Power Engineer

Power engineering, also called power systems engineering, is a subfield of energy engineering that deals with the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power as well as the electrical devices connected to such systems including generators, motors and transformers. Although much of the field is concerned with the problems of three-phase AC power - the standard for large-scale power transmission and distribution across the modern world - a significant fraction of the field is concerned with the conversion between AC and DC power as well as the development of specialized power systems such as those used in aircraft or for electric railway networks. It was a subfield of electrical engineering before the emergence of energy engineering.

Electricity became a subject of scientific interest in the late 17th century with the work of William Gilbert.[1] Over the next two centuries a number of important discoveries were made including the incandescent lightbulb and the voltaic pile.[2][3] Probably the greatest discovery with respect to power engineering came from Michael Faraday who in 1831 discovered that a change in magnetic flux induces an electromotive force in a loop of wire—a principle known as electromagnetic induction that helps explain how generators and transformers work.[4]

In 1881 two electricians built the world's first power station at Godalming in England. The station employed two waterwheels to produce an alternating current that was used to supply seven Siemens arc lamps at 250 volts and thirty-four incandescent lamps at 40 volts.[5] However supply was intermittent and in 1882 Thomas Edison and his company, The Edison Electric Light Company, developed the first steam-powered electric power station on Pearl Street in New York City. The Pearl Street Station consisted of several generators and initially powered around 3,000 lamps for 59 customers.[6][7] The power station used direct current and operated at a single voltage. Since the direct current power could not be easily transformed to the higher voltages necessary to minimise power loss during transmission, the possible distance between the generators and load was limited to around half-a-mile (800 m).[8]

That same year in London Lucien Gaulard and John Dixon Gibbs demonstrated the first transformer suitable for use in a real power system. The practical value of Gaulard and Gibbs' transformer was demonstrated in 1884 at Turin where the transformer was used to light up forty kilometres (25 miles) of railway from a single alternating current generator.[9] Despite the success of the system, the pair made some fundamental mistakes. Perhaps the most serious was connecting the primaries of the transformers in series so that switching one lamp on or off would affect other lamps further down the line. Following the demonstration George Westinghouse, an American entrepreneur, imported a number of the transformers along with a Siemens generator and set his engineers to experimenting with them in the hopes of improving them for use in a commercial power system.

One of Westinghouse's engineers, William Stanley, recognised the problem with connecting transformers in series as opposed to parallel and also realised that making the iron core of a transformer a fully enclosed loop would improve the voltage regulation of the secondary winding. Using this knowledge he built a much improved alternating current power system at Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1886.[10] Then in 1887 and 1888 another engineer called Nikola Tesla filed a range of patents related to power systems including one for a two-phase induction motor. Although Tesla cannot necessarily be attributed with building the first induction motor, his design, unlike others, was practical for industrial use.[11]

By 1890 the power industry had flourished and power companies had built literally thousands of power systems (both direct and alternating current) in the United States and Europe - these networks were effectively dedicated to providing electric lighting. During this time a fierce rivalry known as the "War of Currents" emerged between Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla over which form of transmission (direct or alternating current) was superior. In 1891, Westinghouse installed the first major power system that was designed to drive an electric motor and not just provide electric lighting. The installation powered a 100 horsepower (75 kW) synchronous motor at Telluride, Colorado with the motor being started by a Tesla induction motor.[12] On the other side of the Atlantic, Oskar von Miller built a 20 kV 176 km three-phase transmission line from Lauffen am Neckar to Frankfurt am Main for the Electrical Engineering Exhibition in Frankfurt.[13] In 1895, after a protracted decision-making process, the Adams No. 1 generating station at Niagara Falls began transmitting three-phase alternating current power to Buffalo at 11 kV. Following completion of the Niagara Falls project, new power systems increasingly chose alternating current as opposed to direct current for electrical transmission.[14]

Although the 1880s and 1890s were seminal decades in the field, developments in power engineering continued throughout the 20th and 21st century. In 1936 the first commercial HVDC (high voltage direct current) line using Mercury arc valves was built between Schenectady and Mechanicville, New York. HVDC had previously been achieved by installing direct current generators in series (a system known as the Thury system) although this suffered from serious reliability issues.[15] In 1957 Siemens demonstrated the first solid-state rectifier (solid-state rectifiers are now the standard for HVDC systems) however it was not until the early 1970s that this technology was used in commercial power systems.[16] In 1959 Westinghouse demonstrated the first circuit breaker that used SF6 as the interrupting medium.[17] SF6 is a far superior dielectric to air and, in recent times, its use has been extended to produce far more compact switching equipment (known as switchgear) and transformers.[18][19] Many important developments also came from extending innovations in the information technology and telecommunications field to the power engineering field. For example, the development of computers meant load flow studies could be run more efficiently allowing for much better planning of power systems. Advances in information technology and telecommunication also allowed for much better remote control of the power system's switchgear and generators.

alternative energy in india

 The term "alternative" presupposes a set of undesirable energy technologies against which "alternative energies" are contrasted. As such, the list of energy technologies excluded is an indicator of which problems the alternative technologies are intended to address. Controversies regarding dominant sources of energy and their alternatives have a long history. The nature of what was regarded alternative energy sources has changed considerably over time, and today, because of the variety of energy choices and differing goals of their advocates, defining some energy types as "alternative" is highly controversial. In a general sense in contemporary society, alternative energy is that which is produced without the undesirable consequences of the burning of fossil fuels, such as high carbon dioxide emissions, which is considered to be the major contributing factor of global warming according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Sometimes, this less comprehensive meaning of "alternative energy" excludes nuclear energy (e.g. as defined in the Michigan Next Energy Authority Act of 2002).[2]

US town focuses on alternative energy

Historians of economies have studied the key transitions to alternative energies and regard the transitions as pivotal in bringing about significant economic change.[9][10][11] Prior to the shift to an alternative energy, supplies of the dominant energy type became erratic, accompanied by rapid increases in energy prices. [edit]Coal as an alternative to wood Historian Norman F. Cantor describes how in the late medieval period, coal was the new alternative fuel to save the society from overuse of the dominant fuel, wood: "Europeans had lived in the midst of vast forests throughout the earlier medieval centuries. After 1250 they became so skilled at deforestation that by 1500 AD they were running short of wood for heating and cooking... By 1500 Europe was on the edge of a fuel and nutritional disaster, [from] which it was saved in the sixteenth century only by the burning of soft coal and the cultivation of potatoes and maize. "[12] [edit]Petroleum as an alternative to whale oil Whale oil was the dominant form of lubrication and fuel for lamps in the early 19th century, but the depletion of the whale stocks by mid century caused whale oil prices to skyrocket setting the stage for the adoption of petroleum which was first commercialized in Pennsylvania in 1859.[13] [edit]Alcohol as an alternative to fossil fuels Main article: Ethanol fuel In 1917, Alexander Graham Bell advocated ethanol from corn, wheat and other foodstuffs as an alternative to coal and oil, stating that the world was in measurable distance of depleting these fuels. For Bell, the problem requiring an alternative was lack of renewability of orthodox energy sources.[14] Since the 1970s, Brazil has had an ethanol fuel program which has allowed the country to become the world's second largest producer of ethanol (after the United States) and the world's largest exporter.[15] Brazil’s ethanol fuel program uses modern equipment and cheap sugar cane as feedstock, and the residual cane-waste (bagasse) is used to process heat and power.[16] There are no longer light vehicles in Brazil running on pure gasoline. By the end of 2008 there were 35,000 filling stations throughout Brazil with at least one ethanol pump.[17] Cellulosic ethanol can be produced from a diverse array of feedstocks, and involves the use of the whole crop. This new approach should increase yields and reduce the carbon footprint because the amount of energy-intensive fertilizers and fungicides will remain the same, for a higher output of usable material.[18][19] As of 2008, there are nine commercial cellulosic ethanol plants which are either operating, or under construction, in the United States.[20] Second-generation biofuels technologies are able to manufacture biofuels from inedible biomass and could hence prevent conversion of food into fuel." [21] As of July 2010, there is one commercial second-generation (2G) ethanol plant Inbicon Biomass Refinery, which is operating in Denmark.[22]

Energy Development

Sustaining Energy Development in Eastern Utah

Energy development is the effort to provide sufficient primary energy sources and secondary energy forms for supply, cost, impact on air pollution and water pollution, mitigation of climate change with renewable 

energy

. 

 

Technologically advanced societies have become increasingly dependent on external energy sources for transportation, the production of many manufactured goods, and the delivery of energy services. This energy allows people who can afford the cost to live under otherwise unfavorable climatic conditions through the use of heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning. Level of use of external energy sources differs across societies, as do the climate, convenience, levels of traffic congestion, pollution and availability of domestic energy sources. Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished). Renewable energy is an alternative to fossil fuels and was commonly called alternative energy in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2009, about 16% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from hydroelectricity. New renewables (small hydro, modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels) accounted for another 2.8% and is growing very rapidly. The share of renewables in electricity generation was around 19.4%, with 16.1% of global electricity coming from hydroelectricity and 3.3% from new renewables.[1] Wind power is growing at the rate of 21% annually, with a worldwide installed capacity of 238 gigawatts (GW) in 2011,[2] and is widely used in Europe, Asia, and the United States.[3] At the end of 2011, cumulative global photovoltaic (PV) installations surpassed 69 GW, an increase of almost 70%,[4] and PV power stations are commonplace in Germany, Italy, and Spain.[5] Solar thermal power stations operate in the USA and Spain, and the largest of these is the 354 megawatt (MW) SEGS power plant in the Mojave Desert.[6] The world's largest geothermal power installation is The Geysers in California, with a rated capacity of 750 MW. Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs in the world, involving production of ethanol fuel from sugar cane, and ethanol now provides 18% of the country's automotive fuel.[7] Ethanol fuel is also widely available in the USA. Climate change concerns, coupled with high oil prices, peak oil, and increasing government support, are driving increasing renewable energy legislation, incentives and commercialization.[8] New government spending, regulation and policies helped the industry weather the global financial crisis better than many other sectors.[9] Scientists have advanced a plan to power 100% of the world's energy with wind, hydroelectric, and solar power by the year 2030,[10][11] recommending renewable energy subsidies and a price on carbon reflecting its cost for flood and related expenses. While many renewable energy projects are large-scale, renewable technologies are also suited to rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development.[12] Globally, an estimated 3 million households get power from small solar PV systems. Micro-hydro systems configured into village-scale or county-scale mini-grids serve many areas.[13] More than 30 million rural households get lighting and cooking from biogas made in household-scale digesters. Biomass cookstoves are used by 160 million households.[13] Wind, water, and solar power using current technology can supply all of the world's energy by 2030, and has the advantage that consumption is reduced by 30%. Excess production would be used to produce hydrogen for use in ships and airplanes.[14] It also has the advantage that it lasts for as long as we are on the planet, vs. less than a century for most of the non-renewable resources. Conventional production of oil peaked in 2006, and the more we use the faster it will be depleted. An investment in non-renewable resources of $8 trillion is required to maintain current levels of production for 25 years,[15] a cost that is avoided by transitioning instead to renewables. A 2010 study estimated that Australia could transition to 100% renewables for $370 billion over a ten year period - about $8/household/week.[16] Driving an electric car is like buying gasoline for $0.60/gallon,[17] although in 2012 an electric car is over $8,000 more than one powered by gasoline. If they were mass produced, this differential would be reversed. The most expensive part, the battery, is projected to be reduced from $12,000 to $1,500 by 2020.[18] Charging an electric car from roof mounted solar panels is almost free, other than the cost of installation, which could be included in the purchase price of the home.[19] Electric cars have almost no maintenance costs. The EV1, an advanced prototypical electric car, was brought in once every 5,000 miles just to rotate the tires and re-fill the windshield washer fluid.[20]

New Energy Sources and Inventions

  New Energy Sources and Inventions In the late 1880's, trade journals in the electrical sciences were predicting "free electricity" in the near future. Incredible discoveries about the nature of electricity were becoming commonplace. Within 20 years, there would be automobiles, airplanes, movies, recorded music, telephones, radio, and practical cameras. For the first time in history, common people were encouraged to envision a utopian future filled with abundant modern transportation and communication, as well as jobs, housing and food for everyone. So what happened? Where did the new energy breakthroughs go? Was this excitement about free electricity all just wishful thinking that science eventually disproved? Current State of Technology. The answer is no. Spectacular new energy technologies were developed right along with other breakthroughs. Since then, multiple methods for producing vast amounts of energy at extremely low cost have been developed. None of these technologies have made it to the open consumer market, however. Why this is true will be discussed shortly. First, here is a short list of new energy technologies. The common feature connecting all of these discoveries is that they use a small amount of one form of energy to control or release a large amount of a different kind of energy. Radiant Energy . Nikola Tesla's Magnifying Transmitter, T. Henry Moray's Radiant Energy Device , Edwin Gray's EMA Motor , and Paul Baumann's Testatika Machine all run on Radiant Energy. This natural energy can perform the same wonders as ordinary electricity at less than 1% of the cost. It does not behave exactly like electricity, however, which has contributed to the scientific community's misunderstanding of it. The Methernitha Community in Switzerland currently has 5 or 6 working models of fuelless, self-running devices that tap this energy. [More] Permanent Magnets . Dr. Tom Bearden has two working models of a permanent magnet powered electrical transformer. It uses a 6-watt electrical input to control the path of a magnetic field coming out of a magnet. By channeling the magnetic field, first to one output coil then a second repeatedly and rapidly, the device can produce a 96-watt electrical output with no moving parts. Multiple inventors have working mechanisms that produce torque from permanent magnets alone. [More] Super-Efficient Electrolysis . Water can be broken into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. When water is hit with its own molecular resonant frequency, it collapses into hydrogen and oxygen gas with little electrical input. Hydrogen fuel can drive engines (like in your car ) for the cost of water. [More] Cold Fusion. Though initial claims were debunked, cold fusion is very real. Not only has excess heat production been repeatedly documented, but also low energy atomic element transmutation has been catalogued, involving dozens of different reactions. [More] There are dozens of other systems. Many are viable and well tested. But this short list is sufficient to make the point: new energy technology is here. It offers the world pollution-free energy abundance for everyone, everywhere. It is now possible to stop the production of "greenhouse gases" and shut down the nuclear power plants. Transportation and production costs for just about everything can drop dramatically. Yet all these wonderful benefits that can make life on this planet so much easier and better for everyone have been postponed for decades. Why? Whose purposes are served by this postponement? Four Invisible Forces. There are four forces that have worked together to create this situation. The wealthiest families and their central banking institutions are the first force. Their motivations are greed and the need to control almost everything except themselves. Their plan is to eventually control all of the resources of the world, and thereby control everyone's life through the availability of all goods and services. An independent source of wealth (new energy device) in the hands of every person in the world ruins their plans for world domination. They don't want any competition. The weapons they have used to enforce 

 this include intimidation, "expert" debunkers, buying and shelving of technology, and murder of inventors. They have also promoted the scientific theory that states free energy is impossible (laws of thermodynamics). The second force is national governments. The problem here is related to the maintenance of national security. There is a constant jockeying for position and influence in world affairs, and the strongest party wins. In economics, it's the golden rule: "The one with the gold makes the rules." Unlimited energy on this planet will lead to an inevitable reshuffling of the balance of power. Everybody will want it, and at the same time, want to prevent everyone else from getting it. So, national governments' motivations are self-preservation. Their weapons include preventing the issuance of patents based on national security grounds, harassment of inventors with criminal charges, tax audits, threats, phone taps, arson, theft, and a host of other intimidations which make the business of building and marketing a new energy machine

A New Energy Source - Blacklight Power

practically impossible. The third force consists of deluded inventors and con men. On the periphery of the extraordinary scientific breakthroughs that constitute real new energy technologies, lies a shadow world of unexplained anomalies, marginal inventions and unscrupulous promoters. The first two forces have constantly used the media to promote the worst examples of this group, to distract the public's attention, and to discredit real breakthroughs by associating them with the frauds. So, the third force is delusion and dishonesty. The motivations are self-aggrandizement, greed, want of power over others, and a false sense of self-importance. The weapons used are lying, cheating, self-delusion and arrogance combined with bad science. The fourth force operating to postpone the public availability of new energy technology is all of the rest of us. It may be easy to see how narrow and selfish the motivations of the other forces are, but actually, these motivations are still very much alive in each of us as well. Like the wealthiest families, don't we each secretly harbor illusions of false superiority and want to control others instead of ourselves? Also, wouldn't you sell out if the price were high enough? Or like the governments, don't we each want to ensure our own survival? Or like the deluded inventor, don't we trade a comfortable illusion once in a while for an uncomfortable fact? Or don't we still fear the unknown, even if it promises a great reward? All four forces are just different aspects of the same process. There is really only one force preventing the availability of new energy technology, and that is unspiritually motivated behavior. New energy technology is an outward manifestation of divine abundance. It is the engine of the economy of an enlightened society, where people voluntarily behave in a respectful and civil manner toward each other. Unspiritualized humans cannot be trusted with new energy. They will only do what they have always done, which is to take merciless advantage of each other, or kill each other and themselves in the process. The Opportunity. What is new is that you and I can communicate with each other now better than at anytime in the past. The Internet offers us, the fourth force, an opportunity to overcome the combined efforts of the other forces preventing new energy technology from spreading. What is starting to happen is that inventors are publishing their work , instead of patenting it and keeping it secret. More and more, people are "giving away" information on these technologies in books, videos and websites. While there is still a great deal of useless information about new energy on the Internet, the availability of good information is rising rapidly. All of us constitute the fourth force. If we stand up and refuse to remain ignorant and action-less, we can change the course of history. Only mass action can create the world we want. The other three forces will not help us put a fuelless power plant in our homes. New energy technology will change everything about the way we live, work and relate to each other. It obsoletes greed and fear for survival. But like all exercises of spiritual faith, we must first manifest generosity and trust in our own lives. New energy technology is here. It has been here for decades. Communications technology and the Internet have torn the veil of secrecy off of this remarkable fact. People all over the world are starting to build new energy devices. The bankers and governments don't want this to happen, but can't stop it. Tremendous economic instabilities and wars will be used to distract people's attention from the new energy movement. There will be essentially no major media coverage of this aspect of what is going on. Western society is in many ways spiraling toward self-destruction due to the accumulated effects of greed and corruption. New energy technologies cannot stop this trend. If, however, you have a new energy device, you may be better positioned to support the transition that is underway. The question is, who will ultimately control the emerging world government, the first force, or the fourth force? Those who choose the fourth force may live to see the dawn of the world of new energy. I challenge you to be among the ones who do so. New Energy Sources was written by Peter Lindemann, D. Sc. and summarized and edited by Fred Burks

Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs

• Appliances
• Conserving Water
• Heating & Cooling
• Home Offices

• Lighting
• Other
• Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs

TIP – Buy A Device Timer For Your Pump: Depending on the materials used in the construction of your pool, you may be given different instructions on how long the pump needs to run. By putting it on a timer, you can customize the amount power it uses so that it uses no more than it needs. Also, you will be able to go out with confidence knowing that your pump will stop running when it whould whether you’ home or not.

TIP – Shop For A Variable-Speed Pump: In California these are required by law. Basically, these run just like a normal pump, but shift-down to a lower speed for cleaning and circulation purposes. Like most of the best energy-saving devices, these cost a little more than their conventional and inefficient ancestors, but you are guaranteed to make the difference up tenfold in a year’s worth of pool-heating costs.

Audit software review

A software audit review, or software audit, is a type of software review in which one or more auditors who are not members of thesoftware development organization conduct "An independent examination of a software product, software process, or set of software processes to assess compliance with specifications, standards, contractual agreements, or other criteria".^[1]

"Software product" mostly, but not exclusively, refers to some kind of technical document. IEEE Std. 1028 offers a list of 32 "examples of software products subject to audit", including documentary products such as various sorts of plan, contracts, specifications, designs, procedures, standards, and reports, but also non-documentary products such as data, test data, and deliverable media.

Software audits are distinct from software peer reviews and software management reviews in that they are conducted by personnel external to, and independent of, the software development organization, and are concerned with compliance of products or processes, rather than with their technical content, technical quality, or managerial implications.

The term "software audit review" is adopted here to designate the form of software audit described in IEEE Std. 1028.

"The purpose of a software audit is to provide an independent evaluation of conformance of software products and processes to applicable regulations, standards, guidelines, plans, and procedures".^[2] The following roles are recommended:

• The Initiator (who might be a manager in the audited organization, a customer or user representative of the audited organization, or a third party), decides upon the need for an audit, establishes its purpose and scope, specifies the evaluation criteria, identifies the audit personnel, decides what follow-up actions will be required, and distributes the audit report.
• The Lead Auditor (who must be someone "free from bias and influence that could reduce his ability to make independent, objective evaluations") is responsible for administrative tasks such as preparing the audit plan and assembling and managing the audit team, and for ensuring that the audit meets its objectives.
• The Recorder documents anomalies, action items, decisions, and recommendations made by the audit team.
• The Auditors (who must be, like the Lead Auditor, free from bias) examine products defined in the audit plan, document their observations, and recommend corrective actions. (There may be only a single auditor.)
• The Audited Organization provides a liaison to the auditors, and provides all information requested by the auditors. When the audit is completed, the audited organization should implement corrective actions and recommendations.

[edit]Tools

Parts of Software audit could be done using static analysis tools that analyze application code and score its conformance with standards, guidelines, best practices. From the List of tools for static code analysis some are covering a very large spectrum from code to architecture review, and could be use for benchmarking.

Efficiency

Analyzing a company's inventories and receivables is a reliable means of helping to determine whether it is a good investment play or not. Companies stay efficient and competitive by keeping inventory levels down and speeding up collection of what they are owed. In this article, we'll take you through the process step by step.

SEE: The Working Capital Position

Getting Goods off the ShelfAs an investor, you want to know if a company has too much money tied up in its inventory. Companies have limited funds available to invest in inventory - they can't stock a lifetime supply of every item. To generate the cash to pay bills and return a profit, they must sell the merchandise they have purchased from suppliers. Inventory turnover measures how quickly the company is moving merchandise through the warehouse to customers.

Let's look at U.S. retail giant Walmart, known for its super-efficient operations and state-of-the-art supply chain system, which keeps inventories at a bare minimum. In fiscal 2011, inventory sat on its shelves for an average of 40 days. Like most companies, Walmart doesn't provide inventory turnover numbers to investors, but they can be flushed out using data from Walmart's financial statements.

Inventory Days = 365 Days / (Average Cost of Goods Sold/Average Inventory)

Obtaining Average COGS To get the necessary data, find its Consolidated Statements of Income on the company's website and locate cost of goods sold (COGS), or "cost of sales" found just below the top-line sales (revenue). For the 2011 fiscal year, Walmart's COGS totaled US$315.29 billion.

Obtaining Average Inventory Then look at the Consolidated Balance Sheet (the next page after Statements of Income). Under assets, you will find the inventory figure. For 2011, Walmart's inventory was $36.3 billion, and in 2010, it was $32.7 billion. Average the two numbers ($36.3 billion + $32.7 billion / 2 = $34.5 billion), then divide that inventory average, $34.5 billion, into the average cost of goods sold in 2011. You will arrive at the annual turnover ratio 9.1. Now, divide the number of days in the year, 365, by the annual turnover ratio, 9.1, and that gives you 40.1. That means it takes Walmart about 40 days, or about a month and a half, to cycle through its inventory. This number of inventory days is also known as the "days-to-sell" figure.

Broadly speaking, the smaller number of days, the more efficient a company - inventory is held for less time and less money is tied up in inventory. Using the same calculations above, Walmart's numbers back in 2003 yielded 45 days, which goes to show that within that decade range, the company has increased its inventory efficiency. Thus, money is freed up for things like research and development, marketing or even share buybacks and dividend payments. If the number of days is high, that could mean that sales are poor and inventories are piling up in warehouses.

SEE: How To Evaluate A Company's Balance Sheet

Remember, however, that it's not enough to know the number at any specific time. Investors need to know if the days-to-sell inventory figure is getting better or worse over several periods. To get a decent sense of the trend, calculate at least two years' worth of quarterly inventory sales numbers.

If you do spot an obvious trend in the numbers, it's worthwhile asking why. Investors would be pleased if the number of inventory days were falling because of greater efficiencies gained through tighter inventory controls. On the other hand, products may be moving off the shelf more quickly simply because the company is cutting its prices.

To get an answer, flip to the Income Statement and look at Walmart's gross margin (top-line revenue, or net sales, minus cost of sales). Check to see whether gross margins as a percentage of revenue/net sales are on an upward or downward trajectory. Gross margins, which are consistent or on-the-rise offer an encouraging sign of improved efficiencies. Shrinking margins, on the other hand, suggest the company is resorting to price cuts to boost sales. Looking back at the numbers, you will find that Walmart's gross margins, as expressed as a percentage of net sales, went down 0.2% from 24.9% in 2010 to 24.7% in 2011 (gross margin = net sales - COGS/net sales).

If inventory days are increasing, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Companies normally let inventories build up when they are introducing a new product in the market or ahead of a busy sales period. However, if you don't foresee an obvious pick-up in demand coming, the increase could mean that unsold goods will simply collect dust in the stockroom.

Collecting What's Owed - Soon!
Accounts receivable is the money that is currently owed to a company by its customers. Analyzing the speed at which a company collects what it is owed can tell you a lot about its financial efficiency. If a company's collection period is growing longer, it could mean problems ahead. The company may be letting customers stretch their credit in order to recognize greater top-line sales and that can spell trouble later on, especially if customers face a cash crunch. Getting money right away is preferable to waiting for it - especially since some of what is owed may never be paid. The quicker a company gets its customers to make payments, the sooner it has cash to pay for salaries, merchandise and equipment, loans and, best of all, dividends and growth opportunities.

Therefore, investors should determine how many days, on average, the company takes to collect its accounts receivable. Here is the formula:

Receivables Days = 365 Days / (Revenues/Average Receivables)

On the top of the Income Statement, you will find revenues. On the Balance Sheet under current assets, you will find accounts receivable. Walmart generated $418.9 billion in net sales in 2011. At the end of that year, its accounts receivable stood at $5 billion, and in 2010, it was $4 billion, yielding an average accounts receivable figure of about $7 billion.

Dividing revenue by average receivables gives a receivables turnover ratio of 60. This shows how many times the company turned over its receivables in the annual period. Three hundred and sixty-five days of the year divided by the receivables turnover ratio of 60 gives a receivables turnover rate of three days. On average, it took about a week for Walmart to receive payment for the goods it sold.

SEE: Read This Before You Sell

Sizing-up Efficiencies
It's good news when you see a shortening of both inventory days and the collection period. Still, that's not enough to fully understand how a company is running. To gauge real efficiency, you need to see how the company stacks up against other players in the industry.

Let's see how Walmart compared in 2003 to Target Stores, another large, publicly-listed retail chain. Dramatic differences can be seen. While Walmart, on average, turned over its inventory every 40 days during that period, Target's inventory turnover took nearly 61 days. Walmart collected payments in just three days. Meanwhile, Target, which relied heavily on slow-to-collect credit card revenues, required almost 64 days to get its money. As Walmart shows, using competitors as a benchmark can enhance investors' sense of a company's real efficiency.

SEE: A Look At Corporate Profit Margins

Still, comparative numbers can be deceiving if investors don't do enough research. Just because one firm's numbers are lower than a rival's, doesn't mean that one firm will have a more efficient performance. Business models and product mix need to be taken into account. Inventory cycles differ from industry to industry.

Keep in mind that these efficiency measures apply largely to companies that make or sell goods. Software companies and firms that sell intellectual property as well as many service companies do not carry inventory as part of their day-to-day business, so the inventory days' metric is of little value when analyzing these kinds of companies. However, you can certainly use the days' receivables formula to examine how efficiently these companies collect what's owed.

The Bottom LineFinding out where a firm's cash is tied up in inventories and receivables can help shed light on its how efficiently it is being managed. Of course, it takes time and effort to extract the information from company financial statements. However, doing the analysis will certainly help you find which companies are worthy of investment.

Definition of 'Auditor'

Definition of 'Auditor' An official whose job it is to carefully check the accuracy of business records. An auditor can be either an independent auditor unaffiliated with the company being audited or a captive auditor, and some are elected public officials. The term is sometimes synonymous with "comptroller." Auditors are used to ensure that organizations are maintaining accurate and honest financial records and statements.

Investopedia explains 'Auditor' Auditors can work for many different entities, such as the IRS or a state government. Auditors are also found in the private sector at accounting firms. There are both internal and external auditors; internal auditors are usually employees or contractors with the company they are auditing, while external auditors generally work either directly for or in conjunction with governmental agencies.

Auditor

 http://auditorlink.blogspot.in/

The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, water management, and energy conservation. Auditing is a vital part of accounting. Traditionally, audits were mainly associated with gaining information about financial systems and the financial records of a company or a business. Financial audits are performed to ascertain the validity and reliability of information; also to provide an assessment of a system's internal control. The goal of an audit is to express an opinion of the person / organization / system (etc.) in question, under evaluation based on work done on a test basis. Due to constraints, an audit seeks to provide only reasonable assurance that the statements are free from material error. Hence, statistical sampling is often adopted in audits. In the case of financial audits, a set of financial statements are said to be true and fair when they are free of material misstatements – a concept influenced by both quantitative (numerical) and qualitative factors. But recently, the argument that auditing should go beyond just True and fair is gaining momentum.[1] And the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has come out with a concept release on the same.[2] In cost accounting, it is a process for verifying the cost of manufacturing or producing of any article, on the basis of accounts measuring the use of material, labour or other items of cost. In simple words the term, cost audit, means a systematic and accurate verification of the cost accounts and records, and checking for adherence to the cost accounting objectives. According to the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan, a cost audit is "an examination of cost accounting records and verification of facts to ascertain that the cost of the product has been arrived at, in accordance with principles of cost accounting." An audit must adhere to generally accepted standards established by governing bodies. These standards assure third parties or external users that they can rely upon the auditor's opinion on the fairness of financial statements, or other subjects on which the auditor expresses an opinion. The Definition for Audit and Assurance Standard AAS-1 by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI) – "Auditing is the independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, and irrespective of its size or legal form, when such an examination is conducted with a view to expressing an opinion thereon." Integrated audits In the US, audits of publicly traded companies are governed by rules laid down by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), which was established by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Such an audit is called an integrated audit, where auditors, in addition to an opinion on the financial statements, must also express an opinion on the effectiveness of a company's internal control over financial reporting, in accordance with PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 5. There are also new types of integrated auditing becoming available that use unified compliance material (see the unified compliance section in Regulatory compliance). Due to the increasing number of regulations and need for operational transparency, organizations are adopting risk-based audits that can cover multiple regulations and standards from a single audit event.[citation needed] This is a very new but necessary approach in some sectors to ensure that all the necessary governance requirements can be met without duplicating effort from both audit and audit hosting resources.[citation needed] Assessments The purpose of an assessment is to measure something or calculate a value for it. Although the process producing an assessment may involve an audit by an independent professional, its purpose is to provide a measurement rather than to express an opinion about the fairness of statements or quality of performance. As a general rule, audits should always be an independent evaluation that will include some degree of quantitative and qualitative analysis whereas an assessment implies a less independent and more consultative approach. Auditors Auditors of financial statements can be classified into two categories: External auditor / Statutory auditor is an independent firm engaged by the client subject to the audit, to express an opinion on whether the company's financial statements are free of material misstatements, whether due to fraud or error. For publicly-traded companies, external auditors may also be required to express an opinion over the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. External auditors may also be engaged to perform other agreed-upon procedures, related or unrelated to financial statements. Most importantly, external auditors, though engaged and paid by the company being audited, are regarded as independent auditors. Cost auditor / Statutory Cost auditor is an independent firm engaged by the client subject to the Cost audit, to express an opinion on whether the company's Cost statements and Cost Sheet are free of material misstatements, whether due to fraud or error. For publicly-traded companies, external auditors may also be required to express an opinion over the effectiveness of internal controls over Cost reporting. These are Specialized Person called Cost Accountants in India & CMA globally either Cost & management Accountant or Certified management Accountants. The most used external audit standards are the US GAAS of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; and the ISA International Standards on Auditing developed by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board of the International Federation of Accountants Internal auditors are employed by the organization they audit. They perform various audit procedures, primarily related to procedures over the effectiveness of the company's internal controls over financial reporting. Due to the requirement of Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 for management to also assess the effectiveness of their internal controls over financial reporting (as also required of the external auditor), internal auditors are utilized to make this assessment. Though internal auditors are not considered independent of the company they perform audit procedures for, internal auditors of publicly-traded companies are required to report directly to the board of directors, or a sub-committee of the board of directors, and not to management, so to reduce the risk that internal auditors will be pressured to produce favorable assessments. The most used Internal Audit standards are those of the Institute of Internal Auditors Consultant auditors are external personnel contracted by the firm to perform an audit following the firm's auditing standards. This differs from the external auditor, who follows their own auditing standards. The level of independence is therefore somewhere between the internal auditor and the external auditor. The consultant auditor may work independently, or as part of the audit team that includes internal auditors. Consultant auditors are used when the firm lacks sufficient expertise to audit certain areas, or simply for staff augmentation when staff are not available. Quality auditors may be consultants or employed by the organization. Performance audits Safety, security, information systems performance, and environmental concerns are increasingly the subject of audits. There are now audit professionals who specialize in security audits and information systems audits. With nonprofit organizations and government agencies, there has been an increasing need for performance audits, examining their success in satisfying mission objectives. Quality audits Main article: Quality audit Quality audits are performed to verify conformance to standards through review of objective evidence. A system of quality audits may verify the effectiveness of a quality management system. This is part of certifications such as ISO 9001. Quality audits are essential to verify the existence of objective evidence showing conformance to required processes, to assess how successfully processes have been implemented, for judging the effectiveness of achieving any defined target levels, providing evidence concerning reduction and elimination of problem areas and are a hands-on management tool for achieving continual improvement in an organization. To benefit the organization, quality auditing should not only report non-conformance and corrective actions but also highlight areas of good practice and provide evidence of conformance. In this way, other departments may share information and amend their working practices as a result, also enhancing continual improvement. Project management Projects can undergo 2 types of audits:[3] Regular Health Check Audits: The aim of a regular health check audit is to understand the current state of a project in order to increase project success. Regulatory Audits: The aim of a regulatory audit is to verify that a project is compliant with regulations and standards. Best practices of NEMEA Compliance Center describe that, the regulatory audit must be accurate, objective, and independent while providing oversight and assurance to the organization. Energy audits Main article: Energy audit An energy audit is an inspection, survey and analysis of energy flows for energy conservation in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system without negatively affecting the output(s). Operations audit Operations audit is examination of the operations of the client's business. In this audit the auditor thoroughly examines the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of the operations with which the management of the entity (client) is achieving its objective. The operational audit goes beyond the internal controls issues since management does not achieve its objectives merely by compliance of satisfactory system of internal controls. Operational Audit covers any matters which may be commercially unsound. The Objective of operational audit is to examine Three E's, namely Effectiveness – doing the right things with least wastage of resources. Efficiency – performing work in least possible time. Economy – balance between benefits and costs to run the operations[citation needed] A control self-assessment is a commonly used tool for completing an operations audit.[4]

Books about Animation, Games, Art, etc Collection

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Books about Animation, Games, Art, etc Collection

Acting for Animators

Python Games -

2D Artwork and 3D modelling for Game Artist.pdf

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2D Object Detection and Recognition.pdf

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AI for Game Developers.chm

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Apress.Creating.Mobile.Games.Aug.2007.pdf

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Beginning Game Development with Python and Pygame From Novice to Professional.pdf

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Break into the Game Industry.pdf

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Core Python Programming, Second Edition.chm

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Essential Mathematics for Games.pdf

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Morgan.Kaufmann.Game.Design.Workshop.2nd.Edition.Feb.2008.pdf

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Prentice.Hall.Rapid.Web.Applications.with.TurboGears.Nov.2006.chm

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Python Cookbook, 2nd Edition.chm

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Rapid GUI Programming with Python and Qt.pdf

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Video Games and Art.pdf

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*120 Things you never knew about Photoshop
*Advanced Animation by Preston Blair
*Andrew Loomis - Creative Illustration
*Animator's Survival kit
*Art Of Rigging Vol.2
*Atlas Animal Anatomy For Artists
*Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair
*Crime Films
*Digital Animation Bible
*Disney Animation-The Illusion Of Life
*Exotique - The World's Most Beautiful CG Characters
*Figure drawing basics
*Force - The Key to Capturing Life Through Drawing
*Gary Faigin - The Artist's Complete Guide To Facial Expression
*Gesture Drawing For Animation
*Giovanni Civardi - Drawing Portraits Faces And Figures
*Hikaru Hayashi - Techniques For Drawing Female Manga Characters
*How To Draw Anime For Beginners
*How to draw manga Vol. IV - Dressing Your Characters in Casual Wear
*Lessons from Michelangelo
*Sculpting in Time - Andrey Tarkovsky
*Stop Staring - Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right
*Sybex The Game Animators Guide to Maya
*The Art of Flash Animation Creative Cartooning
*Through the Eyes of Leonardo Da Vinci
*Understanding Cinema - A Psychological Theory of Moving Imagery
*Writing for Animation, Comics, and Games

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Tender Specification

Tender Specification

	Registration of suppliers for the supply of various items of stationary, Photostat Paper, other misc. items and also printing of stationary items in the Ministry of Power.
	Tender for disposal of old and obsolete computers hardwares & peripherals(Dec-2010).
	Hiring of Auto-Rickshaw (TSR) on monthly package basis in the Ministry of Power-reg.
	Sealed quotations are invited for hiring Auto-rickshaw(TSR) on monthly package basis for the official use in the Ministry of Power.
	Disposal of old and condemned car for scrap purposes regarding.
	Quotation for the purchase of 40 inch wide LCD TV.
	Quotation for award of contract for providing labourers to work as peons for a period of 1 year extendable as per requirement.
	Installation of latest model Digitel Telephone exchange in the Ministry of Power.
	Quotation for 'Annual Maintenance Contract' for General Pest Control, Rodent and Termite control in MOP at Shram shakti Bhawan & Nirman Bhawan.
	Comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contract for FAX machines installed in the Ministry.
	Annual Maintenance contract for comprehensive maintenance of Computer hardware/software and other peripherals.
	Quotation for supply of toner/cartridge for Photocopier & Fax Machine .
	Hiring of Taxis in the Ministry of Power-reg.
	Quotation for outsourcing services for photocopying/spiral binding work( Heavy Duty Photocopier machine,operator,supply of toner and paper).
	Annual Maintenance contract for comprehensive maintenance (Including spare parts) of various telephone systems installed in the Ministry.
	Invitation of quotations for the Installation of vending machine for supply of tea & coffee in the Ministry.

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