Looking for Leaders: The Crisis in Social Work

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Hey there, tiger. Here's some content you should probably share. No, really -- not just because we are saying so, but because it's pretty top-quality stuff from some really incredible sources, not all of which are original. 

The economic slowdown changes in the political landscape, and competition from other professions are threatening the future of human services. Did you knew that Social Work is the World`s Second Oldest Profession? Ever thought becoming a Social Worker?! Maybe you should start doing it! Why? Although the pay is not terrific : 

•  The demand for these services is increasing.

•  There is ample job opportunity for people who feel a calling to help. 

•  It’s cool to help others: Celebrities contribute to social programs! 

The Social Work degree center has prepared an excellent infographic, that provides very good information and interesting history facts about this profession as well of some of the today data. Check it out! 

Source: SocialWorkDegreeCenter

We recommend its review to all Social Workers and Social Service Case Managers. 

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*by andreascy*

8 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Truck Driving

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Many of us notice truckers each day that we drive upon the open road. We may wave to them, we may pass them, and we may take note of the goods they are carrying. 

But what we may not know is that trucking is an industry filled with interesting facts and trivia. The following is simply a test drive of the interesting trucking tidbits.

1. It's a Long, Long Road

On average, truckers drive about 105,000 miles a year. To put that into perspective, that's like driving all around the world nearly 4.25 times. When all U.S. truckers are added together, they cover nearly one and a half billion miles annually.

2. The Name Game

The term "semi-truck" comes from trailers. Trailers have no front wheels, and thus can only be used by connecting the trailer to the tractor part of the truck. This led to the term "semi-trailer," which eventually evolved into the term "semi-truck."

3. Topping the Trains

While the railroads may get a lot of credit, trucks also greatly contribute to transporting goods through the United States each year. Per Popular Mechanics, 68 percent of all goods in America are delivered by semi-trucks. When calculated per person, this averages to about 60,000 pounds of goods per American.

4. A Rosy Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor, the trucking industry is projected to grow 21 percent between the years 2010 and 2020. This is quite a bit faster than the average job rate (which is projected to grow around 14 percent).

5. Claim to Fame

Several celebrities are rumored to have been truck drivers before hitting it big. Among some of the marquee names on this list are Sean Connery, Rock Hudson, Chevy Chase, and Richard Pryor.

6. Aversion to Accidents

While accidents may happen, when they do, the trucker is much less likely to be at fault than the non-commercial driver. In fact, truckers are well trained, have special licensure, and must follow governmental and company-imposed guidelines to avoid sleepiness and other types of fatigue. All of this adds up to commercial drivers being at fault in only 20 percent of the cases in which they are involved.

7. He Ain't Heavy, He's my Barter

Those 18-wheelers are legally allowed to weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. In other words, they can weigh as much as five male African elephants.

8. The Unwritten Rules

Truckers abide by unwritten rules of the road, rules used to communicate with other drivers. For instance:

•  Truckers may double flash their headlights into oncoming lanes to warn about a police speed trap ahead.

•  Truckers may triple or quadruple flash their headlights into oncoming lanes to warn about an upcoming danger on the road, such as a foreign object in the road, a rock slide, or a broken down vehicle. 

•  Truckers may engage their hazards when the highway traffic comes to a sudden stop, as may be the case with construction.

•  Truckers may flash their lights at other drivers once the driver has fully passed their semi. This is used as a form of common courtesy to let the driver know they can change lanes safely. Truckers sometimes expect the same in return; if they have their turn signal on and there is room for a lane change, a flash from the other driver will indicate to the trucker that they are free to proceed.

In Conclusion

We recommend taking a closer look into transportation industry, and if you have more questions reach out to a professional. For further help, you can always use our contact form and one of our specialists will respond. 👍😉

*by andreascy*

Bringing 100Mbps Ethernet to the Future Car

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

With the ever increasing amount of electronics in vehicles, and the demanding nature of high-end and emerging applications, there is a great need for high-speed communications protocols. 

Emerging as front-runners for more wide-spread use are: 

- FlexRay 

- MOST 

- Ethernet

The Strategy Analytics Automotive Electronics Service (AES) report, "Automotive High Speed Networks," predicts that Ethernet will see both the fastest growth and the largest volume by 2020. The key breakthrough has been the BroadR-Reach physical layer, from Broadcom, now licensed to other semiconductor vendors, such as NXP. This allows Ethernet at 100 Mbit/s to be transmitted over low-cost, unshielded twisted pair cables.

“Ethernet has gained significant momentum because it meets the requirement for higher-bandwidth bus networks which many feel cannot be met by existing protocols, such as CAN,” stated Ian Riches, Director, Global Automotive Practice.

“FlexRay will continue to find its niche and see volumes grow, but MOST node volumes are likely to start to tail off as we head toward 2020,” added Mark Fitzgerald, Associate Director in the Strategy Analytics Global Automotive Practice.

100 Mbps symmetrical operation using standard Ethernet PHY components (Fig 1)

The OPEN Alliance (One-Pair Ether-Net) Special Interest Group has released their standard for in-vehicle Ethernet over a single twisted pair (Fig. 1). The OPEN Alliance includes two automotive companies, BMW and Hyundai USA, plus three semiconductor companies including Broadcom, Freescale and NXP. BMW will have the first vehicle based on BroadR-Reach technology in 2013.

OPEN fills a gap between CAN, Local Interconnect Network (LIN) and FlexRay that are using automotive control and Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST), a high-end multimedia network. MOST uses fiber optics and runs at speeds up to 150 Mbits/s. It is a standard 10/100 Mbits/s Ethernet but it uses only a single, unshielded twisted pair cable comparable to that already used by FlexRay. Better yet, it is possible to deliver power over the same two wires like Power-over-Ethernet (POE). 

Twister pair Ethernet (Fig 2)

This is definitely a game changing approach because it is suitable for a range of applications throughout the car (Fig. 2) from On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) to Advanced Driver Assistance (ADAS) applications (Fig. 3).

Lower cost of digital camera deployment for advanced driver assist (Fig 3)

The standard defines new PHYs that connect to standard Ethernet MACs. This means that existing microcontrollers with an Ethernet Media Access Controller (MAC) with a Media Independent Interface (MII) can be mated to an OPEN PHY. There are no special drivers or protocols to incorporate. The system works equally well with any standard Ethernet device including those using protocols like IEEE 1588 clock synchronization. 

The standard supports the standard Ethernet audio/video bridging (AVB), 802.1BA. It also address temperature and EMC details that are critical to automotive applications. OPEN will be suitable for use anywhere on the car from the engine compartment to doors. Hardware can be qualified for Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) AEC-Q100. 

Cable length is limited to 47m. A typical automobile would need no more than a 30m limit but this allows the technology to be used in larger vehicles. The technology can work with significantly longer cables up to about 500m.

Automotive Networking and Consumer Connectivity Applications (Fig 4)

OPEN Ethernet mirrors standard Ethernet that is essentially a switch-based interconnect. This is key because bandwidth is less of an issue assuming a single application can be handled by a link. It is even possible to combine multiple links to provide higher bandwidth but this would be less likely given the drive to use a single cable to reduce costs.

In theory, the new Ethernet approach can reduce connectivity costs by up to 80% and reduces cabling weight by up to 30% compared to a conventional Ethernet LVDS interconnect. OPEN Ethernet can use connectors like those approved for FlexRay. This is important because, at least initially, automotive vendors are likely to use their own approved connectors and cabling.

Still, standard cables and connectors could be useful. For example, a four camera ADAS application would be less expensive if the cameras were a standard component. There is already a standardization effort for automotive cameras. All it would need to incorporate would be a standard OPEN connector. But that is for the future.

Right now the semiconductor participants are delivering chips to handle the new standard. Broadcom's BroadR-Reach family includes a set of PHYs and switches. There are three switches with a mix of built-in PHYs. These include the 7 port BCM89500 with 4 OPEN PHYs, the 7 port BCM89501 with 5 PHYs, and the 4 port BCM89200 with 2 PHYs. The ports without PHYs can be connected to devices or external PHYs. The BCM89810 is a standalone BroadR-Reach 10/100 PHY. This is the PHY that would be used with microcontrollers. In the future, this kind of PHY might be incorporated directly into a microcontroller.

OBD data can be emissions-based or nonemissions-based (Fig 5)

Also part of the mix is Broadcom's BCM89610 10/100/1000 PHY. This is a conventional Ethernet PHY optimized for automotive use. A single BCM89610 could provide a link to an external diagnostic system. The chip has the same EMC resistance as the other BroadR-Reach.

The OPEN Alliance and its members are targeting automotive applications but the technology is ideal for a host of other application areas from robotics to home security systems. Ethernet is already in demand in these applications and a two-wire solution with power easily beats existing technology in cost.

Ethernet has had a long and fruitful life becoming the dominant interconnect for a very wide range of applications. It could now become the dominant interconnect for automotive applications as well.

Check also "Ethernet for Automotive Applications"  by Dr Robert Bruckmeier (General Manager Central Control Units, BMW Group), Freescale Technology Forum.

READ ALSO: Metro Ethernet - Its Uses And Benefits

Got something to say? Post it below. Have an uber-super-awesomelicious week ahead! 😃💛

*by andreascy*