Open software platform to bring down energy costs

Public release date: 13-Mar-2013
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Contact: Dr. David Nestle
david.nestle@iwes.fraunhofer.de
49-561-729-4234
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Hannover Messe 2013

This press release is available in German.

For years now, electricity and heating bills have constantly been on the rise, and 2013 is no different prices are shooting up. Germans are keen to do something about it. A survey conducted by inspection company Dekra revealed that one in two people is turning down the central heating, while the great majority are cutting back on cooking and laundry and actively looking to reduce consumption. This is where a new software platform comes in: it makes it easier to find a smart approach to energy issues, not only for homeowners and tenants but also for business and industry, and helps to bring down costs. Connecting energy users and producers with the control centers of grid companies and energy suppliers, this free Java-based framework for energy management is called OGEMA (Open Gateway Energy Management Alliance). The name is shared by the OGEMA 2.0 project, in which with funding to the tune of five million euros from Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) the Fraunhofer Institutes for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology IWES in Kassel, for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, and for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen are taking the solution to the next level.

"Our system lets customers track future variable electricity prices and allows them to fit their consumption to the energy on offer. This ability is becoming increasingly important with the switch to renewables," says Dr. -Ing. David Nestle, Head of department 'Energy Management' at IWES, who describes the software platform as "basically an interface between the 'smart grid' and the 'smart building'." OGEMA apps receive variable electricity tariffs and automatically calculate the optimum times to run connected devices such as a refrigerator, freezer or washing machine. This allows consumers to turn on, say, their dishwasher at the most economical times especially when there is an oversupply of wind energy. Air-conditioning units, radiator thermostats, heat pumps and photovoltaic facilities can also be operated automatically by the apps. There are, for instance, applications running on OGEMA that let consumers know whether they would be better off using the electricity generated by their PV facility themselves or putting it on the grid. This information is presented to customers on a display. Other apps, meanwhile, turn off the heating in office buildings when rooms are not being used say at the weekend, or when employees are out on the road. Another good use for OGEMA in a business context is for flexible control of combined heat and power plants to increase their profitability. As an example, reducing heat output for a short time to below predicted demand would avoid some electricity generation; this could be offered to the market as negative balancing power, giving rise to additional revenues.

Open system for the home and building automation field

The apps cover a broad spectrum of different tasks; since OGEMA is an open system, all developers and producers are free to turn their ideas for using energy more efficiently into software for the platform. "Our framework is comparable with other open-source projects such as Android. That's what marks it out from the rest: within home and building automation, all the existing systems are proprietary," says Nestle. The OGEMA Alliance and an industry working group were formed with the aim of driving the development of software and the transfer of the research results into the market. Participants in the working group receive regular updates on the project's progress and learn how they can program applications for the platform. OGEMA 1.0 can already be downloaded free (http://www.ogema-alliance.org). Now Fraunhofer researchers are working on OGEMA 2.0, the finalized version of which is set to be made available in mid-2013. Among other things, it will feature new security functions and improved programming interfaces, while also making it easier to install apps in future.

Implementing OGEMA is inexpensive for users, with minimal hardware requirements. The platform runs on what is known as an embedded PC & web server, which can be purchased for around 30 euros, and which can be accessed via smartphone, PC, tablet or laptop. In initial field studies, the energy management system has been a success. One example is the Model City Mannheim project, a winner of the E-Energy Technology Competition organized by Germany's Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology: here, the system was tested in around 500 homes and families gave it very high marks in their concluding survey. At Hannover Messe 2013 from April 8 to 12, researchers from the IWES, the ISE and the IIS will be presenting OGEMA 2.0 and running a demonstration using a simulated environment to show how consumers can benefit from the system and bring down their energy costs (Hall 13, Booth C10).

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 13-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. David Nestle
david.nestle@iwes.fraunhofer.de
49-561-729-4234
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Hannover Messe 2013

This press release is available in German.

For years now, electricity and heating bills have constantly been on the rise, and 2013 is no different prices are shooting up. Germans are keen to do something about it. A survey conducted by inspection company Dekra revealed that one in two people is turning down the central heating, while the great majority are cutting back on cooking and laundry and actively looking to reduce consumption. This is where a new software platform comes in: it makes it easier to find a smart approach to energy issues, not only for homeowners and tenants but also for business and industry, and helps to bring down costs. Connecting energy users and producers with the control centers of grid companies and energy suppliers, this free Java-based framework for energy management is called OGEMA (Open Gateway Energy Management Alliance). The name is shared by the OGEMA 2.0 project, in which with funding to the tune of five million euros from Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) the Fraunhofer Institutes for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology IWES in Kassel, for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, and for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen are taking the solution to the next level.

"Our system lets customers track future variable electricity prices and allows them to fit their consumption to the energy on offer. This ability is becoming increasingly important with the switch to renewables," says Dr. -Ing. David Nestle, Head of department 'Energy Management' at IWES, who describes the software platform as "basically an interface between the 'smart grid' and the 'smart building'." OGEMA apps receive variable electricity tariffs and automatically calculate the optimum times to run connected devices such as a refrigerator, freezer or washing machine. This allows consumers to turn on, say, their dishwasher at the most economical times especially when there is an oversupply of wind energy. Air-conditioning units, radiator thermostats, heat pumps and photovoltaic facilities can also be operated automatically by the apps. There are, for instance, applications running on OGEMA that let consumers know whether they would be better off using the electricity generated by their PV facility themselves or putting it on the grid. This information is presented to customers on a display. Other apps, meanwhile, turn off the heating in office buildings when rooms are not being used say at the weekend, or when employees are out on the road. Another good use for OGEMA in a business context is for flexible control of combined heat and power plants to increase their profitability. As an example, reducing heat output for a short time to below predicted demand would avoid some electricity generation; this could be offered to the market as negative balancing power, giving rise to additional revenues.

Open system for the home and building automation field

The apps cover a broad spectrum of different tasks; since OGEMA is an open system, all developers and producers are free to turn their ideas for using energy more efficiently into software for the platform. "Our framework is comparable with other open-source projects such as Android. That's what marks it out from the rest: within home and building automation, all the existing systems are proprietary," says Nestle. The OGEMA Alliance and an industry working group were formed with the aim of driving the development of software and the transfer of the research results into the market. Participants in the working group receive regular updates on the project's progress and learn how they can program applications for the platform. OGEMA 1.0 can already be downloaded free (http://www.ogema-alliance.org). Now Fraunhofer researchers are working on OGEMA 2.0, the finalized version of which is set to be made available in mid-2013. Among other things, it will feature new security functions and improved programming interfaces, while also making it easier to install apps in future.

Implementing OGEMA is inexpensive for users, with minimal hardware requirements. The platform runs on what is known as an embedded PC & web server, which can be purchased for around 30 euros, and which can be accessed via smartphone, PC, tablet or laptop. In initial field studies, the energy management system has been a success. One example is the Model City Mannheim project, a winner of the E-Energy Technology Competition organized by Germany's Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology: here, the system was tested in around 500 homes and families gave it very high marks in their concluding survey. At Hannover Messe 2013 from April 8 to 12, researchers from the IWES, the ISE and the IIS will be presenting OGEMA 2.0 and running a demonstration using a simulated environment to show how consumers can benefit from the system and bring down their energy costs (Hall 13, Booth C10).

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/f-osp031313.php

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Biodegradable diapers from recycled cardboard

Mar. 13, 2013 ? VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a process that enables recycled paper and cardboard to be used as a raw material for nonwovens. Hygiene and home care products, such as diapers, sanitary napkins and cleaning cloths, are among the many items that can be manufactured from the biodegradable nonwovens. The manufacturing costs of cardboard-based nonwovens are around 20% lower than for nonwovens produced from wood raw materials. The forest industry will be among those likely to benefit from new business opportunities opened up by nonwovens based on recycled paper and cardboard.

Nonwovens are essentially consumer goods that once used will end up in a landfill site along with other community waste. In the metropolitan area alone, an estimated 10,000 tonnes of diapers and sanitary napkins are disposed of each year. The principle raw material in nonwovens manufacture is biologically non-degradable polyester. Up to now, market entry for bio-based nonwovens derived from wood has stalled because of prohibitive production costs.

"Now for the first time we can make use of recycled paper and cardboard as a nonwovens raw material," says Ali Harlin, Research Professor at VTT. "The new process means that bio-based nonwovens are now more competitive on price in comparison with plastic-based products. The manufacturing costs of cardboard-based nonwovens are around 20% lower than for nonwovens produced from wood raw materials. New business opportunities should open up fairly rapidly, since the technology required for manufacturing nonwovens from recycled materials is already in place."

Every year Europe generates around 60 million tonnes of recycled paper, of which cardboard makes up around 40%. The demand exists for new applications and technology for exploiting recycled paper due to the EU's objective of raising the proportion of recycled paper to 70 per cent. The method developed by VTT could extend future possibilities for re-use, particularly in the case of cardboard, which is more cost-effective as a raw material than fine paper.

Cleansing the cardboard of filler material, lignin and hemicellulose is a key part of nonwovens manufacture. VTT has matched several fibre-processing methods in the preparation of dissolving pulp to assist in obtaining pure cellulose from the recycled cardboard. The dissolving pulp produced in the research project was regenerated using VTT's patented carbamate technology, which is safer and more environmentally friendly than the traditional viscose process. The nonwovens were manufactured with foam forming technology that uses little water.

Around 1.9 million tonnes of various types of nonwovens were manufactured in Europe in 2011. Strong growth in the global market for nonwovens is forecast to continue for the foreseeable future. Apart from hygiene, health and cleaning products, the nonwovens have further applications in, among others, the construction industry.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/wPPgXA2bKhk/130313095424.htm

Freeh Report

China willing to talk with US over cyberattacks

BEIJING (AP) ? China says it is willing to cooperate with the United States in cybersecurity after the U.S. called on it to take "serious steps" to stop cyberattacks.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying repeated China's assertion that it is firmly opposed to cyberattacks and one of the countries that has suffered most from them. She says the country cracks down on such hackers according to the law.

Hua said Tuesday: "Cyberspace needs rules and cooperation, not wars. China is willing to have constructive dialogue and cooperation with the global community, including the United States."

U.S. National Security adviser Tom Donilon's comments Monday reflect American concern over cyber intrusions and their economic costs.

Last month, a U.S.-based cybersecurity firm accused a Chinese military unit of attacking more than 140 mostly American companies.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-willing-talk-us-over-cyberattacks-094816904--finance.html

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How Reddit's Ask Me Anything became mainstream media

By Rob Walker

Rachel Maddow?s debatable performance in a recent Ask Me Anything turn on Reddit?many users thought she evaded the harder topics?raises an interesting question: Given that AMA is now such an established form, how could someone so media-savvy leave herself open to that particular critique?

But wait a minute?that actually raises a bigger question: How did AMAs become such an established form in the first place?

As Reddit itself recently noted, more than 4,000 AMAs on the site have attracted 100 comments or more?and they?ve been with a variety of famous figures from entertainment, business, sports and politics up to and including the president of the United States.

A famously user-driven site that bills itself as ?the front page of the Internet,? Reddit has updated and extended the freewheeling ethos of the earlier Internet?s bulletin boards and chat rooms: Its users submit links, discuss a dizzying array of subjects, and rate each others? contributions on the theory that the best material floats to the top.

It also offers broad discussion threads devoted to an individual answering questions from all comers, and while this is not a recent novelty?Know Your Meme says that AOL had an Ask Me Anything forum back in the 1990s, for instance?the Reddit version has evolved into a far more mainstream feature of the contemporary mediascape.

Reddit General Manager Erik Martin filled me in on some key points in the history of how that happened. When Reddit, founded in 2005, first introduced ?subreddits? (sections, basically), one was dubbed ?Ask Reddit.? Later, the ?I Am A? subreddit emerged, but was more about a particular type of person?a transsexual, a survivalist, a resident of Oslo, etc.?offering to answer questions.

Martin suggested that, in an indirect way, Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr and other tech companies, could be considered the first famous person to answer the Reddit crowd?s questions: Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, preparing to interview her at a conference five years ago, gathered material by soliciting Reddit users, passing the most popular queries on to Fake.

A more formal version of that process took shape a year or so later, and was the result of a concerted effort on Reddit?s part to get famous folks to agree to be Asked Anything.
?We used to have to basically book people,? Martin said of that time. To make the process feel more familiar to those they?d booked?who for the most part were more used to interviews than to chat rooms and the like?Reddit often gathered questions from its users and arranged to send a video crew to record these celebrity types answering the top submissions.

The first big-name participant: Adam Savage, of Mythbusters, in April 2009. Other early participants included Christopher Hitchens, Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs) and Dennis Kucinich.

Before long the site was able to persuade ?ask-ees? to interact directly with users online. By late 2009, the big names didn?t need to be invited, they came to Reddit?or to Reddit.com?and launched Ask Me Anything events without bothering to go through the site?s managers.

Martin pointed to Steve Vai, the guitarist, as a pioneer: ?That?s the first one I remember that was really random,? he said, meaning that Vai?s AMA simply popped up without advance notice. (Instead of announcing himself, Vai adopted the more old-school ?I am a?? approach; users deduced his identity.)

The site pursued President Obama for years, and it was a measure of the form?s acceptance that the White House finally decided to do it; in the throes of the 2012 campaign, I Am Barack Obama, President of the United States ? AMA appeared.?

These days, Martin said, at least half the famous-name AMAs come about as the result of a celebrity him/herself (well, their PR crews) approaching the site.

And while the ?Ask Me? forums migrated to their own areas on Reddit, that process is coming full circle, with AMAs so popular in some circles that well-known figures in particular communities (fantasy fiction, college football, etc.) launch their sessions in those threads to up the odds of participation.

The Maddow incident suggests that even now some go better than others. But Martin said it?s hard to offer hard and fast rules about what will or won?t work. Snoop Dogg seemed to answer every query?but often in sentence fragments. Newark, N.J., mayor Cory Booker answered selectively?but in considered detail. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in lieu of typing responses, preferred to use a stylus, iPad and camera.

?On the one hand, there are no rules,? Martin concluded. ?But our main advice is: ?Only do this is if you want to, if it will be fun. This shouldn?t feel like a chore.??

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/how-reddit-s-ask-me-anything-became-part-of-the-mainstream-media-circuit--130755591.html

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Fla. company rewards workers with Beer Cart Friday

PORT ORANGE, Fla. (AP) ? Employees at a Florida health care company are allowed to drink on the company's tab, on company time, thanks to a perk known as "Beer Cart Fridays."

Advance Medical CEO Jennifer Fuicelli told the Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/YGXRb2) she's been rolling out the beer cart for two years as part of an "unorthodox corporate culture" that rewards employees for hard work.

She says the company began in 2005 with four employees and now has 350 workers in two locations ? Port Orange, Fla., and Broomfield, Colo.

The company also hosts costume days for Halloween, barbecues on the clock and a birthday "get out of jail free" card, which can be used for a paid day off.

Employees are restricted to one beer, which Fuicelli says is a small price that "pays huge dividends."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-03-08-US-ODD-Beer-Cart-Fridays/id-665bc6732fac421e8fbadb5864e4c546

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To mayor, NYC soda ruling just 'temporary setback'

FILE - This May 31, 2012 file photo shows a display of various size cups and sugar cubes at a news conference at New York's City Hall. A judge struck down New York City's groundbreaking limit on the size of sugar-laden drinks Monday, March 11, 2013 shortly before it was set to take effect, agreeing with the beverage industry and other opponents that the rule is arbitrary in applying to only some sweet beverages and some places that sell them. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - This May 31, 2012 file photo shows a display of various size cups and sugar cubes at a news conference at New York's City Hall. A judge struck down New York City's groundbreaking limit on the size of sugar-laden drinks Monday, March 11, 2013 shortly before it was set to take effect, agreeing with the beverage industry and other opponents that the rule is arbitrary in applying to only some sweet beverages and some places that sell them. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - In this March 8, 2013 file photo, customers at Brother Jimmy's BBQ call cheers with 24-ounce, left, and 16-ounce beverages, in New York. New York City's groundbreaking limit on the size of sugar-laden drinks has been struck down by a judge shortly before it was set to take effect. The restriction was supposed to start Tuesday, March 12, 2013. The rule prohibits selling non-diet soda and some other sugary beverages in containers bigger than 16 ounces. It applies at places ranging from pizzerias to sports stadiums, though not at supermarkets or convenience stores. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

FILE - In this March 8, 2013 file photo, a Coca-Cola poster about the city's anticipated beverage ban is displayed at a pizza shop at New York's Penn Station. New York City's groundbreaking limit on the size of sugar-laden drinks has been struck down by a judge shortly before it was set to take effect. The restriction was supposed to start Tuesday, March 12, 2013. The rule prohibits selling non-diet soda and some other sugary beverages in containers bigger than 16 ounces. It applies at places ranging from pizzerias to sports stadiums, though not at supermarkets or convenience stores. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg's bullishness, political realities and legal questions make for an uncertain future for one of the premier pieces of his legacy: a now-blocked ban on supersized sugary drinks.

The city lost no time Tuesday getting started on the next round of the fight after a judge nixed the first-of-its-kind regulation. Bloomberg called the strongly worded court ruling a "temporary setback" and emphasizing that the city is confident about winning an appeal. He predicted that in the meantime, the novel regulation would become a bellwether in the national fight against obesity.

"I don't think there's any doubt that momentum is moving in our direction," he said after convening a thicket of news cameras at a Manhattan diner that is voluntarily complying with the stricken-down rule.

While the city has ultimately prevailed in some similar cases, legal experts say it's unclear how judges will view whether health regulators overshot their authority in this one. Moreover, the appeal could linger beyond Bloomberg's term when it ends this year, and several of his would-be successors don't appear to have his appetite for pursuing it.

State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling's decision, issued Monday, says that the soda rule has so many exemptions that it's illegally arbitrary and that the Bloomberg-appointed Board of Health trod on the City Council's turf to impose it.

"This is a serious challenge to the city," particularly for saying the health board violated the separation-of-powers principle, said James Fanto, a Brooklyn Law School professor who specializes in business law and regulation.

The city filed a formal notice Tuesday of its appeal. The American Beverage Association and other opponents of the rule said they felt the judge's decision was strong and were confident in it.

The city's appeal will likely argue that the judge took too narrow a view of the 147-year-old health board's powers. Officials have noted that other groundbreaking health initiatives on Bloomberg's watch have survived court challenges: a 2006 rule requiring some restaurants to post calorie counts, for instance, was struck down, revised, challenged again and upheld.

To attack the finding that the law is arbitrarily ridden with loopholes, city lawyers could argue that any given regulation can't be expected to get at every source of a problem, said Cary Coglianese, a University of Pennsylvania Law School professor who studies regulatory processes.

The city also is stressing what it sees as the stakes: a city population in which 60 percent of adults and 40 percent of children are obese, $4 billion a year in obesity-related medical spending in the city alone, and national and local studies linking sugary drinks to weight gain.

Government actions generally enjoy some leeway in courts in light of the separation of powers. But judges tend to afford less deference to the decisions of executive agencies than to the majoritarian work of legislatures ? in this scenario, the City Council, said Steven Goldberg, a Pace Law School professor and former dean.

Bloomberg said Tuesday he has no plans to try to get the council to pass the soda rule, which bars eateries as disparate as corner delis and arena concessions from selling non-diet soda, sweetened juice and some other sugary drinks in portions bigger than 16 ounces. The city believes in the health board's authority over the issue and wants a higher court to affirm it, he said.

The appeal could easily take a year or more, potentially leaving the next mayor with a decision about whether to keep pressing it.

Several Republican and Democratic contenders have criticized the ban. "Thank goodness the court intervened," cheered one, Democrat John Liu, now the city comptroller.

City Council Speaker and frequent Bloomberg ally Christine Quinn, so far the Democratic front-runner in the heavily Democratic city, told CNN host Piers Morgan on Monday that the big-soda ban "isn't something I support." But she said Tuesday that officials should "let this make its way through the court, and we'll see where we end up."

Meanwhile, one of her Democratic rivals, city Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, was by Bloomberg's side applauding the measure.

"This is a crisis that must be addressed, he said, and "the mayor is doing that."

For a mayor who has made unconventional public health initiatives a key part of his agenda, Monday's court decision is at least a distracting roadblock.

The soda rule revived complaints that he's turning a tough town into a "nanny state." The New York Post has pictured him as "Mayor Poppins" alongside stories about it.

And the court ruling could fuel longtime perceptions of him as high-handed and sometimes deaf to the democratic process, a criticism that hit a fever pitch when he persuaded the City Council to extend term limits in 2008 so he could run again after voters had twice approved the previous limit.

Tingling, the trial-level court judge, called the sugary drinks regulation "arbitrary and capricious," language that comes from a legal standard but could strike non-lawyers as an echo of the "imperial mayor" his critics sometimes deride.

Fairly or not, the ruling "makes it easier to paint him as someone who's kind of overbearing and autocratic," said Queens College political science professor Michael Krasner.

New Yorkers are divided on the issue, with 51 percent against it and 46 percent supporting it in a recent Quinnipiac University poll.

For his part, Bloomberg shrugs off questions about whether the soda contretemps has sapped his political capital, saying he's "trying to do what's right" and thinks the public ultimately will agree with him. He foresees smaller sodas becoming as normal as smoke-free bars, another change that was controversial when he led a charge for it more than a decade ago. The City Council passed it in 2002.

"The mayor's right: Leadership requires sticking your neck out," says Douglas Muzzio, a Baruch College political science professor who specializes in city politics.

As for whether the public will reward him for it, "This may not be one of those cases, or it may be."

___

Follow Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-12-Sugary%20Drinks-Lawsuit/id-97c99a4eb9be44c1922cb0f56915a8f1

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It's getting harder to escape the office

By Martha C. White

Of course we?re more productive ? we?re always ?at work.?

In the wake of Yahoo and Best Buy ordering telecommuters back to the office, one of the strongest arguments for working from home is that it increases productivity. While nixing the commute and eliminating distractions certainly helps, there?s also another reason why the home office is so good for productivity.

The ubiquity of mobile devices today means that the ?home office? has become more of a concept than a place. The dark underbelly of greater flexibility is that we find ourselves checking and responding to work email when we?re at the gym, out on dates and watching our kids? soccer games.

?The technology that?s happened over the last decade or so is tremendous... but at the same time, I feel constantly connected now,? said James Wagner, a salesman at Rema Foods in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., who upgraded to a new BlackBerry about a year ago.

?You get conditioned to constantly be looking at the thing. For example, I get up in the morning... I?m literally still in bed and I?m checking emails.?

Statistics indicate that Wagner has plenty of company. Market research firm IDC predicts that 137 million smartphones will be shipped to the United States this year, a 14 percent increase over last year. According to the Pew Research Center, 45 percent of Americans now own a smartphone, and 31 percent own a tablet. College graduates and those whose annual household income is $75,000 or more are much likelier to own a smartphone.

As technology advances, mobile devices can do more ? which lets us do more. In particular, the road to constant connectivity is paved with iPads.

?The smartphone is a little too little, the laptop is a little too big,? said Gil Gordon, author of "Turn It Off: How to Unplug from the Anytime-Anywhere Office Without Disconnecting Your Career." A tablet ?hits the sweet spot there... Things you probably wouldn?t think of doing with a smartphone you can do on an iPad and don?t think twice about it.?

?Total USA tablet shipments reached 45.2 million units in 2012, up from 32.4 million in 2011,? Tom Mainelli, IDC Research Director, Tablets, said via email. ?We're forecasting the U.S. market to hit 62.6 million units in 2013.?

Stefani Stankiewicz, an account manager at Manning Automotive Marketing in Wyckoff, N.J., replaced her Droid with an iPhone and got an iPad about a year ago.??I can do a lot more with the iPhone,? she said. ?It?s a blessing and a curse.??

Stankiewicz said her devices give her near-constant contact with her job. ?I have a G-chat app... Yesterday, I left early because my grandfather was in the hospital, and I was G-chatting with everybody,? she said.

American workers have been sold a promise that the constant access afforded by our mobile devices would give us more flexibility as to where and when we worked. The problem is that all these late-night and weekend emails aren?t replacing hours spent in the office ??they?re adding to them.

?I call it my necessary evil,? Wagner said. ?If I didn?t do that and keep up, it would be impossible to keep up with what?s getting thrown at me every day.?

A Bureau of Labor Statistics report found that between half and two-thirds of telecommuting hours are on top of a standard 40-hour workweek. ?The ability of employees to work at home may actually allow employers to raise expectations for work availability during evenings and weekends and foster longer workdays and workweeks,? researchers warned.

While we could just turn off those devices when we?re eating dinner or on vacation, we don?t. A Salary.com survey found that a third of people say they feel anxious when they can?t check their work email or voicemail for an ?extended? period of time.

For an upcoming vacation, Stankiewicz said she planned to not check her work email, but admitted she might cave. ?I?m going to really try not to. I might peek and check just to see what?s going on... because it?s right there.?

?It?s a double edged sword,? said Rob Smith, co-author of "Telework: A Critical Component of Your Total Rewards Strategy." ?The technology has advanced more quickly than the policies and procedures in the workplace that would allow for a proper work-life balance. We haven?t found that right balance yet.?

Companies generally don?t come out and say they want their employees on-call 24/7, but some workers say there are clear signs from management that answering emails outside of work hours is encouraged if not outright expected.

Knowing that the boss is burning the midnight oil, for instance, can make employees feel obligated to do the same. Wagner said it wasn?t uncommon for his company?s president, with whom he works closely, to send him multiple emails on Sunday nights.

"He certainly works as hard as anyone... Without saying it, he certainly likes when you respond at any time. He likes to see that his people are always connected,? he said.

?In this economy, with so many people out of work, they?re almost afraid of not being seen as accessible and available and responsive,? Gordon said. ?So they let the technology intrude at the dinner table or their kid?s soccer game.?

This spillover can cause tension in people?s personal relationships. ?We?ll be sitting there, having dinner, and it?ll be sitting on the table,? Wagner said of his omnipresent BlackBerry. ?My wife... has literally held it over a toilet before.?

?My boyfriend does complain that I?m on my phone answering emails a lot,? Stankiewicz said. ?Am I being more productive or am I stopping myself from having a social life??

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Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/03/11/17238383-goodbye-8-hour-workday-smartphones-make-it-hard-to-escape-the-office?lite

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