Energy from the Sun

The Sun is amazingly powerful, and the solar power is the basis for all life on earth. The production of the solar energy does not produce air as well as noise pollution and is considered the most cleaner and greener source of energy. Moreover, solar power is renewable, so it makes sense to explore advances in solar energy technology. There are two key ways to use the Sun's energy.

- Generating electricity using solar panels with photovoltaic effect
- Using heated water for home heating system or generating power with the help of it.


Commonly, solar power is produced by collecting sunlight and converting it into electricity. This is done by using solar panels, which are large flat panels made up of many individual solar cells. It is most often used in remote locations, although it is becoming more popular in urban areas as well.

Solar panels have no moving parts. Mount them out in the sun, hook up the wires, and collect power, without adding fuel or replacing worn-out parts. Nobody knows for sure how long a solar panel will last. Many of the very first photovoltaic panels are still producing power today.

If you are going to buy solar panels, compare them by dollars per watt. Used solar panels are a bargain in every way. Nowadays, Nanosolar Company claims to be the first solar panel manufacturer to be able to profitably sell solar panels for less than $1 a watt.

The sun is there everyday for all of us to enjoy and benefit from. With rising energy prices and growing environmental concerns it's time for us to realize that we all own the sun and it's up to us to use its power.

Mountain Dew Christmas Tree

It seems that you do not have enough time to create Mountain Dew Christmas Tree this year. Creators of original one were drinking soda for 3 Months to get approximately 400 Mountain Dew cans to build this beautiful artwork.













by the courtesy of mdewtree.com

Is There Any Hope Really?

Large number of suicides occurs each year at the Golden Gate Bridge between San Francisco and Marin County. One person jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge every 15 days on average, according to documentary 'The Bridge'. Film captured 19 people as they took their final plunge, and then offers interviews with grieving families.

After a fall of approximately four seconds jumpers hit the water at 75 miles per hour (120 km/h) with the force of a speeding truck meeting a concrete building. The jump is fatal 98 percent of the time. Accessibility is the biggest factor in making the Golden Gate Bridge the world's No. 1 suicide magnet. It makes suicide so easy and that is what makes it so dangerous. More than 1,250 suicides were reported since the time the bridge opened, on May 27, 1937.

Various methods have been proposed and implemented to reduce the number of suicides. The bridge is fitted with suicide hotline telephones, (sometimes inoperative, as you can see), and staff patrol the bridge in carts, looking for people who appear to be planning to jump. The bridge is now closed to pedestrians at night. Cyclists are still permitted across at night, but must be buzzed in and out through the remotely controlled security gates.

Attempts to introduce a suicide barrier have been thwarted by engineering difficulties, high costs, and public opposition. The estimated cost of a barrier is between $15 and $20 million. One recurring proposal is to build a barrier to replace or augment the low railing, a component of the bridge's original architectural design. New barriers have eliminated suicides at other landmarks around the world, but were opposed for the Golden Gate Bridge for reasons of cost, aesthetics, and safety. The load from a poorly designed barrier could significantly affect the bridge's structural integrity during a strong windstorm.

Today, the Golden Gate Bridge remains a nearly foolproof method for suicide. It is combination of beauty, lethality, romance and efficiency for people, who have the Golden Gate Bridge as a suicide site in their mind. The particular place or method of suicide is individual, but it is a function of what's available. The majority of bridge suicides are impulsive, but for a personality in crisis the accessibility of the Golden Gate Bridge is the tipping point between life and death.