Archive for November, 2009
Surving the Chores of Everyday Life
by OurChapters on Nov.30, 2009, under OurChapters
Our lives are not all fun and silliness, is it? After my wife and I passed a good week away from reality on our vacation, it was time for us to confront reality. From exorbitant interest on our credit cards and our car loan to house plans left pending, we had our work lined up for us. And I’m persistent old dog, so I wasn’t giving up on my gps plan, either.
First we tackled the credit cards. Gratefully, even in this time of difficult credit, credit card companies and auto loan agencies seem anxious to please individuals with good credit. My wife did a great job isolating the best deal on a 0 percent credit card.
I’m thankful someone in the household has some sure sense of our financial situation… and it sure as heck is not me. But the lower interest and smaller monthly bills should really provide us some breathing room.
Next we had to discuss a number of household improvements we had been designing for quite some time. Some may say we have no business investing in improvements at this time, but what can I say? We prefer to stubbornly push onward.
My wife has been looking over the different available steam showers and we both agree on the bathroom lights and bathroom sinks we want for our bathroom remodel, but after looking over some discount bedding tips, we’re no longer on the same page for the new bedding.
Gratefully, she’s being either encouraging or tolerant of my little gadget fixation. I’m not too bad about it, but I have my weakness. Currently I have narrowed it down to a handheld tv, DVD projector or a Garmin Golflogix GPS. Speaking of GPS, we both agree it is time to invest in a dog gps unit for our dog’s safety.
I think GPS tech has evolved enough and grown cheap enough that we need to incorporate it into our life.
I am only relieved my wife and I are on the same page for most of this material. People’s lives can be so much more difficult when the individuals around you use our problems as launching places for their pride rather than chances to unify and grow.
Self Defence for Women Using Wing Tsun Kung Fu
by OurChapters on Nov.30, 2009, under OurChapters
Wing Tsun is unique in that it was designed by a woman for women to defend themselves. This special history means that it is the only Martial Art where a weaker person can effectively defend against a stronger. Many schools are quite usual in that they don’t have a number of female instructors teaching self defence for women.
Naturally smaller than men, the only way that women can normally excel in most martial arts is by training very hard, and often dangerously, for many years. In Wing Tsun this is simply not the case – women learn to apply the principles of self defence from the first lesson. While it takes time to master the techniques, it is far quicker than other martial arts as it works with the body, allowing you to use it more effectively (and safely). For this reason Wing Tsun is not just great as self defence for women but also excellent for fitness and weight loss.
Women’s only classes are available by request at some schools, but the effectiveness of Wing Tsun is also the interaction and training with people of all shapes and sizes.
Training in a mixed class may seem intimidating, but most schoold do their best to ensure that this is not the case and are conducted in a safe environment. Furthermore, new students are not introduced into the main part of the class until they feel ready and then only at a level that suits them.
A good school will teach you to:
- Learn how to deal with confrontations and defend yourself
- Learn how to control fear and aggression
- Develop street awareness – learn how to recognise dangerous situations and how to avoid them
- Have fun and relieve stress
- Become healthier and happier
- Realistic and safe self-defence
- Gain confidence in yourself as well as self discipline
- Lose weight and gain personal fitness
- Have the ability to defuse hostile situations
A founding principle of a good school is to ensure that all students are educated to the highest level in all aspects of the art of Wing Tsun Kung Fu. The development and training of students is of the utmost importance to ensure that they achieve what they want from the training.
What to do with wool
by OurChapters on Nov.30, 2009, under OurChapters
One of the oldest materials for clothes is wool. Soon after our ancestors, the cave men, learned that you can carry half a dead furry animal or piles of fur to keep warm, they invented spinning wool. And what a congenial material wool fibre is! It has so many qualities that even high tec fibres do not reach – amazing.
If you are a sheep fan and like wool, you most probably will want to work with it. The first thing you could think about is spinning wool. I found a nice interesting site about that on a german blog: Wolle selbst spinnen
Next thing is of course dyeing wool yourself. This is something many people don’t dare…although it is pretty easy and can be done in any household with plant and a few chemicals. Have a look over here (sorry, the video is only in german):Literaturliste Wolle färben
Last but not least you will want to knit with your wool, and let’s be honest, although it can be really fun to do all the things like spinning and dyeing yourself, most of the time you will just buy a good ball of wool in a shop.
Read here about knitting on this german blog: Strickanleitung mit Wolle für Hundertwasser-Pullover
The wool shown on that page has proved to go nicely when knitting and is easy to wash. Now get your knitting needles or your spinning wheel and have some fun with wool!
When to Use Free Sample Resumes and Free Resume Templates
by OurChapters on Nov.30, 2009, under OurChapters
You can write your own resume. Writing one is not as hard as you may think. Sure, it is probably not your favorite thing to do, but there are plenty of free sample resumes on the internet or in document programs, such as MS Word, that can help you to understand the proper resume format. With most programs, you simply have to fill in the blanks. It is as easy as that to create an effective resume. Before long you will be confidently embarking on resume distribution to potential employers. Give the software engineers who designed the programs a chance to help you.
Microsoft Word offers templates that are standard components with their Office products. When you open Word, you are given the option of opening a document. You can choose New document and a template appears. Choose one of the free resume templates and go from there. If you do not have Microsoft Word, then you can still find free resume templates and sample resumes on the internet. One great place to visit is free-resumetemplates.com. They offer a variety of formats from which to choose. If you would like a program similar to MS Word at an unbelievable price (free), visit openoffice.org and download their free office suite.
One of the downsides to finding free sample resumes on the internet is that they are often just a picture. They are not a template like Word utilizes. You cannot type in your information. They are simply designed so that you can see what your resume should look like, but then you must reconstruct it in a word processing software program. Some may provide the proper parameters for indentation, but don’t count on this being the case.
Ideally, everyone should take a class on writing resumes. However, some people may think that they will never need one. There are some jobs that only require an application to be filled out. But, if you think you should be prepared with an effective resume, then there are some online programs that will allow you to enter the required information into the appropriate fields and, once finished, it will create your document for you. There is nothing worse than searching the online job banks, finding your dream job and knowing that you are qualified, only to have your hopes dashed because you can’t apply. Always be prepared by having your updated cover letter and resume all set to go.
Take a look at the free sample resumes and free resume templates. If you are confused about the differences, then most websites will offer tips and advice to guide you in the right direction. They will have the most up-to-date information so you don’t end up sending out a dated, useless document. Once you get the hang of writing your resume, it will be easy to keep it updated with current information.
How To Cut Business Energy Costs
by OurChapters on Nov.29, 2009, under OurChapters
For many businesses, the cost of electricity or gas is a big overhead but it is also something that is frequently overlooked in terms of money saving. But any reductions in business electricity prices or business gas costs really does go straight to the profits so it makes sense to review things from time to time.
One of the simplest methods of doing this is to consult an business energy broker. He is a person whose sole business is locating the best business electricity suppliers in your own market place and then sorting out a better deal for your business.
An experienced business energy broker can do this much better than most individual businesses can for the simple reason that getting to know electricity and gas suppliers and working out how different charging structures work takes a lot of time. An experienced business energy consultant is able to spend most of his time getting to know the market whereas for most business managers this luxury is just not an option.
In the commercial electricity market for example, different suppliers will offer many different price breaks for consumers using different amounts of power. From their perspectives, this is a deliberate ploy to muddle the market and thus to attempt to de-commoditise things. After all, if all power companies sold electricity or gas at al,ost indentical not only would businesses not be able to save money by shopping around, but the competition consumer watchdogs would get truly annoyed. So what they do is offer discounts for different levels of power consumption and for different contract durations etc. Your business energy adviser’s role is to pick his way through the myriad of available electricity and gas price tariffs available to find the one that matches your own business’s needs most closely. It is rare, if not almost unheard of, for a business seeking a lower cost business gas or electricity supplier not to save money.
The other attraction of using an energy consultant to help you cut your business energy costs is that they usually get remunerated by the energy company rather than directly by you so the apparent cost of employing one is zero. Of course, the power companies have to take this cost into their calucations when they work out their tariffs but it does mean that you can often employ the services of an electricity or business gas cost reduction consultant without paying anything!for nothing!
Photo Hosting and Photo Sharing Sites Let You Do More Than Just Buy Photo Prints
by OurChapters on Nov.29, 2009, under OurChapters
Photo sharing is the publishing or transfer of a user’s digital photos through an online service, thus enabling the user to share them with others (whether publicly or privately). Even though image sharing is a more general term and would include photo sharing as a subset of the available options, the term ‘photo sharing’ is more widely known. Photo sharing is not confined to the web and personal computers but is also possible from portable devices such as cameraphones, using applications that can automatically transfer photos as you take them, to photo sharing sites and photoblogs, either directly or via MMS. Photo sharing sites usually propose several ways to classify images and photo sharing services make organizing, storing and sharing digital photos convenient, easy, safe and most importantly,fun.
Photo sharing, making cool photo slideshows, and image hosting will enhance your online community experience. Photo sharing has become increasingly popular in recent years as a means for individuals to publish or distribute their digital images online. Photo sharing sites provide free access to vast numbers of images as photo sharing sites undoubtedly provide quick and easy access to billions of images from millions of contributors around the globe.
The first photo sharing sites originated during the mid to late 1990s primarily from service providing online ordering of prints (photo-finishing), but many more came into being during the early 2000s with the goal of providing permanent and centralized access to a user’s photos, and in some cases video clips too. The number of digital photo sharing web sites has increased tremendously in the past few years, and most of them are pretty impressive. While photoblogs tend only to display a chronological view of user-selected medium-sized photos, most photo sharing sites provide multiple views (such as thumbnails, and slideshows), the ability to classify photos into albums as well as add annotations (such as captions or “tags”) and comments.
Some photo sharing sites provide complete online organization tools equivalent to desktop photo-management applications. You can edit your photos and share your photos and photo albums with your friends and family with this photo hosting and photo sharing site. To facilitate the sale of prints and gifts to family and friends, these sites typically offer a limited form of photo sharing. Having your images on a popular photo sharing site can certainly raise the profile of your collection, and you may find you are even able to make a little income from licensing their use or allowing users to buy prints.
Comprehend the Risk Involved in Penny Stock Trading
by OurChapters on Nov.28, 2009, under OurChapters
One of the most precarious domains of investment is the area of penny stock investing. Penny stocks, also known as small cap stocks, micro cap stocks or nano stocks, are shares with low market capitalization and little price per share.
Some specify penny stocks as plainly just micro cap stocks. Micro cap stocks really take a more specific definition. If a corporation’s market capitalisation is below 250 million dollars, then its stock will be considered a micro cap stock.
Yet penny stocks in particular are more commonly affiliated with one of 2 definitions. One is that the stock is traded for five bucks or less per share. The 2nd definition is simply that the share is dealt via OTC (Over-the-Counter) quotation services, like the OTCBB or Pink Sheets.
Observe that all these variables establish a stock more shaky. The Web is heavy with fake hype regarding penny stocks, but the truth is that it is a highly unstable and risky market in which to invest. Just as stocks can increment in price rapidly, they may drop into oblivion just as rapidly.
An essential quality of a successful penny stock investor will be that she or he will begin day trading penny stock through the help of a respectable online penny stock broker. She or he will obviate penny stock message boards and learn where to buy penny stocks with patience and cautiousness.
And to make affairs all the more sticky, it may often be very hard to research and support true data on companies listed on the OTC quotation services. Frequently, when you perform fast lookups on the Internet, you’ll find invented information spread to artificially plug the share and exploit beginner investors.
Hence if you opt to pursue penny stocks, be prepared to be very distrustful and guarded about your information sources. And trade carefully, really cautiously.
Top 3 Tips for Taking Great Pictures with Digital Cameras
by OurChapters on Nov.28, 2009, under OurChapters
There are many tips for taking great pictures with digital cameras. Many individuals believe that taking pictures digitally requires no specific skill or prior knowledge, but the truth is that digital based cameras integrate a high level of features that makes it challenging to capture pictures in the way that you want, or the way that you expect. By knowing a few tricks, you can capture beauty in every shot that you take. The following represents 3 tips that you can use in order to truly capture the essence of every photo that you take:
1. Many digital cameras come with preset balance settings such as “Beach”, “Sunny”, “Cloudy”, “Night”, and similar settings. Prior to taking pictures, it is important to learn how to access these balance settings and to experiment with each one. This way, when you indulge in taking pictures you will know which balance setting will compliment the photograph and can set the camera to that setting.
2. Do you enjoy taking a lot of pictures of the great outdoors or of people and places outside? If so, then it is likely that you will benefit from what is referred to as a “Polarizer”. This is a special filter that is often used when photographing landscapes and natural scenes. It works to reduce the amount of glare that is displayed in the image and even eliminates reflections that are not intended to be caught. If you are unable to acquire a polarizer filter, simply place a lens from a pair of old sunglasses over the viewing area of the camera – this will provide the same effect.
3. The next step to taking great pictures with digital cameras is to research the zoom mode on your camera. This is also often referred to as “Macro Mode”. This feature will permit you to take pictures of items that are typically hard to capture in close up. For example, you may capture a line of ants, or a flower in your garden.
It is easy to take great pictures with digital cameras. It may seem a bit overwhelming, but it is important to learn all that you can regarding the features of your camera. Once you know what can be done with it, you may incorporate these top 3 tips to capture some fascinating shots!
The author of this post is a big fan of Tip Drop, a great place to post tips to help out other users.
Help Desk Software, How To Choose
by OurChapters on Nov.28, 2009, under OurChapters
There are so many help desk software providers out there, packages ranging from free to over $4,000 for every advanced user (i.e. Technical Support Rep or Customer Support Rep) and an overwhelming array of structures, internet services, and features to look at, choosing the right issue tracking software for your organization can be a time sucking and aggravating process.
The drafting of this post is to try and simplify the procedure for you. This paper will deal with general issues that everyone in the help desk software market should understand prior to making the ultimate choice. Considering these issues will help you make a more educated decision.
Customer Support Software – Architecture
The issue that tends to generate the most confusion in our industry is client/server web-enabled solutions (C/S) vs. 100% web-based solutions. In general, C/S architected solutions are quickly depreciating. At one point, an excellent step up over main frame solutions, C/S technology has been phased out due to the accesability and rewards of web-based solution architectures. The main reason some helpdesk software vendors continue to sell C/S solutions is due to the fact that they do not have the development assets to convert their elder product to a web-based architecture. Some of the rewards that web-based solutions include over C/S solutions include:
- No client-side software install, updates, or support
- Log in from anywhere, anytime with any web browser
- Full access to all features and functions anytime and from any place
When you start to demo different customer support software solutions please take notice if you are required to load code on your desktop to starts the demo. If so, you are not dealing with a vendor that offers a web-based solution. True web-based structures need only a URL in order to try a demo.
So, if the business emails you a 5 MB exe. file to try their solution, you are not looking at a 100% web based issue tracking software solution. The file that business is emailing you is either front ending a C/S system or is a complete canned demo on your computer. Make sure you evaluate the solution you are going to buy! If you do buya C/S solution, please note that web-enabled add-on modules will not give you full access to all of the features when you are in a browser on the web.
What Kind of Exercise Program to Go For?
by OurChapters on Nov.28, 2009, under OurChapters
The number of fitness exercises is very high and options therefore abound for the creation of a training routine to keep you in good shape. Thus, you can try resistance training, stretching, aerobic exercises and even body building work outs as good fitness exercises. The important aspects of any physical activity include the purpose and the things you do to support it. Thus, diet, hydration and good night rest are the three crucial elements for the success of fitness exercises.
Individual or organized fitness exercises? For a beginner it is pretty difficult where to start from when it comes to physical training, and in the absence of professional guidance people have the tendency to over-train or work out chaotically. Besides jogging, stair climbing, rope jumping, swimming, skiing and cycling, you can dedicate to some rather static fitness exercises that can be practiced anywhere without special requirements.
For the creation of a personal routine of fitness exercises make sure to consider your current fitness level in order to set and achieve your training goals well. Normally, regardless of the purpose of the fitness exercises, physical activity works great for the entire body condition, bringing countless of health benefits. Tiredness is normal, and it appears when you have reached a certain training limit: do not ignore it and rest.
The fitness exercises routine has to be periodized, meaning that you should make a four week plan and set small goals for every 7-day period in particular. The intensity of the fitness exercises should increase with every week. Without continuous stimulation and progress, the body remains limited to a certain level of strength and resistance to effort, and this will do more harm than good. Besides, you can find several training programs online designed according to your personal goals from building muscle to losing fat or doing both at the same time. Some programs tend to be quite popular but super intense like Warp Speed Fat Loss while others tend to be structured catering to all levels with long term memberships like TurbulenceTraining.com.
People who go to a gym or join some professional training program will be guided into performing all sorts of fitness exercises depending on their fitness level. You could even consider it more stimulating and motivating when training in an aerobic group for instance. The trainer’s indications, the other participants’ effort and personal motivation contribute to creating a positive state of mind that will allow one to fulfill set goals more successfully. Fitness exercises are not limited by age or gender, only the difficulty level will vary, but the benefits for the health remain.