Is Nuclear Power Now A Green Option?

In recent years, nuclear power has been a hotly debated topic. With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly more evident, the need for clean and reliable sources of energy is at an all-time high. But can nuclear power be considered a green option? It’s time to take a closer look at this controversial issue.

Nuclear power has long been seen as one of the most efficient ways to generate electricity with minimal environmental impacts – but it hasn’t always been viewed in such positive light. There are still valid concerns about issues like safety and waste disposal that must be addressed before we decide if nuclear energy should become part of our green future.  Several high profile accidents that we all watched on TV many years back have tarnished the reputation of nuclear, including many recent dramatizations.

As an expert on this subject matter, I’m here to guide you through these complex questions so you can make up your own mind about whether or not nuclear power is indeed a viable green option.

Overview Of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is like a giant, powerful sleeping dragon that has been locked away and hidden from the world for centuries. It’s an incredible power source with potential to revolutionize many industries and provide clean, sustainable energy on a global scale. However, this immense force must be carefully monitored and controlled in order to prevent environmental disaster or major accidents.

As such, it’s essential we understand all aspects of nuclear energy before deciding if it can truly be considered a ‘green’ option. With advancements in safety measures and technology over time, nuclear power plants have become increasingly efficient and environmentally friendly. The process of generating electricity through fission releases fewer greenhouse gases than burning fossil fuels yet still produces large amounts of energy. Furthermore, radioactive material created by the process can be used in medical treatments as well as emitted safely into the atmosphere when properly regulated.

There are certainly benefits to harnessing this type of power but there are also some drawbacks which need to be taken into account before making any final decisions about its use.

Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

Nuclear power is a highly efficient, cost-effective way of generating electricity with low greenhouse gas emissions. Its high energy output makes it an attractive option for countries looking to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and meet rising demand for clean energy sources. The technology has advanced significantly over the past few decades, making nuclear plants safer and more efficient than ever before.

However, there are drawbacks associated with using nuclear power as well. Nuclear waste must be handled safely, stored long term, and disposed of properly in order to protect human health and the environment from radiation exposure.

Additionally, since uranium needed for fuel is finite and nonrenewable, there could come a time when supplies run out or become too expensive to use. With these risks in mind, careful consideration should be taken when deciding whether or not to pursue nuclear power as an energy source.

 

Moving forward, advances in nuclear technology will need to continue in order to mitigate those risks while simultaneously providing reliable energy production at an affordable price.

Advances In Nuclear Technology

Like a beacon in the night, nuclear power offers us an opportunity to light our way into a brighter future. Its promise of clean energy is unparalleled compared to other polluting sources like coal and gasoline.

But it’s not just its potential that has made it so attractive; advances in technology have enabled nuclear energy to become more efficient, reliable and safer. The development of small modular reactors (SMRs) has revolutionized the industry by making them much smaller than traditional reactors yet still able to generate large amounts of low-carbon electricity.

This means that they can be used for both stationary and mobile applications such as powering ships or submarines without emitting harmful pollutants. Furthermore, recent developments in advanced fuel designs reduce waste production while increasing efficiency when producing electricity with fewer emissions.

These technological breakthroughs provide evidence that nuclear power can produce vast amounts of green energy with minimal environmental impact if managed correctly – something worth exploring further as we move onto looking at the environmental impacts of this powerful source of renewable energy.

Environmental Impacts Of Nuclear Power

The environmental impacts of nuclear power are complex, and must be carefully considered when discussing the potential for it to become a viable green option.

Nuclear energy facilities produce low levels of air pollution during operation, but can cause significant amounts of water contamination through accidental spills or releases from cooling systems. Furthermore, uranium mining and enrichment processes generate waste that is difficult to store safely without long-term effects on local ecosystems.

Radioactive material produced by nuclear reactions also poses health risks if not disposed of properly. Radioactive isotopes have extremely long half-lives, meaning they remain hazardous in the environment far longer than other pollutants. This requires specialized disposal techniques such as deep geological repositories which increase costs and exacerbate the risk of leakage into nearby waterways.

Considering all these factors, it’s clear there is still much we need to learn before determining whether or not nuclear power is truly green. With this in mind, let’s explore further evidence that might help us answer this question.

Is Nuclear Power Truly Green?

It’s time we address the elephant in the room: is nuclear power truly green? Well, let me tell you – it sure does have a lot of potential!

For starters, here’s why it could be considered as such:

  1. Nuclear energy produces no air pollution – this means that there are no emissions from burning fossil fuels to worry about.
  2. The waste created by nuclear plants can be recycled and reused – this ensures that any materials used will not end up in landfills or otherwise contaminate our environment.
  3. Nuclear power is one of the cleanest forms of electricity production available today – meaning that even if other sources of energy were to fail us, we’d still have an efficient and reliable way to generate electricity without burning any fuel at all!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that nuclear power should be adopted wholesale – far from it. We need to ensure that stringent safety procedures are followed at all times so as to prevent any accidents occurring which would put people and wildlife in danger.   There needs to be transparency too, not the Chernobyl cover up’s and denials.  There’s no need to talk about the technology secretley hidden from green activists on hidden IP addresses and secret forums.

 

But with proper planning and management, there’s certainly scope for nuclear power to become part of our sustainable future. After all, with its ability to produce large amounts of electricity quickly and efficiently while emitting very little carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it seems like a great option indeed!

Conclusion

Nuclear power has the potential to be a green energy source, but this depends on many factors.

I believe that nuclear power should be considered for its incredible capacity for generating clean electricity without greenhouse gas emissions.

However, there are still risks and uncertainties associated with nuclear power, from safety concerns to waste disposal issues.

Is it possible to make nuclear energy truly green?

We must continue to explore and improve upon existing technologies in order to ensure safe operations while minimizing environmental impacts.   This is something we all need to consider when debating the pros and cons of nuclear power as an alternative energy option.

 

How to Watch British TV in USA – Enjoy UK TV Online Outside of UK Free

Want to Watch British TV in the USA including the BBC ?

A quick update to this post for 2024 which I originally wrote a few years ago after a family holiday in the USA. It’s basically explaining the options for accessing UK streaming services like BBC iPlayer in the USA across the internet.

Every single time’ I’m dragged over to the USA, I think I’m going to hate it. I’m not sure why – the last time was Florida, the expectation of theme parks and fast food outlets and the horror of International Drive made me dread it. The irrational fear that everyone I meet would have gun holster under their T-shirt or the practicality of ordering food which was vaguely healthy.

How to Watch British TV in USA

But as always I was wrong, I absolutely loved it. Florida is a wonderful place, sure it’s a bit over commercialized in parts and of course Harry Potter’s World doesn’t quite look right in 40 degree heat but everything is fun. Americans are so very friendly and pretty kind apart from the grumpy ones we met in New York on our stopover returning home. I’m fairly certain the majority of people I met weren’t armed either.

Just Miss My British TV Channels Abroad

Every time I go to the USA, the more I want to return yet there’s still certain things that drive me to distraction. Firstly tipping in restaurants, yep ok I’ve just got to get over it! The other is I just can’t get used to the US TV channels, and therefore the title of this posthow to watch UK TV online in USA.

There are many, many things which are done better in the USA, but unfortunately it appears TV is not one of them. Of course there are individual shows that are fantastic and much better than many British programs. Yet there’s always something to spoil it – advertising breaks! It’s just so much more intrusive than when you watch British TV. Perhaps you eventually get used to the non-stop noisy interruptions but as yet I can’t – commercial TV in the USA is hard work even BBC America !

More and More Internet Borders are Being Created

Of course in the world of the internet, you’d think this wouldn’t really matter. After all most TV stations broadcast online so you can watch anytime and anyplace. Yet if you fire up your laptop and proceed to the sublime BBC iPlayer application whilst in the US – you’ll be rather disappointed – ‘cos it won’t work.

Just like every media company on the planet, they restrict access based on their location. So all the UK TV stations are available online, just not if you’re outside the UK when you try and watch them. Before any US readers start laughing, the same will happen to you when you try and access US Netflix, ABC, NBC or Hulu from outside the US too.

watch bbc online

It’s slightly crazy, but true and becoming worse year by year. Websites look up the location of your IP address when you connect and then decide what you can watch. For the media companies this normally means blocking anyone outside their domestic market presumably due to copyright issues and the profit motive. It matters not that I am a middle aged, license fee paying BBC junkie – I’m not in the UK so tough. You just can’t watch BBC iPlayer outside UK borders or enjoy British TV channels for some reason.

Why It’s Hard to Watch UK TV in USA

Mostly these companies explain that it’s due to copyright issues and stuff like that, it does seem surprising in the BBC’s case as they produce the majority of their programmes themselves. Many of the other British TV companies license a lot of their shows from outside sources so it’s probably more relevant in these situations.

 

watch UK TV in the USA

For whatever reason though, it’s becoming much more common and increasingly annoying. It doesn’t just stop at TV and media sites either, you’ll often find things like banking sites and local information sources are blocked too. You can’t access things like UK betting sites from outside the United Kingdom too presumably something to do with different gambling regulations.

Blocked from Content and Streaming Services

For all these blocks the method to implement them is almost always identical. We are tracked and blocked by the IP addresses that we connect to the internet with. It’s used to determine our location and actually works pretty well, most websites check your location from this address. Not everyone restricts access based on your location but many do and others quietly route you through to a different location.  You’ll often for example see different prices based on your location – especially things like air fares. It’s called geo blocking and it’s basically uses the IP addresses assigned by your internet provider to control and block access to different sites and services.

Not all websites operate these geo restricted policies, but they’re becoming increasingly common. Entertainment sites though are pretty brutal, virtually all the British streaming services block anything that’s not from a British IP address. Certainly if your real IP address isn’t registered in the UK then you won’t get access to most sites like ITV Hub and BBC iPlayer. It’s also the case for other countries where most independent public TV stations will limit access to their domestic market.

Restricting Access to the Best Sites – A Global Phenomenon

Although we’re focussing on UK television sites here like the BBC and ITV, these are definitely not the only sites that operate these restrictions. Indeed almost every major site on the internet operates some sort of filtering or control of access based on the location of the connection.

Media sites though are the primary driver partly because they’re normally subject to archaic copyright laws which simply don’t work on a global platform like the internet. Consider you’re a large media site and you own the rights to broadcast a film or TV show in the US. You can stream content only to US based viewers, if you want to stream to other locations you need to purchase the rights to each individual country.

Not only does it become insanely complicated but it’s very expensive too – hardly surprising that most media sites restrict access to their domestic market only. So US TV channels like ABC and NBC will stream to US based viewers only, BBC, ITV will allow access to UK viewers and so on. The rest will simply get blocked based on their IP address.

Demonstration – Watching UK TV Abroad Using a Virtual Private Network

Now there are some sites which pretend to offer free internet TV streaming, or even simply selections of free tv show episodes. Unfortunately these so called online TV channels are very slow, and spend much of their time trying to install adware on your computer. You’d be well advised to stay away from these illegal streaming services, in reality there’s no safe method to watch UK TV abroad free online without changing to a UK IP address.

Fortunately of course, on the internet there’s always a workaround or a way to sidestep authority and here’s the video which demonstrates how you can actually watch UK Television from anywhere including the USA using something called a VPN service – here it is.

Using a UK Server to Watch a UK Show



So that’s it, how to watch BBC in USA or anywhere else for that matter. Basically you bounce your internet connection off something called a VPN server based in the UK and you can start streaming UK TV and pretty much all British TV programs. The BBC or ITV site and other UK channels, will then just see the address of the UK server and think you’re actually in the UK and allow you full access. The software in the video makes it incredibly simple and all you need to do is click on one of their UK servers to enable the VPN connection and it’s sorted.

Note – If you decide on using a VPN from NordVPN then connect to one of the following for BBC as they optimize access for these channels – UK servers # 1840-1847, 1850-1863, 1865, 1869, 1873, 1875-1878, 1880-1881, 1900-1901, 1903-1904, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1919-1920.

UK TV Licence Check

On the BBC, you will be asked if you have a British TV license before it will begin streaming. You are also asked when setting up an account beforehand. However there’s no proper check – if you just say yes everything will work fine.

Take Back Control with a VPN

If you get a reliable VPN then it also works on other channels and streaming content, for example to unblock ITV player.  In fact you can watch ITV player abroad or even watch Sky Go abroad if you have an active subscription. Also don’t forget there’s BBC iPlayer radio too which covers loads of channels including local ones. This has got loads better recently as the BBC have upgraded into something called BBC Sounds which has lots more content than before. The archives here are good too, so you can enjoy old radio shows as well as classic British TV series. You really don’t need Britbox or other premium cable channels, and can save money on those expensive satellite channels too.

Install on All Your Devices

These VPN services can also be set up on your phone, tablet, game consoles and Smart TV too so you can even watch live UK TV on other devices whilst in the USA.  This VPN provider has applications ready to install on most mobile devices so you can watch UK TV channels on any of your gadgets.  The other great advantage is that you can use it for other media sites too, use it in Canada to access live TV in the US or vice versa.  Test out other streaming service providers like Irish TV or perhaps brush up your French by watching some great TV stations like M6 Replay which broadcast from Paris. You will be able to watch shows and movies from across the world if you choose one of the decent VPN providers like NordVPN.

So if you’re in the US or anywhere abroad and want access to watch UK TV online in USA or other restricted streaming services then a VPN subscription is a sensible investment. Make sure you check out the great deals from the best VPN company to watch British TV – which gives you access to virtually any television network on the planet. Be careful though, many VPNs don’t work so well with the BBC in particular, Express VPN for example is often blocked.

Check out the Great NordVPN Deals Here

Remember too that if you use these sites to watch Live shows instead of from the archive you’ll need to remember the time difference. This is especially important for watching things like BBC News and Match of the Day which are not stored in the archive like everything else.

 

Using an Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar

Indian DNS for Hotstar

This is a very old post but it still gets lots of visitors, presumably for people who want to watch Hotstar outside India rather than me rambling on about the ‘good old days’ !  Anyway I have just double checked and it’s all still correct! I still use my SmartDNSProxy account (mainly for BBC iPlayer though), and the DNS server company still has some servers in India. What’s more they’re also still supporting access to watch Hotstar.  If you prefer though you can also use NordVPN who have servers in India too.

FREE 14 Day Trial for SmartDNS Proxy

Hotstar have added a premium version which you’ll need to pay for and of course moved much of their content from the free version.  You can also access local version of Hotstar’s streaming sites which will obviously not need a VPN or Smart DNS services to access.

In only a few years, the incidence of using geo restrictions to block and filter access to sites has grown exponentially.  So using either a DNS or VPN service is pretty much essential especially if you want to access resources in different countries.  Indeed hundreds of thousands of people use their VPN connections to watch UK Television from all over the world.

How to use Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar Access

This is a brief post that was written a few weeks ago, I wasn’t going to post this but have been travelling. Why should that warrant a post about filtering and blocking? Well it’s because I went to visit some relatives in Turkey which was a bit of an eye opener. It feels like an open and democratic nation until you start to use the internet and slowly find out how many sites are blocked and restricted, hence the rest of the post.

When it comes to those of us who developed with the internet or should I say grew with the internet then the escalating volume of filtering and restriction is relatively disturbing. I just remember it wasn’t always the same. A recollection comes to mind of about 1997 firing up my 486 home computer, clicking that connect button and listening closely to my 14.4 k modem beep and click as it made my net connection. There certainly was still that excitement and marvel of hooking up to a different world, a little gadget which enabled free interaction with people from across the planet.

how to watch hotstar outside india

I was looking for information about ailments on elephants for one of my students in my internet class. The world was nowhere near as connected as it is today and it was thought that the internet may help. We first logged in using a telnet session to the University of Wales online database, no real restrictions or passwords as I remember.

Despite the fact that now it’s probably simpler to find your way about the internet, it’s at the same time becoming increasingly frustrating. In the last few years it seems I’m always getting rerouted or messages telling me that something’s not actually accessible due to my location. In the Internet I recall, location didn’t matter– this was an online, electronic world where everybody is identical.

How to use an Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar

Wherever you go online you seem to be confronted with barriers now– take this particular screen which you are given if you try and visit the Hotstar web site, a terrific Indian media broadcaster.

I went there mainly for the sport, there is actually a substantial cricket session including the IPL coverage. If you want to watch Premiership football without being conned into a massive Sky or BT package, Hotstar has had rights, at least it did last season. Nevertheless again I was discouraged as the whole site is only available if you have an Indian IP address,

Now I ‘d normally use Identity Cloaker to unblock Hotstar and circumvent these blocks however they don’t actually have any Indian VPN servers so it definitely would not work. However there are other possibilities and I thought I ‘d try out a Smart DNS solution as an alternative, to be a lot more specific the 14 day free trial from Smart DNS Proxy. It worked wonderfully as you can observe in the following video which is actually hosted currently on YouTube, it’s entitled BBC VPN Not Working.



As you can easily see it’s essentially transparent immediately after you set it up, certainly more so than using a VPN which has to be connected while you’re accessing the Hotstar site. The other big benefit is that due to the fact that you don’t stream the entire connection through the VPN server you don’t have that additional hop to slow you down. The other speed improvement over a VPN is that there is actually no layer of file encryption to slow the stream down as well. Now obviously this means that it adds no security at all, but it could be argued that it’s not really needed if you’re just streaming video.

Use Smart DNS for Hotstar for Easy Access

There’s one more post concerning accessing the website here– How to Watch Hotstar in the UK. As you can view it functions flawlessly and seamlessly in the background. I am beginning to see the benefits of using these Smart DNS systems too as I was able to quickly configure my NVidia Shield with the same DNS settings so I could watch using that.

how to watch hotstar outside india
Click to try out the 14 Day Free trial

Works a treat, it doesn’t take any great technical knowledge or time to use  an Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar.  The channel itself is great fun – it’s additionally worth having a look at the different documentaries and news programmes many of them are in English. Offers you a whole new perspective of the world to be honest.

Further Information: Watching Hotstar in the USA

 

Where to Buy Bulk Residential Proxies That Work in 2024?

Bulk Residential Proxies – 2024 Update

Basically most people use proxies for one basic reason – anonymity.  Now the desire may stem from a wide variety of reasons ranging from personal privacy to web based business initiatives.  However the fact is that a proxy can only provide any level of anonymity if it’s configured, setup and run securely.  People use them in all sorts of volumes, personal privacy usually only involves using one, but some of us need to buy bulk residential proxies for our businesses !
Note: A residential proxy network contains proxies with real residential IPs.  That is the intermediary servers have IP addresses which are classified for ‘home users’, the vast majority of proxies use addresses registered to commercial organisations – these are easily detectable by most web sites and so are not suitable for many tasks particularly things like social media marketing when you need to look like a standard user.  Nowadays proper anonymous proxies will be part of a residential proxy network only.

Bulk Shared Proxies

Don’t Use Free Proxies if You Value Your Data

First of all, unless you’re completely desperate or totally skint I’d advised heavily against using any sort of proxy you find free online.  Even if you are reduced to this, using a free proxy is unlikely to do much more than increase your current difficulties.  Most of the free proxy servers are not there as a result of wealthy benefactors keen to promote free speech.  They are mostly there because someone either accidentally left an unsecured server open to the internet or someone hacked in and took it over.  In either case there’s a large chance that the proxy also contains malware, viruses or some enterprising cyber criminal waiting until they can intercept your email password or Paypal account.

The risks of using these proxies rise all the time, the benefits are simply not worth the risk, in fact it’s safer to use the same IP address than use these.  Also the only free residential proxies (those with a residential IP address) are those based on home computers infected with computer viruses and malware.  Your computer is likely to get infected too if you use them!  Remember free residential IPs are nearly always based on Botnets running infected home PCs and desktop devices.   If you need residential IP addresses specifically perhaps to run social networking accounts then you need legitimate home residential IPs which unfortunately will never be free.  It takes a significant amount of time, effort and money to create residential proxies so obviously no-one is going to give free instant access to them.

buy bulk residential proxies

However if you sensibly enter the world of configured and services proxies, the choice can still be quite confusing.  It’s definitely become more difficult because increasingly residential IPs and therefore a residential proxy are needed for so many tasks.

The above company used to be called Luminati but have now rebranded as Bright Data.  They’re considered the ‘Rolls Royce’ of the proxy world with over 30 million residential IP addresses at their disposal. Many people use them as residential proxies to support valuable social media accounts where you don’t want to risk using low quality addresses.

However their interface – the Luminati Proxy Manager (rights reserved) although powerful has something of a steep learning curve associated with it.  If you just want a quick residential proxy set up with a few IP addresses it’s probably not for you.  Also some of their plans have a minimum payment threshold in order to maintain quality.

So it’s important to focus on your key requirements and what you really need from your proxies.  These are perfect if you want lots top quality residential IPs and have a reasonable budget.  They are all real IP addresses from home users and so these residential proxies are among the best for many tasks.  If you have a serious project and are willing to spend a little time and money on the best proxies – certainly consider Luminati.

Sticky IPs – some rotating proxy networks offer sticky sessions and IPs.  This means you can stop the automatic rotation of addresses when required.  For example if an ecommerce transaction takes a while to complete, then you don’t want your address to change right in the middle.  This is sure to flag up warnings on the web server and could stop the transaction completing.   Configuring sticky IPs means you can still use cheaper rotating proxies to provide unlimited connections. 

If you just want security, privacy and the ability to access geo-restricted sites individually then you’re best probably sticking with a personal VPN service.  Not only will they offer more security because they are generally encrypted too, but they will be cheaper than buying individual proxies in different countries.    Indeed the best ones like Identity Cloaker will give you access to a substantial number of servers and IP addresses per month all included in the subscription.  Don’t use a VPN if you need a residential proxy though as they have datacenter addresses.

When You Need Numbers – Buy Bulk Residential Proxies

Many people of course, use proxies for their online business for a whole variety of reasons. Again the core requirement is anonymity but often it’s just a need for multiple digital identities spread across different areas or countries.  Fortunately  there are now plenty of places where you can get substantial numbers of proxies at a very reasonable price.  However there are many different categories of these servers and which ones you need is heavily dependent on your requirements.

Here’s some examples of where people use proxies:

  • Running an Instagram Empire – lots of people run hugely profitable businesses based on Instagram.  Proxies are useful in two distinct ways – to run tools to promote Instagram accounts and to enable the individual/business to run multiple Instagram accounts without getting banned.
  • Sneaker Wholesalers – want to buy lots of the latest sneakers online and sell them off at a profit?  Well you’re not alone and there’s plenty of ‘sneaker bots’ to help you do this.  However none will work without proxies to hide your identity.
  • SEO Tools – web businesses and internet marketers make use of lots of tools for research, web scraping and promoting their websites. Software like Scrapebox and Senuke are used to promote businesses, websites, blogs, videos etc but all rely heavily on having multiple IP addresses to work.
  • Ticket Touts -probably not the most popular vocation but for many a very lucrative occupation.  Businesses ranging from individuals to large organisations buy up multiple tickets online to popular events and resell them at a profit.  However to do this you need automated software and multiple identities to be able to buy lots of tickets from sites like Ticketmaster.

Designed for a Specific Purpose –  Sneaker Proxies or Instagram, Twitter etc!

These are just a few examples, literally tens of thousands of people use proxies all the time for online businesses, research and anonymity.    However each task requires a different type of proxy, which can normally be bought from specialist suppliers.

The cheapest way to get a lot of IP addresses and proxies for a low cost is to invest in bulk shared proxies which can be used with any browser or automated software.   The most cost efficient way is to look for rotating and backconnect proxies.  These are single proxies which have access to a large pool of different IP addresses.  Each request is forwarded through a different address, so although the IP addresses are shared there are never multiple users using the same one.

This brings the cost down of having access to thousands of IP addresses significantly,  for all but the largest operations a thousand addresses is all that you need.   Without using rotating options however dedicated proxies will cost you huge amounts of money.

So as mentioned it’s your requirements that determine whether you can use these bulk proxies or if you need something more specific.  For example in the examples above buying sneakers and tickets generally requires residential premium proxies.  These require IP addresses which are classified as residential as opposed to the majority of addresses which are commercial.    If you buy cheap bulk proxies none of these will have such IP addresses as they are hard to obtain.

For Extra Anonymity Make Sure – They’re Residential Proxies

Whereas for most SEO purposes commercial addresses are fine and you can buy cheap shared proxies which connect to an IP pool and everything will work fine.  Some companies have adapted to the growing requirement of residential addresses and introduced residential backconnect proxies which does help minimize the cost somewhat.
For accessing e-commerce sites, buying stuff online and high quality research then residential proxies are the best option. Basically if you need to look like a normal home user then you need your server to have a residential IP address. For many marketing companies this is essential especially if there managing social media accounts like Instagram for example.

It’s often best to find a proper proxy provider and ask their advice.  Indeed the better providers will actually sell you specific role proxy servers – Sneaker proxies, Ticketmaster proxies and so on.  Most of these companies know an awful lot more about which proxies are needed for which applications than we do, and how to buy proxies effectively is a key factor to online success.

So will bulk shared proxies bring success and value to your online business enterprises? Well it’s very dependent on what your area is, however using quality proxies and legitimate IP addresses  is becoming more essential as time develops.

residential proxies - IP Burger

 

Most companies only offer bulk rotating proxies  – if you need static addresses then try these residential  proxies.

 

 

What is Cryogenic Deflashing ?

Moulded or machine-created parts are used often in modern items.  However one that I had not previously been aware of was the huge issue of how to get rid of the excess on the circumference.  Looking for a reliable source for custom deflashing of your rubber molded products?

Cryogenic Deflashing

On these manufactured use – burrs as it’s also known as is basically the unwanted part of the material.  It is created when a polymer with viscoelasticity is produced by injection or compression moulding for instance. It’s normally  what is left usually along the mold parting line during the production process. This needs deburring and to be removed from the finished item or parts. Removing this efficiently and accurately can be a difficult job especially in industries that demand high performance products.’

How Can it Be Removed ?

  • Manually by operatives using knives, scissors or cutting devices.
  • Manually tearing whilst at the mold stage
  • Die Punching (displacing unwanted material)
  • Cryogenic Deflashing

Most of the modern factories across the world use some of these procedures, however the finish left by these methods varies hugely.    The other important factor is of course cost as this process can add significant expense depending on which one used and the finish required.  If you’ve looked at even basic deflashing equipment you’ll see why it can be a significant capital cost for smaller businesses.

Removing by Manual Trimming

For years the majority of companies would have employees cutting or removing around trim beads around the edge of the product.   This was widely used because the capital cost is initially low – a mobile worker with a knife or scissors.  Yet obviously the method is extremely labour intensive and indirect costs can quickly escalate.  Although in small units especially rubber flash removal can be achieved quite accurately, it’s obviously extremely time consuming.   Obviously there is also the question of  the standard of finish which along with production rates will vary hugely depending on both the employee and the dimensions of the finished part.

Die Punching

This method to remove the excess is slightly more sophisticated and easier to fit into a fast production process. It involves placing the moulded product into a specially prepared die prepared from the finished product.   The technique involves pushing the product onto the mode in order to remove the excess flash from around the corners.  The method is often described as the cookie cutter method as it operates in a very similar way to cutting dough.

The advantages are that quality is much more consistent than the manual method and capital costs are kept relatively low.   However it’s often difficult to integrate effectively into a production process as it is relatively labour intensive which obviously effects output.

How Does Cryogenic Deflashing Work

Slowly though doing this manually  is becoming outdated and they have been superseded.  The latest innovations have various implementations and is often a safely guarded secret.  However the concept is widely accepted as being by far the superior method of removing flash from any high value product.

Cryogenic deflashing (see reference) involves using very low temperatures as an aid to removing excess waste from the edges.  The central process involves utilizing a substance which create very low temperatures such as liquid nitrogen.    This is used to make the rubber or plastic (or sometimes other materials such as aluminium) brittle.  Cryogenic deflashing is a system that uses the extremely low temperature of a cryogen such as liquid nitrogen (LIN) to remove flash.   It basically utilizes very low temperatures of a cryogen such as nitrogen (in a liquid form).

Here’s a simple demonstration  –

The material can then be subjected to mechanical stress by either tumbling or blasting with additional media.   The machines that create these environments are highly specialized and are you’ll rarely see two cryogenic machines which are the same. Sometimes these two processes are carried out simultaneously (the blasting and cryo tumbling) in order to try and improve the quality of the finish and minimize the production times.

Media blasting normally involves firing small particles of abrasive materials (blast media) at the target edges.  When this is conducted at a high velocity it can be very effective and accurate in removing the flash.  Tumbling can ensure that the blast media is distributed uniformly over the entire surface.  Both these methods can be used on internal and external parts depending on the equipment used.

Importance of Media used with Cryogenic Deflashing

Arguably of the most crucial importance,  are both media and size used in the deflashing process. The durability and effectiveness of the media used can affect both the quality and the cost. For example some media will create large amounts of dust which can cause huge quality issues especially when combined with fragile components.

Even the geometrical properties of the media will severely impact the process and can be crucial in creating a  high standard end product. Often this media will need to be customized to work best with a specific plastic deflashing machine or for use on a particular item.

There are companies who operate and indeed specialize in producing and supplying the media required for an efficient and effective deflashing process whether cryogenic or using other methods like thermal energy deflashing.

Experts on Cryogenic Deflashing Processes

M6 VPN or Proxy – Watch 6Play Outside France

On this site there’s lots of little articles about internet privacy and bypassing all these stupid region blocks you find all over the web.     I do actually get quite a few emails about people wanting to access different sites, usually because they’re expats or spend lots of time travelling.    Often there some sort of local TV channel or station,  perhaps a certain radio programme and some even wanting to place bets with a online bookmaker.   All these are the sort of sites that get blocked based on your location.  They’ll be fine when you’re in the same country but as soon as you cross a border then it can get difficult.  The reason is usually claimed to be licensing rights, but it’s just as likely that they want to charge for their commercial streaming services instead.

Anyway when you leave France be prepared for the message that the video is not available – depuis votre zone géographique !

So the email I got was regarding a rather good online channel called M6 Replay  or 6Play as it was renamed, which is one of the premiere TV stations in France.  The email explained that the person was trying to access the site from the US where they were living for a year.  This is what happened and they were wondering if a French proxy such as this would help?

watch 6play outside france

It’s the usual story, all major online TV channels restrict access to their domestic market – so anyone outside of France would get this message or similar such as –  Cette vidéo ne peut !

Is a French Proxy ok or must it be an M6 VPN to Watch 6Play?

Unfortunately not, proxies used to work up until about three years ago. You could even find a free French proxy online and stream M6 replay through it without problems. Now the era of the proxy as a useful circumvention tool is pretty much over. Most websites are able to detect the presence of even a well configured proxy and block it automatically. The BBC was probably the last major broadcaster to allow the use of proxies but now you need a VPN for the BBC too.

watch 6play outside france

A VPN service is a virtual private network and is effectively a connection to a high, powered secure proxy server.  The main advantage for these programs is that the best VPNs are extremely hard to identify.   A connection from a VPN server is almost undetectable (although the Chinese have figured out how to stop some) and if the VPN server is in the right country it will work perfectly.  So to watch 6Play from outside France you don’t need a French proxy – just one of these -a M6 VPN!



The program Identity Cloaker has lots of different servers all over the world which have lists of IP addresses by country.  Therefore if you know the country you need, you just scroll down and click on the correct country to use a VPN.  So for 6Play you’d pick France or for a Netherlands TV station you’d pick a Dutch VPN.   Which of course would allocate you a Netherlands IP address for your internet connection while the VPN is enabled.  It’s worth remembering that it actually effects everything you do online, including the version of Google you’ll end up using too.

Switch to a French IP Address at Will

Many advanced users use Identity Cloaker because of it’s wide range of secure servers, you can switch from a Sweden proxy to a Netherlands VPN with a click of a button.

As you can see, connecting through the French VPN gives you a French IP address and full access to the M6 Replay site.  It’s a simple solution for anyone to watch M6 TV online from outside France.  You can even subscribe to their premium membership through the VPN too and that will work as well. As you can see in the video the M6 Replay site only detects the IP address of the French VPN server and assumes that is your location.

raisons de droits cette

It’s very simple and works extremely well as a M6 VPN but it can do so much more. In fact you can use the program to access all the major French TV sites which exist online, I know of many French Canadians who’ve been using this program for years. You can also of course access content in lots of different countries, for example choose a Canadian server to watch Canada only channels, a UK one for UK content and so on.

The truth is that taking control of your IP address, also takes back control of your internet connection too.  Not only will it stop the vast majority of region blocks and content filters, it will also give you back your privacy too.  Using one of the VPN providers is the most convenient wats to bypass all these geo restrictions just ensure that they have the right server locations before you sign up.

This is an often underestimated facility of using VPNs, the ability to keep some privacy online.  It’s stops every website you visit keeping a record of you, and it also stops a complete log of your online activity being created at your ISP.  This may seem unimportant, but these logs are much prized by all sorts of parties from marketing companies to Government agencies.  There’s probably no bigger single source of user profiling and history than these in existence, if you encrypt your internet connection then they contain virtually nothing.

If you want to Give it a Try and watch M6 Replay from Anywhere using a French Proxy.

Try the 10 Day trial here.

There’s no commitment or lock in and you can be watching in minutes for the cost of a sandwich.

BBC iPlayer VPN Workaround : Still Working in 2020

The BBC iPlayer is developing all the time, it’s even introduced a new Beta area where they can try out new features.  Already you can watch every channel live, plus everything else for  up to a year now on the BBC iPlayer site. Here’s the latest BBC iPlayer VPN workaround for 2020 if you want to watch too.  It’s certainly my main source of entertainment from the news, to sport and dramas like the wonderful Line of Duty.

I am always finding new stuff on the site, for example I’ve just discovered if you look in the categories section you can switch to all the different regional versions.

BBC Live VPN

Now of course, a lot is the same but it’s really useful for watching specific versions of sport broadcasts and the local news.  I can watch BBC Wales even though my TV aerial only delivers the North West News because I live near the border.

It’s truly a wonderful application, however of course for those outside the United Kingdom there is a problem because the BBC block access and allow only access to the ‘International Version’ which has none of the radio or TV broadcasts at all.

Using a BBC iPlayer VPN Workaround

When you first realise you’ve been redirected to the international version of the BBC site, it’s certainly disappointing. You’ll soon discover that all the best stuff is missing – certainly radio, Live TV and archived programmes.  Basically it turns into a news and information site without all the multimedia and TV shows.

It’s only a simple redirection, basically when you connect to the site the BBC will check out where your IP address is registered.  If it’s from a non-UK source, then you’ll get sent to the international version.   If it’s from the UK then you’ll get the standard, fully featured site.

Yet of course, there’s always a workaround somewhere on the internet! Currently the solution consists of using a BBC Live VPN programme to give you access from outside the UK.

The VPN is a Virtual Private network and is a slightly more sophisticated version of a proxy server. A VPN is a server that hides your real location and encrypts your internet connection to keep your data safe. It also unlocks all these region restricted websites all over the world including the BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and all the other UK TV stations.

Here’s the BBC live VPN I’ve used for nearly ten years now when out of the UK:

As you can see it’s very simple to use on a computer or a laptop – just use the software which sits in your task bar to select the country you need.  It’s not limited to watching the BBC either as the vast majority of media sites on the internet use exactly the same method.

So to watch a US online channel for example,  pick a US server and for the wonderful BBC iPlayer just select one of the many UK VPN servers to connect to. It potentially opens up all the world’s TV channels, most broadcasters have something similar to BBC iPlayer and they all restrict to domestic users.

The Rumors of BBC iPlayer VPN Not Working on Reddit or Other Sites

Now if you search online you may come across some stories about BBC iPlayer detecting VPN programs and blocking them like this page.  It is in fact true, at the end of 2016 and beginning 0f 2017 there was a huge effort of BBC iPlayer blocking VPN services from all over the world.   No-one was quite sure why they became so aggressive suddenly, but it might have been as a result of impending budget cuts. Fortunately no-one has actually figured out how to reliably detect the use of VPN programs so this all had to be done manually.   What they did was basically identify these in two distinct ways, firstly all the service which were foolish enough to openly advertise the ability to bypass the BBC region locks were targeted either by blocking or threats of legal action.  The second was to manually identify the IP addresses with large numbers of concurrent connections and block these one by one.

BBC iPlayer VPN Workaround

Although time consuming (for the BBC) this actually stopped a huge number of people using the BBC iPlayer VPN workaround.  Most of the easily identified services were the cheaper overloaded ones which many people used.    Fortunately this has not continued and currently in 2019,  although the market has reduced slightly – the major VPN service providers are still working fine with the BBC.  They have the ability to spread connections across a large IP address range and switch out addresses that do get blocked.  So fear not, BBC iPlayer VPN 2019 is still working fine as long as you pick a decent one like Identity Cloaker.

In fact it’s just not limited to the BBC, if you have a decent VPN then you can effectively watch UK TV abroad free on most devices.  You can even access subscription channels which are normally only available in the UK try for instance you can watch Sky Go abroad anywhere.

Remember you can even use your Identity Cloaker account to connect to the servers on other devices too. It’s simple to establish a VPN connection from tablets, android and iPhones and lots of other smart devices. Here’s an illustration of how to get the BBC on an iPad abroad but it’s a fairly similar process on most other devices. You just set up the VPN connection to different country servers and then enable them whenever you want access.

Give it a try and watch the BBC iPlayer from Anywhere

Just Try the 10 Day Trial Here

 

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Technology Archive: Grace Digital GDI-IRA500

The Grace Digital GDI-IRA500 Solo WIFI Internet Radio by Grace Digital connects your home stereo system to the internet without having to go through your computer.This allows you to stream music that sits on your computer OR access thousands of internet radio stations that are free to listen.

Without the need to be wired in, it hooks effortlessly to any WIFI router in an easy 5 minute setup. It has built-in access to 802.11g and 802.11b/g/n routers, and offers storage of up to 10 pre-set stations that you can program. The accompanying remote control makes operating the unit without getting up a snap. You can get access to most of the network configuration settings and update if required. This is useful if you want to access restricted streams from other countries, by adding VPNs or sneaker proxies to the configuration. It should be added that authentication can be difficult on network enabled devices like this.


Simply connect your home stereo to the GDI-IRA500 with the RCA left and right jacks, turn on and enjoy over 18,000 AM and FM radio and over 30,000 HD internet stations featuring, comedy, talk, all music genres, podcasts and sports broadcasts. Weighing in at only one pound and taking up a very small 8 x 6 x 5 inches, the Grace Solo GDI-IRA500 is extra-portable, and takes up almost no space.

Use your iPhone as a Rmote for the IRA500

One of the coolest features of this unit is the ability to control it’s operation through your iPhone. Simily download the free Grace Digital iPhone App from the Apple App library and your in control. How cool is that! On off, volume, presets and channel surfing are all within your control remotely via your iPhone.

How does the unit perform?

Okay, those are the technical specs, but the bottom line when you are looking to buy any sound-broadcasting device is performance. How does it sound? Previous online customers rate the Grace Digital Solo GDI-IRA500 an impressive 4 out of 5 stars, so let’s take a look at the good and bad that they found.

Most reviewers found it quick to hook up out of the box. Connect the power cord, run the RCA cables to your stereo, turn it on, set it to your WIFI network, and you have sound in 5 minutes. The GDI-IRA500 Solo set has a big, easy to read display that shows the song or station data, and is easy to read even from a distance.

A couple of customers did not like the fact that you can not rename folders, they come pre-labeled “Internet Radio”, “Personal Radio”, etc. When dealing with Grace support, they found that the internet support is the way to go. Several buyers waited forever on the telephone, but received lightning support online. Lesson learned, use the internet tech service rather than outdated telephone technology.

It’s a matter of debate as to whether these internet enabled radios have a future as there is certainly competition. Whether audio devices will be sufficient is possibly in doubt, especially as there are many devices which can handle audio and video. There are many devices which can also be adapted to bypass the various blocks and filters and even watch US Netflix from anywhere.

Many online reviewers noted that they never looked at the manual! When you pull the unit out of the box, it just looks so straightforward you might do the same. Set-up was easy and intuitive, the radio, alarm clock, and sleep timers worked well, and the price is shockingly low. You can expect to literally pay double what you will spend here to get similar features. The polished black finish looks sleek, and there are so many free stations, most customers simply did not see the need to purchase any subscriptions.

What one Customer had to say:

Peter Beudert… OK, assume I like listening to radio anyway, but this is one device that makes me love technology again. Once set up, the Grace radio is simple and reliable. The on line interface through Reciva makes it very easy to browse available stations and add them to the device remotely. My only criticism of the device is the very clumsy onboard controls required for set up and setting the password. Thankfully this is only done once. After that the item behave beautifully!

So What’s the Verdict?

Overall the Grace Digital GDI-IRA500 wireless internet receiver is a great buy at less than a hundred bucks, Amazon will throw in free shipping if you buy from them, and people who have purchased it online in the past rate it 4 out of 5 stars. So, if you are looking for a wireless Internet Receiver for your home stereo, the Grace Digital Solo GDI-IRA500 might be the one for you.

Riding the YouTube Money Train

I’ve recently noticed there seems to be a new way of making money on YouTube that is perhaps a bit simpler to reproduce than some of the traditional ways.  Of course, we’d all love to become some sort of YouTube trend setter with an army of millions of followers hanging on our every move.  If you do manage to get to this point it’s pretty difficult not to make money unless you do something stupid and get kicked off the Partner programme like Logan Paul did.

change ip country

The problem is that it’s not that easy to achieve if you’re a middle aged, camera shy ordinary bloke who thinks all these superstar vloggers are irritating pr##ks.   So if you’ve come to terms to the fact that your force of personality isn’t going to create an internet empire what’s your options?

Well for the technical among us there’s another option, just game the system slightly and it seems many people are doing just this.  I recently found a video explaining some vague technical computing concept on YouTube.  It had a modest amount of views but the interesting thing was that it seemed that it was created almost entirely by software.  From the structure to the voice (one of those crap robotic voices) the whole thing looked like it was churned out of some video factory.  Frankly it wasn’t very good.

On even further investigation, I noticed the channel had over 45,000 different videos and millions of views.  Basically the channels was simply created on volume, by churning out video after video they were probably generating a serious amount of advertising revenue.

Now this intrigued me, although the videos I saw weren’t very good – the concept of volume is definitely one I can relate too.  I have had mixed results with YouTube videos, some I spend ages on and only produce a few views.  Others I dash off in minutes and go on to be very successful – the key is definitely keep churning them out.

That’s of course easier said than done, but there’s loads of software out these now that makes this possible.  One of the best is something called Content Samurai which you can see in this video – Create Videos Quickly  . It’s software that lets you input some text and then turn it into a video very quickly with the minimum of input.

The results are very good, but the important part is that you can literally create a decent looking video in a few minutes and upload it to YouTube.  So some will be successful, some will flop and others will just ride along picking up a decent amount of traffic, but the key is that every video you produce should slowly add exposure for your product, website or offer.

Further Reading: Find an Australian Proxy, John Summers.

Anyone for Tennis?

There is no doubt in my mind that the right sports coverage is essential to the enjoyment of an event.  Of course, actually attending and watching live is the best way to watch sport but there are often practical reasons that is not possible.   If you’ve ever tried to buy a ticket and arrange accommodation for a Champions League Final you’ll know what I mean, in fact even the hotel room can cost a King’s ransom.

Even without the cost, there are other reasons for avoiding the live event.  An important one for me is ‘hay fever’ – one of my favourite sports is tennis however after years of sitting in itchy eye, sneezy purgatory on center court I gave up that activity.  I never knew quite why my allergy was so bad in Wimbledon, after all there’s surely not that much pollen there.  The courts aren’t exactly fields of long grass, yet for me there is something in Wimbledon Tennis Courts which sets off my hay fever with a vengeance.

So it’s one sport I have to watch at a distance, which is unfortunate really as Wimbledon tickets are usually easier to get than many sports.  The reason is that most clubs get an allocation and they are normally distributed to members, Wimbledon also retains some tickets to sell on the gate which I think is a great gesture to allow normal tennis fans in.

The advantage is you can watch all the best matches without the crowds and hassle by watching the wonderful BBC Wimbledon coverage.  Now I’ve only ever seen Wimbledon coverage once from another broadcaster and it was truly awful.  Of course the matches were fine, but the background, the commentary and the dreadful adverts crammed in whenever there was a minutes gap completely spoilt it for me.  The beauty of the BBC coverage is that’s it is so relaxed, drifting effortlessly across the courts with idle musings from tennis legends like John McEnroe to fill in the gaps.

The problem is that although the coverage is all streamed live on the BBC website and through the BBC iPlayer application none of this works from outside the UK.  It’s because of the standard geo-restrictions that most of the world’s best media site now employ which restrict access to specific countries.  So if you try and connect from anywhere outside the UK you won’t be able to watch the BBC and that includes Wimbledon!  But fear not there is a solution, where you can be saved from endless adverts at changeovers and watch the BBC Wimbledon coverage abroad.  It’s cheating ever so slightly, but basically hiding your IP address from nosey websites by using a VPN connection is actually a very good idea in this day and age.  If that VPN server happens to be in the UK so I can watch the BBC iPlayer online is entirely coincidental !!