What OS do the SMART people use?

FERMI labs, CERN, and many other High Energy Laboratories across the world have a couple of things in common:

• They have some of the smartest people in the world working there


• They use Scientific Linux

Recently release (2 days ago) is the new version 6.1 with more power and capabilities than ever! But you might be asking, "What exactly is Scientific Linux?"



Scientific Linux is an operating system - alternative to Windows or Mac OS, that you can put on YOUR computer. It is Linux based, which means that it has its roots in UNIX - an operating system made for mainframes!



Scientific Linux is specifically designed to handle the mathematics and scientific needs of those in the Physics, Engineering, Chemistry, and other high tech realms.



Of course, like any other version of linux, it has the ability of running programs like Open Office (a better alternative to Microsoft Office with more capabilities), Krita (leaves Photoshop in the DUST!),and many more FREE software packages that rival or excel anything you can find in the Windows world.



BTW- You can still run all your favorite beloved windows programs in windows under linux as a "Virtual Machine", so really you don't have to lose anything....



However - the strength of SL is that it is an RPM based (Red-Hat family) version of Linux designed specifically for the technical world. Whether you are a frequency coordinator that needs to do terrain mapping for frequency studies, a designer of nuclear reactors, or a college student wanting to get an edge on his fellow students both in and after college - then throw away windows - THIS is the Operating System for YOU!



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Engineer Students Turn Genius - New finding shows Solar Panels Save Energy!

Somehow, our gene pool has gotten smarter, as they have recently discovered that Solar Panels, in addition to generating Electricity, have an extra benefit of cooling the house or workplace on which they are mounted!



Gee - anyone ever heard of a SHADE TREE?



A study conducted by a team at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, led by Jan Kleissal used thermal imaging to monitor the temperature of buildings. Apparently they found that that during daylight hours the ceiling of a building with solar panels was five degrees Fahrenheit (2.8 degrees Celsius) cooler than the ceiling of an equivalent building without solar panels.



So, we needed a group of Engineers to learn that it is cooler in the shade?



Remind me not to send my kid to UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering! I don't need some college professor and a lot of expensive test equipment to teach him what ought to be common sense.
Wait - even the test equipment wasn't that expensive, when you consider that you can buy a Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer with Laser Targeting from Harbor Freight for $40.




What the team really discovered is that the cooling effect of the solar panels decreased the building's total energy costs, which amounted to a 38 percent reduction in "annual cooling load". This of course, required 38% less cooling, smaller air conditioners needed, less electricity used, etc.



Ok, so something good came of it - they were able to put numbers to it, but so far what is missing is HOW MUCH less cooling is needed PER SQUARE FOOT of SOLAR PANEL.



But then, hey, I could do the same thing with a white tarp and for a lot less money than solar panels cost, right?



I'm not saying that their "study" is a total waste of time, but I think the students could gain more practical knowledge and experience by studying how to create MORE electricity using a satellite dish coated with chrome paint, focussed at a water pipe that turns a steam operated turbine generator!



Your Thoughts?



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