On The Fly

In this episode -   Understanding Milliamp Hours (mAh) . . . Adapted article from the How-To-Geek  Newsletter by Kris Wouk. When shopping for backup power (portable charger) for your phone, you're sure to encounter the term milliamp hours or the abbreviation mAh. Not sure what this means, let's examine it. What Are Milliamp Hours? Milliamp hours (mAh) is a unit that measures power over time. A milliamp is a measure of electric current, precisely one-thousandth of an amp. Amps and milliamps measure the strength of the electric current. Add hours to this, and you get a measure of how long this current can flow at that strength. Let's use a battery as an example. If your battery can maintain a current output of one milliamp for one hour, you would call it a one mAh battery. You will see mAh used in many electronic devices with a battery, from phones, and watches, to Bluetooth devices. These devices range from hundreds of milliamp hours into the thousands in terms of capacity, ...

In this episode - Why Buy Vinyl Albums . . . Do you consider yourself a music lover? During my high school and college days (1970-1979), music was about what it took to recreate the concert experience. Pulse-pounding bass and drums, hypnotic electric guitar leads, remarkable rhythm, and distinctive vocals.  How, you ask? High-fidelity recordings could only be reproduced for consumers from vinyl LP record albums. And, of course, BIG speakers. (The first digital compact disc (CD) was released in 1982 in Japan). In my dorm at Western Illinois University, college was contesting who owned the "best" speakers and quality hi-fi amplifier. To name a few from that era, Pioneer, Sansui, Kenwood, Marantz, and Harman Kardon, among many others. Another essential component was the turntable. Audio-Technica, Denon, Technics, Marantz, Onkyo, and Pioneer have made a big comeback in recent years. I remember my roommates' "Rig," a Marantz 1070 amplifier, Technics turntable, and B...

In this episode – Celebrate July 4 th . . . How do you celebrate the 4 th of July holiday? Maybe you hang an American flag on your house, barbecue burgers and hotdogs, have a beer, watch baseball on TV, or perhaps you're looking to get your community involved. Our neighborhood has had many young families move in during the last five years. And many people walk the quiet streets of the community. So, this is one way to draw everyone together – of the people, for the people, who are out and about on the streets and sidewalks at different times - and to have a little fun. Stay tuned, and I'll share a suggestion that our neighborhood makes to build cohesiveness and family spirit, which might inspire you to do the same. First, the "Rest of the Story" about Independence Day is  from constitutioncenter.org . Have you ever wondered when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in July 1776? Some say it was July 2nd, and some say July 4th.  Which date has ...

In this episode - The Electric Grid . . . Flip a switch, and a light comes on. In most cases, the electricity to power that device came from an enormous interconnected system called the electric grid. Have you ever wondered how it works? What is the Electric Grid? An electric grid is a network of synchronized power  providers and consumers connected by transmission and distribution lines and operated by one or more control centers. When most people talk about the power "grid," they're referring to the transmission system for electricity. The continental United States does not have a national grid. Instead, there are three grids: the Eastern Interconnect, the Western Interconnect, and the Texas Interconnect. In Alaska and Hawaii, several smaller systems interconnect parts of each state. Electricity gets generated in many different ways: Power plants that burn oil, gas, or coal. Nuclear plants. Solar arrays. Wind farms and hydroelectric Dams where water cascades. In most pl...