Yearly Archives: 2012
There is no doubt that smoking is bad for your health. Damaging the lungs and shortening your life span, your family may be pleading with you to kick the habit. Unfortunately, giving up nicotine can be next to impossible. While some people can put the pack down and ever touch a cigarette again, most people will attempt to break the habit several times before they are successful. Here are some proven methods you can use for putting down your last pack of cigarettes.
Prepare Yourself Mentally
If you are one of those people who needs help quitting, then you need to take time to prepare yourself for this life change emotionally. Plan it, prepare for it and then embrace it. Give yourself a solid date on the calendar when you will quit, and then spend the next few weeks preparing yourself for it emotionally. You can even give yourself a jump start by making sure you switch to a balanced diet, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep. Being in good health physically will make it easier for you to handle the stress of quitting when the time comes.
Find Another Stress Reliever
Many smokers light up their cigarettes to help them relieve stress. If you turn to tobacco when you are dealing with difficult feelings, then quitting the habit may be harder for you. Start by developing other methods of coping with those uncomfortable feelings. Take up a new hobby, learn sensory relaxation techniques or start a good exercise routine. When you have a way to deal with the rough emotions, you will be more likely to succeed the next time you try to quit.
Identify Your Triggers and Find Replacements
If stress and emotions arenâ??t what prompt you to smoke then you should take the time to determine what does. If you can identify a habit, then you can try to find an alternative. If you smoke when youâ??re bored, then you could make sure you stay busy during the quitting period. If you light up when youâ??re around friends, then you can enlist your friends to help you quit. Determine what kind of smoker you are, and you will be more successful the next time you try to quit.
Remove Temptation at Once
You will have weak moments when youâ??re trying to quit. There will be times when you can clearly remember the taste of a cigarette and nothing will seem sweeter and more amazing. You are far more likely to fall off the wagon if you have left a partial pack of cigarettes in the glove box or your purse. When your deadline arrives on the calendar, make sure your home, car and office are completely free of cigarettes.
Remind Yourself of the Long-Term Benefits
It will help you to remember the long-term benefits of evicting cigarettes from your life. Your clothes and hair will smell better, and you will not get winded as quickly. Not only will your health improve for the long-term, but you will also enjoy immediate health benefits. If you arenâ??t motivated by your personal health, then consider how much money you will save by kicking the habit. Start a quitting jar. Every time you feel the urge to go buy cigarettes, drop that cash in the jar instead. By the time youâ??ve kicked the habit, you could have enough money in the jar for a nice dinner out or even that hot new electronic gadget.
Like any addictive habit, you will probably fall off the wagon a few times. The important thing is that you donâ??t give up. If you are out with friends and bum a cigarette, donâ??t decide that all is lost and buy an entire pack. Accept that you strayed from the path and get back on track as soon as possible. Anything worth achieving will require some work, and the benefits of living a smoke-free life are definitely worth your hard work.
Guest author Kevin Wiseman is a freelance blogger writing on behalf of Edrugstore.MD a site where you can order medications online. For more information you can read an edrugstore review.
With the passage of time the use of IT is increased in our daily life and it changes the trend of business and increase the ranking of oneâ??s business.
It is not new that getting maximum profit with minimum resources usage is every oneâ??s wish. IT outsourcing consist of inter personal skills, knowledge and technology. It is a process of contracting existing business process to arrange it in an entirely new and flexible way.
There are different companies which offer you these services and as money and time are an important aspect for every business owner, you do not want to compromise upon them. When you are going to select an IT outsourcing company you have to be very careful because it can cause success or failure of your business.
These services help you to save the cost and there are many other services which provide benefits to small scale businesses. According to a survey report IT outsourcing services cost more than ten billions. These services increase deliberate accessibility of business model and ease of use. Most of the companies which are taking outsourcing services are highly satisfied from these services.
IT outsource services is basically getting some IT functions done by some other independent third party or some individual instead of doing it all on your own.
In the third world countries the persons have not enough money to spend on the products so one have to manage the quality of products by using minimum resources. And it is known by everyone and is very obvious that because of this competition in market is increasing day by day.
Working of IT outsourcing Company:
You have to first set the business development wingand then decide how it works after setting the goal of the business including cost management, administration style and all other terms and conditions.
There are few steps taken by IT outsourcing services:
Gather information of your specific business and the requirements of your business.
Analyze the business information according to requirement.
Take some incentives regarding the needs of business.
Certify alignment of your business objectives.
Small business companies need talented outsourcing services which fulfill their business demands with lower price.
If you are going to hire IT outsourcing services you are at the right place we at IT Support Buffalo are here to give you the services according to your business needs. First of all we analyze the business process and then make strategies to grow the business. This is the time of competition and everyone looks for the best path to choose and we give you the optimal solution. We reduce the gap between the customers by allowing them to interact with you easily and tell their demands. We surely expand the business geographic ally, and enable you to face new challenges of todayâ??s business world and contemplated steps are taken to do this. All these services that are given to you take top priority of managed in a very cost effective way.
Konoozi the IT Support Company offers you complete IT support Services solutions and online help to Business, Home Business online Business Internet Business, commercial enterprise throughout New York.
Throughout history, wars have come and gone. Some have been forgotten about while others continue to live on.
World War I is one of those wars that will always be remembered. People have an interest in the war because their family members served or because they enjoy learning about history. No matter what your reason, there are many ways that you can feed your interests.
Due to the popularity of smartphones and tablets, many people can now enjoy learning about WWI through the use of apps. The following are four of the best apps for more WWI information and entertainment.
1. WWI Daily
Learn something new about WWI every day through the use of WWI Daily. With this app, you can scan through a number of different cards, each one containing an important event.
Every card contains a date, description of the event and a map that shows where exactly the event took place. You can also access Wikipedia for each entry by â??flippingâ? the card over.
The deck of cards can be sorted in two different ways. You can either opt to sort it by day and month so you can see a â??this day in historyâ? version of the cards, or you can sort them by day, month and year to view the cards in chronological order. To access individual cards, you can use the search function to see only cards that contain your keyword.
2. Battlefields of WWI
Wouldnâ??t it be nice to have one centralized hub of information to learn everything you possibly could want to know about WWI? Now you can, with the use of Battlefields of WWI.
This app contains information for over 157 battles fought during WWI. Each battle contains a description and images as well as a list of commanders. You can access the location using a map feature, and you can also find out exactly how far away the battlefield is from your current location.
3. SkyGamblers: Rise of Glory
Thereâ??s not much more you can learn about WWI than having your try at fighting during it. Sky Gamblers: Rise of Glory is a war game app that focuses on aerial combat during WWI.
Through this game, you are piloting yourself through the air in one of many different aircrafts used during WWI. You can either opt to play alone, or you can play together with eight other people.
You have the option of playing one of the standard games or you can create your own custom mission. There are 18 different locations for you to choose from, allowing you to fly through grassy plains or snowy mountains. Plus, you have your choice to fly 10 different (and authentic) WWI planes.
Â
4. Dogfight 1951
If you enjoy playing aerial combat games, Dogfight 1951 is another great WWI app. In this 3D game, you get to enjoy aerial combat with amazing graphics.
The 3D imaging in this app give you the feeling that youâ??re really in flight, and different weather conditions make the game more exciting and difficult. With your choice of three different games, try to defeat your opponents and conquer your missions before someone else does.
So whether you want to learn more about WWI or have fun playing war games that took place in WWI, these four apps are a must-have to your smartphone and tablet collection.
Joshua Reynolds loves writing and studying about history and the military. He is especially interested in writing about WWI and robotics in the military.
Whether you believe in ghosts or not doesnâ??t mean others arenâ??t intimidated by them. Some cultures believe in ghosts and even respect them.
For example the Chinese religion is based on ancestor worship. They believe your ancestors continue to exist after their death, so you must respect ghosts. It is actually a very interesting concept that promotes the unity of family and lineage.
Ancestor worship is reported to be declining in Chinese areas that were religiously oppressed under the hostile Communist regime; although rural areas as well as Taiwan continue to honor their ancestors. Through yearly festivals the Chinese people try to keep ghosts happy and peaceful. They follow rituals for their deceased and make offerings. Though not all ghosts are peaceful, some will actually cause trouble. Here are some different types of  Asian ghosts that are violent:
Gu Hun Ye Gui
-A wandering ghost that wants to take their revenge for a wrongful death.
Nu Gui
-The ghost of a woman who has committed suicide due to sexual abuse or wrongness. She is vengeful and seeks revenge.
Shui Gui
-This is the ghost of someone who has drowned but continues living in water. Think of it as a water ghost. They will attack their victims by dragging them underwater and drowning them. Afterwards the ghost will take possession of the victimâ??s body.
Wu Tou Gui
-A headless ghost which roams around blindly.
Ancient Asian Ghosts
The Maiden in White
The Maiden in White is a story about a young man who marries a woman. On their wedding day the bride tells him they will be together forever, but she has to go back to her home that night. When the young man walks her to the temple doors she walks away and disappears a hundred feet out. He runs to where he saw her disappear and searches and searches only finding a clump of bright lilies. The young man takes the lilies home and finds the ring he gave her inside the clump. Right then and there he realizes that he had just married a ghost. She disappeared and the ring fell through the air. Soon after the young man became very ill and within ten days he was dead.
Story from Jiyi ji by Xue Yongruo
Pretty White Dress
In a similar story as the Maiden in White, a man named Zhong Yao begins to be troubled by a girl. He tells heâ??s friends that she often comes to visit him. He also appeared very pained, and his friends realized what was happening. They told him that a human was not visiting him, but rather a ghost. They told him that she is harmful and that he must kill her. Although Zhong didnâ??t want to kill the girl he knew he would eventually fade into nothingness if he continued to fall for her charms. The dead have the effect of sucking the life out of living people. He made up his mind and he knew she was an evil spirit. On the day she came to visit him, she would not enter the house and told him she knew he wanted to kill her. After much hesitation Zhong picked up his knife and tried killing her. After struggling with her, he cut her leg and she managed to escape. The next day he and his friends followed the trail of blood and it led to a coffin in the cemetery. They dug up the coffin and opened it where a dead beautiful young woman lay. She looked as fresh and alive as when he had seen her.
From Sousenji by Gan Bao
Asian Ghosts in Movies
These are some of the scariest ghosts in Asian movies. Although they are not based on true stories, they make real ghosts all the scarier.
The Ghost Inside (2005)
This movie is the most expensive horror story ever made in China during itâ??s time. It tells the story of a young mother, Lin Xiaoyue, who runs away from an abusive husband with her young daughter. She rents an apartment where another young mother used to live that threw her daughter out of her window before doing the same thing herself. The ghost slowly reveals itself to Lin and tells her she will one day commit suicide the same way. When Linâ??s husband arrives at the apartment late one night, he intends to take Linâ??s daughter by force. Lin then considers killing her daughter by throwing her off the balcony to save her from her abusive dad. The ghost encourages Lin to push her off but the police arrive and she is put into a psychiatric institute.
Carved (2007)
This may very well be one of the scariest Asian ghost story. The plot follows a disfigured woman ghost. She had been severely abused by her husband in her lifetime, who had cut her mouth all the way to her cheeks with a pair of scissors. After her death she wondered the streets of her town in a mask and sweeping coat. She would then find a victim and ask them if she looked pretty. If the victim answered that she wasnâ??t they would be killed in a horrible way.
Read more ancient Asian ghost stories here.
Article written by Octavian Ristea.
Just by the look of it, the scorpion is one intimidating animal.
Belonging in the same family as spiders, this arthropod has a pair of pincers and a tail that can deliver nasty stings. So, if you’re asking if these creatures are dangerous, then the answer is – yes, they are.
They can pinch you real good with their strong claws, or they can sting you with their stingers right on their curled tails. Whether through pinching or stinging, any way will cause you pain, or at the very least, a mild irritation. However, be wary because there are deadly types out there.
Deadliest Stings
Imagine yourself cleaning your garage or maybe stacking firewood, when all of a sudden something stings your hand. You look at your hand, and then you see a scorpion scurrying away. You don’t know what type of scorpion it was, and you’re beside yourself with worry thinking about whether or not you’ve been bitten by a venomous one. Not only is worrying emotionally stressful, but the pain of the sting is also something that’s going to bother you for days. And what if you have babies or kids at home? Are you going to risk having scorpions that could harm them? Also, there are very deadly scorpion species out there. Three of the deadliest are the fat-tailed scorpion, the Deathstalker scorpion, and the Gormar scorpion.
Fat-tailed Scorpion
Also known as the fattail scorpion, this is mostly found in deserts and very hot places, like Africa and the Middle East. Its venom has powerful neurotoxins that can cause death. How? Most neurotoxins work by paralyzing body systems. Then, paralysis causes vital systems to collapse. For instance, your respiratory system could stop functioning, which then affects how your heart pumps blood to your organs. Once the toxin has affected all systems, your body will shut down; and you will most probably die. Because of its lethal stings that have caused hundreds of deaths, the fat-tailed scorpion is rightly called as the “man killer.”
Deathstalker Scorpion
The scorpion is indigenous in dry countries, like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the UAE. Again, this kind of scorpion stings; and its stings can inflict not just pain, but a cocktail of really bad neurotoxins. Although a strapping young man will most likely fare well after being stung by a deathstalker, children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing medical conditions could die from this scorpion’s stings. Still, it’s better to just stay away from it; its name just says it all.
Gormar Scorpion
It’s not gory. Its gleaming dark-as-night body and red-tinged legs make it look like the spawn of the dark side. The creature is imposing, about 4 to 5 inches in length, making it one of the largest scorpions around. The gormar scorpion has a bulky body, fat pincers, and a fat, venomous tail. There’s still no exact anti-venom for this type of scorpion. So, it’s best to avoid this creature. Be extra careful when you’re traveling the jungles of Venezuela, especially if you’re one with a penchant for exploring rainforests as you might meet this dreaded creature.
Scorpion Stings
Most of the time, scorpions sting instead of pinch. They sting other creatures, including man, if they perceive them as threats. In their defense, these arthropods don’t actively seek people just to sting them. You will most likely get stung if you disturb their habitats. The problem here is that a lot of scorpions have taken to human habitation as well. Scorpions, which have lost their homes because of developments or other activities, have found their way in small communities and even thriving cities.
So, what do you do in case you get stung? The first and most important thing that you should remember is – avoidance. Don’t go near a scorpion if you don’t know what type it is. Although only about 25 of the many species are known to be extremely venomous, you don’t want to risk your life, right? Secondly, in case you get stung by an unknown scorpion, seek medical help as soon as possible. Even though there are no known antidotes yet for some of the most lethal species, it’s still best to get expert medical assistance. Doctors can help those having breathing difficulties. They also use emergency meds, like epinephrine, for those who experience severe allergic reactions or anaphylactic shock to scorpion stings. Third, protect those most at risk, like babies, children, older people, or those with medical conditions. Fourth, protect your home. Call professional exterminators to help you if you notice a scorpion infestation.
Citations:
Claire Clarke writes for several Indianapolis Pest Control companies. She blogs about pest management and pest eradication.
A toadstool is also another name for a mushroom. You may have known that but I personally thought toadstools meant, well, toad poo up until a few years ago. Before we continue; let it be a warning to you to never eat anything that looks like a mushroom in the wilderness, unless you have it examined by a professional mushroom hunter. It could be the last mushroom you ever devour.
Amanita ocreata (Angel of death)
The angel of death is a poisonous toadstool native to the Pacific Northwest and California floristic provinces. This toadstool likes growing near oak trees and is easily confused for other edible mushrooms.
After ingesting the angel of death you will not experience any symptoms for the first 6-12 hours. Entering the second stage you will begin to experience stomach pain, vomiting, and watery diarrhea caused by phallotoxins. Severe liver and kidney damage begins at the end of the second stage and lasts 2-3 days. The chances of surviving the angel of death are 85-90%. If you are in fact lucky enough to survive you may require a liver transplant.
Hospitalization could be too late by the time the symptoms kick in. No antidote is available for the poisoning of amatoxins. The estimated lethal dose is 0.1 mg/kg, so the best treatment is to never eat deadly mushrooms.
Ingesting Silybum marianum (Blessed milk thistle) has been shown to lessen the effects of the toxin alpha-amanitin on the liver and help regrow damaged cells.
Amanita phalloides (Death cap)
The death cap is scattered across Europe and is usually found with broadleaved trees. They are easily confused with common mushrooms such as the straw mushroom. The death cap is one of the most deadliest toadstools and is the cause of the majority of deaths from poisonous mushrooms. Not only does the death cap look like the straw mushroom, but it is also reported to taste pleasant. Its primary toxins are a-amanitin and b-amantin which destroy the liver and kidneys. The results of eating this mushroom often ends in death.
Two or three days after ingestion you will be hit with an onset of vomiting, abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, dehydration, abnormally low blood pressure, high heart rate, low blood sugar, and acid-based disturbances. Once your liver becomes destroyed then you may suffer other symptoms such as jaundice, diarrhea, delirium, seizures, and coma due to substances in your blood which your liver can no longer remove. You may also experience kidney failure due to the poisonous toxins, or your inflamed liver. Some other symptoms that might occur include intracranial pressure, brain hemorrhage, pancreatitis, and cardiac arrest. The mortality rate of death cap poisoning is 22.4%. Death occurs six to sixteen days after poisoning.
Although hospitalization can offer supportive measures and other treatment, there is no antidote for this poisonous toadstool. Blessed milk thistle is believed to help protect cells from the destruction of a-amanitin.
The Death Cap may have been used to kill the Roman Emperor Claudius and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.
Amanita virosa (European destroying angel)
This deadly toadstool is found throughout Europe along deciduous and coniferous trees. The European destroying angel is similar to the death cap because its main toxin is also a-amanitin. As with the death cap this mushroom has similar symptoms including liver and kidney damage. The name Amanita virosa is derived from the Latin adjective vir?sus meaning toxic.
Amanita verna (Foolâ??s mushroom)
One of the deadliest toadstool subdues victims with its beautiful form. It is white all around and looks very harmless. That is how it got its name â??Foolâ??s mushroomâ?. This mushroom can be found across Europe. It packs a punch with a-amanitin toxins and phallotoxins.
You wonâ??t experience any symptoms within the first 6-24 hours of eating the foolâ??s mushroom. Afterwards you will feel a little uneasy, and may experience diarrhea and an upset stomach. Within the third day your kidneys and livers have failed, and you would die without a liver transplant.
The fatal dosage of Amanita verna is around 1oz. The best way to avoid death is to not be a fool, and always have a professional mushroom hunter examine all your toadstools before ingestion.
Hypholoma fasciculare (Sulphur tuft)
These mushrooms are also known as clustered woodlovers. They simply love to grow on stumps, deat roots, or rotting trunks. These â??woodloversâ? are common in northern Europe and North America.
Symptoms occur 5-10 hours after consumption. The usual diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting will follow shortly after. You may also experience foamy urine caused by an excess of serum proteins due to kidney failure. Most of the time symptoms resolve themselves and fatality is not common. This is probably the best deadly mushroom to be poisoned by, although your urinary tract may not fare so well.
Bonus:
If you are interested in eating wild plants, would like to become a mushroom hunter, or can’t afford professional mushroom examination, then this article may be for you. Remember to make spore prints of your mushrooms, and stay safe while eating suspicious wild plants!
Article written by Octavian Ristea.
If youâ??re someone who likes to keep their finances well organised, (or alternatively perhaps youâ??re someone who is terrible at keeping their finances well organized) then the iPad has some great apps to help you out.
In the current economic climate, most people are discovering that there has never been a more important time for them to stay on top of their finances and not miss bill payments or rack up more debts.
As such, many people are looking for financial organizers, either through computer software or apps for their iPad or iPhone. Thankfully, the iPad offers some of the best (and cheapest) options when it comes to financial planning and also represents the best way of managing finances on the fly as you can update it wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Trying to keep a paper record can be time consuming and involves saving receipts and bills to organize later. The iPad lets you do it as you go along and encourages instant financial organization. The following apps are some of the best and most respected financial apps to allow you to get your finances organized:
Mint â?? Mint.com is the daddy of all financial apps, having been around for the longest time and having been tried and tested by hundreds of thousands of users. Mint is an app for tracking all your accounts on your iPad using the software at Mint.com. It is free to use and it organizes your accounts into all kinds of different categories and views allowing you to track your balances, how much you have been spending in a given month and what you are spending it on (categories include groceries and entertaining, travel and utilities) as well as how much you have coming in. The app sync easily and instantly across all of your ios devices and your home computer, allowing you access to your accounts wherever you are. It will also alert you when your balance gets too low or when you have any bills that are due urgently.
Easy Books â?? Easy Books is an app that you can use for organizing all of your professional (as opposed to personal) accounts for your business. It keeps track of multiple business accounts and updates all of your purchase and sales invoices, as well as keeping track of your total assets and depreciation. You can set Easy Books to update with recurring transactions on a weekly or monthly cycle and to provide you with alerts for all kinds of financial transactions including reporting on your profit and loss and your VAT. It is a free app, but after using it 120 times it will charge you a one off fee of $30.
Mortgage Calculator â?? This one does what it says on the tin. A free app, mortgage calculator is perfect for anyone currently looking for a mortgage, or thinking about re-mortgaging. It allows you to work out the difference in rates and then pin down exactly how much you would need to pay every month on different kinds of mortgage.
Xpense Tracker â?? This is the ideal app for people who are on the road a lot with their business. Xpense Tracker is designed in such a way that you can enter the details of every trip, every tank of petrol or plane ticket, every hotel and every meal out (for business) and it will organize them at the end of the month for you to include in your tax returns. It includes a mileage app to show the distance you have travelled and the amount of fuel you have used. It costs $15.
Home Budget â?? An alternative to Mint, Home Budget offers similar features, allowing you to keep track of your account balances, bills, income and expenses. It has some nice features that don’t come with Mint; for example if you input a bill for a business dinner it will automatically be transferred to your expenses column. It is compatible with numerous currencies and can issue alerts for urgent bills and payments. It also syncs across all your devices and also individual accounts can sync with a main Home account. There is a free version available as well as a mode advanced paid version.
Esther is a business blogger and writer. She blogs every week about business and finance issues covering everything from business loans to credit cards and from small business marketing to business apps. She also blogs about consumer finance for www.paydayloansuk.org.uk.
A lot of people are using eBay as a means to start their business.
Ebay is a great place to start because your products can get a lot of exposure plus you will be able to learn the basics of running a business with only a minimum start-up investment. Here are the top 5 ways for making money on eBay.
- Do not believe that you will get rich quick. Ebay is not a scheme. It is a legitimate online business. If you believe that you will get rich in a weekâ??s time in eBay then you better set your sights on something else. Ebay selling takes a lot of time and hard work for you to be able to get rich.
- Determine the right product at the right price with the right keywords. There are a million products competing for a buyerâ??s attention in eBay. What makes your product unique? Also, if youâ??re running an auction, donâ??t price it too high. Ebay buyers are always looking for a bargain. Sometimes they donâ??t even mind the shipping fees as long as they get a good rate on the product theyâ??re shopping for. Have a â??Buy Nowâ?? option for people who canâ??t wait for an auction. The price that you get may be lower than an auction but at least you get instant cash.
Your product and price may be flawless but do you have the right combination of keywords? If you make dresses and just put â??Dressesâ?? on the title then you are missing out on a lot of customers. Try putting â??Hand-Sewn, One-of-a-Kind Yellow Summer Dressâ??. This way, your title can be matched with a lot of queries. Another example is the iPhone. You can put â??iPhone 4Sâ?? in the title but â??Brand New White iPhone 4S in Boxâ?? is better.
- Determine the best days to start or end an auction. Monday is a bad day to start an auction because itâ??s the first day of the week and people are busy starting work or preparing the kids for school, etc. Monday is a busy day and no one will sit down in front of a computer and bid on eBay.
Friday is a bad time to end an auction because, well, who stays in on Friday nights? Itâ??s the end of the work week and people just want to relax, have a beer or go out and watch a movie. No one wants to be stuck in front of a computer after 4 days of being in front of it already.
Sunday is a good day because almost everyone is at home, chilling. They can find the time to bid on an item that they like. Sunday is a good day to end an auction.
- Do some grunt work. If you think taking a photo of your product, getting the prices and the keywords right is enough, think again. To be truly successful and make money on eBay, you have to do some research. Check out how your competitors are selling their products. Think about how you will handle customer service. What if a client is not satisfied with your product? What will you do?
If youâ??re taking photos, take good quality photos. Invest in a good camera if you have to. You will be able to get a return on your investment anyway if your products sell because they are presented well.
Also, since eBay is a legitimate platform, itâ??s best to start your business in the same manner. Apply for your necessary permits and taxes so in case your business booms, you wonâ??t have any trouble with the government.
- Lastly, investment. eBay is not only an investment of money. Itâ??s also an investment of time, knowledge and people. To make money, you need to invest money. How much money you choose to invest on letâ??s say, marketing, will directly affect the way you make sales. You need to keep your eyes open and keep up with changing trends. You need to connect to your customers to encourage them to return. You need to invest on staff when you can no longer pack the dayâ??s orders by yourself.
If you get a combination of these 5 tips right, you are sure to be a success on eBay.
It is important on Ebay to get your postage costs right to be competitive. You can save up to 39% on your postage costs with the use of a franking machine. To find out more information on a franking machine please visit www.comparefrankingmachine.co.uk
While funds are being ploughed into the creation of radical new warfare aids – such as the MITâ??s camera able to see around walls -, scientists at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine cognition are looking a bit closer to home, as they think that the future is quite literally on the tip of the tongue.
Together, the team have devised a piece of technology known as the Brain Port which attacks to the tongue to provide soldiers with total 360 vision even on the darkest of nights, as well as creating animalistic sonar-like capabilities.
How does it work?
The development team say that the concept will work because humans see with their brains rather than their eyes; which are merely a tool for relaying information for the brain to construct. Soldiers wear a helmet containing cameras and sonar equipment which feeds data through to the brain via a strip of 144 electrodes clinging to the tongueâ??s nerve fibres â?? a process which certainly might seem complicated but which results in mental effort no higher than that used when watching and listening to a television at the same time.
This might all sound a little bit crazy â?? and thatâ??s exactly why itâ??s been so successful. The project has been aided by a hefty $350,000 grant from DARPA (the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency), who are well known for taking these innovative new ideas through to successful production.
What are the uses? How effective is it?
Soldiers essentially having eyes in the backs of their heads doesnâ??t require much in terms of explanation. Another key issue targeted is that of navigation in areas where sight is limited, such as in dark/night time environments and underwater.
Tests have shown vast improvements in underwater navigation, in which divers have been able to successfully locate their target quickly without difficulty. One soldier described the sensation of wearing the device as similar to that of eating popping candy.
Restricted to the military?
As with a lot of technologies such as this, itâ??s likely that the Brain Port will stay in the confines of the military for a period of time before trickling down into the hands of the public. Whilst thereâ??s no doubt that the intended audience is soldiers, there are certainly a plethora of legitimate uses for everyone else too.
Most obviously, such a device could represent an innovative new method of restoring sight to the visually impaired â?? tests have shown blind people able to find doors and catch balls via the helmet cameras. Another women reported a significant increase in balance while wearing the Brain Port, and even claimed that the effect persisted after removal.
As is common in vision enhancing devices, there is also a mind on the emergency services. The team anticipate firefighters using the cameras to see civilians through smoke in burning buildings, and have also said that it could hold benefits for surgeons now that remote-operated robots have found their way into operating theatres.
Further uses are likely, but increased funding is required to make further improvements. The next step, they say, is to make the device smaller and remove wires.
Rob writes for DirectSight – a leading supplier of reading glasses online.
The True Cost Of Military Spending
Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Prev1...293031...47Next 
Page 30 of 47
