How To Tips

Abdomen Exercise

2010-08-02T16:03:00.001+08:00

Simple aerobic exercise

2010-08-02T15:08:00.004+08:00

12 Tips To Save Petrol

2008-07-23T11:05:00.001+08:00

12 Tips to Save Petrol

1) Pump up your tires.
Keeping your tires inflated is one of the easiest and most important things
Saving petrol means saving money one can do to improve fuel economy. If a
range is recommended by the manufacturer, the higher pressure should be
used to maximize fuel efficiency. Deflated tires run hot and jeopardize
safety. It will also cause the tires to wear out prematurely, affect the
vehicles adversely, and hurt the fuel economy by increasing the rolling
resistance. Tires lose about 1 psi pressure per month due to air loss
caused by the tire hitting holes, bumps and curbs. Therefore, the tires
should be checked at least once a month. Just 1 tire deflated by 2 psi will
result in a 1% increase in fuel consumption.

2) Drive at moderate speed.
Avoiding high speeds on open roads results in safer driving and better fuel
economy. In highway driving, over 50% of the power produced by the engine
is used to overcome aerodynamic drag. Drag and thus fuel consumption
increases rapidly at speeds above 90km/h. On the average, a car uses about
15% more fuel at 100km/h, and 25% more fuel at 110km/h compared to when it
is doing only 90km/h. However, this should not lead one to conclude that
the lower the speed, the better the fuel economy - because it is not. The
fuel consumption of an average car increases sharply at speeds below
50km/h.

3) Clean the air-filter regularly
Clogged air filters increase fuel consumption by restricting airflow to the
engine, and thus should be cleaned/replaced when necessary. Clogged air
filters can increase fuel consumption by up to 10%.

4) Use thinner tires
Tires with thick width will improve the handling of your car. However, it
will also increase your car's fuel consumption. Thicker tires mean more
rolling resistance! , and thus will consume more fuel.

5) Start up the car properly
With today's cars, it is not necessary to prime the engine first by pumping
the accelerator pedal repeatedly. Do not crank the engine excessively This
only wastes fuel. When starting the engine, idle it no more than 30 seconds
to warm it up. An engine will warm up faster on the road. However, avoid
sudden acceleration before the engine has warmed up sufficiently.

6) Drive in high gear (overdrive)
The engine runs most efficiently between around 1,500 and 2,500 rpm. To
maintain these low revs you should change up through the gears as soon as
practical and before the revs reach 2500 rpm. For automatic transmission
cars, you should always switch on your overdrive to help save fuel.
Overdrive will allow your engine to change gears at lower revs. It also
puts your transmission into an "economy" mode and lets it engage the final
"overdrive" gear when cruising to ! keep the rpms extra low, thereby
increasing fuel economy. for more of the below topics please go to : http://mhloke.blogspot.com/)

7) Travel light

8 ) Anticipate traffic ahead

9) Avoid strong acceleration

10) Minimizes aerodynamic drag

11) Don't let your engine idle

12) Use the air-con sparingly

Source: The Pasar Road Shop

Buying guide for external DVD burner

2008-06-30T16:00:00.004+08:00

INTERFACE
External DVD burners connect to your PC differently than internal drives do. While internal burners rely on an IDE or Serial ATA (SATA) interface to connect to your PC, external drives offer USB 2.0 or FireWire connections. Some models (labeled "dual interface") offer both USB and FireWire options.

FORMAT
All new DVD write and rewrite data and video to DVD-R/DVD-RW and DVD+R/DVD+RW formats. DVD-R and DVD+R discs can be written to only once, but they offer high compatibility with drives and set-top DVD players. DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs can be written and erased approximately 1,000 times, but they have compatibility problems with older players, some older drives, and even some current DVD recorders. Most new burners today support both +/- formats. Multiformat drives can also read, write, and rewrite CDs, as well as play DVDs. Some drives can record to DVD-RAM discs, although these models are less common. DVD-RAM discs are used primarily for data storage and backup.

DOUBLE-LAYER SUPPORT
"Double-layer" refers to the technology that allows two recording layers to fit on the single side of a DVD, effectively doubling a disc's storage capacity from 4.7GB to 8.5GB. Though it’s perfect for those who need to archive large amounts of data, double-layer burning currently maxes out at 10x speed. The discs may not play in older stand-alone DVD players, but most new players now support the technology. Also, you'll run across two types of double-layer recording. Most double-layer drives support DVD+R double-layer, but some newer ones also support DVD-R double-layer. Look for drives that support both.

LIGHTSCRIBE AND LABELFLASH
Some external drives support LightScribe or the less-popular Labelflash, technologies that enable you to etch your own label or artwork onto the nondata side of the disc. Write speeds of these drives are often slower, however, and you'll need to use more-expensive LightScribe or Labelflash media.

BLU-RAY
The next generation of DVD uses the Blu-ray format, which delivers high-definition video resolution and dramatically increased storage capabilities: 50GB of data on a single disc (25GB per side). External Blu-ray burners are starting to hit the market, but they are priced far higher than other external DVD drives. We recommend that you wait until the format gains wider acceptance (and lower prices) before buying, unless you have a specific need for that amount of storage (and have a full wallet).

Source: Computer Shopper

Writing speed: For high-volume DVD burning, choose an external DVD burner with a writing speed of 16x.

Interface: Choose an external DVD burner with a USB interface for maximum compatibility. For transferring large files, look for a FireWire interface because it has a higher transfer rate. Just make sure your computer has the appropriate ports for your chosen interface.

Dual layer support: To burn large files like videos or photos, choose an external DVD burner that supports dual layer DVD burning. These discs can burn up to 8.5 GB of data.

Source: PickyGuide

How to choose a hard disk

2008-05-22T16:28:00.000+08:00

How to find the best hard drives and external drives
For desktop PCs, 5,400rpm is the lowest you should consider (and even that only at a push, or when buying an exceedingly large drive), while 7,200rpm tends to be the most common. 10,000rpm drives are slowly becoming more commonplace. Drives are available even faster than these, but they require a different kind of connectivity. Incidentally, laptops tend to have slower drives which consume less power and generate less heat, with the premium laptop hard drives currently spinning at 5,400rpm.

Access time is next, which is as explanatory as it sounds. It's the time taken to get data from the drive to your PC, and this is stated in measurements of milliseconds. Towards the budget end of the market, you'd expect to see drives with 8ms access times, and as you spend more you can realistically expect to bring this down to 5 or 6 - even less if you're really willing to shell out.

Then we need to consider buffer size. This is the amount of cache memory that your drive is equipped with, in which is stored data that the drive reckons the system will request next. Clearly, the bigger the buffer, the more data it can hold and thus potentially it can deliver its data quicker. Budget drives tend to have a 2MB buffer, although 8MB is common too. Opt for the latter if you can, as it can make a noticeable difference.

And so we move on to the inevitable question of capacity. Most people determine their hard drive choices by the amount of data they can hold. If you're snooping round the second hand market, you may still find drives with less than one gigabyte of storage space, but these are of little use with today's bloated software, and wouldn't even hold an installation of Windows XP.

No, it's more sensible to set an absolute minimum of 20GB, and then to buy as much storage as you can realistically afford. For a standard family PC, 80 to 100GB should suffice, while for gamers or those involved in multimedia work, 160GB is a decent choice. However, it may actually work out better to buy two drives with 60-80GB capacity each - check out the information on RAID lower down this guide.

Now we've discussed the inner bits of the drives, we need to focus on how they hook up to your system. We'll start with drives designed to be seated inside your system box. Most drives available, particularly in the budget sector, tend to be either ATA100 or ATA133. The 'ATA' bit stands for Advanced Technology Attachment, and the number relates to the speed it can shift data around - either 100 or 133MB per second.

Some motherboards limit support to ATA100, although ATA133 drives are backwards compatible. Drives that use this standard need quite wide cables, and that can have an impact on airflow in a PC case. To the majority, that won't be a big deal, though.

To those it does bother, then Serial ATA has recently arrived. This is currently the format of choice for power hungry PC users, although the fact that it's in its infancy inevitably means some users will meet teething problems. Basically, Serial ATA - or SATA - can, when properly optimised, move data at up to 1.5GB per second.

A motherboard needs to be SATA compatible for maximum impact, although note that some boards have cheated. This means that while they accept a SATA drive, they channel its data through existing technology rather than supporting it natively, meaning you don't get the benefit of its potential extra bandwidth. What you do get the benefit of, though, is the thin cable required to connect a SATA drive up to a motherboard. That's far friendlier for airflow inside the case. Expect the overwhelming majority of desktop PCs to include SATA as standard within the next eighteen months.

One thing worth keeping an eye out for is RAID, which opens up some interesting options if you have more than one drive. RAID stands for Redundant Array Of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks, and it allows you to group drives together in one of two ways.

The first allows you to group (or 'stripe') together all of your hard disks as one, so your PC sees them as a single entity. This is known as RAID 0. The advantage here is speed. Your machine will take turns addressing each drive, in order to maximise the data cache on each. You can get some healthy performance gains, but the risk is that if one drive goes down, they all go down. That's because no full file is written to any of the drives, instead they each house fragments of files. Still, it's an economical way of getting, for instance, 160GB of storage, as using two 80GB drives will probably be cheaper and faster.

RAID 1, meanwhile, is a backup tool, as each drive becomes a mirror. This slows things down a little, as each file has to be written to each drive, but if one goes down, the other can quickly step into its place.

There are other versions of RAID, such as RAID 5 (which is basically RAID 0 but with the ability to get things going again should a drive fail) and RAID 10 (which mixes in the performance boost of RAID 0 and the backup facility of RAID 1, but requires four drives), but for home use it's likely to be RAID 0 or RAID 1 that you're interested in. Either way, your motherboard should have RAID support if you want to consider this.

While we're talking about technologies that may not appeal to the home user, we should briefly mention SCSI connectivity. SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) is currently the fastest way of getting data between a computer and a hard drive, but you generally have to pay through the nose for it. Note that technologies such as SATA are closing the performance gap fast, too. You'll find SCSI generally in professional environments, as it tends to be employed by the likes of professional video editors and people making the next Toy Story wannabe.

Let's round things up with a look at external options. An external hard drive is generally the same beast that sits inside your machine, but in a nice case with extra connections on it and a higher price tag. In fact, it's often more economical to take an existing drive and buy a special housing unit for it if you want an external drive, as a complete off-the-shelf solution rarely seems to be a bargain.

Being external, the drive has a tougher job getting data into your machine, and thus the price you pay in performance terms is that data transfers are notably slower. Nonetheless, you do gain an effective storage solution that won't go down if the rest of the inner workings of your PC do.

You should be looking for similar specs with an external drive as those described above, with one additional concern. That's the way that the drive hooks up to your PC. FireWire, or IEEE1394, is the fastest method (although it requires your PC to have a FireWire interface on it somewhere), but USB 2.0 will be fast enough for most. Avoid connecting via USB 1.1 if you can, though, as data transfer will be painfully slow.

Also worth a brief mention are other types of drive, such as USB pen drives (also known as flash drives, key drives, etc.). These again work best on the USB 2.0 interface, and are available in capacities of a gigabyte or more. Some make use of actual miniature hard drives, but most use flash memory that is a bit slower, but has no moving parts. Look for additional features such as built-in encryption that can help prevent your personal data falling into the wrong hands.

Hopefully all of that has given you food for thought. It should be said that, while we've outlined many options to you here, few of them will make a huge difference to your PC. Nonetheless, don't ignore them, and try to go down the routes that will give you a boost, such as SATA.

Source: IT Review, UK.

How to choose an LCD Projector

2008-05-22T16:08:00.001+08:00

Buying an LCD projector is not an insignificant investment, so you'll want to think carefully about how you're going to use the projector so you can match the features you need with the best price point. For instance, an LCD projector's brightness is a key buying factor, but if you're not planning to frequently give presentations in large conference rooms or classrooms, you may not need high performance in this area.

These key buying factors will help you choose an LCD projector.

LCD Projector Resolution
SVGA (800 x 600), XGA (1024 x 768), SXGA (1280 x 1024), or UXGA (1600 x 1200)? The higher the projector's resolution, the higher the price. If you will use your LCD projector mainly for PowerPoint presentations, the SVGA resolution will be fine, while XGA is a good choice for displaying numerical data. You'll only need the higher resolution LCD projectors if you need fine details to be accurately displayed.

LCD Projector Brightness
The higher the ANSI lumens rating, the brighter the LCD projector's light output. Projectors of less than 1000 lumens may not put out enough light for your needs. Projectors of 1000-2000 lumens put out enough light for normal business or classroom situations, while projectors of 2000-3000 lumens produce enough light to illuminate images without washout in large conference rooms and classrooms.

LCD Projector Contrast
Projector contrast is expressed as a ratio between the brightest and darkest areas of the image. Look for LCD projectors with contrast ratios of 400:1 or higher so that graphics and video images are clear. You'll want to choose an LCD projector with a very high contrast ratio if you plan to frequently project images with the lights on.

LCD Projector Weight
Projector weight is a portability issue; if you're going to be carrying the projector around a lot, making presentations in different locations, the lighter the better. There are now many LCD projectors available that weigh less than 5 pounds, which can lighten your load considerably if you're a mobile presenter. However, generally, the lighter the projector the more it costs.

LCD Projector Connectivity
When you buy an LCD projector, you'll choose one that connects with the computer you use, of course. But will you always use the same computer? You may need a separate connector cable or adapter in some cases. Check as well to see if the LCD projector has multiple computer ports, in case you want to connect multiple computers or video sources to the projector at the same time.

LCD Projector Lamp Life
Another factor you may want to consider when buying an LCD projector is the listed lamp life, as replacement lamps cost hundreds of dollars. A listed lamp life of 2000 hours is excellent. Some projectors come with mode choices, such as "eco-mode" that allow extended lamp life, and cut down on operating costs.

More reading... here

How to choose a laptop?

2008-03-14T11:24:00.002+08:00

HOW TO CHOOSE A LAPTOP

This article is to help those to know what kind of notebook that they need/want or just to enforce what they have already decided.

These days with just RM3,000 for budget of a new laptop, you can get a decent mobility system for document editing, minor imaging, database reference, and definitely capable of watching VCD's and DVD's. And then for those with budget of RM5'000 could probably get a good (better than average) multimedia system, it probably appeals to gamers or those who need a performance to handle their graphics programs. But it is not just about the bargain & stuff, there are a lot of things you need to know about a laptop before you can truly be fully utilizing it.

To Give You An Idea of Mobility:
Mobility, a word that is growing & ever expanding on the horizon of the 21st century. It is without doubt that more & more people are switching from cumbersome desktop to PDA to notebook. This is especially true when more people are using notebooks as a desktop replacement.

Why Not Last Time?
Ages ago, notebooks are expensives and probably heavy and with performance that users would probably better just using it for business applications like documents editing & database referencing. There was no general WiFi or bluetooth available at that time.

Why Now?
With the advancement of technology, notebooks are equiped with better performance that allows user to do multitude of things without straining their 2.0kg +/- mobile unit. Another plus side is notebooks are getting cheaper due to competiition in the market and the plce of technology advancement. With the ever growing WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, and GPS, more people are opting for mobility as the advantages are mountainous. Data transfer are an ease, one touch gateway to the mega-information-highway, a mobile messaging & email center, video conferencing system, and as many people prefers: a multimedia station on the move. Multiumedia Station means music, games, videos at your fingertips wherever whenever you are. Even CEO's would enjoy games once in awhile.

Why Should You Choose A Laptop?
Should you choose a laptop or notebook as your next computer system to replace the non-mobile, and aging platform desktop? you should and here's why...

* with wireless connectivity poping up here and there, you can be connected at almost anywhere & anytime, stay connected with friends from anywhere.
* your personal mobile business center.
* your movable gaming rig.
* being mobile means you can transport your data / collection / media files / photos / to anywhere & can be viewed anytime at your convenience.
you don't have to suffer viewing any files or sites using a small and tiny screen.
the technology in laptop and notebook has almost catch up desktop PC, therefore it won't be lacking in performance in many aspect.
* it is cool to have a laptop, you are part of the future.
* basically, it is an "all-in-one" station. it is a mobile HDD, DVD player, speakers, webcam, and a LCD screen. Definitely won't trouble you with jungle of wires.

What Should Be Consider First?
Budget and Need, these should be yuour first concern & priority. As many in the world of IT, price usually reflects the performance of a notebook and compromization of your need as well. There are notebooks which range from RM2,500 to RM15,000.

Budget of:
RM2,500 to RM3,500 : low performance, good for & as a business tool.
RM3,500 to RM6,000 : probably can get you a decent medium class notebook that can utilize for business to entertainment to gaming without much compromise. Even good for those who are doing graphics or arts or imaging.
RM6,000 and Above : If it were based on cars, example would be like having a Mitsubishi Evo or Toyota Supra and eve more expensives ones like, Ferrari. Pretty High End, probably for someone who intended to have a desktop replacement notebook with the "OmpHH!".

Notebook are not as easy upgradable as a desktop unit so when you are choosing one, don't just choose/grade/based on your current need but as well as the need in the coming future. Surely you wanted to have a notebook that can last for your need at least 2 years or more (if you are a high performance user), right?

A medium to high performer would most probably to have specifications like below:
- Intel Core2 Duo 2.0Ghz , 667Mhz FSB , 4MB L2 Cache
- 1GB DDR2 Ram
- ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 , 256MB Ram
- 80GB SATA Hard Disk

Specifications of a Laptop:
01.0 - CPU (Central Processing Unit)
02.0 - GPU (Graphic Processing Unit)
03.0 - Screen Type
03.1 - Panel Type
03.2 - Color Depth
03.3
03.4
03.5
03.6
03.7
04.0 - Size & Weight
05.0 - RAM
06.0 - HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
07.0 - Optical Drive
08.0 - Battery & Charger
09.0 - Warranty & Service
10.0 - Misc
11.0 - Laptop Brands

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01.0 - CPU (Central Processing Unit)
This is the heart of the laptop. Currently at the time of writting, the best processor to choose from would be the new Intel Core2 Duo as it boast to have lower power consumption & better performance due to 64bit & a dual processor capability.

Intel motherboard usually comes in two type, the Intel 945GM & Intel 945PM. The 945GM is for laptop that uses integrated graphics while the 945PM uses dedicated graphics.

02.0 - GPU (Graphic Processing Unit)
Please visit this page for more details on GPU: click here

An important note, that is Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Vista operating systems draws heavily on the graphics subsystem in a computer. Without an adequate graphics card, you won't get the some of the fanciest new features of the interface. Your graphics card should have at least 128MB of dedicated memory - of course 256MB would be the best.

03.0 - Screen Type
The screen size usually comes in a few standard types such as 12", 14", 15", and 17" inches. The bigger is of course better but it also entails a heavy laptop & higher power consumption. But the difference is, consider that a person who used to a PC who have a 17" screen confortably at 1280 x 720 resolution & decided to get a 12" laptop because of weight & size. Now that person who enjoy a 1280x720 resolution have use the same resolution on a smaller screen unless he reduce the resolution which means lesser desktop space for open windows.

Sometimes, you see the laptop being offered with the LCD screen are like Dell Truelife, Acer GridVista, Toshiba TruBright, Compaq BrightView, Sony XBRITE or as most other laptop brands would offer but yet all same from one technology. These few technologies has one much praise with its high-gloss, sharp contrast finish. It is believe that once you have seen this technology with your own eyes, you will not believe the difference it makes. It is even more impressive for DVD and gaming uses.

These technology is recently introduced anti-reflective LCD screen technology (anti-reflective technology). It was initially introduced to the Japanese market in Fujitsu notebook computers in the beginning of 2003 and later brought to the mainstream via Sony’s marketing of its own XBRITE™ brand. This technology was an instant success because of its super crisp images and its vibrant colors. This new anti-reflective technology has sharper contrast (the difference between the deepest black and lightest white pixels), produces clearer and more colorful images, absorbs most external ambient light and has wider viewing angles than traditional notebook screens. All laptop screens have a polarizer which is a thin sheet of film laminated to the outside layer of glass of the laptop screen used to filter light waves produced by the LCD screen to create an image. The difference between a traditional notebook screen and an anti-reflective notebook screen is the type of polarizer film.

The polarizer of a traditional notebook screen has a rough matte finish. This rough matte finish is not visible to the naked eye. The matte finish causes outer ambient light to disperse or reflect off of the traditional polarizer at different angles which reduces the intensity of the glare reflected directly back to the observer’s eye. This ambient light reflection is reduced in intensity due to the diffusion of light, however, the drawback is the reflection shows up as a large hazy object which obstructs the images on the screen. Other side effects include distorted images, a lower contrast ratio, inferior viewing angles, less vibrant colors and eye fatigue.

The polarizer of an anti-reflective screen has a smooth high-gloss finish which has been chemically-treated. The chemically-treated finish of the polarizer reduces the reflection of external ambient light by absorbing much of the external light instead of dispersing it at different angles. Since the external light is mostly absorbed instead of being reflected at different angles, the polarizer does not need a rough matte finish and therefore a smooth finish can provide crisp, brilliant-colored images with the most direct internally derived light from the LCD.

In general, the observer sees light from two light sources: 1) light produced by the LCD itself and 2) external ambient light which is reflected off the surface of the LCD. The objective of an anti-reflective polarizer is to improve the image quality generated by the LCD while minimizing the reflection of external ambient light.

Benefits of such technology:
- Wider viewing angles
- Reduced eye fatigue
- Crisper images
- Sharp contrast
- Brilliant colors

03.1 - Panel Type
Without other than browsing and research on brands and OEM of the LCD panel, you won't know what type they are using to make the LCD panel. There are a few reknowned LCD panel maker, such as:
LP Display (formerly LG.Philips) famous for their S-IPS
AU Optronics (belongs to Acer)
Chimei Vision (CMV, mostly on low cost LCD Panel)
Samsung (Samsung also the OEM for Dell)

The best of all panel class would be for LP Display S-IPS (Super In Plane Switching) for wide viewing angle and 8-bit color depth. Samsung now do produce 8-bit panel as well but using different technology which is just as good as S-IPS.
The hierarchy goes lower with other brand like AU Optronics and so forth...

03.2 - Color Depth
There's something that most people never realized that despite that you can set your graphic card to reproduce 32-bit True Color, your LCD display might not be displaying the complete set of dynamic range. One of the main reason is the HARDWARE LIMITITION; the LCD panel weren't capable at doing that.

LP Display had produced panel with pixels producing 8-bit of color depth, for a long time. Samsung started to do that a few years back for their high-contrast series panel but uses 6-bit for other higher response rate and smaller panel size for budget range (cut edges). Perhaps you might not notice it when u are on ONE panel at a time, if u walk around IT center displaying a myriads of LCD panel that display one single image using monitor splitter would shows you the different in color depth; 8-bit panel looks much more realistic. But mine you, some crappy monitor spillter or loose cable connection leads to bad output on other LCD panel could be a reason why it looks crappy on an 8-bit panel as well...

03.3 - Response Rate, GtG and T,on-T,
'Ghosting' is the type of UNWANTED motion blur you won't want for your LCD during fast paced action gaming or movies. It's more obvious on a moving bright object over a dark background. You may even test it with your mouse cursor in wide over a desktop in pure black and all icons hidden. To counter this product, the LCD panel TFT (thin film transistor, or small switches) that switches the plane of the LCD pixel must perform a good job in switching fast enough (from ON to OFF or partially at an angle for different tone depth).

Basically, the faster it gets, the lesser ghosting will appear but beware, there are some new marketing ploy and standard to benchmark this. In fact, ghosting itself is more than just about switching time. For this, you really should drop by Tomshardware for an indepth review on LCD panel tech on what truly governs ghosting elimination on LCD panel. Say, if the response rate is 12ms, it means 8ms to turn ON, 4ms to turn OFF. Some provides 6ms/6ms ratio. Depends on which brand, panel and setup, it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, the best rule of thumb is to test it out at the shop running a battery test like DVD test, gaming test and dead-pixel test. Now there's something new in gauging this panel is Gray-to-Gray. Their notion is that most pixels on the screen will switches from Gray-to-Gray more often than from Pure White to Pure Black. This specification seems to makes their LCD spec looks more nicer, say like GtG at 2ms !!! Wow... that's quick, again, it's different than Black-to-White ways of gauging, but now they show both spec on the box to avoid or to FURTHER confuse customer.

03.4 - Contrast Ratio
This is the part where a nice display and bad display truly outshines. If you are a CRT user prior to this, you would realized that display on the CRT is much more realistic than LCD. This is partially due to the Contrast Ratio of the panel itself. You may percept Contrast Ratio as part of the color depth as well as how much Colors can your panel reproduce to provide equivalent tone of the Real World. At moment, the ACTUAL contrast ratio is governs by the panel bit-depth. but this can be further boosted with smart backlighting and software tweaking which can boost a panel contrast ratio all the way to 2000:1 (LP Display). Well, it definitely looks pleasing to our eyes but mine you, you can't tell the difference until u test it with some LCD calibrator which most of us won't do unless u are a digital photography manipulator where true to life color reproduction is a must. Some latest technology HDTV LCD TV comes with close to 10,000:1 contrast ratio for wide color gamut. A small contrast ratio display gives you flaky, water color-like image output, which will makes u want to change back to CRT.

03.5 - Native Resolution
Unlike CRT, each LCD got its native resolution, say like for an XGA Panel, it comes standard at 1024x768 resolution but this type of spec is too old to be available in the market this days except for 15" panel. If you like a more modern example, take a 15.4" WSXGA, it has a native resolution of 1680x1080. This can pose an issue/problem to buyers whose graphic card are onboard or low performance GPU where outputting 3D graphics at that resolution will gives serious lag and choppy output.

Then when you are thinking of scaling down to 800x600? the image will go small in the middle like a special edition collector stamps in the middle of an LCD screen. Stretching it to the screen size will also make the image becomes so blocky and pixellated. It is a lot worse that CRT. The best alternative is probably to get a decent screen size like 14" or 15" , not burdening your weight but not too small that you need to squint your eyes everytime.

03.6 - Output Ports: D-SUB (VGA), DVI (DVI-D, DVI-A, DVI-I) or HDMI
Now this part is the type of connectors u use to connect your LCD to your GPU. I believe most GPU comes with a DVI connection and a D-Sub output. But take note on the LCD monitor instead. Most comes standard with a D-Sub cable and a D-Sub port but those that comes with both D-Sub and DVI port might not comes with a DVI cable. The cable you might have to provide it yourself.

More so, with DVI cable, you have to option of tweaking the screen settings from the PC rather than pressing the small function button on the monitor panel UI. Also, some LCD though comes with DVI port, it might be a DVI-A (DVI Analog) port, which means it comes in DVI port format but it's still the same old Analog u get from D-Sub. And they don't give you a cable either. Some better brands or latest design now comes with a DVI-I port which is DVI Integrated where both the pins that responsible for Analog output and Digital output both available to the TMDS controller in the LCD panel. Some bigger and wider LCD panel comes with HDMI port that works with GPU with HDMI output to display HDCP content, say from a BluRay or HD-DVD titles. It's marketing gimmick anyway as there are some successful story of those who were able to playback HDCP content with just D-Sub and CRT.

03.7 - Screen Ratio: Widescreen 16:9/16:10 or Normal Aspect Ratio 4:3
This is a question of choice and tradeoffs. Some say Widescreen is SMALLER than NA ratio. That would depends on where you look and how you measure it. Assume that you are having both a 19" NA and 19"WXGA panel at hand. The WXGA at 16:9 or some 16:10 offers more viewable area than the NA counterpart while viewing 16:9 contents by more than 25% area. Turn it back to view NA content, you find that a WXGA panel is capable of displaying content in a PILLAR-BOXED mode where the content is less than NA panel where the area viewable reduced by more than 30%.

Of course, with a widescreen, you may display 2 A4 size document at the same time but at 19" WXGA, the letters might not be legible. If you are viewing a single page at the display width, you find that the number of lines viewable is a lot less and scrolling is more often though the size of the text increases. A normal CRT user will not get use to this scenario. But a widescreen movie experience would be far more enriching than on a 4:3 screen, because more movies comes in that format, no more letter-boxing. For a worthy widescreen upgrade, gets 22" inches and beyond. For comparison, a 22" WXGA panel HEIGHT (panel height) is same as the 19" NA panel HEIGHT. So there's no loss in the vertical plane but an increase in horizontal plane, good for VISTA with lots of Widgets and SideBar.

03.8 - Dead Pixel Policy
This is the part where you weight the laptop on the brand reputation and sales after service. Though most comes with a Zero Dead Pixel warranty, there are those who implement a minimum of 3 dead pixels (Dell, 5 dead pixels policy) to be accountable for a defect and qualifies for warranty exhange in a certain period of time. So you rate it among brands prior to purchase to have a clear understanding on how the policy works in case the LCD that you've tested finally shows it dead pixel later on.

Dead pixel are those pixel which are not able to reproduce color on the panel, which is a defect and makes your nice screen, well, defect. At least a 1 years minimum warranty period is needed for a reputable brand or more. But user feedback is important too. A 3-year warranted brand might not necessary means that they are more inferior to a 5-year warranted brand, the 5-year part might broke down/dead pixel earlier/more often than the 3-year counterpart.

04.0 - Size & Weight
This section is still under construction.

05.0 - RAM
This section is still under construction.

06.0 - HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
This section is still under construction.

07.0 - Optical Drive
Nowdays, most laptop comes with a COMBO drive standard which is a compliments as a CD burner, CD reader, as well as a DVD reader.

It depends on what you really wanted & how will you utilize your data. If you are those who download tons of stuff & fill up your HDD in a flash, then having a DVD Dual Layer Burner will definitely benefit you as you can store 4.5GB of data on a DVD-R that just cost you less than RM2 per DVD-R. It would also help those who use for business that they would like to store data of their daily or monthly sales.

Burning out your data into a DVD-R or CD-R could be said as much more permanent that storing in the HDD asit is known that the HDD has a limited lifespan.

08.0 - Battery & Charger
Laptop battery comes in two forms, the six-cell and nine-cell. The six-cell on normal usage mode can usually last a person 2-3 hours. Normal usage like wifi-on, listening to songs, chatting through the internet. While a nine-cell will probably give you 3-5 hours.

09.0 - Warranty & Service
Warranty is very important, it sort of gives your laptop an insurance cover just in case anything happens. Most brands offer their warranty 1-2 years but the best warranty available is from Dell with its "3 years complete cover" which covers all except fire, theft, loss, and lightning. It is important to read what the laptop brand warranty covers before you make a purchase so you know what it doesn't cover.

Source: MobilityX

How to Improve Your Finances

2008-03-04T08:27:00.001+08:00

From Zen Habits by Leo

"Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." - Woody Allen
We had the Parent Hacks earlier this week, and I was thinking it would be fun to do the same with finances — ways to trick yourself, to get around obstacles, to boost your accounts, without it hurting.

Improving your finances improves your happiness, in general, so I thought it would be important to share stuff that's worked for me.

I'm in the best financial shape in my life, despite quitting my job and my wife recently quitting hers too. A lot of that is thanks to you guys, the readers, but it's also thanks to frugality, to eliminating debt, to saving as much as I can. To these hacks.

Here's what works for me — please avoid flaming me, as I'm not saying they'll work for everybody. Share your tips and tricks in the comments!

Use cash. Instead of charging things to credit cards or debit cards, use cash for non-bill spending such as eating out, gas, groceries. Spending cash makes the spending more real, and there's an added advantage of knowing when you're out of cash, instead of spending more than you
Small weekly savings transfers. I got this idea from my friend Trent at The Simple Dollar, who automatically deducts $20 a week from his check to savings. I decided that I could live with $40/week without really feeling it — it's a relatively small transfer that I barely notice, and I save about $2,000 a year on top of my larger bi-weekly savings transfers.

Stay home. Going out makes you more likely to spend unnecessarily. You eat at restaurants, go to the mall, stop at the gas station for snacks. It's hard to avoid spending when you're on the road. Instead, stay home, and find free entertainment. It's also a great way to bond with your family.

Don't get catalogs. Or emailed announcements from companies trying to sell you stuff. Their announcements of sales or cool new products make it very tempting to buy something you don't need. Instead, stop the catalogs and emails from ever getting to you in the first place, and you'll spend less.

Keep a 30-day list. If you have an impulse to buy something you don't absolutely need, put it on a 30-day list. You can't buy anything but necessities — everything else goes on the list, with the date that it's added to the list. When the 30 days are up, you can buy it — but most likely, the strong urge to buy it will be gone, and you can evaluate it more calmly.

Cook at home. I know, it seems more difficult than eating out. But it doesn't have to be hard. Throw together a quick stir-fry with frozen veggies and either boneless chicken or (my favorite) tofu with soy sauce or tamari. Make home-made pizza with a ready-made crust, some sauce, cheese and veggies. Put some spices on something and throw it in the oven while you cook some brown rice. Not only is this much cheaper than eating out, but it's healthier.

Exercise. Staying healthy is the best way to avoid costly medical bills later.
Use the envelope system. It's the same idea as using cash for spending, but in addition you use envelopes to split your spending cash into categories. My non-bills categories are groceries, gas and miscellaneous spending. Three envelopes, and when they're empty, I've spent my allotment.

Talk with your SO weekly. It's important that you and your significant other be on the same page. You should have the same financial goals, and from there you should agree on a general spending plan and a policy for impulse buying that won't have either of you wanting to choke the other. Make sure you both know what bills have been paid, what your balances are, etc. A weekly meeting of just 20 minutes accomplishes that. Communication is key.

The spreadsheet tracker hack. There are expensive programs like MS Money, Quicken, and the like that will do amazing things with your financial information. There are even free ones, on your desktop or online, that can do all kinds of things. Trouble is, I don't need all that. All I want is a way to track my money easily, with no other bells and whistles, and a way to access that online so that I can view it from anywhere. The best way I found to do that is through Google Docs and Spreadsheets. I created a simple spreadsheet to track my bank accounts, that does everything I used to do with MS Money. It has the date of each transaction, the title and amount, a little field for memos, and a running balance. What more do I need? Keep it simple. Update: View a sample I put online here.

Pay savings and debt first. When you sit down to pay your bills (I do them all online), make the first bills you pay be your savings transfer and your debt payments. If not, if you pay them last … you'll often end up shortchanging them. But if you pay them first, you'll make sure you still pay your rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries and gas … so you'll just cut back on other spending.

Exercise at home. Some of you will disagree with me on this, which is OK — everyone should do what works for them. But I've saved a lot of money that I used to spend on gyms by just running at the local track or on the roads in my neighborhood, and buying some simple weights and a chin-up bar. I do a lot of body-weight exercises (pushups, Hindu squats, lunges, pullups, dips, etc.) and I don't need a gym for those things.

Cut out cable TV. I'm not saying I don't watch TV — I watch DVDs, so that I'm sure that what I'm watching is something great, rather than the useless stuff you find on TV most of the time. And there's a lot of it online for free if you look. Not a huge savings, but it adds up.

Declutter. By getting rid of all the excess stuff in your home, you not only make your life much simpler and more peaceful, but you make it harder to buy stuff that will just clutter things up again. Once you've simplified your home, you won't want to go back.

Lend and borrow. Give books and clothes and toys you don't need anymore to your friends and family. If you need something, send out an email asking if anyone has it. Chances are, they'll give it to you for free if they don't use it anymore.
Barter. It's a lost art, but lots of people will take your services or goods instead of money, especially if you're friends or at least know each other. Get into the habit of offering to barter, and you'll find yourself saving a lot of money. My website design was done through the barter system, so I saved well over $1,000 there, for example.

Use online savings. I use Emigrant Direct, but IMG Online is also popular, as are a bunch of other online banks. Not only do you earn like twice the interest of a normal bank savings account, but if you don't get the ATM account it's not as easy to withdraw money … making it less likely that you'll get money out on an impulse. Read more at Get Rich Slowly.

Try frugal gift-giving. Giving people gifts is one of the most wonderful traditions, as it shows generosity and caring. Until it becomes commercialized. Then it's just really really expensive. Instead, try giving the gift of spending time with someone. Try giving them something you baked or made yourself. Try giving them services they'd appreciate. It doesn't have to cost a lot to be generous.

Teach your kids about advertising, saving, earning, and gift-giving. If you have kids, educating them about money will save you a lot of money in the long run. If they know about how advertising influences them in tricky ways, they'll be less likely to demand (OK, beg and plead for) the latest fad toys. If they know about saving and earning money, they'll respect the money that you earn, and that you are trying to save. If they know that gift-giving doesn't have to be about spending a lot of money (see above), they won't necessarily want expensive stuff.

Find happiness in life, not spending. Many times people buy stuff because they think (subconsciously perhaps) that it will bring them happiness. They just HAVE to have the latest gadget or shoes or cars. It's so fun! And yet, you buy that stuff, and you're only happy for a day or two at most. Then you just need to buy more. It's a never-ending cycle. Instead, learn to love life. Find joy in nature! In the people around you! In doing something you love! In exercise and meditation! There's so much in life to make us happy, there's no need to find it in spending.

"I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money." - Pablo Picasso

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us or on Digg. I'd appreciate it. :)

How to choose the right bra?

2008-02-29T22:27:00.003+08:00

An estimated 70% of women do not know their proper bra measurements. Without knowing these measurements, it can be very difficult to buy fashionable and well fitting clothes. Many women's clothing items use bra or cup size measurements to distinguish differences in fit, so these measurements can be extremely important. This section will arm you with the knowledge you need for these crucial measurements.

Additionally, a woman's breasts change significantly over time, particularly during and after pregnancy. Weight loss, gain and monthly cycle variations can also have an effect on the fit of your bra. It is advised that you check your bra size once or twice a year or as necessary due to significant weight changes.

Determining your Bra/Band size
(ribcage circumference measurement)

1. Measure around the chest directly under the breast at a constant height with the cloth measuring tape. Add 5 inches to that measurement. This dimension is your bra/band size (If the bra size works out to an ODD number go up one inch to the next EVEN number.) This should equal the circumference around the chest, directly above the breasts/under the arms.

2. Now measure around the chest at the height of the fullest part of the breast. The measuring tape should be held horizontal, flat on your back, and your arms should be down. Make a note of that measurement (only used for comparison) and compare it to the Bra Size from step 1.
Determining your Cup size
(projection of breasts from chest wall)

3. To determine the proper Cup Size, find the difference between step 2 and step 1 (step 2 - step 1.) Use the chart below to determine your Cup Size.

Difference & cup size
Half inch - AA
One inch - A
Two inches - B
Three inches - C
Four inches - D
Five inches - DD or E
Six inches - F
Seven inches - G

Note: 1 inch ~= 2.5 centimeters

Example:
Step 1: Underbust measurement is 37". Add 5 inches. Bra Size is 42.
Step 2: Full bust measurement is 45".
Step 3: 45 - 42 = 3" difference. Cup size is C.
Result: Buy a 42C bra.

Travel & vacation tips

2008-02-13T21:27:00.001+08:00

coming soon...

Financial freedom

2008-02-12T21:31:00.001+08:00

Key to financial freedom...
1. How to cut credit card debt
2. How to save money/budget
3. How to improve your finances?

Natural look makeup

2008-01-11T00:04:00.003+08:00

My fav youtube videos on makeup.

How to manage your allergies better

2007-11-16T09:44:00.000+08:00

It’s not those beautiful roses that make us scratch, sniff and wheeze. It’s the pollen from trees, grasses and low-growing things like ragweed (ah choo!).

Here are some of the things you can do to ease your allergies:
1.Keep windows and doors closed.

2.When you come in from outside, if you’ve been exposed to allergens, take a shower and shampoo your hair. Same for the kids.

3.When allergens are at their peak, stay inside. This site ( http://www.pollen.com ) will tell you how your city is doing, and generally speaking allergens are worse in the mornings.

4.Avoid fans because they circulate the air, especially that ceiling fan over your bed.

5.Get your bedrooms more friendly. Remove anything that collects dust – curtains, drapes, stuffed toys, rugs, books, and, alas, Fido needs to sleep elsewhere. Use blinds and linoleum or tile for flooring. And speaking of Fido, best allergy-friendly choices for a dog are Maltese, bichon frise and poodle. For a cat, the sphinx or the rex. (Source: Dr. Kross, DVM)

6.Avoid places where molds are – basement, lawn mowing and raking leaves, humidifiers, and leaving clothes in the washing machine. Don’t let wet towels lie or hang around. Take care of plumbing and roof leaks immediately. Also beware of mold in refrigerated jams and jelly, and on cured, salty meats like ham, bacon and salami, certain cheeses. Don’t sniff it, just throw it out. Click for more on mold and food.

7. Wash bedding frequently at a temperature of at least 130 degrees F.
Use hypoallergenic covers for mattress, pillows and box springs. (Your bed is full of dust mites).

8. Keep your house and lawn as uninviting to cockroaches and bug as possible. Keep food sanitary and in the garbage, not lying around. Avoid lots of ground cover near the swimming pool. Get rid of paper grocery bags. They can harbor cockroach eggs.

9.Avoid irritants such as scented candles, eucalyptus, perfume, potpourri, chalk dust, newspaper print, tobacco smoke, and markers. Use hypoallergenic makeup and cleaning products.

10.If you’re allergic to a food, avoid it. Also certain foods cross-react with certain pollens to give a double wallop. For example, elm is pollinating in January and February, and milk products should be reduced or eliminated. Check out the list here: http://www.wfaa.com/weather/allergy/allergy7.html .
For more resources, go here: http://www.aaaai.org/patients/topicofthemonth/0201/default.stm .

Copyright©Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach™. I offer coaching around emotional intelligence – relationships, career, transitions, retirement, and personal and professional development. I offer distance learning courses, and an EQ library.

How to organize your bathroom

2007-11-16T09:40:00.000+08:00

When your bathroom cabinets are busting at the seams and your shelves are spilling over, it's time to get organized. Try these four easy organizing steps to bring some order to your chaos.When your bathroom cabinets are busting at the seams and your shelves are spilling over, it's time to get organized. Try these four easy organizing steps to bring some order to your chaos.

1. Clean and Clear
Remove everything from the drawers and cabinets. Toss out all old and unused or out of date products: Make-up, hair care, lotions, medicines (check expiration dates). Remember, "When in doubt, throw it out!" Move your medicines and vitamins to the kitchen. The moisture and heat from the bath will ruin them.

As you sort through things, take the time to evaluate whether or not you really need each item. If you have kept perfume samples, and cosmetics that are the wrong color, now is the time to throw them out or give them away. If you aren't using them why keep them?
Wipe out the cupboards and shelves. Clean off the counter top. Replace the shelf paper on the shelves and in the cabinets if needed.

2. Only the Essentials
The next step is to organize your belongings. Start by putting back only the essential items that you use every day. Put them in locations where they will be easily accessible. Try to store what you can under the sink in plastic bins. If you have the room, give each family member their own plastic bin to store their toiletries.

As you arrange your counter top, try to put out only the things that you will use on a regular basis. If you can get away without anything on the counter, that is even better. There will be less to clean.

If you have decorative items, now is the time to review their relevancy. If you don't really love them, replace them or remove them all together. There is no sense in having things you don't really love in your home; especially if you need to clean them.

3. Making Families
Categorize your shelves and drawers by creating families of like items: shaving products, hair styling, makeup, nails, personal hygiene items, first aid, medicines, etc.

4. Relocate the Excess
Make sure that only items that belong in the bathroom are in the bathroom. Transfer cleaning products to a caddy and store them under the kitchen sink. Store surplus toilet paper, shampoo and seasonal items, such as beach towels, tanning, or sunburn lotions in the hall closet or other location.

4. Storage Ideas
Make use of dead space. Try using any or all of the following organizing ideas: wall mounted cabinets, carts on wheels, hooks on back of door, shower caddies, coat rack, hanging mesh bag for holding children's bath toys, wall mount hair dryer and curling iron, drawer organizers.

Once your bathroom is organized, sit back and admire your work. If you make this an annual project, your bathroom will always be a joy to use. Now go take a bubble bath. You deserve it!

About the Author
Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian homemaking. In addition to her web site, she also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter.

How to choose perfume

2007-11-16T09:28:00.000+08:00

The choice of fragrances and scents seems to grow wider every day, as manufacturers fight for our attention and try ever harder to distinguish their offerings from the competition. With such a selection to choose from, how does one even begin to know where to start when it comes to buying perfume?

Broadly speaking, all perfumes fall into one of six different categories based on their dominant top notes. Different categories will suit different people or occasions.

Earthy or woody type perfumes evoke smells of the forest, and are usually very refreshing. They often tend to appeal to the older generation, and may make ideal gifts.

Oriental fragrances use strong spicy scents, and are ideal for special social occasions, but be cautious giving them to anyone you don’t know well – these intense perfumes can be a very personal choice.

The so-called “greens” are much lighter than the orientals, and are well suited to more casual wear. Because they make a less dramatic assault on the nose, they are also safer to give as gifts!

Modern “oceanic” fragrances are becoming more and more popular, particularly among younger people who appreciate the intense but often quite unusual scents, which instantly bring to mind seaside scenes. Naturally these are an excellent choice in the warmer months when thoughts turn to holidays.

Spicy fruity perfumes are also a good warm-weather choice, and can be a good all-round choice for the woman who wants to wear something with some traditional base-notes but is a little different to the classic floral scents.

Finally, those classic floral fragrances are suitable for almost everyone and any occasion. But be wary of cheaper brands; this most feminine of all the main groups works best when the ingredients used are of high quality, and that means less expensive brands can smell exactly that.

Ultimately, choosing a fragrance is a very personal choice, and many women prefer to stick with what they know and buy the same thing year after year. But by trying different fragrances from the same group as your favourite smell, you may just discover a new gem.

Copyright©Sara Blackmoore is a relationship councellor, and a freelance writer.

How to prevent acne

2007-11-16T08:48:00.000+08:00

You probably don’t know this yet but product wastes and toxic build up in your system is one of the main reasons why you have acne or why your skin breaks out.

You see, your body has 4 channels of elimination... your bowels, kidneys, lungs, and your skin. Your bowels and kidneys are the primary channels that your body expels product wastes and toxics through. The only time that your body expels product wastes through your lungs and skin is when your bowels and kidneys are overloaded with product wastes and toxics. This can happen when you’re not drinking enough water.

You see, water is the main carrier of nutrients throughout your body and is quite possibly the single most important contributor to healing and preventing acne flare-ups. Drinking enough water will dissolve waste products in your system so it can be easily remove and flush out.

Without enough water, there won’t be much to dissolve these product wastes and toxics... causing it to build up in your system and causing your body to expel these product wastes and toxics through your lungs and skin. And this can and will result in acne breakout.

How much water should you be drinking each day to dissolve product waste and flush out toxins from your body? Although some would say you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and some would say 3 liters a day or half of your bodyweight in ounces a day. I say, you should drink only enough to see that your urine is mostly clear, which is probably much more than what you’re drinking now.

But I wouldn’t recommend you going overboard because drinking too much water will also flush out electrolyte minerals out of your system (which is not good). So how do you know how much water you should be drinking each day?

Test!

Start by drinking 7 glasses of water a day for the next 2 to 3 days. If you see that your urine is clear then 7 glasses of water a day is what you should be drinking. But remember, you don’t want to go overboard so you may want to try drinking 6 glasses of water a day. If you see that your urine is kind of yellow drinking 6 glasses of water a day then you should stick to 7 glasses of water a day. If not then you should stick with 6 glasses of water a day.

But if you find that 7 glasses of water a day is not enough. Then you should try drinking more glasses of water a day and see the results. What you’re trying to do here is make sure you’re drinking enough water each day. Not too much or too little. Another important thing you should know... You can’t just drink any type of water. There are certain types of water that’s full of toxins (such as tap water).

The 2 types of water I recommend you drink is distilled water and purified water. Distilled water has no minerals, which means if you drink it, it will leach out any unwanted non-organic minerals from your system. But since distilled water has no minerals (it’s just dead water), you will need to drink some purified water to oxygenate your system. However, you do need to drink them separately and drink it on an empty stomach for it to be effective. While water alone will not eliminate your acne it will greatly assist your skin in remaining healthy and that will be one portion of the pie in fighting acne.

Copyright© Houa Yang

How to avoid colds and flu during winter

2007-11-16T08:43:00.000+08:00

For most of us, the worst part about the winter season is that it’s also flu season. Every year, the flu costs Americans approximately $10 billion in lost wages and medical expenditures. Make sure you and your loved ones are taking the proper steps to stay healthy throughout the cooler months.

One of the most effective methods for preventing the spread of disease-causing bacteria and other germs is a simple act most of us perform everyday: washing our hands. What we don’t do is perform this act properly or often enough. Schools are large breeding grounds for cold and flu viruses and studies have shown that children who wash their hands more frequently tend to get sick less often. Practicing good hand-washing habits can provide an effective extra line of defense for you and everyone around you. “Common cold, flu and stomach viruses for example, can live on the fingertips for hours, and they can survive on the surfaces of objects for days,” says Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., author of “The Secret Life of Germs” (Pocket Books Nov. 2001). “Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, but for the most part viral infections simply have to run their course.” Therefore, the best way to avoid such illnesses is to prevent them from ever occurring.

Dr. Tierno recommends the following hand-washing regimen:
* Effective hand washing requires both soap and water. Merely rinsing the hands with water alone is next to useless
* Wet your hands thoroughly and lather them with soap
* Rub the soapy water all over the hands and fingers for at least 20 to 30 seconds
* Don’t forget to wash under fingernails
* Rinse and repeat

As for frequency, you should wash your hands several times a day, before eating, after using a bathroom facility and after coughing or sneezing on them. After shaking hands with someone, you should avoid touching your face or mouth until an opportunity presents itself to wash up. It also makes sense to wash whenever coming in from outside.

In public bathrooms, you should wash your hands before using the toilet if you have had to touch a doorknob or other surface on the way in. When you wash your hands afterward, use a paper towel or tissue to shut off the faucet and open the door.

Dr. Tierno also recommends the use of tissues over handkerchiefs, which according to him tend to become “germ reservoirs” as we tend to hold on to them even after we’ve used them to blow our noses.

For an added layer of protection, use an anti-bacterial soap containing a germicide such as Triclosan. According to Dr. Tierno, “It seems to me that germicides can be a valuable support to good health, especially for groups who are at extra risk when it comes to infectious diseases.

Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with depressed immune systems are particularly vulnerable. While germicides are no substitute for conscientious hygiene, they fight bacteria, have no side effects and have not been shown to contribute to increased bacterial resistance.” Even if you don’t fall into one of the higher risk groups, you owe it to others to be more conscious of hand washing to avoid transmitting germs.

Also, habits are best formed early on. If there are any children in your home, take the time to set a good example and teach them how to wash their hands properly.

Courtesy of ARA Content.

How to wash a down comforter

2007-11-16T08:40:00.000+08:00

Few things are as comforting on a cold winter night as a down comforter. Soft and fluffy, down comforters are like a big hug after a long day. If properly cared for, a high-quality down comforter can last for many years. So, what is the proper way to care for down?

Surprisingly, down comforters actually require very little day-to-day care, aside from a little fluffing. Down comforters should be fluffed frequently, preferably every day. They should also be covered with a duvet to protect from spills. If adequately protected, they do not require frequent cleaning. In fact, many down comforter manufacturers recommend that down comforters only be cleaned every few years, though they should be aired out occasionally.

When washing down comforters is necessary, it is best to leave it to a professional cleaner. While down can be dry-cleaned, the results are better if it is instead cleaned with specially designed solutions.

If, however, you prefer to do it yourself, you will need to use an oversized front-loading commercial grade machine. If needed, you can use non-chlorine bleach. Do not use your home machine. It is not designed for cleaning large down comforters. Using it could lead to damaging your comforter—or your machine. After washing down comforters, you should dry them in a large commercial dryer on medium heat. Although this could take several hours, do not try to speed up the process by using high heat. This can burn the comforter. Even on medium heat, it is important to check periodically and make sure the unit is not overheating.

Be patient during the long drying process -- failure to properly dry your down comforter could lead to mildew growth. With proper care and infrequent washing and drying, your down comforter can provide many years of reliable warmth and comfort.

About the author:
Down Comforters Info provides detailed information about various types of down comforters, including goose, luxury, down alternative, and discount down comforters, as well as down comforter covers, and instructions on washing down comforters. Down Comforters Info is the sister site of Waterbed Sheets Web.

7 tips for a healthy pregnancy

2007-11-16T08:33:00.000+08:00

It is always important to take whatever steps you can to be healthy, but while you are pregnant it is even more important: not only do you need to take good care of yourself, you are also profoundly affecting the life of another person – your baby.

Here's 7 tips to help you along the way.

1.If you smoke, one of the most important things you can do is to stop smoking: babies born to mothers who smoke have a lower average birth weight, are more likely to be born prematurely, and are at greater risk of death from sudden infant death syndrome than babies of non-smokers. Sometimes mothers feel having a low birth weight baby could be an advantage as it will make the baby easy to deliver. This is not necessarily the case, as it may lead to an emergency delivery, which can result in all sorts of complications. Even if you are already pregnant, stopping smoking will benefit the baby for the rest of your pregnancy. It is not only the baby who benefits. You are likely to suffer from less morning sickness, experience fewer complications and have a more contented baby after the birth.

2. It is also important to pay attention to your diet. Many women feel they should ‘eat for two’, but research has shown that women only need an extra 200-300 calories a day while pregnant, and you may be eating those extra calories anyway. What is important is to ensure that you get the protein, vitamins and minerals necessary to build another human being. Those extra 200-300 calories should not be squandered on chocolate or crisps, but should be eaten as fruit, vegetables, etc. It is also important to increase your water intake, which will help avoid constipation.

3. It is generally a good idea to take a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement too. There are now ones specially formulated for pregnant women. Ideally these should be started before you become pregnant, so that you are in the best shape possible for the pregnancy, and then continued throughout your pregnancy. An adequate supply of vitamins and minerals is important right from conception.

For example, a deficiency of one of the B vitamins, folic acid, in the first month of pregnancy may lead to the baby being born with a cleft lip, congenital heart disease or spina bifida. Omega-3 fatty acids (obtained by eating oily fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts, spinach and spirulina, or taken as a supplement) are important for the development of the baby’s eyes and brain. Omega-3 also reduces the risk of premature birth and post-natal depression.

4. Nobody knows how much alcohol it is safe to consume during pregnancy, so many health experts feel it is better to avoid alcohol entirely for the sake of the baby. This can seem hard on the pregnant woman when everyone else is drinking, but it is important to remember that alcohol is a poison for the growing baby, and no caring mother willingly gives her baby poison.

5. Pregnancy is not a time to sit still. Although adequate rest is vitally important, most experts believe that healthy pregnant women should be taking 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day.

6. It is also important to minimise exposure to toxic chemicals while pregnant, so spending a lot of time painting the house and laying new carpets is not a good idea, especially in the early stages of pregnancy when the baby is particularly vulnerable.

7. Many women find pregnancy stressful, and this can be a particularly good time to turn to safe, non-invasive options such as Bach flower remedies, homeopathy, kinesiology and other therapies.

Making a new life is something miraculous. Doing the best you can for that new life starts long before you have the baby in your arms for the first time.

About the author:
Jane Thurnell-Read is an author and researcher on health, allergies and stress. She has written two books for the general public: "Allergy A to Z" and "Health Kinesiology".

How to avoid swelling when pregnant

2007-11-16T08:30:00.000+08:00

Edema, otherwise known as swelling, will affect almost all women at some point during their pregnancy. Swelling or Edema is most often the result of excessive levels of hormones coursing through your body.

Really, the best thing you can do to combat swelling is to drink far more fluid. It may seem counter intuitive, but the more juice and water you drink the less water your body will hold onto and the less puffy you will be. You should be working to drink at least 10 eight ounce glasses of water per day.

Also try to avoid diuretic beverages such as tea and coffee, which contain caffeine. These are more likely to dehydrate you than invigorate you during your pregnancy.

You might also consider wearing some support stockings during your pregnancy. These will not only help combat swelling, but may help prevent or minimize the effects of varicose veins later in pregnancy. Most medical care suppliers carry support hosiery that works well for women during pregnancy. You should look for support hose with a medium grading minimum, meaning they provide firm support. Compression hose can often be purchased online. You can also ask your healthcare provider where you might purchase a pair or two.

About the author:
Article by Beverley Brooke, author of "Ensure a healthy safe pregnancy for you and your baby".

How to prevent varicose veins

2007-11-16T08:23:00.000+08:00

Varicose veins – they can hurt and, well, let’s face it. They’re not exactly pretty, are they? So how can we prevent varicose veins?

While certain factors including age, genetics and whether or not you’re pregnant can play a huge role in whether or not you’ll get varicose veins, there are certain lifestyle changes that can help prevent varicose veins.

Varicose veins are twisted, enlarged veins, especially in the lower legs caused by over-pressured veins. The best cure is prevention. So start standing up straight! Good posture can help prevent varicose veins. Maintaining an ideal body weight will also help you to prevent varicose veins. When we are overweight more pressure is placed on our entire circulatory system, including the veins in the legs.

Something very popular that can contribute to the development of varicose veins is crossing your legs. Next time you sit down remember not to cross your legs, and if your legs are crossed right now un-cross them! You’ll be helping yourself prevent varicose veins.

If you want to prevent varicose veins take it upon yourself to take part in some light exercise each week. Activities such as walking, cycling and swimming help to boost circulation without adding unnecessary pressure to the veins.

Okay, so I know they’re fashionable, but high heels are really bad for you! If you want to prevent varicose veins kick the high heel habit now! Wearing high heels adds a lot of undue stress to your lower legs, which can, in turn, contribute to the cause of varicose veins.

In order to prevent varicose veins you should also avoid wearing clothes that are tight on the crotch, waist and legs, stretch your legs when sitting for long periods of time and wear mild compression pantyhose if you are required to stand for long periods of time.

About the author:
Kate and Phil Wiley run the popular health sites http://www.healthy-shopper.com, Health in 1 http://www.health-in-1.com and Advice on Health http://www.advice-on-health.com

How to take care of jewelry

2007-11-16T08:14:00.000+08:00

Sterling Silver & 14kt Gold: Both will tend to tarnish over time.
- Store all precious metal jewelry in a zip lock bag to protect it. This does not stop the discoloration, but will drastically slow the process.
- Use a polishing cloth as needed for cleaning your jewelry.

Jewelry with semi-precious stones and crystals:
- Store all jewelry with semi-precious stones and crystals in a zip lock bag to protect it.
- Check the instructions on your jewelry cleaning solution prior to placing any items with stones in it to be cleaned. Some stones, such as turquoise, and freshwater pearls cannot be placed in most jewelry cleaning solutions.
- Do not wear your jewelry when you are showering or washing dishes.
- Use caution when wearing lotions and perfumes, for they will discolor gems such as turquoise.

Pearls:
Special care should be taken with pearls. They are much more fragile than most gemstones.
- Use caution when using hairspray and perfumes. Let dry completely before donning your pearls.
- Cleaning pearl jewelry: wipe with a clean dry soft cloth after wearing them.

About the author:
Lisa Jay is a freelance writer and the jewelry designer behind Lantana Designwear. You can sign up for her newsletter to receive information on jewelry, fashion and womens issues.

How to choose web hosting

2007-11-13T18:30:00.000+08:00

Indeed, choosing a right web hosting service for your website is not an easy task especially when there are thousands of web hosting providers all offering almost identical web hosting packages.

Therefore, it is important to know few major considerations even before you start your web hosting search.

Below are three major criteria for web host seeker:

Web hosting features requirement
This is probably the most important consideration to start finding a host for your site.

You need to decide the technical requirements for your website, this including:

a) Server platform and hardware requirements
If you plan to set up a website that uses programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic scripts, Cold Fusion or Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL database, in this case, you will need to find a web hosting service that supports Windows platform such as Windows NT or Windows 2000 servers.Likewise, if you plan to use programming languages such as Perl, CGI, SSI, PHP or mySQL database, then any web hosting plans that support Unix/Linux platform should be sufficient to meet your hosting requirements. Once you have these server platform and hardware requirements in mind, you can decide the best web hosting plans for your need.

b) Disk space & Bandwidth requirement
Here is another technical requirement that you need to consider before selecting a web hosting plan, i.e. disk space and bandwidth. If you intend to publish a website that does not have a lot of contents (meaning, web pages), then the disk space requirement may not be a big concern to you. In general, a disk space with 200MB to 500MB should be enough to meet your hosting requirement. In contrast, if you plan to host a website with enormous amount of graphic pictures, mp3 or video files, then you should consider a web hosting plan that provide huge disk space, for example, 500 MB to 1,000 MB. Similarly, the bandwidth requirement will depend on your site traffic estimation.

Obviously, a website that expect to attract high traffic will consume the monthly bandwidth allowance very fast. If so, you will need to find one web hosting service that offer huge bandwidth with 40 GB to 100 GB per month. Depending upon your website requirement, choosing a web hosting service that provide sufficient amount of disk space and bandwidth is crucial consideration to prevent paying extra costs in the future should you overuse the monthly disk space and bandwidth allowance.

c) Other hosting features
While the above requirements are utmost important, there are other hosting features that you have to consider too.

Can web hosting provider support video clips on your website, if you have?

Is the web hosting service compatible with Dreamweaver or FrontPage web authoring tool? Do you plan to set up a virtual store online?

Can the host support the e-commerce features without adding extra cost to your monthly payments?

On top of that, you may also want to find out the number of email accounts provided, number of FTP accounts, web statistic software (analyze your web traffic), type of control panel supported (manage your web hosting account), database and scripting languages supported and etc.

Reliability and scalability
A first-class web hosting provider offers reliable server uptime and fast Internet connection.

You should only choose a web hosting service that guarantee at least 99% server uptime with high-speed Internet backbones using at least OC3 (Optical Carrier) lines (155 Megabits per second) or above instead of T1 or T3 lines. A reliable web hosting provider usually invests heavily on their data center infrastructure with high performance servers, high speed multiple backbones providers with fail-over redundancy, backup power generators and firewall software protection in place to ensure they meet the uptime guarantee specified in the terms of service.

Similarly, you should choose a web hosting service with hardware facilities that designed for scalability, so that they can grow with your business.

For example, if you need to increase more disk space, bandwidth or number of mySQL databases, you should be able to upgrade as needed without any problems. Customer service and supportThe last major consideration in choosing a web hosting service is to find a web hosting providers that offers excellent customer service and support.

You should always search for a web hosting provider that offers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week technical support that fielded with highly experience technicians, so that any web hosting problems will be resolved within a reasonable amount of time.

You may also want to consider to test how responsive is their customer support by sending few inquiry emails to the web hosting provider. In general, any response in less than 24 hours is considered acceptable. It is a sign of poor customer support if they take more than one day to response.

In addition, a web hosting provider with excellent support should also provide multiple support channels, such as toll-free phone support, 24/7 email support, live chat, online knowledgebase, Interactive flash tutorials and FAQ.

Above are few major considerations before you choose your web hosting service.

In addition, how long has the web hosting provider in business and the number of customers that they currently have are also a good indication of the quality of their hosting products as well as the stability of the company. Even though cost of the web hosting service is also important but it should not be your major consideration. Because the price of a web hosting service has been declining over the years due to competition, as a result, the price of most of the web hosting services offering quality hosting features has been converging to less than US$10 per month. If you can't afford less than $10 per month, you probably isn't in the online business for the long haul.

Therefore, price should not be a major deciding factor.On the other hand, it is more important to ensure the web hosting service that you choose is able to meet your website hosting requirements, guarantee your website is always accessible with satisfying speed, provide scalability to grow and expand your website as well as offer excellent customer supports.

How to start internet marketing

2007-11-13T17:24:00.001+08:00

Internet has become very important today. More and more people are relying on the internet to find information and with the advanced technology now, we can even buy products and make payment through the internet.

There has been a tremendous increment in the number of people subscribing to or accessing the internet. Just look at the statistics here! More over, Internet has been shown as the third most popular media for marketing! Thus internet marketing has now become an important strategy to boost your business profit.

So, this site is intentionally created to provide useful information to…
*Those who already had a business whether it is small, medium or even home based business and looking towards getting their business online or on the Internet.
*Those who want to earn money as an internet marketer or affiliates.

HOW TO START YOUR INTERNET MARKETING?

To really be able to market your business online, you should have your own website. You can either build the website yourself if you know how to do it or hiring an expertise to build it. There are also a few website builder tools available in the market now.

Next, you need to search for and secure your preferred domain name with a web host.

Finally, you should promote your website. An online and offline promotion is very important if you really want to get traffic to your website.

Copyright Internet Marketing

How to start internet marketing

2007-11-13T17:24:00.000+08:00

Internet has become very important today. More and more people are relying on the internet to find information and with the advanced technology now, we can even buy products and make payment through the internet.

There has been a tremendous increment in the number of people subscribing to or accessing the internet. Just look at the statistics here! More over, Internet has been shown as the third most popular media for marketing! Thus internet marketing has now become an important strategy to boost your business profit.

So, this site is intentionally created to provide useful information to…
>
Those who already had a business whether it is small, medium or even home based business and looking towards getting their business online or on the Internet.
>
Those who want to earn money as an internet marketer or affiliates.

HOW TO START YOUR INTERNET MARKETING?

To really be able to market your business online, you should have your own website. You can either build the website yourself if you know how to do it or hiring an expertise to build it. There are also a few website builder tools available in the market now.

Next, you need to search for and secure your preferred domain name with a web host.

Finally, you should promote your website. An online and offline promotion is very important if you really want to get traffic to your website.

Copyright Internet Marketing

How to choose a digital camera

2007-11-13T13:57:00.000+08:00

The huge variety of Digital Cameras in the market is a great thing but it is making our buying decision a difficult task. The following buying tips will help you make a better, more educated, focused and rational purchase decision. Please take into acccount that there is no one perfect Digital Camera that contains all the requiered features and sells at a low price too, so it will be a compromise like many others we make in life.

Do You Really Need a Digital Camera?
To answer this compare the price of mid range digital cameras and devide it by the cost of a roll of film. How many rolls of film you need to buy before covering the cost of your digital camera? On average good mid range digital camera cost aprox $ 600. Film will avarage $ 2. you will buy 200 rolls of films before ever covering the cost of your new digital camera.

Think about it, how much time in terms of years would it take to shoot 300 rolls of film X 36 frames? It is almost 11,000 pictures! Shooting ten rolls a year on average would take 30 years to spend $ 600 in terms of rolls of film and if the cost of the camera was only $ 200 then it will take " only " 10 years. Do you start geting the picture here? Don't forget that there is the cost of developing and the cost of the prints, but if you want to get simmilar quality prints as film camera then you will have to send your digital images to a mini lab printer as well.

So please, don't buy into the idea you are saving money here...

It is true though that with the digital camera you print only the best shots you like most and not all 36 pictures, so at some point everything begins to balance out. Another point to consider is that, many people don't print digital images, they store it on their computers or over the internet in digital albums, or they make a presentation with background music, burn it on a DVD disk, and share it with family and friends at their living room on TV. The truth is always somewhere in the middle.

If it is not necessarily cheaper, Does the Digital Cameras give better quality results? The answer is short: NO! experts may even argue that film quality is better.

There is the psychological aspect behind it all. Remember not having to buy film gives you the free feeling of taking as many pictures as you like, with instant satisfaction of seeing results immediately. Secondly,you always have the option to retake shots.

Thirdly, people tend to store or print only the best pictures. The overall result is improvement in our recorded memories, we shoot much more, correct and delete bad ones and store or print only the very best.

In addition, imaging software enables us to even further improve saturation of colors, Compensate for bad exposures, crop, rotate, make a collage from many pictures, add Artistic Graphics Text and style.

To sum it all up, it is not true that the Digital Cameras are saving money, the quality is not higher than Film camera, in general the new better Digital cameras give you more manual control over exposure and shutter speeds. Psychologically we feel relaxed and free to shoot much more pictures. The end result is an overall improvement in recording our live memories.

What Do You Need to Look for in a Digital Camera:

Examine the Camera at a real store:
First I would like to suggest that the whole buying process not be done over the internet even though it is convenient and tempting. In my view it is very important to see the camera, to hold it in your hands, and most importantly to try it and see the results.

The features of many digital cameras look quite similar and it is hard to make a decision merely by feature comparisons . It might be very handsome nice looking camera on the internet but may be it is too small for your big hands? Did you know that some Digital cameras Have up to 3 seconds delay between pushing the button and the actual shutter Movement (Picture taking). In 3 seconds my son is out of the frame already...

One warning, come prepared (after reading this article), listen to the salesman but with a critic ear, as objectivety may be abscured and profit margin goals may be at mind. You don't have to buy at the store, If you like a specific camera now is the time to go to the internet and compare specific model prices. buy only at a reputable and reliable store either virtual or not.

Decide on a Certain Budget and Stick to it:
Photo gear has a lot of wana haves, nice to haves and let me have that one as well, gadgets. most camera manufacturers provide a basic memory card of 16 MB, this will be good for only a few high quality pictures, I strongly recommend you will buy a 128 MB or even better yet 256 MB Memory Card. Since Digital Cameras use LCD screen, batery consumption is much higher than what you are use to in film cameras, it is recommended to invest in a battery charger. Allocate a budget for your camera, but make sure it includes the Camera + Memory Card + Battery charger + case and even consider Wide Angel Converter.

Skin tone:
Test the cameras quality by taking a picture of people, observe the skin tone (face, hands etc'), does the skin tone looks natural to you? Or is it too pale or yellowish? Is it too reddish or pink? Insist on a good natural result.

How Many Mega Pixels?
The very basic " Point & Shoot " models can start with 2 Mega and can give very good results but I recommend you choose 3 mega or even 4 Mega for prints of up to 5 x 7. If you don't need many enlargements it is high quality and sufficient. There are compact models with even 7 Mega pixels but for all practical reasons it is an over kill, I would invest in wider aperture lens and longer range zoom. Don't think if your neighbor bought a 7 Mega camera that his camera is better, It's not.

What Aperture Lens:
The smaller the number the better, it is always marked with "f", for instance aperture range: f2.8 - f4, if it is constant on the entire zoom range, let's say f2.8 on all zoon range - excellent, the longer the zoom range the harder it is to produce a small aperture number, for instance a zoom range of 36mm - 420mm (12 X) if it is f2.8 on all the range it is impressive. a camera with Aperture range of f2 - f3 Very good. Higher aperture than f5 will produce less desirable results.

Zoom Range:(Optical)
The longer the range the better, you can catch a distant object, make nice close ups and portraits, it gives you more accessibility, flexibility and creative options. A long 420 mm (12 X) is excellent range BUT, you need to understand that the longer the zoom range the bigger the amplification of any hand shaking with the camera, therefore it is recommended to hold your breath, be as stable as you can with your hands and body but even better yet to use a Tripod. I would even compromise a bit on the range to be 370 mm (10 X) " only ". Important feature on a long-range zoom is an Anti-Shake or Image stabilizer. These features compensate approximately one f stop or more on movements.

I referred here to Optical zoom, there is a digital zoom in addition but usually the quality of it is very low, some salesmen tend to confuse the customers by multiplying the optical zoom by the digital zoon and claiming the camera to be 12 optical x 4 digital = (48 X)! Ignore such statements, refer just to Optical zoom.

In the old Film cameras a long zoom range meant a very long bulge, in the current modern Digital Cameras it extends less than an inch and stops, all the rest is done internally by the Cameras optics.

Wide Angel:
Most Digital Cameras do not have wide angel! It is one of the their biggest shortcomings, 36 mm or even worse 37 mm is not a wide angel zoom, as a result when taking pictures indoor you will notice you cannot catch a better part of the scene or only part of the room, when shooting outdoor you will notice that only part of the landscape can be included in the frame. Not to worry, there is a solution! Wide Angel Adaptor, it is an add on which is placed over the existing lens. It can be (X 0.75) = 28 mm, it can be (X 0.66) = 24 mm which is excellent. There is an additional charge for adopters as they are produced either by a third party or the original manufacturer of the camera. Adaptors give small Distortions so as a rule of thumb it is much better to have the original manufacturer adaptor as it matches optically much better. There are even Macro ad on Adaptors available.

LCD Screen:
The bigger the better, average size is 1.8", but there are models with 2" and even 2.5", another feature is a swivel (flip-out & twist) LCD screens, you can show your kid His picture in real time, and it can help you take a difficult angel and access shots. The LCD screens have one big problem, that is, under sun light and outdoor conditions it is very difficult to see the picture on them. Therefore, if it has Anti Glare feature it's better. The more pixels the better.

ISO Rating:
This one is important to actually check in the store and observe the results carefully. The wider the range the better, both on the low and high sides of the scale. If it is less than 100 it means you will get very good results in bright day light sunny conditions ( Iso 50 or 80 ), if it is Iso 400 and up it means you will get excellent results on low light conditions. Some of Digital Cameras don't perform well in Iso rating of above 200, (e.g. you will see a lot of noise and snow flakes), this is why I recommended verifying it.

Optics:
The quality of the Glass Optics is Important, some of the Manufacturers wave with their Optics Brands well known producers like:
Leica lens
Carl Zeiss lens
Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon lens
Nikkor Lens
Canon Lens
Etc’.

Additional points:
Auto Focus - The more points the better - (9 Points is very good).
External Flash option via hot shoe a plus.

Lens Protective Hood - Better Light input + physical protection of the lens.

Who is the Camera manufacturer?
Most of the Digital cameras are designed in Japan, it is very important to choose a reliable producer with strong and experienced knowledge of Cameras, with a large variety of models and commitment to service and excellence. Always think who is the manufacturer, is he coming from the film field, Printers producer, electronics or has he dealt with cameras from day one.

Summary:
The economy of the Digital Camera is not cheaper than Film Cameras.
The overall result of using Digital Camera is improvement in our recorded memories, we shoot much more, correct and delete bad ones and Store only the very best.

Examine and test the Camera at a real store only then compare prices in the Internet, buy only at reputable store.

Decide on a Budget and stick to it, Take into account all the accessories such as bigger memory card of at least 256 MB.

Aperture lens - The smaller the "f" number the better, Range between f2 - f3 is very good, f2.8 across all the zoom range is excellent. Especially if the zoom is long.

Zoom range of (12 X) or (10 X), with Anti Shake or Image Stabilizer is great, Consider adding a Tripod.

Wide angel adaptor is most important (0.75 X) or even better yet (0.66 X), original manufacturer adapters will give you best optical compatibility.

LCD Screen - The bigger the better, Flip out & twist, Anti Glare, High Resolution.

ISO Rating - Preferable range 50 - 800, settle for 80 - 400, Test It!

Optics - well known manufacturers will give you better quality output.

Auto Focus - The more points the better - (9 Points is very good).

External Flash option via hot shoe a big plus.

Lens Protective Hood - Better Light input + physical protection of the lens.

Well-known leader and experienced Camera manufacturer with good service backup.

A list of major camera manufacturers web sites:
Canon USA
Casio-USA
Nikon USA
Fuji-Film-US
Hasselblad
HP-US
Kodak Photo
Konica-Minolta-US
Mamiya
Leica-Camera
Olympus-America
Panasonic-Cameras
Pentax
Samsung-camera-usa
Sigma-Cameras
Sony-US

In my view the best place to look for Information on Digital Cameras Is the DpReview web site at www.dpreview.com. Here you can Read the Latest Digital Camera news, In depth reviews of specific models, Compare side by side cameras, see picture samples, forums with specific Sections of Manufacturers and cameras models. In addition you get final professional

This article can be obtained Free of charge @ www.1st-Photography-World.com.
(C) Copyrights Amit Laufer - 2005

How to burn fat

2007-11-13T13:48:00.000+08:00

Doctors' Proven Weight Loss Secret #1

Let me ask you a personal question. As you read these words, right now-- are you burning fat? If you don't know the answer, you need to know about a simple, inexpensive way to make sure. Every time. Every day. And I'll show you why and how this simple, doctor-proven technique can be your most powerful weapon in your fight against fat. No matter what weight loss program you are currently on, wouldn't you like to know whether your plan is producing results?

Most of us step on the scale, or wait until our clothes fit more loosely, before we really know whether our latest miracle diet pill or plan is working. And as a veteran dieter, you know that can take many days or weeks. But there is a way to know for certain-- within hours-- whether or not you're burning fat.

To see if the food, or the pills, or the exercise is really returning benefits. Immediate benefits. Are you starving? There are really only two ways your body loses weight (by non-surgical means). You are either burning fat, or "burning" muscle. If you are burning muscle, watch out! You have actually begun to starve.

For safe, healthy weight loss, you must preserve your muscle tissue (including heart muscle) and burn fat instead.

Here are the medical facts: any time your body burns fat, chemicals called ketones are produced. Ketones are byproducts of burning fat. Robert C. Atkins, M.D., the famous low-carb diet expert, states it clearly. "When your body releases ketones," says Dr. Atkins, "it is chemical proof that you're consuming your own stored fat." And burning your own stored fat is exactly what you want to do. Dr. Atkins goes further. "If you're not in lipolysis (ketosis), you're in glucosis." It's one or the other, period.

Your body is either burning sugar, from simple and complex carbohydrates you are eating, or burning your own stored fat. Both produce energy. But only one will help you lose weight!

Prove it to yourself
You may have heard about this simple method of testing for ketone release before. But have you actually used it? It really is a marvelous tool to help you see the biological proof of your diet program, quickly and easily.

Ketone test strips are available at any pharmacy. Originally developed as a testing tool for diabetics, they are sold under various brand names, including KetoStix, LipoStix, Keto-Thin, and others. They all work essentially the same way.

The test strips are simple to use. Just place the tab end of the test strip in your first morning urine stream, and note the color change. Match the color to the chart on the bottle, and know immediately whether you are burning fat-- or not.

The beauty is- it’s all about you!

Perhaps the best part of this test method, aside from the ease of use, is that you get to see what is really working for you. Everyone’s body is a little different, and now you can customize your food and supplement intake from specific results of your unique body and metabolism. The other very important benefit of this easy test method is that it can help protect your health.

As stated earlier, loss of muscle can be dangerous, and eventually even fatal. If you are dropping pounds but you are not burning fat, you are risking your health. And the ketone test strips can provide this valuable feedback. To recap Doctors' Proven Weight Loss Secret #1: test for ketones daily.

If the reading is too dark, you can increase carbohydrates to balance into the “trace” to “small” range. If you see too little or no change, decrease your carbs, increase your protein intake. Whether you are low-carb dieting, trying a new fat loss supplement, or starting a new exercise regimen, this simple, inexpensive test method can be the most important tool you have to make sure your program is safe, effective, and actually burning fat.

About the author:
Katrina Kern is an author, women's health counselor, former nurse and Director of Medi-Bolic Weight Loss Clinic. Get more exciting health and fat-loss discoveries, and 10 more Doctors' Proven Weight Loss Secrets, in her free e-book, "How to Absolutely, Positively Know When Your Body is Burning Fat".

How to choose a cell phone

2007-11-13T13:41:00.000+08:00

Considering the innumerable varieties of cell phones in the market, it is quite a challenging task to choose the best one. However, the basic criterion of selecting the best cell phone is to be absolutely clear about what your needs are. The best cellular phone is the one that is absolutely right for you. And, of course, you can only have the best cellular phone when you pay for what you want.

Tons of offers are also available. There are free cellular telephone offers, prepaid cellular, digital, mobile, web enabled and many more. No one can tell you which cell phone is best for you because every one has different needs when it comes to their cellular telephone. Some people want absolutely basic features while others want a lot of totally fantastic features. Some need a cellular telephone for e-mail, faxing and surfing the Internet. Many people want it to be top of the line while others prefer simplicity.

The process of buying a cell phone is so confusing. There are simply so many different handsets, networks, deals and call costs to consider that buying the right phone for your usage and budget can be very difficult.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the best cell phone. First of all, decide how much you want to spend and be clear on the features you need. Remember that the more the features, the higher the cost.

Purchase a battery with a decent battery life and judge the mobile phone by the talk time it gives. The bare minimum should be 2 hours of maximum talk-time plus 90 hours of maximum standby time.

Shop and compare for pricing and service. These days, quality phones are very cheap. There is a proliferation of cell phone makers including Nokia, Motorola, Ericson, Siemens, Samsung, Sony, etc. More importantly, cellular plans have come down enormously in overall price with some caveats.

Some standard features include caller ID, phone book with fast dial, call waiting, voice mail and auto-answering. Some also have other added features like your first incoming minute free. The high-end cell phones will have voice-a ctivated dialing, SMS, 2-way paging, games, scheduling calendars, digital organizer and all the standard features. The main thing is to see what fits into your life style best and also to be sure when and if the features expire.

While making a cell phone and service plan decision, remember that everybody's needs are different. So what's good for your friend may not be the best choice for you. Your best bet would be to search online for websites with good cell phone comparisons in order to get a quality cell phone offer.

To make sure that your cell phone comparisons are complete look at Nokia cell phones, Ericsson cell phones, Sprint cell phones, Motorola cell phones and Samsung cell phones. Research the different free cell phone offers, prepaid cell phones and service plans from brand names like AT

About The Author
Telefon Wirles is the editor and proprietor of IP Electronics which is a premier source for Cell Phone information.

How to buy a mobile phone handset

2007-11-13T13:34:00.000+08:00

If you asked 100 people the factors that drive their choice of a cell phone, 80% would say the ringtone or the flashy design. Though personal preferences may determine how we buy our mobile phones, it is considered prudential that we factor other elements into our purchase decisions so we derive full value for our money and do not rush into extra expense after using the device.

Buying a simple device like a cell phone can be an overwhelming experience. The device may cost just a few hundred Dollars but there are so many of them on the market and each company is inundating the television and newspaper with so much publicity.

But in the face of all the ad tactics, consumers can work out their own checklist and then screen off manufacturers who do not conform to them.

Let’s try to see some of the factors you may have to consider when making a decision to acquire a handset:

How deep is your budget?
You should examine your funds and determine whether the phone you have set your eyes on is affordable. You may want to note that an affordable or cheap phone may have all the features you are looking for. Generally phones which sell for $100 and below are quick bulky, have minimal features and have sharp edges. If you are on low budget, seeking second hand phone or simply want basic features, this is the area you may have to venture.

Phones priced $300 thereabout are usually sleek, come with web features and may have voice dialing features. Some may have dual band characteristics and calendars.

Phones selling for $300 and over are the smallest in design, come with advanced features like cameras, video, mp3 capabilities, voice recorders and radio.

You may also have to critically examine the features of the phone to see if they appeal to you and will serve your objectives. If you would like to record appointments, then you may need a phone with an appointment setter or calendar.

If you a traveler, you may have to buy a dual band phone. You may also have to consider dual mode, that is a phone that will work for both analog and digital services. You would also need to get a phone that will accept double SIM so you can have access to multiple services without changing SIMs.

If you are the busy type , you will have to look for phones with long lasting battery and long talk time so you can carry for long without recharging.

Internet users will have to go for phones with more lines of display that is a bigger screen to display about 6 lines so they can be able to read text without much discomfort and too much scrolling.

Buying a cell phone handset is not a chore at all but it is helpful for one to find one that will meet the pocket and at the same time satisfy lifestyle and business objectives.

Copyright: Peter Lenkefi

How to accept credit cards without a merchant account

2007-11-13T13:25:00.000+08:00

To increase sales on your website, you must accept credit cards. To process credit cards, you could apply for a merchant account through your bank or other financial institution.

Sometimes, though, you would be further ahead to use the services of a credit card processor. This is especially true when you are first starting out and have more limited resources. In this way, you may process credit card transactions without the high front-end costs and requirements of a merchant account.

Here, then, are just a few ways of accepting credit cards without a merchant account. I personally use all of these vendors and can recommend them wholeheartedly.

1. Clickbank
If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books or software), you might consider ClickBank.com . For a $49.95 initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales. You receive additional exposure through free listing on their website and through the search facilities of other websites, such as CBMall.com. As an added bonus, you have your own built-in affiliate program. You decide what commission (from 1% to 75%) you would like to pay your affiliates.

2. PayPal
PayPal.com has no initial fees. For just 2.9% of sales and $ .30 per transaction (and sometimes less), you can receive money from anyone. Also, you can pay others by credit card or chequing account without supplying your personal credit information to the payee. PayPal can be used to collect money from your auctions, website sales, or even from friends or clients.

3. PaySystems
In the original edition of this article, I recommended PaySystems.com (also known as MyPaySystems.com). This is what I wrote about them: "PaySystems.com can handle either intangible (downloadable) or tangible (shippable) products. For an initial fee of $49.00, you can accept all major credit cards as well as online checks. Fees are just 3.95% of sales and $1.00 per transaction. Alternatively, you may pay 5.5% of sales and $ .35 per transaction." "For this, you receive shopping cart, integration with third-party affiliate programs (such as ClixGalore.com), fraud screening, multi-currency transactions, toll-free support, marketing tools, and more." Unfortunately, PaySystems.com has discontinued their "Internet Billing Account" for those outside the United States.

4. 2CheckOut
2CheckOut.com can handle both intangible and tangible products. For an initial fee of $49.00, you can accept all major credit cards as well as online checks. Fees are just 5.5% of sales and $0.45 per transaction. For this, you receive shopping cart, fraud detection, integration with third-party affiliate programs, multi-currency transactions, free on-line support, and more. Incidentally, 2CheckOut.com has the same policy as ClickBank.com does with regard to sales taxes.

Both companies take the position that you are selling your product to them and that they resell it to the final consumer. Thus, they claim that you are not subject to sales taxes on those sales.

About the author: J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.

How to save money

2007-11-13T13:19:00.000+08:00

‘MONEY’, in this era I think can well be stated as the ‘Most Outstanding Necessity Enveloping You’.

Life is impossible without money. Funds are essential in every walk of life. So, such a crucial indispensable aspect of our lives needs extra care and protection. This article, therefore, is a guideline to many effective money saving strategies.

Money Management might not be imperative for everyone. But many of us nowadays need to be vigilant while spending. This is because of the soaring market prices and limited income. But ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. If you desire to save your hard earned cash, you ought be judicious while spending it.

The foremost technique to be economic is to prepare your monthly budget. This will help you in administering your expenditure throughout the month. But mere planning a budget is insufficient. What basically matters is, how much you adhere to it. So, try to stick to your budget. Any deviation from it should be in case of an emergency.

Shopping from coupons is deemed to be a very cost effective nowadays. These coupons are gift vouchers can be grabbed from your daily newspaper, magazines, in shops and on Internet. They provide you with varying lucrative offers such as 40% off on your eating in a restaurant at a particular date and time etc. Coupons thus are a wonderful way to enjoy a variety of things in life while saving many of your dollars.

Be frugal in using your credit card. Though credit card acts as bank in your pocket, it comes with huge rate of interests. This is the most significant drawback of using a credit card that perhaps supersedes all its merits.

Try shopping during the sale season. It is the best time when you can get an item worth $100 in just $80 or even $50. So, don’t miss an opportunity to avail the sale season benefits.

Avoid repeated shopping. It is not prudent to shop time and again because each time you make it to the market, you will be spending money on travel (oil, taxi fare etc.). Moreover, the market rates keep on fluctuating. The thing prized worth $45 today may be for $50 by the end of the month.

Therefore, once you are on for shopping, especially some items such as foodstuff etc are concerned shop as much required and make no compromise. Take these a little more than needed. This saves you from landing into troublesome exigency situations.

Don’t be habitual of junk food and eating out. This will not just be emptying your pocket soon but can even be hazardous to your health.

Get a medical insurance. It will facilitate you with requisite amount during unfortunate health perils.

Planning a garage sale at the end of the year is not a bad idea to make some money out of the undesired items in your house.

Another good way to save money for your own self and your successors is to make investments. These can be in the form of property, land, stocks, trusts and the like.

Save on electricity and phone bills. Do not assist your children with separate TV and phone connection in their rooms. Keep just one television set and phone connection in your living room. This will enable you to keep a check on the amount of usage of these things. It is definitely a money spinning way for those fraught with hefty electricity and phone bills.

Apart from these there might many other ways to manage your outlay that may appeal to you. All you need to do is to be a little cautious, far-sighted and love your well-deserved money.

About the author:
Mansi gupta writes about save money. Learn more at

How to cut credit card debt

2007-11-13T13:11:00.000+08:00

Most Americans have too much credit card debt. Duh, we've all heard that before, right? Only now its gotten a bit personal... right again? You personally have too much credit card debt and its about to drive you crazy.

Well there IS hope so don't file those bankruptcy papers just yet. One major thing you have to keep in mind is your creditor is probably very willing to work with you. Its in their best interest to have you making some payment versus no payment.

So here are a couple points to help you deal with your credit card debt.

The first thing you have to do is simply contact your creditor and let them know your situation. Ask for a lower interest rate or a repayment plan. You might not have thought of it because you're just naturally so polite but its a very good strategy to be courteous at all times when negotiating with your creditor. Polite, but firm. Come across as one who knows what you're asking for and expect to get it. If you're not sure what you're asking for in the first place you might consider a reputable credit counseling service. There's a lot of great, honest organizations out there whose mission is to help you work things out with your creditors.

Next you've GOT to stop using your cards. Cut them up, freeze them in a tub of water, whatever you need to do to get them out of your wallet or purse, do it! You simply can't keep adding to the problem by running the debt up any higher. This is actually one of the hardest parts of cutting your credit card debt. Its like you're addicted to spending money you don't have. So go cold turkey and drop the habit.

Start paying the ones with the highest interest rate first and work from there. How do you do that? Concentrate on those high interest rate cards by paying more than the minimum balance each month. The minimum is just designed to keep you on the hook longer anyway. The credit card companies are in this business to make a profit and want to have you paying them for years to come. Even a little extra each month makes a big difference in the long run. Lastly, keep your chin up and have a good attitude. Millions of folks just like you have begun to cut their credit card debt by following the common sense steps outlined above. You can do it too. Good luck.

Copyright: Richard Townsend

How to setup internet payment system

2007-11-13T13:07:00.000+08:00

It's a fact that traders who are in a position to accept credit cards from their customers can expect to make more sales than those who only accept cash transactions. According to "Jumping Through the Merchant Account Hoops" by Khera Communications, the average credit card transaction is $40, compared to just $9 for cash sales. So, by not accepting credit cards you put yourself at a huge business disadvantage compared to your competition. It may also surprise you to learn that credit card transactions can cost your business less in transaction charges.

A case study by Coopers & Lybrand found that it costs, on average, 2.7% to process a credit card transaction as compared to 4.8% for cash and 4.0% for checks. The reason for this perhaps surprising statistic is that cash and cheques require more handling by financial institution staff whereas credit cards tend to be processed electronically for the most part these days.

To offer a credit card payment facility to your customers you need to set up a merchant account. Typically you will also need to have equipment installed to accept the payments. If you wish to accept credit cards online you will also need to sign up with a payment gateway such as CyberCash or VirtualNet to allow for instant authorizations over the Internet.

The provider of your business bank account should be your first port of call for a merchant account, but if you're looking to provide an online credit card payment service to your customers, it's important that you make sure that any merchant account provider can demonstrate a track record with accepting online payments.

Applying for and being accepted for a merchant account can take anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks or more. Your chances of being approved relate directly to your already-existing business track record. That's why your own business bank is a good first option, because they know you and your business better than anyone else.

How much can you expect to pay? The cost of a merchant account can vary enormously mainly based on the perceived risk associated with the business applying for the facility and the area of business they are involved in. Typically you can expect start up costs to be in the $190 - $300 range with processing fees on individual transactions from around 2% variable depending on sales volume. The more business you're going to be putting through your merchant account, the more you'll be in a position to negotiate with your merchant account provider.

About the author:
Steve Jones is Website admin for which provides all the latest news and information sources on merchant accounts.

How to start your own clothing company

2007-11-13T12:57:00.000+08:00

Ever wanted to start your own clothing company? Its not as difficult as you think.

What do you absolutely need?
1. A decent logo
2. Creative concepts and graphics - Design Talent
3. A unique, blank apparel supplier
4. A decent screen printer
5. A Line Sheet to show potential buyers
6. Sales and promotional talent.

Which do you think is most important? Its obviously design talent you say? Are you joking? You must be joking. Have you stepped out of the house recently? Have you seen Von Dutch clothing? Crayon weilding Chimpanzes produce better designs.

Furthermore, I imagine the monkeys are more sanitary, but I digress. #6 is clearly the most important element. You can create an entire line of fashion forward, beautiful clothing but if you can't pitch it - no one will ever see it (excluding your mom of course).

So, unless you want a closet full of your fantastic designs, ask yourself the following two questions: Can I sell? In other words......can I hit the pavement with my line sheet and walk into every boutique clothing store I can find? Then will I harass the hell out of retail clothing store buyers so that they'll try to squeeze 5 minutes of time in for me at Magic 06' (Clothing Convention) ? Will I be able to make a professional presentation to a Nordstroms buyer? Can I promote? Do I have and creative viral or gureilla marketing ideas to get this label kickstarted?

If the answer to both of these questions is No - you better get some help. Namely, find someone passionate for fashion who also happens to be ridiculously outgoing, great on the phone and aggressive as hell. Lastly, (and superficially) it would help if your sales rep is hot. I know, how horrible.....so sorry, buy I didn't say anything about this being an equal opportunity business. That being said, let me welcome you the shallow end of the pool..... i.e. the fashion world. Good luck with your label!

About the author:Bradley J, Fashionable Wholesale Clothing

How to save money on car insurance

2007-11-13T12:47:00.000+08:00

Car insurance is required by all licensed drivers but many of them don’t know how to find the best rates available. Being complacent and purchasing car insurance without carefully investigating your options or maintaining the same car insurance for the remainder of your life could mean that you are paying too much for your car insurance.

Comparison shopping, ensuring that you are receiving all the discounts you qualify for and maintaining a clean driving record are just a few of the money saving tips that can save you a fortune on car insurance. Comparison shopping for car insurance, even after you are already insured, cannot be underestimated. It is critical that you investigate all of your options before choosing an insurance provider to ensure that you are getting the best possible rate on your car insurance.

There are so many factors considered in car insurance policies such as where you live, your driving record, your age and the type of car you drive just to name a few. With all of these factors to consider, it is very possible that you will find that there is a car insurance provider who will offer you a considerably lower rate than other providers. Even after you have secured insurance for your car, it is wise to periodically check the rates that other providers will offer you.

Car insurance as well as your circumstances are perpetually changing and you may find that the provider who is willing to offer you the best car insurance rate varies periodically. Many car insurance providers offer a host of discounts to their clients who qualify for these discounts. These discounts can relate to your driving record, safety features of your car, your age or other factors. These discounts can result in a tremendous cost savings on your car insurance policy but while many insurance providers offer these discounts, they don’t always advertise them. This means that you may have to do research to determine what type of discounts you may qualify to receive.

Carefully, review your car insurance policy to determine which discounts you are already receiving and then contact your car insurance provider to inquire about other discounts that may be available. For example if your driving record is devoid of accidents or tickets, you may qualify for a good driver discount.

Also, if your car has certain safety features such as daytime running lights, you may also qualify for car insurance discounts. Your age can also qualify you for certain car insurance discounts. Some insurance providers also offer discounts to those who insure their house with the same company as they insure their car. Taking advantage of this type of discount can save you money on both your car and home insurance. Being aware of the discounts that are available and ensuring that you are receiving these discounts, can save you a great deal of money on your car insurance.

Finally, maintaining a clean driving record is very important to receiving the best available car insurance rate. While it is true that each car insurance provider is unique in the factors that contribute to lower rates, the one factor that is consistent among all providers of car insurance is that a clean driving record is critical to your rate. Although accidents are sometimes unavoidable, it is imperative that you adhere to all traffic regulations and that you drive safely at all times. This will reduce the number of traffic violations that you incur as well as the number of accidents that you cause.

Following these tips will help you to maintain a clean driving record that will keep the cost of your car insurance low. Many drivers lament paying their monthly car insurance bill because they feel as though the insurance isn’t necessary. Although car insurance is a financial burden that seems superfluous, it does pay off if you are ever in a serious car accident that has significant financial ramifications. For this reason, you should never consider allowing your car insurance to lapse and it is recommended that you search diligently to find the best available rate on your car insurance.

About the author:
Ray Shelton. Get all the information you need about car insurance at:

How to ‘Cross-Sell’ and ‘Sell Up’ over the telephone

2007-11-13T12:34:00.000+08:00

Call centres are a land of missed opportunities. Every call whether inbound or outbound is an opportunity to make a sale or to build a pipeline for a future sale. At the very least there is scope for selling a bigger quantity (selling up) or to sell additional products / services (cross-selling).

Here’s a 10 point plan which, if implemented will vastly improve call centre productivity.

1. Prepare for each call

· Adjust your mindset. Helping your customer to buy more products and services that are beneficial to them is first class customer service

· Decide in advance what customer commitment you would like by the end of the call. Is it an order or is it commitment to the next stepping stone?— e.g. to take another follow-up call next week or an introduction to the real decision makers or influencers

· Prepare your opening and the questions which need to be asked to define needs and wants for your propositions (see below).

2. Know your sales propositions
To take a simple, neutral example, if your product is a coffee cup that keeps the coffee warm 4 times longer that an ordinary cup. Define the potential WIFM (‘what’s in it for me?’) for the customer. It could be that the user loves hot coffee and won’t drink it cold. This means that every time they have to take a call or are interrupted they have to re-visit the vending machine. This might take them 5 minutes which on an average day could cost them 20 minutes total. (1hr 40mins per week). What else could they be doing with their time? What’s the opportunity cost and what’s the direct cost in terms of salary? Once these costs are quantified they represent the real value of your proposition.

3. Define the questions to be asked
Have a list of questions to ask that lead to defining needs and wants for your propositions. Customer needs are logically based. For example, I need a car to get me from A to B and almost any car will get me there. I want a BMW because I enjoy the kudos and prestige. Needs are the tip of the iceberg and are very easy to identify (by you, and your competitors too!). Wants are much harder to access and the seller needs to develop the trust of the customer which is built on personal credibility and trust coupled with the ability to ask intelligent, incisive questions; and of course, harnessing the skills to actively listen to the answers in order to summarise the customer’s needs and wants accurately and concisely.

4. Motivate the customer to answer your questions.
Many ‘chat-show’ hosts are not particularly good at questioning and yet their guests are open, and usually effusive with the information they give. Why? Because they are motivated to do so because they are usually there to promote a book, film or suchlike. To facilitate a similar environment when making or receiving calls we must: a) take control of the call and b) motivate the customer to answer our questions. For example: “Mr Brown, in order for me to make sure that I tell you about the products and services that are most relevant to you, may I first of all ask you some questions to define your potential requirements?” Or, “Mr Brown, to enable us to ensure that we are an effective provider for ABC Limited it is essential that we have an up to date picture of your situation and requirements, so would you mind if first of all I ask you a few questions?”

5. Summarise customer needs and wants
Before presenting your idea, product or service, summarise the customer’s needs and wants using the following structure:·Thank the customer for giving you the information·Ask them if it would be helpful to summarise the key points to check your understanding of their requirements·Feedback the key points from your notes if appropriate (the customer will probably correct any misunderstandings en route)·Check that you have a reasonable and accurate understanding and ask them if they have anything to add.

6. Present relevant propositions
Based on the accepted summary, only present the ideas / products / services that are relevant to the customer. Link the advantages of your propositions to the customer’s needs and wants. Avoid the ‘pitching’ of irrelevant propositions. Emphasise the benefits — the ‘pay-offs’ in relation to their needs and wants. As you present, test the customer's commitment, e.g. “how’s it sounding so far Mr Brown?”

7. Have relevant proofs to hand
Through the above process you will generate a good match between the customer’s requirements and your offering. To gain the customer’s commitment you need to develop their belief that your solution will work. Your claims need substantiation or evidence to overcome any customer doubt or scepticism. Good examples of proofs are: customer references; case study materials; charts; brochures; product information sheets; press releases etc.

8. Expect objections and prepare for them
Objections are a sign of genuine customer interest. Without them, sales are rarely made! It’s imperative that we unearth any objections as the one to fear most is the one we don’t know about! Most objections raise their heads regularly and can be anticipated. Get together with your colleagues and develop ‘best of breed’ answers.

9. Develop an information base
Unless you are dealing with a ‘one-off’ contact / sale, develop an information base on the company / individual. Whether on a sophisticated CRM system or on ‘shoebox’ record cards, keep details of all previous conversations, in particular their needs and wants. Develop a check list of the background information you would like to collect for each customer. Use this as an aide memoire for the questions to be asked in conjunction with the ones required to define needs and wants for your offering.

10. Follow-up and keep the initiative
Every “no” gets you closer to a “yes.” Based on your conversion ratios and average sales value work out how much each “no” is worth. It can be quite motivational! A “no” today is not necessarily a “no” forever. Gain the customer’s commitment to the next stage even if it’s only to take a follow-up call in 6 months. Never rely on the customer to come back to you (usually they don’t). Keep control of the sale and keep the momentum going. If all else fails, qualify the customer out and get on with something else. This in itself is a win.
In summary, our experience is that you will ‘sell-up’ and ‘cross-sell’ more effectively by following these practical guidelines. Furthermore, evidence strongly indicates that customers will more readily buy into your company’s added-value across-the-board if you successfully integrate the guidelines into your sales approach.

Jeff conceived and jointly-founded Quantum (www.quantum-sales.com) in 1992. Prior to Quantum, over a 20-year career, Jeff built a wealth of experience across a number of companies and industries - moving from sales into sales management, general management and on to become a Divisional Director. With a well deserved reputation as a high quality consultant and senior management advisor he has been a central figure in Quantum's growth.

How to work more effectively with your administrative support staff

2007-11-13T12:26:00.000+08:00

(Stop hiring new administrative support staff. And learn how to retain your existing administrative staff.)

Are you a manager, director or other senior-level personnel who wants to work more effectively with your administrative support professional?

Did you know that partnering with your administrative assistants and executive assistants can actually help you to meet your professional goals at work?

Would you like to know how to improve morale among your administrative support professionals and retain them as long-term employees? After all, isn't it a lot more profitable to retain existing staff than to constantly hire, train and get along with new staff?

Here are five ways to work more effectively with your current administrative support professionals starting now:

1. Assume that your administrative support professional doesn't know what's on your mind until you tell him.
That's the one assumption it's okay to make in the office environment. Always remember that your administrative support professional is not a mind reader -- no matter how in tune with your thoughts she or he may seem to be sometimes. It's that one time that you "assume" when things will go awry in your work relationship.

2. Discuss your personal and professional goals.
In order to be your partner, your administrative support professional needs to know who you want to be when. What do you personally want in your career? And what are you striving for on behalf of the company? These answers will affect your administrative professional's duties. She wants to help you achieve your plans. Knowing these answers helps her to clarify the prioritization of tasks and situations that arise daily. She'll focus on projects relevant to your goals first when possible. And she'll know and pass along pieces of information she happens upon throughout the year that would be useful or of interest to you.

3. Discuss project expectations.
When you're giving an assignment, make sure your administrative professional precisely understands the expected project outcome. This means you will need to clarify the outcome in your head first and then clearly relay that expected outcome to your administrative professional. Clearly voicing the precise (or nearly precise) expected project outcome before it happens means no surprises upon project completion and efficient use of your time and that of your administrative professional.

Precise communication prevents misinterpretation by both parties which can cause bad relationships and inappropriate work results. If the results aren't what you asked for then maybe in actuality you didn't quite ask for the results you wanted.

4. Have a daily briefing with your administrative support person.
Meet daily whether either of you want to do so or not. This meeting forces communication to flow daily between you both, which is a good thing. And comfort levels with each other will rise. It could be a five minute meeting while standing. Or it could be a 10 minute meeting while seated that's officially posted on the calendar to happen every day that you're in the office at 9:00 a.m. Do what works best for you both. And make sure you're uninterrupted during this time.

5. Support opportunities for your administrative professional to achieve certifications.
For example, your administrative professional can become a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) and a Certified Professional Secretary (CPS), both elite designations by administrative professional criteria. Encourage her or him to train and test for these titles as well as have your company pay the registration costs.

(c) 2005 Karen Fritscher-Porter

About the Author
Karen Fritscher-Porter is the author of the eBooklet: 87 Ways You Can Work More Effectively With Your Administrative Support Professional.

How to add effectiveness on the job

2007-11-13T12:21:00.000+08:00

For many people with ADD, work life can be difficult. If your working environment is not ADD-friendly, then you may find yourself feeling chronically disorganized and stressed out at work.

Whether or not you choose to share your diagnosis with your employer, the following strategies can help you become more effective at work.

1. Find a Career that You're Passionate About
People with ADD have the most success when doing something that they are passionately interested in. If you are in a career or a job that you're not passionate about, chances are your ADD challenges will manifest themselves. The best way to avoid this is to find work that you truly enjoy and believe in.

2. Develop Structure
It's no secret that ADDers work well with structure. If your job lacks structure, create some! If you're self-employed, set up a schedule for yourself. Determine what your working days will be, and what your days off will be. (And stick to them!) Also, schedule specific working hours for yourself.If you're employed by another person or company, ask for specific deadlines on projects you are assigned. Additionally, you can request a weekly meeting with your manager in which you update him or her on all the things you have going on. This will allow YOU to review your progress and stay aware of all the tasks you're juggling.

3. Delegate the Details
I've never met an ADDer who enjoyed dealing with details! Typically, people with ADD are the problem-solvers, the creatives, and the strategizers. Most ADDers will be extremely effective when dealing with these exciting and challenging aspects of the job, and a lot less effective when dealing with administrative work. If you're self-employed, hire an assistant - even if you think you can't afford it! Imagine how much more effective - and profitable - you could be if you didn't have to worry about paperwork!If you're employed by another person or company, delegate work to administrative assistants and anyone whom you manage. If there is no one for you to delegate to, explain to your manager that you work best when you don't have to be bogged down with administrative tasks. Point out all your skills, strengths, and accomplishments. Tell your manager that you could be contributing even more if you had someone to help with the details.

4. Plan the Time to Plan
It's not enough to plan your day, you must also plan the time to plan! Before you leave work at the end of the day, take 15 minutes to look at your to do list. See what you accomplished and what still needs to be done, and update the list. Also use this time to update your calendars, and break up outstanding projects into steps. Taking the time to do this every work day will have you feeling more in control, and will also help you transition out of work time and into personal time.

5. Get Over Perfectionism
Perfectionism prevents progress. If you find something that could be improved every time you look at a paper or a report, it will never get off your desk. There's a big difference between "a good job" and "a perfect job." "A good job" is work well done; "a perfect job" doesn't exist! Nothing in this world is perfect, so do yourself a big favor and get over it!

About the Author
Jennifer Koretsky is an ADD Management Coach who helps adults learn how to manage their ADD and move forward in life. She offers individual and group coaching, workshops, and skill-building programs.

How to advance in your career

2007-11-13T12:16:00.000+08:00

To survive and thrive in today's competitive environment, it is not just what you know. You also need to be competent. You must stand out from the crowd - be memorable, impressive, credible, trusted and liked.

"Success is never a destination - it is a journey." - Maya Sullivan

1. Exceed expectations; deliver results on a or head of time.

2. Manage your time effectively.

3. Create a career plan with goals and training requirements.

4. Move away from day-to-day operations.

5. Develop strong rapport with colleagues, senior managers/executives.

6. Get a mentor, accept guidance in your career.

7. Know your organization's goals vision, values, business strategies.

8. Create opportunites to further own/business goals.

9. Solicit feedback and assess the decision for purposes of continuous improvement.

10. Communicate effectively to people at all levels of your organization.

11. Build and maintain relationships with individuals who might impact your work.

12. Plan, prioritize and organize your work.

13. Manage own emotions and reactions.

14. Balance the demands of your personal and professional life.

15. Give yourself quarterly reviews, identify your accomplishments.

16. Become your own sales team, market your abilities.

17. Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning.

18. Be decisive and action oriented.

19. Commit to excellence and professionalism.

20. Be self-disciplined.

About the author:
Cecile Peterkin is a trained Career/Life Coach and speaker whose work centers primarily on middle managers and their various challenges. She also works with individuals who are ready to move forward, take action, achieve goals and experience overall life improvement, both in personal and in career.

How to promote yourself to get a promotion

2007-11-13T12:07:00.000+08:00

You Mean I Need to Promote Myself to Get a Promotion?

Time and time again I hear the following from students in my career advancement workshops:

“My work speaks for itself… I shouldn’t have to tell anyone about my skills.”

“Why did they hire from the outside, I am already doing what’s required of that position?”

“Why did they get the job, I have more skills and experience than they do?”

“How come my name is never mentioned when promotions come up in conversation?”

The answer is… you need to promote your skills and experience. Everybody quotes the old saying, “It not what you know, but who you know.” That’s not quite right. The correct saying should be, “It not what you know but who knows what you know.” The people that can make decisions or have input on your career need to know what you know. This will only happen if you promote, promote, promote your special skills and experience.

Here are five secrets you can use to promote yourself for promotions:

1. Volunteer to Make a Difference
Volunteer for assignments that expose your skills. Look for especially challenging projects that other people have declined.

Also volunteer to mentor others within your organization. This will show and develop your leadership, management, and interpersonal skills. Keep management posted on your challenges and how you are working with the person you are mentoring to overcome these challenges.

Volunteer to write a department or organizational newsletter. This is another way to benefit a large group with your ideas while showcasing your skills and ideas.

2. Be a Solution Creator not a Problem Maker
Anybody can find problems within organizations. My experience is that you don’t need to find them…they will find you. Sometimes they have a special skill of finding problems and reporting them.

Develop the skill of looking at these problems as “opportunities for advancement,” step back and analyze the opportunity, and develop ideas for overcoming the problem. Make sure you communicate these solutions during meetings, e-mails, memos, and conversations with management. You will soon be looked upon by management as someone who can overcome obstacles and make things happen within the organization.

3. Handle the Next Level at This Level
If you are a manager and want to become a vice president then, start working like a vice president. Find a vice president that is open to mentoring you for the next level. Remember, that vice president will not be promoted to the next level unless the organization sees that the vice president has developed someone to take their spot. It might as well be you. Plus you can lighten their work load.

Explain to the vice president what you want to accomplish so that everyone has a clear understanding and that this is a win-win situation for all involved.

I hear, “I’m too busy already to do this.” Well, let me ask you, “How badly do you want the promotion?” We are all busy. It’s up to you to enhance your time management and delegation skills so that you can take on these tasks that will prepare you for the next level.

4. Announce That You Want It!
Many times employees miss out on promotions because the decision makers and career influencers do not know they are interested in being promoted.
Announce that you want to go to the next career level!

Take time to sit down with your supervisor, manager, director, etc. and let them know you are interested in going to the next level. Ask them for their honest assessment of your skills. Then ask what you need to do to be ready when the next career opportunity appears.
Also announce your career aspirations to influencers in the Human Resources Department. Remember the more people they can hire from the outside, the less work they need to do. Make it easy for them to hire you. Announce it to any one who can influence the decision for your promotion.

5. Join Groups to Accelerate Promotions
Join committees within the organization. This shows management that you care enough to make a difference.

Also join professional groups and associations. Professional groups and associations are a perfect way to let influencers outside your organization about your skills. Don’t just join, participant in the association’s activities to show your creativity, teamwork, and other skills.

One of the most important groups that you could ever join…is Toastmasters. This is a worldwide organization with over 175,000 members dedicated to helping it’s improve their public speaking, evaluation, think-on-your-feet, and leadership skills.

The main reasons you should join Toastmaster is the following:
Toastmasters give you the confidence to approach any opportunity with confidence.

Toastmaster gives you the speaking skills to stand up in front of group and present your point in a persuasive manner while others shy away from this opportunity.

You develop your leadership skills by learning how to do effective, positive, and encouraging feedback and evaluations while learning how to empower the receiver to do better. You have the opportunity to develop your leadership skills by volunteering for positions at the club, area, state, regional, and international level. I always say if you can’t get the skills at your organization, you can get it at Toastmasters.

Join and let your organization know you’ve joined these groups. I remember a student telling me he wanted the job of Network Administrator in a large organization. He never seemed to get past the first interviews. Then he joined Toastmasters. He shared with me he gained the confidence and think-on-your-feet skills needed to master his interviews. Shortly after joining Toastmasters, he landed his dream job as Network Administrator at a major hospital. It can make the difference for you.

I challenge you to apply these techniques. You will see immediate results and go to the next level.

By Ed Sykes © 2005 all Rights Reserved

About The Author
Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building.

How to write highly-effective resume cover letter

2007-11-13T12:02:00.000+08:00

Just like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield, the "humble" cover letter gets no respect.
Job-seekers spend so much time and energy on their resumes they've got nothing left to offer their poor, neglected cover letters.
Big, BIG mistake!

It is the well-written cover letter not the resume that can single-handedly land you more job interviews. The cover letter is your one chance to really "market" yourself to an employer using proven marketing strategies rarely found in the typical cover letter.

Conversely, there's only so much you can do with the traditional CV or resume. I believe the carefully crafted cover letter is more important to your job search success than any other written document, including the resume.

As a direct marketing professional for over 20 years, I bring to you my 7 secrets of a highly-effective resume cover letter:

ADDRESS your cover letter to a specific person. Do your best to find out "To Whom" you should address your cover letter. "Dear Manager" is lifeless.

OPEN with an attention-grabbing first sentence to really grip the reader. This will almost guarantee your cover letter and resume get a closer look.

REMEMBER less is more. The best cover letters have plenty of white space. Cover letters that are clear, focused, short and sweet land more job interviews period.

FOCUS on what you can do for the employer. How can you benefit the company specifically? Do a little research and relate this simply and clearly in your letter.

CHOOSE WORDS that show enthusiasm and passion for the position you seek... (big, big secret!) Then, carry this passion into the interview with you.

REQUEST ONE ACTION you want the employer to take: "I would really like the opportunity for a personal interview this week." (You never know until you ASK.)

END your cover letter with something enthusiastic and telling like, "I look forward to being interviewed at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much for this opportunity." Sincerely, Jane Jobseeker. (Notice how Jane assumes she'll land the interview? This is clever, smart, and it works like a charm).

Think of your cover letter as a sales letter. The only purpose of your resume cover letter is to land you more job interviews. That's the bottom line. By using the proven marketing strategies I've outlined above you will land more quality job interviews than your competition.

You must find a way to get your "foot in the company door" to have any chance of landing the job. With the right cover letter you can blow the doors of opportunity wide open. And remember, more job interviews translate to (drum roll please)... more job offers.

Finally, the most important advice I can offer you is this: FOLLOW-UP every job lead, contact, and communication. Following up is the "golden key" to getting hired for the job of your dreams. Use follow-up cover letters, thank you letters, even follow-up phone calls. Following-up can literally double your chance for success. It is also the one secret ingredient missing from 99% of every job-seeker's playbook.

Good news for you!

About The Author
Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, "Amazing Cover Letter Creator." Jimmy has written several career-related books and his unique, "think-outside-the-job-search-box" approach, make his articles a job-seeker favorite. Jimmy is regularly published on some of the Internet’s largest career web sites. Who else wants their phone ringing off the hook with more quality job interviews? Visit Jimmy on the web right now at http://www.Amazing-Cover-Letters.com for your 'instant' cover letter today.

Career & self improvement tips

2007-11-13T11:59:00.000+08:00

1. How to success in public speaking
2. How to write highly-effective resume cover letter
3. How to promote yourself to get job promotion
4. How to advance in your career
5. How to add effectiveness in job
6. How to work more effectively with your administrative support staff

How to success in public speaking

2007-11-13T11:53:00.000+08:00

The formula for success – Have a passion for what you speak on. Master your delivery. And be very persistent about what you need to do to be a sought after speaker who is asked to come back again and again!

1. To begin – Practice the four D’s: Drop, Delay, Delegate, and Do! Make the space for taking the steps needed to pursue your speaking career.

2. Acknowledge and utilize your prime time (Chronobiology). Use your peak working hours to develop and collect your material, listen to tapes, hear other speakers, view videos, etc.

3. Visualize your speech and break through your nervousness. See it. Feel it. Allow it to happen.

4. Get away from “woulda, coulda, shoulda” thinking. Don’t wait for the perfect time – just DO IT!! Remember: There is no right time to begin your speaking career.

5. Take one step at a time – the first step is the hardest. Then – do what is needed to package yourself and improve your delivery constantly.

6. Set time limits – you don’t have to do it all in one month…or even one year.

7. Don’t do it alone – company makes it more fun!! Hire a Coach now and cut your learning curve.

COPYRIGHT©2004 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to "grow" a profitable speaking business. She also works with business professionals and organizations who want to master their presentations. Click to find out "How to Become a Highly Paid Professional Speaker".

Business & improvement tips

2007-11-13T11:51:00.000+08:00

1. How to start new business in small town
2. How to 'cross sell' and 'sell up' over the telephone
3. How to start your own clothing company
4. How to setup internet payment system
5. How to setup internet payment system without a merchant account
6. How to start internet marketing

How to start new business in small town

2007-11-13T11:47:00.000+08:00

Q. I am transitioning to a new career after sixteen years to spend more time with my family. We moved to a very small town (less than ten thousand people) and I want to start an coffee shop business and also offer PC repair. How can I investigate and then promote this business?

A. In a big city, you'll make decisions by numbers and neighborhoods. In a small town, you schmooze!

On the surface, everyone will be friendly, optimistic and positive.
Your challenge: Get below the surface and learn the true story. You might consider asking a lot of questions before you disclose your own intentions. Listen for, "I wish we had"

1. Talk to others who have opened businesses recently.
What challenges have they faced? What works and what doesn't? Were others newcomers successful? If so, were they truly new or did they have deep roots in the town, such as a brother who lived here forty years?

If nobody's opened a business for awhile, dig deeper. Maybe there's no market. Or maybe they're just waiting for you to arrive! Sometimes a new business can generate latent demand. It's a judgment call.

2. Make a great first impression.
Promotion isn't hard in a small town. Ten minutes after you've opened, everyone will know! Some towns resist doing business with uppity newcomers. Others welcome new blood. Regardless, your first impression will linger a long, long time. And you'll have trouble recovering from a local opinion leader with a bad experience.

3. Uncover the town's market and memory.
Considering buying a business? Take time to discover the owner's reputation. When the local residents seem eager for a change of management, you'll need a new name and image. But if someone's just moved away and everyone misses them, you've got a wonderful opportunity. Right now in Silver City we could use a few first-rate pet-sitters and dog groomers.
But be sensitive to change. Before I moved here, I'm told, at least three coffee shops failed. Now we have several, along with a wine bar and a microbrewery. All seem to be thriving.

4. Search the fine print of local regulations.
Here in Silver City, our newest businesses had to fight all kinds of red tape to get opened. One called City Hall to get help with a business that was new to the area. "It's not listed here," said the clerk, "so it's probably illegal." (The business has opened and thrives.) Another discovered his license hadn't come through because the Council forgot to add it to the agendaand they weren't interested in making last-minute changes.
Any time you serve food or drink, you know you're facing permits. Find out what's involved locally.

5. Prepare to do most of the work yourself.
In a small town, you can have trouble finding good help. The local work ethic may surprise you - in either direction.

6. Know your community.
Will your market come from second and third generation local residents? Or are you serving those who relocated recently from urban areas? Here I've met folks who think three dollars is way too much to pay for espresso drinks. But those who bonded with Starbucks will buy at least one cup a day, every day.

7. Build relationships.
If you can attract a town leader, you'll draw a following. Conversely, if you inadvertently alienate a key player, or if a local person's got an idea on the drawing board, you'll be miserable.

And in a small town, you'll be expected to be a super-citizen. Choose alliances and sponsorships carefully. Prepare for all sorts of friendly requests to donate time, materials and money.

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First Steps to a Second Career.

How to choose fine linens for your home

2007-11-13T11:39:00.000+08:00

Nothing changes the look of a bedroom quicker than a fresh set of bed linens. If you have a bathroom "en suite" it's also easy today to find coordinating bath linens to match the bedroom linens.

Today it's fun to mix and match linens, and many designers have their own design lines that mix florals with stripes and geometrics. Choosing fine linens for your bed and bath can be initially costly, but as with any purchase of quality made items you will enjoy fine linen sheets and towels for years to come.

True linen, which is stronger than any other natural fiber has actually been dated back to the stone age. It has also been found that the linen wrappings from Egyptian mummies are still pliable, thousands of years later.

The more linen is used the softer it becomes. It can absorb up to 20% of it's weight in moisture before it feels damp and air drys quickly. An Irish linen tea-towel can last five to seven or more years, depending on the amount of use. Linen will dry and shine your glasses superior to that of cotton or any other blend. Flax linen is also non-allergenic.

When choosing sheets for your bed you will want to keep in mind thread counts. The higher the thread count the more luxurious and smoother feel the sheet will have. High thread count sheets are also more durable than sheets with low thread counts. High quality linen sheets can last up to twenty ears.

As mentioned above, linen sheets will soften with use. When looking for blankets for your bed you may want to choose a wool blanket for winter and a thermal blanket for spring, summer and fall use when there tends to be warm and cool nights. Thermal blankets are comfortable in warm weather.

Wool which can be very light weight and dense is also extremely warm. Flannel sheets come in all types of colors and designs and are favored by many for comfortable cold weather sleeping. 100% cotton well made flannel sheets will "puff up" after washing feeling softer with each washing.

Copyright: Jeff Slokum.

Home care & decor tips

2007-11-13T11:36:00.000+08:00

1. How to keep your home tidy
2. How to choose fine linens for your home
3. How to wash down comforter
4. How to organize your bathroom

How to keep your home tidy

2007-11-13T11:32:00.000+08:00

You’ve got so much tidying to do, so little time. So what’s a person to do? You can either lower your standards and just ignore the mess, or you can think smart and keep your house tidy with little effort.

Unfortunately there is no way to avoid housework. But you can keep your house clean and sparkling in less than 30 minutes a day, if you just get organized.

The very first thing you need to do is gather all your cleaning supplies and place them in one spot, organized neatly. I do mean “all” your cleaning supplies, the glass cleaner, the furniture polish, the wax, the cleaner, the dusting cloth – all of it!

Next organize it in groups that make sense as to how you would use it. So if you’re going to do the windows you just have to grab all your window supplies, or if your cleaning the bathroom, you’d grab all the bathroom supplies. Use the old KISS formula – “Keep It Simple Stupid.” Don’t make extra work for yourself.

Next place a clothes basket in every room where dirty clothes might land. Then train your household members to drop their dirty clothes in the hamper, and not on the floor. If it’s in their room, it should be as easy to use as the floor. If you’ve got kids, get creative, with a hamper that’s their favorite cartoon character or action figure. Make it fun!

Assign duties to other members of your house. Kids, even younger ones, can be good helpers. Give them tasks that they are capable of completing. As an incentive you can reward them. You can take them to a matinee or give them a treat if they complete their chores. If they get an allowance make them work for it.

No kids, then you’re on your own, unless you have a modern day husband who participates in the household chores. Be logical in your cleaning.

There are two strategies that work well. With the first, you do a thorough cleaning once or twice a week. You choose a task, then start at one end of the house and move completely through the house until that task is done.

Then start your next task. You’ll save valuable time by not jumping from one task to the other.

The second strategy is favored by working woman and men, because it takes less than 30 minutes every day, and you don’t have to look forward to cleaning house on your days off. With this strategy you do one room at a time, and set time limits as to how much time you’ll spend in each room.. So lets say the kitchen gets 8 minutes, Bathroom gets 5, bedrooms get 5 each, and on and on, depending on how many rooms you have. You can adjust the 30 minutes up or down, but it should never be more than 45 minutes.

In the kitchen, wipe down the stove, fridge and dispose of any food that needs to be tossed. Wipe down the counter tops and the sink. Empty the dishwasher. Sweep the floor and give it a quick mopping.

In the bathroom pick up dirty laundry and toss in the hamper, wipe down the tub, shower, and sink. Clean the toilet last. Mop the floor if it needs it. Bedrooms just need the beds made, dirty laundry picked up, and clothes put away. A quick dusting and vacuuming every third day is sufficient.

Tidy the living room, pickup books and “stuff” that are lying around. Wipe off tables. Dusting and vacuuming every second or third day is sufficient. By doing laundry amongst other activities, you’ll save yourself more time. Throw a load in while you’re watching TV or making super. Fit it into other activities, so you’re not faced with ten loads at the end of the week. Get organized and cleaning your house will become a breeze. You’ll have less stress worrying about it and more free time to enjoy the things you like to do!

About the author:
Keith Kingston is a professional web publisher. Check out his reviews at

How to deal with a baby that has colic

2007-11-13T11:22:00.000+08:00

Colic is still a mystery to Doctors. They still do not know what cause colic in babies. They will tell you that there is no known cure for colic. I have always heard of colic, and heard from mothers that have dealt with this problem. I have never had to deal with a colicky baby, until my fourth child Nicholas was born. Colic is hard not just for the mother, it is hard on the whole family.

There is no tried and true method to dealing with a baby who has colic. A crying baby is the hardest thing a parent has to deal with. The crying will stop eventually. There are some things that you can do to help with these crying spells your baby is going through.

Here are some things you can try that I have found that works with my son Nicholas.

1) Try walking with your baby. This can be tiresome ,but it may be the only thing that works for your baby. Hold your baby with his/her tummy against your tummy. My son tends to have gas while he is screaming, and I have found that this helps with his gas, as well as his crying. Sometimes he even stops crying for a little while.

2) Push your baby in a stroller. Sometimes this helps with my son. Take a short walk and see if it helps your baby to stop crying. It may not work, but it's worth a try anyway.

3) Rock your baby. I have a rocking chair my baby's bedroom, and when I rock him he stops crying and most of the time falls asleep. I think it is the closeness he feels when I rock him.

4) Put your baby in his/her car seat and take a drive somewhere. I have done this many times. This option may not be an option if you do not have a car, or it could become a habit. Look at it this way; which would you rather do; hear a screaming baby, or drive for awhile?

5) I have not tried this and do not recommend this unless the baby is supervised by an adult. Many mothers I have talked to say this worked for them. Place your child in his/her car seat on top of the dishwasher or washing machine and turn it on for a cycle or two.

6) Try singing to your child, or turning a radio or a tv on to music. It may or may not stop your baby from crying, but it could calm him/her down a little bit. My son calms down when I put country music on.

7) Have your spouse take the baby for awhile. If you are the only person your baby will let hold him/her, try to away for a little while. Have a friend or relative help by watching your child for you.

Make sure you get some sleep whenever possible. I often have my sister come to my house and watch my kids while I take a nap. This way you won't be so tired when dealing with a screaming baby all night. My husband also takes the baby when he does not have to go to work. It helps when you are not so tired.

Remember the crying will not last forever. Even if nothing works for you, there is an end insight . Before you know it all the crying that your baby has done will be replaced with smiling, gurgling, and he/she will be a happy baby. My son is now 3 months old and he is not crying as much as he did two weeks ago.

If you feel you could use some support in dealing with your colicky baby. Here is an online support group for parents, family & friends of colicky babies.

About the author:
Tina Barraclough is a stay at home mom and owner of http://best-home-based-business-idea.com Visit her website for Business Opportunities, free e-books, Business Articles, etc.

How to build your child's confidence

2007-11-13T11:15:00.000+08:00

Here's one of the best bits of parenting advice you'll ever find: "a confident child is more likely to be a success in life, more likely to be liked in life, and more likely to be happy in life". Isn't that what you want?

Here are 7 parenting tips to build up confidence in your child:

1 - Always praise your child for the things she does right. Even if they are little things, make them important and let her know that she did well.

2 - Let your child do things. Even if she is not quite ready to do certain tasks, help her make a start and don't worry if it doesn't turn out right.

3 - Believe in your child and let her know it! Don't pressurize her to be something she can't be. Just let her know that you believe in her ability to (occasionally) do great things.

4 - Only critisise a behaviour - not the child. Always avoid too much criticism of her when she does things wrong. It's much better to criticise the behaviour - that way she can distance what she does from what she is.

5 - Show an interest in your child's interests. They will probably be boring to you, and you may not understand them. But they are important to her, so show a respect and interest in the things she does.

6 - Accept your child's fears and insecurities. Never belittle them or brush them aside. Remember the time when you were young and the things that made you afraid and try to understand.

7 - They say laughter is the best medicine, and it is. That's why you should always laugh with your child and never at her. Healthy laughter is a wonderful way to bond tightly. It is also something you will both thoroughly enjoy. Remember, a confident child is a happy one, more likely to be liked in life, and more likely to succeed in life. Confidence is a wonderful parenting style to apply to your little one today.

Copyright: John Coutts. Visit his parenting tips website.

How to choose best toys for children

2007-11-13T10:38:00.000+08:00

By: Eugen Lisov

Do you remember how it was when you where a child? What was your main activity? Was it working? Of course not. Your main activity was playing. You had no concerns. You needed toys and your parents where supposed to provide you with them. They had to find toys you wouldn’t throw away and believe me, it wasn’t easy for them.

Now you are a parent and you are in the same situation as your parents years ago. You’re looking for toys that your child will like. That’s why you must know how to choose the right toys. My parents made one common mistake: they would buy me toys that they considered wonderful. But usually, when they would give me the toy, I would either consider it too girlish or too boring. It wasn’t fun for them to see how a toy they bought for me to play with would stay forgotten in my closet.

How to find out what’s the right toy for your child?

Just watch your child closely to determine his preferred activities, skills level, preferred band(s) and movie(s), and so on. Based on these observations you can get a clue on what types of toys your child would prefer. For instance, if your child loves the movie Lord of the Rings, I bet that he’ll also like Lord of the Rings toys…

Now don’t just go into the first toy shop and buy the first Lord of the Rings toy you find. Observations aren’t enough. There are some other very important factors you must consider. Adding them into the equation helps ensure you that your child will have lots of fun with the toy you’ll choose to buy for him.

Here are the factors you must consider when choosing toys for your child:

• Child’s age – This is very important.
If you buy toys too advanced for your child’s age, chances are that he might get injured. Toy manufacturers struggle to make their products as safe as possible, but if you don’t follow their recommendations, your child may suffer. On the other hand, if you buy toys made for children with age under that of your child, he will consider them too boring. The best thing is to choose toys designed precisely for your child’s age.

Here are two articles that will help you choose toys for babies ( http://www.child-toys-guide.com/baby-toys.shtml ) and toys for toddlers. ( http://www.child-toys-guide.com/toddler-toys.shtml )

• Child’s gender – This is exactly what I said above that my parents bought me toys that I considered to be girlish. I’m a boy, but the same is with girls too. Any detail that may make the toy look as for the other gender than that of your child will make the toy undesired.

• Toys your child’s friends play with – When your child is playing with his friends, watch to find out if he manifests interest in any of his playmate’s toys. If he does, then it’s very likely that he would like to have a toy similar the one his friend has.

• Sometimes, a child tells his parents what toy he likes or wants, thus saving them from a lot of hard work. But don’t count on this. Some children aren’t very keen to talk with parents unless they really want a certain toy.

• Safety – This is the most important factor you must consider whenever you need to decide what toy you should buy for your child. Unfortunately, this is also the most overlooked one. Usually, parents forget to check if the toy they choose for their children are safe.

• Is the toy educational? – It’s a good thing if the toys you choose for your child can help him develop new skills. And please remember that the age difference between you and your child is of at least 20 years. The fact that you liked a toy when you were a child does not mean that your child will love it too. Children from different generations like different types of toys Make sure you offer the toy to your child in the appropriate manner!

When you offer the toy to your child, don’t do it in a “Here’s your toy. Now go and play with it” manner. If you do it this way, that toy won’t mean a thing to your child. Rather, try to make a game. Hide the toy somewhere where the child can easily find it, and encourage him to look for it. Laugh with your child, search for it together… And when the he finds the toy, don’t just let him play by himself. Get involved in your child’s play. Make that the fun of a lifetime. A parent is a child’s first and best friend.

About the author:
Eugen Lisov is the creator of a site focused on helping parents worldwide to choose the best toys for their children. If you offer your child a bad toy, it’s the same as if you don’t offer your youngster any toy. Please feel free to browse my site; it will only help you when choosing toys for your child.

How to choose a baby gate

2007-11-13T10:35:00.000+08:00

By: Jackie G. Maxwell

Once your baby is out of their crib and playpen, you're going to need some way of ensuring their safety. That's why learning how to choose a baby gate can be one of the most important things you'll do while baby-proofing the house.

The first place you'll want to install a baby gate, is at the top, and bottom of any stairway the baby may have access to. Gates installed at the top of stairways should always be done with hardware mountings, and not expandable pressure bars. This is for those rare instances when the bar can be jiggled loose and give way, allowing the baby to fall down the stairs. The pressure gates can be used at the bottom of stairs, however.

Baby gates today, generally come as mesh panels, vertical rail/bars that are built to government specifications regarding the width between them, or expandable accordion style gates that also must meet stringent requirements as to measurements of the diamond shapes that open up when the gate is stretched to fit a doorway.

Whichever style you choose, it should have a flat top edge, to prevent injury when a child tries to climb over it and falls on the edge. If it is a pressure bar gate, it must be placed so that the bar is on the side away from the child, because they often try to use it as a foothold to climb over top.

While a pressure bar exerts considerable force against the surfaces it is placed between, it is not a guarantee that precocious children can't find a way to release the bar. In the event that you have an extra-wide space that needs to be blocked off, many models of baby gates offer an extension kit.

However, if you find that the surfaces against which you had planned to mount the gate are insecure, such as a drywall without studs, you may also need a gate mounting kit to get a snug, and sturdy fit. In the case of banisters, you can find mounting kits that don't need to be screwed into the wood, which will avoid marring the surface.

About the author: Visit and sign up for free weekly tips that will take the mystery and fear out of parenting your precious little one.

Family care & parenting tips

2007-11-13T10:32:00.001+08:00

1. How to choose the right baby stroller
2. How to choose a baby gate
3. How to choose best toys for children
4. How to build your child's confident
5. How to deal with baby that has colic

How to choose the right baby stroller

2007-11-13T10:27:00.000+08:00

By: Lisa Koshinsky

New parents struggle with the decision of which baby stroller they should buy when they are expecting an addition to the family. There are so many different models on the market, all with attractive features, that the choices parents are faced with when they start shopping are staggering.

Many of them rely on advice from family and friends and many turn to reviews of different strollers through Internet sites. Even so, they may like the look of one stroller better than another. They so want something safe, but yet a stroller that looks fashionable and stylish.

Some tips to help you get the right stroller are:

* Think about whether you intend to have more than one child. If you do or if you already have a toddler at home, then you should look at getting a stroller suitable for both an infant and a toddler.

* If you travel a lot, you need to look at getting a stroller that folds easily and fits into the trunk of your car.

* Check out the harness system of the stroller. The safest ones to use are the five point systems so there is no danger of the baby falling out. You also have to make sure that the restraints are easy for you to use, yet hard for a child to unlock.

* For an infant, you need a stroller with a reclining seat. This lets you take the baby for a walk long before it is able to sit up on his/her own. You also need a stroller with a canopy to protect the baby from the sun and the wind.

* Look at the material in the frame. Strollers made from steel and aluminum are very durable and will last you a lot longer. This is important if you want to use the stroller for all of your children without having to buy a new one for each baby.

* While you might really like the color and style of a specific fabric, you need to make sure that it is machine washable. Leaking pampers and spitting up can soil the material and cause staining.

* Look at the height of the handles and see whether or not they are comfortable for both of you. Many strollers today have height adjustments you can easily make so that anyone can take the baby for a walk.

About the author:
Eric & Lisa Koshinsky make it easy for you to get clear, unbiased information so you can make informed purchases of baby gear. Visit today for info on everything from baby strollers to baby monitors.

How to get rid of acne

2007-11-13T10:18:00.000+08:00

To get rid of acne, you have to understand what causes it in the first place. All in all, the formation of acne pimples a pretty complicated process that even scientists and dermatologists don't fully understand.

What is known though, can be summed up in a fairly simple manner – Acne bacteria (p. acnes) get trapped inside a pore (hair follicle). The bacteria then feed upon the sebum (oil) trapped inside the pore, and multiply, causing an infection. The body spots this infection, and tries to protect itself from it, leading to inflammation, which makes for a huge, red, inflamed “spot”.

Using this basic information, we can come up with three to-the-point ways to combat acne.
1.) Kill the bacteria. If there's no bacteria to cause an infection, then there will be no acne.
2.) Reduce the oil on the surface of the skin. Since oil can clog pores, and gives “fuel” for the bacteria to thrive off of, less oil means less acne.
3.) Stop the pore from getting clogged in the first place. If you can keep dead skin cells from clogging up a pore, you'll reduce the number of spots.With that said, we'll move on to the basic regimen.

Step 1 – Washing your Face
In this step, we will be trying to accomplish two goals – Removing excess oil from the surface of the skin, and killing the bacteria on the skin.To do this, we will need a gentle, non-comedogenic, non-irritating antibacterial cleanser. These are few and far between, and I have only found one cleanser that can do the job: Noxzema “Triple Clean” Cleanser. This is a gentle cleanser that contains an antibacterial ingredient called “triclosan”.

First of all, splash your face once or twice with warm water. Then, squeeze about a dime sized amount of the cleanser into your hands. Work into a rich lather, and then apply to the face, being extra careful to be gentle. There is no need to scrub or rub it hard, as this will NOT help with acne, it will only make it worse. With that said, very gently, using no pressure at all, and only the tips of your fingers, rub it onto your skin for one minute straight. This is to make sure that all of the bacteria are killed off. Then rinse the cleanser from your face, and gently pat the skin dry with a clean towel.

Step 2 – Benzoyl Peroxide
Benzoyl Peroxide is a very common over-the-counter acne treatment product. BP works by creating an oxygen rich environment within the skin, interrupting the metabolic process of the p. acnes bacteria, causing it to die off. It is also antiinflammatory, helping to reduce redness.Avoid anything that is 10% BP, unless it won't be staying on your skin for long. Go for 5%, or better yet, 2.5%. The two products I recommend are Neutrogena's “on-the-spot” acne treatment cream, and Stridex's BP pads. Both contain 2.5% benzoyl peroxide. No matter which product you choose, apply it gently to your skin after cleansing.

Step 3 – Salicylic Acid
Salicylic Acid is a beta hydroxy acid – meaning it is an exfoliant, and will help your skin to shed dead skin cells faster. This prevents the dead skin cells from forming a clog inside pores, trapping bacteria and leading to a pimple.

The salicylic acid product I recommend is Clean & Clear's “advantage” acne spot treatment. It is a sort of gel, that contains 2% salicylic acid. It goes on smooth, is invisible once it has dried, and stays on all day to provide protection against acne. After the benzoyl peroxide has dried, gently apply the salicylic acid. I use about a quarter sized amount for my face, but if your skin isn't “used to it” yet, start with less. And that's it!

You're now protecting your skin from three major causes of acne, and hopefully your skin will begin to clear up! This regimen is meant to be done twice per day – once in the morning, and again at night. Since both benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are irritating to the skin at first, don't jump right in. Your skin has to get used to the products before you can use them to their fullest extent. Be patient, and at first, only apply benzoyl peroxide, and only apply it once per day. Then work up to twice per day. Once your skin is used to that, add in the salicylic acid slowly. Eventually, you should be using quite a bit of both products. Definitely remember to wear a sunscreen if you'll be venturing out into the sun.

About the Author
Ryan Bauer is a former acne sufferer from Springfield, MO. He runs an acne information website called Acne Elimination.

Beauty care & tips

2007-11-13T10:13:00.002+08:00

1. Simple beauty - 10 tips that are free and easy
2. How to get rid of acne
3. How to prevent acne
4. How to burn fat
5. How to choose perfume
6. How to take care of jewelry
7. How to choose or measure the right bra size?
8. How to makeup - natural look?

Simple Beauty - 10 Tips that are Free and Easy

2007-11-13T10:10:00.000+08:00

It is simple to look and feel more beautiful starting today. You can even put away your pocketbook because these tips are free.
1. Smile... it will brighten your day and others around you will feel your energy.

2. Stretch... cats know that total body stretch does wonders. Follow their example and roll up slowly out of bed and stretch gently. (For more tips on stretching here is a great book: AM/ PM Stretch for Health.)

3. Exercise... at least 20 mins of any continuous activity will boost your energy level and reduce bad stressors. You don't even to pay a membership fee. The key is continuous like a 20min walk or even mopping your floors. You will look and feel better.

4. Drink water. No other liquid is quite like it. Clear your system. 8 glasses are recommended daily. Your skin will radiate.

5. Rest... you need to take breaks during the day and sleep at night. Takes breaks away from work space to keep fresh and focused. Make sure you are getting sufficient sleep at night since your body regenerates while you are sleeping. If you are constantly letting your mind wonder make a conscious decision to put away thoughts till morning. It is amazing how good your subconscious mind listens to your conscious mind (so be careful what you tell yourself)

6. Do good. When you do something for someone else without expecting anything in return you benefit in ways unimaginable. (the key is don't expect anything in return)

7. Exchange... the money you spend on junk food for food that will enrich your body and soul. Start with a simple plan of exchange. Because some think healthy foods cost more, find out your spending pattern by making 2 lists:. foods you like that are healthy that you normally don't buy. foods you like that are "junk food" that you normally buycalculate the cost of the 2nd list then use this amount to fund your "healthy" purchase. (of course you have to say bye-bye to the "junk food")

8. "Stop and smell the roses". Look for good in everything. This is a toughie because most of us are "trained" to look for faults, errors, shortcomings, defects, etc. Begin with yourself. List all your assets (not just physical). Then realize all the good in being you. Move on to other things around you. Work on this consciously every day till it becomes a habit. There is something good about everything and everyone. Once you realize this you will be finding good everywhere without even trying.

9. Learn... something new every day. Pick up a book or search online. Learn to do something you have always wanted to do. You can even start for free by researching online. Search the subject and start stimulating and enriching your mind today.

10. Reward yourself. Set financial and personal goals and tag them with rewards for accomplishing them. (this one may be something special you have always wanted to do. and not necessarily a purchase.. But if you have done all the above maybe go ahead and splurge a little. You deserve it!

About the Author
Marie Gervacio is founder and editor of SimpleBeautyTips.com, ShineYourStar.com and WhoisMarieGervacio.com

ICT & AV guides

2007-11-13T10:01:00.002+08:00

1. How to backup your computer files
2. How to buy a mobile phone handset
3. How to choose a cell phone
4. How to choose a camera digital
5. How to choose webhosting
6. How to choose a Laptop?

How to backup your computer files

2007-11-13T09:49:00.000+08:00

As I write this, it’s early December, and try as I might, I can’t remember what my new year’s resolution was last time around. One thing I can say with near hundred percent certainty is that whatever it was, I failed to keep it. Maybe you’re the same. Maybe you resolved to quit smoking, lose weight, or read more. We all make promises with ourselves, then fail to keep those promises. Worst of all, those promises might be exactly what we need most. Consider this: When was the last time you backed up your computer files? Last month? Last year? Never? Let’s make a new year’s resolution together, you and I.

Let’s promise to back up our computers. It’s important, I promise. Just yesterday the automatic backup feature in MS Word saved me about an hour’s work when my computer froze up. Given that I haven’t backed up my computer in almost a year, I can’t even imagine how much data I’d lose if I suffered a power surge or hard drive failure. It can happen to the best of us, and often does. Even high end hard drive manufacturers report an average failure rate of between five and eight per thousand every year. That may not sound like much, but let’s face it, somebody has to be those five to eight people.

Feeling lucky? There are about 185 million household PCs in the U.S., according to Computer Industry Almanac, so that means about 150,000 hard drives fail each year. But even if your drive stays intact, about a tenth of all computers suffer minor data loss in any given year. A power surge, the magnets in your home stereo speakers, or even an accidental nudge can affect data storage.

According to a report from the ONTRACK data recovery service, data loss can be caused by natural disasters (3% of cases), computer viruses (7%), software problems (14%), and plain old user error (a whopping 32%). Now, I’m sure you never hit a wrong keyboard button, but do you have a button on your computer that prevents a bolt of lightning? I didn’t think so. WHEREAS our data is important, and disaster can befall even the most noble and underserving of us, BE IT RESOLVED that you and I shall back up our computer files forthwith. Amen, brothers and sisters. Now, where and how do we start?

STEP ONE: Choosing Favorites

Not all files are important enough to preserve for posterity. The most critical files on a computer are its operating system files. If you’re a good little consumer, you bought the operating system and kept those CDs handy and secure from data loss. If you’re not, then remind yourself to go stand in the corner later. The drones at Microsoft did not work for years just to watch you steal their work. It’s people like you that keep Bill Gates from buying his second planet. Now that you’ve been suitably chastised, either go buy a legal copy of the operating system, or include the necessary files in your “must back up” list.The same principle goes for software applications. Maybe you bought an ad and spyware blocker you really like, but the company that coded it has since gone out of business (perhaps because other consumers weren’t as scrupulous as you). If so, include the files you need to run the app in your must list.Now it’s time to look at the remaining files on your computer and prioritize. If you’re not a digital packrat like me, it may be possible to save everything. If so, congratulations. I don’t have ten gigabytes of portable media at my disposal, so when I back up my computer, I’ll be leaving a few gigs of MP3s and questionable Windows Media files at risk.

One of the first things I will save is the folder I use to save my writing assignments, because that data represents money in my pocket. I’ll back up my email address book, plus my digital photography and fiction writing efforts. I can live without “Milkshake” (what was I thinking?), but the guitar piece my friend recorded and sent to me is going on the list. Your results may vary.

STEP TWO: In Which I Tell You Where You Can Put It

That’s right, this is the section in which I’ll tell you where to store your data. It’s not a good idea to put backup files on another drive on the same computer. That defeats the whole purpose. Duplicating your files on another computer in the same LAN is almost as risky, because computer viruses can spread as fast as an imaginary Anna Kournikova JPEG. You need to find a portable storage medium that can hold all the files on your must list. Your options include floppy diskettes, portable hard drives, optical drives, tape drives, and remote servers. We’ll look at each in turn.

Hard diskettes, the old familiar 3.5” squares, hold up to 1.44 megabytes of data. They’re cheap, but 1.44 MB is less than two percent of the ten gigs of data on my hard drive. Even if each of those files were smaller than 1.44 MB (and each weren’t), I’m not keen on the idea of buying, labeling, and storing fifty diskettes. Next idea, please. Most computer experts rely on removable hard drives for memory backups. The most popular of these drives are the Zip drive from Iomega and the ORB drive from Castlewood. They’re relatively inexpensive and hold up to two gigs of data.

Basically, you’ll save your data on a Zip disk, then transfer it from the disk to the portable drive. The catch is that removable drives fail about as often as regular hard drives. They may even be more susceptible to damage from dust and rough handling. A sub-option here is to use a permanent hard drive as a removable drive. At up to two hundred gigs, conventional hard drives are bigger than removable drives, and prices have dropped enough in recent years to make this idea practical. Whatever kind of hard drive you decide to use, make sure to keep it isolated from dust, magnetic charges, and static electricity.

Optical drives use a laser to store information, rather than a magnet. Even if you’re not a tech junkie, that’s probably enough information to give you a clearer idea what we’re talking about: namely, CDs and DVDs. Less common are EO (erasable optical) and WORM (write once, read many) media; they’re less common because they cost over $1000 per drive. CDs, on the other hand, cost less than a buck and can hold up to 650 megabytes. DVDs hold up to five gigs and cost about fifteen dollars apiece. Most computers nowadays have either a CD or DVD writer (or both), but write times can be slow.

My CD writer, for example, works best on the 300 kilobyte per second setting—if then. I’ll be using the remote server option. At $250 and up, tape drives are more expensive and slower than hard drives or optical media, hence less common, but also extremely reliable. Remote servers are third party companies that store data online for a fee.

This is a great option for broadband Internet users, especially people like me who don’t own a reliable data writer. SkyDesk runs Backup.com, Back-Up Solutions maintains BackUpHelp.com, and Iomega hosts iServer (Iomega.com/iStorage). XDrive.com, once a free service, now charges ten bucks a month for up to five gigs of storage. Promotions and other rates change, so it’s a good idea to shop around before selecting a remote storage service.

STEP THREE: Git ’er Done

Now it’s time to put the files you want to save on the storage medium you’ve chosen. There are several ways to do this. Your CD writer, for example, may come with proprietary disk writing software. That application may even include a backup option. If it does, and you’re more familiar with that software than Windows features, then that’s the way to go.

Otherwise, backup is still relatively easy on all MS operating systems since Windows 98. Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows XP Professional include a built-in Backup utility. To run it, just click on Start, then Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, then Backup. How easy was that? If you’re using the XP Home edition, you may need to add the utility manually. If so, insert the Windows XP CD into your disk drive and wait for the “Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP” screen. (You may need to double-click the CD icon in My Computer.) Then click on Perform Additional Tasks and Browse This CD. In Windows Explorer, double-click the ValueAdd folder, then Msft, then Ntbackup. Double-clicking on Ntbackup.msi will install the utility. Once it’s installed, you can also run the program by clicking Start and Run, then typing msbackup.exe (Windows 98 and Windows ME) or ntbackup.exe (Windows XP) in the Open field. Click OK, and you’ll be off to the races.Incidentally, the Windows XP Backup utility also includes a bonus application called the Automated Recovery Wizard. This creates a bootable floppy that initiates backup if the hard drive must be replaced. Other options for “disaster recovery” include BackUp MyPC from Stomp (StompInc.com, $79) and Norton Ghost 9.0 from Symantec (Norton.com, $69.95). Ghost actually allows users to duplicate the contents of their computer over the Internet. Both have earned stellar reviews from top PC magazines.Don’t let another month go by without protecting the files you value most. My girlfriend justifies her messy car by saying she “lives out of it.” Well, I live out of my computer. It’s not just my office; it’s the home of cherished memories in the form of pictures, MP3, and other data files. I’m resolved to keep it safe.

Copyright: Christian Carvajal

Health care & tips

2007-11-13T09:42:00.000+08:00

1. How to reduce your risk of breast cancer
2. How to avoid colds and flu
3. 7 tips for a healthy pregnancy
4. How to avoid swelling when pregnant
5. How to prevent varicose veins
6. How to manage your allergies better

How to reduce your risk of breast cancer

2007-11-13T09:37:00.000+08:00

We hear it all the time… lose weight for your health. Few people however, realize the extent to which this is critical to their physical well-being and ultimately their life expectancy.

In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a study finding that obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The researchers compared Body-Mass Index (BMI) to longevity and found a correlation between premature death and higher BMIs. For example, a 20-year-old white male, 5’10” weighing 288 pounds with a BMI of greater than 40 was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity.Jamie McManus, M.D., F.A.A.F.P. and author of “Your Personal Guide to Wellness” notes that while this study referenced extreme levels of obesity, there are still millions of overweight people in developed countries with a life expectancy rate that is three to five years less than their healthy-weight counterparts. She also estimates that there are 600,000 obesity related deaths each year in America.

Just how does obesity shorten our lifespan? The answer to this question is complex, yet there is a clear link between obesity and the development of cancer. An extensive study conducted by the American Cancer Institute involving 750,000 people showed that obesity significantly increased the risk of cancer developing in the following organs: breast, colon, ovaries, uterus, pancreas, kidneys and gallbladder.

Michael Thun, MD, vice-president of epidemiology and surveillance research for the American Cancer Society (ACS) says one reason obesity may raise cancer risk is because fat cells produce a form of estrogen called estradiol that promotes rapid division of cells, increasing chances of a random genetic error while cells are replicating, which can lead to cancer. In addition, fat centered around the abdomen may increase insulin and insulin-like growth factors in the blood, which may increase cancer risk.

"Women who are obese after menopause have a 50% higher relative risk of breast cancer," notes Thun, "and obese men have a 40% higher relative risk of colon cancer…. Gallbladder and endometrial cancer risks are five times higher for obese individuals”. There is evidence that cancer rates in developed countries are increasing at 5 to 15 times faster than developing countries. A major contributor to this alarming reality has proven to be diet. In populations where the diet consists mostly of fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains – in contrast to the typical Western diet of fatty meats, refined flours, oils and sugars – the risk of cancer is much lower.

The interaction of diet and the development of cancer is an active field of research and Dr David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. and author of “What Color is Your Diet”, says “It appears that diet has its most significant effects after the cancer has already formed, acting to inhibit or stimulate the growth of that cancer”. At the risk of oversimplifying a complex set of interactions, the typical Western diet that leads to obesity may actually act to stimulate the growth of cancer cells. It is never too late to improve your health through healthful eating and adopting a more health-giving lifestyle.

Here are simple steps to follow which can make an immediate improvement to your health and vitality.

1. Check your Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine if weight has become health risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60% of Americans are overweight, defined as having a BMI (a ratio of height to weight) over 25. Of those, nearly half (27%) qualify as obese, with a body mass index of 30 or more. In 1980, just 15% of Americans were considered obese. You can check your BMI at the website below.

2. Match your diet to your body’s requirements. If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires you will put on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes leaner, and eat infrequently from fast food restaurants. Also learn how to snack with healthful choices.

3. Color your diet with a large variety of colorful, cancer-fighting fruit and vegetables. There are seven different color ranges of both fruit and vegetables and by choosing between 5 to 9 daily serves from a wide range of fruit and vegetables, we are extending our consumption of cancer (and other disease) fighting nutrients.

4. Eat lean protein with every meal. Protein provides a powerful signal to the brain providing a longer sense of fullness. The right source of protein is essential to controlling your hunger with fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean muscle mass. Choices of protein should be flavored soy shakes with fruit; the white meat of chicken and turkey, seafood such as shrimps, prawns scallops and lobster and ocean fish or vegetarians may prefer soy based meat substitutes.

5. Rev up your metabolism with activity. If you want to enjoy a lifetime of well-being, exercise is a key ingredient. Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society (ACS), says adults should do something for 30 minutes each day that takes as much effort as a brisk walk. Children should be active for an hour each day. We are more likely to develop habits around things we enjoy, so seek activities which you enjoy doing. It is also helpful to build physical activity into your daily routine: use the stairs instead of the escalator or lift at work, park your car in the parking bay furthest from the super marketing and don’t use the remote control to change TV channels.

6. Get support to ensure you develop a healthful eating plan and reach your goal weight. Whilst a small percentage of people possess the discipline to lose weight, many obese people have developed strong thoughts and habits concerning the food they eat. In order to establish new habits, most people respond well to some form of consistent encouragement and coaching. A study, “Effects of Internet Behavioral Counseling on Weight Loss in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes” shows that participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more weight than those who didn’t. The study concluded that the support of a weight loss coach can significantly improve weight loss results.

Being overweight or obese has been identified next to smoking, as the most preventable major risk to developing cancer. Even small weight losses have been shown to have beneficial health effects. So it’s never to late to start and you can never be too young or too old to be concerned about your health and do something about achieving a more healthy weight.

(c) Copyright by Kim Beardsmore

Kim is a successful weight loss coach who will help you find consistent results. You will learn how to stabilize at your goal weight and never 'diet' again. No public 'weigh-ins', meetings that cost you money or fads...simply long term results. Click for free and no obligation consultation.

How to avoid vehicle crime

2007-11-12T20:09:00.000+08:00

A lot of car crime results from criminals seeing opportunities. However it is not difficult to outsmart the car thief. Keep your valuables safe. Do not leave any on display in your car, and remember to take all your belongings with you when you leave your car, including:
* Mobile phone
* Laptop computer
* Credit cards
* Cheque books
* Cash
* Vehicle registration documents
* Private mail, especially with your private address on it

Keep Your Car Keys Safe
When you leave your car, always remove the ignition key and lock all your doors. It only takes a few seconds for a thief to jump into your car and drive away. Follow this routine all the time, even when filling up with petrol or just popping into the shop.

Window etching
Have your car’s registration numbers etched onto all window glass surfaces.

Parking
Always lock your car wherever you park, day or night. Try to park your vehicle in a well-lit, open place. Thieves like to break into cars parked in places where they run the least risk of being seen. When you park your car away from home try to avoid places that:
* Are unattended
* Have easy access
* Are concealed from public view
* Have numerous escape routes

Car care & safety tips

2007-11-11T09:39:00.001+08:00

1. How to schedule car maintenance
2. How to avoid vehicle crime
3. How to save money on car insurance

How to schedule car maintenance

2007-11-11T09:36:00.001+08:00

1. Find a reputable mechanic (if you don’t have one) to service your car. Survey for a good service provider.

2. Photocopy the recommended maintenance schedule for oil changes, tyre rotations and fluid checks. You’ll find this information in your car’s manual. Enter key dates into your planner.

3. Place a reminder in your calendar for the next service date, including a list of maintenance to be done. When the remainder comes up, schedule an appointment.

4. Develop the habit of checking the oil each time you fill the car with gas. Use the 1st of each month as a reminder date for checking washer fluid levels, tyre pressure and wear patterns. Put the reminder in your calendar until it becomes a habit.

5. Keep yourself on time by filling up with gas on your way home instead of on the way out.

6. Before road trips, do the following:
- Bring the oil level up but not over the dipstick’s “full” mark.
- Check wear patterns and pressure of all four tyres.
- Top up automatic transmission fluid, power steering, break fluid and coolant levels as needed.
- Replace belts that are frayed or have glazed-looking undersides. Check coolant hoses for leaks and cracks.

Environmental care

2007-11-11T09:31:00.000+08:00

1. How to protect ozone layer

How to protect ozone layer

2007-11-11T09:20:00.000+08:00

Car air conditioner tips
1. Go only to service facilities with EPA-certified technicians.
2. Make sure refrigerants from your vehicles will be recovered and recycled during servicing.
3. Repair all leaks in the a/c system

This is one of the single best ways to do our part to protect the ozone layer. About 20-30 million cars on the road today use CFC refrigerants in their air-conditioning (AC) systems. If leaky systems were repaired, it would prevent the release of million pounds of CFCs into the atmosphere each year.

If your air conditioner needs major repairs, talk to your certified service professional about having it converted to use an alternative refrigerant.

Home appliance tips

Repair air conditioner
- This step prevents ozone-depleting refrigerants from escaping. Make sure the refrigerant is recovered before servicing.
If you purchase a new A/C system, purchase one that uses non-ozone-depleting refrigerant.
Remove the refrigerant from refrigerators and air conditioners before disposing of them.
- Removing the refrigerant before disposal of old refrigerators alone would prevent the release of CFCs. The use of refrigerant can be recycled and reused.