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May Day: An Extensive History of Change

May Day is celebrated on 1st May every year. Dating back more than a millennium ago, the tradition has a huge history behind it and neither for the same reason observed today. Now it carries the sentiments of the labour movement for workers’ rights in the 19th century with International Workers’ Day. However, when it was first established, it was to welcome the new season and signifies change.

Celtic Britons, or the Celts of Britain, hold May 1st to be the most important day of the year for them. May 1st was when the festival of Beltane was celebrated, a Gaelic holiday that marks the beginning of summertime. The festival was meant to divide the year between light and dark. The tradition of bonfires also symbolised fertility and the return to life worldwide. However, when the Romans took over Britain, the event was extended from April 20th to May 2nd after combining with the festival of Floralia, after the goddess Flora.

Nowadays, on the other hand, May Day has taken on a completely different meaning. International Workers’ Day is a widely celebrated, worldwide event. Labour rights were imperative to recognise, especially during the peak of the Industrial Revolution, and a cause worth fighting for. To this day, labour rights are still evolving and are a continuous struggle where work conditions are completely abysmal.

So how do the original May Day and International Workers’ Day relate to each other?

Honestly, they don’t. It just happens that International Workers’ Day took over and gained more importance. Considering the majority of Europe is the minority in celebrating events like Beltane or Maifeiertag in Germany, Workers’ Day is the more conventional event observed worldwide. Some countries, of course, do not observe this holiday, for example, the United Arab Emirates provides no holiday and Canada instead celebrates it on the first Monday of September. The labour movement grew at the height of the Industrial Revolution, specifically the Second Industrial Revolution in 1870.

What is the Labour Movement?

At the tail end of the Second Industrial Revolution, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions made it a policy to only keep 8-hour workdays from 1st May 1886 onwards. The hazardous work conditions, leading to the deaths of men, women, and even children, made this reevaluation necessary. An American labour organisation, Knights of Labor, encouraged workers to strike and demonstrate while supporting the new policy. On 1st May 1886, more than 400,000 workers across America went on strike in peaceful protest.

This changed on May 3rd when the protests went from peaceful to violent. Chicago police clashed with workers which led to several deaths and thus, a rally was organised the next day in protest against the police. Both sides lost a lot of people in the coming months. This led to the Haymarket Riot (or the Haymarket Affair or Massacre) in August 1886 where 8 men were convicted and put on trial without evidence for anarchy. However, it’s alleged that the swayed jury were all part of big businesses. 4 of the men were hanged, 1 had committed suicide and the rest 3 were pardoned after 6 years during their 15-year sentence. The group became martyrs, known as the Haymarket Martyrs, and had a rally of over 300,000 people in London in 1890 on May Day.

Status of May Day Today

The importance of May 1st to workers was inevitably accepted by governments. Now, May Day is recognised as International Workers’ Day across 66 countries. In a twist of irony, it is not recognised on 1st May in America where it became largely advocated for. In India, the day is also called “Maharashtra Day” or “Gujarat Day.”

Mark your calendars for this May Day on 1st May 2024!

AMOLED Explained: Understanding the Brilliance Behind the Screen

A good display is essential for any product, whether a smartphone, TV, or gadget. There are various display technologies available, ranging from CRT to QLEDs, but one of the most advanced is AMOLED. AMOLED stands for Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode, and it has become increasingly popular in various industries due to its numerous advantages over traditional LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens.

AMOLED displays are a type of technology that allows each pixel to be lit up individually, providing vibrant colours, high contrast ratios, and energy efficiency. With its versatility, this technology has transformed how we interact with digital content. It’s used in a range of devices, including smartphones, TVs, wearables, automotive displays, and more.

The key benefit of AMOLED displays is their ability to produce deep, true blacks by turning off individual pixels when displaying dark scenes or images. This is in contrast to LCD screens, where a backlight is always present, resulting in less distinct blacks and lower contrast ratios. The ability to achieve deeper blacks enhances the overall image quality and provides a more immersive viewing experience, making AMOLED displays particularly well-suited for multimedia consumption and gaming.

Furthermore, AMOLED technology enables manufacturers to create thinner, more flexible displays than traditional LCD panels. This flexibility has opened up new possibilities for product design, allowing curved and foldable displays to seamlessly integrate into various form factors. AMOLED displays are primarily used in the smartphone industry due to their combination of superior image quality, energy efficiency, and design flexibility. Many flagship smartphones from leading manufacturers feature AMOLED screens, offering users an immersive visual experience with vibrant colours and deep blacks.

Beyond smartphones, AMOLED displays are also making a significant in the automotive industry. Modern vehicles are equipped with smart infotainment systems and digital instrument clusters, which require high-resolution displays with excellent visibility under varying lighting conditions. AMOLED displays meet these requirements by offering crisp image quality, wide viewing angles, and high brightness levels, enhancing the overall user experience inside the vehicle.

Moreover, due to their compact size, low power consumption, and vibrant visuals, AMOLED displays have also gained popularity in wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These displays provide users with clear and easily readable information in a small form factor, making them ideal for wearable devices.

AMOLED technology has emerged as a leading display technology across various industries, offering unparalleled image quality, energy efficiency, and design flexibility. As advancements in manufacturing processes and materials continue to improve, we can expect to see even more widespread adoption of AMOLED technology in the years to come.

Wireless Charging Explained: Charge your Phone Without Cords

Wireless charging has become a standard feature in many smartphones today, eliminating the hassle of dealing with tangled cords and providing a seamless charging experience. But have you ever wondered how this futuristic technology works? It’s a fascinating stuff! Allow me to explain the inner workings of this wireless technology to you.

Wireless charging, also known as inductive charging, operates on the principle of electromagnetic induction. It involves transferring energy from a power source to a device without physical connectors. The process relies on two main components – a transmitter (charging pad) and a receiver (built-in within the phone or attached as a separate accessory).

The transmitter converts electrical power from a wall outlet into an alternating current (AC). This alternating current creates a fluctuating magnetic field around the transmitter coil. When a compatible device with a receiver coil is placed close to the transmitter, the fluctuating magnetic field induces an alternating current in the receiver coil through electromagnetic induction.

Once the receiver coil within the phone detects the alternating current, it converts this electrical energy back into direct current (DC), which is then used to charge the device’s battery. Wireless charging efficiency largely depends on factors such as the distance between the transmitter and receiver coils, alignment, and the materials between them.

To ensure compatibility across various brands and models of smartphones and charging accessories, the brand preferred the Qi standard as the industry standard for wireless charging technology instead of creating proprietary charging modules.

One of the key advantages of wireless charging is its convenience. Users can simply place their devices on a charging pad without fumbling with cables or connectors. This convenience extends beyond smartphones and encompasses other electronic devices such as smartwatches, earbuds, and even electric toothbrushes.

Wireless charging eliminates the need for multiple chargers, as Qi-compatible devices can share the same charging pad. However, charging efficiency diminishes with distance, so the device must be placed near the charging pad for optimal performance. Additionally, charging speeds are slower than wired charging, although technological advancements similar to OnePlus Airvooc 50W wireless charging are improving the charging efficiency and speed.

Many smartphones and accessories have built-in wireless charging today to experience wireless charging technology. The Apple iPhones from iPhone 8 feature wireless charging, including their smartwatch and Airpods 2 and later, all of which can be charged with a wireless charging pad. For Android users, many premium devices, including the Samsung S24 series and the OnePlus 12, can also become wireless chargers and charge other wireless charging devices.

In conclusion, wireless charging offers a convenient and cable-free solution for powering smartphones and other electronic devices. By harnessing the principles of electromagnetic induction, wireless charging technology has revolutionized how we recharge our devices, offering greater convenience and flexibility. As technology continues to evolve, wireless charging is poised to become even more widespread, offering users a seamless charging experience in an increasingly wireless world.