You've mentioned this solar panel before. How long does it take to recharge that tablet vs it being installed in an outlet instead? I ask to get an idea of it's abilities. I too would be interested in such a small unit but it is hard to believe that it could produce much energy being so small. Usually each cell creates .5 volt and that seems to be the size of only 1 cell.
I too have a E-Book reader tablet that I can read outdoors on the brightest day. They seem to work on a different principle than many other tablets but the OS is slow and lame overall. What I like most is the 3 weeks before a recharge is required. I keep planning to convert it to Android OS as some have but it works well the way it is and I seem to put off the revamp due to this.
These EBook readers have their place in prepping as I can't imagine trying to print off everything and then protecting and maintaining such books for long term storage. Yet the batteries in these Ebooks will eventually fail too and they don't appear easy to replace either. In the meantime, technology advances and we either keep up or get off the road completely. Will files created in newer PDF format be readable to an older version of software? Such things have to be considered before relying on older machines to save the day. When I create PDF files, I make sure that they are done in a format of version 9 and less as this allows many older forms to then view the file.
]That's a great question.
Right now I have only the WakaWaka Power (I still love that name) which has a 2200mAH battery...not much power at all, but it will charge an Iphone a couple of times.
I will run the charge on the tablet down and see how long it takes to charge.
Answer coming soon...
So, we start this morning with a 2% charge on the tablet...a point where it shuts down and will not start up again without a charge.
After 1 hour on the WakaWaka...14% charge (estimated full charge time:7 hours)
After 2 hours on the WakaWaka...29% charge (estimated full charge time:7 hours)
After 3 hours on the WakaWaka...42% charge (estimated full charge time:7 hours)
After 4 hours...the WakaWaka was dead...done...fini. Actual charge on tablet battery is 43%, so it must have died soon after my last check.
2200mAH on the WakaWaka was only able to give the tablet's 2500mAH battery a 43% charge...that's some interesting losses in power there!
That alone is an amazing charge rate as this unit is so compact. Can you find the battery info on the unit being charged? The volts and the Milliamp hour rating if possible? Also the chargers output data... dang, now I really want one! 😆
The potential is high as this unit is so compact you can have one in each BOB along with the EBook reader. It would double for phone charge to accommodate GPS abilities if you risked it's use as viable. Having a tablet without phone features allows it's use without detection if such as GPS functions being off a trustworthy risk. These options too I mean to mention later on....
Thanks for the info and please continue the experiment as it is a worthy cause.
It is a Hipstreet Titan2...easily found for $50.00.
The battery is a 2500mAH lithium polymer...uh oh!
1 - the 2200mAH capacity of the WakaWaka should not be able to completely charge the tablet
2 - Lithium Polymer batteries are ok and easy to charge from 0 - 75%...from 75 - 100%, not so much as they require a very small trickle charge at that point...
I guess time will tell.
What's this? Lithium Polymers require a trickle to a full charge...? Isn't solar already a trickle charge? How much slower can it get?
This is like a suspenseful movie and I ran out of popcorn! What to do? 😯
Will Denob's Titan get a full recharge? (God, it sounds dirty when I put it that way!) 😮
Will Denob have enough power to finish his story? 😕
Stay tuned until next week when Debob says "What the .............."! 😆
That was an interesting test that Denob did. I was wondering why he never finished and then I realized that he did indeed complete the test but posted under his initial test.
Now I get to ask the big question...would it charge fully if you had 2 in series instead? No matter.. the unit is still functional with a 43% charge and therefore can still be viewed as a success in that perspective. Now the next smallest charger was that folding cell kit I'd seen at crappy tire but soon disappeared.(likely because it was junk).
I'd be curious if the same results occur on charging a cell phone...(hint,hint) 😕
Now I get to ask the big question...would it charge fully if you had 2 in series instead?
I would try parallel...that "should" do it
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
So back to Building the Perfect Computer...
I'll assume with your choosing tried and trusted Windows 7 Eternity with Linux Mint 17 (the latest right now) as your choices.
OS Installs:
1. Install Windows 7 completely. Most laptops use Home edition, but check your version before you start the install so that you can enter legitimate serial numbers which make it all legal. Otherwise you'll need to run a crack if the number isn't accepted. Run the updates automatically if you wish but I always choose to the "notify me and I'll choose " option to reduce clutter. (Most updates that state their a security update, I refuse and trust A/V software to keep me safe).
2. Depending on which version of of Linux you have, either start the install from within Windows or from initial startup. Select the drive that you partitioned for Linux or create those partitions now. When asked if you want this drive encrypted, click "yes" as this make this region your secure area of the harddrive.
3. Reboot and make sure that you can access both OS's from the start menu.
Now you have got to install the basic software that you use in your daily life. This means getting Windows to run Optimum as that is likely still your comfort zone while Linux is that which you can now learn to master at your own pace.
Setting up Windows: (with tricks)
1st Trick:
a. Right click your start button and click "Properties"
b. Click "Customize " box
c. Click on the following:
Computer - display as Menu
Connect To "Check"
Control Panel - display as Menu
Default Programs "Uncheck"
Devices and Printers "Check"
Documents - display as Menu
Enable Draggin and Dropping "Check"
Favourites -(you choose if you want it on Menu)
Highlight newly installed "Uncheck"
Homegroup "Check"
Music - display as Menu
Network "Check"
Personal Folder - display as Menu
Pictures - display as Menu
Recorded TV(you choose)
Run Command "Check"
The rest can stay at their defaults. Click OK
Reclick the Start menu to see the changes you created to you Start Menu. You should now have pull down menus to get where your going faster.
2nd Trick:
Move cursor onto bottom toolbar and right click.
Move Cursor to Toolbars pulldown and select "New Toolbar".
Under the new popup window, use the left hand scoll bar and scroll to the "Computer" group, click on "Computer" itself and then click "Select Folder".
A new Menu tab will appear at the lower right side of the bottom toolbar. This allows you quick access to all the drives and various windows features.
Software Installs:
Now we all have our favourite software that we want to use daily. Many don't wish to try something else as their present choice is what they are already used to. But what if that software is the weak link in your computer's armour? Is this enough incentive to maybe consider changing?
The First Rule of Install: anything with a "Tick" box (ya know...the checkmark),uncheck it cause it is gonna be bad and this is how they later proclaim that they are not affiliated with that product when it is blamed for doing bad things! These free gifts are never good for you and they seem to come with every piece of software today, so beware!
Ant-Virus Software
Since I get paid to fix infected machines, I soon discovered how many of these machines became infected. Viruses are found everywhere on the net these days so I can't say enough about having good virus protection.
Here's some software that always brings me customers....
- Free Toolbars: such as Bing, Ask, CookBook ones, etc....these are more gateways into your machine ...refuse them always
- Free Bloatware: this is software that came with your computer for free...especially games. They are often just crappy games that sneak in "Malware" while installing. This malware lets in other crap which leads to trojans and finally viruses....if it's free, it's likely bad!
To get rid of this stuff in it's early stages, go to your "Remove Software" section and uninstall such stuff immediately so you won't have to pay others to do it later.
- AVG Free: it won't save you from anything unless the virus is at least 6-10 years old. If you click on the upgrade button, they'll even show you how little the free version does compared to purchasing the full version.
- Malware Bytes: the free version will protect you from alot of basic malware, but not all. At least it will warn you you've got them now but you have to buy their software now to fully remove the crap.
Almost all programs that are free work on the principle I just mentioned in Malware Bytes. This is how they want to encourage you to buy their product. My favourite AV software is Symantec Server edition as it takes less computer memory that most others to do the job and it's extremely paranoid. (this means it will sometimes call files that aren't a virus a virus cause feels like it 😉 ) Symantec also writes Norton AV software but it uses far more base memory to run.
Now McAfee AV is also good, but there are a slug of viruses designed to imitate them as a warning popup appears proclaiming your affected and just "click here" to fix it now. Folks do so simply by reflex or just trying to close the popup down, and this sole act just activated a portal into your computer as that was a trojan horse which just opened the gates! So how do you stop this type of trojan(as it often gets past even the best AV software). You close the program by right clicking on it's tab in the toolbar at the bottom of your screen and only here....otherwise, just push your computer's power button once and allow it to shut down. Upon restart, this threat should be gone.
Many older versions of AV software won't run on Windows 8. This is because they want you to buy their latest versions and hopefully online so they can profit too. AVG seems the most acceptable I've found for Windows 8 so far.
Web Browsers
There are standard options I include when doing a reinstall for customers. I leave the stock programs such as Windows Explorer, but also install Mozilla's Firfox as it is far more secure. I suggest to the customer to at least use it to do their online banking and such. This aspect hopefully creates the incentive to change up in the end.
Useful plugins for Firefox
• BetterPrivacy (Removes persistent cookies from flash stuff >> *.sol)
• AdBlock Plus (blocks Ads) (Subscribe to Easylist and Fanboy's List)
• Element Hider for Adblock Plus
• TACO (More adblocking)
• WorldIP (know your country, know your rights)
• Flagfox
• GoogleSharing (GoogleProxy, i use it because Google is censored where i live, anonymizes the
search)
• Optimize google: Allows to block loads of scum google uses to track searchs.
• Outernet explorer (MacOS) : Searches for a whole pile of shit on the net every 10 seconds or so,
ensures anyone tapping packets will have a hell of a time.
• Scroogle SSL search (Google anonymously): https://ssl.scroogle.org
Torrent Files
Now and then I post links to sites that have torrent files. This is because it is a direct path to allow others to download a file that is pertinent to that given subject. But you cant just grab this torrent file as it is only a link. What is therefore needed is a program that will use the link to connect to the host provider of the file. Some have here have likely done the same thing when downloading music using Frostwire or such. Yet it seems that many haven't discovered this world of useful "free" knowledge and believe me when I say that they are various groups trying to stop this file sharing from occurring. This is because some files are legal to share while others are pirated. Thus they can't completely stop it because the hosts are the ones providing the file, not the server.
Here is how torrents work: A fellow puts the file up on a site for others to access. A torrent site only holds a list showing files others are hosting. So using their website, it allows folks a link and access to downloading that specific file. At no time does this site hold any of the files themselves. This is how they avoid prosecution, yet it seems they are now cracking down on many such sites with new legislation.
Another bad part is that these sites always have advertisements(from low-life sponsors) that eventually lead to viruses, so if you play here, you had best have good anti-virus protection and only click on the file link...nothing else! Play by this rules, you win the file....don't and you will eventually find your computer has been violated and is silently screaming rape! 😯
And yet if you still want to play I guess I'' walk you through it.
Download Utorrent from utorrent.com/
Install it and only it. Uncheck any other software as there is often crap they want you to take along the way. The default settings will now allow you to get the files. You can set preferences as to where you'd rather store completed files and such if you want.
Now what I use when searching for files is http://torrentz.eu/ as this site searches multiple torrent sites and seems to get the best results. If you do start using this technique, you will truly see how deep the rabbit hole can go.....
"So which one do you choose? You take the blue pill -- the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill -- you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes? 😎
Seems your still here... 😆
How the Internet Really Works!
You cruise with a web browser, be it Windows Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, etc.. These in turn have a setting to a default search engine such as Google, Yahoo, Ask, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and many others. These engines search their own database and others when you type in a inquiry in their search bar. The more they are used by the consumer, the greater their database becomes and ultimately the better they can answer your request as they profit by the hits they get daily. This is all basic knowledge to the average web traveler.
So supporting the new guy like DuckDuckGo.com who won't sell your private search inquiries to others who will then send tons of crap now to your IP is a good thing. Set them as your default now...... 😉 (it's more secure and less garbage means their eco-friendly)!
But it should be getting clear to you by now that using Google is your bet bet to finding your answers.... Here's a quick solution.
- Load Firefox and use it for almost all your needs as your IP is safest doing this. Leave Windows Explorer as a last resort to locating information with such as Google for the search engine. Simple eh?
Now for the next part of what should be rattling around in your head..... how to gain access to that other stuff that always seems risky to click on? Here's why it is. Folks know many want a file on a given topic and so they lay a trap where your curiosity can set up up for them to exploit. So much that you think is a trap, most likely indeed is! Yet how do they have certain information on this subject to entice you with. Obviously they have some knowledge on the subject that their withholding as bait. The simple answer is they acquired it through other search engines than those your presently using. They most likely used the "Deep Web".
The Deep Web:
Here's a basic interpretation of how it works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UOK7aRmUtw
So the point is that there is alot of stuff sitting on servers everywhere, just that you can't see it to grab it. Obviously there are then Web Crawlers that are designed to circumvent basic firewalls to gain access to such data. And there are obviously search engines designed to access specific servers for those more willing to pay to play. So when folks go to websites like Pirate Bay (which is actually shut down again), they are playing on the fringes of the Deep net as they are trying to get files that are not directly accessible through legit means.
There's that word "legit" getting in the way of your having fun. Seems to me that our government and big business in general should view our privacy rights in the same manner we should view theirs....but they don't so where should we stand now? I'm not justifying that anybody should move your lines of moral thought on right and wrong either, just evaluate where it is right now because if you start cruising even the torrents, there is a lot of copywrite material amongst that which is free for the taking.
Now I mention all the above because this then is another reason to install Linux on either your present computer or an old one you have that isn't of real use anymore. Linux works well on older machines and I wrote a thread regarding such here http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=5033&hilit=+tgif
What You Should Know...
Yet you might now wonder why anyone would now want to be able to do any of this stuff anyways.....
You have likely have heard the US military started the whole concept of the internet and it's basic defense is that is supposed to be indestructible. This means that you can't shut it down or turn it off. It seems new laws are being written and rewritten by every government worldwide to ensure they can control this last vestige of freedom of speech.
Yet the Deep web is a region that is considered uncontrollable as all participants are anonymous from the start. Their identities are protected by software such as FreeNet and TOR. This allows Prepper's to gain access to knowledge of news in other countries no matter what your government does.... This makes in pretty much the last line of defense in global communications. Gotta love that!
Here's another video which helps remove some of the mystique that folks have tagged to the Dark Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI4H5ym14jM
@ time 5:30, he mentions that people in other countries have used the Dark web to organize and rise up against oppression that otherwise would have been impossible.
The thing that is becoming clearer is that even gaining access to these programs is getting much harder and so the eventuality of not being able to acquire the tools to seek out the Dark web will become a limiting factor too. In other words, you should grab such things while they are still there. Just as one should keep up with any newer version that come out as newer technology may circumvent old versions and the latest version may be the only way to avoid detection.
Over the past year, I have heard a few times that TOR has been compromised and no longer worked. Upon further research, this has always been proven false as long as your running the latest version.
Here's where to get it: TOR https://www.torproject.org/
Freenet : https://freenetproject.org/