Hard Drive Crash? The Essential Data Recovery Report

Your worst nightmare just became a horrifying reality. You keep hearing that little voice in your head mockingly shout “you should have backed that stuff up” The voice keeps echoing throughout your head as you perform a quick inventory all of the important information that you just lost…..your client database, a years worth of e-mail, your entire inventory database, even your family photos.

Even worse, you’ve got a deposition in two-weeks and key information needed to help win the case were also lost. You quickly call a service technician and have them come over to check the computer out, only to hear the worst news of all….your data has been lost. When a hard drive crashes, it’s too late to worry about what you “should have done.”

Today data recovery is a multi-million dollar industry. The number of data recovery firms out there seems to exceed the number of fast food restaurants for the entire planet. These companies specialize in helping their clients retrieve data on anything from hard drives to flash-roms. In the following report, we will discuss what data recovery really is; the different types, the costs, and what you can realistically expect when it comes to getting your data recovered.

What To Do In The Event Of Data Loss?

Around 44% of all data loss is caused by hardware failure. It’s important to make sure that you immediately shut your system down if you suspect that hard drive has crashed. Don’t even try to go through the shutdown procedure, just pull the plug from the wall. Do not try to run off the shelf data recovery software or drive utilities. Many times these applications will assume the drive is functioning properly and will increase the risk of permanent data loss.

Types Of Hard Drive Failure

When we discuss data recovery in this report, we will primarily focus on issues surrounding hard drive failures; since these types of failures are most common. There are really two primary forms of failure in a hard drive, logical and physical. Logical failures are usually a result of file-system corruption. This can occur due to a virus, accidental deletion of key files or registry components, and in some cases even electro-static discharge. In most cases where a logical failure has occurred, the drive is still recognized by the system BIOS, but it will not boot. In most cases, your data should still be intact on the drive, even though it may appear to be inaccessible.

If the system BIOS does not detect the presence of the hard drive, then chances are a physical failure has occurred. Physical failures can result from a wide variety of causes. There are really two sub-categories for physical hard drive failures; mechanical and electronic. Mechanical failures usually result from a failure of the spindle motor. Spindle motor failure can result from excessive heat due to a bearing failure. The increased heat resulting from the bearing failure will expand the drive shaft and therefore seize the spindle motor. Suddenly, your drive will become inoperative. Occasionally, you will get a warning that something bad is about to happen. You may hear a loud whining, a grinding noise, even high-pitched screeches. If anything like this starts to occur, BACK UP YOUR DATA IMMEDIATELY.

Another physical issue that sometimes rears its ugly head is an electronic failure. If you look at a hard drive you will notice a circuit board on the bottom. This board is basically the brains of the drive, and it is where the computer interfaces to the hard drive. An electrical failure can occur unexpectedly at any time. Even brand new hard drives are not totally immune to having electrical failures. Sometimes it’s just a faulty component, sometimes it’s improper installation (i.e. electro-static discharge, grounding out the board, damaging circuitry during installation). It’s important to also keep your system clean and well ventilated, since excessive heat can damage the electrical components on the drive. If you have a system that is in a somewhat contained area, you may look at adding an additional 80mm fan to cool the internal components of the system, especially the hard drive. No other component of a computer works as much as the hard drive, and therefore it is vitally important not to overlook it when cooling issues arise.

How Is My Data Recovered?

One of the most often asked questions that customers ask is, “how do you get my data back?” Well, it’s really not black magic or rocket science. It’s just a matter of having the right tools and the knowledge necessary to know what to do, much like a surgeon performing heart by-pass surgery. Many prominent data recovery facilities have a large array of hardware, software and tools for recovering data.

Generally speaking when a hard drive is received by a data recovery firm, the first thing they do is evaluate it, and determine what recovery solution will be necessary. If the drive failure is a logical issue as mentioned earlier, then a scan of the drive will be performed to try and repair the file system corruption. Sometimes a partition can be repaired and the drive restored to the status that it was before the failure. If this is not possible, then a very low-level scan will be performed that essentially searches every sector of the hard drive for files. Once the files are located, they can then be copied to the media of choice, i.e. a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or another hard drive. Logical recoveries can take up an enormous amount of time, especially if the drive is on the verge of physical failure. It’s not uncommon to allow for one day of scanning and a day for recovering the found files.

If the drive has suffered a physical failure, then the recovery procedure is quite a bit more challenging. As mentioned above, there are really two sub-categories of physical failure; mechanical and electronic. An important element in recovering data from a physical failure is having the necessary parts to get the drive functioning again. Unfortunately with hard drives if you have a 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for example, then you will need another identical 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for salvaging parts. In cases where the electronic circuit board has failed on the hard drive, then you have to have the exact same circuit board on hand in order to retrieve the necessary circuit components for replacement. Many times you cannot even exchange circuit board for circuit board. These repairs generally require soldering skills and a thorough knowledge of electronics to be successfully completed. You will most likely hear “Class100 Clean Room” thrown around a lot when talking to data recovery professionals. Simply stated, a Class100 Clean Room maintains exceptional air purity, and contains less than 100 airborne particles larger than 0.5 microns in each cubic foot of air. This is vital in protecting sensitive internal components of hard drives. Anytime a hard drive is having an invasive procedure performed on it, a Class100 clean room or better is needed.

The time frame for recovery is generally 5-10 business days for physical issues and 2-4 days for logical issues. Sometimes if components are not readily available, then it may take weeks to complete the recovery. Some firms offer expedite service and you definitely pay for this added attention.

What About Data Recovery Software

This is one area where you really do get what you pay for. Try to stay away from software in the $20-$60 range, since these utilities are generally very limited in what they can do. Also make sure that you NEVER and just to emphasize, NEVER EVER get data recovery software that writes anything at all to the damaged disk. You run the risk of overwriting data that may otherwise have been recoverable, but will be lost forever. If you are fairly computer savvy, then there are a few good data recovery software solutions available.

What To Look For When Shopping For Data Recovery

There’s an old saying, “you get what you pay for.” In most cases this is true. However, just because a company with a fancy website quotes you $3,500 for data recovery, does not mean that they are any better than a company that quotes you $1,500. Also, try to stay away from companies that want to charge $50-$300 for evaluating your drive. There has been a movement in the data recovery industry over the last couple of years to offer a number of free services. Most reputable data recovery companies will evaluate standard IDE drives free of charge; so don’t let the word “free” this or “free” that stop you. The data recovery market is quickly becoming saturated, and a company does not necessarily cheapen itself or lack expertise by offering free evaluations.

You will find as you shop around for data recovery that prices vary greatly. You will get quotes that range from $300 to $5,000 for standard hard drive recoveries. It’s not uncommon to literally get quotes that have at least a $1,500 high/low spread. We shopped one prominent data recovery company where we gave them specific indicators of a physical hard drive failure. We were eventually quoted a price range of $600 to $2,900 for the recovery. Many times this is a bait and switch type tactic. They get you to send in the drive with the low-end $600 price, then they let you know it’s going to cost $2,100 for the recovery. You end up being well under the $2,900 high-end price, but well over what other reputable companies would charge. Since most customers won’t go through the pain of having the drive sent back, only to have to send it out to another company, these bait and switch companies end up making huge profits off of unsuspecting customers.

Try to find a company that will give you an up front cost for either a logical or physical recovery. Most companies will be able to tell you within a couple hundred dollars the cost of a recovery. However, don’t misunderstand a company that gives you a price for two different procedures. For example, some companies will give you a price if the failure is logical and a price if the problem ends up being physical. We called one firm and were told that if the drive had a logical failure the price would be $400 and if it ended up being a physical issue the price would be $1,600. This is not a high/low spread as mentioned in the earlier example, this is simply quoting a price for two different types of recoveries.

On average you can expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $600 for logical recoveries, and $1,200 to $2,000 for physical recoveries on standard IDE hard drives. If you have RAID drives, SCSI, etc. depending on the configuration prices can be as high as $15,000. Remember, backup backup backup backup backup!!

Can My Data Be Recovered?

In most cases the answer to this question is yes. On average, the success rate for data recovery professionals is about 75-85%. However, there are times when the data is just lost, either due to extensive damage to the platter or unavailability of replacement parts.

How Do I Get Started?

If you have a hard drive that has crashed, the most important thing you can do is contact a data recovery professional immediately. Make sure you aren’t being charged an evaluation fee if you have a standard IDE hard drive. Most companies only charge evaluation fees for complex RAID and network server drives.

It is important to do your homework, call and talk with the companies. When you find one that you feel comfortable with, give them a chance. Your hardest job, may be finding data recovery firms that actually have someone available to answer the phones. Ask questions and be sure to have the following information available:

Size of the drive

Operating system (i.e. Windows 98, Windows XP, etc.)

Situation of failure (what happened just before the drive stopped working)

Is the drive recognized by the computer or not

Good luck in getting your data recovered, and make sure you always backup your important information on a daily basis.

Author: Greg Duffield
Company: ACS Data Recovery
Toll-Free: 1-877-646-0546
Website: http://www.acsdata.com
E-Mail: greg@acsdata.com

March 15th, 2009

Cisco CCNA Certification Exam Tutorial: RIP Details You Must Know

RIP isn’t exactly the most complex routing protocol on the CCNA exam, but that makes it easy to overlook some of the important details you must keep in mind in order to pass the exam! To help you review for the exam, here are just a few of those details!

RIP’s default behavior is to send version 1 updates, but to accept both version 1 and 2 routing updates.

R2(config)#router rip

R2(config-router)#net 172.16.0.0

R2(config-router)#^Z

R2#show ip protocols

Routing Protocol is “rip”

Sending updates every 30 seconds, next due in 6 seconds

Invalid after 180 seconds, hold down 180, flushed after 240

Outgoing update filter list for all interfaces is

Incoming update filter list for all interfaces is

Redistributing: rip

Default version control: send version 1, receive any version

Interface Send Recv Key-chain

Serial0 1 1 2

By default, RIP v2 autosummarizes routing updates sent across classful network boundaries. To disable this behavior, run no auto-summary under the RIP process.

R1#conf t

R1(config)#router rip

R1(config-router)#version 2

R1(config-router)#no auto-summary

You do not specify a subnet mask or wildcard mask when configuring RIP – just the classful network, even if you’re running RIP v2.

R1#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

R1(config)#router rip

R1(config-router)#version 2

R1(config-router)#no auto-summary

R1(config-router)#network 172.10.0.0 ?

Debug ip rip displays the routing updates and metrics as the advertisements are sent and requested. To see this in action without waiting for the next regularly scheduled update, run clear ip route *.

R1#debug ip rip

RIP protocol debugging is on

R1#clear ip route *

01:16:54: RIP: sending v1 update to 255.255.255.255 via Loopback1 (1.1.1.1)

01:16:54: network 2.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: network 3.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: network 172.16.0.0, metric 1

01:16:54: network 10.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: RIP: sending v1 update to 255.255.255.255 via Serial0 (172.16.123.1)

01:16:54: subnet 172.16.123.0, metric 1

01:16:54: network 1.0.0.0, metric 1

01:16:54: network 2.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: network 3.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: network 10.0.0.0, metric 2

To see only the routes discovered by a routing protocol, run show ip route followed by the name of the protocol:

R1#show ip route rip

R 2.0.0.0/8 [120/1] via 172.16.123.2, 00:00:26, Serial0

R 3.0.0.0/8 [120/1] via 172.16.13.2, 00:00:09, Serial1

[120/1] via 172.16.123.3, 00:00:09, Serial0

R 10.0.0.0/8 [120/1] via 172.16.13.2, 00:00:09, Serial1

[120/1] via 172.16.123.3, 00:00:09, Serial0

[120/1] via 172.16.123.2, 00:00:26, Serial0

And don’t forget – to turn off all currently running debugs, run undebug all.

R1#undebug all

All possible debugging has been turned off

Don’t overlook RIP and IGRP when it comes to the CCNA exam. OSPF and EIGRP are more complex to configure, but you need to understand how distance vector protocols work in order to pass the CCNA!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Get your CCNA study guide from The Bryant Advantage!

March 11th, 2009

Cheap Long Distance….or is it Really? “The Search Continue

Each month, there are countless Americans who are faced with phone bills that they simply cannot afford. In many cases, they are paying fees that they were never made aware of. Many are being charged far too much for long distance calls, as well. This is especially true for Americans who make international calls on a regular basis. .
Many people have turned to cell phones in the hope that their long distance costs will be reduced. However, this can quickly lead to overages and ridiculously high bills. Phone cards are another option, but they do not generally offer low long distance rates. Most phone card companies if not all uses cheap carriers to carry their calls. This can lead to consumers experiencing bad connections and with all the fees associated with phone cards such as connection fees and maintenance fees, leaves the consumer with only a few minutes left on a $5.00 phone card.
Is Cheap Long Distance Service Available?
People pay for their monthly phone plans whether they are placing 50 or 500 calls. There is a charge for each long distance call, but there is also a service charge that is tacked onto every bill. Due to these and other fees, most people are not getting their money’s worth when it comes to long distance.
Prepaid Long distance Service
Prepaid plans allow a person to spend money only when he is actually talking to someone. If a person prepays $100, he is going to make use of every dollar that he spends. The prepaid plan doesn’t expire, so For instance, most calling services charge $.18 or more for calls to countries that prepaid calling plans charge only $.10 per minute to call. Prepaid long distance allows a person to place calls from just about any phone. Whether using cellular phones, home phones or public telephones, you only pay for the actual usage or in other words “talk time”. Prepaid international calling can save people with family and friends in other countries a considerable amount of money. It is also beneficial for people who are traveling. Customers can connect to their accounts through an access number from almost anywhere using any of the 10 phones that they can register on their account. Prepaid phone accounts function in a similar way to calling cards. However, they do not require a pin number to make a call.

About the Author

http://www.MrLongdistance.com owner Bernard Pragides has been in the telecommunication business since 1997. Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries on phone cards or international call rates. You may email us at HelpMeSave@MrLongDistance.com

March 1st, 2009

Brochure Designing Tips

“Don’t forget to remember me.” In today’s hustle and bustle world, making people remember is very important and it is a must to have something that they will remember you by.

The competition is fierce making it necessary to have all possible avenues explored and tools utilized. Making the right choice is vital for one’s success. The use of brochures is an effective way of promoting your business. They serve as a tool for communication between you and the reader, giving them an idea of what it is that you have to offer. But a poorly designed brochure will only prove to be a waste of time, money and a lot of paper. A well-designed brochure, on the other hand, is a formidable weapon in today’s cutthroat market. Creating the right one is required for the successful promotion of your company.

The first thing to do is to ask yourself what it is that you want to relay to your target reader. Your brochure should be tailor-made for your intended audience for them to be able to relate to what you are trying to say. Think of it as giving your Pop a pant and not a skirt. Next would be the layout of the brochure itself. This aspect requires good planning. You need to have a good cover page that includes information like the name of your company as well as a photo or other information that you may deem important. People are likely to read more if the reading material is attractive. Moreover, the sentences included in the body must be straightforward. There is no need for fancy words but just a direct to the point narrative with the use of powerful words that ought to capture the reader’s attention. Proofreading will also have to be done to avoid occurrence of misspelled words and wrong grammars. It certainly is not attractive for a brochure to have incorrect words and sentences.

Colors also play a big part in making brochures. Make it a point to use colors that are pleasing to the eye. I think you’ll agree that it’s not good to read something with a glaring bright yellow background and a neon green text. Try to put yourself in the shoe of the person who is going to read your brochure and you’ll understand. Finally, all these factors come down to one very important thing. Paper. Choose high-quality paper when you finally have to print your brochure. Remember that the quality of the paper you use will speak a lot about you and will help people make impressions about the truth of what you have been saying.

The brochure you provide will leave an impression more lasting than you can imagine. How well they perform will depend on how good you planned, designed and produced your brochure. If you’ve done your homework then there’s no need to worry.

About the Author

For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.printingquotesonline.com

February 26th, 2009

Leading ERP Vendor for ETO Environment

The current issue of Automation.com includes a feature article by contributing editor, Thomas R. Cutler about ERP and CAD integration in the ETO (Engineer-to-Order) Environment. Chuck Stewart is Executive Vice-President of Engineer-to-Order (ETO) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software Encompix based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Stewart said, “If you ask design engineers what an ERP system means to them, you are likely to hear something like “nothing” or “more work.”

According to Cutler’s feature, traditional ERP systems were developed for the repetitive, make-to-stock manufacturer, where there is a clear demarcation between design and production. In that environment the engineer designs the product in a CAD application. After testing and prototyping, the product is released to production, which is managed by the ERP system.

Stewart asserts in the February issue of Automation.com, “The design engineer has little or no interaction with the ERP system and works quite happily in a CAD environment. Following the work of the design engineer, a production engineer then creates a bill of materials (BOM), based on how it will be manufactured, not on how the product is designed. “

In the Engineer-to-Order (ETO) world the role of the design engineer is very different. By its nature an ETO company builds a unique product designed to meet the specification of a single customer. The two worlds of design and manufacturing are closely linked. In many cased the design of the product continues through the product process (design-in-process), incorporating a multitude of engineering changes. These changes can be driven by the customer or by the manufacturer. In this environment a seamless flow of data between engineering and production is critical. An ETO company must integrate CAD and ERP.

Automation.com is for manufacturers and suppliers of industrial, factory and process automation, motion control, machine control, process control and instrumentation products and services. Automation.com attracts engineers, programmers, designers, technicians and other professionals who specify, purchase and use control systems, software, robotics, sensors and other supporting products to automate machines, equipment and factories in both discrete and continuous manufacturing processes.

Encompix (www.encompix.com) has filled the manufacturing software requirements of Engineer-to-Order companies since 1992. The company name reflects the commitment to developing business application solutions that encompass the complex areas of project-based and job-based manufacturing. Encompix provides ETO manufacturers with a competitive advantage by improving bottom line results.

Encompix www.encompix.com Roger Meloy rmeloy@encompix.com 513-733-0066

February 25th, 2009

Sorting through your cellular phone options

Some people purchase a cellular phone for emergency use only, but others use their cellular phone on a daily basis as a replacement for their land-line home phone. With the number of options available for your cellular phone, finding the right phone for your needs can be confusing. However, there are a few basic points to remember that can help you make a more informed purchasing decision.

Battery life is an extremely important consideration when purchasing a cellular phone. Battery life affects how long your phone can last on standby as well as how long you’ll be able to talk before you will need to recharge the battery. Investing in a second battery for your phone will keep you from missing important calls because of a dead battery.

If you’re planning to use your cellular phone as a replacement for your land-line home phone, signal strength will be a crucial factor in your purchasing decision. You don’t want to discover that you can’t call for help in an emergency because your cellular phone isn’t getting a strong enough signal.

Accessories can make your cellular phone more enjoyable to use, but they can also significantly increase your phone’s price. Some of the accessories available on newer cellular phones include storage for frequently called numbers, caller ID, voice mail, call waiting, text messaging, e-mail, and conference calling. Cellular phones can also play simple games, provide Internet access, and integrate with MP3 players or PDAs. Think carefully about how you’ll use your cellular phone to avoid adding a lot of unnecessary accessories.

Weight, size, and color are really just a matter of personal preference. Some people believe lighter and smaller cellular phones are easier to carry around. Since cellular phones have become something of a fashion accessory in recent years, you can choose almost any color you’d like to add a personal touch to your phone.

About the Author

Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Cellular-Phone-Solutions.com. He provides cellular phone plans, service and free cellular phones on his website that you can research in your pajamas.

February 23rd, 2009

UAV Stealth and Radar Energy Capture for Power and Propulsion

A Feasible Idea for UAV Flight, Possible Research and Development Test; UAV Stealth and Radar Energy Capture for Power and Propulsion to drive your enemy crazy.

Powering a UAV, while being able to reuse it, increasing it’s payload takes a lot of trial and error and engineering and research, which of course costs lots of money. Recently we saw the NASA announced flying a mini-model using lasers to power it.

http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news

Search under; (“Mylar Film” Laser Powered Aircraft). This was done by a team of researchers at NASA’s Marshall Space Center. Now then, when we originally thought of such a concept it appears NASA was in fact already on their project. But our idea during the same time period had a few twists. Rather than using the Lasers to power it, we will use the enemies radar. This could be used for surveillance of perimeters of airports, we would in this case use the radar already in the area used by the control tower and approach control. This would men anyone hanging around an airport with a suspicious looking shoulder mounted tube would be seen by the air.

Here is a thought.

Use a composite fiber, with blown chemically coated foam. The main ingredient of the foam, which will make up its body and wings will be Helium and/or N2. Reason being that it will be hard to shoot down with a chemical laser or CO2 Laser, which finds it, shoots at it or is tracking it as a kill target. Also realize that if the inside of the foam contains a substance which can absorb the radar of the enemy into the composite and then use that energy for power of the craft, by way of chemical reaction or enhancement of the battery pack, then you can use the enemies radar to self propel your aircraft, UAV, MAV (micro-air vehicle).

CO2 is the most efficient laser known for drilling lasers, and would also work well with RF to shoot down a UAV, but in this case trying to shoot it down only adds power to the UAV, therefore shoot away, because we can use that same energy all day.

But there maybe a way to have the heat caused by the hitting of the target UAV to trigger a pressure heat switch, which would cause an immediate 90-degree turn as soon as the battery packs were at maximum charge. So in fact the batteries fully charged would speed up the propulsion device and use it up faster while taking on even more energy to while avoiding over load.

If you had many of these units then of course you would over whelm the enemy’s resources. After full charged those UAVs fired up on, each time would trigger another turn and the ones needing charge would look or appear like sitting ducks.

Thus one UAV in a swarm could cause the laser system to go berserk. If you had UAVs in a swarm crisscrossing each other and flying erratically, then you cannot shoot down any of them and drives your enemy crazy to try, while they pay all your fuel costs to and from the mission or target. Or perhaps you can soak up the energy of the laser and use it for recharging batteries to fly another 10 hours. Once charged it would simply start the 90-degree turns and speed up and slow down in a randomly calibrated simulation of a pattern only known to you.

This could also be done using material memory of heated parts of the craft so there would be no electronics on board to scramble or interfere with. As the control surface heats up it bends and cools and bends back at specified intervals and temperatures. This would give it the appearance of totally random flight characteristics and an unrecognizable pattern.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

February 14th, 2009

Controls – The Building Blocks to Automation

As man learns to make machines that no longer rely on animal
or human power, he finds that he has to develop some means to
manage and control them. Powerful machines let loosed by
themselves will create havoc and destruction.

Control systems have been developed for machines or processes
so as to reduce the chances of failure and to provide the
required results.

Basically, there are open loop control systems and close loop
control systems.

Open loop systems are those where the controller action is not
related to the final result. This means that there is no
feedback to the controller to adjust the control action. A
simple example is when you fill up a tank using a garden hose.
As long as the tap is opened, the water will flow. The height
of the water in the tank will not make the tap close.

However, when you see the tank becoming full and decide to
close the tap, you are adding the element of feedback to the
loop. It then becomes a closed loop. But it is a human
controlled closed loop.

Closed loop systems use feedback from the final result to
adjust the control action accordingly.

But how would you like to stand in one position, watch the
process going on and operate valves, or switches according to
the conditions you want? This is very tiring, isn’t it?

Moreover, human beings are prone to fatigue, boredom, and
misjudgment. Manual control works very well only if the speed
of the response is very slow, and the result is not very
critical or important. Human controlled systems can become
very unreliable.

Machines are made to replace humans in most control systems
today.

The basic feature of any control system consists of 4 elements.
These are the measuring element, the controlling element, the
set value, and the correcting element.

The measuring element provides a means of detection/measurement
of the conditions required. This is the “eyes” or “ears” (or
other senses) of the system.

The controlling element is the place where all the decisions on
what actions to take are being made. It can be considered the
“brains” of the system. It must make decisions based on certain
guidelines or values required. The set values are inputted into
the system by humans.

The correcting element is where the correction to the process
is done. It can be considered like the “hands” or “feet” of the
system. It must take certain physical actions to bring the
processes back to the set value.

Well folks, be in control!

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About the Author

Many years of working experience in Marine, Facilities,
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More information at Marine and M & E

February 13th, 2009

The Inaccurate View of Science

If I have one purpose in life, it is to enlighten those around me. All too often, if one has a social and political awareness, we are going to hear such statements as, “Science has proved this,” or “Science has proved that,” and it will be implied in a way that it is absolute. So often have I heard this statement, that I feel it is necessary to write upon it.

Science may best be defined as a method of investigation, as well as the results of that investigation. It allows scientists, or at least followers of this method, to conduct experiments and tests. Once the tests are concluded, other scientists may conduct the same experiment to receive identical or similar results. This is all simple, though, and certainly nothing new to anyone well versed in the philosophy of science.

Society can be defined as the attitudes held in the minds of those who are members of such a society. Reformers and revolutionaries alike are intrinsic in developing good societies, as they are the ones to form, mold, or alter the attitudes of others. In the end, though, of course, only the person can change themselves, in that they are open minded and willing to understand new things. Writers and artists can only help them in their journey to understanding. By creating awareness about certain social and economical issues, by strife that occurs between different classes, attitudes are molded and formed. For example, if writers and poets focus much of their art on an issue like police brutality, it may instill people with the attitude that police officers and representatives of the law have no authority to be cruel or malicious — some of the population may even fight back, defending themselves and their rights. In this way, one flick of the pen can incite a thousand protests. By molding the attitude of the public, reformers and revolutionaries take on a great responsibility. Yet it is here that we discover that the attitude of a society is what makes up its foundation. Sometimes, reformers and revolutionaries focus their energy solely on infusing the attitude into a populace that there is nothing wrong in considering new ideas, that it is no sin to rebuke ignorance of knowledge, to — in general — have an open mind on all matters. For example, if Germany’s population had a positive attitude about tolerance and acceptance, they would have never allowed Hitler’s policies to come into practice. In the United States, there was a strong anti-war attitude among citizens, and 1,500 protestors rioted in San Francisco at George Bush’s war.

Most importantly, for a society to flourish, in that it contributes to the development of philosophical, scientific, and literary thought — through writing books, conducting experiments, and creating inventions — for a society to prosper, it must have well-reasoned attitudes towards the confronting political, economical, and social issues. In our society, the belief that science is an absolute, single figurehead remains as a sign that our attitude towards science is rather weak. It is true, though, that not everyone will have such an attitude. The public, though, does have such an attitude. Science is not one set ideology. It is a mass of what often seems to be quarreling, bickering, almost beaurocratic-like scientists, arguing over the validity of experiments, tests, and criticizing almost every point. For what evidence you can get to support one theory, there will be five scientists supporting opposite theories. At least, with new theories attempting to explain new fields of understanding, this is the case. There is the case of what I will call orthodox science, on questions such as the movement of the planets in the solar system or the roundness of the Earth. When a person states that science has proved something, it is an empty, hollow statement. Science itself proves nothing, as it is a method, and the community that follows this method. If someone wants to offer evidence that something is true, then show the experiment or the data supporting it. “This person conducted this experiment on this date, and found these results,” — this statement, however, is specific. Unlike the vague “science proves it,” this statement can actually be criticized.

The importance of having this attitude towards science is great. What we know as truth, especially in the scientific community, is always changing and improving, with new experiments confirming our hypothesis and other ones disproving what we believed to be ancient wisdom for so long. It is impractical to rely on “science” as a single body of perfect knowledge, immune to learning and the passage of time. But it is more than just knowing that science is one body, but it is understanding it and having that attitude. It is very possible to simply know that science always changes, but it is entirely different thing to have the open mind that what scientists are predicting is fallible, that our understanding of atoms and electrons could be entirely false, that our knowledge on fusion and fission are actually upside down from the actual true understanding — and that, even in a thousand years, our knowledge in these areas will still be subject to new experiments and discoveries. The inaccurate view of science is that it is a single, immutable body of truth. The accurate view of science is that it is a method of investigation and the community that adheres to this method, as well as an ever-changing collection of theories and evidence to support these theories.

www.punkerslut.com

For Life,
Punkerslut

Punkerslut (or Andy Carloff) has been writing essays and poetry on social issues which have caught his attention for several years. His website http://www.punkerslut.com provides a complete list of all of these writings. His life experience includes homelessness, squating in New Orleans and LA, dropping out of high school, getting expelled from college for “subversive activities,” and a myriad of other revolutionary actions.

February 11th, 2009

The Eleven Dimensions of Space/Time – Part II

Time as a dimension can be modeled as a plane surface enveloping or enclosing a tridimensional space, and thus, time is curved. This envelope represents the domain of time, but actual time lapse from an individual’s point of view is along the dimension, appearing as sequential movement. However, movement through time is, itself, multidimensional and not a simple “straight” line. It is the multidimensional aspect of time that enables perception of time moving “slowly” versus moving “quickly”; the closer conscious awareness is to the center, the more rapidly time appears to “flow”.

Transformation dimensions, of which time is one, are not like the groups of three dimensions that follow them. The transformation dimensions enable other dimensions to exist, but they, themselves, appear to exist outside the infrastructure of the dimensions they enable. Time as a dimension is longitudinal to the three spatial dimensions, and that means the measurement goes across dimensional realities, such as alternate universes. Time, therefore, can be thought of as a hyperdimension; that term is synonymous with the phrase, “transformation dimension”. What is conventionally accepted as the measurement of time is actually a measurement along dimensions five through seven within our space/time. We call such a measurement change over time. All measurements of time are actually measurements of change along one or more of the spatial dimensions, and the units of measurement used for spatial dimensions are equally useful for measurements of change over time. The movement of an hour hand around an analog clockface can be measured in centimeters or inches, for example. In fact, the analog clockface itself is a crude model of movement along the fifth dimension (movement of a line within a plane).

This concept is difficult to put into words, but it is quite clear once you understand the relationship between a transformation dimension and the three dimensions that follow it. For example, time itself cannot be measured within our space/time; the measuring of change over time is relative and dependent upon the existence of at least one following dimension. What we call seconds, minutes, and hours are symbols we use to indicate the rate of change along one or more spatial dimensions. If we could use those units to measure time without reference to any other dimension, we would be measuring time itself. But how do you know what a minute is without a clock or other spatial reference to guide you? To get a feel for this, try the mental exercise of attempting to measure time without resorting to the referencing of other dimensions; it cannot be done. This is because the units of measurement we use for time have meaning only when compared to a reference, such as the atomic clock, and inherent in that reference is the referencing of spatial dimensions. Relative to our space/time universe, actual time itself is static, or more accurately, is pure potentiality, but this characteristic enables dynamic movement within the following three dimensions.

True measurement of time could be in units of seconds, minutes, hours, or etc., along the dimension itself but this measurement would define a distance between alternate realities, not between points of movement in our space/time. (continued in Part 3)

LariAnn Garner has sought knowledge of the meaning of life since her teenage years, and lives that quest today. This quest has led her through exploration of different versions of Christianity as well as studies as wide-ranging as the Edgar Cayce material, Lobsang Rampa, the work of Robert A. Monroe and the Monroe Institute, the Bartholomew material, Ramana Maharshi, and much more.

Her first published book is Fractalic Awakening – A Seeker’s Guide, available at http://fractalicawakening.com

She lives with her family in south Florida, U.S.A.

January 26th, 2009