DIY Guidance: How to Safely Weld at Home

Whether you’re wanting to learn a new skill or you’re in the process of doing some DIY within your home, a great thing to learn is how to weld. It may seem scary or daunting at first but once you know what you need to do and how you can stay safe, you’re free to weld to your heart’s content. Welding may seem like the sort of job you would need to do in an entirely controlled environment with a team of people around you while you work in a flame-proof hazmat-style suit. But that simply isn’t the case. With the right equipment and safety precautions, you can weld almost anywhere. Just be sure to do your research and check if the environment is right for the sort of job you’ll be doing. But once you’ve done that, just follow these simple steps and we’ll tell you everything you need to know so you can begin your welding journey safely from the comfort of your own home.

What You Need to Do to Get Started

The first thing you need to do is decide where you’re wanting to do your welding within your home. Probably the best place to start is if you have a spare room or even better, a garage. Somewhere with plenty of space and freedom for movement. The next thing is that you’ll need is to start researching the best equipment you’ll need for the sort of welding projects you’re hoping to do if you’re unsure as to what sort of projects you’re wanting to take on or if you’re looking for more specific answers to your questions, you can find expert welding advice on weldingmania for all of your welding needs.

There are plenty of resources online with multitudes of information on how you can make the most out of your time and investments into your welding venture and you may be surprised to find that you can get a lot of the equipment you need at a reasonably affordable price. Just be sure to do your research and check reviews and you could wind up getting an excellent piece of equipment for a fraction of the price they’re usually advertised for.

How to Stay Safe

Once you have chosen your equipment and you have set up your workspace. The most important thing you’ll have to make sure you’re on top of is your safety. While welding is a skill that can be learned over time, it can still be very dangerous if the proper precautions aren’t taken in advance of starting. There are a number of items you can invest in to maximise your safety, the more you own the better the chance you’ll remain safe and unharmed.

Another important thing to note is that if you don’t live alone, if you have other family members, especially children, and animals, living with you, you’ll have to be sure that they aren’t coming in and out of your workspace whilst you’re welding as it is likely to result in them accidentally being injured. Be sure to inform the other people in your home that you’re going to be welding and even put a note on the door to remind people.

You should ensure that you’re protecting each of the vulnerable parts of your body when welding. Invest in some good quality auto-darkening welding helmets as the light produced from welding can be damaging to your eyes. You should also invest in heat-proof gloves so you can protect your hands while you work. You should also invest in fire-resistant aprons and clothing as you are consistently at risk of heat damage whilst you weld.

Extreme Sports Tech: How Pit Bikes are Making a Comeback

The world of extreme sports is a lot larger than people seem to think. Most people instantly think of free-climbing, intense storm surfing, or dangling off the edge of skyscrapers. But not all extreme sports need to be as dangerous or intense as this.

In fact, there a lot of very accessible and relatively safe sports (Providing you follow all the safety instructions) that you can take part in. And we are going to take a look at one of the oft-forgotten, yet highly exciting sports today. Pit Biking.

The Tech

We love technology on this site. Everything from the smallest, oddest gizmo, to the large-scale super magnets used in scrap yards. So it’s no surprise when we looked into pit bikes, we instantly fell in love.

A pit bike is not too dissimilar from an off-road bike in a lot of ways. Both are designed to handle most off-road terrain. Both use two wheels and require the same level of training before you can safely use one.

Whereas normal off-road bikes can go up to 150CC and offer a high-octane riding experience. Pit Bikes are designed to focus on areas with a lot of pits. So, by design, they are smaller, more compact, and have generally weaker engines than their off-road counterparts.

Their size is one of the most important design aspects. Due to the compact nature of a pit bike, they are much more maneuverable. This freedom of movement is essential when riding through pits and performing tricks. Pits often have small circumferences and steep slopes, so you need to be able to turn and navigate quickly.

Variations

Like off-road bikes, Pit bikes come in a few different versions as well, depending on your preference and intended usage.

The racing variation of a pit bike is fantastic for anyone looking to get that extra edge on the racecourse. Their small size and lightweight build allow for greater speed, while their sturdy tires and maneuverability give you a superior edge around corners or in rough terrain courses.

Pit Bikes are a great starter bike as well. As such, there are a lot of companies that offer variations designed specifically for teenagers. These units often have a weaker engine and capped speed, to make sure no one can get seriously hurt. They are fantastic for allowing your teenager to get a feel for bikes comfortably and preparing them for a more intense experience when they are older.

The most common form of pit bike is actually called a production bike. This is the variation used for off-roading on various terrains. While you won’t want to get into any races with a production pit bike, you will be able to pull off some fantastic tricks and glide across any terrain that comes your way.

The Craze

Pit Biking was extremely popular for a while. In the early 2000s, there was a huge off-roading craze as dirt bikes and quad-bikes pushed their way into the public eye. Channels like MTV, ESPN, and even Fox hosted a slew of shows showing the whirlwind sport in all its glory.

And this leads to a sharp increase in the number of people looking to give it a try. Of course, there are a lot of regulations when it comes to dirt-biking.

Firstly, you needed a special license to be able to ride a bike of a certain horsepower. This problem sealed a lot of people off from the sport. Secondly, these bikes were not cheap at all. The average American just didn’t have the spare funds to invest in a dirt-bike and all the maintenance tools that are needed.

This is where pit bikes come in. Straight off the bat, they are considerably cheaper than their larger counterparts. Some are nearly half the cost of a regular bike. And the cost of maintenance and support for pit bikes is also considerably lower.

Secondly, due to the engines being weaker, the license requirements are much laxer. A regular license will suffice. You will have to do a few things to make sure the bike can pass state inspection such as fitting a license plate and registering the vehicle with the state.

Due to all of this, Pit Bikes quickly soared in popularity. As the off-roading craze continued, more and more Americans turned to pit biking as a cheaper and generally safer alternative. But this didn’t last. Soon another extreme sports craze took the public eye and pit biking faded back into obscurity.

The Comeback

This pandemic has instilled a new sense of adventure into people. Everyone is itching to get back outside and try new things. Experience the world and live life to the fullest. Already we have seen orders for pit bikes increase sharply in anticipation of the pandemic ending and the outside world becoming habitable again.

Not to mention the financial benefits of getting a pit bike are very appealing at the moment. With the world’s economy in crisis, the average customer is looking for ways to support the economy without breaking the bank.

We saw the public image of extreme sports take a turn as well in recent years. Thanks to social media, people are able to connect with athletes and better understand the risks and challenges presented by these sports and also see that they aren’t as scary as they seem.

Are Intellectual Property Laws Hindering the Technological Innovation?

It must be stated that intellectual property laws are some of the most confusing set of laws for the everyday citizen to interpret, despite the fact that they constantly affect our lives. This confusion has left many in the tech industry feeling slightly all at sea; with a real inability to understand what they can actually get away with when innovating and if it is even worth innovating within. This passage will aim to breakdown the intricacies of Intellectual property law, how it may be hindering technological innovation, and what you can do to avoid intellectual property law infringement.

Overview

To try put this all into layman terms Intellectual property is the ownership by the law of both a person’s ideas and property. Its basic purpose is to protect you and your product from other people or corporations from stealing your ideas without fair compensation. With these laws in place if another person or company would like to use your ideas or work then they must ask for your permission, and it is highly likely that they will pay you in some form of compensation for your work. Now protection of your work can be done in a few forms which I will explain and explore later in this passage. Basically, the laws should be in place to protect you. Some critics of the laws have called them rather draconian, and actually halt cooperation between both innovators and creators. While others believe that the laws do their job and protect the little guy and the independent.

Patent, Copyright & Trademark

Now, let us break down how you can protect your work through the law. Firstly, you can be granted a patent by the government. A patent will give you the right to have complete control of your inventions; which as the possessor of said patent it will give you the right to exclude others from making, producing, or selling your invention; it legally belongs to you. Obviously, there are some requirements for getting a patent, it has to be original, innovative to a suitable extent, and actual application. Your patent will though in return become public knowledge.

Next to be summarised is the process of copyrighting your product. Copyright does not actually have to belong to the owner; it can be bought from you or simply expire, usually by a 70 year period. A good example of this is with The Beatles and their musical discography, who do not actually own the copyright to their own music as Sony outbid them in an auction. Meaning Sony can license out The Beatles music for car adverts without actually having done any of the work. Very strange indeed.

Finally, the trademark is less a protection of ideas, but more of a protection of image. What your trademark makes your company you. Think of the Coca Cola logo which belongs to Coke, I cannot start a soft drink company and use the logo it belongs to Coke as it has been trademarked. This is especially important for building a brand.

How it is Hindering Innovation

Now, this is the real meat of the passage how are these laws hindering technological innovation.  Like I previously mentioned the usage of someone else`s patent is all up to the patent holder, and they have full choice in how much this will cost, and well human beings are greedy so this seeking of permission can hold up innovation as the patent holder holds up for the highest bidder, not the most innovative idea.

Intellectual property law also predominantly benefit larger corporations. Large corporations can swallow patent after patent, which squeezes and bullies’ smaller firms out of the market. Like I previously mentioned with Sony owning the entire discography of The Beatles; well they actually own the copyrights to 37% of all music including the Happy Birthday song; which again they use to bully smaller firms.

Finally, the weak patent protection will lead to a discouragement of innovation, as the amount of money a patent may cost will halt larger companies from coming up with their own ideas; as they can simply buy it off of someone else.

How to Fight Intellectual Property Law

This inclusion is especially personal to me as someone who constantly has to combat intellectual property law. My biggest advice would be to use royalty-free music and be polite when asking for permission. I have also experienced big companies bullying me when my work is a fair use; to that end, this lawfirm is great at protecting intellectual property and has helped me many a time, so if you are ever in doubt do not be afraid to consult a lawyer.  Finally, there is no real way to fight against a fair case of intellectual property theft so my advice to you would simply; be original, obtain licenses correctly, and like I said use royalty-free music! Just be careful and keep creating!

The Media Battle: Streaming Services vs Cinema

We live in a world where technology is everything. Since Netflix was released in 2008, it offered up something new, a change. They came up with the idea of having an incredibly large number of movies and TV shows all in one place, all for a low set price per month. People couldn’t believe their luck. In their mind, gone would be the days of cinema. The world was moving forward, and streaming services would be the way to go. But as time would tell, that wouldn’t entirely be the case. As its popularity grew, there was a noticeable dip in people going to the cinema. But, potentially a surprise to the streaming service founders, it didn’t last. Soon after, people were heading back to the cinema, and there, the media battle began.

Why Streaming?

Well, part of the appeal of streaming services such as Netflix was, to put it as basically as possible, it was cheaper. Looking just at the films on Netflix, if you considered the price of buying either digital copies or DVDs of each of the films available, it would be jaw-droppingly dearer than the monthly fee Netflix is asking for. Not to mention the added bonus of TV shows and anime. Streaming services put a wide variety of films for all ages and preferences all in one place at the touch of a button. It offers up hours upon hours of different entertainment without having to move an inch from the couch – the farthest you’ll have to go will be to get some more snacks. And there are countless food delivery sites like UberEats that will stop you from going hungry. Streaming also offers up the opportunity to find films that you may not otherwise have discovered.

Over the years, streaming has amassed a massive collection of films from all over the world. From Korea to Spain to Bollywood, you can find all kinds of films on Netflix that you may not be able to find anywhere else. Since companies were able to observe their success and growth, many have been trying their hand at creating their own streaming service. There have even been streaming sites created that are entirely free! If you’re curious, you can find out about couchtuner alternatives here. But, moving back to the paid streaming services, there has been a boom in streaming services in the past few years. Most recently, and arguably most notable competitor is the addition of Disney+. As can be expected, the opportunity to get every single Disney owned franchise (of which there are many) Marvel, Star Wars, Disney/Pixar, and National Geographic all in one place has had everybody jumping. But, it may have a negative impact on sites like Netflix, which have now lost the rights to all of this content. That is one of the issues people have with certain streaming services, whilst there is an unbelievable amount of content – it won’t have everything.

So Why Go to the Cinema?

It may be hard to understand why so many people still go to the cinema when there’s a much cheaper and easier alternative available. But, despite this, there’s something so appealing about taking a trip to the cinema. The reason we believe it’s survived is that the cinema is an experience. The big screen and the overpriced, yet utterly delicious snacks. It’s something that can never be replaced. Seeing a new film for the first time in a room full of people, the excitement as the lights go down. It may not be making as much money as it used to, but it will still be a beloved treat for many people all across the world.

How Software Companies are Improving Medical Awareness

There is always a lot of talk about hardware when it comes to the medical field. This is mainly due to the fact that the general public will look at a machine, see how it works, and assume the hardware is the whole package. And the hardware is important. But no hardware is complete without the software to go with it.

Medical software design is rarely handled by medical professionals or medical researchers. They often lack the in-depth knowledge of the software design to do it. So more often than not the software will be outsourced to different tech firms working in collaboration with the hardware designers and the medical experts to design the complex machines. Sites like https://practicebloom.com/telemedicine-marketing-advertising/ are a prime example of this collaboration between medical experts and software development.

But it goes further than simply the machines you see within hospital walls. Software companies have been assisting the medical field and raising awareness through several different means. And this might seem shocking. How can software companies go about this? Below we are going to look at how software companies are improving medical awareness around the globe.

Tracking Software

Undoubtedly you will have seen, or even own, a Fitbit. This is the prime example of what we are going to call ‘tracking software.’ The idea of a Fitbit is that you wear it throughout the day, or while exercising, and it can monitor your vitals, calorie burn and heart rate throughout. You might think this is pretty simple stuff, but the implications this software has had on the medical community and general awareness cannot be understated.

Firstly, thanks to the advent of this software, people can look at their personal health in greater detail. Normally they would have to go to a doctor or a clinic to obtain this sort of information. This general had the adverse effect of increasing wait times for clinics and forcing doctors to spend less time with their priority patients. But with this information now readily available, people are more aware of their health and spending less time clogging up clinics and allowing doctors to give the extra care to those who need it.

Secondly, this software is making people think about their daily activities, diet and general wellbeing differently. It is often said being unaware of what is happening to your body is what leads to greater problems. So when people can see their activity at the end of the day, they will approach their daily activities with greater care and forethought. This general awareness is a massive boon for the medical field. People will pass this attitude and knowledge on to those around them.

Online Diagnostic

It is all too common for someone to log onto WebMD and type in their symptoms and suddenly think they are dying because they are confusing their symptoms with something serious. This is a problem that will most likely always exist. But software companies are working to make this issue lessen and improve the quality of online diagnostic tools greatly.

As technology gets smarter and AI improves, software developers, working with medical professionals, can create virtual doctors that can give a more accurate diagnostic to a patient. By having online patients enter in-depth and accurate symptoms, this AI will be able to help.

But this system can go further. By using picture recognition, and the mentioned tracking software, this AI can scan medical databases and use this data to get a much more accurate diagnosis. Of course, this system is not a replacement for seeing a medical professional at all, but it serves to give people peace of mind, reduce wait times in clinics and to generally improve the medical awareness of those using this software.

Educational Software

The world has become digital. This is undeniable. And the newer generations are growing up with technology in their hand. Apps and games are the new forms of education and they have been proven to be extremely effective at what they do. A teacher can stand up and recite basic medical information to a class, but if they have access to something interactive.

Of course, medical professionals lack the software skill to design a game or app, most of the time. At times they will be skilled enough to do it and that’s great. More often than not they will outsource it to a development company.

These medical education games are a great way to raise medical awareness in people from a young age. Children are much more receptive to knowledge and forming habits. If habits can be instilled in someone from childhood, they are more likely to carry it on into adulthood. To that end, educational software is an invaluable tool in the fight of raising medical awareness.

What This Tech Entrepreneur Said has Changed the Way We Think

One of the greatest technology entrepreneurs to come out of 2020 would have to be James Park, the creator of £6 billion fitness tracker company, Fitbit. His professional approach to business combined with a unique and a quality product makes him a force to be reckoned with in the business world. Park is known as a respectable figure in the technology industry, with the recent fitness boom there has been a huge amount of demand for Park’s creation. The Fitbit is a smartwatch with the capability to measure heart rates, sleep quality, step tracking and many other functions to help you lead a healthy lifestyle. The Fitbit comes in a variety of makes and models, each one is fully equipped to help you keep track of your exercise performance, they also have a range of designs to fit your own personal style. The inclusivity the brand displays paired with great leadership from Park has resulted in a huge amount of success and revenue.

With James Park being such an influential figure in the technology industry and as a professional businessman, it is no surprise he has had a huge impact on the way we think about the fitness/tech industry. In a recent interview, he revealed many interesting facts and opinions developed from his own experiences, seeing as there are over 23.6 million active Fitbit customers, I bet some of his advice would be useful in your own projects.

Take your time.

Park stated the importance of taking your time when it comes to introducing yourself to the business world, particularly the technology industry. It is so easily done by the newer, smaller tech companies, where they rush into the market without fully realising who they are as a company. You have to have patience and spend time establishing your business, it is unrealistic to think you are going to develop your product and make a success of yourself. Having a solid product is great but, if it isn’t managed properly you will be setting yourself up to fail.

Park’s advice was as follows, too often do we see businesses fail at the cost of poor preparation, time must be spent on your marketing strategy, establishing a client base and creating the perfect management team before you can even dream of making it. Park detailed how long the process took for him to start seeing substantial profit and it is the perfect example of the old phrase good things come to those who wait.

Follow your heart.

Another piece of advice from tech mogul James Park is that certain situations will require you to trust your gut. The initial period of developing your product and business can be very confusing in terms of the direction you want to go in. Park revealed how he often struggled with believing he could be a success, the only thing you can do is trust your instincts. Trust that you are making the correct decision and if your product is good enough you must have faith that it will do well.

Make sure you can afford it.

Never underestimate how much money you are going to need to get started, a big part of why it takes so long to establish your footing in the world of technology and business is that because of it such a profit-generating sector, in order to keep up with the competition you may need to inject a lot of finance into the company. The feeling of getting a good start on the progression of your company only to be struck to a halt by a lack of funding can be very frustrating. Speaking from experience Park reiterated the importance of profit projections and budgeting.

Have fun along the way.

A final comment from Park was not to forget to have fun, it can be easy to get caught up in how well the business is doing and the stresses of managing a new tech product can make you get caught up in the moment. Park shared an account of a night spent drinking wine and playing truth questions and dares with his team, he said this changed the dynamic of his team of employees to a strong friendship group making them a stronger unit towards their success.