标签: air

I remember when the first iPad came out deep in the mists of time we used to call 2010. Actually, that's only four years ago, but it seems like a lifetime away -- I mean; can you remember a world without iPads?   When the very first iPad appeared on the scene, I looked around my office and thought, "I need another computer like I need a hole in my head," so I carried on with what I was doing and forgot all about it.   Sometime later, I decided that it would be handy to have a little computer sitting on the couch in our family room -- just something to check up on facts and suchlike -- so I purchased one of those tiny netpad computers. What a pain -- it had all of the disadvantages of a traditional computer like a hard disk and taking forever to boot up, with few actual advantages to recommend it. We quickly stopped using it and it faded from our minds.   Then, in 2011, shortly after the iPad 2 came out, I went to some conference (I no longer recall which one). It seemed like everyone I knew at the conference had one. They were scurrying around using their iPads to take notes, access and send emails, and all sorts of other tasks. "Hmm," I thought to myself, "perhaps the time has come." This view was cemented for me on the flight back home after the conference. I was sitting in the smallest economy seat you can imagine with my knees wrapped around my ears and no way to open my notepad. Meanwhile, the guy in the seat next to me was happily capturing notes on his iPad. The next day I headed out to the local Apple store to get me an iPad 2. I've never looked back. I cannot imagine life without the little rascal.   My iPad 2 is my constant companion. When I'm at home, it's always at my side. If my wife, Gina the Gorgeous, and I are watching an International House Hunters episode on the Travel Channel, for example, then I'm simultaneously fact checking on the Internet and getting a better feel for the location using Google Earth.   When I'm working on my hobby projects in the garage, I link my iPad 2 to my Bluetooth Boombox, and then happily listen to programs like Car Talk on the National Public Radio (NPR) or blast out classic Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Yes tracks. When I'm traveling, I use my iPad to watch episodes of Doctor Who and suchlike. No need for a portable DVD Player anymore (does anyone still use those?). And so it goes...   I know there are other tablet computers out there, but the key differentiator for me is the Apple App Store. I tell you, there's an app for everything. For example, do you remember my telling about hearing the Hawaiian musician called Israel "IZ" Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole playing the ukulele and singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow from the film The Wizard of Oz ?   This prompted me to build my own ukulele -- I'm sure you shared the same compulsion -- because I wanted to learn to play that song. The thing is, once you've built a ukulele, you have to tune the little scamp. I had intended to visit a local music shop to see if they had an electronic ukulele tuner, but then I thought, "I wonder if there's an app for that?" Well, blow me down, there are myriad such apps.   Similarly, a couple of years ago, Gina and I decided to purchase one of those relaxing noise machine thingies to help us sleep at night. We went to numerous stores, including Best Buy, Walmart, and Target to no avail. And then, while we were on our way out of the last store, Gina said, "You don’t suppose that there's an app for this, do you?" Of course there was. The reason I'm waffling on about all of this here is that I find myself in a bit of a quandary. My 72-year-old mother-in-law was visiting this past weekend, and she was brandishing a new iPad Air 2. I tell you, here's a woman who rides the technology wave. I remember when folks first started using Bluetooth earpieces with their smartphones. I'd heard about them (no pun intended), but I'd never actually seen one.   My mother-in-law has long hair, so you can’t see when she's wearing her Bluetooth earpiece (actually, she's always wearing her Bluetooth earpiece). She has her phone set up to automatically respond to any call. Shortly after Bluetooth earpieces came on the market, we were walking around the supermarket when she suddenly started gesticulating and babbling her half of an inane conversation with an invisible companion. I seriously thought she had gone insane.   But we digress... the point is that I'm being out-technologized (yes, that is a real word) by my mother-in-law, which is a sad state of affairs whichever way you look at it.   I have to admit that I was perfectly happy with my iPad 2 until I saw her iPad 2 Air, so do I really need to upgrade at all? Well... I don’t tend to play computer games all that often, but I do have quite a few really good ones loaded on the off-chance that I ever get the urge. Some of these games, like Machinarium, The Room, and Monument Valley do tend to be processing hogs. Also, I recently downloaded the Ankh-Morpork Discworld app, which is almost 1 GB in size. I'm assuming that this will also stretch my little iPad 2's processing powers to the limits of its capabilities.   My current iPad 2 has 64 GB of memory, which was the best one could hope for "back in the day." If I'm going on a long trip and stock up on TV episodes and videos, I sometimes start to approach this limit. By comparison, you can get an iPad Air 2 with a lavish 128 GB of memory. Or take the camera in my iPad 2 (please, take it because it's rubbish). I hear the camera in the iPad Air 2 is much superior and takes much better pictures (it could hardly take worse ones).   With regard to graphics, my iPad 2's 9.7-inch (diagonal) display has 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 ppi (pixels per inch). By comparison, the iPad Air 2's 9.7-inch widescreen display boasts a sumptuous 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 ppi.   And then we come to processing. My iPad 2 has a 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power processor. This was good for its time, and way better than the original iPad 1, but it is put to shame by the iPad Air 2, which boasts a 1.5GHz triple-core A8X chip with 64‑bit architecture, an M8 motion coprocessor, and a new octa-core GPU. I'm drooling just thinking about having all of 8xhis processing power at my fingertips.   But can I possibly justify upgrading? Well... now I come to think about it, my son Joseph dropped his iPad 2 a while back, and his screen is covered by a cobweb of cracks. If I were to invest in an iPad Air 2, he could have my old iPad 2 as a hand-me-down. And then there's the technology timeline we perused and pondered earlier. Since I purchased my iPad 2, four more iPad generations have appeared on the scene. First we had the iPad 3, which was quickly followed by the iPad 4. Then we had the original iPad Air, which has just been supplanted by the iPad Air 2. Even my dear old mother is currently cackling over an iPad 4, for goodness sake!   It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that -- before long -- the latest and greatest apps are optimized for use on iPad Airs, with original iPads but a mere afterthought. And then I have peer pressure weighing down on me. What will my colleagues think of me while they scamper around flaunting their iPad Air 2s, while I sheepishly try to hide my antique iPad 2 behind my back?   I guess the bottom line is that, as an internationally-renowned expert in all aspects of technology (my mom lives in England, which is as international as you can get, and she tells everyone I'm an expert, so it must be true), can I afford to be left floundering on the technology beach after the techno-wave has passed me by?   Well, when you put it like this, I'm forced to agree with you. My course is obvious. I owe it to my readers to stay perched on the cutting edge of technology. Or... should I hold on a little longer and wait for the iPad Lighter-Than-Air, which is almost certainly heading out way in the not-so-distant future. What do you think?  

It's autumn in New England in the United States. The leaves are turning to red, orange, and gold, my roses are in their second bloom, and it's time to remove the air conditioner from the window. On September 22, I opened the window to remove the air conditioner as I've done many times before. For the first time, the air conditioner fell out.   Too often, we focus on the latest and greatest processor, mobile device, or other "cool" product. But sometimes, simple things such as strain relief take on significance and save the day, especially for a "cool" product such as an air conditioner.   The air conditioner never hit the ground. Why? Because with my lightning reflexes, I grabbed the power cord, stopping the fall. Yes, the power cord's strain relief made the difference. There was a thud as the unit hit the side of the house, but it didn't hit the first-floor window directly below.   So here I am with my arm hanging out the second-floor window, holding onto the line cord as the A/C unit dangles. But even with two hands, I had difficulty pulling the unit up. I called for my wife, who came and helped me pull on the cord. The A/C unit came up and I pulled it in.   (Image: Illustration by Daniel Guidera)   There was surprisingly little damage. What's really impressive is that the strain relief of the line cord could hold the weight of the unit and survive the force on it. So, who is the manufacturer of this miraculous air conditioner, anyway? The brand name is Liberty, made in China. Here's a photo of the front-panel controls.     Here's the side-panel label.   As you can see, the physical damage is minimal, just a broken extension panel and a small break where the line cord enters the unit.     I simply had to see the strain relief on the power cord, so I removed the front panel. There, I could see that the strain relief was screwed into the metal chassis.     Next, I removed the control panel to get a look at the connections from the power cord to the circuits inside the unit. They were perfectly intact, thanks to the strain relief. The photo below shows the power cord connected to a large capacitor that reads "35/6 µF."   I then reassembled the unit plugged it into an AC outlet that had a dedicated circuit breaker, and turned it on. It worked, but I won't use it again in its current condition. Close inspection of the power cord revealed some damage, as the photo below shows. There's even a label on the cord telling you not to use it if the internal shielding is visible. The label says:   The conductors inside this cord are covered by shields, which monitor leakage current. THESE SHIELDS ARE NOT GROUNDED. Periodically examine the cord for any damage. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT in the event the shield becomes exposed.     Clearly, covering the cut with electrical tape isn't an option here. I'll need either to replace the power cord or use another air conditioner next year. I have one in a closet that hasn't been needed in this house.   What was that about leakage current? To find out, I called Tower Manufacturing of Providence, Rhode Island, maker of the power cord, and spoke to an engineer. The power cord has an LCDI (line-current detection interrupter) at the wall-outlet end. It's essentially a circuit breaker that trips based on leakage current. The LCDI cuts power to the unit if it detects about 5 mA. The engineer explained that LCDIs were developed for air conditioners. The problem grew from power cords that failed over time, sometimes causing fires. People would wrap the power cord around the unit and put it away for the winter. Over time, the cords would develop shorts. The LCDIs comply with UL 1699 .     I asked if the company manufactured assembled AC line cords or just the LCDIs. Tower manufactures line cords for several air conditioner manufacturers, some are completely assembled with terminations (spade lugs) and some without. There are plenty of online sellers of air-conditioner power cords, but Liberty is not an everyday name. A quick look at one seller didn't show the brand name. This one looks promising, but I'll have to gain access to the power cord again for another inspection of the terminations. I have plenty of time for that, given the length of winters here. But, I might just employ the unused air conditioner and let this one go (figuratively, that is). More homework is required. Next year, I'll probably install a support bracket under the unit, regardless of which one I put in the window.   This experience shows the importance of strain relief. Remember that strain relief, connectors, and even screws are important. They may not be "cool," but they can save the day.