Smart wireless power outlets

ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2012) ? Many homeowners dream of being able to wash a load of laundry when the photovoltaic panels on the roof are delivering a maximum of electricity, even when they are not at home. A new Internet-enabled power outlet will soon allow users to control household appliances via their smartphone, and reduce their energy costs into the bargain.

Soon there will be no need for special timers to switch lighting on and off or operate household appliances when the homeowner is absent. In future, all this can be done by means of a smartphone or PC, thanks to Internet-enabled wireless power outlets that support the new IPv6 Internet protocol. The smart socket was developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication Systems ESK in Munich in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern and the industrial partner embedded brains GmbH. "We have been able to connect the power outlets wirelessly using the IPv6 protocol," says ESK research engineer G?nter Hildebrandt. "All household appliances plugged in one of the sockets can be switched on and off remotely using an IPv6-compatible device such as a smartphone or laptop PC -- from anywhere."

The wireless power outlets are a component of the HexaBus home automation system that was developed by the ITWM as part of the mySmartGrid project (www.mysmartgrid.de). "The HexaBus components make the smart home of the future a reality. They enable household appliances to be controlled intelligently, thus optimizing or reducing electricity consumption. For example, the householder can start the washing machine during cheap-rate off-peak hours, or run the dishwasher when the photovoltaic panels on the roof are generating sufficient power," says industrial engineer Mathias Dalheimer of the ITWM, who leads the SmartGrid project and is its chief programmer.

Intelligent control and measurement of power consumption

In addition to the wireless power outlets, the HexaBus system employs a specially designed USB stick that plugs into any compatible, off-the-shelf router. The user enters the command to switch on an appliance via a standard web browser or an Android-compatible smartphone app. The router and stick then forward the data to the power outlet. This two-way communication function also allows the wireless power outlet to send data to the smartphone, informing the user how much power various appliances are consuming at any given time. Thus, the user can optimize their power consumption. "The combination of parallel control and measurement functions is an entirely novel feature that no other wireless power outlet has offered before," says Hildebrandt.

Because the HexaBus system is based on the IPv6 data communication protocol, a separate IP address is assigned to each power outlet, and thereby to each connected appliance, enabling them to be accessed directly. But how did the researchers go about integrating Internet functionality in the wireless power outlets and USB sticks? To do so, Hildebrandt and his team developed special protocol software and an extension to the Contiki operating system that enables it to handle the 6LoWpan (IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Network) communication protocol. Contiki is an open-source operating system for networked embedded devices such as the microcontrollers incorporated in wireless power outlets and USB sticks. A linked web browser protocol enables users to assign a separate name to each power outlet -- such as "washingmachine.basement."

Guaranteed data security

Users have no need to worry about the security of their data -- all information is transmitted in encrypted form. To make this possible, the experts modified Contiki to enable it to operate with the AES-128 advanced encryption standard. Wireless control signals are transmitted in the 868-MHz frequency band. "This permits users to remotely control a widely distributed network of appliances. The distance between the power outlet and the router can be as high as 30 meters," explains Hildebrandt.

The HexaBus power outlets are ready for commercial application. Their manufacture has been entrusted to embedded brains GmbH, the industrial partner that was also responsible for the hardware development of the power outlets and USB sticks. Meanwhile, the researchers have a new idea up their sleeves: they want to enhance their system with multihop networking capability. By linking together a series of power outlets, the router will be able to pass messages from one to another, thus extending the range of the communication system -- a solution that could be of interest to businesses for their office buildings and industrial sites.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/ShusI5RZn08/120802111346.htm

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Report: Afghan militants have mafia-like financing

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? One of the deadliest militant groups in Afghanistan, the Haqqani network, has developed a sophisticated, "mafia"-style financing operation that relies on extortion, kidnapping, smuggling and ties to legitimate businesses, according to a new report by a U.S.-based think tank.

The report by the Combating Terrorism Center in West Point, N.Y., suggests the system has become so lucrative that maintaining it could be as much of a goal for the group as driving foreign forces out of Afghanistan. That could complicate U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the war since much of the network's cash flow is dependent on instability and lawlessness bred by the conflict.

"Life at war has become lucrative ? even if highly risky ? while an end to the fighting would almost certainly produce a decline in wealth and power," said the report, which was released Tuesday and was based on archival records, documents captured in Afghanistan and interviews with Western, Afghan and Pakistani officials, as well as locals in areas where the Haqqani network operates.

The U.S. has identified the Haqqani network, allied with al-Qaida and the Taliban, as one of its most potent enemies in Afghanistan, partly because of its record of carrying out high-profile attacks on the capital Kabul. The leaders of the group are based in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area, having fled there from their homeland in eastern Afghanistan following the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

The U.S. has repeatedly demanded that Pakistan prevent Haqqani fighters from using North Waziristan as a base to attack troops in Afghanistan, but Islamabad has refused, saying it is stretched too thin fighting domestic militants. Most analysts believe Pakistan is reluctant to target a group with which it has strong historical ties and could be a useful ally in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.

The diplomat nominated to be Washington's next ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson, said during a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday that getting Islamabad to crack down on the Haqqani network would be his "most urgent" responsibility.

The group's founder, Jalaluddin Haqqani, began developing his financial support network in earnest decades ago following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. During the decade-long war, he was largely reliant on money, weapons and supplies provided by Pakistani intelligence, which received billions of dollars from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Foreign assistance dropped sharply after the Soviets withdrew in 1989, prompting Haqqani to search for new sources of funding, including Arab donors in the Gulf and proceeds from protecting drug traffickers and extorting businessmen in eastern Afghanistan and areas across the border in Pakistan, said the think tank report.

Haqqani's ability to earn money from drug trafficking and other smuggling activities increased after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 1996 and named him minister of tribal and border affairs.

Following the fall of the Taliban in 2001 and relocation to Pakistan, the group continued its outreach to Arab donors, with senior leaders making regular trips to the Gulf, and deepened involvement in illegal activities by broadening the types of businesses it extorted and kidnapping local businessmen and their relatives, said the report.

"Local sources ... say it is virtually impossible to conduct business in Haqqani areas of operations unless the network approves and profits off that business in some way," said the report.

The most lucrative target for extortion is NATO and other foreign-funded construction projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the report. Although it is impossible to pinpoint a precise figure the group earns, multiple sources say extortion has become the network's largest source of income. But this type of predation risks turning locals against the group.

The network's reliance on illicit sources of financing reportedly increased after Haqqani had a stroke in 2005 and handed over responsibility for day-to-day operations to his son, Sirajuddin. The son is credited by some analysts with expanding into the smuggling of minerals and timber, said the report. The group is also believed to be deeply involved into importing chemicals needed to process opium into heroin, it said.

The Haqqani network also maintains a portfolio of legal business interests, although leaders appear to disguise their ownership through front men and companies, said the report. The group is believed to own real estate from Kabul to Dubai and to run transport and trucking firms, construction companies and import-export operations ? some of which appear to exist mainly to launder illicit profits.

The report suggested that targeting the group's financial infrastructure could be a key way to hamper the network.

"In partnership with the ongoing tactical campaign, a stepped-up U.S. effort to identify and disrupt Haqqani business activities and logistical supply lines, modeled on previous successful campaigns against other transnational crime networks around the globe, could significantly degrade the network's capacity to cause trouble," said the report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-afghan-militants-mafia-financing-150806789.html

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U.S. raises pressure for euro zone crisis action

FRANKFURT/BERLIN (Reuters) - The United States raised pressure on euro zone leaders to take decisive action to solve the region's debt crisis, notably by lowering troubled members' borrowing costs, on the eve of a crucial European Central Bank meeting.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the euro zone must take steps including "bringing down interest rates in the countries that are reforming and making sure those banking systems can provide the credit those economies need".

He made the comments in an interview with Bloomberg Television recorded in Los Angeles on Tuesday and broadcast on Wednesday, a day after he flew to Germany to meet Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and ECB President Mario Draghi.

Italy and Spain, the euro zone's fourth and third largest economies, could lose access to credit markets as the risk premium investors demand to hold their bonds rather than safe-haven German debt has spiraled to levels considered unsustainable in the long term.

But German Vice-Chancellor Philipp Roesler rejected pressure for the ECB to step in and cap the borrowing costs of troubled euro zone countries, saying the central bank should stick to fighting inflation and not ease the market incentive to reform.

"If you take away the interest rate pressure on individual states, you also take away the pressure on them to reform," Roesler, economy minister and leader of the Free Democrats, junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition, told reporters in Berlin.

He also reaffirmed Germany's opposition to letting the euro zone's rescue fund borrow from the central bank to buy government bonds, calling it "the road to an inflation union".

Draghi last week said that the central bank would do whatever it takes to preserve the euro, stirring speculation it might take more radical steps when the ECB's policy-setting Governing Council holds its monthly meeting on Thursday.

Geithner said Schaeuble and Draghi had walked him through plans they were putting in place to try to solve the crisis, but he cautioned against expecting immediate action.

"What you know, from what Europe has said, that they are committed to doing what's necessary to hold the Europe Union together," said Geithner. "I absolutely believe they have the means to do it."

Geithner said past financial crisis showed that the longer it took to address the issues, the more they cost.

"I believe they understand that. That's why they've signaled they are prepared to move further. Now again, this is going to take time," he added.

Market expectations of a major ECB move this week have faded after a spike following Draghi's comments, with European shares slipping and a rally in Spanish and Italian bonds petering out.

But those traders and investors who expect action on Thursday would sell the euro and European shares and drive up Spanish and Italian bond yields if the ECB did nothing.

Nick Parsons, head of markets strategy at nabCapital in London, predicts the euro could fall a couple of U.S. cents from current levels, while bond market analysts expect Spanish yields to reach new euro-era highs if the ECB does not act.

MONTI ON TOUR

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, touring Europe to press for action to bring down Rome's borrowing costs, made his pitch to euro zone hardliner Finland on Wednesday, saying Italy did not need an assistance program but it might in future need "a breathing break" from high interest rates.

"The basic idea is that Italy does not seem to need special aid right now, especially not to save its economy," Monti was quoted as saying by Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat on the day he was due to meet Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen.

He added that it was frustrating that reforms his government has carried out are not reflected in interest rates. The euro area financial crisis has sent the group's third largest economy's borrowing costs spiraling.

Central bank sources have told Reuters that intervention could be at least five weeks away because Draghi's comments had not been agreed in advance with the Governing Council, and other elements must first fall into place.

The sources said the ECB could revive its mothballed sovereign bond-buying program in tandem with the euro zone's rescue funds, but Spain would first have to request assistance, which it has resisted so far.

Euro zone leaders would have to agree to the rescue funds buying up government bonds, and the German Constitutional Court would have to uphold the legality of the bloc's permanent rescue fund in a ruling due on September 12.

The leaders have spent the past week issuing statements promising to take whatever steps are necessary to rescue the currency, but none has raised expectations as high as Draghi, who heads the only federal European institution able to act swiftly and decisively.

However, the ECB is divided with Germany's influential Bundesbank opposed to reviving government bonds or giving the euro zone rescue fund a banking license so it can borrow from the central bank to buy unlimited quantities of bonds.

Draghi met Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann privately earlier this week to try to reconcile differences on what action the bank might take. Neither bank would comment on the meeting.

The Bundesbank released on Wednesday a June 29 interview for an in-house publication in which Weidmann said governments expected too much from the central bank, and what they wanted did not always make economic sense.

"Politicians overestimate the central bank's capacity and place too many demands of it," he said.

"Whether it's about interest rates or any sort of special measures, in the end it always comes down to the same thing: trying to rope the central bank into meeting fiscal policy objectives."

Weidmann said the Bundesbank would continue to defend its positions firmly "so that the (European) monetary union remains a stability union".

With the economy slowing and inflation under control, other options on the ECB's radar screen include a possible further cut in interest rates and a further loosening of rules on the collateral it will accept to lend funds to banks.

Unemployment in the euro zone in June hit its highest level since the single currency was born, at 11.2 percent, while data released on Tuesday showed capital fleeing Spanish banks at a growing rate.

(Additional reporting by Terhi Kinnunen in Helsinki, Swaha Pattanaik and Richard Hubbard in London, Eva Kuehnen in Frankfurt; Writing by Paul Taylor; editing by Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-raises-pressure-euro-zone-crisis-action-074448876.html

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4 Reasons Why Article Marketing is a Must in Your Home Business ...

4 Reasons Why Article Marketing is a Must in Your Home Business Marketing Plan

Article marketing must be one of the marketing strategies you incorporate in your home business plan.?Due to the nature of business in the current situation, most work at home businesses must use the internet as a means of marketing.?However, most people misunderstand and relate internet marketing and article marketing as one and the same.

Internet marketing is more of a broad concept with many smaller components.?One of the components is article marketing.?However, seasoned home business owners know that both internet marketing and article marketing go hand in hand.?The use of article marketing to market your business, your products, your services, yourself and your affiliate products is vital in creating a complete internet marketing solution as well as branding you as an authority in your field.

Just like any business, marketing is the only way to get people to know what you are offering.?However, almost all the different types of internet marketing involve some sort of costs except advertising through article writing.?It is also considered an excellent way for getting information out to the buyers.?

4 Reasons why you must include article marketing as your marketing strategy

You become a trusted authority

With the articles you write, you establish yourself as a trusted authority in your niche or field.?When you give useful and relevant information you create trust with your readers.?In no time, they will keep coming back to your website for more information.

Get links from other websites

When you write articles and submit them to article directories, there is a multi-pronged back link approach to it.?First, you will be getting back link from the article directories.

?These article directories are popular websites and they give you powerful links.?Secondly, when other business owners like your articles, they can place your articles on their website with a link back to you.?With more links coming to your website from other sources, the higher your site will be in search engine listings.?

Increase your traffic

Every article created will be optimized with your main business and/or product keywords.?It will improve your traffic and your page rank.?With internet marketing, writing and publishing articles create powerful back links to your products and website.

Reach out and enable customers to get in touch with you

In every article submitted to content sites, you need to add a byline in the resource box.?In this resource box, you must give potential customers a way to get in touch with you once they finish reading your article.?It enables your customers to connect with you and at the same time channel additional traffic to your website.

Due to the above reasons, it is vital that you include article writing in your home business internet marketing plan. It is by far, from my own personal experience, the most powerful marketing tool available. Write information that gives value to readers. Make it easy to read and give them a call to take action when you encourage readers to visit your website, newsletter or products/services. The above are some basic ways to generate traffic to your website. Without traffic, no matter how great your product or services are, you can never make sales. Learn more traffic generation techniques at Online Home Business or get the 5 tools you need to assist you in your home business marketing plan at http://workingathome-system.com/Internet-Marketing-Software/index.html It is a gift from me to you! To your success!

Source: http://www.freethinkbham.com/111/4-reasons-why-article-marketing-is-a-must-in-your-home-business-marketing-plan

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Buying Real Estate To Build Your Bottom Line

Buying Real Estate To Build Your Bottom Line

Do you feel that you have found every tip that is available about real estate buying? There are several details that you must know about that even seasoned buyers are still learning by reading new tips as they come along. This article can help you when you decide to purchase real estate.

If you plan on buying a foreclosed house, also plan on doing some repairs. There are a lot of foreclosed homes that have been vacant for an unknown period of time, this means that there has probably been no maintenance during this time. Most foreclosed homes will need new HVAC systems, and may have pests.

If you are going to rent property, ensure that you know who is responsible for taking care of the yard before signing anything. Some rentals will make you take care of this chore, while others will include a gardener as part of the rent. Other places have this included in the monthly payments.

It is critical to be educated on mortgage loan terminolgy when purchasing a home. This can help you to save a lot of money in the long run and will provide a clear picture of what you will pay in the future.

When considering the purchase of a new home, it's very important that you look at the long-term and not just the short-term. Take a family, for example. Although you might not have children yet, that doesn't mean that you won't want to start a family in the future. This means you should be focusing on a home's size, the school district, neighborhood safety, and other important factors of raising a family.

Go for your dream home. The conventional wisdom is that since the housing bubble has popped, selling and buying a bigger home is not economical, but some experts disagree with this thinking. Buying your dream property now may be your best bet, as housing prices are likely to continue to rise.

If you are buying a home, it can be a great idea to bring along someone else to look at the house with you, particularly a person who has bought a home before. Another set of eyes will help you to spot things that may be a problem in the future. Encourage your friend to ask questions to the realtor.

Before starting the home buying process, get a copy of your credit report. When you get a copy of your credit history, look through the report the issues you might have. If your credit is stellar, you will have an easier time securing that much needed mortgage.

When you are buying a property, have some extra money so that you can pay for costs that you did not expect. Buyers will often calculate the final closing costs by combining the amount for the down payment, any points that go to the bank, as well as any prorated taxes for real estate. In many cases though, closing calculations can prove inaccurate because some fees are left out when the calculations are done.

Try to buy houses that have fireplaces only in the family room. It can be difficult to keep up with fireplaces, especially if you don't use them.

The information above should have helped you learn something useful to use when you buy real estate. You may even end up trading favors with someone you have helped succeed.

If you are interested in the Miami Real Estate market and are looking for a Miami Realtor that can help you with your miami realestate investment; don't hesitative to call SAVI group, South Miami's reator that has experience, dedication and integrity.

Source: http://www.trulia.com/blog/SAVI/2012/08/buying_real_estate_to_build_your_bottom_line

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U.S. Army sergeant acquitted of negligent homicide in soldier's suicide

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - A military jury found a U.S. Army sergeant not guilty on Monday of negligent homicide in the death of a Chinese-American soldier who officials say killed himself in Afghanistan after enduring hazing and racial slurs.

Sergeant Adam Holcomb, 30, was the first of eight soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division based in Alaska to face a court-martial in connection with Private Danny Chen's death in October 2011.

The military panel that heard Holcomb's case in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, found him guilty of maltreatment and assault, but acquitted him of both negligent homicide and harassment, base spokesman Thomas McCollum said.

The 10-member jury of officers and enlisted soldiers is set to recommend a sentence on Tuesday. Holcomb faces up to 2-1/2 years in prison, and the final decision on his punishment rests with the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps.

Chen, 19, killed himself by gunshot in a guard tower in southern Afghanistan, where military prosecutors said the weeks of physical mistreatment and racial prejudice he encountered from his superiors pushed him to take his own life.

Holcomb's attorneys argued that Chen committed suicide because he was struggling as an infantryman and had been disowned by his parents for joining the Army - a claim backed by fellow soldiers but denied by Chen's mother and father from the witness stand last week.

Chen, the only Chinese-American in his unit, was born in New York and raised in the city by his immigrant parents. The case prompted activists to call for more protections against abuse for Asian-American service members, who make up 4 percent of the active duty U.S. military.

Holcomb, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, was accused of referring to Chen by racially derogatory names such as "dragon lady," "Jackie Chen" and "egg roll."

According to testimony, Holcomb also caused injuries to Chen's back by dragging him across gravel after the lower-ranked soldier left a water pump on in a shower at the remote combat outpost where Chen began his first deployment in August 2011.

A fellow soldier testified that in a separate incident hours before he killed himself, Chen was forced to crawl to a guard tower as punishment while several non-commissioned officers threw rocks at him and yelled, "Incoming!"

The New York chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, which represents Asian-Americans, on Monday called for Holcomb to receive the maximum punishment and a dishonorable discharge.

"There is no place in the Army for a leader who discriminates against a subordinate with such reckless disregard for human life," said Elizabeth OuYang, president of the organization.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; editing by Cynthia Johnston and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/army-sergeant-acquitted-negligent-homicide-soldiers-suicide-015434142.html

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XE.com - Valero profit rises, seeks to split off retail business

July 31 (Reuters) - U.S. refining company Valero Corp posted a higher quarterly profit and said it would seek to split off its retail business.

The San Antonio company reported a profit of $831 million or $1.50 per share, compared with $745 million, or $1.30 per share in the second quarter a year earlier.

(Reporting By Anna Driver; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick) Keywords: VALERO EARNINGS/

(anna.driver@thomsonreuters.com)(832 754 2516)(Reuters Messaging: anna.driver@reuters.com@reuters.net)

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The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.xe.com/news/2012/07/31/2838293.htm?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=TL&utm_content=NOGEO&utm_campaign=News_RSS_Art12

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