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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
How giant TV screens work
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Think about the biggest TV screen you have ever seen. For example, the biggest TV in the world is more than 100 feet wide and 55 feet tall.
A gigantic screen like this is made of millions of tiny light bulbs called LEDs. But there are also hundreds of computers at work, and enough electricity to power a small town. Let's explore the biggest sign in Times Square in New York City - the NASDAQ Marketsite Tower sign - to find out how these megascreens work.
Let's start with the smallest part of the sign - a single Light Emitting Diode, or LED. An LED is a tiny colored light bulb. You see these little lights everywhere - for example, your DVD player might have a red LED that tells you whether or not it is on. LEDs have three big advantages when it comes to making a gigantic TV screen. First they are bright. Second, they are efficient, meaning that they turn most of the electricity they receive into light. Third, they last a long time. A typical LED might last 100,000 hours before it burns out.
On any large LED screen, you use clusters of LEDs to make one pixel. For example, a small sign uses one red LED, a green LED and a blue LED to make one pixel. By changing the brightness of the three LEDs, you can create any color in the rainbow. Turn all three LEDs off and you have black. Turn them all on at full brightness and you have white. And you can create any color in between.
In a big sign like the NASDAQ Marketsite Tower, you need even more LEDs in a pixel because the sign is so large. This sign uses two red LEDS, three blue LEDs and three green LEDs to make a single pixel. Since the sign has 1,800 by 1,200 pixels, that means that there are about 17 million LEDs in the sign!
These LEDs are wired onto boards called tiles. A tile has 256 pixels, arranged in a 16 x 16 grid, with 8 LEDs per pixel. A tile also has its own computer to control the LEDs on the tile. The NASDAQ sign has 9,000 of these tiles, each about a foot square.
The tile needs data to tell it how to light up its 256 pixels. This data comes from a main control computer that knows how the whole screen should look. The data for the tile contains an intensity level for the red, green and blue LEDs for each of the pixels. In other words, 30 times each second, all 256 pixels on the tile need to get intensity information. The computer on the tile decodes this information and drives transistors that send electricity to the LEDs. The tiles all chain together, one to the next, and pass the data from the main computer from tile to tile.
The other thing a tile needs is power. Each tile uses about 60 watts when all the LEDs are lit at full intensity. The power comes from a set of 700 power supplies that are housed behind the sign. If you multiply 9,000 tiles by 60 watts, you can see that this sign needs 540,000 watts - enough to power several hundred houses.
The problem is, all those tiles and power supplies generate a LOT of heat. To handle all this heat, 12 large air-conditioning compressors chill a glycol solution that circulates behind the sign. The air conditioners can use about as much power as the sign itself.
If those air conditioners were ever to fail while the sign is running, it would be a big problem, especially if someone was working on the catwalks behind the sign. It's estimated that it would only take a few minutes for the heat to build to 200 degrees or more behind the sign. Anyone working in the tower would bake to death.
Who would think that it takes so much technology to show a picture on a screen? These giant signs are a lot more complicated than they look, and that is what makes them so expensive. It cost tens of millions of dollars to put up the NASDAQ sign. Just the electricity for the sign costs more than $1,000 per day.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
How foreclosure works
How Air Force One works
How wildfire fighting works
How vitamins work
How ejection seats work
How reattaching limbs works
How hot air balloons work
How paparazzi work
How counterfeiting works
How CDs work
How the Edsel worked
How Stinger missiles work
How hybrid cars work
How sharks work
How mosquitoes work
How diesel engines work
How water towers work
How the Dawn mission works
How Kassam rockets work
How the North American Eagle works
Why aren't we flying to work?
How tofu and soy milk work
How Colony Collapse Disorder works
How airbags work
How the U.S. income tax works
How gum works
How caffeine works
How Daylight Saving Time works
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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