Online Jobs

There are many opportunities for you to work from home, especially today. More and more companies recognize the need and accessibility to have remote workers. It has may benefits for the employer and employee.

If you get a job working from home, you are able to save time getting ready for work and commuting to work. You will also save on gas, which will mean less wear and tear on your vehicle. You can set your own hours, if the job is flexible and allows for this option. This can give you the opportunity to have your children stay at home with you, even when they are little. You can set a schedule for your work hours and have more time to spend with your family. You can save money by making your own lunch. Every little bit counts. It is important to consider that your family is aware of your work schedule and knows that you will not be available during those times even though you are at home. If taxes aren't automatically deducted from your paycheck, you will need to set aside funds for tax purposes that you can pay periodically or yearly. It allows you to have more freedom, which encompasses you to be disciplined, have good work ethics, and be timely and sufficient. There are a lot of advantages to working from home. Weigh out the pros and the cons to see if this is for you.

To help you get started finding work from home or even to find new work at home leads, I have included a list containing a variety of legitimate jobs that you can do from home. Some of the jobs include working from home as a freelance writer, as a mock juror, typing, as a researcher, and freelance photography jobs.

SlicethePie
Get paid to listen to your favorite songs and write a short review for cash! Pays every single week.  Very easy and fun!


Sponsored Tweets

If you have a twitter account you can get paid cash to tweet online.  Payments are paid via PayPal.  Click above to sign up for free and start earning money today.

Cloud Crowd
Get paid the same day to complete simple tasks from home in writing, editing, research, data entry, translation, etc.  You can work from anywhere in the world.  All you need is a PayPal account and a Facebook account to get started.  You select the tasks that you want to complete. Pays daily.


Click worker
Get paid $9 per hour plus bonuses to complete simple tasks at home.  There are tasks in data entry, writing, video tagging, sorting, research, and more.  Pays every single week through your PayPal account.  Accepts people to work from home from any location.

Humanatic
Get paid to review calls from home anytime of the day or night.  You will not be talking to customers over the phone, you will simply listen to the calls from your computer and sort them.  Pays every Monday via PayPal.  All you need is a computer and speakers.  No experience necessary.  Apply online.

Web Answer

Get paid for your knowledge and expertise.  You earn money to answer questions online.  It is free and easy to sign up.

Ether
Another site where you can get paid for to give advice online.  You can charge $10, $25, $75, or more per call, etc.  Forward calls to your home or cell phone and choose when you want to accept calls and share your knowledge on your favorite topics.  You can also earn money selling content from your site, podcasts, videos, etc.

Apple
They are always looking for At Home Advisors to assist their customer over the telephone regarding their Apple products.  They have several openings in many states across the United States.  Apply for a position in your area.  Good pay.

HCD Surveys
Get paid cash to participate in online surveys on topics that are of interest to you.  You earn points for every survey you complete which are redeemed for cash.  For example 100 points = $1.  Payment is by check in the mail.

SQL Team

Write about any problems that you have solved and any interesting things you find. Your article will need to be at least 750 words. They will pay you $50 for your first article and $100 for your second. They offer bonuses and pay is distributed to your PayPal account.

Computoredge.com

This is a weekly computer magazine that contains editions in Southern California, Colorado, San Diego and New Mexico. They are always looking for talented writers and artists. They pay $75 for articles and $100 for features.

Ghostbloggers.net

This company will pay you to sell your articles. The pay rate is $3.50 per 100 words. For an article that has at least 550 words the pay is $19.25. They pay per PayPal account.

London Brokers

This company is similar to Text broker, which allows you to pick from a pool of articles that need to be written online and get paid. You do not need to be a professional writer to apply. The pay rate is a little low, but the advantage is that you get paid every Friday through your PayPal account. The pay rate ranges from $2.00 up to $6.50 per article for 300-1,000 words.

RPI Institute

They pay for online projects as well as in-person projects and online jurors. The duration of the project or mock trial is around 15 minutes to 2 hours. They pay by check that is delivered in the mail.

Online Verdict.com

To participate and sign up to be an online juror you will need to be at least 18 years old. They pay $20-$60 per assignment. The average case varies between 20 minutes to an hour. They want honest responses and there is no right or wrong answer. Checks are mailed once a month.

Maineoil.com

You will need a high speed Internet connection to qualify to work for this company. Not a lot of details about this job, although it entails talking on the phone. They need people to work for about 2-3 hours per day for 3-5 days a week. You will get paid $11 per hour. Read more details online.

Validated Response

This is another job that will consist of you working on the phone but it does specify that you will not be in sales or selling anything. They need people to work 20-30 hours per week. You will need to have moderate computer skills and a high speed Internet access. They have paid training Them job pays between $8-$15 per hour with bonuses and incentives.

Resmatic

Html coders needed on a contract basis. You will work with designers, customer representatives and make modifications to existing and new client's websites. Apply online.

NTI

This company is looking for disabled individuals to work from home. They have jobs in customer service, technical support, medical transcription, quality control, etc.

E-typist.com

You will need to type at least 60 wpm for this job. Typing test is required. You need knowledge of the English language and legal terminology. They want you to have a reliable computer. If you are interested, send your resume to admin@e-typist.com

Obeo

This is a freelance photography job. They need amateurs and professionals to photograph homes on the real estate market. Payment is per houses basis. Read more details online.

Sun Magazine

They publish essays, interviews, fiction and poetry. If you are a writer and would like to contribute to their magazine, they pay rate is $300-$2,000 for essays and interviews. For fiction the pay is $300-$1,500. Poetry pay rates are $100-$500. Pay is determined by the length and quality.

Terescription

Need independent contractors to transcribe for the entertainment industry. You will need a foot pedal for this position. They pay $.07 per line for a one person interview and more for multiple interviews. If you type 70 wpm, you will earn between $12-$15 per hour.

VForce Auto Club Renewals

The title of this position is called a renewal specialist, which means that you will be talking on the phone to existing customers to renew and upgrade their auto club membership. The hours are from Monday to Friday from 3-9 p.m. They pay bi-weekly. You will make $12 per hour plus bonuses.Bottom of Form

If you are a writer and want to get paid to sell your unique articles or blog posts online you can click here.  
Payment is through your PayPal account.

If you have a blog and you need more unique content for your blog or website click here.

BSG Clearing

This work from home job is described as a Live Operator Independent Contractor. This job entails receiving live verification calls for telephone companies and other service industries looking to help combat sales fraud. They pay $8.50 per hour to start and they have a flexible schedule. Hours needed for work are from Monday through Friday from 8a.m. to midnight. You will be needed to work every other weekend. You can choose to work shifts of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 hours. Apply online.

Blooms Today

Blooms Today is an online florist company and they are hiring work from home customer service agents. The job description requires that you must work a Saturday or Sunday.

Ispos

At home interviewer job. This is a work from home job needing home interviewers to conduct telephone surveys. You will need to live in either Ohio or Kentucky to work from home. The training wage is $8.00 per hour for the first 250 hours and then you will earn $8.75 per hour up to $11.35 per hour. You will need to work at least 15 hours a week minimum up to 35 hours per week. This would include working a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday shift. Read more details and apply online.

Cass info

This is a legitimate work from home data entry job. The job is part-time and you will need to type at least 10,000 keystrokes per hour as well as be able to type 10 key by touch.

SIRS

This position is called a work from home recruiter, which means that you will be calling people from home and recruiting or inviting qualified respondents to participate in focus groups. This job pays weekly. You will work 4 to 40 hours a week.

Enterprise Careers

Enterprise Car Rental Company are looking for work from home reservation sales representatives. You will be responsible for handling calls, assisting with reservation sales, and customer service inquiries. This job offers paid training, benefits, and discounts. You need to be available for a 4 week virtual training class on Monday through Friday from 9a.m. to 6p.m. Schedules include working afternoons, evenings, and weekends. The starting pay is $11.10 per hour plus bonuses. Apply online.

Active Network

Active Network is hiring several works from home call center agents. This is a legitimate part time, seasonal home based position working for The Active Network, the world’s leading recreation reservation company. Our seasonal needs are expected to run through early September with a chance for future regular (12 month per year) part-time status. You will work at least 32.5 hours per week including weekends. Apply online.

High Tech Pros

Looking for those to do data entry from home. This is a data entry position where you will work just part-time (4-6 hours per week, less than 1 hour per day). Need someone who will be working from their home 8-5 PM Pacific time Monday thru Friday and who wants some additional hours to supplement their current at-home data entry projects.

Globosonic DHF

They are looking for people to work from home transcribing market research interviews. You will be sent audio files via the Internet. You will convert them into text. This assignment will need to be completed and returned as transcripts within 24 hours. You are paid a flat fee of $20 per 60 minute transcript. No experience is needed but you must pass a Transcription Evaluation. Please apply online with your CV or resume via email to michael@globosonic.net

Break

This is an online website company that will pay you to upload original videos for $400 to sell or $200 to license to them. For the second original video they will pay you $500 to sell and $300 to license. For the third the pay is $600 to sell and $400 to license and so on.

Yahoo User Research

Yahoo will pay you $100 or more to participate in research studies. They offer in-site, off-site and online research study programs. Read more details and apply online.

etrends.com

You get paid to participate in online consumer studies. They pay out in a quarterly cash payment on a prepaid visa card.

Vocalabs Survey

This is another online survey program that will pay you to participate surveys and answer questions online. They pay $1 for most surveys that are only 3 minutes long. They pay through your PayPal account.

 Shmoop.com

We are on the hunt for enthusiastic and detail-oriented individuals for part-time data entry.  Work from home once competency is established.  Local candidates only (Mountain View, CA).

ARO
ARO is a contact center for some of the nation’s leading corporations. We strive to provide an unmatched quality of customer care and business management to our clients with virtual technology. Our clients are pleased with our highly qualified, motivated, and well trained staff. Employees are able to work and train from the comfort of their own homes!

Quacinc.com
This company pays up to $15 per mystery shop.  More details provided online.

Ad select.com
This is a part time work from home call handler position.  The pay for this job is $11.50 to $12.50 per hour.  You will be working for the Medical Service Bureau.  Apply online.

Awesome Holiday Destination

Photograph by Paul Hahn, laif/Redux

Arbil, Iraq

Defying Middle East Stereotypes

One of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, Arbil will make you forget everything you've heard about Iraq. The political capital of Kurdistan in northern Iraq is largely a world apart from the strife to its south. Visitors bypass Baghdad, arriving into Arbil’s new airport via flights from Vienna, Amman, and Istanbul. Booming with oil money, Arbil—known as Hawler to Kurds—has even earned the designation Capital for Arab Tourism for 2014.
A citadel, the basic structure of which is at least 6,000 years old, looms at the city’s historic center, surrounded by renovated Ottoman palaces and labyrinthine bazaars selling everything from traditional carpets to kitchen supplies. Though the city was marred by deadly violence in 2013, many consider it a singular occurrence, with construction continuing on high-rises, including a Marriott hotel, that overlook traffic-clogged boulevards. In the Ankawa neighborhood, one of the Middle East’s largest Christian enclaves, an imposing ziggurat-style church pays homage to the region’s Babylonian past. Restaurants serve wine and regional fare like kefta (a kind of kebab) and biryani. Outside the city, the landscape unfolds with mountains rich with waterfalls, lake resorts, and snowy winter ski trails. Australian Shannon Skerritt, founder of travel company Kurdistan Adventures, says he tells his Western clients, “Kurdistan is really the other Iraq. It’s not what you see on the news.” —Michael Luongo

Travel Tips

When to Go: 
Spring and fall are the best times to visit with clear skies and mild temperatures (typically between 65 and 70 degrees). Temperatures can be significantly cooler in the mountains, however, so pack accordingly if your itinerary includes hiking or touring outside the city.

How to Get Around: 
Lufthansa operates direct flights to Arbil from Frankfurt and Vienna. Independent travel within Iraqi Kurdistan is safe, but first-time visitors may appreciate the convenience and local expertise of a small-group tour operator like Kurdistan Adventures or Wild Frontiers Travel. Both offer fully escorted tours and include airport transfers, local transportation via private vehicles, and English-speaking drivers and guides.

Where to Stay:
The city’s newer hotels are predominantly international big-box brands catering to business travelers. For more character (the entrance is guarded by white lion statues with tongues that light up red at night) and convenience—only a 10-15 minute walk to the bazaar and citadel—choose the independently owned Chwar Chra Hotel. The room décor is a bit dated, but there’s free Wi-Fi and satellite TV and an outdoor garden bar where you can relax at day’s end with a glass of arak, a clear, aniseed-flavored alcohol mixed with water and ice.

Where to Eat or Drink:
At the aptly named local favorite Hawler try the barbequed fish, a Kurdish specialty. Abu Shahab started as a street kebab stand in 1970 and is now a brightly lit, two-story complex housing a coffee shop, supermarket, and restaurant serving founder Shahab’s authentic Kurdish dishes, such as lamb quozi—jasmine rice cooked with meat and special spices and topped with lamb shanks and mixed nuts.

What to Buy:
At the Kurdish Textile Museum located inside the citadel, young women learn weaving, felt-making, and embroidering from older mentors committed to preserving the artistic cultural traditions of Kurdish nomadic communities. Completed items, such as ranku chokhel (traditional cloth woven from goat hair) and thick, multicolored rugs woven with carpet hooks, are displayed in the museum and available for purchase in the gift shop.

Cultural Tip:
“Go with the flow,” says Kurdistan Adventures founder Skerritt. “It's common to be approached for a chat or offered tea. You may even be invited for a meal or to a Kurdish picnic with traditional dancing.”
What to Read or Watch Before You Go: A Thousand Sighs, A Thousand Revolts(Random House, 2005) tells the stories of the people, places, and customs that writer Christiane Bird encounters on her travels throughout Iraqi Kurdistan.

Helpful Links:
Kurdistan Adventures and Wild Frontiers

Fun Fact:
According to UNESCO, Arbil’s Citadel Town is believed to be the world’s oldest continuously inhabited settlement, dating back 7,000 years or more. Though its buildings have been rebuilt over the centuries, the inner network of pedestrian alleyways remains virtually unchanged.

Insider Tip From Michael Luongo:
The airport entry stamp is all you need because unlike the complicated process for southern Iraq, there’s no visa process for Kurdistan as long as your visit lasts up to ten days.

Cape Verde (Portuguese: Cabo Verde)

Photograph by Peter Adams, Getty Images

Islands of Soulful Song

“There in the sky you are a star / There in the sea you are a sandy seafloor / Poor country full of love,” sang Cesária Évora of her homeland, the West African island nation of Cabo Verde. In this ten-island archipelago, strong Atlantic winds carry songs filled with sodade, a bittersweet longing at the core of Cabo Verdean culture. Melancholy marks the morna ballads that speak of islanders who left, many with whaling ships that took an entire generation across the ocean. So with the songs of the rainha dos pés descalços, or “barefoot diva” (Évora graced many a world stage shoeless), Cabo Verde came into the spotlight.

It still feels like an uncharted hideaway, where tourism is nascent and blissfully small scale. That elusive feeling of discovery awaits on the more far-out islands, reachable only by boat, like the tiny flyspeck of Brava and the vertical Santo Antão with its lush valleys, pine ridges, and stark canyons.Even on more well trodden islands, such as sand dune–filled Boa Vista, pristine pockets hide: Winds and sunshine power the 12-room Spinguera, an abandoned fishing village turned ecolodge, its island-salvage decor curated by the Italian artist owner. On dramatic Fogo, with a giant cinder-clad volcano at its heart, a pair of hamlets perch inside Chã das Caldeiras, the ancient crater where residents grow coffee and grapes, and hikers begin the ascent to the Pico do Fogo volcano.

“In this busy century, Cabo Verde still has places of absolute stillness,” says Praia-based photographer and filmmaker César Schofield Cardoso, “and a force that invites pilgrimage and meditation.” —Anja Mutić

Travel Tips

When to Go:
Cabo Verde is a year-round destination, but rain is more likely August to October. September to June is prime surfing season along the southern tip of Sal, one of the archipelago’s sandy, eastern islands.

How to Get Around:
International airports are located on the islands of Sal, Santiago, Boa Vista, and São Vicente (also serving Santo Antão). Taxis and public minibuses are available on most islands. Travel between islands generally is either by ferry or propeller planes.

Where to Stay:
On Boa Vista, the 12-room Spinguera ecolodge is as good as it gets if getting away from it all is your objective. The remote cluster of rustic, stone cottages is separated from the ocean by expansive, wild dunes. Meals are included, as is use of the beach hammocks, where you can relax and watch sea turtles swim by.

Where to Eat or Drink:
Surfing hub Santa Maria has the largest concentration of restaurants. Menu options range from plates of chicken curry and rice at the Tam Tam Bar (owned by an Irish couple) to upscale seafood and tapas dishes (seafood paella, tartar salmon, ceviche) at Geko Gourmet, opened in 2013. At traditional Cabo Verde restaurants like the bare-bones Blue Marlin on Boa Vista, try catchupa, a popular slow-simmered stew of corn, beans, and vegetables.

What to Buy:
Shop for local art and crafts, including wood carvings, colorful batiks, and jewelry, in Santa Maria at Surf ‘N Soul. Boa Vista artisans craft necklaces and bracelets incorporating found objects from the island, including bones, shells, and beads. Other traditional Cabo Verde crafts to look for are pottery, tapestries, and woven baskets.

Cultural Tip:
Although counterfeit and pirated goods are openly displayed in many street markets, buying these items is illegal under Cabo Verde and U.S. laws.

What to Listen to Before You Go:
Miss Perfumado is the 1992 album that transformed Cesária Évora into an international world-music star.

Helpful Links:
Cabo Verde and Archipelago Choice

Fun Fact:
Portuguese is the official language, but locals speak Crioulo(Portuguese Creole), a Portuguese-West African-French blend originating in the slave-trading era. Although the Alupec (Unified Alphabet for the Cabo Verdean Language) was established in 1994, Crioulo remains a spoken language only.

Insider Fact From Anja Mutić:
Don’t miss a cup of artisanal coffee at Dja'r Fogo in Fogo’s capital of São Filipe, which has been grown on the owner’s nearby coffee plantation since 1874; it’s still roasted and packaged right there at the art gallery-café.




Cacao Trail, Ecuador

Photograph by Tui De Roy, Minden Pictures/Corbis

Sweet Talk at the Source

“It warms the heart to see fifth-generation cacao farmers taste their own chocolate for the first time,” says Santiago Peralta, CEO and founder of Ecuadorian chocolate company Pacari. Until recently, many Ecuadorians had eaten only reimported milk chocolate from Europe and the United States. But a locavore revolution means that locals and visitors now can sample the delights of the cacao bean at its source. Cacao was thought to come from the Maya, but recent archaeological discoveries have found traces of processed cocoa on 5,200-year-old Ecuadorian Chinchipe pots in the Upper Amazon, possibly changing the history and provenance of the bean.
The burgeoning bean-to-bar movement here has created “choco-lodges” and cocoa plantation tours in two standout regions easily reachable from Quito. In Santa Rita in the Amazon Basin, visitors to working farms can try their hand at roasting beans. In Guayas Province, they explore 19th-century plantation towns such as Velasco Ibarra.

A tour of both includes a drive over the Andean Plateau, one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots with more than 25,000 plant species, nearly 1,600 bird species, and about 340 mammal species. In other words, so much more than just desserts. —Adam H. Graham

Travel Tips

When to Go:
The best time to go to the Pacific coast is December to April (warm temperatures and sporadic rain). June to September (sunny and clear) is better for visiting the highlands. In the Amazonian jungle, it’s warm, humid, and rainy year-round; however, rains typically aren’t as heavy August to September and December to February.

How to Get Around:
Jeff Stern, owner of Gianduja Chocolates in Quito, suggests starting in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, to visit coastal cacao plantations before heading north toward Quito. “A lot of people want to visit somewhere [from Quito] in one day, but that's really not possible,” he says. “Distances are not long in Ecuador, but travel times can be.” One option is to fly into José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil and fly out of Mariscal Sucre Airport in Quito. Since many Cacao Trail locations are remote and tourist services limited, the best option may be to join a small group tour. Stern’sEcuador Chocolate Tours offers custom and small group itineraries, including airport transfers; transportation; meals; lodging; cacao farm, plantation, and collection center visits; and chocolate factory tours.

Where to Stay:
Sleep in a jungle loft, wake up to the whistling sounds of capuchin monkeys, and learn how chocolate is made at the Ecuador Jungle Chocolate. Located on a Napo River cacao plantation near Puerto Misahuallí, the thatched-roof lodge offers basic (dorm-style bunk beds) to luxury (spacious, river-view suites with wood ceilings and floor-to-ceiling screen windows) accommodations, guided adventure tours into the Amazon forest, and opportunities to engage with local indigenous communities.

Where to Eat or Drink:
At El Quetzal in Mindo, the locally grown Ecuadorian coffee is roasted onsite, the produce is fresh from the garden, and the owners, Joe Meza and Barbara Wilson, make their own Mindo brand single-origin chocolate. Save room for a chocolate brownie topped with homemade ice cream. In Quito, help support the Kallari Cooperative’s efforts to preserve Kichwa cultural traditions and enjoy a steaming mug of hot chocolate made with farmer-produced organic chocolate bars at Kallari Café.

What to Buy:
The Folklore Olga Fisch main store and museum in Quito and satellite locations in Guayaquil and the Galápagos showcase original Ecuadorian and Andean art made with sustainable materials. Shop for handcrafted Andean straw fedoras, hand-woven tapestries and rugs, and hand-carved hardwood or hand-engraved metal tiles. In addition to ten types of chocolate bars, the Kallari Café sells organic Kallari vanilla and artisanal jewelry made by Kallari farmers.

Cultural Tip:
Ecuador’s currency is the U.S. dollar; however, larger bills aren’t readily accepted. Carry coins and small bills (ones, fives, and tens).

What to Read or Watch Before You Go:
Chilean political activist and writer Luis Sepulveda’s environmental parable The Old Man Who Read Love Stories(Mariner Books, 1995) was inspired by his experience working for UNESCO in the Amazon jungle.

Helpful Links:
Ecuador Tourism and Ecuador Chocolate Tours

Fun Fact:
In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to grant inalienable rights to "Nature" in its constitution. Nature’s rights, which can be enforced by the people on behalf of ecosystems, include the “right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles.”

Insider Tip From Adam H. Graham:
EC Travel is working closely with Ecuador’s Tourism Ministry and several local cacao farmers and producers to create customized tours of more remote cacao-growing regions.

More to come..........

Project Ara

Google’s Project Ara: The first 'Lego' phone toys around with grand ideas

There is a phone out there that is unlike any other.

You build it and design it yourself: some would call it the ‘Lego’ phone, others would prefer to refer to it by the name of the original ‘Phonebloks’ idea, but most would know it as simply Ara.

It all started with an idea - why throw our phones in the junk every two years or so, when we could just upgrade the components that we need? Thus, the ‘Phonebloks’ idea was conceived in the head of Dutch designer Dave Hekkens. However, up until recently, this was nothing more than a fancy idea that geeks could talk about.

Then, Google came and picked it up, and christened it ‘Project Ara’. The development of the world’s first modular phone actually began at Motorola, but after Google sold the company to Lenovo, it kept the research team to itself and now Ara is part of Google’s top-secret Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division.

Today, right after the first developer conference for Ara, we know that the 'Lego' phone is real and it’s indeed coming to market in less than a year. Here’s what it’s all about.

The Project Ara idea: accelerate innovation and accessibility of hardware

Before getting into the bits and bolts of Project Ara, let’s first see what the idea is and why it is worth your attention. With a modular ‘Lego’ phone like Ara you can choose every component of a smartphone instead of getting an assembled package that gives you no such choice. It’s up to you to select whether you want the latest and most powerful (and expensive) processor, or a cheaper but still decent one; whether you want a camera like no other, or no camera at all; a heart rate monitor on your phone or no heart monitor. Moreover, you can also customize the looks of each and every one of these pieces.

The idea goes even beyond that, though - it changes the whole business of making hardware. Instead of having to rely on Apple, Samsung or another company to assemble parts from component makers, you can just shop directly from the component manufacturers. Actually, in the plans for Ara is a marketplace (not unlike the Google Play store) for hardware - where you shop for parts: cameras, processors, memory, and so on.

The endoskeleton (endo)

While Ara is all about changing separate modules as much as you like, there is one integral part that cannot be changed on Project Ara. Google calls it the endoskeleton (endo, for short) - the physical body that holds and connects all modules together.

Ara will launch in three sizes, with three different endos:

• mini (2x5 blocks) - minimum size: not wider than 45mm

• medium (3x6 blocks) - flagship sized, minimum size: not wider than 67.02mm

• large (4x7 blocks) - phablet sized, minimum size: not defined yet

Think of the endo as a modernized motherboard. It’s the bread and butter of Project Ara, and it's packed with impressive new technology.

You’d see that each endo comes with magnets that hold each of the pieces of Ara together. It’s surprising how easy it is to put modules in and out, and how it’s practically impossible for a module to fall off. Google is using a special types of magnets for that: electro-permanent magnets, a type that is passive (does not consume energy) when the connected module is there or when it’s disconnected, but that requires energy for the transition between that on and off state. 

Put simply, it takes no energy to hold a module, but when you try to disconnect one, the strength of the magnet shoots up by an order of magnitude to over 30 newtons, way more than you can overcome with your finger.

However, what we’re really excited about is the interface that is used for the modules to transfer data (talk to each other) and power. This connection comes courtesy of an open (as in not proprietary) protocol stack called MIPI, and in particular, the modern M-PHY protocol layer. It allows speeds of up to 10Gbps per connector, and for the 2x2 modules with two connectors - up to the whopping 20Gbps. We won’t go into much detail on M-PHY, but we’ll just say that it features many similarities to the PCI-E protocol, without the bulk of legacy support requirements.

Finally, the most impressive feature of endos might just turn out be their price - Ara has a price target of $15 for an endo. It’s important to note that while modules can be developed by practically anyone, third-party endo development is not permitted.

Modules: possibilities you’ll never have in a mainstream phone

While endos are the heart of Project Ara, modules could be interpreted as the brain, eyes, and all the other parts of the ‘Lego’ phone. 

You can freely change, swap and customize these little pieces that come in three sizes:

• 1x1 - 18mm x 18mm (0.7” x 0.7”)

• 2x1 - 40.5mm x 18mm (1.59” x 0.7”)

• 2x2 - 39.5mm x 41mm (1.55” x 1.61”)

These are the sizes of modules you can put on the back of the phone, while up front, modules always span to the whole width of the phone. There are some limitations - you cannot put 1x1 modules on the large endo, and you cannot put 2x2 modules on the medium endo, while 1x2 modules will be universally available on all three endo sizes. There are also some new possibilities - modules can extend over the body - for instance, a pulse detector module could extend over the length of the phone, while a performance-oriented camera module could be thicker than other modules.

Best of all, though, there are no ‘required’ components to build a phone with Ara. Sure, you need to have the basics, but you can have a phone without a camera, for instance, but with a few blocks for a humongous battery. Google actually plans on launching a ‘Grey Phone’ version of Ara with only the basics - a screen, low-end processor, battery and Wi-Fi modules, all running on Android, of course.

There’s enough excitement in such a configuration that could cost as low as $50, but what we’re really fascinated with are the possibilities that modules open up.

Experimental modules

Google itself showed a heart rate monitor sensor module that some people might want to get, but developers are already working on other captivating ideas.

The Institute for Health Metrics’ senior engineer Peter Sisk has said he is working on an Ara module to analyze a drop of blood, turning Ara essentially in a blood lab on a chip. Imagine how doctors could travel with just their Ara phone to monitor patients in the far-away corners of our planet. Such functionality will probably never make it in a mainstream phone, but it’s possible with Ara.

Satellite communications firm Globalstar’s design engineer, Eric Blanchard, has said his company could manufacture a module that you can use when you go out of coverage. That module would connect to Globalstar satellites and allow users to make calls and access the Internet, something that currently requires an expensive and separate satellite phone.

Actually, Google has just announced a challenge for the best module design with a $100,000 prize fund, looking for the most novel, functional, elegant, impactful, and commercially plausible ideas, so we expect a lot of new module ideas to come in the near future.

Project Ara might be a solution to our battery problem

Even a module as common as a battery suddenly becomes very interesting in Project Ara. 

You can have more than one battery in the Project Ara, and each unit could have it’s own charging port. This means that you can charge two modules at the same time, which in turn should translate into much faster recharging of batteries.

Not only this, we have not yet clarified that each endo ships with a very tiny built-in battery. It lasts for just a very short while, but it’s enough time for you to swap battery modules without having to even power off your phone. What this means is that once you start running out of juice, you can quickly swap battery modules, and not worry about your phone dying on you.

Open marketplace for modules: think Google Play for hardware, not App Store

The biggest idea of Ara, however, is that it could change hardware innovation from the ground up. Google plans to launch it with a marketplace where you can buy modules, much like you buy apps right now. It will be an open marketplace, similar to the Google Play store open model of submission rather than Apple App Store’s policed catalog.

For users, such a market might mean that no longer would you have to wait for Samsung to release the S5 with the latest Snapdragon chip - you’d be able to get that chip straight from Qualcomm.

It’s a win-win too: hardware makers can enter the business directly rather than going through phone manufacturers to get sales. Companies that were previously limited to selling products on smaller-scale markets, could now get open access to the huge phone market. For instance, an acoustics company could start making components directly for smartphones, an option it does not have with the current model.

"MODULES ARE THE HARDWARE ANALOGUE TO APPS"

Some say this could hurt carriers and phone makers, but it seems that first and foremost, this is a move to speed up the pace of innovation rather than hurt anybody.

Since modules all come with a removable shell on top of the circuitry, you can also easily customize that shell to your liking - with different colors, shapes, and so on. Third-party companies and accessory makers would certainly offer plentiful options, but with arrival of 3D printers, why not design and print one yourself?

Project Ara: release data and price

Project Ara has already gone halfway through its ambitious two-year mission.

There are still some concerns (most notably, about battery efficiency), and some rough edges to polish. However, under Google’s wing, Ara has skyrocketed from a mere concept to a very real prototype that is already in the hands of some developers.

Ara team leader and former DARPA engineer Paul Eremenko promised endos priced at just $15, and the most basic yet complete Grey Phone package should cost merely $50. At this price, it’s truly a phone for the 5 billion people not yet connected.

Ara, the first ‘Lego’ phone, is coming to market in January 2015. With Google’s promise to back it up and protect it from carriers and phone makers (who’d most definitely prefer to keep the status quo), this truly affordable device might just change our ideas of what a phone is in the future.

For more updates check ------> https://atap.google.com/ara/

Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB)

Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB)

A rigid-hulled inflatable boat, (RHIB) or rigid-inflatable boat (RIB) is a light-weight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull and flexible tubes at the gunwale. The design is stable and seaworthy. The inflatable collar allows the vessel to maintain buoyancy if a large quantity of water is shipped aboard due to bad sea conditions. The RIB is a development of the inflatable boat.

Uses include work boats (supporting shore facilities or larger ships) in trades that operate on the water, as well as use as lifeboats and military craft, where they are used in patrol roles and to transport troops between vessels or ashore.

Type	Ancillary Craft
Builder	Zodiac
Length	7.24 metres
Beam	2.74 metres
Main Machinery	·         Yanmar 319 HP Diesel engine ·         Hamilton HJ274 series Water Jet
Cargo Capability	1400 kilograms in any combination of personnel, equipment or cargo.
Speed	40 knots
Range	200 nm

History

Origins in Britain

The combination of rigid hull and large inflatable buoyancy tubes seems to have been first introduced in 1967 by Tony and Edward Lee-Elliott of Flatacraft, and patented by Admiral Desmond Hoare in 1969 after research and development at Atlantic College in Wales.

In 1964, Rear-Admiral Desmond J. Hoare and his students at Atlantic College in South Wales replaced the torn bottom of their 12-foot-long (3.7 m) sailing club rescue inflatable boat by a plywood sheet glued to the inflatable tubes. This proved a successful modification but was rather uncomfortable at speed offshore, and so the floor was rebuilt with a deep-vee bow blending to a nearly flat section stern. This boat was named Atlanta and later that year an Atlantic College RIB was displayed at the London Boat Show. By 1966 the students had built a further five rigid inflatable boats – Aphrodite (15 ft), Triton (16 ft) and X1–X3. Aphrodite and Triton were for the College’s own use. X1 (16 ft) and X2 (22 ft) were launched in 1965 by Queen Elizabeth II and made under a development agreement with the UK Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). They were taken by the RNLI for trials at Gorleston (X1) and Great Yarmouth (X2) from which they returned to Atlantic College in spring 1967. X3 was an experimental vortex-lift hull funded by a private developer and was not greatly successful.

By that time Des Hoare had concluded that for the conditions under which they operated a boat of around 18 feet long was optimum which led to X4 (launched 1966), X5 and X6 (launched 1967), and X7 to X8 (launched 1968). These boats were used to support the college's sailing activities and also to fulfil the college's responsibility as an inshore lifeboat station for the RNLI – a responsibility it still discharges to this day. At the same time, work started on a smaller series of beach-launchable boats (10 – 12 ft long, designated MX1 – MX6) to supportlifeguards on local beaches.

All the above boats’ hulls were built from plywood. In summer 1968, student Paul Jefferies designed and constructed a hull (X10) from fiberglass, which was not a success due to lack of strength. However that development led to the building of Psychedelic Surfer, a twin-engined 21 ft RIB, for John Caulcott, Graeme Dillon and Simon de’Ath to race in the 1969 Round Britain Powerboat Race, in which it was one of the few boats to finish.

From that time, the RNLI transferred development to its research centre in Cowes, who took the Atlantic College designs and developed from them the 21 ft Atlantic 21 class of inshore lifeboats which entered service in 1972 and continued for the next 30 years or so. The first commercial RIB is believed to be the Avon Rubber Co Searider which was launched at the January 1969 London Boat Show.

Introduction to North America

In the mid-1970s a hull mould and tubes for 21-foot R-HIBs were sent from Atlantic College to their new sister school being established on the west coast of Canada, the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, at Pedder Bay, British Columbia. Three graduates of the Atlantic College who were also trained as RNLI inshore lifeboat coxswains worked at the school during its inaugural year and coached some Pacific College students to build a pair of boats, designated X-27, propelled by twin outboard engines and X-28, propelled by inboard-outboard stern drive. These students were also trained by the graduates to operate these craft as safety boats in support of the college's coastal sailing and diving programs.

During summer, the college loaned their fast rescue craft to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), which was introducing rigid-hull inflatables into its new summer seasonal inshore rescue boat service operation. Meanwhile, CCG stations in the Great Lakes began introducing 5.4 metre Avon Seariders at seasonal inshore rescue boat operations in the late 1970s. The CCG inshore rescue boats hired university students to serve as crew, in part due to the success of the student crews operating these ever-buoyant rescue craft at Atlantic and at Pearson College.

Origins of the RHIB in the Southern Hemisphere

In 1977 Steve Schmidt introduced the RHIB concept to New Zealand under the brand Naiad. While it was slow to be accepted for the first few years, it gained momentum with Police, Rescue, Marine farmers and Government agencies.

The Naiad RHIB developed by Steve Schmidt differed from the existing RHIB designs in two ways. It had a twin skin, incorporating an air retaining inner and a robust replaceable outer. These were held in place by tracks. This system allowed for easy removal of the outer or inner for repair or replacement. The other feature was the unusually deep variable V hull with extreme turned down chines aft.

In 1978 the demand grew for more protection in the form of an integral cabin and outboard well to better protect the crew in adverse conditions. Though basic to start with cabins soon became popular and more sophisticated.

General characteristics

Small RHIB being used as a dive boat

RIBs are commonly 4 to 9 metres (13 to 28 ft) long, although they can range in length between 2.5 and 18 metres (7.5 and 55 ft). A RIB is often propelled by one or more outboard motors or an inboard motor turning a water jet or stern drive. Generally the power of the motors is in the range of 5 to 300 horse power (4 to 220 kW).

RIBs are used as rescue craft, safety boats for sailing, dive boats or tenders for larger boats and ships. Their shallow draught, high maneuverability, speed and relative immunity to damage in low-speed collisions are advantages in these applications.

RIBs up to about 7 metres in length can be towed on trailers on the road; this, coupled with their other properties, is making them increasingly attractive as leisure craft.

Performance

High-performance RHIB from the Danish Navy

RIBs are designed with hydroplaning hulls. Due to their low weight, RIBs often outperform some types of similarly sized and powered boats.

RIBs can also generally cope better with rougher seas, although this may be partially due to an increased level of confidence, in knowing that a RIB is hard to sink, and better absorption of heavy loads by the flexible tubes, which therefore make heavy seas less unpleasant.

The maximum speed of the RIB depends on its gross weight, power, length and profile of hull, and sea conditions. A typical seaborne 6-metre (19 ft 8 in) RIB, with six passengers, 110 horsepower (82 kW) engines, in Beaufort force 2 is very likely to have a top speed of around 30 knots (56 km/h). High-Performance RIBs may operate with a speed between 40 and 70 knots (74 and 130 km/h), depending on the size and weight.

Construction

Clear view of a "Deep-V" rigid hull

Hull

The hull is made of steel, wood, aluminium, or more commonly, a combination of wood for the structure and glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) composite for the shaped and smooth surface. Some manufacturers also weave Kevlar into the GRP sheets for extra strength. The hull of a RIB is shaped to increase the performance of the boat in the water by optimising its hydroplaning characteristics. "Deep-V" hulls cut through waves easily but require greater engine power to start planing than "shallow-V" hulls, which plane at lower speed but with a more uncomfortable ride. As with the design of most boat hulls they represent a compromise of different design characteristics. Modern "all round" RIB hulls combine a deep v hull at the bow which flattens out to present a broad planing pad. This is a flat area on the rear of the hull designed to allow the boat to have a stable surface to plane on.

Tubes

The tubes are usually constructed in separate sections to reduce the effect of a puncture, each with a valve to add or remove air. Larger boats (7m+) have 6 or more chambers with a valve for each chamber. The more chambers a boat has the more redundancy the boat is considered to have. This is because if only one chamber is damaged then the impact the damage has on the boat is much less. Dark tubes often have pressure relief valves as the air inside them expands when exposed to sunlight. This prevents the tubes bursting from overpressure. Common materials for the tubes are Hypalon and uPVC (Polyvinyl chloride), though some manufacturers use PU (Polyurethane).

Hypalon

Tubes made of Hypalon are easy to manufacture and can be repaired with simple puncture repair kits. Hypalon is not airtight and so must be combined with Neoprene when used to build tubes. Tubes made with Hypalon and Neoprene layers can last at least 5 years. Hypalon is probably the most popular material used for the construction of RIBs manufactured in the UK.

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)

As a material for building tubes, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has the disadvantage of lacking flexibility. To make it supple, an additive is used with the polymer. This additive vaporizes as the material ages, making the PVC brittle and allowing it to crack. A PVC tube is the cheapest option and can last approximately 10–15 years.

PU (Polyurethane)

Tubes made of polyurethane (PU) are difficult to manufacture and are consequently not often used for RHIB construction. PU has an advantage of being very tough, it can be made knife-proof or bulletproof. Earlier PU had a disadvantage of aging quickly but newer types are much more resistant to degradation when exposed to ultraviolet-light. A high-quality PU-made tube lasts over 20 years. PU tubes are often to be found on commercial RIBs, in applications where strength and durability are needed. Replacing the tubes when they wear out, usually costs one third as much as the complete RIB.

Wheelhouse/cabins

RIB with a small wheelhouse

Larger RIBs can have hard-tops or wheelhouses made of GRP or aluminium. Wheelhouses offer protection from the elements to both the crew and passengers – and can also protect equipment such as suspension seats and navigation equipment. Some RIB manufacturers, particularly those popular in Ireland and the West Coast of Scotland provide optional canopies which form fabric and perspex wheelhouses but can be easily removed in good weather. Increasingly, RIBs are becoming available with small cabins (usually with accommodation for two people and in some cases sea toilets or chemical toilets), widening the application of RIBs as cruising craft.

Flying inflatable boat

A flying inflatable boat or FIB is a RIB with microlight-type wings and air propeller. "FIB" is used as a model name by Polaris Motor of Italy for their Polaris FIB.

Juliet 3 Water Jet RHIB

Juliet 3 (J3) Water Jet 7.2 metre RHIB

The Juliet 3 (J3) 7.2 metre Jet RHIB is a high speed and high buoyancy craft which consists of a glass reinforced fibreglass hull and inflatable gunwhale (collar) constructed of reinforced fabric producing a light, strong design that can carry a payload over long distances at high speeds. The RHIB is powered by a Yanmar marine diesel engine driving through a Hamilton water jet and a fire suppression system. Ten ride compensating seats (of which the forward six seats are removable), self righting mechanism, navigation system comprising of Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), radar and VHF radio. The chart plotter and radar image is displayed on a single multi-function display.