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Saturday, January 22nd: "from mind to body"

"I''ll see you on January 22nd at BIEL, it's the biggest show I have, maybe will ever do, so it's a ONCE IN LIFE TIME OPPORTUNITY, because it's so big and it's so expensive that I don't know if we could bring it a lot to other countries..."
Mirage: A project that lasted two years straight ... Imagine !

FAT32 Vs NTFS

Choosing the file system to use on a Windows XP system is seldom easy, and frequently it's not just a one time decision.. Different factors can blur the decision process, and some tradeoffs are more than likely. No matter what method you choose to adopt Windows XP, you will have to face the FAT32 versus NTFS decision. Clean and upgrade installs both require you to address the situation early on in the process. Later on, if you add a drive or repartition an existing drive the decision process faces you yet again. Circumstances may dictate the choice for you, but in most cases the options have to be weighed and the tradeoffs of using each method analyzed. Let's look at the available choices.

File System Choices

Most articles discussing file system choices look at FAT32 and NTFS as the two available choices. In reality, there are three systems which could be selected. FAT, FAT32, and NTFS. Granted, FAT32 and NTFS are the primary choices, but on occasion you'll still find the need for a FAT volume. A FAT volume has a maximum size of 2GB and supports MS-DOS as well as being used for some dual boot configurations, but backward compatibility is about the only reason I can think of that FAT should ever be used, other than for the occasional floppy diskette. That said, let's move on to FAT32 and NTFS.

FAT (FAT16) is limited to 2.1 GB partitions. That's totally different.

FAT32 is, theoretically, limited to 2.1 TB partitions, but it never really lasted long enough in the face of NTFS for most to bother.

What the TC is talking about is having a single file larger than 4 GB on a FAT32 drive. This is not possible. 4 GB is the limit.

Either convert to NTFS or some Linux-based file system.

Which File System to Choose?

As much as everyone would like for there to be a stock answer to the selection question, there isn't. Different situations and needs will play a large role in the decision of which file system to adopt. There isn't any argument that NTFS offers better security and reliability. Some also say that NTFS is more flexible, but that can get rather subjective depending on the situation and work habits, whereas NTFS superiority in security and reliability is seldom challenged. Listed below are some of the most common factors to consider when deciding between FAT32 and NTFS.

* Security

FAT32 provides very little security. A user with access to a drive using FAT32 has access to the files on that drive.

NTFS allows the use of NTFS Permissions. It's much more difficult to implement, but folder and file access can be controlled individually, down to an an extreme degree if necessary. The down side of using NTFS Permissions is the chance for error and screwing up the system is greatly magnified.

Windows XP Professional supports file encryption.

* Compatibility

NTFS volumes are not recognized by Windows 95/98/Me. This is only a concern when the system is set up for dual or multi-booting. FAT32 must be be used for any drives that must be accessed when the computer is booted from Windows 95/98 or Windows Me.

An additional note to the previous statement. Users on the network have access to shared folders no matter what disk format is being used or what version of Windows is installed.

FAT and FAT32 volumes can be converted to NTFS volumes. NTFS cannot be converted to FAT32 without reformatting.

* Space Efficiency

NTFS supports disk quotas, allowing you to control the amount of disk usage on a per user basis.

NTFS supports file compression. FAT32 does not.

How a volume manages data is outside the scope of this article, but once you pass the 8GB partition size, NTFS handles space management much more efficiently than FAT32. Cluster sizes play an important part in how much disk space is wasted storing files. NTFS provides smaller cluster sizes and less disk space waste than FAT32.

In Windows XP, the maximum partition size that can be created using FAT32 is 32GB. This increases to 16TB (terabytes) using NTFS. There is a workaround for the 32GB limitation under FAT32, but it is a nuisance especially considering the size of drives currently being manufactured.

* Reliability

FAT32 drives are much more susceptible to disk errors.

NTFS volumes have the ability to recover from errors more readily than similar FAT32 volumes.

Log files are created under NTFS which can be used for automatic file system repairs.

NTFS supports dynamic cluster remapping for bad sectors and prevent them from being used in the future.

NTFS vs FAT32

The Final Choice

As the prior versions of Windows continue to age and are replaced in the home and workplace there will be no need for the older file systems. Hard drives aren't going to get smaller, networks are likely to get larger and more complex, and security is evolving almost daily as more and more users become connected. For all the innovations that Windows 95 brought to the desktop, it's now a virtual dinosaur. Windows 98 is fast on the way out and that leaves NT and Windows 2000, both well suited to NTFS. To wrap up, there may be compelling reasons why your current situation requires a file system other than NTFS or a combination of different systems for compatibility, but if at all possible go with NTFS. Even if you don't utilize its full scope of features, the stability and reliability it offers make it the hands down choice.

Why an External Hard drive of 1Tb shows only 930 GB of space ?

There is a difference in how Hard Disk Capacities are stated by manufacturers compared to how operating systems calculate them.

To Hard disk manufacturers a kilobyte is 1000 byes, a megabyte is 1000 kilobytes , a gigabyte is 1000 megabytes and a terabyte is 1000 gigabytes = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. However to most operating systems a kilobye is 1024* bytes, a megabyte is 1024 kilobytes (=1,048,576 bytes) and a gigabyte is 1024 megabytes (1,073,741,824 bytes), etc.

So when a hard disk manufacturer says a hard disk has a capacity of 1 Terabye it means the capacity is 1,000,000,000,000 bytes +/- a few percent. For demonstration purposes let's assume that they mean exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. When the operating system calculates that capacity in Gigabytes it divides the 1,000,000,000,000 bytes by 1,073,741,824 bytes/gigabyte which equals 931.3 gigabytes.

So the reported 930 GB is about right. There is no space missing.

This difference in how hard disk capacities are stated has existed since the days when a large hard disk was only 5 MB.


* 1024 = 2^10 and is the power of 2 that is closest to 1000.

Ferropaper

The material is made by impregnating ordinary paper -- even newsprint -- with a mixture of mineral oil and "magnetic nanoparticles" of iron oxide. The nanoparticle-laden paper can then be moved using a magnetic field.


"Paper is a porous matrix, so you can load a lot of this material into it," said Babak Ziaie, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering.

The new technique represents a low-cost way to make small stereo speakers, miniature robots or motors for a variety of potential applications, including tweezers to manipulate cells and flexible fingers for minimally invasive surgery.

"Because paper is very soft it won't damage cells or tissue," Ziaie said. "It is very inexpensive to make. You put a droplet on a piece of paper, and that is your actuator, or motor."

Once saturated with this "ferrofluid" mixture, the paper is coated with a biocompatible plastic film, which makes it water resistant, prevents the fluid from evaporating and improves mechanical properties such as strength, stiffness and elasticity.

Findings will be detailed in a research paper being presented during the 23rd IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems on Jan. 24-28 in Hong Kong. The paper was written by Ziaie, electrical engineering doctoral student Pinghung Wei and physics doctoral student Zhenwen Ding.

Because the technique is inexpensive and doesn't require specialized laboratory facilities, it could be used in community colleges and high schools to teach about micro robots and other engineering and scientific principles, Ziaie said.

The magnetic particles, which are commercially available, have a diameter of about 10 nanometers, or billionths of a meter, which is roughly 1/10,000th the width of a human hair. Ferro is short for ferrous, or related to iron.

"You wouldn't have to use nanoparticles, but they are easier and cheaper to manufacture than larger-size particles," Ziaie said. "They are commercially available at very low cost."

The researchers used an instrument called a field-emission scanning electron microscope to study how well the nanoparticle mixture impregnates certain types of paper.

"All types of paper can be used, but newspaper and soft tissue paper are especially suitable because they have good porosity," Ziaie said.

The researchers fashioned the material into a small cantilever, a structure resembling a diving board that can be moved or caused to vibrate by applying a magnetic field.

"Cantilever actuators are very common, but usually they are made from silicon, which is expensive and requires special cleanroom facilities to manufacture," Ziaie said. "So using the ferropaper could be a very inexpensive, simple alternative. This is like 100 times cheaper than the silicon devices now available."

The researchers also have experimented with other shapes and structures resembling Origami to study more complicated movements.

The research is based at the Birck Nanotechnology Center in Purdue's Discovery Park.

The History of ATM Machines

The history of the ATM dates back to New York City in 1939 when inventor Luther George Simjian got a bank to publicly try the machine. The effort failed due to lack of customer interest at that time. In 1960 a bank in New York City had a cash machine predecessor (the Bankograph) installed that would free up tellers by accepting utility bill payments.

The next automated cash dispenser development was developed in 1964. An electronic ATM was set out in North London (UK) but it was very different in the way it worked than modern equipment. This machine would dispense ten pound sterling amounts of cash in exchange for a teller purchased voucher.
The current machine style was a creation of British engineer James Goodfellow. In 1965 he patented the cash machines that were the forerunners of what we use today. There was one type of ATM introduced in 1968 that always ate the prepaid plastic card and users would then have to buy a replacement from a teller.

In 1969, Donald C. Wetzel developed for Docutel the first machines utilizing the cards with magnetic strips. Since Docutel was the first company to get a patent for this type of machine, the Smithsonian Museum gives them credit for being the originator. The public still had problems with accepting and trusting money machines. The machine proved to be very costly to operate.

Docutel led the way to the modern ATM machine in 1971 when they produced a full-function ATM called Total Teller. By 1973, these machines were capable of issuing cash in variable amounts. By 1974 the online networking component was added which led to ATMs as we know them now.

Today automated cash machines are more common than drinking fountains and are so prevalent they are very easy to locate. They are found worldwide, even as distant as Antarctica. The ability to use a small plastic debit or credit card to withdraw cash as needed from these machines is just so easy. Some banks use ATM stations for speed and convenience, replacing regular human tellers. The popularity is not surprising considering the convenience. Consumers no longer be concerned about carrying cash, a stack of credit cards, checks or other financial instruments. ATM machines can be adjusted for ticket selling, concert ticket sales and gift certificates.

What did businesses and the public do before the invention of the ATM machine business? Prior to the availability of ATM machines for sale it was necessary to make a trip to the bank during regular business hours for a cash withdrawal. Another alternative was to carry personal checks around and overwrite the amount at the grocery store or other locations that might allow that type of transaction.

There is a growing ATM machine business opportunity for those willing to bring a machine into their store or business location. Modern automated teller machines can access many different interbank networks. Most banks and retail outlets make money by charging a usage fee when the ATM is used.

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