ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES. The first significant application of controlled electricity in Cleveland was telegraphy, which made its appearance in the city in 1847 on the premises of the Lake Erie Telegraph Co. Fire-alarm boxes were the second useful manifestation of the “new” power in the city, and by 1865 there were 24 of them. The telephone came in 1877. Besides these communications uses, the other main areas of electric-industrial progress in the latter part of the 19th century were lighting, traction, and industrial motors, and in these areas as well, Cleveland’s technical-entrepreneurial talent was quick to perceive opportunities and act on them.

In the lighting field, CHARLES F. BRUSH was the most prominent innovator and entrepreneur of the period. His major contribution was the practical development and commercial exploitation of the arc light. Although the latter was invented in England in 1808, Brush devised its practical application by developing an improved dynamo to provide a steady current, and by making design changes in the arc fixture itself that improved the quality of the light and extended the working life of the carbon electrodes. He also redesigned the lamp’s circuit to make arc lighting possible from central stations. Brush began to sell small arc lighting systems in the late 1870s for use in stores, factories, and hotels. However, the potential of this equipment was first realized with Brush’s demonstration of its street-lighting possibilities on 29 Apr. 1879, in Cleveland’s PUBLIC SQUARE. The brilliance of the light produced by his 12 lamps caused a sensation and foretold the decline of the gas-lighting era. As a result, Brush sold central power stations to San Francisco, New York, Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia. In 1880 Brush bought the Cleveland Telegraph Supply Co., where he had done the developmental work, and renamed it the Brush Electric Co. The battle between electric and gas lighting lasted some 30 years, and although advances were made in gas-lighting technology, electricity won out. During that time, CLEVELAND CITY COUNCIL, viewing comparative costs, voted to go back to gas light in 1883 but reversed itself 17 days later. About the time that Brush was developing his arc light, Thomas Edison designed a practical incandescent lamp which later had great significance for Cleveland, because the companies that formed the National Electric Lamp Assn. in 1906 centered much of their light-bulb production in this area. When NELA became the National Quality Lamp Division of GENERAL ELECTRIC CO., it established NELA PARK in the SUBURBS. The division took the leading role in GE’s incandescent lighting development program from 1915 until 1935, when fluorescent lighting research became prominent.

The equipment for the first electric streetcar line in the Cleveland area was developed and tested in the shops of the Brush Electric Co., and a Brush generator was used in the car barn that powered the line from its start-up, in 1884. The line, which operated as the EAST CLEVELAND RAILWAY CO., had technical problems with its underground power supply cable and closed down the following year. Work continued, however, and a successor line reached Public Square from its home station in East Cleveland in 1889. This event was followed by the electrification of other local car lines in the area.

The Cleveland-area electrical industry grew rapidly during the 1800s, led by the expansion of applications in communications, lighting, and traction. The Brush Electric Co. added the manufacture of arc light carbons to its activities and also began marketing an incandescent lighting system, the rights for which it had purchased from a British firm. As the use of electricity expanded, the need grew for added power-generation and -distribution facilities, and when the Brush Electric & Power Co. merged with the Cleveland Electric Light Co. in 1892, a large powerhouse was constructed on Canal St. These developments led to the formation of the CLEVELAND ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING CO. the same year. By 1900 Cleveland ranked first in the production of electric automobiles, and at the end of the century’s first decade it also claimed first place in the production of carbons, lamps, and electrical hoisting apparatus. Its status as the site of a major exposition of the electrical industry in 1914 further promoted Cleveland’s claim to primacy.

The 1895 discovery of “x-rays” by the German scientist Wilhelm Roentgen touched off considerable activity in Cleveland. DAYTON C. MILLER , professor of physics at the Case School of Applied Science, improved the x-raying process for medical uses. Henry P. Engeln, in collaboration with Dr. George Iddings, was a pioneer in the x-ray industry, establishing the Engeln Electric Co. around the turn of the century. During its independent life, the Engeln Co. did highly innovative work in the development and marketing of x-ray equipment, and when it merged with Acme X-Ray Corp. of Chicago in 1929, it had 200 employees. The merged company was acquired by Westinghouse in 1930 who sold its plant at E. 30th St. and Superior to Picker X-Ray which became a leading firm in that field (see PICKER INTL., INC.).

Arc welding was an important industrial application of electrical technology in Cleveland, as was arc welding, largely due to John C. Lincoln, founder of the LINCOLN ELECTRIC CO., who had gained experience working in Charles F. Brush’s shops. Lincoln Electric, which began producing electric motors in 1896, pioneered in the development of arc-welding equipment, and by 1938 it claimed to be the largest manufacturer of that line in the world. Variable speed electric motors were designed by John Lincoln who incorporated the Lincoln Motor Works Co. in 1906 to produce them. In 1909 the firm changed its name to the Reliance Electric & Engineering Co. (see RELIANCE ELECTRIC CO.).

In addition to lighting, traction, and industrial applications, the electrical home-appliance field was richly represented in Cleveland by World War I. Heating-related appliances included coffee percolators, hotplates, frying pans, corn poppers, baby-bottle warmers, kitchen ranges, hair dryers, and radiant heaters. In addition, there was heavy production of vacuum cleaners, washing machines, fans, vibrators, and sewing machines. By 1919 Cleveland led the nation in the production of electric batteries and vacuum cleaners (7 different makes of vacuum cleaners were being produced in the city in 1931). In the mid-1920s, Cleveland ranked 3rd in the production of radios, after New York and Chicago. Theodore A. Willard, whose WILLARD STORAGE BATTERY CO. was Cleveland’s largest battery producer, founded the city’s first high-powered radio station, WTAM. By 1938, the Willard Co.’s 15-acre plant, built in 1914, was turning out 15,000 batteries per day.

In the 1920s, John A. Victoreen, an inventive Cleveland radio amateur, started a radio parts business. Soon, however, his attention turned to radiation measurement, and he developed the Condenser R-Meter, an instrument for measuring accurately the intensity and total dosage of x-ray delivery, which gained international fame. Radiation measurement remained a central concern of the Victoreen Instrument Co., founded in 1928 in CLEVELAND HEIGHTS The company provided 95% of the instrumentation for the atomic bomb tests after World War II, earning itself claim to the title of “first nuclear company.”

During World War II, Cleveland electrical firms reorganized their production around the needs of the military, which included the manufacture of miniature radio tubes at Nela Park for use in proximity fuses for antiaircraft artillery shells. Lighting and visibility research devoted to military problems also occupied the GE laboratories there. These wartime activities stimulated the formation of a new Electronics Department at GE in 1947. The postwar period was also one of rapid growth for the industry. In the Cleveland metropolitan area, electrical machinery manufacturing, for example, grew in value-added terms by 21% in the 1947-54 period. Fortune magazine’s list of the 500 largest industrial corporations for 1958 included 2 electrically related Cleveland area firms, Reliance Electric and the Addressograph-Multigraph Corp.

The demand for power was growing rapidly even before the onset of war pressed it more urgently. Between 1939-44, the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.’s output increased by 30%. In 1944 76% of the power the company produced went to industry, with an estimated 90% of that being war industry. By 1946 CEI could count 370,000 customers, in contrast to the 1,400 it had had at the turn of the century. Its service covered 132 communities, with a total population of 1.5 million. Growth continued as relatively low power rates attracted new industries to the area, and in 1954 the company was serving 465,000 customers in 137 communities, from Avon Lake on the west to Conneaut in the east. CEI’s rates have on occasion become a political issue in Cleveland due to the presence of Cleveland’s municipally-owned light plant which caused disputes with CEI over comparative rates (see MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP).

Leading Cleveland companies active in the electronics field during the immediate postwar period were Victoreen Instrument Co., Hickok Electrical Instruments Co., and Brush Development Co. In 1946 Victoreen was the city’s major producer of electronic tubes, employed 75 people, and achieved a total output worth $4.5 million. The Hickok Co. manufactured precision radio and radar test equipment, and was active in exporting. Brush Development, founded in 1930 to market products developed by Brush Laboratories, began producing voice-recording equipment in 1938, and during the war was the main supplier of wire recording equipment to the armed forces. For industry, Brush made oscillographs and hypersonic analyzers, piezoelectric crystals, and other products. Cleveland Electronics, Inc., representative of other firms in the area engaged in the production of electronic goods, was turning out 50,000-60,000 radio loudspeakers per month and preparing to manufacture similar components for the new television industry by 1946. National Spectrographic Laboratories, Inc., another Cleveland firm, made electrical excitation units for spectrographic analysis. Phasing devices and tuning-fork frequency controls were produced by Acme Telectronix, while the Bird Electronic Corp. manufactured testing equipment, filters, and high-frequency antennas. The total value of the city’s electronic products for the year 1946 was more than $10 million.

Cleveland, while not industrially top-ranked among centers of the rapidly developing microelectronics field, had establishments that have made a considerable mark in it nonetheless. In research and development, the well-established solid-state microelectronics laboratory at CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY pursued studies in the area of integrated circuits, electronic materials, and new processing technologies as well as providing graduate engineers and computer specialists for the area’s electronic industry. The NASA LEWIS RESEARCH CENTER is heavily involved in applied microelectronics in connection with space communications. TRW is among larger Cleveland-area manufacturing firms having a considerable stake in the electronics field, playing an active part in the aerospace and defense industries by developing both spacecraft and the payloads for them, communications and guidance systems, and ground station equipment. BAILEY CONTROLS, with world headquarters in Wickliffe, utilizes electronic technology in its production of industrial-controls. The firm provides analog and digital circuit design, producing control systems of varying complexity. With a long history of supplying equipment for utilities, Bailey Controls has provided instrumentation for the nuclear power-generating industry since the latter’s inception.

Allen-Bradley, a Division of Rockwell Intl. in HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, is a long-established area firm producing programmable controllers and similar capital goods, incorporating electronics, for manufacturing industries. Keithley Instruments, Inc., based in SOLON, had its beginnings in a high-impedance amplifier, called the “Phantom Repeater,” invented by Joseph Keithley in 1946. This and other Keithley-developed instruments were manufactured for him by another firm for 5 years until 1951, when Keithley moved his operation to larger quarters and began manufacturing on his own. Sensitive measuring instruments remained the core of the company’s output, which came to include voltmeters, ammeters, digital multimeters, and complex testing systems incorporating both computer hardware and software. The company’s product-development path in itself traces some of the most important steps in the technological advance of electronics since the 1940s–vacuum tubes to discrete transistors to integrated circuits, and finally, to complex computer-linked systems that can handle the tasks of measurement and computation virtually simultaneously.

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Using electronics today is so much a part of our daily lives we hardly think of the way the world would be without electronics. Everything from cooking to music uses electronics or electronic components in some way. Our family car has many electronic components, as does our cooking stove, laptop and cell phone. Children and teenagers carry mobile phones with them everywhere and use them to take and send pictures, videos, and to play music. They send text messages on the cell phone to other phones and to their home computers.

Wireless internet is becoming more common all the time, with laptops set up in cyber cafes where people can drink coffee and check their email all at the same time. The computer user can do all the web searching in relative privacy thanks to the electronic accessories which can be added to the computer. Conversely, more and more transactions are being sent electronically across the airwaves so security is becoming a larger issue than ever before. Merchants who sell products online must be able to assure their customers that information submitted at a website is not being accessed by unauthorized personnel.

Music is a prime user of electronics, both in recording and in playback mode. Stereos, record players, tape decks, cassette players, CD drives and DVD players are all the result of advances in electronics technology in the last few decades. Today people can carry a playlist of hundreds of songs around with them easily in a very small device–easily portable. When you add Bluetooth or headphones the music can be heard by the user, but does not disturb those nearby.

Electronics technology in cameras has increased dramatically. A digital camera is available to most Americans at a price they can afford and cellphones often includes a fairly sophisticated digital camera that can capture still pictures or even video pictures and store them or transfer them to a computer where they can be saved, shared digitally with family or friends or printed out in hard form with a photo printer device. Pictures obtained through a camera or by means of a scanner can be edited, cropped, enhanced or enlarged easily through the marvel of electronics.

Literally thousands of everyday devices that we use constantly make use of electronics technology in order to operate. These are products ranging from automotive engines to automated equipment in production settings. Even artistic efforts benefit from computer modeling prior to the committing of valuable artistic media to create the finished product.

Electronics devices are being used in the health field, not only to assist in diagnosis and determination of medical problems, but to assist in the research that is providing treatment and cures for illnesses and even genetic anomalies. Equipment such as MRI, CAT and the older X-rays, tests for diabetes, cholesterol and other blood component tests all rely on electronics in order to do their work quickly and accurately. Pacemakers and similar equipment implanted in the body is now almost routine.

Like many products before it, the electronic cigarette seems to have become stronger since the health organisations urged caution, claiming not enough testing had been done to prove them safe. 

Whilst the organisations distanced themselves from the electronic cigarette, the sales have continued to grow and with the UK smoking ban now entering its second winter, the thought of standing outside the pub or office in the freezing temperatures seems to be enticing smokers to try something different.

Some pubs and bars are now even beginning to sell the electronic cigarette, realising they are becoming more popular, sensing a potential profit and that the punters are becoming more willing to try them, not simply as an alternative to a cigarette but as a genuine reason not to stand outside and freeze for a smoke.

During this time of credit crunch, many smokers who don’t actually want to quit smoking altogether but are looking for something more affordable are also turning to the electronic cigarette.

With a little shopping around, the prices for smoking the electronic cigarette are vastly less than their standard counterparts. One such electronic cigarette company provides a table to show the significance of the savings and it goes a little bit like this:

Approximate only

• Electronic Cigarette:10 a day for one year = £ 122
• Real Cigarettes : 10 a day for one year = £1004

That equals a savings of more than £800 per year.

• Electronic Cigarette:40 a day for one year = £ 487
• Real Cigarettes : 40 a day for one year = £3529

That is an incredible saving of more than £3000 per year.

With those figures in mind it is not difficult to see why the electronic cigarette is becoming a very attractive proposition.

There are apparently no carcinogens or toxins in an electronic cigarette, immediately making them a far healthier alternative. Nicotine and flavourings seem to be the only substances present in the device.

In summary, with none of the dangers of real cigarettes present, a massive cost reduction over real cigarettes and social benefits too, (no dangers of passive smoking and no restrictions under the smoking bans) the electronic cigarette still provides a nicotine flavour, revealing a very genuine alternative and potential aid for those who wish to quit smoking.

As the winter’s harsh realities sink in, at least there seems to be some hope on the horizon, not just for smokers but for their families and friends too. Perhaps if the electronic cigarette proves itself in the next few years we may be approaching a new era and a much less smoky, healthier one at that.

When searching for a new toy for your child, you may experience a bit of sensory overload when walking through the toy department. There are all kinds of colors screaming at you with huge numbers and letters to accompany them. However, there are more than just colors and numbers getting your attention. There are also lights, sounds, and talking toys. If the kids are with you, they are really excited and decide it is time to turn on every single toy that makes noise so that they can hear them chiming, ringing, singing, and beeping all at the same time. Obviously the kids know how to operate these toys, which means they have been introduced to them at one time or another. So what is the right time to introduce a child to electronic educational toys?

We see them everywhere for all ages. We see them for babies, toddlers, and school age kids. For babies, these toys will have very colorful buttons on them that may make animal sounds and say what the animal is or play music for them. For toddlers, the toys will say the name of an animal when the little one pushes the button or will even start teaching numbers and letters. For school age kids, they can improve their spelling and math skills in order to do better in school. The possibilities are endless, but that still brings up the debate of when a child is too young for electronic education toys. Or are they too young?

The consensus seems to be that children who are of school age should be the ones introduced to electronic educational toys. The reason for this is because children of this age are more likely to understand the different functions of the toy instead of being constantly confused as to what all it can do. For children younger than that, it is believed that non-electronic toys require more imagination. Electronic toys do teach numbers, shapes, and the alphabet, but non-electronic toys encourage creative thinking.

Also, although electronic educational toys are interactive, the interaction of non-electronic toys ties in with the concept of creative thinking. Non-electronic toys also encourage children to interact with each other, whereas electronic educational toys are primarily made for individual play. Non-electronic toys also promote physical activity.

But the good news is that by the age of 5, a child has developed many of these skills and can be introduced to electronic educational toys to help them in their studies. However, it is still beneficial to incorporate non-electronic toys into a child’s life to allow them to continue using their imagination. Although the child may have an electronic educational toy, it is still beneficial to use old fashioned flash cards, alphabet blocks, refrigerator magnets, and other such toys to promote imagination and learning. One such way to promote imagination is through the use of building blocks that allow children to build things.

Yes, the electronic educational toy market is huge. There are actual consoles and so many games and educational programs that it can make a parent’s head spin when walking through the toy department. Even after leaving the store, the toys that come home continue to make a parent’s head spin with all of the beeping, music, and other various sounds that appeal to children. However, despite the constant noise these toys make when the kids are playing with them, when a parent hears the toy say, “Well done,” “correct,” or “good job,” a parent can’t help but have a smile on their face because they know they have a little genius on their hands.

Here’s a Jeopardy question for you… What weighs 200 million tons? The answer: the amount of electronic waste that goes into our landfills every year. Computers, monitors, cell phones, DVD players, copy machines, TV sets… you get the picture.

Most, if not all of this electronic waste, contains hazardous chemicals like mercury, lead and chromium that end up leaching into our ground water from landfills or being emitted into the air from incinerators causing a GROWING environmental and health crisis. This problem is fueled by the fast paced growth of new technology that renders electronic products obsolete long before their normal lifecycle ends and the fact that most people do not know how to properly dispose of these types of products. In fact, most don’t know that these products can be recycled and reused.

But discarded electronics can be properly disposed of or recycled and it is easier than most people think.  Tons of companies have programs that allow you to donate usable electronics to churches and schools, and other companies will recycle usable components, raw materials and materials like plastics, glass and aluminum.  Many cities also have e-waste pick up as part of their hazardous waste pick-up programs.

You can even take advantage of tax breaks when you donate your unwanted electronics.  The 21st Century Classrooms Act for Private Technology Investment allows large companies to donate used equipment to public and private schools for tax breaks and donations to nonprofits can be written off.  You will need to check with each nonprofit organization regarding its particular documentation for your tax returns. 

The environmental benefit to donating or recycling used electronics goes far beyond just keeping harmful chemicals out of our landfills; it also helps conserve our precious natural resources.  It takes approximately 530 pounds of fossil fuel, 50 pounds of chemicals and 416 gallons of water to produce one desktop computer.  Recycling electronic components can help preserve these resources and can also help use far less energy than the production of new components.  Mining of aluminum, for example, uses 20 times the amount of energy it takes to recycle the same amount of aluminum from electronic components.  Last year alone, electronics recyclers recovered over 100 million pounds of materials like aluminum, steel, glass and plastic which was reused.

Now that we know the benefits of e-cycling let’s, figure out how to find an e-cycler in your area.  You can start with the Electronic Industry Alliance . This site has an easy to use map that allows you to search for e-cycling by state and offers you several other helpful links to guide you through the process.  You can also check with your city government to see if it offers e-cycling as part of its hazardous waste programs or with Goodwill industries . There are several additional organizations you can check that offer training programs that teach students and individuals how to refurbish used electronics which are then donated to local schools:

Students Recycling Used Technology (StRUT)

Learning and Information Networking for Community via Technology (LINCT)

Reuse Development Organization (ReDO)

Even Sam’s Club has an interesting program that runs in cooperation with N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. Members of the organization who want to recycle computers, LCD monitors, printers, camcorders, digital cameras and MP3 players, can log onto the program’s website and print a FREE shipping label to have the products mailed to N.E.W. Those members will receive a Sam’s Gift Card for the value of the donated item.  All donated items are either refurbished or disassembled and the parts are used to rebuild electronics or recycled into raw material and reused.

 The final pieces to this recycle cycle are personal data security and rethinking your purchasing habits.  You need to protect all your personal data contained on computer hard drives and cell phones.  Please make sure to remove ALL stored phone numbers and call logs from your cell phone and you may even want to remove the SIM card to insure protection.  Cleaning up your computer may prove a little more difficult but is equally important.  If you are unsure of how to do this you can find FREE hard-drive erasers through your favorite search engine. Type in “free hard-drive eraser cleaners.”

Although there are no laws governing the use of hazardous materials in electronics equipment you can help to encourage manufacturers to move in a “greener” direction by considering the following when buying your next piece of equipment:

Does the manufacturer use recycled materials in their products?
Are the products designed for easy upgrades and disassembly?
Does the manufacturer offer a lease or “take back” program?
Does the manufacturer use minimal toxic materials in their equipment?
Does the manufacturer use minimal or recyclable packaging?

The age of electronics is upon us and with the constant introduction of new technology, system upgrades and fancy new gadgets coming at us daily we need to be more conscious of what we do with our e-waste. Take the time to do the right thing, remember one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and you may be surprised at who would love to have your “old” computer

Electronic Statement Presentment has been around for a number of years now and many companies have employed Electronic Statement Presentment technology with success.

For some consumers, the provision of statements electronically is highly desirable. It means that they can manage their financial relationship with your company easily whether in a hotel the other side of the world at home.

It also provides an additional vehicle for a company to market to their consumers. Just as we would use transpromo techniques on a traditional paper based statement, we can apply the same theory and logic to Electronic Statement Presentment.

So in the classic model, how does Electronic Statement Presentment work?

Electronic Statement presentment can be implemented and delivered most quickly and easily through the implementation of an electronic archive an retrieval (more latterly these are becoming known as ‘Vaults’) system. There are other ways of doing this but, they are complex to implement and perhaps have a greater value for B2B rather than B2C markets.

So, in this article I am not going to talk about high end Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment (EBPP), the payment side of this is a topic worthy of at least a few articles!

The Document Archive and Retrieval system will typically reside within the remit of the document production management team. In order to generate the electronic statement, the first stage is exactly the same as for the production of a paper based document.

The Document Composition engine is thus the first stage of the process. In fact, it is likely that Electronic Statements will be generated as part of the same job. The difference is a switch flag within the data file that tells the composition engine whether the bill is for Electronic Presentment or not – many companies will choose to ingest every generated document into the Vault -, if not to enable consumer access but to enable call centre and customer service access to customer statements and documents. But more on this another time.

In its simplest form (we’ll avoid talking about XML generated data for online presentment at this stage) the document composition engine generates a print stream. Once generated, this print stream can then be ingested into the Vault.  As the print stream is ingested, each customer statement is indexed by core characteristics – account number, name etc- and then utilising some clever compression algorithms is reduced in size and then stored in the vault.

For most Vault type systems, the compression algorithms are highly effective these days and can massively reduce the size of ingested print streams.

Most Vault systems have an API facility. This means that software such as that that drives your companies website can access the Vault. By communicating through the API, serach and retrieve requests can be made by virtually any business application.

Once the search is complete, an individuals document can be made available online. To the user, the visibility of the document looks just like your website and is seamless from a user perspective. The document is secure because it is the website that is managing access to the vault – so only documents relevant to an individual user can be seen.

Good document archive and retrieval software will provide the user with additional functionality – such as the ability to generate a report from the document. They can search for frequency of use of certain phone numbers, spends within a particular restaurant and so on.

Where customers can be persuaded to switch off paper based statements and to start using electronic statements, the savings for the company can be significant. The cost of physical mail is high whereas the cost of electonic presentment is very low. Some companies choose to offer incentives to encourage companies to move towards a paper billing process.

But perhaps the real value of the Electronic Statement is the way in which it draws you customer to your website. It encourages an ongoing dialogue. There is a necessity now for the customer to visit your website and this provides the opportunity to market to the customer more, perhaps encourage the customer to take a short survey or purchase more from your company.

It is perhaps not a good idea to email statements to a customer, this is essentially insecure and, it is not likely to draw the customer back to your website. However, an email with a link to a specially designed one – one log in landing page for that customer presents an exciting opportunity for customer engagement.

Electronic Statement Presentment will provide a host of operational benefts not least s the operational flexibility that the automated document factory will get and, the reduction in call periods within the call centre -because the statements are held electronically, they can be viewed in the call centre exactly as the customer sees them which speeds up problem resolution.

Most vendors have some kind of Vault system, some with some very powerful features. But this really is the easy way to get documents online and available to customers.

These systems can literally be up and running within a matter of days, they are low risk projects that reduce costs and enhance the service that you can deliver to your companies customers.

Electronic document storage means that documents are stored on magnetic or optical media using a computer. The documents can be ones originally created in an electronic form, as when you create a word-processed document or record a business transaction directly online, e.g., with a point-of-sale terminal. The documents can also be paper documents that are scanned into an electronic format.

Documents are stored electronically on media such as magnetic tapes and disks, and optical media such as CD. Millions of documents can be stored on current-generation media in very little space, say the size of your thumb. The contents of these media can also be easily backed up by creating duplicates on similar media.

How does electronic document storage compare with other forms of storage? Let’s find out.

Electronic vs. Paper Document Storage

Paper documents are sorted by some predetermined criteria and filed in appropriately labeled folders. The sorting is done manually and if the person doing it is not clear on how to categorize a particular document (or is a little careless) documents can end up in the wrong folder. This can make subsequent retrieval a very difficult process.

Electronic document storage typically offers a search function that enables a particular document to be retrieved from wherever it is. If it has been stored under a wrong category, the situation can be remedied quickly and easily. Or even better, a copy of the document can be stored under both the old and new categories (if the old classification has some significance).

Paper documents need a great deal of space as they accumulate. Paper folders need to be stored in secure filing cabinets to keep them safe. Filing cabinets are bulky and occupy expensive floor space. In addition to floor space, other costs include expense of the filing cabinets, paper folders, and the army of paper handlers needed to sort, file, store, retrieve, and otherwise manage the filing section.

The compact media required to store electronic documents require very little space. Retrieval can be done from any workstation connected to the computer network, and it does not involve any physical movement of the document. Business processes tend to be improved considerably, in terms of speed, under such an environment, in addition to major savings in costs – floor area, filing equipment, and filing-clerk salaries.

Electronic Storage vs. Microfilm

Microfilm is a durable media for storing documents. Paper documents are photographed into micro-size pictures and stored in film rolls. The pictures can be enlarged and viewed as needed using a special microfilm viewer, and can also be printed if needed. Microfilm storage is not affected by factors such as electrical disturbances that can corrupt electronic data.

Microfilm rolls also require significant space for storage, and they also require secure containers and experienced staff to manage them safely. Electronic document storage is typically done by operating staff, though archiving and redundancy might require a separate section. However, space requirement and ease of handling are far more advantageous for electronic storage.

Major Risks of Electronic Storage

Electronic data are open to the risk of corruption and damage from factors such as electrical disturbances during writing, system crashes, and external magnetic fields. And like all other media, they are also open to damage and loss from physical events like floods, fire, and earthquakes.

These risks can be guarded against by backing up the data and storing the backups elsewhere, say in a dedicated server on the Web that you have purchased. These backups can then be used to restore the originals if the originals are lost.

To be effective, the redundancy should be done in a systematic manner, say every day. There must also be clear policies and procedures on how to create the backup and where to store them. The backups must also be tested to ensure that they can be recovered when necessary.

Can electronic cigarettes help you quit smoking and what are they anyway?

Asked recently to write about electronic cigarettes, I have to confess that I had never heard of such a thing. Some internet research later and I discovered that electronic cigarettes are very much a quickly growing concern. A Google search revealed there is no smoke without fire as almost six million results just for the phrase “electronic cigarette” were returned.

In existence for about three years, the electronic cigarette is a unique device intended to allow smokers to continue smoking but with either none or vastly reduced health concerns. According to many electronic cigarette distributers they are also very helpful for quitting smoking altogether.

Now in a fourth generation, electronic cigarettes have become much more user friendly than earlier versions which perhaps were a little too large to encourage a mass market appeal. The “mini” is the most realistic e cigarette to date with its length of 100mm being the same as a conventional cigarette.

An electronic cigarette contains a taste of tobacco but none of the harmful substances found in normal cigarettes allowing smokers cravings to be satisfied without inhaling the many dangerous toxins. Is it all smoke and mirrors? Or can this item really be the saviour it wants to be?

A battery, an atomiser and a renewable nicotine chamber allows the smoker to hold and smoke the electronic cigarette just as they would any other cigarette, even creating a “smoke” like vapour and glow at the end as they draw. The nicotine chamber proves very useful as cartridges are available in different strengths, permitting the user to reduce the amount of nicotine they intake until if they wish, can quit completely.

At a time when money is tighter than ever, distributors of electronic cigerattes have estimated that a huge eighty per cent saving can be made compared to smoking normal cigarettes as a typical nicotine cartridge lasts as long as fifteen to twenty normal cigarettes.

Appearing to be a much healthier alternative at least on the surface, dig a little deeper and more benefits seem reveal themselves. Smoking legally in public being one. As there are no known harmful substances being emitted from the electronic cigarette it does not fall into the same legal trappings of normal cigarettes. Smokers could remain in their warm office, restaurant or pub and smoke their electronic cigarette.

None smokers also will benefit, as their worries about passive smoking are rendered null and void by the electronic cigarette. A much more sociable environment then!

Upon reflection the electronic cigarette is a healthier, cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative to smoking and as the awareness and the market grows they have great potential to successfully replace the harmful cigarettes we have all come to know and many of us have come to dread and fear.

The advancement of science and technology has brought a pool of electronic goods in the market. These electronic products have indeed made our lives faster and easier. These have also become the sources of entertainment and information. The latest gifts of technology have helped manufacturers to reduce cost of production which have also resulted in the reduction of prices of electronic goods. Science has come as a saviour for middle-class people who can now afford to buy cheap electronics products.

The most common gadgets which have become craze among everybody are the high-end latest mobile phones, like T-mobiles, Nokia ‘N’ series which have crossed all boundaries of technology. The advance technology of data transfer, Wi-Fi connectivity, HTML browser plus a high resolution audio-video camera make it the most sought after product in major electronic stores and mobile shops throughout the world.

Even the tiny iPods have created waves among music lovers. Today, people prefer to buy small and portable gadgets which can be used while travelling. Cheap Electronics like MP3 and MP4 players have become highly popular among youngsters and adults. These have indeed become the replacements for portable cassette players and CD players. These devices have much better sound quality and utilises less battery charge. No need to carry CDs and DVDs to play music. All you need to do is copy your favourite music in these portable music devices.

Other than musical gadgets, there are various other cheap electronic cooking utensils like the microwave, sandwich makers, tea makers, dish washers etc., which have made cooking easy for both men and women. Various Online electronic stores have started keeping electronic cooking utensils for sale.

Electronic goods have become one of the important parts of our lives. Today everyone keeps a computer, a cheap laptops at home and office for personal, professional as well as information gathering purposes. AC, room heaters, geysers have also become common. Hence, It wouldn’t be wrong to specify that these cheap electronics items have undoubtedly changed the course of our lives. Various famous electronic stores have also come up with various offers, discounts and cash back facilities to boost sale.

Purchasing electronic parts can be very tricky at times and unduly expensive too. In some cases it becomes easier to buy new electronic appliances as opposed to buying parts of the same appliance as the cost is almost 90% of the cost of a new appliance. In addition, most electronic parts that people buy end up being non genuine, of poor quality and in the end they malfunction or destroy the entire appliance. This has put many under a great fear of buying electronic parts to the extent of not buying at all.

Features of Good Electronic Parts:

1. They suit the original parts in description, size, and electron capacity and in most cases color.
2. They come equipped with screws, nuts, bolts or any other relevant accessories required to affix them to the appliance.
3. They are often recommended by the appliance manufacturing company.
4. They are accompanied with instructions on their use and how to affix them.
5. They have a pictorial representation on how they fit and work in the appliance in question.
6. Most of them are manufactured by the same company that manufactures the appliance in question.

How to Identify Genuine Electronic Parts:

1. Genuine electronic parts come with a guarantee or money back warrantee. This implies that the manufacturers of the said parts are assuring you that the parts have been tried, tested and proven to be efficient and are therefore ready to take back and replace any that malfunctions, replace it with a new one or refund you. As a consumer you must bear in mind the refund and return policy, the term of the warranty period, who to contact to claim you warranty, parts and repair problems covered by the warranty and whether it covers consequential damages.

2. Genuine electronic parts dealers offer after sale services. The dealers of the electronic parts should be able to offer services such as transportation and installing as an assurance that their parts are genuine. You should also be able to contact them later for any clarifications as well as complaint.

3. Genuine electronic parts do not alter the normal functioning of the appliance, rather they should give the same impression as originally was. For instance, a TV electronic replacement should be tested on the picture, sound and color quality in comparison to the original part. Any electronic part that alters the functioning of the appliance for the worse is not good.

4. Watch out for heating effects. Most electronic appliances get damaged due to over heating. You should in turn be watchful of the heating tendencies of your appliance before and after replacing any of its parts. Any electronic part that tends to increase the heating effect on your appliance is most probably not genuine and should be removed before it damages your appliance.

Consumer Protection Guides:

As a buyer it is necessary that you are well aware of your consumer protection rights. These are designed to protect you from any unscrupulous manufacturer or dealer. Some of the basic of the consumer protection rights include;

* Right to enjoy warranty services.
* Right to have a dated and stamped receipt for any payments and the
* Right to be accorded the manufacturer’s instructions.