Open-Access Meta-Search

After working with universities in Zimbabwe and Suriname, I came to realize that one of the biggest hurdles to education and training is the cost of commercial  study material. This problem exists not only in developing nations but also in nations such as the United States. With the encouragement of many in the developing world I have undertaken to identify means of gathering quality study material from the open-access world. Both computer science courses I taught in Zimbabwe during 2014-2015 were developed using fully-cited open-access material. I began developing this approach to course design in 2011. One result is a prototype Open-Access Meta-Search Engine that has been a great aid to me in my own work, http://informationanthology.net/Open-Access-Search.html. Expanding this tool to others' use is the next step. Would you please take the time to review this prototype and send comments to me? I dearly need input from professionals on the design of the site and suggestions for new features that would make your searches easier. Thank you all very much for taking the time to provide comments. (An earlier posting on this topic talks about the thinking that led to this prototype (http://career-winner.blogspot.com/2013/05/openaccess-for-world-wide-education-and.html).

Picking a Totem

People insisted that I pick a totem, an animal that represents oneself. I chose the wolf. The immediate response was that there are no wolves in Zimbabwe. I said that is just the point, it is a new animal and I am here to bring new ideas and ways of thinking about technology. Besides, I have the reputation of a dog whisperer in Zimbabwe, having rough-housed with a pack of guard dogs who were previously unknown to me. Plus, the dog I played with as a child was half wolf and half German Shepard. Everyone accepted the choice after that.

 

Link to Picture

Beware Unsafe Products

Here are my personal opinions and observations regarding a product I purchased.

Most homes and apartments in Zimbabwe have many fewer electrical outlets than Americans are used to. Plus, those outlets do not mate with American appliance plugs. (Most modern appliances are capable of operating at  50/60 cycles and 120/240 volts. Check your appliances’ documentation and on-device annotations carefully before proceeding. Use a transformer and/or cycle converter as necessary.)

To compensate for the low number of electrical outlets, I purchased an extension cord that would accept appliances with American, European, and African plugs. This an important distinction from those that accept only plugs common in Zimbabwe. Here is the kind of socket I recommend. Note also the individual-socket control switch. This type is very common in Zimbabwe.

 

Notice the three prongs. These accommodate appliances requiring a separate ground. But, therein lies the rub with the first extension cord I purchased. Electricity did flow, even though I found the extension to be unsafe. When the prongs broke off the plug that inserted into a common wall socket, I thought I would simply purchase another plug and replace the broken one. What a surprise I had.

After cutting the old plug off the extension cord’s power cable I found that there were only two wires within the cable. Further investigation revealed that the ground circuit was not connected.

This is a very unsafe situation. While it is true that many appliances are self-grounding, an appliance with a ground-plug requires a separate ground for safe operation. If the extension cord’s ground port is not connected to the electrical outlet’s ground port then an unsafe condition results. The mere fact of mechanical accommodation is necessary but far from sufficient. 

The product I purchased carried the Globe GE-4 model annotation. One must admit that the particular product I received could have resulted from a manufacturing error.

While you must be on your own responsibility, how can you check if you are getting stuck with an unsafe electrical extension? One could look for the marks of respected inspection centers such as Underwriters’ Laboratory (http://ul.com) or Intertek (http://www.intertek.com). Both are well recognized and respected worldwide. But, their marks can be counterfeited and it is impossible to track down all the charlatans in the world. 

Another way to look for a safe extension cord is to use a Continuity Meter. A device like this can be cheaply purchased or constructed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9fgjr4gRjc). You can also use an Ohm Meter but you just need something that turns off when there is no electrical pathway between a socket port on the extension and the associated blade on the extension’s power inlet plug. You need to check all plugs on the extension. Be sure there is no power applied to the extension and that no appliances are plugged into it. The extension should not be connected to anything and nothing should be connected to the extension. If a test is not possible to perform before purchase, you will just have to trust the vendor, or not make the purchase.

Always be sure that appliances are grounded, either self-grounded or via a three-wire electrical supply cable. To do otherwise opens you to electrical shock and your appliance to damage. Under no circumstances should you defeat the ground wire, or be talked into using extension cords that do not support electrical grounding when that is required. Certainly, you should not purchase from companies that are known to supply unsafe devices or to otherwise bypass safety.