How Do Self Organizing Networks Work?

Many new advances in technology continue to take our world by storm. Just when people get safe and comfortable with their new gadgets, the people who create our beloved machines surprise us with even more power and usability than we ever thought possible. Self-organizing networks are examples of the latest great discoveries in technology. It is now easier than ever to use, maintain, upgrade, and optimize a technological device thanks to self-organizing networks. The hassles and tribulations that were caused by previous networks will soon be in the distant past. A new era is about to begin and how lucky we are to be able to be a part of everything.

Radio Access Networks

Self-organizing networks are concerned with radio access networks. When you use an iPhone, a BlackBerry, or any other smartphone, you are using a radio access network. The object of the network is to allow your phone to connect to the web, to other phones, and to media items like music, videos, pictures, and more. Self-organizing networks do all of these things more quickly and efficiently without any added effort from the people who use them. There are three basic ways that networks must be able to regular themselves in order to be called self-organizing networks.
The first action that a network must be able to perform is the ability to configure itself. When new base stations become available, the network must be able to configure all software associated with the base stations. The network must then integrate the new updates into itself without any outside help. Connectivity is a major issue, as self-organizing network must be able to automatically connect to other networks, and they must be able to download software for configuration. The network must also be able to manage its own parameters for security and reliability purposes.

Self Optimizing Capabilities

The network must also possess the ability to optimize itself in order to be considered a self-organizing network. When the software makes observations, it will recognize certain patterns of usage. The software will then be able to recognize what types of updates it needs to continue to provide the best functionality it possibly can. When people usually use computer software, they have to update everything manually. A self-organizing network performs these tasks automatically. The software becomes smarter by detecting the habits of whoever is using it. Therefore, the software is able to tailor itself to the needs and priorities of the user.
The self-organizing network must also have the ability to heal itself in the case of a software failure. Portions of the network can sometimes become inoperable, and the network has to figure out how it can fix it or to continue to run efficiently without it. It's like a wounded animal out in the wilderness. It has to heal its own wounds and make sure it can still function even if it is damaged. Other parts of the network can take over where a particular failed node left off. The self-healing network becomes one more line of advancement between current technology and newer technology.

Conclusion

A self-organizing network has a lot of power and reliability if it remains fully functional. You could almost make the claim that the computer begins to update itself, complete itself, and repair its own faults without people doing anything to it. This radical shift in technological perception will push the future of networks further than we know right now. Self-organizing networks will give computer specialists and users alike a new way of viewing computer networks. The popular 4G network phones that are available now are a good example of the beginning stages of self-organized network development.
Article written by Jet Russell. In his spare time Jet likes to contribute articles to the blogosphere where he is an avid community member. He likes to blog about all things tech and busienss related.

A Guide to Printing Terminology

There are different types of ID card printers with different functions and it's important to understand their various features prior to making any purchase. A better understanding of the features requires a good understanding of the related terminology. For example, an interested buyer needs to understand the difference between 'Mass Transfer Printing' and 'Dye Sublimation Printing.'

Dye Sublimation Printing

Dye sublimation printing is suitable for printing on the hard surfaces of different types of ID cards. It involves the application of images to the cards, which need a special coating. The process requires three main ingredients: heat, pressure and sublimation ink.
The ink can be converted to gas straight from its solid state without turning into liquid; hence the term 'sublimation.' Heat initiates the conversion while pressure and time control it. The ribbons on the printers are usually divided into three stripes of color - yellow, magenta, and cyan.
In order for the ID cards to accept the ink, they need a special coating that is applied during the manufacturing process. Some dye sublimation inks are meant for particular types of ID card printers. Heat transfer papers with specially finished surfaces that do not soak the ink are used to apply images onto the cards. The images are first printed on the papers before being transferred onto the targeted surfaces using a heat press.
Both professional and consumer dye-sublimation printers generally produce photographic prints. They can be used in a wide variety of fields, including membership and loyalty card applications, photo ID cards, or security badges. A relatively small printer can be used to print instant photo-realistic images cheaply.

Mass Transfer Printing

This technique involves the transfer of colorant material to the desired object by applying localized heat. The method is commonly used to print such monochrome images as bar codes or text. It can also be used in conjunction with thermal dye transfer to print personalized ID cards using a method known as direct-to-card (DTC) printing.
The printers melt ribbon coats that remain glued on the object or material printed. The printers can use cards made of cheap plastic that cannot withstand the heat of laser printers.
They have thermal print heads of fixed width that press plastics or papers over driven rubber rollers known as platens. A thin transfer ribbon or foil is sandwiched between the label and print head. It is a polyester film coated with pure resin, wax-resin or wax ink on the label side. Tiny pixels on the print-head are alternately heated and cooled in rapid successions to melt the ink on the label.
Image by bru76 and licensed through Creative Commons.

Rebecca Fischer is a sales representative for CardPrinter.com, an ID Card Printer retailer that offers the leading brands in the industry including the Evolis Zenius Single-Sided card printer and the Zebra ZXP Series 3 ID Card Printer.

Flyknit: Nike's Knitted Trainers

Technology has changed the way we live our lives. Even the last 10 years have been a turning point in everything from labour saving devices to transport and especially in computing. Fashion and sportswear have also benefited from these developments, with the latter investing millions in creating more effective clothing and shoes. Sports brands work very closely with sportsmen and women to improve their products all the time, and Nike is one of the first to hit upon a new way of making trainers.

I say 'new', it's new to Nike. They're knitting their shoes now.

Nike Flyknit is a new line for the brand. They've been trying to work out how to make running shoes that are supportive, but also feel light and airy. This is a holy grail for many athletes who prefer a more minimalist approach to running for competition and training. The inspiration came from athletes who had been looking for shoes that feel as comfortable as socks. These shoes are apparently close to knitted socks in comfort as you can get, at least for now.

This isn't the first time that Nike has attempted to produce a kitted sock-like training shoe. In the 80s the release of the Sock Racer, which was very thin, and found to be too flimsy for many runners. It seems that technology has finally caught up with Nike's design concepts, and a stable, knitted running shoe could finally be released.

The technology behind Nike Flyknit

Starting with the basic idea of how a sock is made, the technicians, engineers and programmers took a knitting machine, normally used for making jumpers, and took it apart. The 15-foot long machine was re-engineered to work on the designs for the uppers, which has a surprisingly level of versatility.
The material to make the shoe is woven from spools of polyester yarn on spools. These are fed through the machine to create the shape of the shoe, which is formed from small strands of fibre. These synthetic fibres build up the shoe's structure and support. In-house software, which Nike calls 'micro-precision engineering' allows for the slightest adjustment in the shoe's design. Even the flexibility of the shoe can be adjusted at its most basic make up. The addition of more lycra into the yarn feed adds more flexibility, while thicker yarn for the heel adds greater toughness.
This whole process is performed incredibly quickly, which has made Nike very excited at the prospects. In fact, with the projected speed of production this has also improved the brand's performance at the stock exchange. It remains to be seen how these knitted trainers will take off among runners when they hit US stores this July, at $150 a pair.

Citations:

• Exciting times for Nike with their new line of knitted trainers (not pictured).

Pack Lane Wool stocks a wide range of knitting accessories including Rico Can Can yarn.