Toyota Prius - Power Split Device (PSD)

The Toyota Prius is packed with some pretty high-tech stuff, but at the heart of the Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) is a simple little device called the Power Split Device, or PSD. The PSD is a planetary gear set that removes the need for a traditional stepped gearbox and transmission components, and also the familiar rev-lurch-rev-lurch of acceleration in an ordinary gas powered car. It acts as a continuously variable transmission (CVT) but with a fixed gear ratio.

If you have no mathematical or mechanical understanding of hybrid technology or even regular engine components, this will help you get a feel for how the PSD allows the car to use power from an internal combustion engine (ICE) , as well as 2 electric Motor/Generators (MG1 and MG2), all spinning at different and variable speeds. The PSD even allows the smaller of the two Motor/Generators, MG1, to act as a starter for the ICE, thereby eliminating another component of a traditional gasoline engine.

The model below allows you vary the speed of both the ICE, and MG2. MG2 is the larger of the 2 electric motor/generators and is also referred to as the traction motor because its speed (RPM, or revolutions per minute) has a fixed relationship to the speed of the wheels. Dragging the MG2 slider, you'll see that the speedometer changes, while changing the speed of the ICE does not directly affect speed. Once you master that concept you'll start to see how the CVT function works. The ICE can spin faster or slower, depending on how much power is needed, and with either resistance or assistance from the electric motors the car can reach the desired speed while always keeping the ICE running at the most efficient rate possible.

Rotation speeds of MG1, MG2, and ICE are inter-dependent, and the speed of MG1 will always change when you vary the speed of either of the other 2. MG1 has a maximum rate of 10,000rpm in either direction (positive or negative) with a software limit of 6500 RPM if ICE is off. Using the model below, you can see for yourself why this software limit means the ICE will always spin if you're travelling above 42mph. And in case you were curious, yes MG1 can and often does change spin directions under normal driving conditions.

ICE rotation is limited to speeds between 1000rpm and 4500rpm. It can also stop completely, but anything between 0 and 1000 will force the slider up or down. That's because the internal combustion engine can't operate effectively below that speed. The hybrid computer knows, and will stop the ICE when it decides you don't need to use any gas, and start it again when you need more power, or higher speed from MG1.

Full > http://eahart.com/prius/psd/

Telephony Basics "Cisco" Video

The Joke’s on Us

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Many of those blinkered political commenters who allowed themselves to be swept up in the diaphanous hysteria that resulted in Barack Obama’s presidency convinced themselves that he was a change agent of divine wisdom. A “lightworker,” as the San Francisco Gate’s Mark Morford called him. They said Obama would restore America’s faith in the United States, in government in general, and even in ourselves. “That campaign restored a faith in politics that most of us thought we had lost,” gushed The Hill’s Niall Stanage. “America has restored the world’s faith in its ideals,” The Guardian averred without evidence. Seven years later, it’s clear that the effects of Obama’s presidency have not been to restore but to sap faith in the American system. We have so little reverence for the order bequeathed to us by the nation’s enlightened founding generation, in fact, that we deface it with adolescent acts of directionless defiance. 

The presidency that was allegedly destined to repair the damage Bush did to the credibility of the federal government has only quickened the pace of America’s disaffection with politics. Today, the three co-equal branches of the federal government inspire confidence in only a handful of Americans. The media, organized labor, banks, schools, and big business, too, are no longer trusted. Among government-run enterprises, only the police and the military retain the trust of a majority of American citizens – a dangerous place for any civilian-led republic to find itself. Even on the matter of racial comity, a perpetual sore spot for most Americans, Obama has not lived up to his transcendental promise. In fact, the state of racial tensions in the Obama era makes the Bush presidency look like a utopian epoch characterized by ethnic harmony. The Obama presidency has failed on a variety of fronts, but its most injurious may be the ruinous effect it has had on faith in the republican experiment itself.

Americans’ disregard for the value of the governing institutions that serve as the country’s foundational structures is evident in how the voting public has approached the coming presidential election. Thus far, the process has been a joke, and the public has treated it like one.

On the Republican side of the ledger, the most accomplished and electable field of presidential candidates in living memory has been overshadowed by the all-consuming umbra that is Donald Trump. The celebrity candidate’s act — and it is an act – has thus far centered on offering only the vaguest of policy prescriptions, touting his own supreme awesomeness, and insulting anyone who dares to criticize him. Trump has said that Jeb Bush “has to like the Mexican illegals because of his wife,” who happens to be Hispanic. He has accused George W. Bush of milking veterans groups and of delivering “boring” speeches. He has called Lindsey Graham an unemployable “stiff,” John Kerry a “baby,” Jonah Goldberg a “dummy,” and Charles Krauthammer a “clown.” Trump’s insult comic routine rivaling that of Robert Smigel’s slight-slinging puppet, Triumph, has found a substantial and devoted audience of Republican primary voters. If politics and the presidency is a joke, this wounded group of conservatives reason, why not exalt a clown?

Republicans are not the only jaded types who are eagerly abandoning reason amid a summer of discontent. The Democratic Party’s prohibitive presidential nominee and the anointed successor to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, is embroiled in a controversy that would have scuttled the political prospects of a lesser deity. When confronted with the fact that the FBI, which recently seized the illicit and vulnerable server on which she housed “Top Secret” documents, discovered that much of that information was intentionally scrubbed in order to shield it from investigators, Clinton tried to turn the whole affair into a jest.

On Tuesday, Fox News correspondent Ed Henry asked Clinton if she had any knowledge of why her server was wiped of data, to which Clinton flippantlyreplied, “What? Like with a cloth or something?” It wasn’t the first time she had insulted the nation’s intelligence by dismissing the investigation into her careless stewardship of American national security secrets in service to the “convenience” and privileges to which she was accustomed. “You may have seen that I recently launched a Snapchat account,” Clinton told a roomful of supporters this week. “I love it. Those messages disappear all by themselves.” Quite the knee-slapper – at least, for those who regard this kind of overt and unapologetic contempt for the public trust humorous.

Even America’s polling firms are getting in on the gag. The Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling has apparently embraced its image as an intentionally proactive source of fodder for standup comics rather than a scientific research outlet. That firm was spectacularly successful in that endeavor recently after it began survey testing the vulgarly named fictitious candidate “Deez Nuts.” They were perhaps surprised to learn that they successfully tricked 9 percent of North Carolina voters into supporting the make-believe independent candidate in a recent poll. The jest sparked the composition of hundreds of giddy headlines in which prurient journalists, titillated by the naughtily named candidate, reveled in their unearned sense of superiority over the misled survey respondents and mocked the uninformed voter who has yet to tune into the political process.

All of this cynicism is both trite and toxic. It is a tedious sort of juvenile rebelliousness that sees no value in the most resilient and vibrant political system man ever devised. We’re not talking about satire here – even if any of it were clever. We’re talking about stakeholders – candidates, pollsters, and political parties that have skin in the game – making light of the American system in order to capture the prevalent mood of alienation and apathy. But that dark and self-destructive mood is not one that deserves to be captured; it should be repudiated and dispelled, not incubated. It’s a republic only so long as we can keep it, and there is a vocal minority who appears increasingly indifferent to its longevity. What’s worse, there is an influential set in positions of authority who apparently feel the same way.

filed under:2016 presidential campaignBarack ObamaDonald TrumpHillary Clinton

Breaking free from underemployment

Although underemployment may be preferable to unemployment, simply accepting the fact your array of skills are not being appreciated or put to good use is very damaging for your career prospects. While your current position may be helping you to pay the bills, it’s also limiting your career development as you’re prevented from exercising your skills and reaching your potential. Unfortunately, once you find yourself underemployed it can be difficult to rectify the situation. Here are five steps you can take to break free from underemployment.

Assess your current situation
First you need to ascertain whether you are truly underemployed, which involves deciphering your current job’s relevance to your career goal. For example, if your degree was in publishing your dream job may be an editor for a top magazine. If you’re working in a junior position for the local newspaper then you’re not underemployed, you’re simply working your way up the career ladder – everyone has to start somewhere. However, if you’re currently working as a sales advisor in a retail store then you are underemployed as you’re not reaching your potential in terms of the skills you’ve developed. Once you’ve identified your goal, create a plan of action on how you’re going to reach it.

Find a mentor
Now you’ve established where you are in your career and where you want to be, seek help from an expert in your field. A mentor or career coach can provide valuable advice on your action plan by giving their opinion and offering new ideas that could help you achieve the job you desire. Gaining an alternative, professional perspective can help you to see your situation more clearly and encourage you to reach your potential. www.mentormatchme.com is a useful resource.

Expand your skill set
The more you can develop your skill set while in your current role, the more you can add to your CV, which will help you significantly when you come to interviewing for that dream job. To improve or gain more skills related to the job you seek, research training courses that will help you to break into the industry you’re aiming for. For instance if you want a career in IT, take a relevant computer course to the specific role you’re looking to pursue. If you’re working part-time you may have time to complete a voluntary placement related to your industry, so you can gain a feel for the environment you wish to work in and determine whether it’s suitable for you. If you’re working full-time, consider volunteering for community projects outside of work hours, such as helping to organise local events.

Excel in your current role
Once you’ve realised you’re underemployed it can cause you to do the bare minimum. However, this will see you displeasing your current boss which will not only put off a potential employer, but could soon see you becoming unemployed. Therefore it’s important to maintain a positive attitude in your current role while you search for a new job. Focus on developing transferable skills such as communication, organisation and problem-solving. When you come to interview for your dream job you can show the potential employer that although you were underemployed for a time, you gained as much as possible from the role.

Network, network, network
The more extensive your network, the more likely it will provide you with a contact who has just the role you’re looking for or the advice you need to obtain it. Connect with your colleagues and clients on LinkedIn so relevant connections can be made with their networks too. Tell your friends and family that you’re searching for work in a particular field; you never know who they might be able to put you in touch with. If you communicate regularly (without harassing) with those in your network, you’ll encourage your contacts to think of you as soon as a position of relevance arises.

Why is 2016 smashing heat records?

January and February have both broken temperature records. Karl Mathiesen examines how much is down to El Niño versus man made climate change

The Arctic experienced terrific warmth throughout the winter, with temperatures at the north pole approaching 0C in late December – 30C to 35C above average. Photograph: AP

Yet another global heat record has been beaten. It appears January 2016 - the most abnormally hot month in history, according to Nasa - will be comprehensively trounced once official figures come in for February.

Initial satellite measurements, compiled by Eric Holthaus at Slate, put February’s anomaly from the pre-industrial average between 1.15C and 1.4C. The UN Paris climate agreement struck in December seeks to limit warming to 1.5C if possible.

“Even the lower part of that range is extraordinary,” said Will Steffen, an emeritus professor of climate science at Australian National University and a councillor at Australia’s Climate Council.

It appears that on Wednesday, the northern hemisphere even slipped above the milestone 2C average for the first time in recorded history. This is the arbitrary limit above which scientists believe global temperature rise will be “dangerous”.

The Arctic in particular experienced terrific warmth throughout the winter. Temperatures at the north pole approached 0C in late December – 30C to 35C above average.

Mark Serreze, the director of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre, described the conditions as “absurd”.

“The heat has been unrelenting over the entire season,” he said. “I’ve been studying Arctic climate for 35 years and have never seen anything like this before”.

All this weirdness follows the record-smashing year of 2015, which was 0.9C above the 20th century average. This beat the previous record warmth of 2014 by 0.16C.

These tumbling temperature records are often accompanied in media reports by the caveat that we are experiencing a particularly strong El Niño - perhaps the largest in history. But should El Niño and climate change be given equal billing?

No, according to Professor Michael Mann, the director of Penn State Earth System Science Centre. He said it was possible to look back over the temperature records and assess the impact of an El Niño on global temperatures.

“A number of folks have done this,” he said, “and come to the conclusion it was responsible for less than 0.1C of the anomalous warmth. In other words, we would have set an all-time global temperature record [in 2015] even without any help from El Niño.”

Global surface temperature is the major yardstick used to track how we are changing the climate. It is the average the UN Paris agreement refers to.

But the atmosphere doesn’t stop at the surface. In fact 93% of the extra energy trapped by the greenhouse gases humans have emitted gets sunk into the oceans – just 1% ends up in the atmosphere where temperature is most often and most thoroughly measured. During El Niño, which occurs every three to six years, currents in the Pacific Ocean bring warm water to the surface and heat up the air.

Jeff Knight from the Met Office’s Hadley Centre, said their modelling set the additional heat from a big El Niño, like the current one, at about 0.2C. He said wind patterns in the northern hemisphere had added another 0.1C to recent monthly readings.

“The bottom line is that the contributions of the current El Niño and wind patterns to the very warm conditions globally over the last couple of months are relatively small compared to the anthropogenically driven increase in global temperature since pre-industrial times,” he added.

Steffen said the definitive assessment of this El Niño and its effect on the world’s temperature would only be possible once the event had run its course (it has now peaked and is expected to end in the second quarter of this year). But he agreed that past El Niño cycles could be an appropriate guide for the order of magnitude of the effect.

The picture becomes less clear cut when we talk about monthly records. Even weather trends can have small effects on the monthly average temperature, said Knight. The effect of El Niño traditionally increases as it dies, so Mann believes it may have added more than the “nominal” o.1C during the past three months.

In the Arctic, the effect of El Niño is poorly understood but likely to be weak, said Knight. “Given that the Arctic has been very warm for a number of years, withrecord low sea ice, it is more likely that the warmth there currently is part of a long-term trend rather than the response to a episodic event like El Niño.”

Steffen says quantifying the relative contributions of El Niño and climate change on a monthly or even annual basis cannot help to answer how fast the world is warming. Only trends over 30 years really matter.

But the pile up of records we have had in the early part of this century are significant. All things being constant, record hot years should occur once every 150 years. Yet 1998, 2005, 2010, 2014 and 2015 have all been record breakers.

A study published in January found that even without last year’s mammoth anomaly such a run was 600 to 130,000 times more likely to have occurred with human interference than without.

“The fact that you are getting records so close, one after the other is really striking. And that is symptomatic of that long-term trend,” said Steffen.

But while they may be poor signals for long-term climate change, record hot months and years do have an immediate and tangible impact.

“It’s making heat waves worse. Here in Australia it bumps up the bushfire danger weather really fast. It tends to lead to drier conditions in our part of the world. These things are exacerbated by El Niños, so I don’t want to downplay the importance of them for human suffering,” said Steffen.

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More analysis

Topics

• Climate change
 
• El Niño southern oscillation
 
• Sea ice
 
• Greenhouse gas emissions
 
• Polar regions