identifier provided by the employer. It normally has a special number for every employee with the intention of keeping internal documents, as well as the name together with the address of their employer. The online-pay-stub.com would also define the purpose of making the payment, the period for which it's being created, and a rest up of the sum, if the employee is getting paid on hourly basis. The online-pay-stub.com may also show the whole sum paid within a period of one year or possibly a longer period.

An important quality of issuing online-pay-stub.com is to keep the employee informed on the numerous deductions created for the use of taxation. Usually, these can be reflected individually, such as state tax, federal taxation, retirement plan and health gain etc.. Additionally, it will demonstrate the deductions made for the week or month for which the worker is getting paid, as well as the overall deductions created so far for the ongoing year. Aside from keeping the workers informed of the amounts paid and the deduction created, it helps to keep a record with the intention of paying taxes along with other useful details.

It's suggested for online-pay-stub.com to be kept until you file your annual tax return. Though companies would offer a last statement at the close of the year prior to January 31 of each year, it's a good idea to keep the online-pay-stub.com to compare and make certain that the numbers are true. Normally, tax specialists suggest one to keep the listing of taxes paid within the previous seven decades.

It's crucial to appropriately eliminate this online-pay-stub.com with the support of a shredding machine, because these may be utilized for collecting substantial parts of private information, such as the date of arrival along with the social security number.

How Amazon Fire Stick Works?

So the question a lot of people have is how can Amazon Fire Stick with Kodi around Chromecast? They are similar in terms of what they do (flow content), what they cost ($39 and $35 respectively), and what they're (HDMI sticks). Amazon Fire Stick Kodi just does it a bit better, thanks to a couple of convenience factors, one being distant. Chromecast must rely on your phone, tablet computer, or computer so as to cast stuff to your tv, which works just fine for a few. But others? Others simply need a dang remote. That is what we've been used to since we started using TVs. "Where's the clicker?" Every daddy asks in living rooms across the globe on Sunday afternoons. We want it. We need it. We.

Seriously, though: people at Roku made exactly the same argument in favor of a remote to me back when they trotted out the Roku Stick for the first time. It is just wonderful to have the option. Also, Chromecast just doesn't compute to some people. Think of your mother. Can she figure it out easily? Maybe. However, what about your Aunt or your cousin or any Luddite buddy. Not.

Another point of contrast is the above Roku Stick. It is $50 and provides a Whole Lot of the same as Amazon. Where it excels is a hunt. Search on Roku is universal. It is possible to look up Bill Murray, and it will bring up a short bio and all in his repertoire you could watch and all of your possible options of where to watch them on Roku, be it HBO Go, Vudu, Amazon, or even wherever. It is great! But Amazon only lets you search Amazon names, but even when you'd really rather watch something on Netflix. The only downside of this Roku Stick is the fact that it is kind of slow. And I would rather have peace and be stuck inside Amazon's walled garden than being stuck in flowing purgatory.

Also, call me shallow, but Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken with Kodi is only better looking than its HDMI cronies. Roku is a big purple pole. Chromecast has a big butt and a Chrome emblem perched on. Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken for sale is a subtle black HDMI stick. It blends in well.

Another thing we will need to talk about with respect to the Amazon Fire Stick for sale is gameplay. Yes, such as the Amazon Fire Stick free channels, the Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken games. And if you're a casual gamer, okay sure, you may delight in toying around with some of the free games Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken with Kodi has to offer. But if you are a serious gamer, then you almost certainly have a games console in your home. In other words, you're not buying Amazon Fire Stick unlocked as a console. You are buying it as a streaming system which happens to offer gameplay. And if you get a little more severe, you can buy the Amazon-branded gamepad.

But I'm not so confident you will because the Stick only has about half the matches Amazon Fire Stick hack has. No more Asphalt 8: Airborne without a Dead Trigger Two. Along with the games that are there operate somewhat slower. The dual-core processor does not have the oomph.

All told, the Amazon Fire Stick fully loaded is worth it. Essentially, all you are giving up is the rate. Think about it this way: Using Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken with Kodi, you do not consider speed because it's really fast, you do not have time to consider it. Together with the Stick, you've got noticeable seconds of loading time --time enough for you to consider that little wheel up on your screen rotation. With the box, when you pick something, say, a TV show, there's no wait. It is on your screen almost immediately. With Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken with Kodi, you'll have to be individual, but only for a second or two.

Flipping through the UI is also small bit laggier on the Stick. You notice it in the sense, once more, it hangs the smallest bit, whereas the box hangs not in all. So to reiterate, slower, yes. But maybe not Roku Stick slow. At this price, a little bit of wait isn't unreasonable.

Long story short: For $39, the Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken with Kodi makes miniature sacrifices for something which otherwise defeats the competition to provide something very, very excellent.

I'm buying one for my mother this Christmas.

What makes a great USB hub

What makes a great USB hub

We surveyed more than 700 readers and added the results of our own research to come up with the criteria for choosing the best USB hubs. A great USB hub (like SUNJACK USB POWER HUB
) must have USB 3.0 ports and should have dedicated power. It needs to be reliable, practically designed, compact, and (for portable hubs) light. LED indicators for each port and a decent warranty are also useful.

USB 3.0 hubs tend to be more expensive than USB 2.0 hubs, and the 3.0 standard has interference issues with 2.4 GHz wireless devices. Still, we chose to focus on USB 3.0 hubs, because the USB 2.0 standard is ancient—it was introduced back in April 2000, while USB 3.0 debuted in November 2008—and many times slower than 3.0. For example, our favorite desktop hard drive transfers files at about 150 megabytes per second on a USB 3.0 connection, but on USB 2.0 it maxes out at just 40 MB/s—if you think you’ll ever want to plug USB 3.0–capable external hard drives or flash drives into a hub for data transfer, you’ll want the extra speed that a USB 3.0 hub provides.
Using a dedicated power cord or adapter is a smart idea if you don’t want to risk accidentally corrupting everything on your hard drive.

Dedicated power is a must-have for most hubs—but not for all of them. (More on the kind that don’t require it in a moment.) To explain why, we first need to talk about how power flows through USB hubs. According to the official USB 3.0 spec, each USB 3.0 port must provide 900 milliamps of current at 5 volts, or 4.5 watts. If you have a four-port USB 3.0 hub powered solely by your computer’s USB 3.0 port (in other words, without a dedicated power cord or adapter), that means you theoretically have four devices running on the amount of power usually provided to one. This arrangement can lead to devices losing power and disconnecting improperly from the computer, which can cause drive corruption and data loss.

However, it’s important to recognize that this theoretical setup has a lot of flexibility. The 900-milliamp-current requirement for USB 3.0 ports is a minimum rather than a fixed level, and manufacturers often provide more solar power to their hubs’ ports. The power consumption of devices also varies wildly based on the kind of device and what you’re doing with it at a given moment. For example, in its user manual for our top-pick hub, Anker provides the following estimates of power consumption by device: A mouse consumes about 100 milliamps, a keyboard uses a maximum of 500 milliamps, and a portable USB 3.0 hard drive consumes a maximum of 900 milliamps.

Those are very generous estimates, intended to encourage caution so that you don’t accidentally overload your hub. Devices generally draw the most power when you first plug them into the hub and while transferring data, but very few draw the theoretical maximum, especially for extended periods. Still, using a dedicated power cord or adapter is a smart idea if you don’t want to risk accidentally corrupting everything on your hard drive; and for a USB hub with more than four ports, a dedicated power cord or adapter is an absolute must. (It’s not entirely necessary for a travel-friendly four-port USB hub, but an unpowered setup requires caution to avoid having devices trying to draw more power than your laptop’s USB 3.0 port can give. We cover this topic in more detail below.)

Beyond minimum power, we know from our research on USB chargers that people prefer ports that can charge their phones and tablets more quickly; an informal Twitter survey of readers confirmed this. So we looked for hubs with high-speed charging ports, a feature that requires external AC power, and with the exception of portable hubs, we ended up focusing on powered models.

With those power requirements in mind, we eliminated any USB hubs without enough juice to fully power all their ports. For example, our top pick has seven USB 3.0 ports and three 2.4-amp charging ports. According to the USB 3.0 spec, that means this hub could need as much as 47 watts to power all its ports at their theoretical maximums—and because it includes a 12-volt, 5-amp (60-watt) power supply, it gets enough power for all its ports at their theoretical maximums. Many hubs without adequate power aren’t significantly smaller, lighter, or less expensive to make up for that, so we ruled those models out.


Vertically stacked ports (front) make it easier to connect larger plugs and thumb drives than horizontally arranged ports (back).

A great USB hub also has to be designed with usability in mind. The ports should be spaced far enough apart that you can connect bulky thumb drives and card readers next to one another. In our tests, we found that vertically stacked ports were generally preferable to horizontally aligned ones. A hub should also be small and light, especially if you’ll use it for traveling, and it shouldn’t make the devices you plug in take up too much room on your desk: Hubs with ports on top (as opposed to around the edges) are better because the plugs you connect will stand vertically instead of fanning out around the hub and taking up even more space. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but it’s also nice if a USB hub doesn’t look like it fell out of the ’90s. And a decent warranty is useful in case you wind up with a faulty hub.






We found that an LED indicator for each port on the hub made troubleshooting much simpler when things didn’t work as intended, because we were able to tell which port was having issues.

Ten myths about owning a small business

If you are starting a business, you need reliable sources about your industry and trustworthy information about how to run a company. Unfortunately, there are many myths about running a small business that are circulating online and in conversation. Here are 10 myths about owning a small business:

1. Your concept must be set in stone.

The ability to adapt is essential when launching a business. At any moment, you may have to change gears and rethink your company focus, so be prepared to test your versatility while your company is trying to get off the ground. You never know what may come up in the first year of doing business.

2. A great idea will conquer all.

Anyone who watches Shark Tank knows it takes far more than a brilliant idea to be successful with a company. The investors featured on the show often tell entrepreneurs they need a solid business plan, an organizational strategy, and knowledge of the industry to succeed. Great ideas are a dime a dozen.

3. You need an office to run a small business.

Some of the biggest American companies started out of a garage. Whether you are sizing up expansive office space or trying to figure out where to put a few employees, remember that your home is as good a place as any to launch a company. The office, along with an investment in equipment and furniture, can wait.

4. You can do it all by yourself.

Even the most energetic entrepreneur will run out of gas if they try to do everything for their company. As your business expands and you find yourself doing busywork, begin delegating to employees or outsourcing aspects of your operation to free up valuable time. You will burn out quickly if you try to go it alone.

5. Finding employees is easy.

Whether they are in the middle of a recession or in the most robust economic times, most business owners have a hard time finding great employees. Hiring the right people is both an art and a science, and many entrepreneurs set themselves up for failure by taking the recruiting process lightly. Whether you need help finding quality candidates or screening potential hires, The UPS Store can connect you with professional help.

6. Small business owners have more free time.

If you create a well-oiled machine that runs on its own, you will have more free time to enjoy, while the cash lands in your bank account. Otherwise, you should not expect an easy life when you are trying to get a business started. In fact, expect to dedicate more time and energy to your young venture than you would to a job working for someone else.

7. Marketing is free, optional, or both.

Marketing on social networks used to be free, but now the organic reach of Facebook and Twitter posts is usually negligible. Only paid social posts are getting traction these days. Either way, digital marketing should be a part of any new business's strategy. Believing you can get by without it is a myth.

8. Revenue is everything.

Facebook only began cashing in on its power and focused on revenue after the company had dominated in market share. In most cases, focusing on market growth and delivering a product that consumers demand is the way to build a business. Revenue will come later. If you prove to your market that your company is worth the money, then customers will pay more for products after you raise prices.

9. You need accounts on every social media network.

The key to marketing success is knowing your target audience. If you are selling to teens who love the latest in networking experiments, then you will want to have a presence across the board in social media. Otherwise, you may not have much to gain from accounts on Twitter, Pinterest, or Snapchat. Always consider return on investment when putting money in advertising.

10. Outsourcing is a bad idea.

Some business owners believe it is better to hire an employee to handle clerical work than to outsource the job, but it depends on the situation. Outsourcing gives you flexibility early on, when company revenues are light. If you hit a rough patch, it would be easier to put a company's services on hold than to lay off an employee. Myths about owning a small business continue to circulate. Whether you need advice on starting a company or help with accounting and other services, The UPS Store can help.