free design software

Makeup Tips For Blue Eyes

2012-01-27T11:00:00.001-08:00

Makeup tips for blue eyes are pretty straightforward. The trick is to learn which colors look better on blue eyes, and start with those, and then branch out with the colors that you are personally drawn to. Women have a unique ability to choose colors that are complimentary to them. Just because colors are suggested doesn't mean those are the only colors suitable for you to wear.

Colors For Blue Eyes

There are some colors that seem to be made for blue eyes. Icy pinks, silver, gold and violet all come to mind. You can expand your selection by also choosing taupe, gray, and other purples, like lavender.

If you want to add a little "oomph" to your makeup, try a bright blue instead. I know, I know. You've always heard bad things about blue eyeshadow. However, these makeup tips for blue eyes include bright blue eyeshadow because it will make your eyes really stand out. Try it and see what you think.

Also try turquoise, and if your eyes have green in them, mint green is a great choice. Bright pinks and fuschia are great choices as well. And if you really want to mix it up, try mixing black with another color. It will look striking and it usually best for nightwear.

Application Tips

Now, I wouldn't give you makeup tips for blue eyes without giving you tips to apply them. If you're already comfortable with your application you don't need to read on. But if you think you might like some guidelines to help you, keep reading.

Here's an example of a day look that you could do:

1.Take a silver shadow and apply it from your eyelashes to your eyebrow.

2.Then apply lavender from your eyelashes to just above the crease. Blend it well into the silver so you can't see a distinct line.

3.Then take violet and apply it in a "v" from the middle of your eyelid to the outer corner. Blend very, very well. You want it to look like a gradual change of color, not distinct lines.

4.Line your eyes with charcoal or dark gray eyeliner.

5.Apply mascara.

You can adjust the colors to be icy pink with fuschia, light and dark turquoise, gold and taupe, gray and bright blue, light blue and bright blue, silver and bright blue, taupe and green, etc. The list goes on and on.

Just play around until you like what you're seeing. You make all the choices and decisions when it comes to your makeup.
These makeup tips for blue eyes should have you seeing clearer.

Lynn Starner is the proprietor of Beauty Bliss Mineral Cosmetics at http://www.beautyblisscosmetics.com

Advertising Design

2012-01-26T21:31:00.001-08:00

Advertising Design is the most important point of advertising. If your advertising is designed poorly, who is going to pay attention to it? The answer is nobody will. The Design will in most cases be done by a professional designer; there are a lot of companies out there that will design you, logos, banners, posters and anything else you can think of for advertising. These companies that specialise in advertising design will charge you for their services.

Depending on the reputation of the company, depending on the quality and the standards of designers will all contribute to what the Advertising cost will be. You will find companies that do offer this service at a low price, but be warned, they may be that price for a reason, check out the companies first, find out if you can see some examples of their previous work (if they have a website it is likely to be available on there, if not you will be able to request some) and look for customer reviews.

Advertising Design does not have to be performed by a professional though, a lot of companies design their own logos, and posters. It is important that your logo is appealing to the eye, vibrant and something that you will remember. Simple designs are often effective designs; do not feel that just because you have put a lot of detail, a lot of images, a lot of text into your design that it makes it good. Less can often be more and as long as it catches the eye and gets to the point, your advertising will be successful.

Wesley Clarke writes about Advertising Design. Visit the Businessmagnet product page for details and suppliers of Advertising Design.

Top 25 Undergraduate Schools

2012-01-26T06:27:00.001-08:00

With competition rising fiercely for admission into a good undergraduate school and the choice of subjects, school curriculum expanding with it, choosing the best undergraduate school can be confusing. There are large, small, public, private, urban and rural undergraduate schools to select from; while some are appealing because of their inviting locale in a countryside setting or in the midst of a cosmopolitan setting others lure the students with their state-of-the-art facilities and distinguished host of teachers.

The list of top 25 undergraduate schools listed below have many diverse traits and distinct characteristics, however the common thread running through them is that of the promise of the best education ever. The undergraduate school curriculum of these top 25 schools is unparalleled and makes them stand apart as the institutions of great learning.

Best Ivy undergraduate school

Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut Yale president Richard Levin is a leader and a visionary and has been tireless in his efforts to change ED admissions policies, making it a one of the many reasons for it being the vied for the number one position and topping the student's list for admissions. A big attraction of the undergraduate experience for students is the residential-college system. Students live in one of twelve colleges, each with its own distinct personality, under the guidance of a master and a dean.

Best School for Entrepreneurs

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.

Six of the campus's 10 undergraduate schools offer entrepreneurship courses. The Smeal College of Business and the College of Engineering are the most natural partners, with joint programs to show engineers how to run businesses and to teach business students the latest technology. Hotel-management students operate two on-campus hotels and conference centres where they're involved in everything from food service to staffing the front desk while the College of Communications focuses on entrepreneurship in the Information Age.

Big 10 School - Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill

Comprising of six undergraduate schools, Northwestern University attracts students with diverse aspirations including budding actors, journalists, engineers and teachers as well as a host of liberal-arts students. Each school is world renown and attracts the best minds from across the globe. Set in Evanston at the edge of the bustling Cosmo polis of Chicago, Northwestern offers its students the best of both worlds.

Best Architectural School - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

President Charles Vest initiated an ambitious $1 billion construction program at MIT which includes the Steven Holl's Simmons Hall, a aluminium-clad dormitory as well as the Fumihiko Maki's expansion of the Media Lab. The more famous building is that of the Stata Center, a computer-science landmark by Frank Gehry containing labs for the "intelligence sciences" and connected corridors and public spaces to encourage spontaneous collaboration. MIT calls it an "intellectual village."

Best school of for Arts - Juilliard School, New York, N.Y.

With a history of more than a hundred years, Julliard is known as one the most famous undergraduate school of arts and can boast of an impressive alumni list the likes of the actor Kevin Kline, violinist Itzhak Perlman and choreographer Lar Lubovitch. To celebrate this glory, the school has introduced new choreography, productions and performances. Only a few select students comprising of musicians, dancers and actors get chosen every year to showcase their talent in the Juilliard Theatre right next to Lincoln Centre. That's the best inspiration for any aspiring star.

Best Library- Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard's library system ranks with the best of any kind in the country, even as compared to the Library of Congress. The collection which includes more than 15 million volumes, 5.5 million microforms, 6.5 million manuscripts and 5 million other research materials such as photographs, maps and recordings is the largest in the world. Harvard's digital collection is particularly strong, and is hugely beneficial for students who want access to any existing online journal

Best Riding School - Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia

Situated in the breathtaking locale of Virginia's horse country, Hollins undergraduate school is known for its exceptional training for equestriennes. The school is a regular winner of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship, and the Hollins team has won ten times in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. Although many Hollins students work with horses after graduation as trainers, riders or veterinarians, the school also offers a strong liberal-arts program and a highly regarded creative-writing curriculum. It is famous for its celebrity alumni the likes of Margaret Wise Brown, Annie Dillard and Lee Smith.

Best undergraduate school for diversity-Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut

Dean of Admissions Nancy Meislahn believes that only a large cross section of society from across the globe can contribute to the intellectual diversity of an educational system. Wesleyan's student population comprises of one third coloured people and 7% international students. An additional 15% are the first in their family to attend a four-year college. It offers a huge diversity of shared learning and wide range of perspective to the classroom.

Best Tech Savvy School - Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H

This undergraduate school has been in the forefront of technological revolution ever since professors John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz, forty years ago, not only realized the importance of computers but were responsible for creating the computer language BASIC. It is known to have the first e-mail programs and an early campus computer network. Dartmouth was also the first Ivy to install WiFi on campus. The school offers free software to students so they can turn their laptops into telephones using the school's WiFi.

Best Fitness School - University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Following the adage of Thomas Jefferson, the founder of UVA, who advocated that a strong body makes the mind strong, UVA offers both varsity competitors and weekend warriors some of the best fitness facilities in the country. Students benefit hugely from the four indoor recreation centres, which together make up 300,000 square feet of pools, running tracks, weight rooms and classrooms for yoga and kickboxing. The school also maintains a 23-acre park for outdoor field sports and jogging.

Best Honor Code - Haverford College, Haverford, Pa.

The honor code is central to the college's values and includes every aspect of academic and social life. Rob Killion, Director of Admissions says that the founder, Haverford expects people to learn from one another, debate and argue with one another--but to do so respectfully. It is an academically rigorous liberal-arts college that advocates take-home and non-supervised exams as well as students living in dorms, without resident advisers

Best school for studying abroad - Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts

The mission at Tufts is simple - to teach students to be world citizens. Tufts likes students who want to study abroad which translates into a strong language requirement, and a chance to learn a new culture in one of Tufts's own centres in countries like Germany, Chile, China or Ghana. About 40% of Tufts juniors are travelling across the world during the academic year.

Best School for Politics - George Washington University, Washington, D.C

With a campus close to the World Bank and a stone's throw away from the White House, GWU is a dream college for every Political Science major. Many of the professors are consultants to top government officials thus bringing a real, practical and intelligent perspective to the classroom. The school also encourages internships at government agencies, think tanks and advocacy organizations.

Best school for Double Majors - Rice University, Houston, Texas

Rice allows its students to explore their passions and requires them to commit to their majors only in the Junior Year unlike most schools who ask for it in the Sophomore Year. With an ambitious student body, many of them go for double majors. The most common combination is science and humanities. The school is best known for its engineering and science curriculum, but the social sciences are also becoming strong.

Best school for Greeks with brains- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich

Michigan is known for its multi-disciplinary approach including everything from music to medicine. A good eclectic mix of academics and a lively social life, it offers its students everything. About 15% of undergrads go Greek, which students say helps them find a friendlier community within the vast student population. Fraternities and sororities are especially popular with the many out-of-state students.

Best school for Hot and Dry - Pomona College, Claremont, Calif.

Pomona is one of five colleges of the Claremont University where students experience the best of both worlds - the academically challenging environment of a small New England liberal-arts college with year-round California sunshine. A combination that is attractive and motivating, the applications are up by almost 30% in the last few years. Students also can explore the academic and social resources of the other Claremont colleges, including Pitzer, Harvey Mudd and Scripps. But none of the colleges will be tapping a keg during "dry week," a tradition at the start of the year during wherein no alcohol is allowed on campus.

Best State University - University of Texas at Austin

Although University of Texas Austin has attained the distinction of a laid-back campus, it is no place for slackers. With 50,000 students (more than any other school in the country), UT boasts some of the nation's best business, law and engineering schools. Besides football, it has 900 student organizations that should keep you going.

Best school for landing a job - Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa

Practical approach and hands-on experience is the most important part of life at Carnegie Mellon. The school has 12 programs including computer science, engineering and drama which are very famous. The school takes pride in being on the cutting edge in every field and encourages students to think about applying what they learn to the real world. About 70 percent of Carnegie Mellon students have a job offer when they graduate.

Best school for Health Careers - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.

One of the top public universities in the US, UNC-Chapel Hill offers students a choice of more than 50 majors. But the main attraction for future doctors, nurses and other health professionals is the opportunity to study at a campus with all health disciplines in one place. The School of Nursing and the School of Public Health both have undergraduate programs. At the School of Medicine, undergrads can earn degrees in radiology science or clinical laboratory practice.

Best school for Individualists - Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin comprises of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music. It has a unique approach to life and learning and the undergraduate school curriculum offers innovative subject matter like - Death and the Art of Dying, American Mixed Blood, and Destination: L.A. The student-run Experimental College lets undergraduates teach courses of their own creation, like Making Your Own Mobile or Mythology and Epic Storytelling in "Lord of the Rings." This eccentricity is very rewarding and Oberlin graduates have more Ph.D.s than alumni of any other liberal-arts college.

Best school for city haters - Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

Cornell's rural, upstate New York campus is bounded by deep gorges, spectacular scenery and a beautiful rural setting. However, it has one of the most rigorous and challenging curriculum that draws only the best minds. The school's greatest attraction is its academic diversity, with top-ranked undergraduate schools of engineering, arts and sciences, architecture, hotel administration, industrial and labour relations, agriculture and human ecology.

Best school for city lovers - New York University, New York, N.Y.

With the Olsen twins Mary-Kate and Ashley lending NYU some of its fame, it is a school loved by the urban and the hip. Despite the 9/11 catastrophe, it continues to draw crowds of talented students. One of the top attractions is the Tisch School of the Arts, which nurtures future actors, dancers and screenwriters. The business school is also highly rated, and students can take advantage of internships on Wall Street. The campus of NYU is not structured in the strictest sense; in fact buildings scattered throughout the Greenwich Village, most students like to believe that they have the whole city as the campus to explore.

Best Military School - U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.

The four-year undergraduate curriculum at Annapolis is tough and technically oriented, with core requirements in engineering, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences. Traditions play a huge part in campus life. "When you first show up for classes in the fall, students begin counting down the number of days until the Army-Navy game," says Cmdr. Tim Disher, admissions officer. Graduates become commissioned officers in the Navy or the Marine Corps.

Best undergraduate school for scholarships - Berea College, Berea, Ky.
The 1,500 students at Berea come from families with average household incomes of only $30,000, and 80% have grown up in southern Appalachia, a region that spans nine states with some of the most remote and poor rural communities in the country. Berea's mission is unique in that it believes in promoting education by giving scholarships to the poor but deserving. All students get full-tuition scholarships, although they do have to pay for their room, board and books. However, scholarships are available for those as well. Students are required to work--many of them at jobs on campus that help to keep Berea's costs down.

Best Surf and Ski School - University of California, Santa Barbara

It is known to be the most beautiful campus located at the edge of the Pacific. UCSB also boasts Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, top research centres in science and technology and an extensive study-abroad program. Aside from the top academics, the various recreation programs offered attract many of the students. The campus has its own beaches where students can surf, and the Big Bear ski resort is just a few hours' drive away.

Baby Girl Clip Art

2012-01-24T21:58:00.001-08:00

The online baby girl images help you to design attractive invitation cards and e-greetings easily. The World Wide Web is a great storehouse of information on any subject matter (we too are aiming to contributing to this store). Nowadays, many websites (both paid and free) host baby girl images, baby boy images as well as baby shower images.

Clip art, as its name suggests, is a form of graphic art that makes use of pre-existing images. These drawings / images are either copied or physically cut from existing works in the printed format on a particular topic. The sources of these pictures are either books that have entered the public domain or books specifically published for such use. Logos, mascots, identity and business cards, invitations, letterheads, etc., can be made by cutting or copying the images. Clip art facilitates the availability of a pool of generic art that can be used and reused by non-artists.

Baby girl images are the cheapest and most viable options for enriching your content of baby shower invitation cards and greetings. With the right software, any picture or image may be converted into clipart. Free baby images is a great way to enhance any presentation as it provides colorful and attractive images exactly in tune with the content presented.

Baby girl Images:
Various websites contain thousands of readily available images. These drawings are further grouped under sub-categories; say baby girl images, baby boy images, baby shower images, etc. One can avail the services and select a single drawing or a group of drawings from a particular sub-group according to ones needs.

Baby shower Images:
The shower ceremony celebrates the arrival of a baby in this world and particularly into a family. As such, invitations are sent out to the near and dear ones. The images become handy while sending invitations for the shower ceremony. Many sites host baby shower images on various themes - baby boy shower images, girl clip art, baby adoption clip art, etc. One can refer to either the paid or free baby shower clip art sites in designing your invitations.

If the occasion is say the arrival of a girl, then the theme of the invitation card as well as that of the party will be for a girl. In these cases, baby clip art photos are to be used. You may opt to send either printed invitations or invitations via the Internet. The huge stocks of baby clipart pictures enable one to make a distinct choice. One can further give a personalized touch to the cards by innovative use of ideas and words.

Free Models From the Web - Finding and Building Paper Models

2012-01-24T07:53:00.001-08:00

As a kid, I spent countless hours building plastic model kits and have always loved models and model building. As an adult, my time is more limited, but I've continued to envy models of all kinds. Some years ago, I stumbled upon a new twist on an old hobby: paper models you can download from the Internet. You've probably seen those architectural paper models in the bookstore that only require cutting out and gluing together. This concept has come into the computer age. Now, there are countless paper models available on the web as graphic files. You simply download the file and print out the pages on your color ink jet printer. Then it's just a matter of cutting out the pieces and assembling your model. Even better, most of these models are free!

Why Paper?
Don't think these models are like flimsy paper dolls or unrealistic and boxy. A few are, but most of them are cleverly designed and a joy to behold when completed. Some will have your friends scratching their heads in disbelief when you tell them their paper. I like the fact that their light weight makes suspending even larger aircraft models from the ceiling easy.

Building a card model has many advantages over traditional model building I like. I love that they are don't require painting and can be assembled with common white glue. If you mess up a part, you can replace it easily by just printing out the page again.

What sort of models can you download free from the web? Because card models go straight from the designer to the builder, the range of subjects is much greater than it is for production models. You can find card models (as builders call them) depicting all sorts of vehicles, buildings, and even animals. Movie and TV subjects are among the most popular. You can find free models of the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Graf Zepplin, the starship Enterprise (all versions), or a grand sailing ship.

Where Do You Find them?
Once you start looking, you will find card models everywhere. Here are some tips to start: Doing a Google search of a subject with "paper model" on the line will almost always tell if it's available online. There are a few great link sites and some sites full of professionally designed models, such as Canon Creative Park. There's a great forum called the Zealot Hobby Forum (http://www.zealot.com/forum/) full of model links, reviews and advice. Another good trick is to use the Google Reader RSS reader. In Reader, click the "Add a subscription" button and type in "paper model". Cull through the feeds and subscribe to them. This way, you'll be up on many new models that have just been posted.

Formats
Most paper model downloads are available as PDF files, which can be viewed and printed using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or some other reader such as Foxit Reader (which I like). These usually offer all model files in a single multipage file. Usually, the author includes directions, too, though with downloads, sometimes you have to do some interpretation. Otherwise, a model may be a folder of JPG graphic files, easily printed from any graphic viewer. Rarely, a model will be offered in the PDO format, which can only be viewed and printed after installing the Pepakura Viewer. Pepakura is a program used by some designers to create card models.

Printing
Card models are best printed using a good high resolution color ink jet printer. Laser printers are not very good for model printing because they deposit powdered toner on the page which tends to crumble when bent.

Tools
Building a paper model does not require any special tools. Have a bench or table someplace where you can leave an in-progress model out of harms way during assembly. You can cut out model pieces with scissors, but it's best to go by the craft shop and pick up one of those plastic cutting mats. a 12 inch by 12 inch mat is fine. A good X-Acto knife is best, too. If you don't want white paper edges showing on your model, there are a couple of ways to fix that. You can use a set of colored pencils or markers to carefully color just the edge. I prefer watercolors for this, so I can thin the color to a shade closer to that of the printed surface. Any kid's watercolor set will do, but it helps to pick up a very fine brush for this. Any white PVA glue will do. I use Alene's Tacky Glue, but Elmer's and others work fine. For gluing small parts, I use toothpicks: the flat sided type. Q-Tips are good for gluing larger areas. Pick up a metal ruler for cutting straight line edges. If you've never done this, practice a bit before trying it on your model page. Another good thing to have is a can of spray-on fixative or varnish to set the water-based inks on the page before assembly.

There are free paper model downloads that can be assembled in a few minutes and others that can take weeks. Try one. Paper modeling may not replace plastic modeling, but it can be a fun variation of your model-building routine.

Finding & Using Free Restaurant Menu Templates

2012-01-23T13:41:00.001-08:00

A Menu Must Look Appetizing - A restaurants success as a business is largely affected by the look of the menu. Whether you choose to include images of food on your menu, the more crucial part is making sure that the menu looks professional and sharp. The money spent on a graphic designer will be money well spent, however, an ultra-professional look for your menus can come from taking advantage of free restaurant menu templates available online.

There is a Large Selection Online - There is a large selection of restaurant menu templates online because it is such a common theme. Choose a color scheme that will match well to the design of the inside of the restaurant. Generally speaking, although there is a large selection online, the higher quality designs are usually downloadable for a fee. The fee can range from $25 to over $100. Even though this is a high price for a template, it is still much less than hiring a graphic designer to do a custom layout for you.

Order a Sample Proof - Once you have finished modifying your template, make sure you get a sample proof in the mail. Although it may seem like you can tell online exactly how the menu is going to look, it may look much different when you are looking at a physical sample of it.

Make Sure You Have The Correct Software For Edits - Many templates require you to make your edits in photo editing software. Make sure you have that software if you need it. Some printing companies offer menu templates that you can edit right on the company's website.

What is a HAMP Loan Modification?

2012-01-22T14:55:00.001-08:00

If you are one out of the millions of homeowners trying to get your loan modified, chances are you might have heard the term HAMP loan modification in the news recently. Now a lot of us already know what it means to get your home loan modified but what exactly is this new term that people are talking about and more importantly, how does it help you?

To begin with, HAMP stands for Home Affordable Modification Program. It is part of President Obama's ambitious mortgage stimulus package for American homeowners who are currently struggling to pay their mortgage payment.

Although HAMP was formally announced in March of this year, it is only now that this program has started to gain momentum especially as more and more homeowners are inquiring as to how this program could help them save their homes. Even mortgage lenders and banks seem to be warming up to President Obama's plans and are much more willing to cooperate with their borrowers to see if they qualify under this package.

The HAMP loan modification program is actually quite significant and is something that homeowners cannot afford to ignore anymore. You can now check if you qualify for a loan modification under the HAMP program and file an application with your mortgage lender to check if they can give you a better interest rate. In some cases, homeowners have been able to get modified interest rates as low as 2% after applying under the HAMP program.

Of course, homeowners should keep in mind that although President Obama announced his mortgage stimulus plan in March 2009, there have been 1.6 million foreclosures since that time. Therefore, if you simply just ask your mortgage lender whether you qualify and try to modify your loan, chances are your application might be denied. It is absolutely essential that homeowners do their homework and research on the HAMP program before submitting their application to their lender.

Banks are very quick to reject any application where they feel the homeowners do not know what they are doing or do not submit the required documents to them which is necessary for the review of the loan modification application. Getting your loan modified under the HAMP program could be quite straightforward but it could also get complicated and overwhelming especially for a homeowner who does not have the right information and guidance on the program. That being said, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars to someone to handle your loan modification. With the right guidance on what to do and how to submit your application, especially your financial worksheet, you can put yourself in a good position for approval.

Homeowners need to make sure they learn about all the options available under President Obama's HAMP program and ask the right questions. They need to make sure they understand every aspect of the program. Meanwhile, negotiating is another aspect which many homeowners find themselves in the dark. It is very important to convince a mortgage lender to not only approve a loan modification application but also to offer the best possible interest rate. Hence homeowners need to sit down and properly plan their approach if they are thinking of applying for a HAMP loan modification. Planning and proper execution would definitely be the key difference between rejection and having an application approved with the lowest possible interest rate.

John Caroll is the creator of The HAMP Guide Program which is the only hamp loan modification guide which gives you complete knowledge on how to modify your loan using President Obama's Home Affordable Modification Program with unlimited free phone support. For more information please visit http://www.HAMPguide.org

3 Easy and Free Ways to Make a Quick Buck Online

2012-01-21T21:48:00.001-08:00

Okay, I get it. You're flat broke and don't have the startup capital to launch your own business on the Internet but you still want to make a quick buck...easy, free and clear. Well, you're in luck. There are a few things that you can do to make a nice income online that don't cost a fortune, if anything at all, and you won't have to beat your brains against the wall to do it. I'm going to share with you three easy and free ways to make a quick buck online that you are just going to love. You can thank me later.

The first way is my favorite...article writing and freelancing. Here's what a lot of people don't know if they're not really into Internet marketing. Internet marketers, for the most part, know that in order to get their sites noticed, they need content...lots of it. Many of these marketers don't have the time or the skill to write this content. That's where you come in. Just head on over to Elance and offer your services to these marketers. All you need to do is write them the articles that they want and they'll pay you for them. This won't cost you a cent other than your word processing software that, if you don't have, you can get for free by downloading Open Office. The money you make will be 100% profit. It doesn't get better than this.

Another great way is by selling items on Ebay. You'd be surprised at what people spend money on. If you're not sure, just head on over to Ebay and take a look at the hot topics. You'll get a good idea of what is in demand. Finding these items isn't hard. Many, you may even have laying around your home without even knowing it. The only thing you pay for is the listing and shipping of the item. You can include these in the cost of the item so that you end up with a nice profit at the end of the day. Ebay traffic is enormous. My brother in law, who knows nothing about Internet marketing, does lots of business on Ebay. So you don't have to be an expert.

Finally, there is the focus group. These are groups where people get together and are asked for their opinions on certain topics. These groups can last for weeks or even months. The great thing about them is that they pay very well and the only cost is your time. Finding these focus groups is not always easy, but they do exist and if you do manage to get into one, just one focus group project can earn you a nice paycheck. And there is no reason you can't do more than one of these at a time.

The truth is, if you're willing to put in just a little bit of work and effort, there are many ways to make a quick buck online that don't cost an arm and a leg and are fairly easy to do.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Looking for a solid 4 step plan to building your own business...FREE? Pick up my free report at http://www.stevewagenheim.com/4steps.html and get started TODAY!

Easy Exercises You Can Do At Home

2012-01-20T07:04:00.001-08:00

Do you know that in order to keep your heart healthy and your weight under control, you need to walk at least 10,000 steps each day? This may sound daunting but many activities you're doing everyday such as running errands or doing household works can add up to a few hundred or even thousand of steps for you.

To maintain your health and make sure you achieve the 10,000 steps each day, here are some simple and easy exercises that you can do at home. These exercise routines not only help to keep you fit but also will tone your body as they work on some specific muscle groups. They are a lot more effective than the general exercises such as running errands and doing house chores. Here are the exercises you can easily do at home:

- Stretching exercises. Stand with both of your hands against a wall and move your left leg back so that your foot is flat against the floor. Hold for a few seconds; then repeat this move with the right leg. Another great stretching exercise you can perform is to lie on your back, use both hands, bring up your right knee to your chest and hold it for a few seconds. Repeat this routine with your left leg.

- Curl is very easy to do. Just lie on your back with both hands behind your head and raise your upper body. Repeat this move for 15-20 times.

- Leg exercises can be done by lying down on your side and lifting each leg repeatedly for 15-20 times. You can also stand and hold on to the back of a chair and lift your legs backward repeatedly.

- Arm exercises. This is important to improve muscle tone. For arm exercises, you can use an exercise band. Place both feet on one end of the band, hold the other ends with each hand and then repeatedly raise and lower the band (in an up and down motion for 10-15 minutes). If you have a pair of dumbbell, you can also use them to exercise your arms.

- If you are working at home and sitting in front of your computer most of the time, try to press down on your toes in an up and down motion frequently. This activity will help to keep the blood circulation flowing in your legs.

- If you know how to dance, put on a music CD and dance for about 20-30 minutes. This is a great cardiovascular workout. You can also incorporate push-ups, sit-ups and jumping rope into your daily home exercise routine.

- Abs workout. I have found a great 8 minute video showing you how to do abs workout at home. You can watch the video at "Best Abs Workout At Home - Only 8 Minute".

NOTE: Always do some stretching to warm up before starting any exercise routine to prevent injury.

Leon is an Infopreneur dedicated to sharing his online discoveries across the net. You can visit his blogs at Leon's Self-Improvement Blog and Health Buzz Zone.

Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions

2012-01-19T13:07:00.001-08:00

Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in an organization. That sounds simple, but diversity encompasses race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, education, background and more.

Diversity not only involves how people perceive themselves, but how they perceive others. Those perceptions affect their interactions. For a wide assortment of employees to function effectively as an organization, human resource professionals need to deal effectively with issues such as communication, adaptability and change. Diversity will increase significantly in the coming years. Successful organizations recognize the need for immediate action and are ready and willing to spend resources on managing diversity in the workplace now.

Benefits of Workplace Diversity

An organization's success and competitiveness depends upon its ability to embrace diversity and realize the benefits. When organizations actively assess their handling of workplace diversity issues, develop and implement diversity plans, multiple benefits are reported such as:

Increased adaptability

Organizations employing a diverse workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands.

Broader service range

A diverse collection of skills and experiences (e.g. languages, cultural understanding) allows a company to provide service to customers on a global basis.

Variety of viewpoints

A diverse workforce that feels comfortable communicating varying points of view provides a larger pool of ideas and experiences. The organization can draw from that pool to meet business strategy needs and the needs of customers more effectively.

More effective execution

Companies that encourage diversity in the workplace inspire all of their employees to perform to their highest ability. Company-wide strategies can then be executed; resulting in higher productivity, profit, and return on investment.

Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace

Taking full advantage of the benefits of diversity in the workplace is not without its challenges. Some of those challenges are:

Communication - Perceptual, cultural and language barriers need to be overcome for diversity programs to succeed. Ineffective communication of key objectives results in confusion, lack of teamwork, and low morale.

Resistance to change - There are always employees who will refuse to accept the fact that the social and cultural makeup of their workplace is changing. The "we've always done it this way" mentality silences new ideas and inhibits progress.

Implementation of diversity in the workplace policies - This can be the overriding challenge to all diversity advocates. Armed with the results of employee assessments and research data, they must build and implement a customized strategy to maximize the effects of diversity in the workplace for their particular organization.

Successful Management of Diversity in the Workplace - Diversity training alone is not sufficient for your organization's diversity management plan. A strategy must be created and implemented to create a culture of diversity that permeates every department and function of the organization.

Recommended steps that have been proven successful in world-class organizations are:

Assessment of diversity in the workplace - Top companies make assessing and evaluating their diversity process an integral part of their management system. A customizable employee satisfaction survey can accomplish this assessment for your company efficiently and conveniently. It can help your management team determine which challenges and obstacles to diversity are present in your workplace and which policies need to be added or eliminated. Reassessment can then determine the success of you diversity in the workplace plan implementation.

Development of diversity in the workplace plan - Choosing a survey provider that provides comprehensive reporting is a key decision. That report will be the beginning structure of your diversity in the workplace plan. The plan must be comprehensive, attainable and measurable. An organization must decide what changes need to be made and a timeline for that change to be attained.

Implementation of diversity in the workplace plan - The personal commitment of executive and managerial teams is a must. Leaders and managers within organizations must incorporate diversity policies into every aspect of the organization's function and purpose. Attitudes toward diversity originate at the top and filter downward. Management cooperation and participation is required to create a culture conducive to the success of your organization's plan.

Recommended diversity in the workplace solutions include:

Ward off change resistance with inclusion. - Involve every employee possible in formulating and executing diversity initiatives in your workplace.

Foster an attitude of openness in your organization. - Encourage employees to express their ideas and opinions and attribute a sense of equal value to all.

Promote diversity in leadership positions. - This practice provides visibility and realizes the benefits of diversity in the workplace.

Utilize diversity training. - Use it as a tool to shape your diversity policy.

Launch a customizable employee satisfaction survey that provides comprehensive reporting. - Use the results to build and implement successful diversity in the workplace policies.

As the economy becomes increasingly global, our workforce becomes increasingly diverse. Organizational success and competitiveness will depend on the ability to manage diversity in the workplace effectively. Evaluate your organization's diversity policies and plan for the future, starting today.

This article may be reproduced provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.

For additional employee surveying resources go to http://www.alphameasure.com.

Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc. located in Boulder, Colorado.

AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.

An AlphaMeasure employee satisfaction survey is fully-customizable and allows you to target the organizational topics and challenges facing your staff today. Designed by HR professionals from the ground up, the AlphaMeasure Employee Satisfaction Survey System provides an affordable, feature rich solution for deploying fully-customized employee satisfaction or employee engagement surveys.

Click here to learn more about employee satisfaction surveys.

Top 10 Meeting Ice Breakers

2012-01-15T23:19:00.001-08:00

Getting people comfortable in a group setting before a team meeting can be the best investment of ten to 15 minutes of time that you can make. Ice breakers get creative juices flowing, can increase the exchange of ideas, establish team identity, and create a sense of community. All of these items are important in forging top productive teams. But how do you get people to participate and not feel uncomfortable with an ice breaker?

For meetings in a business setting in which participants are professionals, ice breakers that require actions not normally associated with day-to-day behaviors in the office generally make people uncomfortable. Successful ice breakers for these type of groups generally consist of having attendees share memorable information with each other, create innovative ways to get people to introduce themselves to each other, or have group members collectively work on a problem where everyone has to contribute.

We've selected our top ten team meeting ice breakers that are sure to get your meeting participants relaxed and ready to focus on your agenda as well as to connect with others in the group.

1. Brainstorm!:Break the meeting into teams of four or five. Give each team a topic. Pick topics that are fun and simple like, "What would you take on a trip to the desert?" or "List things that are purple". Give your teams two minutes, no more, and tell them "This is a contest and the team with the most items on their list wins." Encourage the teams to write down as many things as they can and not to discuss anything, just list things as quickly as possible. At the end of two minutes, the team with the most items on their list wins! This helps people to share ideas without fearing what other people will think.

2. Same or Different:

Divide the meeting into teams of three or four and give each team a large sheet of paper and then give each person a different colored marker. Have each person draw a large oval such that each oval overlaps with the other ovals in the center of the piece of paper. Give the group or groups, a theme that pertains to your meeting objectives. Ask the participants to write down at least five or more entries in the non-overlapping and mutually overlapping areas of their ovals. Give them five minutes, no more than that, to talk about their similarities and differences and write them in their own ovals on the paper. If there is more than one group, compare results and identify common themes in both parts of the diagrams and what light these similarities and differences shed on the purpose of the meeting. This helps team members develop an understanding of shared objectives and in a non-confrontational way learn how their views differ from others in the group.

3. Fact or Fiction:

Have everyone write down three surprising things about themselves, two of which are true, and one of which is made up. Each person, in turn, reads their list and then the rest of the group votes on which "fact" they feel is the "false" one. If the group does not correctly pick a person's made up "fact", then that person wins. A group can have more than one winner. At the end, the whole group votes on which of the "winners" of the final round, had the most deceiving "fact". This helps people get to know and remember their colleagues.

4. Free Association:

The object of this ice breaker is to have small groups generate as many words or phrases as they can that are related to a particular topic that focuses on the objective of your meeting. Give the group or groups a key word you want them to associate with and then give them two minutes to list, as quickly as possible, as many words or thoughts that pop into their heads. For example, if your company is trying to decide on whether to reduce travel and increase the use of teleconferencing, you might use the word "teleconferencing" and have people list as many words or phrases they can that they associate with the key word. For example they might say: "saves money", "saves time", "impersonal", "need to see other people", "get distracted", "sound quality".... This reveals what people are thinking, similarities in viewpoints, and possibly even problem areas or topics that need addressing or further discussion.

5. Nametags:

Prepare nametags for each person and put them in a box. As people walk into the room, each person picks a nametag (not their own). When everyone is present, participants are told to find the person whose nametag they drew and introduce and say a few interesting things about themselves. When everyone has their own nametag, each person in the group will introduce the person whose nametag they were initially given and mention something of interest about that person. This helps participants get to know and remember each other.

6. Desert Island:

Group people in teams of five or six and tell them they will be marooned on a desert island. Give them 30 seconds to list all the things they think they should take and each person has to contribute at least three items. At the end of 30 seconds, tell the teams they can only take three things. Have the person who suggested each item on the list tell why they suggested it and defend why their item should be one of the chosen three. This helps the team learn about how each of them thinks, get to know each other's values, and how they solve problems.

7. Commonality Plus:

Group your meeting participants at tables. At each table ask the group to list ten ways that everyone in that group is similar. Let them know that they cannot list body parts or clothing and that what they select cannot have anything to do with work. One person at the table should be tasked to make their list. At the end of your time limit have the group share their list with all meeting members. This is a great opportunity for your meeting attendees to learn about each other's hobbies, families, and common interests.

8. Line Up:

As people enter your meeting hand each one a piece of paper with a different number written on it. Ask the group to arrange themselves in numeric order without using their voices, hands, or showing their number. This helps the team to think of other ways to communicate with each other and to work together to achieve a common goal.

9. Meet and Greet Shoe Pile:

This works great in large groups and is a variation of the name tag ice breaker. Have everyone take off one of their shoes and throw it into a pile. Have each group member pick up a shoe and walk around the meeting room greeting other people as they try to match their selected shoe to the one another team member is wearing. This is a great way for new people to meet several members in a group.

10. First or Worst:

Have each member tell the group their first or worst job in turn. This easy to use ice breaker works great with teleconferences too and allows team members to spark conversation with each other and to have some fun commenting on the jobs that they have each done. Many of our top ten ice breakers can be used for on-site meetings and teleconferences alike. The nature of ice breakers is to get the group to talk, to share, and to get to know each other in a casual exchange. The best and most successful teams start with a little bit of fun; learning how to value what each member brings into the group. Ice breakers can help facilitate this exchange of information and comfort in doing so at the very start of the team forging process.

Amy Linley gives practical and usable advice regarding communication and meetings at AccuConference.

Find out more about our conference call, web conferencing and video conferencing services from AccuConference.

Sample Performance Appraisal

2012-01-14T07:06:00.001-08:00

A performance appraisal carried out for professional and administrative personnel and a confidential employee performance appraisal contains the names and job titles of employees and the department for which they work. It also states the names of the appraisers and their job titles. Performance appraisal sheets are normally divided into three main topics that are, evaluation or job performance area, ratings, and comments. The evaluation area comprises of various factors. These factors include job knowledge, professional competence, and managerial ability. Apart from these, productivity, quality of work, problem solving ability, communication, and initiative are also areas that need evaluation. Factors such as attitude and cooperation, personal leadership, adaptability, and self-improvement also cannot be ignored while evaluation.

Based on the appraisals, professional and administrative personnel can be rated as outstanding, excellent, acceptable, marginal, or deficient. The comments section contains improvements, suggestions, goals to be achieved, potential of employees, etc. Performance appraisals show the overall effectiveness of employees in their job performance, that is, it is a summary of all comments. Plans for professional growth is a section that supervisors and employees should develop cooperatively. This section includes additional responsibilities, management opportunities, special courses, committee assignments, etc. While evaluation, it is advisable to give examples of strengths and weaknesses of the employees as and when possible.

Confidential employee performance appraisals also contain other job requirements such as focusing on specific needs of business or needs for individual improvement, public contact, ability to stay within cost guidelines, etc. They also give a performance summary, which shows the employee's outstanding and strongest points, employee's shortcomings and weaknesses, and specific accomplishments and changes since last performance review. They also help in deciding goals for improvement, that is how the employee can be more effective and what additional training can be helpful.

Performance appraisals also have an employee feedback section. This section contains the employee's most important accomplishments on the job, weakest job performance areas, areas in need of improvement, and other work concerns they would like to discuss. It also provides the date scheduled for the next review and the areas targeted for improvement.

TOEFL or IELTS - Which is Better?

2012-01-13T16:00:00.001-08:00

Because universities want to make sure you have the English language skills necessary to study at their school, almost all institutes of higher learning require you to take a test of English. And TOEFL and IELTS are the two biggest standardized tests of the English language. One of the most frequent questions I hear is which test is easier or which test is better. The answer depends on what kinds of tests you excel at, as well as where you plan to apply. This article breaks down the differences between the two tests so that you can make your own decision.

Admissions

The IELTS test is administrated by the British Councils, the University of Cambridge, and IELTS Australia. That is to say, it is associated with the British government and traditionally was used by British universities, as well as New Zealand and Australian universities to determine the language capability of foreign students. TOEFL is administered by ETS, a US-based non-profit and is used widely by American and Canadian universities. However, these days, in order to make it easy on international students, universities all over the world take both TOEFL and IELTS. While you should check with the specific university you want to apply to, in general any school in the US, the UK, Australia or New Zealand will take either test score. So that's one worry off your mind. Pick the test you think will be easier for you to complete. To do that, you probably need to know the structure of each exam.

Structure of the TOEFL

As of last year, official TOEFL is almost universally given in the iBT (Internet Based Testing) format. It consists of four sections:

Reading

The TOEFL Reading section asks you to read 4-6 passages of university level and to answer multiple-choice questions about them (multiple-choice means you choose the answer from provided options). Questions test you on comprehension of the text, main ideas, important details, vocabulary, inferring, rhetorical devices and style.

Listening

The Listening Section presents long 2-3 conversations and 4-6 lectures. The situations are always related to university life i.e. a conversation between a student and a librarian about finding research materials or a lecture from a history class. The questions are multiple choice and ask you about important details, inferences, tone, and vocabulary. The conversations and lectures are very natural and include informal English, interruptions, filler noises like "uh" or "Uhm."

Speaking

The Speaking section is recorded. You will speak into a microphone and a grader will listen to your answers at a later date and grade you. Two questions will be on familiar topics and ask you to give your opinion and/or describe something familiar to you, like your town or your favorite teacher. Two questions will ask you to summarize information from a text and a conversation--and may ask your opinion as well. Two questions will ask you to summarize information from a short conversation. Again, the topics of the conversations are always university-related.

Writing

Finally, there are two short essays on the TOEFL. One will ask you to write your opinion on a broad topic, such as whether it is better to live in the country or the city. One will ask you to summarize information from a text and a lecture--often the two will disagree with each other and you will need to either compare and contrast, or synthesize conflicting information.

IELTS Structure

The IELTS contains the same 4 sections, Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing, but the format is very different.

Reading

The reading section of the IELTS gives you 3 texts, which may be from academic textbooks or from a newspaper or magazine--but all at the level of a university student. One will always be an opinion piece--i.e. a text arguing for one point of view. The variety of questions on the IELTS is quite broad, and not every text will have every question type. One question type asks you to match headings to paragraphs in the text. You may be asked to complete a summary of the passage using words from the text. Or you may have to fill in a table or chart or picture with words from the text. There may be multiple-choice questions that ask you about key details. One of the hardest question types presents statements and asks you whether these statements are true, false or not included in the text. You may also be asked to match words and ideas. Finally, some questions are short-answer but the answers will be taken directly from the text itself.

Some questions come before the text and may not require careful reading to answer. Others come after the text and may expect you to have read the text thoroughly.

Listening

The IELTS has four listening sections. The first is a "transactional conversation" in which someone may be applying for something (a driver's license, a library card) or asking for information (say calling for more details about an advertisement or a hotel). The second section is an informational lecture of some kind, possibly a dean explaining the rules of the university. Third is a conversation in an academic context and the final section will be an academic lecture. For all sections you may be asked to fill out a summary, fill in a table, answer multiple-choice questions, label a diagram or picture, or classify information into different categories. You will be expected to fill out answers as you listen.

Writing

There are two writing tasks on the academic IELTS. The first asks you to summarize a table or chart in about 300 words. You will have to identify important information, compare and contrast different figures or maybe describe a process. The second task asks you to present your opinion on a statement about a fairly open topic such as: "Women should look after children and not work" or "Too many people are moving to cities and rural areas are suffering."

Speaking

Finally, the speaking section will be held on a different day from the rest of the test and in the presence of a trained interviewer. The questions are the same for all examinees but some parts may be more in the form of a conversation than a monologue. The first part of the test will be a brief introductory conversation followed by some short questions about familiar topics. The interviewer may ask your name, your job, what kinds of sports you like, what your daily routine is, and so on. In the second part, you will be given a card with a topic and a few specific questions to address. You will have to speak for two minutes on this topic, which may be about your daily routine, the last time you went to the movies, your favorite part of the world or a similar familiar topic. In the last section, the interviewer will ask you to discuss a more abstract side of the topic in part 2--why do people prefer daily routines? Why do people like the movies? How does travel affect local life?

Which is Better for Me?

So now you have some understanding of what each test involves, but you might be wondering which is better for you. Maybe in reading about the structure, you thought, "Wow TOEFL sounds so easy," or, "Oh the IELTS sounds like it's kind of fun!" That might be a good sign that one test will be easier for you than the other. More concretely, there are a couple of key differences between the tests.

British versus American English

While both the UK and the US accept both tests, and while British English and American English are not as different as some think, the fact of the matter is the IELTS tends to use British English and the TOEFL uses exclusively American English. On the IELTS, this difference will have a larger effect because spelling counts, and that is one area where Britain and the US do not always see eye-to-eye. Obviously if you have problems with the British accent (and the test may include a wide variety of accents, including Australian, New Zealand, Irish and Scottish). On the other hand, American accents may throw you off. Certain terms are also different and you don't want to waste time in your speaking test asking what a flat or a lorry is. So whether you are used to British or American English is certainly a factor. If you are more comfortable with US English, the TOEFL is a good bet but if you are used to British English and accents, you'll do better on the IELTS.

Multiple choice versus Copying Down

For the reading and listening sections, TOEFL gives you multiple-choice questions, whereas IELTS generally expects you to copy down words from the text or the conversation word-for-word. Multiple-choice questions will tend to be require slightly better abstract thinking, but the IELTS favors people who have good memories and think more concretely. The good thing about multiple-choice is that it is easy to pick out wrong answers, whereas the good thing about copying down is that the answer is sitting there in the text. You just have to find it and repeat it. So, concrete thinkers will tend to do better on the IELTS and abstract thinkers will tend to excel on the TOEFL.

Predictable or Different Every Time

Of course, the TOEFL is also more predictable than the IELTS. The IELTS throws lots of different question types at you, and the instructions are often slightly different every time. That makes it harder to prepare for. The TOEFL, on the other hand, is pretty much the same test every time--pick A, B, C, D, or E. On the other hand, the IELTS certainly keeps you on your toes and that can keep you more alert.

Speaking to a Person or a Computer?

Another large difference is in how the speaking section is carried out. For some people, it's very relaxing to just record your answers into a computer because it feels like no one is listening. You just try your best and forget about it until you get your grades. Because the IELTS test is done in an interview format with a native speaker present, you might get nervous or feel you are being judged. And they take notes: Oh God, did he write down something good or something bad? On the other hand, you might feel more relaxed in a conversation, with a person there to explain if you don't understand a question, or simply having a face to look at, instead of a computer screen. Getting feedback from a native speaker can be helpful too, in order to correct mistakes and improve during the test. So it depends on what you are more comfortable with. If you like talking to people, the IELTS is a better bet. If you just want to be alone and not feel judged, the TOEFL will be more comfortable for you.

Holistic versus Criteria

Finally, the speaking and writing sections of the TOEFL are graded holistically. The grader gives you a score based on the overall quality of the essay, including vocabulary, logic, style, and grammar. The IELTS by contrast is marked by individual criteria and you are scored individually for grammar, word choice, fluency, logic, cohesion, and a dozen other criteria. In other words, if you write well but have a lot of small grammar mistakes, your TOEFL score might be quite good because graders will ignore small mistakes if the overall essay is logical and detailed. The IELTS will not overlook bad grammar. On the other hand, if your grammar and vocabulary are strong but you have trouble expressing your opinion or organizing an essay, you could end up with a low TOEFL score but the IELTS will give you good marks for language use. So while it may sound like the IELTS is much tougher since it grades you on everything, in fact you can get quite a good score if you are strong in a number of areas. The TOEFL emphasizes the ability to put together a logical and detailed argument (or summary) and looks at clarity, word choice, and style above all. If you don't feel comfortable writing essays but you think you have excellent grammar and vocabulary and overall are a decent writer, the IELTS will probably be easier for you.

I hope this essay was helpful in making your choice. In any case, I recommend you go to the websites of IELTS and TOEFL and get some more detail on each test, and also try out some practice problems on your own.

Walton Burns is an English language teacher and university placement consultant in Astana, Kazakhstan. Check out his blog with more advice for international students and English language learners at http://englishadvantage.blogspot.com and his website at http://english.zendurl.com for games, lesson plans, tests and other cool stuff!

Best Laptops and Best Laptops Brands in 2011

2012-01-07T17:02:00.001-08:00

Laptops have become an essential accessory for work and for entertainment. But with all the laptop brands currently available on the market, finding the perfect laptop can be daunting. To help you, here is a short survey of the best laptop brands.

Acer is a Taiwan-based electronics multinational that is best known for its computer products, although it also produces other consumer electronics such as personal digital assistants and mobile phones, as well as computer-related products such as servers and storage devices. Acer was not a well-known brand in the US until 2008, when it introduced its Acer Aspire One line of subcompact netbooks to great success. At present it remains dominant in the affordable netbook market, although it has also released high-end netbook models in June 2010.

One of Acer's most popular high-end netbooks is the Ferrari One. The bright red netbook sports the distinctive "Scudetto Ferrari" logo that has come to dominate Formula One racing. Ferrari One is a high-end netbook that boasts of the following features:

· A full-size Fine Tip keyboard which provides for comfortable typing even for prolonged periods.

· An integrated Crystal Eye webcam with PrimaLite technology that ensures crystal-clear images.

· Third-generation Dolby home theater provides an exceptional viewing experience when you watch movies and other prime content on your laptop, with the best sound and picture quality.

· Full connectivity over a variety of networks, including Gigabit Ethernet, 3G and Bluetooth.

Some of the Acer's best selling models are: Acer AS5742Z-4685 15.6-Inch Laptop, Acer AS5742-7653 15.6-Inch Laptop and Acer Aspire AS5741Z-5539 15.6-Inch HD Wi-Fi Laptop.

ASUS is another Taiwan-based company that has become known as one of the most innovative in the consumer electronics market. Apart from its popular line of Eee netbooks, ASUS also produces mobile phones as well as computer components such as motherboards and servers. The Eee line was considered a pioneer since it helped launch the low-cost netbook market. Two of the most notable Eee netbook models are the 1018P and 1016P, two highly-portable laptops that are run by the Intel Atom N455 processor with highly energy-efficient performance. Other noteworthy features of these two netbooks:

· A 10.1" WSVGA glossy monitor that displays crisp, clear images whether you are surfing the net or watching a Blu-Ray DVD on your netbook.

· Long-lasting battery life of as long as 10.5 hours to ensure maximum productivity before having to recharge.

· High portability through the netbook's lightweight construction. The netbooks weigh just 2.4 pounds and have a thickness of less than one inch.

· Wireless N and Bluetooth v3.0 ensures high-speed connectivity wherever you are.

Top 3 best selling models from Asus are: ASUS N61JQ-XV1 16-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop, ASUS U35JC-XA1 Thin and Light 13.3-Inch Laptop and ASUS G73JW-XA1 Republic of Gamers 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop.

Apple is one of the most famous PC brands, most notable for its Mac line as well as, more recently, the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Since its founding in 1976, Apple has grown into one of the most admired companies in the US, with a devoted customer base. Its MacBook has become one of the most iconic laptops in the industry. Here are some of its most notable features:

· A 13.3" glossy LED-backlit widescreen display that provides vivid color and exemplary image quality, with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

· The NVIDA GeForce 320M graphics processor provides a performance boost of 80% from the previous generation, delivering highly-responsive action for your gaming or viewing experience.

· The exclusive Multi-touch trackpad has no separate button, allowing you to conveniently click anywhere on its surface. And the trackpad supports Multi-touch gestures, letting you use one or more fingers to access the applications.

· Built-in connectivity features include AirPort Extreme 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR technology.

· Built-in iSight video camera with microphone and iChat software allows you to chat with anybody anywhere in the world or give a business presentation with excellent image and sound quality.

· Long-lasting battery life of as long as ten hours on one chage.

The best notebook models sold by Apple are: Apple MacBook Air MC505LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop, Apple MacBook Air MC506LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop and Apple MacBook Air MC503LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop.

Alienware is a fully-owned subsidiary of Dell that mainly assembles third-party components into custom-made laptops and desktop computers. Their laptops are notable for supporting graphics-intensive applications such as video editing, audio editing and high-performance editing. Alienware laptops are available in 11", 15" and 17" models with featured options including NVIDIA graphic cards as well as the latest mobile Intel processors.

Three of the most wanted laptops produced by Alienware are: Alienware AM11x-826CSB Gaming Laptop, Alienware m15x-472CSB 15-Inch Gaming Laptop and Alienware m17x10-1847DSB 17 Inch Gaming Laptop.

Lenovo is a computer technology multinational based in China, which has become the fourth largest PC vendor in the world. Lenovo laptap brands include the ThinkPad, which was originally produced by IBM until Lenovo bought their personal computer division in 2005, and the IdeaPad which is entirely a Lenovo product. Lenovo laptops have gained a reputation for their excellent ergonomics, helping users avoid repetitive movement injuries, as well as stylish design. ThinkPad laptops are designed for professional users, offering 57% faster booting, Intel core processor technology and a wide range of connectivity and multi-media features, while IdeaPad netbooks are ideal for those looking for a lifestyle PC, since it offers multi-media applications and features such as OneKey theater, Dolby surround sound and high-end discrete Switchable Graphics and even 3D (with polarizer glasses included).

Top 3 best rated laptops from Lenovo: Lenovo G550 Series 2958XFU 15.6-Inch Laptop, Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 Series 064654U 15.6-Inch Laptop and Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 Series 064653U 15.6-Inch Laptop.

Sony Corporation has grown into one of the world's largest conglomerates since its founding in 1946, and is currently one of the leading consumer electronics manufacturers in the market. Sony's VAIO notebooks have become known for their luxurious designs and high performance, although their models are in the higher-end of the price range. Its EA series offers users the following exemplary features:

· A widescreen 14" display with Wireless Display technology (on selected models) that allows you to stream content onto your notebook with stunning image clarity.

· The Media Frenzy suite of applications allows you to easily organize your videos, music and photos by time and event and even get recommendations as to what to listen to or watch based on your preferences.

· Access all the applications quickly with just one push of a button, even without booting the operating system.

Sony's best selling models are: Sony VAIO VPC-EB37FX/BJ 15.5-Inch Laptop,Sony VAIO VPC-EA31FX/BJ 14-Inch Laptop and Sony VAIO VPC-EE31FX/BJ 15.5-Inch Laptop.

Toshiba is another iconic Japanese brand which is currently the fifth largest PC vendor in the world. Its Toshiba netbook line has become extremely popular among PC users for their stylishness and high functionality. Some of the features that make Toshiba netbooks extremely popular include:

· A 10.1" display that is extremely easy on the eyes and provides excellent image quality.

· A full-sized keyboard and touch pad that is very comfortable to use and allow you to easily work or surf even in the tightest of spaces.

· Extended battery life of eight to eleven hours (depending on the model).

· Exclusive features such as Hard Drive Impact Sensor to protect your netbook and PC Health Monitor to check your computer's performance.

· Eco-friendly features such as the power-saving Toshiba Eco Utility to help you monitor your battery usage, and an energy-efficient LED backlit display.

Toshiba's best noteboks models are Toshiba Satellite C655-S5119 15.6-Inch Laptop, Toshiba Satellite C655-S5118 15.6-Inch Laptop and Toshiba Portégé R705-P41 TruBrite LED 13.3-Inch Laptop.

History of the Camera

2012-01-05T03:34:00.001-08:00

Early cameras of the 16th and 17th century were able to project images onto paper or glass but the study of capturing, processing and printing the images took many more years. Up until the 17th century, scientists believed that light was composed basically of the 'white' that is perceived by the human eye. It took the research done by famous physicist Isaac Newton to discover that light is actually composed of a spectrum of colors. While he made a big contribution to the study of optics (that is at the core of camera advances) with this discovery, Newton did not actually have anything to do with camera development per se.

The early camera that first became a phenomenon was a little more than a pinhole camera and can be traced back to 1558. It was called the Camera Obscura. The Camera Obscura was seen as a drawing tool for a clearer and realistic portrayal of objects. It was in the early 19th century that an invention named the Camera Lucida was introduced by Cambridge scientist William Hyde Wollaston that consisted of an optical device that could help an artist view a distant scene or person or object on a paper surface that he or she was using to draw. In other words the artist gets to view a superimposed image of a subject on paper and this image could be effectively used to attempt to draw, trace or paint it. Both the Camera Obscura and the Camera Lucida provided an image that was temporary, which could not be lastingly captured on to paper for later reference.

Studies however continued well into the 1800's on how to actually capture the image onto material. It was during this time, around 1822 that French researcher Joseph Nicephore Niepce, created the first photograph by using paper that was coated with a chemical. The image would not stay permanently on the paper and would disappear after a short while. Even so, despite the short-lived nature of the image, the concept of photography was born with this experiment and paved the way for further study and development in this field.

Capturing images to retain them longer and permanently became the next big quest for researchers. Another Frenchman Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre partnered with Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1829, to develop the process of creating permanent photographs. Joseph Niépce died in 1833 but Daguerre continued with the work and succeeded in 1837 after many long years of experimentation. The process of capturing photographic images that would not fade away, introduced by Daguerre came to be known as the 'daguerreotype'.

The word 'photography' was coined by scientist Sir John F.W. Herschel in 1839 and it is actually is derived from two Greek words 'photos' meaning light and 'graphein' meaning draw.

A slightly more advanced version of the daguerreotype called the Calotype process that makes multiple copies possible using the negative and positive method became available very soon after. In fact, it was during the 1840's that the use of photographic images in advertisements first started and cameras made their mark on the power of visual communication. It was not much later, in the 1850's that photographers first started experimenting with underwater photography of seascapes.

Up until 1850, the process of capturing images was cumbersome requiring upto half an hour of light exposure. The discovery made in 1851 by Frederick Scott Archer was a blessing since the new method termed the Collodion process called for just 2-3 seconds of light exposure to capture an image.

Prior to 1871, photographers went through a development process where they had to coat the plate with wet chemical each and every time and process the image immediately. With the invention the gelatin dry plate silver bromide process by Richard Leach Maddox, negatives did not have to be developed immediately. This was an important discovery since up until then the captured image had to be processed instantly.

Kodak created in 1888 by George Eastman has been a modern day pioneer of sorts in cameras and photography for the masses. George Eastman and the scientists who worked with him at Kodak developed the photographic film in 1889 and made it available in rolls for the mass use of consumers. An important milestone in our entertainment and communication history was the development of transparent roll film by Eastman. This development led to another key invention - the motion picture camera by Thomas Edison's in 1891.

-->Modern Times

During the 20th century the pace of technology development in cameras and photography continued at an accelerated pace much like many other key technology developments. While several key inventions like car, telephone and the gramophone record happened in the later half of the 19th century, it is the last 100 years that saw major developmental work in many areas of communications technology and as well as in other fields - TV, aircrafts, PCs, digital technology, digital cameras, mobile phones, fax machines and the internet, to name a few.

In the case of the camera, the developments simplified the whole process of photography, making it accessible to one and all at affordable prices and the camera industry denizens of our times made it into a mass phenomenon. The first mass use camera became available at the turn of the 20th century and can be traced back to the year 1900. There are hundreds of models of cameras available today both for the amateur as well as the professional and the camera is an important part of any family's repertoire of must have gadgets.

-->20th century chronology in the history of the camera:

1913: 35 mm still-camera created

1927: The flash bulb introduced by General Electric Co. (The concept of camera flash existed much before but was based on the use of a flash light powder that was invented by German researchers)

1935- 1941: Kodak starts marketing Kodachrome film and subsequently launches Kodacolor negative film. Canon released the Hansa Canon in 1936, the first 35mm focal-plane shutter camera.

1948: The concept of the Polaroid camera is introduced in the market. American scientist Edwin Land developed the process for instant photography. Later Polaroid Corporation developed the 'instant color' film around 1963.

1957: Frenchman Jaques Yves Cousteau invented the first waterproof 35mm camera for underwater photography named the Calypso Phot. The actual camera was developed by the Belgian airplane technical designer Jean de Wouters based on the blueprint and suggestions given to him by Cousteau.

1972: The electronic camera that does not require film was created and patented by Texas Instruments. This is however not the same as a digital camera though you don't require film in digital cameras as well. The launch of the digital camera is still many years away.

1975: Kodak's experiments with digital imaging kicked off around the mid seventies but it will take another 20 years before a digital camera for the home consumer market is launched.

1978 - 1980: Asian players like Konica and Sony begin to make their mark. The 'point and shoot' automatic focus camera is launched by Konica while Sony starts talking about the camcorder and demonstrates a prototype.

1981: Sony launches a commercially available electronic still camera. Similar to the 1972 invention by Texas Instruments, the Sony electronic camera came with a mini disc on which images were recorded and stored. The recorded images could be later printed or viewed on a monitor using a reader device.

1985: Digital processing technology makes its entry. Digital imaging and processing is introduced by Pixar.

1986: The camera industry becomes even more consumer focused and taps the fun and travel connotations behind camera usage, with the launch of the concept of the disposable single use cameras. Fuji is credited with the development of this concept.

Also in 1986 - 1987, Kodak started taking giant strides in digital development. Digital means, the photographic image is divided into tiny units of dots or squares known as pixels. Pixels are the programmable units of an image that can be processed by computers. Each image could be made up of millions of pixels. The use of pixels in digital technology allows storing large volumes of pixels to deliver high definition print quality.

1990: Kodak introduces Photo CD's. It is a system of storing photographic images on CD and then viewing them on a computer. With this development the user-friendly approach of the camera industry began to take concrete shape.

1991: Kodak introduces a digital camera targeted at professionals and journalists. Kodak is credited with the invention of a pixel based camera technology known to us as the digital camera. Digital cameras don't use film similar to their predecessor electronic cameras but the storage method is entirely different and the final photograph is of much higher resolution. In a digital camera photos are recorded and stored in digital form. This digital data can be transferred to a computer and processed for printing. Kodak and Canon are well known digital camera manufacturers and there are also several other key brands as well.

1994: The Apple QuickTake camera, a home use digital camera is launched. This is followed by the launch of a clutch of home use digital cameras by Casio, Kodak and others in quick succession during 1995 -'96.

-->The digital era:

The development of digital camera technology is considered to be linked to the development of TV and Video technology. The principles of transmission and recording of audio-visual images using digital electrical impulses finds use in camera imaging as well.

Through the 1990's the developments continued in camera technology, the focus now shifting to the field of digital imaging which is where the future lies. Use-friendly features like software that can download digital images directly from camera onto home computers for storing and sharing on the internet is the new norm in the market place.

The camera, the computer, the software industry and the worldwide web are today irrevocably interlinked to empower the user in experiencing the benefits of camera usage to full potential. The innovation that sparked many an invention in the camera industry found its way into the digital world as well and continued among digital camera manufacturers. During 2001, the Kodak and Microsoft partnership ensured that digital camera manufacturers could use the power of Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) standard through Windows. The digital photo experience is a key visual driver in the Internet era. Many of Kodak digital camera models with EasyShare capabilities are compatible with Windows XP. The Kodak EasyShare software enables users to transfer digital camera pictures directly from camera to their computers and then print the pictures or even email them.

Manufacturers in a related industry like the printing industry have adapted their products to be in sync with the images created by digital cameras. Cell phone manufacturers have tied up with digital camera manufacturers to develop new age camera phones in recent years. These camera phones can capture images and share the images through the cell phone.

Among the 21st century digital developments are the advanced product offerings from digital cameras manufacturers and these are sure to occupy an important place in the ensuing history of camera development. For instance, the Kodak Professional DCS Pro SLR/c is a high-end digital camera and the Kodak website calls the DCS Pro SLR models the most feature-rich digital cameras on the market. It has an image sensor that can handle 13.89 million pixels and this makes it the highest resolution digital camera available. High resolution determines the sharpness or level of detail in photographic images. This is just a glimpse of the capabilities that digital technology places in a user's hands. Digital camera sales figures for 2003 show that the two key players Kodak and Canon have recorded impressive growth.

-->What does the future holds for camera users?

The features offered by digital cameras can be quite mind-boggling for the average user and pretty exciting for most pros. Four key ongoing camera developments that are likely to further improve the process of photography:

1. Greater resolution from even the simplest, low cost camera models

2. Usage in any type of lighting conditions,

3. Compatibility across a range of software, hardware and image types

4. Rich colors and tone

While the higher-end digital evolution continues, the prices of the simple camera have crashed to such an extent that even children and teens are proud owners of uncomplicated cameras. The camera and photography interest starts young and this creates a truly large audience base for the camera industry.

And throughout history, it is evident that the endeavor of researchers and developers has been to make the camera available to a wide section of society. Without camera technology and photography, the other key developments of cinema and TV would have been delayed and what a boring place the world would have been without TV and films!!

Legal Ways to Make Easy Money

2012-01-02T19:21:00.001-08:00

The process of making money may either be legal or illegal. Accepting money in return for selling a product or a service is legal as per the business rules. Therefore making money through legal ways always keeps you on the safest side. All governments support legal ways of making money.

According to economists, there are mainly two reliable legal ways of making money in the United States. One is from the employer?s point of view, the maximum utilization of the physical and mental skills of workers where there is no consideration whatsoever of the well-being of the workers. Another method of making money legally is from the employee side where it is through salary. The workers will benefit when a company increases the compensations and at the same time the employer will make a turnover while boosting efficiency. Both these methods are beneficial to the company and partially to company workers.

For individuals who cannot work away from home, the home based online business opportunities are considered as one of the best legal ways of making money. Some online businesses are easy to work in the home environment, while others require more financial investment from the entrepreneur. Nowadays, blogging has enormous presence in the field of online business. Such type of business covers a number of online marketing options such as promoting products, selling advertising space, pay-per-click advertising, displaying text or image ads, and affiliate programs. All these are some of the legal ways of making money.

Internet is one of the best playgrounds to make money legally. Suppose you are planning to start an online business, there are certain instructions that you have to follow. These instructions, including posting of your identity in a post office box and keeping your name and email address safe, treat you and your business a real, legal business.

There are also ways to invest money to make more money legally. Some of the ways are to invest in other businesses, stocks management, real estate business, or in other interests and hobbies.

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Greek Mythology Hercules - The Mortal Who Became a God

2012-01-02T06:47:00.001-08:00

When Hercules was born to Alcmene, she named him Herakles. But in Roman, Herakles is pronounced Hercules, which is the name we use for Hercules to this day. Hercules in Greek mythology is a great figure of valor and muscle strength. Hercules bravery earned him a place among the gods. After he left the mortal world, he found a position on Mount Olympus, the gods' dwelling place.

Zeus, the King of the gods was an unfaithful husband. He had a weakness for worldly pleasures. He fell in love with Alcmene, the wife of Amphitryon. In a short time, Alcmene conceived Hercules. This angered Hera and she tried to kill Hercules. Hercules survived his first fatal assault with a miracle.

When Hercules reached adulthood he became a famous warrior. He also fell in love with a beautiful woman called Megara. Megara became the mother of Hercules' children and together they made a happy family. However, things were to be different. Hera took a vow to irritate Hercules during his lifetime. She tricked Hercules into a wild rage. In his rage, the mortal god Hercules killed his family. This was exactly what Hera wanted!

When Hercules returned to his normal state of mind, he saw things were beyond remedy. He prayed to Apollo to get rid of his crime. Apollo was the sun god who could read into the future. We find in Greek Mythology that Hercules requested his advice. Apollo assigned him ten important tasks (later it was turned to twelve) as the way of purifying his soul.

The Delphic oracle sent him to Tiryns where the king Eurystheus ruled. Hercules was expected to serve him as laborer for twelve years of his life. However, the difficult service was not fruitless. Apollo promised him immortality. He was to become a god. However, the great Hercules of greek mythology had one problem, Hera. She actually kept her promise to make Hercules' life as wretched as she could. Nevertheless, with the assistance of Hermes and Athena, Hercules pulled off his term of twelve years with excellence. In addition, he became the greatest mortal on the earth to become a god.

Hercules In Greek Mythology - What Made Him So Special?

The honorable penance of Hercules and his eventual success is what makes him so special. His success brought him immortality, which would have been unthinkable for ordinary mortals. Hercules' first task was to peel off the skin of the horrifying Nemean Lion after capturing one. His next task was to kill The Lernean Hydra. The Lernean Hydra was a serpent with nine heads, which never gave peace to the lives of those around it. The third task for him was to bring a Hind (a sacred red deer) from Ceryneia to the king. The deer was the pet of Diana, the Moon goddess.

The fourth task for Hercules was to bring a live Erymanthian Boar. It was very dangerous to men and animals living around the mountain Erymanthus. Then Hercules was asked to clean up King Augeas' stables in one day. Are you thinking what is so great about it? King Augeas had an awesome amount of cattle of cows, bulls, goats, sheep and horses. Hercules proposed to King Augeas that he would clean the stable only if he rewarded Hercules with a tenth of his cattle.

After this success, Eurystheus was planning to make something tougher for Hercules. He commanded Hercules to force out an enormous flock of birds, which assembled at a lake near the town of Stymphalos. Goddess Athena helped him with a pair of bronze krotala, an item similiar to castanets. The Cretan Bull was an easy task for Hercules. Hercules wrestled the bull, and then delivered it back to King Eurystheus.

The eighth task was to bring the Man-Eating Horses of Diomedes. It was followed by the battle against the Amazonian female army to get the belt of Hippolyte, the queen. The tenth labor was an awesome one. Hercules had to go around the world, to bring the cattle of the Monster Geryon. It had three heads and three sets of legs all attached at the waist.

The tricky assignment was the eleventh one. Eurystheus asked Hercules to get the Apples of the Hesperides. These were the golden apples gifted by Hera to Zeus. These apples were strictly guarded by a hundred-headed dragon, named Ladon, and also by Hesperides, daughters of Atlas. The other obstacle was that Hercules had no idea where these apples of Hesperides were located. Eventually, Hercules found the location from Nereus whom he seized until Nereus gave him the location of the apples of Hesperides.

Then Hercules found out through Prometheus, whom Hercules had helped, that he would have to have Atlas retrieve the apples. Hercules agreed to hold the sky and the earth while Atlas retrieved the apples. When Atlas returned with the apples, he told Hercules that if he would hold the sky and earth for the rest of time, that he would take them to Eurystheus himself. But Hercules fooled Atlas by asking him to hold the earth until he padded his shoulders. Atlas took Hercules place holding the earth, and Hercules picked up the apples and ran.

After making the great Hercules do all sorts of unbelievable errands, Eurystheus made sure that he did not succeed the last time. So, he ordered Hercules to abduct Cerberus, the underworld beast. Did you ever hear a living man visiting the Hades? However, Greek mythology tells us Hercules was no ordinary man. He was a hero.

He eventually did complete all the tasks, purified his soul and rescued the princess of Troy from a ravenous sea-monster. He also facilitated Zeus to beat the Giants in a great battle for the control of Olympus. He married again, to the charming Deianira. She presented him a cloak, which was coated with what she mistakenly thought to be a magic love potion. She was told that the balm would make the person love her forever.

Ironically, it was poison, which burned Hercules skin. Hercules, not being able to endure the pain asked his friends to kindle a fire. Then Hercules placed himself on the fire to be burned up alive. But the gods looked down, and Zeus thought that Hercules had suffered enough. So he asked Hera to end her anger toward Hercules, which she did. Then Hercules was brought to Olympus in Athena's chariot by Zeus' request.

This Greek mortal Hercules is undoubtedly the greatest hero of Greek Mythology. Hercules is still considered to be the perfect mythical character.

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Top 5 Freelance Sites

2011-12-31T00:03:00.001-08:00

Freelancing is a great way to work from home. Freelancers do anything from writing to graphic design to computer programming. They are often hired by businesses (small and large) for a particular project. It's a win- win situation.

The small business owner gets his website up and running, or his press release written without having to create a new position in his company to get the job done.

The Freelancer gets to do what he or she loves to do from home. The big question is how do the business owner and freelancer find each other? They do it through one of the freelance sites below.

On all five of these sites projects are posted and freelancers bid on how much they would charge for the work. It is up to the company / person posting the job to choose which freelancer they would like to work with.

1 )Guru.com

Guru is the largest freelance site out there. According to their site they connect over 520,000 freelancers with over 30,000 businesses and employers. Guru is organized into several categories and subcategories from Web and Graphic Design to Programming to Business Consulting.

2) Elance.com

Elance is the other big player when it comes to freelance sites that cover a wide variety of freelance work. Like Guru.com you can find projects from creative work like graphics and writing to computer programming.

3) Rentacoder.com

This freelance site caters primarily to programmers, coders, software engineers and IT professionals in general. You will find projects ranging from simple html pages to programming jobs that could last for several months.

4) Allfreelancework.com

In addition to finding projects posted on a variety of subjects, you will also find an extensive library of articles of interested to freelancers as well services and products, a forum and a newsletter.

5) Programmingbids.com

As the name suggest this site focuses mostly on freelance work for programmers. You will find projects from web and graphic design to flash to software development. They even have a new section that will allow you to sell scripts you have written.

Freelancing is a great way to get started working from home. You can easily take on a few small projects while keeping your day job. You can start gaining experience, add to your résumé and build a client base. This will make the transition to working from home exclusively much smoother. It is also a great way to test the water and see if you would like to work on projects from home in the long run.

Southwest Airlines Operations - A Strategic Perspective

2011-12-29T15:22:00.001-08:00

Background:

Southwest Airlines is the largest airline measured by number of passengers carried each year within the United States. It is also known as a ‘discount airline’ compared with its large rivals in the industry. Rollin King and Herb Kelleher founded Southwest Airlines on June 18, 1971. Its first flights were from Love Field in Dallas to Houston and San Antonio, short hops with no-frills service and a simple fare structure. The airline began with one simple strategy: “If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline.” This approach has been the key to Southwest’s success. Currently, Southwest serves about 60 cities (in 31 states) with 71 million total passengers carried (in 2004) and with a total operating revenue of $6.5 billion. Southwest is traded publicly under the symbol “LUV” on NYSE.

Facts:

* The first major airline to fly a single type of aircraft (Boeing 737s)

* The first major airline to offer ticketless travel system wide including a frequent flier program based on number of trips and not number of miles flown.

* The first airline to offer a profit-sharing program to its Employees (instituted in 1973).

* The first major airline to develop a Web site and offer online booking. In 2001, about 40 percent ($2.1 billion) of its passenger revenue was generated through online bookings at [http://www.southwest.com]. Southwest's cost per booking via the Internet is about $1, compared to a cost per booking through travel agents of $6 to $8.

Key competitive advantages:

* Low Operational costs / High Operational Efficiency

* Award winning customer service

* Human Resource practices / Work culture

Operations Analysis – Competitive Dimensions:

Southwest clearly has a distinct advantage compared to other airlines in the industry by executing an effective and efficient operations strategy that forms an important pillar of its overall corporate strategy. Given below are some competitive dimensions that will be studied in this paper.

1. Operational Costs and Efficiency

2. Customer Service

3. Employee/Labor Relations

4. Technology

1. Operational Costs and Efficiency

After all, the airline industry overall is in shambles. But, how does Southwest Airlines stay profitable? Southwest Airlines has the lowest costs and strongest balance sheet in its industry, according to its chairman Kelleher. The two biggest operating costs for any airline are – labor costs (approx 40%) followed by fuel costs (approx 18%). Some other ways that Southwest is able to keep their operational costs low is - flying point-to-point routes, choosing secondary (smaller) airports, carrying consistent aircrafts, maintaining high aircraft utilization, encouraging e-ticketing etc.

Labor Costs

The labor costs for Southwest typically accounts for about 37% of its operating costs. Perhaps the most critical element of the successful low-fare airline business model is achieving significantly higher labor productivity. According to a recent HBS Case Study, southwest airlines is the “most heavily unionized” US airline (about 81% of its employees belong to an union) and its salary rates are considered to be at or above average compared to the US airline industry. The low-fare carrier labor advantage is in much more flexible work rules that allow cross-utilization of virtually all employees (except where disallowed by licensing and safety standards). Such cross-utilization and a long-standing culture of cooperation among labor groups translate into lower unit labor costs. At Southwest in 4th quarter 2000, total labor expense per available seat mile (ASM) was more than 25% below that of United and American, and 58% less than US Airways.

Carriers like Southwest have a tremendous cost advantage over network airlines simply because their workforce generates more output per employee. In a study in 2001, the productivity of Southwest employees was over 45% higher than at American and United, despite the substantially longer flight lengths and larger average aircraft size of these network carriers. Therefore by its relentless pursuit for lowest labor costs, Southwest is able to positively impact its bottom line revenues.

Fuel Costs

Fuel costs is the second-largest expense for airlines after labor and accounts for about 18 percent of the carrier's operating costs. Airlines that want to prevent huge swings in operating expenses and bottom line profitability choose to hedge fuel prices. If airlines can control the cost of fuel, they can more accurately estimate budgets and forecast earnings. With growing competition and air travel becoming a commodity business, being competitive on price was key to any airline’s survival and success. It became hard to pass higher fuel costs on to passengers by raising ticket prices due to the highly competitive nature of the industry.

Southwest has been able to successfully implement its fuel hedging strategy to save on fuel expenses in a big way and has the largest hedging position among other carriers. In the second quarter of 2005, Southwest’s unit costs fell by 3.5% despite a 25% increase in jet fuel costs. During Fiscal year 2003, Southwest had much lower fuel expense (0.012 per ASM) compared to the other airlines with the exception of JetBlue as illustrated in exhibit 1 below. In 2005, 85 per cent of the airline’s fuel needs has been hedged at $26 per barrel. World oil prices in August 2005 reached $68 per barrel. In the second quarter of 2005 alone, Southwest achieved fuel savings of $196 million. The state of the industry also suggests that airlines that are hedged have a competitive advantage over the non-hedging airlines. Southwest announced in 2003 that it would add performance-enhancing Blended Winglets to its current and future fleet of Boeing 737-700’s. The visually distinctive Winglets will improve performance by extending the airplane’s range, saving fuel, lowering engine maintenance costs, and reducing takeoff noise.

Point-to-Point Service

Southwest operates its flight point-to-point service to maximize its operational efficiency and stay cost-effective. Most of its flights are short hauls averaging about 590 miles. It uses the strategy to keep its flights in the air more often and therefore achieve better capacity utilization.

Secondary Airports

Southwest flies to secondary/smaller airports in an effort to reduce travel delays and therefore provide excellent service to its customers. It has led the industry in on-time performance. Southwest has also been able to trim down its airport operations costs relatively better than its rival airlines.

Consistent aircrafts

At the heart of Southwest's success is its single aircraft strategy: Its fleet consists exclusively of Boeing 737 jets. Having common fleet significantly simplifies scheduling, operations and flight maintenance. The training costs for pilots, ground crew and mechanics are lower, because there's only a single aircraft to learn. Purchasing, provisioning, and other operations are also vastly simplified, thereby lowering costs. Consistent aircrafts also enables Southwest to utilize its pilot crew more efficiently.

E-Ticketing

The idea of ticketless travel was a major advantage to Southwest because it could lower its distribution costs. Southwest became electronic or ticketless back in the mid-1990s, and today they are about 90-95% ticketless. Customers who use credit cards are eligible for online transactions, and today Southwest.com bookings account for about 65% of total revenue. The CEO Gary Kelly thinks that this idea would grow further and that he wouldn't be surprised if e-ticketing accounted for 75% of Southwest’s revenues by end of 2005. In the past, when there was a 10% travel agency commission paid, it used to cost about $8 a booking. But currently, Southwest is paying between 50 cents and $1 per booking for electronic transactions that translate to huge cost savings.

2. Employee and Labor Relations

Southwest has been highly regarded for its innovative management style. It maintains a relentless focus on high-performance relationships and its people-management practices have been the key to its unparalleled success in the airline industry.

Mission Statement

To Our Employees
“We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.”

The Southwest mission statement shows that the company has a strong commitment to its employees. The company affords the same respect to its employees that is provided to its customers. The Southwest mission statement is unique in that it recognizes the importance of its employees within the broader business strategy, which emphasizes superb customer service and operational efficiency. The employees reciprocate the respect, loyalty and trust that Southwest demonstrates. Southwest employees are known for their loyalty, dedication, attitude and innovation. The employees are the distinguishing factor between Southwest and the rest of the airline industry.

Hiring

Southwest hiring policy is unique not only within the airline industry, but also more broadly, and revolves around finding people with the right attitude that will thrive in the Southwest culture. Extensive procedures are employed to hire for positive attitude and dedication. Those who do not posses those qualities are weeded out. Colleen Barrett, a non-operational officer at Southwest, states that

“Hiring is critical, because you cannot institutionalize behavior. Instead, you must identify those people who already practice the behaviors you are looking for. Then you can allow Employees to be themselves and make decisions about Customer service based on common sense and their natural inclinations.” 1

Recruiting and interviewing at Southwest is a two-step process. The first step is a group interview, conducted by employees, where communication skills of potential candidates are evaluated. The next steps in this process are one on one interview, where the candidates' attitudes and orientation toward serving others are evaluated. These hiring criteria apply to all job functions since all Employees at Southwest play a customer service role. A critical part of Southwest operational strategy is that every job at Southwest is a customer service position, whether it directly applies to the customer or whether it is internal.

The table below shows that even though Southwest is the most heavily unionized airline, at approximately 80%, that contract negotiations between the unions and Southwest are much shorter in duration than of the other major carriers. This shows the quality of relationship that Southwest has with its employees and with the unions that represent them.

Culture

Southwest was created as a different kind of company and from its beginnings a unique culture was nurtured. In 1990 Colleen Barrett formed the Southwest Culture Committee. This is unique within the industry and among all large companies. The committee also has a mission statement:

“This group's goal is to help create the Southwest spirit and culture where needed; to enrich it and make it better where it already exists; and to liven it up in places where it might be "floundering". In short, this group's goal is to do "whatever it takes" to create, enhance, and enrich the special Southwest spirit and culture that has made this such a wonderful Company/Family.”

It is this unique approach to company values that has created a culture that differentiates itself from others. Southwest’s culture is the reason why it is successful.

3. Customer Service

The Mission of Southwest Airlines
The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.

Approach

Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest, has been quoted as saying that "We're in the Customer service business; we just happen to provide airline transportation".2 Award winning customer service is a distinguishing characteristic of Southwest and it is referred to internally as “Positively Outrageous Service”. It means that from the top to bottom everyone does whatever he or she can to satisfy the customer. This includes Herb Kelleher, who has been known for helping out baggage handlers on Thanksgiving. It is through emphasizing the customer and employee that Southwest is able to differentiate itself from others in the airline industry. On a more technical level, each employee or group within Southwest has his or her own customer. This means that every employee ‘serves’ in one way or another despite not being directly involved with the passenger. The mechanic’s customer is the pilot and the caterer’s is the flight attendant.

Results

It can be said that the "Positively Outrageous Service" that is unique to Southwest “is not the result of a department, or a program, or a mandate from management. It is not secondary to the product; it is the product.” This approach creates the conditions where Employees are more likely to treat customers in ways that distinguish the company from others. There are numerous accounts of passengers who have received exceptional treatment from Southwest employees.

The question that needs to be answered is how Southwest’s customer service is different and why? Is it common for customers of other airlines to rave about their special service? The answer is that it is not. While Southwest does not have a monopoly on people who are kind and who are willing to go above and beyond to satisfy a customer, such behavior is nurtured at Southwest to a much greater extent.

It can then be concluded that the customer service that is inherent to Southwest is a part of its culture. This culture is supported through employee encouragement to do the extra to satisfy the customer. This approach inspires people who would ordinarily only on occasion go out of their way to help someone, to become consistent performers that offer exceptional service all the time. Southwest employees are what differentiate its customer service from the other airlines.

4. Technology

Southwest utilizes technology in many ways to fulfill its business objectives and maintain its efficient operations. According to its CEO, technology equals productivity. Launched in 1996, ticketless travel was first introduced by Southwest. On May 1st 2000, Southwest Airlines introduces "SWABIZ," a portal that assists company travel managers in booking and tracking trips made through its web site [http://www.southwest.com]. There are many new technology initiatives being undertaken currently and some are in the pipeline.

Bar codes in Boarding Passes

Southwest Airlines has invested $12 million during the past three years to standardize corporate and terminal operations on about 10,000 Dell OptiPlex desktop and Latitude notebook computers according to its company executives. Southwest wanted to replace its well known, brightly colored plastic boarding passes with an electronic system with bar-code paper boarding passes. So it installed about 350 touch screen ticket readers powered by Dell OptiPlex desktops. The bar code gives Southwest more information to automatically reconcile the number of boarding passes with the number of passengers that actually board the plane.

Although the technology will help Southwest Airlines remain efficient by consolidating passenger information for the company's 3,000 daily flights, there were concerns it could lengthen the time to get travelers on board. However it was found that scanning each bar code on the boarding passes didn't increase or shorten boarding schedules, but it did take minutes from administrative processes, such as looking up customer records. The new paper bar code system is giving Southwest ticket agents the ability to match a customer record within having to scroll through and log into multiple software screens. The process is much more automated. Once the bar code on the boarding pass is scanned at the terminal gate it checks off the person from the passenger list in real time.

The old process was manual that involved finding the information, scrolling through several software screens from reservations to check-in to boarding. The bar code hardware to scan the boarding passes has been deployed. The company is in the process of replacing customer service back-office equipment at airports including at its headquarters in Dallas.

Software Upgrades

Software applications, such as those used by clerks to check in passengers, are being replaced. Southwest Airlines' internally written "Airport Application Suite" is expected to rollout next year as the company transitions from green screens to Window-based user interface. Similar to Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Southwest Airlines believes in developing in-house the software that runs its operations. The company uses very little off-the-shelf software. There are between 75 and 100 projects in the works each year supported by approximately 900 IT employees.

RFID

Radio frequency identification technology, a favorable alternative to bar-coding for luggage identification, is also on Southwest's radar. It plans to test RFID technology sometime in 2006. Even though, Southwest is playing a little catch-up with other airlines such as Air Tran, Alaska and Champion Airlines, in many cases they are able leapfrog to more sophisticated applications easily having waited longer.

Challenges:

Southwest has emerged very successful, despite the most troubled times in the airline market. However, it faces new challenges in the face of increasing competition from other low fare airlines such as JetBlue, ATA airlines, America West.

Reserved Seating

Due to increasing security guidelines since September 2001, Southwest would need to prepare for assigned (reserved) seating to track its in-flight passengers. This change will involve large technology investments and may impact its gate operations negatively since the current way of unassigned seating has helped in quick gate turnarounds.

Passenger Demand

The keep-it-simple philosophy has served Southwest well. But as its own business grows and grows more complex, with plans to purchase dozens of new aircraft and an expected upsurge in passenger traffic to about 80 million boarding’s a year, the simplicity strategy that has been reflected in the airline's IT philosophy is evolving. The CIO Tom Nealon says that "It's time to adapt our business processes for efficiency. As our airline scales for us to provide the same kind of high-touch customer service, we have to automate a lot of things we've been able to do without technology previously. The challenge is doing that without conceding the customer touch." Southwest is also aggressively pursuing customer relationship management (CRM) techniques and has applications to get insight into customer’s wants and dislikes. According to an interview with its CEO Gary Keller, Southwest has its focus on improving in two areas - customer’s airport experience and in-flight experience.

In-Flight Entertainment

In an overall effort to improve customer’s in-flight experience, in-flight entertainment is something that Southwest is currently evaluating and which JetBlue has been very successful at already because of its introduction in its long-haul flights. In comparison, Southwest has 415 airplanes to consider and that represents an investment decision at a whole new dimension. Additionally, Southwest has to consider how things may fit into their environment. At this point, 60% of its service is still very short haul. Southwest needs to be mindful of the fact that a certain approach that has been successful for its competitor may not be necessarily work to its advantage.

Summary:

Southwest has long been regarded as a benchmark in its industry for operational excellence. Southwest Airlines is a fine example of a company that is committed to its core competencies - efficient operations to drive its low cost structure, outstanding delivery of customer service and innovative HR management practices. We hope this paper provided a good insight into Southwest operations, as part of its overall strategy, to achieve success and gain competitive advantage.

References:

1. [http://www.southwest.com] (Southwest airlines official web site)

2. “Southwest keeps it simple” - Air Transport World, April 2005, Pg 36

3. “Around the World on $48 (or So): How High Can Discount Airlines Fly?“ Strategy Management - Knowledge@ Wharton Newsletter Oct 5, 2005

4. TechWeb - [http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/173601227]

5. “Southwest's Strategy for Success: Consolidate!” - Oracle Magazine (Sept/Oct 2004 edition) http://www.oracle.com/technology/oramag/oracle/04-sep/o54swest.html

6. “Southwest Airlines: High Tech, Low Costs” - Eweek.com, April 2005

7. “Jet Fuel Hedging Strategies: Options Available for Airlines and a Survey of Industry Practices” – Kellogg School of Management Research Paper, Spring 2004

8. Winning Behavior: What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently, Terry R. Bacon and David G. Pugh, 2003

9. Time Magazine, Oct 28th 2002 issue, Vol. 160 Issue 18, p. 45

10. “Wings Of Change”,Information Week, March 28, 2005,

11. Labor Contract Negotiations in the Airline Industry, Monthly Labor Review, July 2003, page 24

How to Become a Bounty Hunter in 9 Easy Steps

2011-12-26T14:38:00.001-08:00

Becoming a bounty hunter shouldn't be all that hard right? I mean I've boiled it down to 9 easy steps...

1. Find a quality bounty hunter school or training.

2. Get licensed, if required.

3. If you are unsure if licensing is required, look it up.

4. Get the essential gear and support systems in place.

5. Market your services.

6. If successful, find and arrest the fugitive, then take him to jail.

7. If successful, invoice and collect for services from client.

8. Repeat steps 6 through 8 as often as necessary.

9. Find more bounty hunter training and improve your skills. Again, repeat as often as necessary.

Actually, I wish it were that easy but it is not- though not impossible as many would have you imagine.

Since I don't know anything about you or your experience, I am going to assume that you are starting from scratch... no experience with the bail bond industry, skip tracing, taking people into custody, or finding a bounty hunter job.

With that in mind I am going to give you the best advice you will get in our industry:

Commit right now to becoming a lifelong student of the bail recovery tradecraft, which means finding a mentor, taking courses, reading books, research, and networking! This is not just for the short-term... but also for as long as you intend to find fugitives for business or for pleasure. I commit to at least 5 hours a week to learning more about some aspect of this business; improving my marketing skills, staying abreast of the changing climate of our industry, studying new methods of skip tracing, etc; each are extremely valuable topics to pursue.

Competency is developed from the study and practice of these skills. Competency leads to success!

But as I said in my last blog post about bounty hunting, finding the right school is of paramount importance. No other single decision made by someone wanting to learn to become a bounty hunter is so crucial!

And finding the right course can be tough! You have to consider a lot of options and weed through the rip-off courses (and there are more than a few) to find a truly great bail recovery course. Ask about the training director's validity and/or background... if they get offended or defensive, that would be a good sign to stay away. Pick their brain a little- does what they have to say give you cause for concern or does something feel not quite right? Walk away if something is wrong..

Ultimately a variety of courses and/or books from a few reputable companies would be in your best interest- this is a complicated business and the "pros" all tend to approach the industry a little bit differently and none of us are able to cover everything 100%; it would not hurt to expose yourself to as much as you feel comfortable.

Lastly, I want to leave you with this- having dealt with thousands upon thousands of people asking the most frequent questions about getting started in bail enforcement I find that the one singular cause of frustration and eventual failure is that new people are too busy trying to reinvent the wheel rather than enlisting the help of an investigator who has been in the field a while or availing themselves of their training programs.

Give yourself a fighting chance and start with Step #1 rather than halfway down the list. You'll be glad you did.

L. Scott Harrell is a private investigator and principal of CompassPoint Investigations, an investigative agency with offices in the Southeast United States. He is a noted speaker, writer and educator in the field of fugitive apprehension.

More information regarding bounty hunting and bail enforcement can be found on the internet: http://www.BeABountyHunter.com

How to Program a Garage Door Opener, Remote, and Homelink System

2011-12-25T11:57:00.001-08:00

It is truly amazing what we can do with technology these days. However, if something goes wrong, technology can seem more like it is getting in our way than it is helping us. If you have been searching the Internet for help with programming your remote control, garage door opener, and Homelink system, you know how difficult this process can be. A lot depends on the kind of car you have, the kind of system you have, and if you have your garage door remote or not. Let us try to untangle this process together.

First of all, you will need to know which brand of garage door opener you have. The following instructions are for Liftmaster and Craftsman doors, as they tend to be the most popular. You want to locate the learn button on your openers logic board. The learn button is usually red and square, but it can be any color and any shape. It will almost always be labelled as a learn button. Start by holding down the learn button for approximately 20 to 30 seconds. By holding down the button, you are clearing the memory of the door so that you can input new information. Grab your garage door remote and push the button, then push and release the learn button one more time. If you hear a clicking sound, it worked. Most openers can hold five remotes total.

Programming your Homelink works essentially the same way. Much of the programming depends on the car that you drive. There are specific instructions on the Homelink website for every make of car, but if you are just looking at programming your garage door remote to your Homelink system, here are the directions. Start by pressing the learn button again on the back of your garage door main box. Push and hold whichever Homelink button that you want the remote to learn. There will either be a beep or possibly a flash on your remote that shows the signal was properly learned. It should only take a moment to do. If you have experience programming a universal remote for your living room, programming your remote for your garage door opener and for your Homelink system is basically the same thing. Do not let these pieces of technology intimidate you, anyone can learn to operate these systems in a very short period of time.

If you are having some issues with programming your garage door remotes, here are a few ideas that may help. First, check the batteries in all your remotes. Many people end up seeking professional help for their openers when it turns out that all they needed was a fresh set of batteries. If you are having trouble getting the two systems to sync up, try standing farther away with your garage door remote. Sometimes, being too close can actually cause a problem. Finally, your garage door and Homelink system often come with a toll free telephone number you can call in case you run into issues. Most problems can be resolved over the phone. Chances are the issues you are having can easily be taken care of.

I am Jeremy Harmon of San Antonio's Choice Overhead Door Company. SanAntonio Choice Overhead Garagedoor has become the number one choice for San Antonio"s garage door needs. We specialize in repairs of existing and sales of new garage doors and garage door openers!

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With A Homemade Fruit Fly Trap

2011-12-24T09:59:00.001-08:00

Anyone who has ever left a few bananas sitting out or forgotten to change their garbage knows all too well the problem with fruit flies. It seems that once they've invaded your kitchen, you can't get rid of them. You can scrub, clean, remove tempting fruit and spray the garbage can with disinfectants, but they always come back. You can't help but cringe just looking at them.

We have always had problems with fruit flies, with one of the main reasons being that we live in an apartment and by law - must recycle. Because of where we live, we have to keep our recycling containers inside until they can be disposed of once a week. If the recyclables aren't cleaned well enough after being used, they make a perfect breeding ground for fruit flies. They love bits of rotting food remnants and seem to thrive in even the smallest amount. When fruit flies move in, they just don't want to leave and will lay eggs in and on anything they can find - fruits & vegetables left on the counter, sink drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles & cans, garbage bags, and even mops and rags.

A Few Fun Facts About Fruit Flies:

- Can lay up to 500 eggs at a time

- Their entire lifecycle is complete in about a week

- While considered mainly a pest, they have the potential to contaminate food with dangerous bacteria

We all know that removing the food, getting rid of the garbage & cleaning up plays a big role, but we also know what it's like to move a piece of fruit and have a swarm of fruit flies fill the air only to escape your attempts at killing them. Where are they gonna go? Obviously the ones flying around can't be easily captured or killed, so they'll linger about until they find some other place to lay eggs and the whole cycle starts again.

In all my attempts, I found the best way to capture and remove the ones that escape is to create a simple trap using a jar, plastic wrap and a piece of food. Here's how it works:

1. Get a small jar you don't plan on using again ( like a baby food jar or something similar ) and wash it out well. Make sure it is not a jar with a funky smell such as a used pickle jar or anything that use to have strong spices. You want a clean, odorless jar.

2. Take a chunk of banana and place inside the jar. This is why you want a clean, odorless jar - so that the banana smell won't be overpowered by other not-so-tempting smells. Banana seems to work the best, but you can experiment.

3. Fit a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the jar, making sure that it fits tight and well sealed around the edges. Then take a pen or pencil and poke 4 to 5 holes in the plastic, just big enough for a fruit fly to fit into. Once a fruit fly crawls in, it can't get out. You would think they would just fly back out through the holes, but they won't!

4. Place the jar in an area where you have seen the most fruit flies. Depending on the amount of fruit flies you have, you can expect to start seeing the jar fill up within just a few hours. After 24 hours, you will discover just how bad your fruit fly problem is!

This simple, inexpensive & safe method works perfectly and if you don't want the jar on public display, you can always slip it behind the garbage can, in the cupboard or even under the sink (Just don't forget about it!). You will want to empty the jar every 3-4 days before any eggs have a chance to hatch. While adult fruit flies can't easily escape through the holes, their maggots can very easily, and besides that - they are disgusting to see crawling around in the jar. You don't want to see these things crawling on your counter!

Cleaning out the jar shouldn't be a problem. If you have a kind heart, you can choose to let them go outside. Personally, I spray the little buggers with bug spray, wash out the jar and start the whole process over again if I think there are still some fruit flies left to capture.

For bad fruit fly problems, you will want to use this method for a good two weeks to make sure you've captured the majority of fruit flies. You might even want to use a few jars in different places. Before long, your kitchen will be back to normal.

Carole Nickerson has been a web developer and internet marketer since 1998. Visit http://www.thenetter.com for more free articles, tips and software.

Baby Boy Clip Art to Liven Up Your Baby Shower Cards

2011-12-23T20:35:00.001-08:00

Loads of baby boy clip art images are available, once you click your computer's mouse and get connected to the Internet. First, you must know what it is all about. It is about copying / cutting the pre-existing images. Yes, these images are already mostly in the books that have made their entry into the public domain for that purpose.

You can have your feast of logos, mascots, identity and business cards, invitations, letterheads. In addition, there are no hassles of license terms. The electronic art available on the Internet is an extension of this concept. These images are digitized drawings on low resolution used for decorating Invitations and E-greetings.

Clipart, including Baby Boy Clip art, are meant for defining digitized drawings and not photography. There are many files in many shapes, sizes and formats. Some of the most widespread formats are PICT, Paint, GIF, TIFF, EPS and JPEG. If you are unsure which format to use, just use PICT. This format is compatible with most programs, and can also adjust to another format type easily.

Standard clipart is usually not a very detailed drawing. Mostly they are images that have little detail or are outline drawings. The standard clipart is for use on the web to use in documents.

Baby boy clip art is the most wonderful way of splashing your work with images that you think can do the magic. It is also the cheapest and the most colorful way of doing so. Most of what you will find will be free printable art.

If you want to make your own baby shower clip art, software is available for just that purpose. Most software is easy to use, and can convert your pictures/snapshots into clipart quickly.

There is a huge collection of free baby shower clip art images and free baby clipart images available on the internet. These will be very useful for your baby shower invitations, thank you notes or baby announcements. You are bound to find baby boy clipart to you liking on the internet for your baby shower needs. This gives you the choice of making your own invitations versus purchasing ready-made invitations or other baby shower cards.

With baby shower clipart you don't need any special artistic skills for you to make your own beautiful baby shower cards. Not all websites provide baby clipart for free, but many do. If you want more detailed clipart you might opt to purchase clipart. But with so much free baby clip art available, you really don't need to purchase unless you really want a particular design.

How to Make Your Own Printable Invitations for Any Occasion

2011-12-22T08:36:00.001-08:00

Even with modern technology like email and cell phones, printed invitations have remained the most common way to let people know about your upcoming party and will continue to remain popular due to the timeless rules of party etiquette. Invitations can be a major cost, especially for large parties, like weddings and some baby showers. However, with a little creativity and time, you can make your own printable invitations, even if you have no artistic skills.

1. The first step is designing your card. You can use a simple word processor like Microsoft Word and if you want, you can go to the Adobe's website at http://createpdf.adobe.com to convert your file into a pdf file. Select the proper dimensions and print out a sample on some plain white paper just to make sure it is the right size.

2. Next, you will want to find the proper card stock to print out your invitations on. Your local office supply store will have these and you can purchase them inexpensively there.

3. Use the word processor to insert text boxes with the words you want on your invitation. Play around with the fonts and text color.

4. There are many sites that offer free clip art and pictures that you can use for your invitations. Just do a search for "free clip art" on the search engines and you will find many sites that provide these services for free. Browse through and download the pictures you want and then insert them into your card at the desired location.

5. If you use a background image, make sure it does not obscure the text on the card. Ideally, background images should be watermarked. Most word processors will allow you to select background images and make them watermarks. Another alternative is to click on all the text boxes and give them solid colored backgrounds.

6. Need a catchy poem or verse? Once again, you can search the internet for related verses. For example, if I am making baby shower invitations, then I can search for "baby shower poem" or "baby verse" and any other related phrases.

7. Save the master copy of the finished card and print out a sample copy on plain paper to see what it will look like. If it looks good, then you can start personalizing each card and printing it out on card stock.

8. If you do not have a color printer, then create a personalized copy for each guest and save it as a separate file on a disk. Take the disk to your local print shop and have them print out a invitation for each guest. Some print shops may even print out the invitations for you if you give them the guest list and template. A print shop will cost more than printing them out yourself, but probably less than buying invitations from somewhere else. Plus the product should look very professional and they may even have the right card stock available. Additionally, print shops can do engraved invitations as well, which are good for upscale occasions like weddings.

Some other guidelines include try to stick to a central theme, don't try to use too many pictures and colors, and compare your card to others at card stores to get a feel for what a good invitation should look like. Remember that most invitations are simple and have just a few graphics and maybe one verse. As you can see, there are infinite possibilities when creating your own party invitations and not only is it a fun project, but will also save you money.

Artificial Grass Cost - 8 Easy Steps to Follow Before You Buy

2011-12-21T12:29:00.001-08:00

Follow these 8 easy steps and your project will go off without a hitch!

Grab a pen and pad of paper so you can take a few notes and write your thoughts down while we guide you through capturing the vision of your new, low maintenance dream lawn, landscape or putting green.

1.What does the area look like to you when it's finished?

To help you visualize, you might get a hold of garden and landscape magazines and flip through them. Go to home shows to see the exhibits, visit garden and landscape websites and watch programs on TV to help stimulate ideas! Even driving around the local area to see what you are drawn to in other landscape designs can help you build a pallet of ideas upon which to draw up your wish list for your new project.

Thinking things through before you call for an estimate will help you describe to your designer or contractor exactly what you want in the area and, most importantly, it will help them to visualize appropriate solutions to fit your wants and the site's needs - they are, after all, there to help put their expertise and know how to work for YOU to help build YOUR dream project.

To locate a professional designer in your area, check online with the APLD - Assoc of Professional Landscape Designers - for someone near you, in the US.

Important items to consider that can affect artificial grass cost of installation:

Access to the job site - stairs, slopes and other obstructions create delays and increase labor charges

The site's preparation needs will determine almost 30% of the cost of your job. Demolition, excavation, grading and additional structures should be considered in your budget

What are the high traffic patterns of the area - will you need to add walkways, a sitting wall, or maybe a new deck or stone patio?

Do you see any landscape elements you wish to change such as the location or size of lawn or garden areas or perhaps the addition or removal of irrigation systems, drainage, planters, gas or propane BBQ/Grills, fireplaces, lighting or water features?

2. Look at every aspect of the job site - are there any items you should add to your list that need to be repaired, replaced or could use some renovation? Again, write these items down on your wish list to discuss with your designer or contractor ...

Does your area drain well - could it use improvement?

Artificial grass installers normally provide full services including excavation, drainage, and the installation and modification of your landscape needs

Renovations can pose some interesting challenges - keep them in mind! Demolition and removal costs can add dollars in time, labor, hauling, container and dump fees.

To reduce your out-of-pocket expenses, you might invest a bit of sweat-equity in the project. Find out what you can do to help prepare the site for the contractor; it might be as simple as removing an existing lawn area.

3. Learn more about artificial grass materials, how they are made, their uses, typical installation guidelines and any local design or building codes that would require specific action on your part.

As an example, some home owner and merchant (retail and office building) associations require that you submit plans for new projects and gain approval prior to construction.

For starters, check with your local water provider and see if they offer rebates to property owners that opt-in to replace irrigated areas for drought resistant plants and artificial lawn materials for natural grass. You can locate that information online on ASGi Water Rebate Program Pages.

No state or county in the US limits the use of artificial grass for landscape or sports use - if you have restrictions, they will be from local organizations that mandate design guidelines for your property. Check with your home owners' or merchants' association to see if they have published guidelines for you to follow and can provide you access to online or printed materials; some cities have "design guidelines" you must follow, especially in historic and merchant districts.

Many may request to see samples of job materials and a detailed plans from your contractor or designer. Make sure you ask for samples and budget time in your schedules if you need to respond to such requests.

4. Get familiar with standard installation guidelines for artificial grass and synthetic turf materials manufactured and used for lawns, landscape and putting greens for your area, so you can make an educated decision of which solution and provider to pick. You can download a complimentary copy of the ASGi Standard Installation Guidelines at the end of the article.

Artificial grass materials are typically sold and marketed by professional installers (contractors) as "systems" of various components and materials integrated together to provide the final look, form and function needed to achieve your project's goals. Much like a deck, patio or even a pool is engineered and specified using several different types of processes, job materials and 3rd party equipment, an artificial grass installation is more than just the beautiful green blades you see on top after the job is completed.

A professional installer or designer will always consider your local site and soil conditions, environment and weather (rain or snow fall) and use of the area before determining the final specification for your custom project. Without a physical site inspection and an eye on the vision of what you're trying to achieve, it would be next to impossible for a professional to provide you a "ball-park" quote, over the phone.

You can easily research the uses and download a copy of standard industry construction guidelines for artificial grass at ASGi - the Association of Synthetic Grass Installers website.

5. Shop for a designer or contractor that is familiar with the installation of synthetic grass and artificial turf. Invite several professionals to your site so that you will have contrast and comparison information to use to complete your decision

Many states require builders to maintain active licenses to legally contract to install artificial grass products for lawns, landscape and putting greens. You can check with your local builders exchange or license bureau for more specific information for your area or go to ASGi's US State Contractor's License Board Index another source of qualified, licensed operators online is ServiceMagic, who pre-screens for appropriate licensing, bonds and insurance.

6. Ask to see your prospective contractor's local work. As with any construction project - there is as much of an art in the workmanship as the craftsmanship of any job.

Ask for contact information on references. Take the time to personally check their references and their workmanship, up close and in person. Arrange for an on site visit of several installations.

For business reference checks, at no cost to you, contact the Better Business Bureau - even if a company is not a member, the BBB may have information for you, as well as having referrals for local licensed contractors in your area.

7. Before you move forward with any contractor, get your agreement in writing, signed and dated by both parties. Though a handshake is often considered a legal binding agreement, it's terribly hard to remember, in the heat of a dispute, who said what to whom and literally impossible to prove. Written, executed contracts and change orders, clearly describing the work, labor, materials and services to be provided are your right, under law - don't give that right away. They also serve as a great reminder of what was intended and your proof in the event there is a dispute that requires arbitration ...

Many states require the licensed contractor to carry insurance for general liability (in the event of an accident made to property or goods while on your job site), workman's compensation coverage (for any personal injury that could occur while working on your project) and hold a bond (in the event the contractor defaults and doesn't not complete the job).

You have every right to ask to see verification of these insurance policies and any license required by law. The name on the contractor's license should match the business or personal name of the license holder, insurance policies, contract and who you are paying. No one is allowed to "borrow" or "lend" a license.

8. Set a budget - professionally installed projects will cost from 40 to 60% more than "do-it-yourself" projects for valid reasons.

The professionals not only bring the experience and expertise, they bring the right staff, power equipment, tools and materials to get the job done right the first time.

Don't compromise your project's success, shop for the right construction partner for you and strike a fair bargain based upon your budget and what feels comfortable for you to invest in your dream project. A seasoned artificial turf installer will bring the right tools and materials and the expertise and experience to properly and professionally install your project for your enjoyment.

About the Article Source:
Article written and published by Annie Costa, Executive Director, ASGI (the Association of Synthetic Grass Installers). ASGi members are experienced installers, designers and other professionals, dedicated to sharing best-business-practices, enhancing public awareness and building confidence in our market and product integrity.

ASGI Invites YOU to pick up YOUR copy of the Standard Installation Guidelines for installing synthetic grass or Landscape Projects Buyers Guide as lawn or landscape applications at http://www.asgi.us at NO Charge! Browse our library of real-world installations, great information and join our newsletter list while you are there.

Basic Configuration Tutorial For the Cisco ASA 5505 Firewall

2011-12-20T23:43:00.001-08:00

The Cisco ASA 5505 Firewall is the smallest model in the new 5500 Cisco series of hardware appliances. Although this model is suitable for small businesses, branch offices or even home use, its firewall security capabilities are the same as the biggest models (5510, 5520, 5540 etc). The Adaptive Security technology of the ASA firewalls offers solid and reliable firewall protection, advanced application aware security, denial of service attack protection and much more. Moreover, the performance of the ASA 5505 appliance supports 150Mbps firewall throughput and 4000 firewall connections per second, which is more than enough for small networks.

In this article I will explain the basic configuration steps needed to setup a Cisco 5505 ASA firewall for connecting a small network to the Internet. We assume that our ISP has assigned us a static public IP address (e.g 200.200.200.1 as an example) and that our internal network range is 192.168.1.0/24. We will use Port Address Translation (PAT) to translate our internal IP addresses to the public address of the outside interface. The difference of the 5505 model from the bigger ASA models is that it has an 8-port 10/100 switch which acts as Layer 2 only. That is, you can not configure the physical ports as Layer 3 ports, rather you have to create interface Vlans and assign the Layer 2 interfaces in each VLAN. By default, interface Ethernet0/0 is assigned to VLAN 2 and it's the outside interface (the one which connects to the Internet), and the other 7 interfaces (Ethernet0/1 to 0/7) are assigned by default to VLAN 1 and are used for connecting to the internal network. Let's see the basic configuration setup of the most important steps that you need to configure.

Step1: Configure the internal interface vlan
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ASA5505(config)# interface Vlan 1
ASA5505(config-if)# nameif inside
ASA5505(config-if)# security-level 100
ASA5505(config-if)# ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
ASA5505(config-if)# no shut

Step 2: Configure the external interface vlan (connected to Internet)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASA5505(config)# interface Vlan 2
ASA5505(config-if)# nameif outside
ASA5505(config-if)# security-level 0
ASA5505(config-if)# ip address 200.200.200.1 255.255.255.0
ASA5505(config-if)# no shut

Step 3: Assign Ethernet 0/0 to Vlan 2
-------------------------------------------------
ASA5505(config)# interface Ethernet0/0
ASA5505(config-if)# switchport access vlan 2
ASA5505(config-if)# no shut

Step 4: Enable the rest interfaces with no shut
--------------------------------------------------
ASA5505(config)# interface Ethernet0/1
ASA5505(config-if)# no shut

Do the same for Ethernet0/1 to 0/7.

Step 5: Configure PAT on the outside interface
-----------------------------------------------------
ASA5505(config)# global (outside) 1 interface
ASA5505(config)# nat (inside) 1 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0

Step 6: Configure default route towards the ISP (assume default gateway is 200.200.200.2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASA5505(config)# route outside 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 200.200.200.2 1

The above steps are the absolutely necessary steps you need to configure for making the appliance operational. Of course there are much more configuration details that you need to implement in order to enhance the security and functionality of your appliance, such as Access Control Lists, Static NAT, DHCP, DMZ zones, authentication etc.

Visit my website in my resource box below for more information about Cisco products and solutions. You can also learn how to configure any Cisco ASA 5500 Firewall Here.

115 Ways To Earn Money With Your Computer

2011-12-20T00:01:00.001-08:00

Here is a list of ideas for your reference if you want to use your own PC to earn income.

1. Provide computer-based office management services for attorneys

2. Do word processing

3. Do medical billing for doctors

4. Do automated telemarketing

5. Manage a church

6. Start a computer user's group

7. Learn to win at blackjack

8. Bet on horse races

9. Bet on pro football

10. Sell computers from your home

11. Provide medical information management

12. Broker information

13. Trade stock by computer

14. Provide astrological services

15. Offer an interactive electronic newsletter

16. Produce book indexes

17. Provide a computer-assisted booking service

18. Make stock market investment decisions

19. Do genealogical research

20. Manage a band

21. Manage a house or pet sitting service

22. Track precious gems

23. Sell information to collectors

24. Analyze real estate investments

25. Support a small law practice

26. Write a book

27. Market collectables

28. Do psychological counseling

29. Prepare income tax returns

30. Provide economic consulting

31. Solve real estate financing problems

32. Do data base research

33. Publish your own book

34. Design your own small business system

35. Crop management

36. Analyze farm expenses

37. Provide weekly printout of bowling league statistics

38. Make computer-generated portraits

39. Manage investment shelters

40. Manage construction costs

41. Produce computer utility products

42. Provide computer-aided financial planning

43. Sell life insurance

44. Support a small publishing business

45. Provide weekly printout of little league Baseball statistics

46. Run a small pharmacy

47. Become a computer dealer

48. Interpret physical therapy test results

49. Manage a restaurant

50. Start your own yellow pages

51. Conduct computer-assisted telephone interviewing

52. Stream-line executive search activities

53. Provide agricultural commodities planning

54. Turn financial statements into financial pictures

55. Manage a museum collection

56. Support consumer education programs

57. Do freelance technical writing

58. Do multi-level direct mail marketing

59. Review specialty software

60. Be an engineering consultant

61. Provide sports information services

62. Produce products for hobbyists

63. Provide specialty-focused software services

64. Run a multi-level, direct sales operation

65. Do litigation management

66. Manage a dairy farm

67. Provided automated debt collection

68. Provide date-base installation and instruction

69. Run a beauty school/beauty salon

70. Improve small business services

71. Broker used computers!

72. Telecommute

73. Enhance medical diagnosis and treatments

74. Create electronic marketing tools

75. Do independent software documentation

76. Teach people how to use microcomputers

77. Become your own computer book publisher

78. Create computer-generated puzzles and word games

79. Become a software consultant

80. Produce low-cost computer graphics products

81. Develop software for children

82. Perform real estate inspections

83. Do software translations

84. Produced a computer-controlled home security system

85. Automate conference registration

86. Create computer gifts

87. Enhance scientific products

88. Write software for use in the home

89. Manage a winery

90. Design and produce personal computer hardware or peripherals

91. Design, publish and distribute software

92. Provide information vending machines

93. Start a software writing cooperative

94. Develop small scale real estate partnerships

95. Do property management

96. Do mortgage loan brokerage

97. Perform non-judicial foreclosures

98. Develop mini-warehouse storage facilities

99. Sell instant signs

100. Start an advertising agency

101. Start a resume service.

102. Manage a talent agency

103. Operate a referral service

104. Operating a mailing list service

105. Operate a typesetting service

106. Offer a legal forms service for the general public

107. Publish your own newsletter or help others for a fee

108. Operate a voice mail service

109. Start your own local classified newspaper

110. Provide a collection letter service

111. Offer a custom diet plan service

112. Start your own local real estate newspaper

113. Start an apartment rental newspaper

114. Provide a payroll service

115. Start a singles dating service

You can get more ideas with a number brainstorming tools located at http://www.best-internet-businesses.com

Truly, your PC and Internet give you more opportunities to earn incomes during spare time.

---------------------------------------------------------
Julia Tang publishes Smart Online Business Tips, a fresh
and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people
like you! To find out the best online business opportunities,
and to discover hundreds more proven and practical internet
marketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products
worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com
----------------------------------------------------------

Note: Feel free to publish it with the resource box and content unchanged

How to Start a House Cleaning Business on a Tight Budget

2011-12-17T04:42:00.001-08:00

"If you use Emotion and Love to drive your sales and your business, you will create Loyalty Beyond Reason. And I promise you, you will build relationships and enjoy a business that exceeds beyond your wildest expectations"

First of all, before you decide to start your cleaning business, make sure this kind of work is right for you. You will need to be in good physical condition. Cleaning is very hard strenuous work. You will need to have good customer relation skills. You will need to have basic office skills and some accounting skills.

If you are planning on leaving your full time position to start a cleaning business, make sure you have at least six months of savings. Or keep your full time job and start out part time.

Research all the aspects of the cleaning service business. From customer service to advertising, taxes, employees, insurance and bonding, what to charge and how to clean a home professionally. Cleaning your own home and cleaning professionally is totally different. Learning how to clean professionally takes a lot of time. When a client pays for your services they expect to come home and find their home spotless.

Getting those first clients takes time, persistence and patience. You will not get a hundred clients overnight.

Obtaining Those First Clients The hardest part of starting your own cleaning service is obtaining those first clients. Most clients want to know how long you have been in business and want references. The best thing to do is let clients know that, yes, you are new to the business but that you have thoroughly researched all aspects of the cleaning business and assure them that you know what you are doing and that you are quit capable of cleaning their home to their specifications. Be confident. I can't stress this enough. Clients love to see confidence. It relieves their worries and lets them know that their home is in good hands.

References: To get a few good references when starting out, ask some friends or family members if you can clean their home for free or at a discounted rate. The sound of working for free may not be appealing but it will be worth it to get some good testimonials.

When cleaning those first homes, go for quality, not how fast you can clean the home. Cleaning efficiently takes a long time, but you will get to the point where you can do a thorough cleaning in a short time. After cleaning make sure you go back and double check all rooms to make sure you didn't miss anything. Impress those first clients and word of mouth will spread soon.

Advertising Your company image is everything. Before you start advertising, decide what image you want to portray on your advertising material. Your image is very important. Be consistent with all your advertising. If you have a logo be sure to use it on all your advertising materials. I think it is best to have a website developed before you start advertising. When advertising, stick with the same logo and colors.

Advertise in Local Paper: Start by running a text ad in your local newspaper. Try to come up with an eye catching ad. Do not sell your services on low rates, sell your services on your quality of work and what you can do for the client that other companies don't. There is a lot of competition in the cleaning service. You have to stand out from the rest.

Magnetic Signs or Lettering for your Vehicle: Having your business name and contact information on your vehicle is a great way to advertise. We use the vinyl lettering. The lettering looks much more professional than the magnetic signs.

Flyers: You can print nice flyers on your home computer, but I would suggest investing in some professional flyers. Hang flyers at Hair Dressers, Laundromats, Restaurants, Bakeries, Grocery Stores, etc. Put flyers on car windows at local groceries stores and businesses. You can even go door to door in neighborhoods you would like to work in. You cannot put them in mailboxes. but you can put them in the front door.

Door Hangers: Door hangers are a great way to get new clients. Pick the neighborhood you would like to work in and hang the door hangers on the doors. When people get flyers or ads in their mailbox they usually throw them away with the junk mail. But if there is a door hanger on the door they will take the time to look at it.

Business Cards: Start passing out your business cards to friends and family members. You can also ask your local businesses if you can leave some cards on their counters.

Referral Program: A great way to obtain new clients is through a referral program. Offer existing clients a discount when they refer a friend. You can give your existing clients a discount when the friend uses your services three times.

Website: These days people live very busy lives so they use the convenience of the internet to shop for the services they need. A lot of working women will shop for services while at work. Everyone that has a business should have a website. It shows clients that you are serious about your business and allows them research your business in their own time.

Cleaning Products: By using all natrual products, you can offer your clients a healthy cleaning experience and protect ourselves against harsh chemicals. Clients love the natural cleaning products with essential oils. They come home to a healthy clean home filled with the wonderful scents of aromatherapy essential oils.

Tip: Always carry hand sanitizer and wash your hands often while cleaning homes. Wear gloves when cleaning bathrooms. You will be exposed to a lot of different germs in clients homes.

Remember most customers prefer that you bring your own cleaning supplies. That way they do not have to worry about going to the store for cleaning supplies before you clean. Some customers have special cleaners for certain appliances or floors in their houses. These customers usually will have these cleaners on hand for you to use. We almost always use the customers vacuum cleaner. That way you do not have to carry a heavy vacuum from house to house.

What to Charge I mentioned earlier that you should sell your services on your quality of work and not your low rates. If your rates are too low, clients will think that your work is sub-standard and that you are not experienced. Also you want to attract the clients that can afford your services. I made the mistake of pricing my work too low when I first started out. Cleaning is hard work, charge what you are worth. As the old saying goes "You get what you pay for."

Some companies charge by the hour, some charge by the room, some charge a flat rate per home and some charge by the square foot. I think it is better to charge by the home, not by the hour. If a client knows they have to pay one set fee, they don't care if you take 2 hours or 5 hours. Also your clients will know what they are paying up front and won't have to worry about added expenses.

No two houses are the same. And there is no set charge for all homes. You have to clean for awhile yourself to get some experience and to work out a system to clean efficiently. Only you know what you want and need to make. Decide what you need to make hourly to cover all expenses and still make a good profit.

A word of advise: Make sure when you start your company that you charge what you would charge if you had employees. Some people make the mistake of under charging when they start out just to get customers and then later on when they grow and need to hire help they aren't making enough money on their houses to pay help. Don't under price your work. Cleaning homes is very hard physical work and you didn't get into this business to work for nothing.

New Construction Cleaning If you decide to do this type of work you will need more equipment. You will need ladders, window cleaning kits with long extensions, a shop vac, etc. These types of jobs are usually 2 to 3 person jobs. New construction cleaning requires a lot more cleaning. You may have to remove stickers and labels from windows and bathroom showers, sinks and toilets. Some require that you clean the vents to remove dust from construction work. There will be ceiling fans to clean, scrubbing floors, and cleaning woodwork to remove dust. New construction cleaning rates depend on the area you live in.

Insurance and Bonding. You need to be an honest person and somewhat personable. People will need to trust you to be in their homes. Most clients are concerned about having someone new in their house, with good reason. You should be bonded and fully insured. Liability insurance rates depend on your insurance carrier and where you are located. Each person you hire will increase your liability insurance. It's well worth the cost. You can pay quarterly or yearly. You can purchase your bond through your local insurance company. You will need to renew the bond every year. *Note: if you hire employees and cover them under your insurance, they must be an employee on payroll and not a sub-contractor. If you employ them as a sub-contractor your insurance will not cover them. If they are a sub-contractor they are required to carry their own insurance. You

Hiring Help If you start out cleaning the homes by yourself, you will eventually get to the point where you need to expand your business. Start out with one part time employee. Train her and let her take your place one day a week. Then have her take your place 2 days a week and so on. This will give you the free time that you need to market your business and obtain more clients. After you get more clients you will be able to hire more part time help. Eventually you will be able to stop doing the cleaning yourself and just run the business end, which is the only way you will be able to grow your business. When training new employees, always, either train them yourself or have a lead person train them. Make sure there is a lead person on each and every cleaning job. Employees have a tendency to slack off when they are on their own.

Growing Your Business You will eventually get to the point where you have enough employees and lead people and you will be able to stop working in your business and start running your business. You will find that after awhile it will get to be too much trying to clean everyday and at the same time giving estimates, answering calls, scheduling, doing book work, obtaining new clients, etc.

Remember one of the most important qualifications for a cleaning service is TRUST. A client has to know they can trust you alone in their home. After you acquire a few cleaning positions ask the clients if you can use them for a reference. Most of the time they are more than willing to let you use them for a reference. This is how you build your business and acquire new clients is through referrals. Be dependable. Most clients will want to be set up on an every week or every other week schedule on the same day of the week. Try to always keep this same schedule unless the client asks you to switch to another day. If you have to cancel a cleaning date, make sure you try to reschedule at the earliest possible date to make up the cleaning.

You are free to use this article in part or full provided you include the bio below.

Patti Page is the owner of Page's Personal Cleaning in Cincinnati OH.
Website: http://www.pagespersonalcleaning.net/cleaningarticles.htm

How to Design Effective Employee Incentive Programs

2011-12-16T15:31:00.001-08:00

When designed and implemented effectively, employee incentive programs can be an excellent strategic human resources tool to promote employee confidence and boost measurable performance. In fact, employee incentive programs have become an integral part of any company's competitiveness and desirability.

But with its emphasis on reward for specific performance, there have been some confusion as to how these programs can be designed to be truly commensurate with employee productivity. Here's how you can design your company's employee incentive programs effectively on the get go:

Determine the objective of the employee incentive program.

Employee incentive programs are meant to motivate employees to work harder and become more productive. They are also an effective way of allowing employees to take greater responsibility for their jobs and a good method of measuring their performance. These programs are also opportunities for employees to supplement their income.

Design a home-grown incentive program that's unique to your organization.

During your research, it's perfectly okay to look at other companies' incentive programs to see what works for them, but make sure to consider how your company's style and finances will fare. Travel incentives, for example, are excellent rewards for significant performance, but if your company cannot sustain it, it will fall flat later on.

Design an employee incentive program that offers realistic pay in exchange for realistic performance, the kind that will reward employees for extraordinary efforts, not just for doing their jobs. Make sure the program is sustainable and able to offer rewards for performances in different stages, whether employees are still starting out or are already half-way through. An employee incentive program should remain interesting and relevant for the long haul.

Incentive programs must be separated from the employee's regular pay.

Employees must feel that they are receiving the reward separate from their income. Issue a separate check and include documentations such as memos or citations. Announce the reward during company meetings or post it on the bulletin board or the company newsletter to make the employees feel special and appreciated. Make sure other employees get the message - perform well and you'll be rewarded.

Periodically evaluate employee incentive programs.

It's important that you systematically assess how effective your employee incentive programs are in terms of its effect on employee performance, job satisfaction and company cost. Be consistent with your program but keep it simple so that when you have to review it later, it's easy to find what its strengths and weaknesses are.

Ensure mutual understanding with the employee.

The key to ensuring that your employee incentive programs are appreciated by the employees is to ensure that they understand what activities are involved and how their performances will be measured. Make sure that these units of measurement are readily produced and verified and cannot be influenced or manipulated by anyone, including you.

Just a reminder...

Money is good but it's an ineffective motivator. Money is something that can immediately motivate an employee although its marginal value diminishes over time. In the long run, money is just not enough to affect an employee's earnings potential significantly just by some changes in behavior.

There is also the challenge of working with the restrictions imposed by job descriptions, which prevent employees from using independent thoughts and initiative to act on their ideas. Other than that, there are also the usual command responsibilities and control levels that an employee must respect, which may also hinder optimum performance.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written many articles on various subjects. For more information on sales incentives or employee incentives checkout his websites.

The Web Design and Interactive Media Artist

2011-12-15T17:10:00.001-08:00

Do you feel comfortable with and challenged by technology? Do you have specialized skills as an artist and technician? If so, combine your artistic ability and your techie skills with a degree in Web design and interactive media.

Web design and interactive media is a dynamic industry of integrated electronic communications running on conventional computers as well as devices such as cell phones, kiosks, MP3 players, and museum displays. As such, Web design and interactive media is an essential part of the business, education, entertainment, and scientific industries.

The field is ripe with employment opportunities for those who possess the skills to combine film, graphic arts, sound, and text to improve the dissemination of information. When you complete a Web design and interactive media degree program, you will have acquired those in-demand skills.

Web design and interactive media degree programs

Web design and interactive media coursework begins with drawing and design, digital image manipulation, animation, multimedia system design, scriptwriting, sound, and video. Intermediate courses introduce interactive media authoring, project management skills, video technology, and Web skills such as Flash and JavaScript. In advanced courses, you'll expand your understanding of the structure and technologies of Web and interactive media products and learn techniques for designing and managing large projects.

In the Web design and interactive media associate degree program at the Art Institutes, for instance, you'll develop a strong foundation in the field, learning to combine animation tools on Macintosh- and Pentium- based PCs. You'll also become skilled in software applications such as Adobe PhotoShop and Macromedia Director to integrate animation, images, sound, text, and video into a complete project. The school's bachelor's degree program offers a more advanced understanding of Web design and interactive media. In the capstone project of the program, you'll plan, design, and develop substantial projects, often for actual clients

You may also gain professional experience through student internships and freelance work. Once you complete your degree program, you will have compiled a professional-quality digital portfolio to showcase the skills you've acquired.

Web design and interactive media careers

With a degree in Web design and interactive media, you'll be prepared for an entry-level career as an animator, creative director, digital media producer, graphic artist, instructional designer, interactive designer, programmer, project coordinator, special effects artist, or Web developer. These careers may be found in the fields of advertising, corporate communications, education, electronic games, film, law, marketing, medicine, and publishing.

3D Graphics For Attention Grabbing Websites

2011-12-15T01:15:00.001-08:00

3D graphics designers have more than a few visual tricks up their sleeve. If you are interested in learning how the world of 3d graphic design works and more so: how you can use them yourself, the following tips will literally surprise you. One of the most effective ways to get high quality images is to use 3D graphics software. The reason being that you can design an icon, a logo, or any other type of image with just a couple of clicks of the mouse. With a simple 3D icon generator, you'll be able to make your e-covers, web pages, splash screens or power point presentations come alive. But first here's some vital information about what makes an image 3D and how it differs from a 2D image.

Images or pictures that seem to have dimensions of: height, width, and depth are considered 3D or three-dimensional. In essence this means that they appear to be solid, real objects. Two-dimensional (2D) images are those that have dimensions of width and height but lack any depth. You'll find online and offline that many images are 2D on purpose.For instance, just give some thought to those international symbols that show which door leads to the bathroom. Each symbol has been created so that you are able to recognize it at a glance. They use only the most basic of shapes. So, 2D graphics are the best option if you want to communicate a simple idea, fast. However, by way of contrast, 3D graphic design is used to tell a story that is much more complicated or to catch the eye of the viewer more effectively.

Artists have known (and refined) for hundreds of years, little visual tricks and techniques to make a flat two dimensional painting have the same appearance as a window into the actual three dimensional world. Nowadays you can access this through 3D clip art that you can scan and view on your computer monitor. With 3D graphic software you won't be looking at still pictures, instead they will be moving pictures. They have a high degree of realism in them.

If you're like most folks, the way you see 3D graphics is through computer generated images or an advanced gaming system. There are three major steps necessary for creating a realistic 3D scene. You create a virtual 3D world, determine which area of the world you'd like to be show on the screen and then you decide how all the pixels on the screen will look so that the image is as realistic as possible.

Here's how it works with a 3D icon generator: With most programs, professionally designed templates are standard. Once installed on your system, you choose a graphic and then redesign it anyway you choose. Change its colour, size or texture amongst other attributes and then select an action that will allow you to render the 2D image into a 3D image. The various software products available all have their own proprietary methods of producing the final 3D version of the image, but essentially the results are pretty similar.

Without a doubt, 3D graphics programming is the perfect story teller. Add to that, the creativ ity and imagination of the operator or designer and when the dust settles, you'll have icons or logos that are dynamic and eye-catching: real attention grabbers! In a nutshell, this is a smart method for getting customers attention right out of the gate.

Copy and Play Xbox 360 Games Just by Using Software

2011-12-14T10:24:00.001-08:00

When the Xbox 360 first hit the scene with its sleek design and beautiful green glowing aura there was only one way to play copied video games on the system. This method involved installing an additional piece of hardware to the motherboard of the console, which meant that you either had to be a computer specialist, or you had to know one. Most people myself included don't know computer specialists and when we find one we have to rely on others opinions to find out if their any good or not. This method is highly expensive and very risky, thankfully there is a more affordable and reliable way.

The Xbox isn't as shiny now, and has been around for a while so clever programmers have taken the system apart and come up with software that fools the Xbox 360 into thinking a copied game is an original. So you no longer need to worry about taking your console apart or damaging it you can simply download the software, copy your video games and then play them minutes later.

If you're a video gamer then this truly is amazing news, because we no longer have to worry about replacing original games that we damage, we can simply make copies of our original game disks and if we break them we can always copy the original game once again, it truly is a win, win situation that any Xbox 360 fanatic should have a serious think about. After all why would you want to lose money by replacing our old video games when we can just back them up?

If you're looking for more information such as step by step tutorials on how to backup your Xbox 360 Games and all the software needed, check out my website http://www.backup360.info

Graphic Design Programs

2011-12-13T21:37:00.001-08:00

The dictionary describes graphic designing as an arrangement of typography and images to communicate a message, feeling, opinion, thought, or idea. Graphic designing is practiced in numerous fields and media, which include all segments of print media, the World Wide Web, motion pictures and even for branding. In recent times with the advancements in graphic designing technologies and with its increasing applications, it is turning out to be a lucrative and satisfying career option.

A different knowledge of designing is required for different applications of designing. For instance to take up a graphic designing profession in print media knowledge of software such CorelDraw, Photoshop and PageMaker is essential. Various programs are available covering all segments of graphic designing. Graphic designing programs can be classified as a bachelor's course that has extensive programs; most often, the degree is affiliated with some university. Many graphic design programs are even titled as diploma courses. Typically, these courses have a shorter duration than the degree but cover many subjects. On the other hand, an associate degree can be very useful to get some additional knowledge on a particular art of graphic designing, whereas a certificate course is ideal for individuals who are taking up the art just as a hobby or out of curiosity.

A graphic designing program, to get expertise in the print media, covers designing software such as Corel Draw, Photoshop, and PageMaker. Besides most bachelor programs also include critical business courses such as critical thinking, logic communication and general management. A bachelors program also includes animation programs and even web-based designing modules. Such programs prepare students for an entry-level position graphic artist. If such courses are taken along with photography then they can work wonders. On the other hand, a graphic program in motion pictures includes learning how to create 2D and 3D characters and understanding the psychology and physics of human emotions. Moreover, these programs provide a student with all the expertise needed in the field of animation and special effects. Web-based graphic designing programs are designed to give students in-depth knowledge of website design, as well as knowledge of search engine optimization methods.

Today, computers are involved in every commercial field, which has drawing, or designing, thus these graphic programs can be of great help to make it the best.

October Wedding Themes - 3 Fun and Easy Ideas

2011-12-13T07:45:00.001-08:00

October wedding themes are a great addition to any fall wedding. Autumn is a fantastic season to tie the knot, and there are many fun themes that can add some uniqueness to your wedding day.

Using the fall foliage as well as a little creativity is all it takes to have a fall wedding to remember. Below are three theme ideas to get you started.

Fall Leaves

Nothing says October more than fall leaves, and they make a great starting point for an October wedding theme. Use the rich autumn foliage colors as your wedding colors and work from there.

Starting with your wedding invitations, introduce your theme by incorporating beautiful fall leaves into all aspects of your big day. Your programs are another chance to kick off your colorful fall wedding.

Decorate your reception space with fall leaves, using them in your table centerpieces as well as other decorations. There are many accent items that can add a splash of color and a reminder of the season.

Halloween

Having your wedding on or near Halloween can be a lot of fun. In addition to using fall colors, add in Halloween touches to your decorations and other wedding day items.

Asking your guests to come in costume takes your event to the next level. You may want to add some parameters to your wedding invitation, however, such as "elegant costumes are encouraged".

You can also add a note to your wedding website letting your guests know that they can come in costume, however they should remember that they are still attending a wedding.

Add a few Halloween-related rituals to your day like opening umbrellas as you are announced for the first time at the reception, or walk under a ladder to get a reaction from your guests.

For wedding favors, a candy bar with all of your favorite Halloween candy is always a hit with wedding guests.

Vineyards and wine

Wine and vineyard settings make excellent October wedding themes. Having your reception at a vineyard or wrapping a wine theme around your day is fun and easy to do.

Take care of the obvious things like choosing invitations, programs and wedding favors with wine-related designs. Placing bottles of wine at every table for your guests to enjoy is a nice touch as well, especially if you serve the wine of the vineyard where your wedding is taking place.

If you are getting married at a vineyard, choose a room or location that allows you to take advantage of the ambiance. Wine cellars and rooms that overlook the vineyard are a great place to start, and having your wedding reception outdoors next to the grapes is always an option.

Stephen Badiali is the owner of Wedding Ideas Guide. For more ideas visit Fall Wedding Idea and Fall Wedding Centerpieces.

Create Simple and Recognizable Logo Design

2011-12-12T14:30:00.001-08:00

With increase in the technology, the demand of the latest advancements in advertisements, marketing and other fields is also increasing. Many creative logo design companies have emerged in the market, they also provide tutorials to help you create a powerful design for your company. For designing a logo, one should have a solid understanding for the designing tools and also the objectives of the company to create the designs. The logo design can be created easily after understanding the main role of a logo of a company.

The logo design should be immediately recognizable, conveying trust, loyalty and a brand name to the target audience. The logo is the feature of a company in which it reveals the company's brand and identity. Its shape, colors and the design identifies the image of the company; it has to be unique and different from the other companies existing in the market. The logos are used at all the legal documents like letterheads, business cards, company boards, advertisements, website and many other places. A logo is like a signature image, an identification mark used to describe the business. Its representation is more important than its meaning; its subject matter can be anything.

A logo design is an appropriate and practical graphical representation of the company that conveys an intended message. It has to be resizable as it needs to be printed for big sizes, without making any compromise in the quality and color. One can hire a logo designer to provide you exact design for your company, you would have to provide them with the concept and the message you want to convey to the viewers through your company's identification mark. He would be providing you great concept with great execution of your ideas.

Designing a logo is an easy task to do; it requires thought, innovation and other elements to create a good brand mark. While completing the final stage of the logo designing process, the designer should have the brief idea about the design, and then he can start up with the research work along with checking the references given by the client, then sketching some designs to pick out the best designs before presenting them to the client, after confirmation from the client you can plan the delivery. Having an easy logo design would give a fast recognition in the mind of the users, and they would be able to build a long-term relationship with them.

The logo design should be immediately recognizable, conveying trust, loyalty and a brand name to the target audience.

Affordable Web Design

2011-12-11T21:47:00.001-08:00

With the industry of building websites at its all-time high, it is inevitable for companies to start offering affordable web design services. As we all know, having a website is a very powerful tool for business owners to use so that they would be able to reach out to consumers, as a lot of people use the Internet for commerce, information, business solutions and almost everything they need.

And so, as part of your marketing and promotional campaign, the web design that you would applying for your website would have to be the most optimal and effective to reach out to the most number of potential clients.

But there are some online business owners who do not have a big budget, and so affordable web design would be able to be the best option for them. As you choose the web design company or individual to hire though, you need to check the quality of their services offered first.

There are those web designers and developers who do not only provide web designing services but also expand their offerings to the other related services depending on the requirements of the client. These services would include the updating and maintenance of the website, consultation for web-related concerns, web hosting services, scanning and editing services, creation of HTML, PHP, JavaScript and online email systems and much more. Look for a service provider, which would be able to offer a lot of services so that you would be getting the best value for your money.

5 Tips Women-Over-40 Need For Starting a New Exercise Program

2011-12-11T01:01:00.001-08:00

If you are about to start a new exercise program, and you have passed that 40th milestone, then you need to consider a different approach to exercising. Apply these special considerations and tips to get you on the right path to exercise success.

Remember: You've lived a little.

It's easy to want to make drastic changes when you're motivated. You want to radically change your body. You want the body of an 18-year-old.But...

Avoid starting at your past fitness level. If you have not regularly exercised, participated in sports, or been physically active in the last year or longer, then it is crucial that you get professional guidance and start with very small steps. Otherwise, you can injure yourself and be in worse shape.

Exercise around your energy clock.

By the age of 40, your hormones and your energy have shifted. Perhaps they are on a different clock now.

When you plan your exercise work-outs, schedule them when you will naturally have the most energy. Post-lunch and mid-afternoon are typically low energy times. Consider exercising early in the day. Then, your exercise gives you an energy boost throughout your day!

Got patterns?

If you have lived at all in those 40 years, then your body has developed patterns. Maybe you held your babies on one hip, or had the same job requirements for a decade. Or you might have spent time recovering from an injury: that is a common source of compensation patterns.

Be aware of these patterns as you design an exercise program. If you want to correct muscle imbalances, start out gently. Don't be too aggressive at first.

Get support.

You probably have friends with similar goals. Try to find other women with similar life experiences. Support each other in your goals.

Get professional coaching from a personal trainer. Unless you have years of experience with successful exercise programs, then don't design your program alone. A trainer will:

o help you set realistic, doable goals
o design a program that will work for you, and
o show you the most effective exercises for your goals

Include the trinity of physical fitness.

Every well-rounded exercise program includes 1- Cardiovascular conditioning, 2- Strength training, and 3- Stretching.

It's easy to join a yoga class, follow an aerobics video, or do some sit-ups and leg-lifts while you watch TV. But you need to give them equal attention!

You need to include cardio, strengthening, and stretching in your exercise program each week. If you neglect one of these elements, your results will suffer and your body will not feel as good as it could.

You're ready to get in shape with a new exercise program. So, follow these few tips to reach your goals.

Starting a new exercise program? Get the support and coaching you need, online, from top fitness experts. Read articles, watch videos, and Subscribe Today to 'Health Coach' (while it's still free!) at http://www.SupportandCoaching.com! [http://www.SupportandCoaching.com]

Logo Design - Definition, History and Significance

2011-12-10T03:19:00.001-08:00

Logo Design is a graphical demonstration of an emblem, symbol or trademark that characterizes a profit or non-profit organization. It is a sign, image or a typography that represents an organization. Logo designing is an exquisite fusion of creative and technical abilities. A logo designer should not only be well versed with design habits but also have technical knowledge and expertise.

Definition:

A logo is a visage of an enterprise that embodies its identity. It reflects the nature, vision and goal of an enterprise. Every trademark is different and unique from the other so that a potential customer is able to distinguish an entrepreneur's product or service from that of his counterpart. It is also instrumental in enticing a customer to a company's products or services. A businessperson is able to promote his company anywhere by printing the logo on corporate literature or stationary. Due to these functions of a logo, it forms an integral part of the branding process. In other words, a marketer uses the logo in all forms of promotion of the company.

History:

The use of symbols and signs became prevalent since early times. Traders to identify and distinguish their goods and cattle from each other first used symbols. The sole purpose was only identification and not promotion. These traders deployed cipher for distinguishing the goods. Cipher contained a single letter or any kind of symbol imprinted on a good or cattle of the owner. People used cipher not only for commercial purposes but also for religious and creative purposes. Archeologists have found good examples in the thirteenth century such as watermarks, goldsmith's marks, and mason's marks. Every profession had different cipher.

With the advent of technological advancement and rise in competition, the concept of logo underwent tremendous change. Even its physical appearance underwent transformation. Now many organizations use a logo as a corporate image. They deploy this graphical symbol to promote their brand or products and services. It also used for distinguishing one's products and services from others. A logo is designed in a way so that it appears unique to draw the attention of the potential customers towards a product.

Significance:

A well-designed logo allures a viewer to your product or service. It is composed of an inimitable design that distinguishes the product from the competitor's product. A logo designer should create a visually appealing logo that is easier to grasp for a potential client. It serves an effective promotional tool that not only reflects the goal of a company but also promotes its goods and services.

Lonard Math is a business analyst as well as web designer who has more than 7 years experience in Logo designs for designing brochures, business stationary, websites, content writing etc. In this article he discusses about business logo. For more information about logo maker, logo creator, logo designer, logo software, please visit http://www.logosmartz.com

Graphic Design, the Most Important Things to Consider

2011-12-09T13:21:00.001-08:00

With modern software tools, website design and publishing has become easier than ever before. No longer do you have to figure out the language of computer codes, instead these tools provide a simple, intuitive, graphical template with which to design. But this simplicity does not guarantee you a great web site. It is still up to you to put thought into your design, otherwise you could easily churn out and unreadable or even unusable site. This article will help you avoid this by offering general guidelines important for good website design using any web design software package.

The most important thing to remember about using graphic design to create a web page, is to keep it easy to read. The fancier web sites use complicated backgrounds that cause the text to become unreadable. The background should highlight the color of the text. When a fancy background is appropriate to use, the text blocks should be offset and use a single color background using only a single color, such as a black background with white lettering.

Text size should be large enough to read, but not so large that a small block of text dominates the page. Link colors should likewise be easily distinguished from regular text. Text should be centered for headlines, and justified on both sides for paragraphs. Most modern browsers support fully justified text. Older browsers which don't support fully justified text will simply disregard the command and present the text aligned only on the left side. Fully justified text will make the page more appealing to the majority of web site visitors.

Simple navigation of a website by a user is the focus of the next step in graphic design. Users must be able to access to every page in your site in no more than three clicks. A table of contents makes the site more organized and therefore easy to navigate. A frame containing a table of contents can be inserted on the left side of the page and then the links will open in a frame on the right side. This will allow the user to be anchored to the main page.

A web site should be easy to find. The use of carefully chosen keywords sprinkled throughout the site will make it easier for search engines to list the site appropriately according to the subject matter. A properly listed site will be easier to find by people using search engines. Many search engines provide forms for search engine submission. Using these forms will also help the search engines find and properly categorize the web site.

Utilizing website software development tools and paying attention to the basic rules for good graphic design, even the most inexperienced web designer can create a functional, attractive site. And by putting in a bit of computer time and effort, a beginning web designer can amass the experience needed to acquire one of the plentiful web design jobs that are available in today's marketplace.

Types of Graphic Software That Create Professional Content

2011-12-08T20:56:00.001-08:00

Today, there are many different graphic software products available to help businesses and individuals create compelling content. Graphic design PC and laptop software products and utilities are divided into categories based on the functions they perform. If you are looking to acquire graphic design PC and laptop software and utilities for your computer system, the following is a list of the different types of graphic software available which are divided the five categories according to the tasks that they perform:

Web Design Software: This type of graphic software is used by professionals and the novice who want to create websites. Web design software allows the user to create images and topography and the software, by design, will generate the code. Adobe sells Dreamweave, a popular web design software purchased by professionals and the general user. As well, Microsoft sells the Expression Web program targeted to professional web designers.

Web Animation Software: Adobe Flash is the most widely used web animation software program. When using this software, users can perform a number of tasks such as creating interactive website buttons, website animated video clips, and much more.

Page Layout Software: Adobe InDesign is the most popular page layout software. This allows users to utilize images and typography to produce web pages that contain photos and illustrations. They can also be used for printed material such as magazines, fliers, books...etc. Microsoft Publisher, Quark Xpress, and Corel Draw Graphics Suite are other page layout software programs available.

Image Editing Software: Adobe Photoshop is the most widely used image editing software. It is used to create graphics, as well edit illustrations and photos. The program is used to create pixel based images. To add color to their illustrations, illustrators will use image editing softwares. Corel's Draw Graphics Suite is another image editing program available.

Illustration Software: The most popular illustration software is Adobe illustrator. Professional designers and illustrators tend to choose this program. Illustration software is used to create graphics, storyboards, and illustrations. Instead of creating images based pixel based images, this creates images based on vector graphics because the images can be manipulated easily without losing the quality of the image and resolution. Corel Draw Graphics is another brand of illustration software available.

Graphics Presentation: This is used to create graphics to be presented in a larger format such as for a presentation in front of a large audience. Microsoft power point is the most popular graphics presentation software. Two other brands are Google Presentation and Apple Keynote.

There are many graphic software trial downloads available as well as complete packages. Trial downloads are normally free for a certain period of time and after the expiry date, you will be prompted to purchase the software. There are a number of online retailers that sell various graphic design PC & Laptop Software Utilities at affordable prices. When selecting graphic software, it is important to learn what each program offers to ensure you pick the best software that meets your specific needs.

Can You Install Windows on a Mac Computer? - Running Windows Programs With a Mac Made Easy!

2011-12-08T03:30:00.001-08:00

Do you love your Mac's sleek design, extensive multimedia programs, and virus free operating system but just cannot manage without Windows' applications? Yes it is a predicament many of us computer user face, what are you supposed to do when you own and love using a Mac but your work requires you to access windows? Many people have jobs that rely on Microsoft access, outlook, windows based 3-D graphics software, adobe Photoshop or any other piece of Windows corporate-ware. Now since these people really don't want to buy two separate systems they are left asking the question "Can You install windows on a Mac Computer"? And the answer my friend is YES. You can easily run windows on a Mac, and be running windows programs with Mac computers, there a couple of ways to do it, and I will be outlining them below...

Since Apple's transition to Intel processors in 2006, Windows applications run beautifully on the Mac. Every currently shipping Mac qualifies, but older Macs may not. You can run any Windows program and even play the best of windows 3-D games on your Mac with the right tools. Now there are two ways to run windows programs on Mac, both ways will require you to install windows on a Mac and they are:

1. Boot into Windows at startup - This way will dedicate 100% of the processors power to Windows and Windows applications. The only problem is that you can't use Mac OS X and Mac applications again until you restart.

2. Use Virtualization software - This lets you run Mac OS X and Windows side by side. You can switch between them as easily as you'd switch between Mac applications.

The first option is known as duel booting and it means having more than one operating system installed on your System. When your computer starts, it prompts you and asks which operating system you'd like to run. To carry out this procedure you can use a program called Boot Camp which is available for download from the Apple website. The problem with this way is that you need to re-boot in order to switch between Mac and Windows applications. Now Depending on what you do and how you work, this is either a minor inconvenience or a big deal.

You see you can't copy and paste between Mac and Windows programs. And when you want to run a Windows program, you have to close everything you were working on, shut down the Mac, and restart it in Windows - and then reverse the whole process when you're done. This can become quite time consuming and annoying if you need to regularly switch between the two operating systems. So what is the solution to this problem?

This is where option 2 looks a lot more appealing, Virtualization! Virtualization, also known as Virtual Computing, allows you to run an OS inside an OS. It uses software to emulate PC hardware and create a "virtual machine" running alongside the Mac operating system, giving instant access to any desired Windows applications. This means you can run both windows application and Mac programs side by side and switch between the two seamlessly. The best Virtualization Software on the Market is released by Parallels Software, and the great thing about their program is that it is Free to download, so you can start running windows programs with a Mac today! If you use Microsoft Office for Work or frequently need access to Windows applications alongside your Mac software then Virtualization is the way to go.

Therefore if you were wondering, can you install Windows on a Mac Computer, then wonder no more as your dream has become reality. You have two options at your disposal; you can either use the duel booting method or grab some good virtualization software, most users find virtualization the most convenient route as you will be Running Windows programs with Mac and your original Mac Programs side by side. For a more thorough look at how the two methods work and the tools required to Run windows on a Mac visit the link below...

Do you need To Run Windows Programs on a Mac? Don't Worry It can be done quite easily with the right tools, learn more on How to Run Windows on Mac and make the switch Today! Personally I use virtualization to run windows programs and play those glorious windows games on my Mac. The program is use is Parallels Desktop 4.0, it is Free to download, and it will let you to run both Windows and Mac Programs Side By Side, Allowing you to access the best of both worlds!

Real Estate Flyer Templates - Easy to Find and Design

2011-12-07T12:25:00.001-08:00

If you want some free real estate flyer templates you don't have to look any further than your own computer. Here's how you can find quickly find a diversity of good ones if you use Microsoft Word.

Turn on your computer and click on the Microsoft Word icon to open up a new document. Once you do that click on "new document:, which will then give you drop down list of different types of documents you can create; flyers will be one of them.

Next, click on "flyers". That will take you to a screen that says "event, marketing, real estate and other flyers." Click on "real estate" and you'll see a link that says "for rent or sale." Click on it and you'll have the following options to select from;

house flyer with tear off tabs

house for sale flyer with photo, map and floor layout

for sale by owner flyer, and

apartment for rent flyer, with tear off contact information

I've used these templates on a number of occasions and find them to be very useful, plus I save a lot of time using them. Designing my own is fine, but it's always easier for me to create something new when I have templates to work with. What about you?

So, what's left now for you to do is to personalize the flyers with the particulars of the property you're advertising; then distribute them.

I love using flyers and am not quite sure why I don't use them more often than I do. Happy prospecting and good luck with these and other templates that you come across.

Check out Real Estate Marketing Talk do discover how to get more real leads and listings using real estate flyer templates.

Graphic Design Training

2011-12-06T15:31:00.001-08:00

If you think you would enjoy a career creating images to excite and motivate others, you will find that graphic design training is readily available. Vocational schools often offer instruction in creative arts using several different types of media. Courses involved may include print, digital imaging, animation, video, and motion pictures.

The best graphic design schools teach students to create art through drawing, digital production, interactive media design, 3D computer graphics, and web design, among others. Graphic design training can empower students with a thorough knowledge of industry standard software, giving future designers the necessary skills to create and develop visual effects for movies, video games, websites and other areas of graphic design.

Graphic design training is critical to students who desire occupations in fields of advertising, fashion design, game art design, interior design, interactive media design, animation, residential planning, and website design. While graphic design has always been closely allied to technology and reproduction, it became its own discipline in the 1990s when educators and professionals embraced the desktop computer and desktop publishing software as their essential tools.

Art students now have options for executing their creativity using computers, such as Apple Mac computers and PCs; they also have many choices of useful software programs. Graphic design students will have many opportunities to get classroom experience with software such as Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PageMaker, QuarkXPress, Macromedia Freehand, Fireworks, Paint Shop Pro, Corel Graphics Suite, and many others.

Establishments that employ graphic designers provide commercial art or graphic design services for publishers, advertising agencies, and other industrial franchises. Those who have completed their graphic design education may become professional artists, and they may engage in the production of commercial art. However, some graphic design students may choose to specialize in areas such as medical art, or they may provide drafting services for manufacturing and architectural firms.

If you would like to learn more about Graphic Design Training [http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/3/graphic_design_schools.html%20], Graphic Design Schools, or even Online Graphic Design Schools, you will find more in-depth information and resources on our website.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.

Design Kitchen Cupboards With 3D Software

2011-12-06T03:22:00.001-08:00

The use of a pencil to design kitchen cupboards is long gone and having the right 3D software is essential to proving your client with a professional drawing of your kitchen. Some design programs are very difficult to use and you might even need to study tutorials or a manual to learn the program but there are also programs that are very user-friendly and give photon realistic picture rendering.

KitchenDraw is one of these design programs. I've used it for almost 6 years now and haven't looked back. What makes using the software so easy is the fast that you just have to drag and drop the kitchen units into the floor plan to draw the layout of your kitchen and once you're done you just push a button to do the photo realistic rendering. The photo realistic feature blows me away every time. The picture is so reals it looks like a photo of a real kitchen. If a program doesn't give you great photo realistic rendering don't even think of buy it. After all the finished picture is the most important part of making the sale. If a client likes the designs of their new kitchen cupboards you're just about sold. When you select the units you can adjust the length, width and height as well as how high you want the unit to be of the floor. This is especially important if your tall units are not standard heights and you have to align the wall units with it.

Another great feature is the color textures you can program into it. If you want your cupboards to be a wall nut finish all you have to do is look for a wall nut photo and add it to the KitchenDraw texture catalog. The software comes with the basic colors for kitchens but every country has their own boards and finishes that they manufacture so it's essential to be able to add the colors that your clients kitchen is actually going to be finished in. You can also program your own standard size units in it. So if your standard height of your wall units are 1080mm high you can make all the wall units that height. The same goes for the width. If you only use standard sizes like 400mm, 500mm and 600mm you can create units to be those widths.

One thing I like about KitchenDraw is the fact that they give you the option where you can either buy the software in a full version or you can buy hours. I personally prefer buying hours because it allows me to stretch my budget as I need it. KitchenDraw can be downloaded free of charge and to top it off they give you 30 free hours to practice with. After the 30 free hours are finished you can buy more hours form them at very affordable prices.

Hands down I think KitchenDraw is one of the best and most user-friendly design software programs I've ever used to do kitchen cupboards with and really recommend it to anyone that as a kitchen business.

Hi my name in Julian Venter. I am a 3d designs and kitchen cupboards specialist. If you would like to find out more about 3D Kitchen Designs or Kitchen Cupboards please visit these links.

Kitchen Design Made Easy

2011-12-05T14:23:00.001-08:00

Kitchen design can often seem like a long, drawn out affair, which is destined to end in nothing but disappointment. After all, there are so many things that can go wrong when you're trying to design a kitchen it doesn't bare thinking about. However, by simply applying the right mindset and going through the design process in a thoughtful and meticulous manner, you can make things significantly easier.

Before you do anything you need to ensure you have the right attitude towards your kitchen design. Don't see it as added work that you could be doing without. Consider it a rewarding project and take a pro-active approach. You'll quickly find that there despite all the pressures involved, there are many interesting twists and turns along the design process.

Measure up your kitchen and use design software to ensure you create a kitchen where everything fits in. Furniture, appliances and other kitchen mainstays can easily be put into a space but using that space efficiently is the difference between a successful kitchen design and one that doesn't work as well.

Remain consistent in your choices when you start shopping for kitchen accessories. Everything doesn't have to match up perfectly, but if nothing goes together you'll end up with an incredibly disjointed design and nobody wants that. Try to focus on a central theme to ensure you achieve a nice flow.

Finally, invest time and effort in picking out lighting schemes that will introduce warmth to your kitchen design. Nobody wants to spend time in a dark, cold feeling room and the right lighting will ensure this isn't a factor with your kitchen.

These represent just a few tips on getting your kitchen design done without any major disasters. However, there is much more to learn so make sure you take the time to do your homework.

There's more information on kitchen design at the Kitchen Design Site.

How to Get Rid of Trojan Virus - 5 Easy Steps to Get Rid of Trojan Horse Virus

2011-12-04T22:18:00.001-08:00

Before we can know how to get rid of trojan virus we need to specify exactly what it is and how it differs from a normal computer virus. A trojan horse virus is a form of malware (malicious software) that leaves your computer open to attack, and derives its name from the famous Greek legend of The Trojan Horse.

The Trojan Horse was used by the ancient Greeks to trick their way into the once impregnable city of the Trojans (Troy) and secretly send in soldiers to open the gates and allow the rest of the Greek army in to take over and conquer the city.

In the same way, computer trojan viruses disguise themselves as seemingly harmless pieces of software or desired files, but then "open the gates" to other forms of malicious software, spyware, keyloggers etc...leaving you open to anything from someone stealing your credit card information, to some basement-dwelling geek gaining remote access to your computer and files. So the trojan virus' real damage is done in its ability to compromise your computer's security and leave it open to other dangers.

So while a normal computer virus is lethal in itself and can "mutate" and infect other parts of your system, the trojan allows other digital nasties in through the back door. The good news is that this makes it easier to identify and get rid of trojan virus.

How did you get the trojan virus on your computer?

As mentioned above, the trojan virus is often disguised as a normal looking file, so maybe it was an mp3 music file, a patch for a game, an online video, or even a jpeg image file. Either way, it's on your computer, so how do you get rid of trojan horse virus?

Here are the 5 things you need to do right now to get rid of trojan horse virus and avoid it returning:

1. Make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date and includes all the latest patches and virus, spyware definitions. This will be your first port of call when trying to get rid of trojan virus.

2. Run a system and registry scan to identify the evil trojan virus and then zap it into oblivion to get rid of it. Since it resides within an unimportant file you can easily delete it to get rid of trojan virus - whereas other computer viruses are more tricky to get rid of and need to be "quarantined" to stop them infecting other files on your system.

3. If you know the name of the trojan horse virus then you can check online for information on how to get rid of the trojan virus in question. Microsoft has regular updates on it's site about trojan viruses that affect Windows machines. Online forums also provide you a wealth of information about how to get rid of a trojan horse virus.

4. You could also try to get rid of the trojan virus manually. Check your Task Manager (press Ctrl +Alt +Del on Windows) to identify any programs that may be running in the background that shouldn't be - i.e. they started without your knowledge. If you see any such program, make a note of it's name, click its name to highlight it and click End Task. Open your Control Panel (click the Start menu) and use the Add/Remove programs to find the nasty blighter in question and get rid of it. Be careful with this though as you may end up wrongly deleting a file that is important to your system.

5. Overall you should take a look at your online habits and see how certain actions may compromise the security of your computer and your personal information. If you use Peer-2-Peer (P2P) file-sharing networks then take extra care on what you download, and make sure everything is run through your anti-virus / spyware scanning software first, to get rid of trojan virus that may be attempting to access your system.

How many of your personal details do you enter on your computer on a regular basis? For instance, do you bank online, or pay bills or a credit card? Perhaps you buy gifts and other purchases online? According to CNN, if you use the internet there is a 90% chance that your computer is infected with spyware. How can you be sure that your information is not being viewed by a third party right now?

Put your mind at rest and perform a FREE scan here How To Get Rid Of Trojan Virus.

Graphic Design Degrees - What Career Options Are Available?

2011-12-04T09:37:00.001-08:00

There is a common misconception that graphic design jobs limit you to the words and graphics on a printed page. There is so much more to the career field than that. If you are thinking of getting a graphic design degree, you may be wondering what career options are available after you graduate. Listed below are just a few of the choices.

Creative/Art Director - With a degree in graphic design, you can work as a creative director for many different forms of media, such as newspapers, magazines, and television networks. Creative directors are in charge of a team of artists, designers, and photographers, anyone that is needed to produce a company's media products.

Logo Designer - One of the most important items to a company is their logo. It is how the public sets them apart from other similar companies. As a logo designer, you will work with executives to design a creative look for the company. You will produce letterhead, signs, and promotional materials.

Website Designer - Website designers need to have the right mix of creativity and technical ability. They need to know the many different programming languages that go into making a website. Many start as freelance consultants and will work with many different companies designing websites.

There are many different opportunities and career paths that a graphic designer can take. It is good to determine your ultimate career goal prior to entering a program. Because, just like the variety of the career field, the different degree program are extremely varied as well.

The author is a contributor for Online Game Degree & Game Degrees, and reviews and compares many stores online.

Bathroom Remodeling Software

2011-12-03T19:10:00.001-08:00

Bathroom remodeling software is a software solution that helps in remodeling bathrooms. It makes the initial tasks such as designing, estimating, and scheduling much easier.

Bathroom remodeling software can be divided into two modules: designing and estimation. The software helps you to design the bathroom according to your budget and ideas. Designs can be viewed in three-dimensional formats, and expenses for the whole process can be formulated.

The graphic program in the software allows you to draw the floor layout before mapping the bathroom in specified dimensions. The software enables you to create a three-dimensional model of the existing bathroom with available facilities. Then, you can start designing and make desired changes in the bathroom. You can also modify the position, size, and number of accessories in the bathroom. The software has a good sense of interior design and style, which aids redesigning of the bathroom without the use of paper and pencil.

Bathroom remodeling software offers an accurate estimate of the whole process, including the cost of the contractors as well as operating expenses such as demolition, framing, bathroom flooring, bathroom cabinets, plumbing, and electrical work. The cost of different bathroom fixtures, necessary tools, and other decorative bathroom elements are also included in the estimate. The software also assists in contract writing and management of the remodeling project.

Remodeling software also calculates the material and labor cost, after updating the material prices and the current labor costs. Bathroom remodeling software also sets time schedules for the workers, material deliveries, and various project-related tasks.

There are also contact details of designers, in case you are seeking help in redesigning your bathroom. The built-in address book in the bathroom remodeling software helps you to organize and record leads and contacts. If you are employing people, the software is capable of tracking receivables, creating professional billing statements, and handling allowances.

Landscape Design Software - A Helpful Landscape Application For Property Owners

2011-12-03T04:08:00.001-08:00

Landscape design software is the device utilized to draw landscape ideas and view landscaping tasks using the assistance of the computer. Both DIY enthusiasts and expert landscapers make use of such devices for making the most of work results and attaining their objectives. Because of professional software applications, it's not only possible to decrease the amount of work, but also to eliminate plenty of inconveniences. You could make modifications, get a general concept about how the house will look like and so on.

You are able to find landscape software both for free download or in pay-for-program packages. If you would like some thing easy to assist you to sketch a landscaping plan or make drawings, a totally free device might be the right thing to use. Google has this kind of a sketching plan, but it is not the only one. The best factor to perform is to search for the best-reviewed landscape designing software and check the related attributes of each program. This may offer you a concept about how simple it is to work using the tool and exactly what it can do.

Then, paid landscape software is normally classified in expert groups. Landscaping designers may always have some top-notch instruments to operate with. They cost an enormous deal of cash for drawing up your landscape ideas but they could make miracles in terms of landscape plan sketching. However, the typical property owner won't go to the extent of buying this kind of programs: it might be too high an investment for too low needs. However, if you check online, you'll identify that there are quite many landscape design software applications which receive bad testimonials and feedback from users.

How simple is it to operate? This is the primary query you have to find a solution to prior to purchasing some landscape design software. Too complicated settings or functions and difficulty to install are just two of the typical issues encountered with a few products. And the internet is full of tales about unfortunate choices. Check the features and try a demo model of a plan, if some totally free landscape design software does not meet up with your needs.

It's in forums and specific web sites which you will locate links to nicely esteemed software program designers. The extremely superior forms of the applications allow for landscaping plan sketching in related circumstances with architectural design. Most frequently the format is CAD-like, and the operation of the program needs particular training or work expertise.

These are only a few issues to maintain in mind while searching for landscaping design software, and you ought to go much more in depth when you have to fulfill some high professional requirements.

Are you looking for new and interesting landscape ideas for creating a stunning backyard paradise in your home? Landscape design software can help you implement your creative landscaping design ideas that will allow you to use your outdoor space year round for entertaining and casual use. Get more information at outddoorlandscapingideas.com

HTML Web Design Versus CMS

2011-12-02T14:48:00.001-08:00

Web design is an important consideration for all kinds of people, from small businesses to artists building a portfolio to large corporations. Every company needs a website, but there's more to it than that. Good quality web design is required to make even the simplest site readable and easily navigable. This is where graphic designers come in.

Depending on a client's needs, a designer can produce a simple page with minimal information (contact details, hours of operation, directions and similar important facts) or a complex multipage site made for use by many people. The type of web design involved is going to be dictated by the scope of the site required and the particular needs of the client. For a relatively small page that won't change much, traditional HTML is quite useful, but for a larger and more complicated site, a CMS, or content management system may be a good idea.

CMS based sites allow the addition, removal, or changing of content from multiple locations, and make it easy to alter a website without causing problems. This kind of web design is an excellent choice for companies which don't employ a webmaster, artists who need to update their galleries regularly, and sites that have special content (such as members only).

Content management systems offer a user the ability to do a portion of their own web design through a simple text editor - a lot like Microsoft Word or other major word processing programs. This means that people without a background in web design can still add or remove content, expanding the site as they please without the need to hire a designer for every change. For a large, dynamic website, this is the ideal solution, as well as the most cost effective one.

Systems of this kind usually also make use of a database for storing artifacts, content, and other information the system might need - usually in XML format. Then, there's a presentation layer based on a set of web design templates that actually displays the content to viewers of the website. Plug-ins and modules can be added to extend the functionality of the site, as well, and active CMS software is updated regularly to keep the website up to current standards.

However, for a small, simple page that won't change often, has only one maintainer, or doesn't include a lot of information, a CMS is overkill. The money spent on the content management system and the web design could be a lot less if a basic HTML page were used. In this example, the CMS is unnecessary and its features aren't being taken advantage of properly.

It's important for web design professionals and their customers to know which approach to use in which situation. After all, while a CMS might have all the latest features and be great for use in some circumstances, it'll be a waste of time and money on another website. Careful attention to this kind of problem is extremely important.

Anyone who's going to be involved in web design should take the time to consider which type of website is going to get the job done best. For complex sites that need to be editable by untrained staff and which change a lot, a CMS is the best bet. However, web design for a simple, static site doesn't need to be that complex. It all depends on the situation.

How to Make Logos - Create Logos the Easy Way

2011-12-01T19:13:00.001-08:00

Learning how to make logos isn't a difficult process, even if you've never attempted it before. If you want to create a logo for your business, you can use your own design or create one using a software program. For anyone who doesn't have software that will create logos, it's easy to find graphics online that are free to use. However, you must always be careful to only use logos that don't have any copyrights. Stock free graphics and photography can be found on numerous sites, and these are a good choice for anyone wants a logo that can be used quickly and easily.

When you are learning how to make logos, keep in mind that a well designed logo will give your company a positive image. You can also use your logo for all of your marketing materials. This is a good idea anyway, because people will come to associate your logo with you and your business. However, a logo that isn't designed well can be damaging to products your company sells. Custom logos can be created when you first sketch your designs. When you have the look that you like, you can begin creating your logo on the computer. If you're skilled at using various programs and software, you can create a logo yourself. If you choose to have a logo designed for your business, there are easy ways to accomplish this.

Creating logos is something that desktop publishers and programmers understand, but it may not be easy or convenient for the average business owner. If you're in the start up phase and working with a limited budget, you may choose to have a logo designed for you. Not only is this a good option for a business owner, but schools, churches, non profits, civic organizations, and sports teams can all benefit by having a custom designed logo. If you already have a design in mind, you can have a designer create what you want from your sketch or photo.

When you want to learn how to make logos but really don't have the time, why not have a logo made for you that's going to be distinctive, and can be created quickly and easily. By using iron on transfers, logos can be created for your business or organization that will get noticed. Using transfers is something that you can do yourself or you can have them applied to apparel or other items without doing any of the work yourself. You can have logos applied to shirts, caps, or other apparel that is sold by the company, or send your own items to have the logos professionally applied.

Rhinestone transfers are a fabulous way of 'blinging up' apparel such as t shirts, jackets, caps and even wine coolers! By following a few simple instructions, you can even apply these transfers yourself with a household iron. Rhinestones transfers can be custom made for children's names, birthdays, bride and hen's nights, sporting groups, promotional products, business logos... the list is almost endless.

For great Iron on Transfers and further details on How To Make Logos in fabulous iron on rhinestones, why not visit Blingworks to make you stand out from the crowd.

Computer Gaming Design Schools

2011-12-01T04:09:00.001-08:00

Computer gaming design schools have a curriculum that helps students prepare for a challenging career in the game industry. It includes programming, software engineering, animation, multimedia, computer science and graphics. The people involved are programmers, software engineers and project coordinators.

Some schools also offer a Bachelor of Arts Game Design Degree (BA). This degree covers everything that students need to know about game production. This game design program includes everything from planning to the finished product. With a Bachelor of Arts Game Design Degree students will be able to implement their ideas and develop them into computer games.

The game industry is looking for talented young people who have imagination and skill to develop innovative games. A lot of gaming design schools offer online programs with a wide selection of courses. Other colleges offer a range of other multimedia and IT programs that will prepare aspiring designers for a career in the development of video games.

Many computer schools have now started to offer specialized programs and degrees geared towards game design and game production. Developing graphics is another important part of designing games. Education related to digital game production prepares people for a challenging job in this fast growing industry. The skills are not just limited to the game industry. A line of business within film, TV and other forms of multimedia production is also an option after receiving a game design degree. There is a list of video game design schools that offers all kinds of different programs related to game design.

It is always advisable to take into consideration a lot of things before joining any computer gaming design school. Most of these courses are expensive and a student needs to decide a specific area of specialization before opting for a suitable school that fulfills all the needs and requirements. Accreditation of the computer school should be ascertained before enrolling in one.

Cheap Home Designer Software - Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0

2011-11-30T15:56:00.001-08:00

One of the best cheap home designer software around is a program produced by the professional 3D architectural software company Chief Architect. Their latest version of the program is Better Homes and Garden Home Designer Suite 8.0 and it has received its fare share of reviews on both software magazines, as well as in architecture websites. It has definitely become a mainstay in the home design software industry and at just around $100, one should be able to get his own hands on this impressive piece of software.

At a Glance

One of the primary reasons why this program has become so popular is because of the fact that it was designed and developed by such a successful designer software company. Chief Architect have released dozens of programs in the past that encompass other aspects of the industry, and their services even extend to training and customer support. This time around, with the new Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0, they have come up with yet another effective program that will serve as an excellent tool towards a beautifully designed home.

Aside from a comprehensive user manual, the kit will also include more than 30 video tutorials that should be helpful for most types of users.

The Pros

Purchasing this program will bring forth a lot of benefits for users of all skill levels. Even first-timers shouldn't have too much trouble using this software simply because it is very user friendly and quite straightforward. Although it does involve a myriad of different features, it is still very easy to use and navigate through. Besides, included in the kit are a variety of tutorials that will cover a multitude of subjects regarding the software. Also on board is a large database that holds a lot of accomplished home plans that can be used as samples or as a point of reference. An added bonus is the landscaping software which makes this an even more impressive cheap home designer software.

The Cons

As with any home designer program, the Better Homes and Gardens Designer Suite 8.0 still has its share of cons, albeit seemingly workable once the bigger picture is taken into consideration. For one, custom designing stairs and roofs might pose as quite a challenge, especially for those who lack the experience in using these types of programs. An even bigger problem is that the designs and blueprints produced by this program are not at the professional level. However, the price tag it comes with is definitely able to make up for any minor shortcomings it may have.

You can read more about Home Designer Suite 8.0 including customer reviews at Home Design Software.

On the Importance of Good User Interface Design

2011-11-30T01:46:00.001-08:00

It seems obvious, but it's often ignored. A good user interface design can spell the difference between acceptance of a software product and its failure in the marketplace. If the end-users find the software to be too cumbersome or difficult to understand, then an otherwise excellent product could be doomed to failure. The developer's goal should be to make the software as professional-looking and easy to use as possible.

Sadly, I've found that a great many companies--especially small or highly specialized software firms--pay little attention to the mechanics of good user interface style. "As long as it works, that's what matters!" seems to be their mantra, with little regard for the inconvenience that this imposes on the user.

Thankfully, that's not how we operate at our company. Our team of developers invests considerable effort into making out user interfaces as intuitive and foolproof as possible, since we know that this is something our customers would appreciate. I've often commended my teammates for recognizing that excellence is worth pursuing.

Going back to the topic... I can't remember how many times I've encountered software that was designed to work, but with little regard for ease of use. If the software forces the operator to constantly consult a manual or a cheat sheet, then that's a pretty good indication that the user interface needs improvement. Similarly, the software should allow the user to perform tasks quickly and efficiently, without sacrificing power and flexibility. This seems intuitive, and yet these considerations are so often lacking.

The sad part is that these shortcomings can often be cured using a few simple guidelines. For example, it helps if the user can enter data using buttons and list boxes, instead of typing it in by hand. It helps if the software provides pop-up dialog boxes, to guide the user along the way. Even the judicious choice of icons and other graphics can turn a steep learning curve into a short and gentle slope.

For that matter, even such trivial matters as spelling and grammar deserve attention. Poorly phrased instructions can severely hinder an operator--and even if they don't, they do reflect poorly on the developers of that application.

There is much more that can be said about the mechanics of good user interface design, but that's a topic on which entire book can be (and have been) written. Suffice to say that a company that strives for excellence should pay close attention to the elements of software usability and flexibility. These are critical elements of software excellence, and they are worth pursuing.

About The Author

V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D. is a senior electrical and software engineer at Cellular Technology Ltd (http://www.immunospot.com, http://www.elispot-analyzers.de [http://www.elispot.cn]) where he serves with great pride. He has seen how proper attention to software usability, maintainability and elegance can spell the difference between mediocre products and great ones.

How to Design a Simple Brochure From Home

2011-11-29T03:45:00.001-08:00

Can this be done? I mean, can you actually print brochures from home? Well, if you have a home based business and you do not have the resources to hire a layout artist or a creative artist, then you just have to work on it yourself.

The only thing you need to get you started is to let your creative juices flow. Tap into your talents and you might even be surprised to find out that you actually have skills to become a professional layout artist. How would you like that?

Anyway, this article is a simple step-by-step guide in printing brochures for your home business right at the comforts of your home. There are a lot of ways to this but the main point here is that you just have to be creative and innovative.

Before you begin your project, be sure that you have the following: a printer that can print on card stock, scissors or paper cutter, Word Processing Software, pens or pencils. With these simple supplies, you are now ready to print brochures from home.

Follow these simple steps to create your very own brochure:

Step 1: From your Word Processing software, create a new document. Some software has ready templates for your brochure printing project. Choose from among the many samples then start filling in the blanks.

These templates are helpful especially if you are a newbie or inexperienced. These templates are easy to use and you will just have to add images or text to a pre-designed brochure template. Add clip-arts, photos and text to the blanks screen. Experiment with colors and shapes. Let your imagination run wild.

Step 2: Now that you have created the document, you can now go ahead with the designing of the brochures. When you design, always remember the purpose why you need this particular marketing tool. Try to visualize your recipient and then design something for them. A lot of people often make the mistake of designing something for themselves and not for the intended recipient.

Step 3: Brochure printing. When you are ready to print, check the settings on your printer so that it can print on the usually thicker than usual bond paper.

Voila! With these three easy steps, you have created for yourself an inexpensive, original, professional marketing tool for your home business. More than the satisfaction that you created something yourself, you should also find joy from the fact that you were able to this without a dent on your resources.

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in print brochures or brochure printing industry that help businesses in their marketing and advertising campaigns.

Design Business Cards - A Do It Yourself Guide

2011-11-28T13:14:00.001-08:00

If you are starting a small business with a limited budget that doesn't allow you to hire a graphic designer to design business cards for you, then there is no need to lose heart. There are plenty of software programs available to help you prepare your own unique business cards in a matter of minutes. In the process, if you become a professional designer, blame it on the business card designing software. Business card software will save you time and money.

Business card printing on your own with the help of business card design software will require patience and a little graphic design skill. Most of the software cost is normally below $100. Business card templates can be downloaded free of cost. Business card templates also come free with business card designer software.

Color business cards can be printed with the help of your desktop and inkjet printer. To print color business cards the printer should be one with high quality if you are to achieve the best-looking business cards. Choose pre-designed paper if you are not sure about the kind of customization you need. Though using pre-designed paper will give your business cards the same look as others that use the same paper. Still it's a great way to start your business with a tight budget.

Printing business cards on your own is simple and you do not have to be a professional to do it. Just run the business card designing software. Choose your font, design and template. Select some good quality paper and start printing. While printing business cards select good quality paper. Complicated graphics may look great on the pc but when it comes out on print the quality will not be as good. Therefore, it's better to select simple graphics. There is no reason why you cannot print business cards like a professional. Even if your business cards do not come out like a professional printer people will still do business with you and would trust your sincerity.

Business card printing on your own is a good idea when you have a very short time at your disposal. People resort to business card printing when the required quantity of cards is small. Changing addresses or products regularly would also necessitate changes in your business cards. For this purpose, printing business cards on your pc is the best option. However, the idea may not be very good if you have an established business and constantly need cards in the range of 500 - 1000.

3D Animation Design - Download the Best 3d Animation Graphics Making Software

2011-11-28T00:36:00.001-08:00

Interested in creating 3D animation magic?

It is not surprising that more and more people are now getting in on the trend that is everything 3D - animations, graphics, architectural designs, and games - they are all moving forward towards a higher end, three dimensional look. They are more alive this way and more realistic thus having a greater appeal to whomever views it.

So are you looking forward to do the same kind of 3D computer animation effects and layouts?

It can be quite inspiring when you see your favorite 3D cartoon characters pop out of the screen or maybe you get the most intense rush each time you hit it with your favorite 3D games. Now it is no secret that there are a lot of 3D animation software and programs that abound to help you in making all of your visions into a reality. With these 3D tools in your hands, you can make, create, build, and set up whatever your creative juices desire.

The 3D animation software that the giant studios use are well known. Those that have created the most popular characters like Shrek or Po Panda are out there in the market for anyone to use but if you do not have the same budget like that of the 3D animation studios, then is it the end of the road for you?

Certainly not. If you want to learn 3D design and become your very won top creator right from your own home, there are choices of 3D softwares and programs available to you now which will allow you to get started with your 3D career in animation!

Create the best 3D animations that are unforgettable and exciting with the best 3D animation software you can put up right from your own home. Catch the ultimate animation 3D program before the best deals runs out!

The State Of Graphic Design In Jordan

2011-11-27T07:48:00.001-08:00

Jordan's unique geographical position results in its experts choosing self development, which includes graphic design. Experts are also involved with developments taking place in neighbouring countries and the internet was extremely useful in putting interested parties in these two fields in touch with each other and sharing possible development tools. The development of Graphic Design is also assisted by annual exhibitions and specialised conferences held both in Jordan and outside the Arab world.

The academic and professional specialists for the basis in developing graphic design through the formation of local learning institutions. In these institutions academics, programmers and graphic design teachers can meet with professional designers and discuss the way business is moving forward and requirements of the labour market.

Practical training is considered the foundation of Graphic Design, upon which the academic skill of the student and his creativity are built. Working in a design office is considered to be the most important and effective tool in measuring the level of academic learning. It also gives an indication of the effectiveness of teachers in producing a generation of students capable of dealing with the academic ethos and engaging with the requirements of the profession. This training provides the students with opportunities to polish and develop their skills by working along side established practitioners. Today's graphic design tools rely on information technology for producing visualisations of scientific developments. This visualisation requires an understanding of the scientific theory and the visualisation tools available, which in turn relies on the expertise of graphic designers.

In this paper I will focus on the profession of graphic design and its development by discussing its early development. I will review the positive and negative aspects of that development and how they related to changes in the market and the size of the market and labour force. I will also discuss the academic concepts, and the requirement for graduate graphic designers.

In this paper I draw from my experience of working in Jordan since 1987 at the MIDAS Establishment and my roles in student training at Yarmouk University and the Applied Sciences University, which I had been attached to since 1999. This paper addresses many questions and aims to explore the mechanics of enhancing graphic design in the academic and professional sectors.

The historic and technical initial stages of graphic design in Jordan

Graphic design developed alongside the printing and information technology industries. Printing was brought to Jordan in the 1940s by people who had learnt the trade in other countries. Jordan's printing evolution was similar to that of other countries. Printing started using wooden moulds, then zinc clichés and letterpress, as well as other printing tools, symbols and shapes. It was the printing technology that restricted the scope for producing new designs. The range of items printed was limited to newspapers, cards and stationary. Printing started mainly in black and white, and was then developed to make photo made clichés through which the printers were able to print in full colour. Typolography, or raised printing was the main method and is still used today. Offset printing enhanced the quality of production, providing improvements in colour and picture reproduction. Around the same time the role of the graphic designer was developed, involving the preparation of makettes and then film montage and plates to be ready for printing (prepress); this relied on the professionalism of the film montage technician for the preparation of backgrounds for the pictures and words. Prepress was considered the most important process in the production of the final printed article. This process was carried out at the prepress service centre which was limited to a single institution until 1987. This centre had the capability and technology to perform a range of techniques where an artistic touch was required.

In the late sixties, design pioneers were not graphic designers, but had learnt the technologies of collage and calligraphy. They were able to imitate designs from abroad and in some instances reproduced them. Their work initially ranged from greetings cards, business cards, social stationary, letterheads and envelopes, then progressed to brochures and folders. The work was mainly limited to newspaper advertising which relied predominantly on the offset printing method. We shouldn't forget the air brush technology that provided designers with the use of graded colours, achieving three dimensional effects for some designs, although the number of people using this was limited.

From 1980-87 design was performed by specialists in Plastic Arts and Architecture, as well as the first graduates of the college of arts at Yarmuok University and similar institutions. By the end of the eighties, the computer Linotype was used as a publishing tool by newspapers to prepare text for layout and paste it on the required pages next to advertising. Some publishing houses have graphic design offices which also acquired these systems to ensure the production of books and magazines to a similar quality. Linotype was also used to prepare the design of brochures and advertising materials that cannot be hand drawn. With time Linotype was also used for the preparation of other material by this method, including greeting cards, posters and advertisements.

The design and printing sectors found the computer to be an effective way of improving productivity. In 1988 with the arrival of the first design computer by Apple Macintosh, the numbers of workers in the field increased and performance progressed in the pre-printing stages such as film making and separation. However, the expense of computers meant that there use was still limited. The production of personal computers by competitors of Apple Macintosh as well as the ease with which film can be processed through its programs, created a huge increase in the number of professionals interested in graphic design. This became evident by the growth in the number of agencies, design offices, publishing houses and service centres.

Personal computers affected the technical and artistic aspects of production. Some production centres were able to develop their skill base and by recruiting experienced designers and developing them by organising training courses. These highly trained individuals achieved high standards of work within and outside Jordan and were able to compete with others in the Arab regions and captured a share of these markets, producing many publications. Jordanian specialists became serious competitors against other Arab countries which had previously monopolised the fields of design and printing. Jordan has developed so that it can meet the demand for design and printing within the country. Jordan has become a magnet for many publishing houses in the Arab region. Many production and publishing organisations were able to catch up to the levels of the latest technology. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that they will develop further, using modern production tools, and this will ensure there are enough local specialists who can continue to produce work of the highest quality.

The pace of technological development made it necessary for the academic institutions to provide the Jordanian market with the skilled workers who can work to the high standards required. These institutions have to continually adapt to the advancing technology as well as support the academics in their quest to enhance the artistic, scientific and technological aspects of production and publishing. Relationships must also be strengthened by co-operation between business leaders and academic institutions in order to provide the mutual benefit of improve standards, with the ultimate aim of keeping up with both local and international developments.

The easiest way to judge the standard of design and printing in a country is through the newspapers, magazines and books published. Television also provides a showcase for visual communication through locally produced advertisements. The speed of printing development has made impositions on graphic design and the designers themselves. Designers have to continuously update their training to keep abreast of new technology. This enables them to be at the forefront of improving quality and creativity in all aspects of production.

The advantages and disadvantages of sectors allied with graphic design

When discussing the organisations involved in design and production in Jordan it is easy to become overwhelmed by the variety and abundance of them. These organisations saturate the market. One of the reasons for the number of organisations is the variety of production formats, each of which has its own structure. Computerisation has lead to many operators being made unemployed.

Production sources can be divided into;

- Design

- Commercial printing

- Publishing houses

- Pre-press services centres

- Computer software training centres

These are the organisations where people often look for graphic designers, although most of them do not have academically trained staff who specialise in graphic design. Many of the people who own these organisations have chosen to specialise. Some of them specialised because the profession does not require a large capital outlay, others specialised because they had a knowledge of the tools used. Most appear to have specialised because this provides them with status in their community.

Although there are many organisations working in graphic design, the workers and owners in these establishments often lack awareness of the professional graphic design concepts as they have not studied the subject in depth. Employment opportunities for graduates only began to develop after 2000 when some organisations recognised the need for such skilled workers and academic institutions were able to produce professionals of this standard. The impression of graphic design graduates has changed so companies are no longer choosing graduates who studied abroad. Design establishments have noticed the high quality of products which trained graduates can produce with their competence and skills, and their ability to use the full range of design and printing equipment. Without this properly structured training program, experience had been gained through hap-hazard on the job training.

One of the weaknesses of those producing the designs is that they are not always confident about how to use the latest techniques. They often ask advice and prefer to work within their comfort zones, failing to produce designs that would demand a great deal of time, effort or care. Graduates are much more comfortable with change and willing to develop new skills. There are a few professionals, however, who have been invaluable in the development of graphic design by training others and developing their own technical and professional skills. These people have also monitored the pace of development in the fields of printing and graphic design.

Many of the professionals have established themselves thorough the high quality of the work they produce. This is not possible without a capable, aware and educated body of co-workers, who have scientific knowledge and are creative rather than imitating the work of others.

The increasing gap between academic designers and employers, or art directors and creative managers is often due to misunderstanding the role of graphic designers. In industry, the priority of some designers or agency owners is profitability regardless of the quality of the results.

The first problem is that some of the art directors or creative managers are not aware of the importance of their position, and often the employer is equally ignorant of this. Job titles are often arbitrary so artistic or creative managers frequently lack experience and expertise.

There is an absence of a common language between academic designers and managers or employers. This often frustrates designers, creating insecurity and hindering creativity. Such an environment can be an attempt to reduce a designers` status and restricts him from engaging in the creative thinking he would have been taught and university.

Adequacy of the professional reality

Graphic designers are distinguished from other fields by being one of the most creative professions; they work with information technology and visual communication. It also involves dealing with the business world, in which credibility and ability are necessary to achieve the creative work. Qualifications and talent are essential for this.

A graphic designer is not only an artist but also a technician who is able to use software and techniques to tackle the project in hand. His approach should go beyond communication with the audience, to effective promotion and display. His aim is to produce clarity and he should be able to do this from the information using the techniques available to him. The aim is to connect the data and in order to do this must understand the development and design of the software that could be used. He has to understand all the innovations and methods of designing texts.

The design sector requires professionals to have the experience to be able to select and classify information, and to create links between related elements. However, this won't be enough if they can not interpret this and transform it into definite forms. It is also important to understand the vocabularies of with language, sound and music as they are the most important tools of communication. Added to this, the designer must understand how to use the specialised design software to write texts, prepare drawings, animated cartoons and websites. The designer should know about design, timing, transformation, rhythm and visual presentation.

The potential of the design sector should be realised by knowledge of the necessary theories and techniques to improve communication with the audience, enrich the design proposals and understand the reflective aspect of the design process, studies and research.

There is much variation in the qualifications of staff within the design sector. It is important to differentiate between the craftsman and the academic designer. The graphic designer is a complete cultural and intellectual entity that is noted in the sensational theory, linguistic theory, visual eloquence and the cultural history of art, literature, science, technology, industry and humanity. They cannot isolate themselves from developments in theories of communication, information development, and from management and criticism. Moreover to improve the added value of the final product, all methods and tools used in production and publication should be understood. They must understand the stages before the design, and they must understand the printing process and its implications on the design.

The market is crowded with many people working in graphic design. Due to the wide use of graphic design in many fields of work, the widespread use of computers and availability of basic software packages there is a role for people using graphic design without any prior knowledge. The expression of graphic design is still not adequately understood by some employers in industrial and commercial firms and organisations that need graphic design services.

I do not doubt the potential of the vocational sector but this is the reality of graphic design. It must be remembered that well qualified people now occupy high status positions in the Jordanian market, showing its expertise and its ability to demonstrate the highest levels of graphic design.

The size of the market and people working in graphic design

There are now more than five hundred establishments working in graphic design. There are many who would not classify themselves as an agency, centre or office, as they have found their own market niche. Therefore these classifications can not be meaningfully applied in Jordan.

The sector is large compared to the market. The establishment of new graphic design organisations peaked in 1999. Since then, some have declined while others have expanded. Some have stagnated or changed management, while others have merged.

A quick look at the design sector will show that 85% of those working in the field can be classified as;

- Computer science graduates

- Architecture graduates

- Interior design graduates

- Graduates in 'Computers and the Fine Arts' from community colleges

- Fine arts graduates (both graphic design specialists and non-specialists)

- Graduates of design courses run by computer centres

- Unemployed people who are interested in computers

University educated graphic design graduates fulfil an important role because;

- Universities produce Graphic Designers with a different outlook to those mentioned above.

- Organisations run by people who understand graphic design will be better able to develop designers skills and adapt to the future

I am concerned for students who study graphic design at university but do not try to improve his rate of innovation and creativity in order to improve. This will affect whether he is employable.

Academically and scientifically talented students will have few problems because good employers need students who are able to form ideas quickly, use appropriate design programs for his ideas and able to produce those. Other organisations are not useful for the academic designer. These are the push-pull level of the graphic design sector which reflects the levels of awareness of the concepts and functions of graphic design.

The market is capable of absorbing all graduates. This is dependant on the development of visual communication methods through graphic design. Such development requires the presence of skilled workers capable of meeting the needs of the market. This places incentives for educational organisations that deal with design to plan to suit the graphic design market.

The academic reality of graphic design

The emergence of academic institutions that specialised in the arts started at the Yarmouk University where the first arts and music department was established in 1980. This became a faculty in 2001, teaching drama, design (industrial, interior and graphic), plastic arts and music. The university awards bachelor degrees. It started in 2001 at the height of the computer revolution within the design sector in Jordan. In1991 teaching graphic design started as an independent specialisation within the Arts Department at the Applied Sciences University. This was followed by the Ahiya Amman University, the Petra University, Philadelphia University, AlZaytouneh University, the University of Jordan, and later the Israh University.

Apart from universities, during the time when graphic design became popular and a profitable profession, community colleges started teaching graphic design. These included the Al-Quds College, Granada College, Middle University College and Princess Alya College.

The work of the universities that award bachelor degrees is similar to colleges that grant two year diplomas, because both produce students with a certificate in graphic design. But in reality where creativity and technical skills are concerned we find differences. The differences are in the course curricula, and include understanding the production process, product identity, knowledge of software and design innovation.

There is confusion between graphic design and graphic art. These differences affect the student, particularly when he enters employment. He is judged by both his creativity and innovation in producing new ideas and his ability to use technology which now involves the computer, the main graphic design tool.

The reason for these differences becomes clear when we look at the number of workers in the market and where they graduated from. During the time that the largest number of graduates were being produced, the highest quality graduates were produced by well-known institutions and these were recruited by the most successful companies.

A distinction has developed between technicians and designers. This is because some academic institutions concentrate on technology and the practical aspects of design software, whilst others developing the ability to use knowledge and know how to connect ideas to the psychological and social context and include qualitative studies of theories and design curricula.

The reasons for this are;

- The absence of specialised academic experts in graphic design and the poor quality of some of the teachers.

- The absence of appropriate study plans for creating graphic designers

- The absence of a system defining the role of universities and colleges in teaching graphic design

- The absence of entry examinations to graphic design courses, unlike courses in the art specialisations

- The absence links to the outside world, other than through books.

- Some universities and colleges do not understand the concept of graphic design in an industrial context.

- The absence of official government support for finding a way to establish a core curriculum for university courses.

I have taught in the art departments of a number of universities and have assessed many graduation projects. These gave me the opportunity to find out about graphic design teaching, the standards of students, and showed the need for appropriate study plans. There is a lack of competitiveness which would improve educational standards and there is an arbitrary use of teaching methods. Objectives can be clear, but often mistake in not using the appropriate teaching methodology leads to them not being achieved.

In order to develop and improve, the graphic design sector needs skilled and competent workers. The workers will not be able to respond to the changes in technology unless they have a formal academic training. In order to achieve this advancement it is essential that graduate students are used as graphic design specialists.

Conclusion

There is a requirement in the Jordanian arena for the academic and professional sectors to review their experiences and identify their strengths and weaknesses. This is used by them to set a strategy capable of giving graphic design the respected position it deserves.

There is a requirement for government intervention to provide arena where specialists in graphic design may discuss many of the concepts that help them make company owners and managers aware of how to make the best use of graphic designers.

As well as teaching graphic design, universities and community colleges must support the markets needs for designers and artisans within the new specialisations which need to be introduced in order to reduce unemployment.There is a need for a professional body in graphic design to give support to designers, co-ordinate educational and technical preparation and for making contacts with the outside world. It is important to hold workshops and symposiums that enhance the competence of teaching staff, designers and students; these should be held with assistance from international institutions which are respected in this field.

It is also important to hold national and international competitions to encourage creativity and innovation. This will create a competitive atmosphere in which graphic design can flourish.

Finally, it is important to create a national identity in graphic design, which can cement its position in the international arena.

4 Easy Steps to Do Your Own Website Audit

2011-11-26T09:49:00.001-08:00

Many big companies and rich website owners pay advertising and SEO agencies tens of thousand of dollars to improve the search engine rankings on their website. If you don't have that kind of money to spend, consider learning how to do your own website audit.

Here I have outlined four easy steps to doing your own website audit so you can improve your search engine rankings to get more website visitors and make more money!

To start your own website audit, you will need to have a close look at several factors on your website.

1. Keywords - Keywords are the beginning and the end of your SEO strategy. Once you have done your keyword research and decided on the best keyword, you will need to include it in your website. As a rule of thumb, you want to include it in about 2 percent of the website text, meaning you mention your keyword twice in every hundred words. Your keywords or key phrase should also be included in your websites title tag, description and meta tags.

2. Internal Links - A very powerful, but often disregarded strategy to increase search engine rankings is internal linking. You should include as many internal links as you can, while still keeping it natural. A good goal might be to have three internal links for each webpage or blog post on your site. Make sure the internal links spread out to all of your pages and blog posts rather than just your homepage. You also need to pay attention to the anchor text, which is the text that people click on that links to another page. You should use the keyword phrase you have used to optimise each individual webpage and blog posts to link to that page. For example, you click on the word 'swiss watches' from one of your web pages and you land on another page that is optimised for the keyword 'swiss watches'.

3. Sitemap - Building on the importance of internal linking, you should include a sitemap on your website. A sitemap helps the search engine robots to understand what content is on your site. In addition it creates internal links which help with your SEO ranking.

4. Search engine friendly URLS - When someone starts their own website, they often pay a lot of attention to the domain name, and rightly so. If possible, the domain name should include your core keyword in it. But unfortunately, this is often where the attention to the URL stops. In many cases, subpages of the domain are simply named with IDs and other code, such as example.com/index.php?id=19 To increase your chances of higher search engine rankings, and make your own website audit complete, you should change these links to include your keywords and look like this example.com/keyword-phrase.html

If this sounds a little bit complicated to you, you can decide to use a well-established SEO software to do your own website audit for you. The audit will be done in minutes and give you a great step-by-step program to increase your search engine rankings.

Get a free trial of the internet business promoter software, or check out your free SEO software reviews on http://www.seosoftwarereview.org.

Application of Graphic Design Theories in Adobe Photoshop

2011-11-25T18:36:00.001-08:00

Much has been said about the worth of Photoshop tutorials found on the web. By simply following a step-by-step instruction on how to achieve a certain effect, Photoshop is now becoming more accessible to almost anyone who knows how to use a computer.

Photoshop tutorials alone could not make you a successful graphic designer. Sure, you can probably know how to do basic photo manipulation but everything is in vain unless you have an idea on basic graphic design.

Graphic design is a process of incorporating the elements and principles of visual arts in order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing and functional effect. The functions vary per work. Aesthetics, as we all know, is subjective. It is safe to say then that there is no single formula for graphic design. The processes are not even consistent and would depend a lot on a designer's attitude, personality and motives.

Authors of Photoshop tutorials oftentimes subscribe to a rather wrong notion. But it can't be help and they can't speak for everyone. It is the role of a Photoshop learner to get the necessary background on graphic design and not just rely on spoon-feeding.

For one, a novice Photoshop user should at least try to analyze his/her intended audience. This is done in order to determine the purpose of your message. You can create abstract visuals in painting but not in graphic design. Every work should function as expected. Part of achieving this is how you will relay the message. Simply put, you have to consider your medium. If it is a movie poster, where shall it be placed? If it is a web design, to whom will it cater?

Once you have determined all these, you can now envision how the design will look and feel like. You can organize your text and graphics based on that vision. Use the appropriate layout, typefaces, styles, formats, and spacing. You can manipulate each graphic element and the design altogether. It would depend a lot on your imagination. It is more dependable than Photoshop tutorials anyway.

But how exactly, you may ask? Now comes in the elements of graphic design. Let us begin with the basic.

Line. There are a variety of them and each has its own design function. Straight, curve, thick, thin, broken-what lines do, independently or when incorporated with other elements, is organize texts and graphics. It creates a visual path that will help your audience follow through the design. Lines give a sense of motion to the design. It directs the eyes of the spectator.

Shape. Psychologists have always been fascinated with shapes. Think: Rorschach inkblot test. You can make use of the same principle in your design. By knowing the audience, you will learn how to easily manipulate their thoughts on a visual stimulus of your own doing. Shape, more than any element, symbolizes ideas.

Mass. The most confusing part of Photoshop tutorials is when the author begins blabbering about the importance of mass. Those who don't know a thing about graphic design will ask: "What in the world is visual weight?" Simply put, it is how graphic and text elements create contrast to grab a spectator's interest.

Texture. Another confusing thing about Photoshop tutorials is texture. The same question is often left hanging. These are easily understood once you already know your "emboss" from your "drop shadow." Visual texture also creates contrast and interest. It adds dimension and personality to the design. It provokes emotions and play on the spectator's eyes. Whenever you hear someone saying that a certain artwork seems alive, that is most probably the handiwork of texture manipulation.

Color. This is probably the easiest element to control in graphic design but is still oftentimes overlooked. Handling color is as simple as getting a color wheel and picking which color combination works together. But the tricky part here is learning color association and symbolism. Just like shapes, psychologists learned that colors evoke a certain behavior towards a spectator.

Those are the five basic elements of graphic design. Begin to apply these on your next Photoshop projects and notice how your skills improve.

Characteristics of a Good Web Design

2011-11-25T02:05:00.001-08:00

There are common trends in website designs. More and more people are able to identify a poor design from a one time visit. A good website must fulfill some cardinal rules in their design. The following are the most common characteristics of a good web design.

1. A good web design must build on simplicity. It is good to avoid a lot of 'show offs' in web design. Statistics actually shows that complexity basically intimidates. You may create some ingenious graphics and animations that will only prove how 'complicated and original' you are, but this may only sell to a fellow professional. Most web site users like simple to use interface and structure

2. Should be easy to read and navigate. When doing a design, you should focus on making the content readable. You will do this by having the right spacing, font size, good backgrounds, and good graphics. The site must be made in such a way that it will easy to navigate.

3. Should be interactive. A good site should try to involve the user. The user should have fun using it and even sharing information. You should try having a blog link for the user to share information or make comments.

4. Should be well organized. There should be a good way of presenting information. A person visiting the home page should be able to see all the links that will be relevant to him or her without straining to use the search bar.

5. Should be tailor made for the user. This exactly means that you should be well aware of the target user of the website content. If it is a website of a particular professional body and the users are professionals, the links have to be set not in a so simple way that will irritate them. Similarly, if your site target common users, every effort has to be made to make it 'that user friendly'.

How to Easily Install Your New Computer Graphics Card

2011-11-24T12:10:00.001-08:00

Installing a new video card isn't that hard at all I installed mine and I never knew anything about computer before I started playing games. Most people do not like installing their new video card and leave it up to a repair man or shop to install it, at the same time that I was installing mine I was also installing a new power supply and heat sink because the power supply that I had was only giving me 300 watts and the video card needed at least 350 watts to run. After that I just put the heat sink on too and that is the main thing that transfers heat from your computer and disperses it so I had to be very careful. That's just what I did and I didn't know anything about computers before I did all my own upgrades computers is simple really after you do some of the work yourself.

With someone who knows how to install a new video card it will only take about a whole 5 seconds to install the card itself but then you have to install the software that goes along with it which takes about 5 minutes. So the whole process is very quick and easy. You do not really need any tools other then a simple flathead or screw driver to unscrew the bolts from the device as it will be attached the case of the computer.

All you do is turn off the computer, then open up your side of the case of the computer that opens, then you will see a set of chips there should be either 4 or 5 of them and your video/graphics card will be the very first one on top. You will just want to unscrew the bolt from the side if there is one and slowly and gently pull it out of your interface. After that set the old one down and put the new card in the same slot you pulled the old one out of. After that all you do is plug in the power supply if the video card takes one and then turn on the computer and start uploading the software for the device. After all that is finished you should be ready to go to do anything you need to do or play with your new video card.

The whole installation is very easy and quick and doesn't take any time at all so do not go out and pay someone to do it for you. I thought about doing that but I wouldn't know everything I know today if I never would have done it myself so just do it yourself and you will be better off. It is the most simple thing that you can do its like putting in a DVD you just slide the video card into the slot and your done.

USPS Change of Address - The Quick and Easy Way

2011-11-23T15:52:00.001-08:00

When you are getting ready to move, one of the things that is likely on your "to do" list is to turn in a USPS Change of Address form to your post office. This ensures that mail that is still addressed to your old address will be forwarded to your new one. But people getting ready to move are very busy, and may not want the hassle of going to the post office to find the form and fill it out. There is now good news for busy movers. You can now fill out a USPS Change of Address online in as little as 2 minutes!

You could go to the USPS website to submit an online change of address. But there is a hassle involved with that too. The online form is hard to find on the site. When you do find it, it is several pages long. There is a $1.00 charge for the "convenience" and for "identity verification". Finally, you need to enter your credit card information to pay the charge. It is more of a hassle than it needs to be.

The good news is that there are now 3rd party sites that will submit your USPS Change of Address to the Postal service on your behalf for free. There is a simple one page form that takes 2 minutes to fill out. You simply go to the site, fill out the form, and click "submit" and they will promptly and securely send the information to the Postal Service. There is no searching to find the form, no credit card is required. You will receive verification of your address change by email and by regular mail at your old and new addresses.

What's the catch, you ask? It is not really a "catch". The sites simply want to be able to give you coupons and inform you of special offers for services at your new location. For example, they may send you special offers for cable TV, satellite, telephone service, or coupons for the local hardware or home improvement store. These offers can save you $100s of dollars per year should you decide to take advantage of them.

So scratch USPS Change of Address off of your list now! Take 2 minutes to fill out the simple form at http://ChangeMyAddress.info

Want to Build Your Own Fence? Easy Options and Tips

2011-11-23T02:37:00.001-08:00

Building your own fence is relatively simple, but it must be done properly. If you're not a natural handyman, it's a good idea to get the basic principles right and work realistically based on your skill levels. Your local fencing supplies company will be able to help with providing everything you need.

Planning your fence

Fences need to sit straight and have a clear plumb line along the fence line. (Don't leave this step out. Your measurements only need to be slightly off over the distance of the fence to cause real problems and a lot of extra, unnecessary work.)

Mark off your fence line, and make sure it's straight. Are there any obvious issues on the ground where putting posts are likely to be problems? Avoid hard ground, rocks, and areas with difficult access. Site your fence on clear ground where the supports won't require major efforts.

Fencing types and DIY issues

Fencing is usually based on a system of frames and supports with stable footings in the ground.

Timber: Timber fences may be picket style or solid timber. These fences need to be assembled and installed systematically.

Steel: Steel fences are frame based, usually either pre-made pieces or steel frames with chainwire or mesh.

Colorbond fences: Single pieces, but big and need to be handled with respect when installing. It's hard to argue with a Colorbond fence when it's in the wrong position, so take extra care when siting your fence.

Setting it up

Supports are placed first. The average distance between posts for timber fences are 2- 3 metres. For steel, the supports need to relate to the horizontal frame edges.

Dig your supports to guarantee good stability. Try an experimental post first. The support posts should sit absolutely solid, with no movement at all. (If the supports move, they can bring down the fence over time. Just make sure you've got them rock solid.)

When the supports are in place, start with your fence elements. Cross beams are next, joining the supports and providing the backing, if you are using timber. Steel frames are practically self- explanatory.

The cross beams must be level and sitting straight. If out of place they put strains on the fencing body and the supports. Be patient, and make sure you've got a real text book setup before adding timbers.

The actual fencing materials can now be added. Check every piece to ensure they're well fitted to the cross beams. They shouldn't move at all.

Important: Don't use any materials which look damaged or weak. These things will need replacing before the rest of the fence anyway, so it's better to get it all done properly from the start.

Quality control when installing

Lay the fence systematically from one end to the other. When doing it yourself, you need to keep track of the materials as they're assembled. Any issues in one part of the fence need to be addressed before doing the rest of the work.

If you need help

Don't make potentially expensive guesses about your fencing installation. Your local fencing contractors will be able to help if you hit a problem.

Shop online for fences and gates at Amazing Fencing. Garden Fencing, Pool Fencing, Privacy Screens & Gates. Get a free quote from our fencing contractors. For more information or to view our fencing products, visit Fencing Contractors

First Time Writing A Sales Letter? Here's An Easy Solution For Beginners

2011-11-22T14:09:00.001-08:00

One of the most difficult things an Internet marketer has to deal with, especially if they are brand new, is writing their first sales letter for their product. It can be a very daunting and dramatic experience.

I mean, you want to make the letter great so people get engaged with the content, which ultimately will lead them to buy your product. You want the words to flow beautifully to evoke emotion, because you know people buy on emotion and they justify their decision with rationale.

So you sit down to get started writing your first sales letter and then you hit a huge brick wall.

You realize real quick that you have no idea on how to start the letter. You realize you don't know how to format the letter as to when to build value, when to introduce the price, when to provide testimonials, whether to provide testimonials or not, etc.

Then you start writing and you can just feel that the words you're writing don't flow smoothly like the sales letters you've read in the past and bought from. You know that what you've written is okay, but not great, so you go back and start editing your work before you've even finished the first draft.

How do I know this? It's because this is exactly what I did in the past.

So if you're a beginner or you just don't have the expertise (yet) to write a masterful sales letter, the good news is there's hope... there's a solution for the time being. The solution is there are software programs out there today that can build sales letters for you, and all you have to do is provide key phrases in a 'fill in the box' type situation.

You spend some time just filling in the blanks the software asks you for and viola... the software will spit out a sales letter for you.

Now I'm making this very clear that you will always be better off in the long run creating your own sales letters. In fact, your business will not be great without your own sales pages.

But for the time being, until you learn copywriting or until you learn the ins and outs of what makes a great sales letter, you can use this type of software to get you going.

Bottom line is it's better just to get something up now, because you can always go back and edit the sales letter later. If you spend all your time trying to make your sales letter perfect from the beginning, you'll slow your business down and you'll cost your business money. Getting something up now is better than having nothing up at all.

By the way, if you liked this article, you'll love my brand new daily newsletter that teaches 'behind the scenes' content just like this. The content is fresh, it's unaltered and it's stuff most people are afraid to say. If you liked the article, you'll really appreciate the daily content.

Plus, download my new ebook about the 10 lies gurus use on people everyday to get them to buy their products. It's powerful stuff... and shocking!

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Software For Creating Joomla Templates

2011-11-21T23:25:00.001-08:00

Creating your own Joomla templates can prove to be a big pain. If you don't know how to write HTML or CSS codes, good luck creating a template. It's like a whole other language. The use of software that helps you to create the Joomla templates can prove to be valuable in every aspect.

Software for creating templates can be found everywhere. There are several different types of software available on today's market. All you have to do is know where to look. Where else to look than on the internet where you will put your Joomla template to work? Searching the web for the different available software programs that will help you to create templates will turn up a program that will suit your needs.

The design Maker is one of the many software programs that are available for this purpose. It is a stand alone windows program that will create a complete zip package that is ready for uploading to your website. Basically, all you have to do is plug in the information and the program does all of the work for you.

Joomla Template Kit is available to those of you who would like to create your design in Dreamweaver. It offers the Dreamweaver tools along with a full Joomla design system and education options.

Dreamweaver actually offers several different programs that can help to produce your customized Joomla template. You can try the Dreamweaver Snippet Collect: Software Basics, the New Bar and the 1.5 Template Builder for Dreamweaver.

Make sure that you choose a software program that is easy to use for you. Just because it may claim to be easy to use, ask yourself, easy to use for whom? Someone who doesn't know anything about HTML or CSS codes? Or for someone who knows some about the different codes? Just because it may be easy to use for someone else, doesn't mean it will be easy to use for you.

Also, make sure you have the correct operating requirements to run the software. Do you already have Dreamweaver or will you need to install that software as well? Does it require a certain windows version or not? What type of storage space will you need? These are all very important questions that can save you time and money. You don't want to purchase a program and then find you need to just turn around and purchase more, when you could have purchased a single item to begin with. You also don't want to cause your computer and operating system to slow down or crash because of the extensive requirements that a program may have. You want your system to prosper and work well with the new software when it is installed.

Your best bet is to shop around. Ask questions. Find out what will work for you. Know what you, personally, are capable of. If you don't know what you are doing, then you will need a program that will do it all for you.

Go to Joomla Template Zone to get your free ebook about Joomla Templates at Joomla Template. This website also has information on Joomla Template Software and everything that can assist you with building a website with this software. Come by today to get free ebooks and information to assist you today.

Logo Development Software

2011-11-21T10:26:00.001-08:00

Word processing software such as Open Office Writer, Word Desk or Microsoft Word and presentation software such as PresentationMaker or PowerPoint are not logo design software. Often time's entrepreneurs, who even don't know the basics of logo making, try to create a logo using the drawing tools in these types of programs. But certainly get a problem when trying to extract those logos for use in other applications. Likewise, the drawing tools desktop publishing software such as PageMaker, InDesign or Publisher are not even suitable for serious logo design.

Preferably, logos should be created first in a drawing program like Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, and Macromedia Freehand. As these software produce scalable vector artwork and vector graphics with pixels options making them ideal as the versatile logo designing software. A logo should be in EPS graphics format, as this format can be easily imported into most major page layout programs for creating business cards, letterhead and other documents. The most comprehensive thing about vector graphics is that you can easily resize or readjust in any kind of scalable vector format without loss of quality even if the final logo is needed in a bitmap format.

But before choosing software consider the following points and then just implement them using any vector based drawing program: The consistency with your company's and business nature. Uniqueness will it be immediately recognized by your clients. Easy replication the logo of yours should be recognized whether it is on business card, bill board or an envelop. The catchy tagline which will accompany your logo image. If you want to hold a powerful combination over your clients, the message and image of the logo should be memorable, lasting and valuable.

After discussing with client, avoid directly going to the computer for design search. You should think and gather the ideas which you already have, sit down, grip a pen and a piece of paper and make a list and title it at your own discretion. The listed words should pertain to the client.

Rehearse the list with trying to write some thing that pops into your head. Thus jolt down process will generate visuals on which amazing logo design can be based upon.

Zain-Ul-Abideen is a creative writer, writes both professionally and for pleasure. Professionally, Zain-Ul-Abideen writes articles for an internet marketing company and although he is often restricted by topic, his writing still maintains his own unique style. He has found the discipline involved with this work to be a great writing exercise and believes it enhances and improves the rest of his writing. Zain-Ul-Abideen's articles at Different Articles directory are of a much more personal nature, where he feels he can express his views and interests in the world around him.

Free Online T Shirt Design

2011-11-20T14:18:00.001-08:00

In previous articles I have discussed the differences both in cost and quality to print on demand publishing of your t shirts and at home heat press or direct to garment printing. Another hurdle for many people starting out is the software program to make your designs. Well, CafePress has made that hurdle go away, or at least shrink to the point you can easily jump over it. I dove in to the online t shirt design program that CafePress rolled out awhile back. I had been avoiding using it since I paid plenty for my copies of Adobe products and didn't think the quality would even compare. I was pleasantly surprised with this powerful design media.

If you are already a shopkeeper you can get there by going to your media basket where all your images are stored. In the left hand corner just above your images you'll find the Create A Design button. Clicking on that will take you to what at first just seems to be a giant picture of a shirt with a square on it. As you look around, however, you'll find the tools necessary to build a great looking t shirt in minutes instead of hours!

You have the option of uploading an image that you want to put on your shirt or you can choose from a bucket load of designs CafePress has done for you. I typically don't like using generic designs but some of these are really good and I actually recognize many of the drawings as being on shirts in the marketplace that I wouldn't have guessed were done with this program.

There is also a well done text tool for those of you who do text heavy designs like me. There are several font styles to choose from and you can make the text larger, reposition it on the shirt, even slant it right from the text box, nice! You also have the option for left margin, center, or right with your text as well as many of the standard color choices.

There are tons of clip art images, shapes, and text styles so you can give your shirt that personalized touch without it looking like a cookie-cutter shirt. I was very impressed with this easy to use program and I encourage you to at least give it a try even if you already have your own software package you use.

I put together a shirt I was impressed with and am going to load in to my shop in under three minutes! You can actually watch me designing that shirt in a short video I made of the process. Until next time, Happy Designing!

As I make new and exciting discoveries in this business I will continue to keep you up date. My goals are simple, to make a good living in the t shirt design business and to help others do the same. Stay Tuned!

DIY Web Design Versus Professional Web Design

2011-11-20T00:13:00.001-08:00

The Internet has fundamentally changed the way we work and live. Whether it is for effecting transactions, informing about or promoting your products or services, or simply for the sake of having some kind of presence in the 'virtual' world, a website is a prerequisite to tap the global marketplace. To make an impact on the visitors and retain them, effective web design is required.

You can have the website designed by professionals or use thousands of templates of the designs available online. The latter types are also called the do-it-yourself (DIY) sites.

Based on the distinguishing features of DIY, some of the situations in which the DIY sites can be used are listed below:

1. General Information Input: When the nature of information to be incorporated in the website is general and no special or distinctive content is required, then it is better to resort to the DIY formats. This is essentially true of small businesses where the limited number of products and services are dealt with.

2. Easy on Budget and Easy to Make: The DIY design templates are usually of lower cost than the professional web design. You can find thousands of templates being offered on the Internet by many companies around the world. There is a wide range available in terms of designs and prices. So you can find the web design quote suited to your budget. Also, these can be made in a few hours or days.

3. Ease of Updating: You can make amends in all the sections of the website, including in the template design and layout without waiting for the professional designer. If the site requires frequent updating, then the DIY alternatives are more convenient to use. Also, you do not need special software programming skills for this. A person with basic understanding of computer and the Internet can do it all alone.

The DIY web design services are not without limitations. Some of the points where professional services score more than the DIY are as follows:

1. More Attractive: Most of the DIY site templates are static designs. There is little or no dynamism that animations on the flash sites provide. So the innovative and unique graphic design along with the animations on the latter certainly makes a professionally designed website more attractive.

2. No Limitations: Professionals can work on a variety of technologies to make the site without limiting themselves to the predefined technologies of the DIY sites. Also, there are no limitations of design, layout, content, size, etc. This could be anything from integrating new forms of payment to social networking features.

3. Expensive and Time Consuming: Hiring a professional may be an expensive proposition compared to the DIY templates. It may consume considerable time and effort. It might take a couple of days and even months to make a site.

4. Optimization: A DIY website typically suffers when it comes to ranking highly in search engine results. Most professional web design companies will be able to build an already keyword optimized website.

Therefore, both the DIY and the professional web design services have their own relative merits and demerits, and a choice is usually made keeping in mind the aforementioned points.

To have an impact on the visitors and retain them, effective web design is required. Learn all about DIY web design services and get your web design quote at Design Quotes.