According to the United States Department of energy, the average household spends about $1,300 on electricity annually. This is a lot of money and things such as the weather; the types of lights used and the frequent use of appliances are the deciding factors.
Can anything be done to make this go down? The answer is yes. By reading these tips, the money saved can be used for other expenses.
1. The weather surely gets hot in the summer. It could go up to 90 degrees or higher and the only way to stay cool is using an air conditioner. People should use curtains and shades to reduce the effort of this appliance in cooling the room under these hot conditions.
The doors and windows in the house must also be closed so the air doesn̢۪t go out enabling it to circulate in the designated area. The filters of this household appliance should be cleaned every 3 months to keep it in good condition.
2. The wattage of the bulbs determines how much electricity is consumed. These should be checked because there are some brands available that are just as bright as others that don̢۪t use a lot of power.
3. If there is no one in the room, the lights and other appliances such as the computer must be turned off. This can help prevent overloads or short circuits from happening that may start a fire in the home.
4. Many households have washers and dryers. If the practice is to do the laundry every other day, perhaps doing this twice a week when the load is full is advisable. This can also save some money when paying for gallons of water used during the month.
5. The refrigerator and freezer should be defrosted and cleaned every 2 weeks. This prevents the ice from getting too thick which may cause this machine to break down.
6. People have to cook in order to eat. The person can try using range top burners instead of ovens that use up a lot of electricity.
7. People who live in cold climates need a heater to warm the home. A blanket can be use to wrap around it to lessen the power used inside and while taking a shower.
There are many things that people pay for when owning a home. The homeowner can monitor the electric bills the few past months and see if the steps taken has shown improvements when the next one arrives.
Tips for Saving Money on Electricity
Five Tips for Finding a New Job in a Tough Economy
In tough economic times, jobs become harder and harder to come by. As unemployment rates continue to rise, so does the number of stories of former CEOs just happy to get a barista job at Starbucks. While the job market is highly competitive right now, with thousands of jobs disappearing and very few being created, finding employment isn't impossible it may take a little longer, though, so it's important to get started as quickly as possible.
1.Focus on you.
Every person has their own individual set of skills, talents, and abilities they bring to the table. What are yours? Take some time to really evaluate your professional skills and experience, and make a list of your strengths and weaknesses, both professional and personal (because, let's be honest, very few people can effectively separate the two). Enlist the help of an objective friend or co-worker, as people often have a harder time evaluating themselves objectively.
2.Be open to new opportunities.
The past does not necessarily dictate the future this is especially true in a tight job market. When beginning the search for a new job, start at a very general level and identify (using that list of strengths and weaknesses you made) some job types or specific industries you would fit well in. If you're an excellent communicator with experience as a copy-writer, you may be able to transition into a PR or marketing job. Don't confine yourself to the industry you've always worked in, either most professional skills can parlay effectively across many industries, so remember to focus on your skills and abilities, as opposed to specific experience or industry knowledge.
3.Update your resume.
This is another task you'll want some help with. Your resume is basically you on paper it's the first impression a potential employer will have of you, so it had better be good. Style and design should be considered they don't have to be over-the-top, but just like your personal appearance, the appearance of your resume says a lot about you, whether you like it or not. Also, remember to focus on skill sets and specific results you've achieved, and don't be afraid to brag a little bit. An effective resume tells a prospective employer why they should hire you and what you can bring to their company, so it's value and importance cannot be overstated.
4.Get out there.
Finding a new job particularly in a down economy is not easy. You have to be proactive, creative, and persistent if you want to get ahead of the competition. Once you've found a list of jobs or companies you;d like to apply for, consider going in person to submit your resume and application you'll have a better chance of sticking out from the crowd, and possibly even speaking with someone right then and there.
5.Keep at it.
Job hunting is a time-consuming process that can get difficult and even tedious at times. But it's imperative that you stay positive don't let rejection get you down, instead, tell yourself that any job you don't get wasn't the right job for you. In time, if you're persistent, you'll find the right fit.
Start A New Career Without Quitting Your Current Job
If you have been thinking of starting a new career, what better way than to start it part time. This way, you don't have to quit your current job. Part time does not mean that you work for a few hours; it means you work as a freelancer. Working part time gives you the flexibility to work at any time of the day and from anywhere. If this sounds like a good option, then read on. We mean serious business here.
By working part time, we are not talking about work from home options or data entry jobs. We are talking about internet marketing or online marketing. Internet is virtually the next best shopping place. So if you have a knack for sales, we suggest you take up training courses that can enhance your skill and prepare you to venture into this field of marketing.
This alternate career option can easily be pursued with your current job, for you do not have to spend a fixed number of hour's everyday. You can decide how much time you would like to devote to your online marketing venture. Moreover, it is absolutely risk free, since you can test the waters while you have a secured job to fall back on. In addition, you know that your secured job is not so safe any more with the current recession. In such a scenario, an alterative source of income in the form of online marketing is a great option. Starting a new career by giving up the current one would be risky. On the other hand, a parallel career option is safe and if it works, then you can take it up full time too.
Several online training courses teach you the tricks of the trade. Though internet marketing is considered to be simple, there are some common mistakes that people commit. In order to be successful in this industry, you need to have a thorough knowledge about what works and what doesn't. You can update yourself and enhance your knowledge about this marketing concept by reading the case studies, which have been incorporated in the training course.
If you are planning to start a new career or want to earn some extra bucks, then internet marketing is the right option. These courses teach various concepts of internet marketing like ad words, search engine optimization, affiliate marketing, banner ads, newsletters, bulk emails and so on. These methods are commonly used for selling products and services. How well you utilize these tools would depend on your marketing ability and skill. Once you know the basic rules of this internet marketing industry, you can avoid the most common mistakes. This guidance can be of great help when you decide to establish your business and venture into a new career. Online marketing training courses also offer accredited certification, which adds value to your profile.
Online Education - Myths And Facts
The case against online education is based on the attractions of a color blind society and is buttressed by a sense some have that these programs are not just incomplete, but pointless. The students are seen as being put into situations where they are cannot compete with full-time students and not only fail, but are also demoralized in the process.
Common to arguments against online education is a sense that their students advantaged by it displace full-time students who are more deserving of admissions since they can benefit better from this type of and will be able to perform better after graduation.
First of all lets understand online education. It refers to delivery of education from a distance and is distinguished by the separation in space and probably in time between student and instructor. It makes use of the Internet and web technologies as a medium of distribution and a computer-reconciled communication channel. In this section, we present a series of prevalent myths about online education, along with the facts concerning the myths.
Myth no.1
Normal work schedules are extremely tedious and variable (students can not be present in a classroom regularly). Hence, online education is great. All a student has to do is submit their homework assignments and keep abreast of the reading (they dont lose any time in wasteful discussions).
Fact no.1
Only active participants in weekly online discussions are able to successfully master class material. There is also a strong likelihood of your not earning even a passing grade.
Myth no 2
It has been said time and time again that you can learn online anytime, anywhere. You can at home, at your office, or anywhere. This mode of education helps you learn faster. Then again, online education doesnt really shorten the time needed to learn or master a skill, automatically. The time is generally longer than full time education.
Fact no 2
Online education by virtue of its mode of conduct, gives you the inbuilt advantage of managing your learning time better and more competently.
Myth no 3
Working grown-ups, with families and other responsibilities benefit from the elasticity of time in online education. Whether or not they take part in conferences or submit their projects on time or not does not, in any way, affect their grades.
Fact no 3
Despite the fact that instructors normally take all possible measures to accommodate their students, nevertheless they have to participate in the conferences a few times every week. They also have to submit their assignments on time.
Like it or not, finally, the fact remains that, in order to derive the most out of your Online education every student has to participate fully, professionally, and diligently.
Advanced Technology and DVI Cables
As technology becomes more advanced, Digital-Visual-Interface or in short DVI is the greatest digital interface that manufacturers have created; particularly to be used on your AV products, it is designed to be used with video so as to maximize the visual quality of your digital display devices.
These digital display devices can be your flat panel LCD computer display or even digital projectors. The DVI cables are made to be compatible with High-Definition-Multimedia-Interface, aka HDMI.
Since High-Definition is becoming more popular among consumers, it is crucial for you to choose the right or most suitable DVI cable for your product to maximise its capability, as DVI can also be used on video cards that include both a VGA and DVI output port.
There are currently three types of DVI formats or connections on the market. They include DVI Digital, DVI analogue and lastly DVI Integrated, which transfers in both digital and analogue.
Each of these formats offer consumers different end results of quality composition, such that if you want the best of both worlds for your video cards you may want to choose the DVI integrated, whereas you can go for either one of the other two formats, if you would like a true digital or high resolution analogue for your visual display.
Currently, the official DVI equipment is set to 7.5m in length. However, the maximum length is never exact as manufacturers are creating stronger cards and bigger monitors as well as booster and junctions for longer cables.
IPv6 and the Ultimate Cyberattack
The new internet protocol IPv6 will vastly increase the number of internet addresses available. Whilst IPv4 allows around 4 billion addresses, IPv6 increases this to around 3.4x1038. A major motivation for additional address space, apart from the fact that most of the currently available addresses are already allocated, is that it is foreseen that in the near future the will be an explosion in the number of devices that directly access the internet, each of which will have its own unique IP address.
Some obvious examples are mobile phones and cars. Already many mobile phones are used to access the internet via their network provider but currently the connection to the internet is via a system that is similar to Native Address Translation (NAT), which has a considerable number problems. Neither will it be long before all new cars have an IP address and are permanently connected to the internet. Self organising sensor networks will become commonplace and used for such diverse activities as monitoring the environment to public health care. Each node of this network will require an IP address. Items marked with RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification) will also require IP addresses so that they can be monitored and organised.
In the home the television and the refrigerator will have IP addresses, as will the central heating system and your lighting circuits, intruder alarms, door lock and even your curtains. The internet will become ubiquitous and the connectivity will be almost infinite.
This of course created a massive vulnerability the cyberattack; so much so that the US government is investing $30 million into countermeasures against such a perceived attack. One of their concerns is hardware viruses that could be incorporated into chips. This could then be activated over the internet and used to launch massive coordinated cyberattacks from such items as televisions and refrigerators.
This might sound like science fiction but the American Defence Department is taking it very seriously. Effectively they are carrying out research into the ultimate antivirus software in order to protect the integrity of tomorrow's internet.
Simple Steps to Be as Rich as You Want
Do you want to be rich? Most of us will not deny the wealth that we see others enjoy. We sometime wonder how these people can get into such a pleasurable level of status that we do not even dream of. We wonder how come we work hard all our life and we have not achieved much no matter either materialistically or spiritually. How can we know those methods the rich people use and apply them into our life? Will we be rich after we use them? What price do we have to pay or do in order to get what we want like the other rich people do? In this article, we will find the secret that makes thousands if not million of people get as much wealth as they want. It was proven to be the effective method and we can also be the ones to utilize and enjoy the result of it.
The three steps that you can practice here will help to get you want include:
1. You visualize what you want. You see yourself as you already own it. If you want money, make a cheque that has the exact number of the amount you want. Carry it around and pick it up to take a look every time you have a chance. If you want a big house, take a picture of your dream house and put it on the wall in front of your working desk. Visualize yourself and your family live in this lovely house. See you and your family plan have a picnic party at the backyard of your house. What are you going to do in the pool that you have beside it? See it as it is happening now.
If you want a car, take a picture of the model you want. Choose the color that you like most. Keep the picture to see every time you have the opportunity. Visualize yourself drive this car around. How far you are going to drive this car? Feel the power of the engine. Feel the comfort you have while driving. See it and feel it as it is happening right now in front of you. When you visualize, your subconscious mind will response to it. The more intense your feeling have toward it, the more result you will get. The subconscious mind will believe that the situation is real. As the result, it will attract more favorable situation and opportunity into your life. You can be rich faster and accomplish more than you have ever dreamed of by right visualization.
2. You believe that what you want can happen. Apart from boosting your subconscious mind by visualization, you need to also stimulate your conscious mind. How are we going to do that? You need to have faith on yourself. You need to believe that you can be qualified to have and get what you want. The conscious mind communicates through words. Practice affirmation that you can do and achieve all you want. You need to eliminate all disempowering beliefs that you may have or use to have. Now you are totally convinced that all the assets, wealth and money you want can be yours and they will be.
3. You take constant and unwavering actions to achieve the wealth you want. Results come from actions. Do not expect anything happens without you do anything. Plan yourself around what you want to happen. What you will need to do in order to get them? How long is it going to take to the next level of income you want? What are you going to do? Make your action plan and incessantly pursue it. Rich will come when you take actions toward it.
The process of visualization can be enhanced by using Attraction Accelerator. It is background music which will help enhancing the power of your visualization. The process of having faith on oneself can be boosted by positive affirmation very often. To take effective actions will require proper goal setting and right planning to help the process.
Rich can be achieved by a lot of people and by you too. Once you can master the simple three steps explained in this article, you can go as far as you want.
3 Secrets To Help You Become A Pro-Networker
Networking is just like any other relationship that you have with someone, it is about giving and taking. Sometimes we lose sight of our initial goal and find ourselves taking more than we might be giving. Giving doesn't have to be difficult, it could be as simple as giving someone the name of a good caterer or supporting their charitable cause by attending an event or making a donation. Don't view networking as a difficult task. If you do it enough you will soon see that it becomes quite natural. Here is a further 3 secrets to become a pro-networker. By utilising these techniques you will have a whole new outlook on networking.
• Remember names. While this may sound quite simple to you it can be very difficult for other people. When you first meet someone try and associate them with something at the particular event. Maybe you talked about luxury cars with this person, remember the car and attach their name. A few minutes after being introduced say their name again. If you don't remember it, ask! Hopefully the next time that you meet them they will be impressed that you paid enough attention to remember their name.
• Listen instead of talking. I know you're thinking, “why would I want to be quiet? I'm there to sell myself to others, right?” You should not attend a networking event with the idea of selling in your mind. You are trying to build a business relationship with someone, not make a sale. Allow the other person to talk about themselves and show an active interest in what they have to say.
• Finally, the third secret to become a pro-networker is not to miss opportunities. If you find that someone could use your assistance, don't hesitate to offer. If you wait, there will always be someone ready to jump in and fill the void. Even if it is only on a volunteer basis, this will build credibility around you and your business.
Utilising the 3 secrets to become a pro-networker can make this aspect of your business a little more enjoyable for you. Happy networking!
How to Connect Your Laptop or PC to Your TV
Have you ever think or wonder if you can connect your laptop or PC to your TV or HDTV to show off your latest digital photos to your friends and family? There are other compelling reasons why we want to connect our laptop or PC to our televisions, especially when you have your HDTV that are so popular nowadays. Those who are games fanatic would be happy to hook-up their laptop or PC to an HDTV for great gaming experience. Viewing everything from presentations, movies and photos is now possible for the big-screen hook-up. This guide will help you setup your laptop or PC to connect to your TV or HDTV.
Traditional TV set
The cable you need depends on your TV and your laptop. Most of the new laptops today have an S-video output built-in. If you have an S-video output on your laptop and an S-video input on your TV then you will need an S-video cable. If you have an old laptop and an old TV you will probably need a standard video cable which usually has yellow connectors at each end.
High Definition TV (HDTV)
Most of today’s HDTV comes in either LCD or Plasma. High Definition TV usually is more expensive than traditional TV set and can be amounting to thousands of dollars for extremely large sets. All HDTV sets are in 16:9 ratio and have output for 5.1 digital sound and are extremely thin.
High Definition content or HDTV has some options that will give you higher quality image than you would get when using an S-video or a yellow composite video cable. To get the highest quality video, your laptop or PC needs to have a video card with DVI (Digital Video Interface) output.
This guide will help you connect your laptop or PC with Vista operating system to a HDTV).
1. First, you need to check if you have the needed cables to connect your laptop to your TV.
For better picture quality, you should connect the laptop or PC to the TV using standard VGA ports or via the DVI to HDMI cable provided with your TV that supports these ports.
If you laptop or PC has no DVI port, you can transform your laptop’s USB port into a DVI port using an adapter to connect it to your HDTV. The adapter has 128mb onboard memory, making it capable to handle resolution of up to 1400x1050 with quality similar to a DVI port.
2. Make sure that you connect the cable to the TV before turning on the laptop or PC as it may fail to detect and recognize external display sometimes. Open the display settings by clicking on Start Control Panel Personalization then click on “Connect to a projector or other external display” to get into Windows Mobility Center. Click on “Connect display” option to automatically detect and activate output to the TV screen. You can either mirror content of your computer on the TV or extend the display just like a dual monitor screen.
3. Pick up your TV remote and switch to "External Inputs" from the menu. You will need to change the default "Video 1" to a different selection which may be "HDMI 1" or "Video 2" depending on how you have made the connection.
Important: You may also need to change the screen resolution of your TV using the Display settings in your Control Panel else the picture may appear distorted.
How to Setup Audio from Laptop to HDTV
The above mentioned information will help you get video signal from laptop to show up to your HDTV. However, you will need to use a different cable in order to get the audio to your TV. Every laptop has a mini-headphone jack input so you can just buy a mini-headphone cable with male connectors on both ends.
If your HDTV does not have a mini-headphone jack input you can use a headphone to RCA cable to get the audio from your laptop or PC to your HDTV.
How to Connect Your Laptop or PC to Your TV
Have you ever think or wonder if you can connect your laptop or PC to your TV or HDTV to show off your latest digital photos to your friends and family? There are other compelling reasons why we want to connect our laptop or PC to our televisions, especially when you have your HDTV that are so popular nowadays. Those who are games fanatic would be happy to hook-up their laptop or PC to an HDTV for great gaming experience. Viewing everything from presentations, movies and photos is now possible for the big-screen hook-up. This guide will help you setup your laptop or PC to connect to your TV or HDTV.
Traditional TV set
The cable you need depends on your TV and your laptop. Most of the new laptops today have an S-video output built-in. If you have an S-video output on your laptop and an S-video input on your TV then you will need an S-video cable. If you have an old laptop and an old TV you will probably need a standard video cable which usually has yellow connectors at each end.
High Definition TV (HDTV)
Most of today’s HDTV comes in either LCD or Plasma. High Definition TV usually is more expensive than traditional TV set and can be amounting to thousands of dollars for extremely large sets. All HDTV sets are in 16:9 ratio and have output for 5.1 digital sound and are extremely thin.
High Definition content or HDTV has some options that will give you higher quality image than you would get when using an S-video or a yellow composite video cable. To get the highest quality video, your laptop or PC needs to have a video card with DVI (Digital Video Interface) output.
This guide will help you connect your laptop or PC with Vista operating system to a HDTV).
1. First, you need to check if you have the needed cables to connect your laptop to your TV.
For better picture quality, you should connect the laptop or PC to the TV using standard VGA ports or via the DVI to HDMI cable provided with your TV that supports these ports.
If you laptop or PC has no DVI port, you can transform your laptop’s USB port into a DVI port using an adapter to connect it to your HDTV. The adapter has 128mb onboard memory, making it capable to handle resolution of up to 1400x1050 with quality similar to a DVI port.
2. Make sure that you connect the cable to the TV before turning on the laptop or PC as it may fail to detect and recognize external display sometimes. Open the display settings by clicking on Start Control Panel Personalization then click on “Connect to a projector or other external display” to get into Windows Mobility Center. Click on “Connect display” option to automatically detect and activate output to the TV screen. You can either mirror content of your computer on the TV or extend the display just like a dual monitor screen.
3. Pick up your TV remote and switch to "External Inputs" from the menu. You will need to change the default "Video 1" to a different selection which may be "HDMI 1" or "Video 2" depending on how you have made the connection.
Important: You may also need to change the screen resolution of your TV using the Display settings in your Control Panel else the picture may appear distorted.
How to Setup Audio from Laptop to HDTV
The above mentioned information will help you get video signal from laptop to show up to your HDTV. However, you will need to use a different cable in order to get the audio to your TV. Every laptop has a mini-headphone jack input so you can just buy a mini-headphone cable with male connectors on both ends.
If your HDTV does not have a mini-headphone jack input you can use a headphone to RCA cable to get the audio from your laptop or PC to your HDTV.
Make serious money from your clicked pictures
If you think that you have the ability to excite someone by your pictures, then, do not just restrict your art to a mere hobby. Your little piece of camera could be your key to making serious money out of it. And there is a wide market out there willing to pay you for your photograph. All you have to learn is take the quality picture and market it through the right platform. Here’s how you can make money by simply taking pictures!
To begin with, jot down the agencies that are in constant need of pictures. Take glossy magazines for example. Pay a visit to some popular magazine vendors and pick some of the most read ones. Then, study the quality and the style of pictures clicked that best illustrates the article penned. Note the quality of the pictures and decide ways to match that quality. In case, you find a magazine that matches the level of the quality of your pictures, visit them with your portfolio containing 20-25 pictures on the same line. Or contact the photo editor and send him some of your potential pictures for his reference.
Another agency that highly seeks the creative services of these photographers is insurance and mortgage companies. Now, these companies have frequent demands for freelance photographers for clicking quality pictures of properties like residences, apartments, recreational malls, etc. You can click some quality pictures of appealing properties and send them across. This work can be taken as a part-time job which can be done at one’s leisure time. In case, you are selected, choosing the appropriate location and time would be at your dispense.
Further you can easily view a list of companies seeking freelance photographers by conducting an online research. Google "freelance photographers required" to get introduced to the prospective clients on a frequent search for freelance or part time photographers. Another option is to work with stock photography agents that successfully market pictures collected from myriad photographers from across the world and present them to a wide belt of interested online consumers. Considering the cut-throat competitions in stock photography, make sure that you're sent pictures are of the highest resolution and best quality to avoid chances of permanent rejection of your pictures. After your pictures have been accepted by the particular stock photography site, make sure that your pictures are most viewed. This can be achieved by penning the right keywords for describing your picture so that it appears in the first-two pages of the search engines.
Increasing the sale of your picture is absolutely in your hands. Observe and learn the quality standards and patterns followed by your fellow photographer registered in the stock photography site and base your pictures on the same level. Make sure that your pictures are sharp with no end blurred or out of focus. Do not take pictures that are representative of a sign or a company’s logo. Keep practicing to better yourself. Internet offers a wide scope for your art work to get world-wide acknowledgement.